Chapter 48: Battle Against the Blazing Lion

"A Flame Lion?! How majestic! To think they ran into one, what incredible luck!"

"Let me tell you, scanning all sixteen groups, only their group encountered a lethal beast. The others got nothing more than camels, insects, or plant-type spirit beasts."

"Haven't you noticed that Senior Brother Wen running while holding Junior Sister Ling is even faster than Senior Brother Bingcang? Is that even reasonable? A Qi Refining cultivator running faster than a Foundation Establishment one?!"

"Disciples from the other peaks have already defeated their spirit beasts, so why are they only just being spotted by one?!"

"Who was it that bet on Detached Peak successfully advancing? Their bride-price savings are probably wiped out by now."

Outside the water mirror, disciples analyzed the situation, pondering the sect's intentions for this secret realm trial.

Inside the secret realm, Ling Xi and the others had drawn the attention of the Flame Lions.

The Flame Lions seemed to skim over the ground, yellow sand splashing up from beneath their paws with extreme velocity, closing the distance to within twenty meters of Ling Xi and her companions.

Standing as tall as two men, the Flame Lions possessed eyes larger than Ling Xi's fist. Despite their massive bulk, their movements were astonishingly agile.

The foremost lion suddenly paused mid-stride, opened its massive jaws, and spat a spherical fireball backward in an ambush against Ling Xi.

Both Ling Xi and Wen玦 possessed top-tier perception; they whipped around to the left and leaped several steps away.

The orange-red flame plummeted, striking the exact spot they had previously occupied. Refusing to be extinguished by the sand, the flames surged three meters high.

Ling Xi employed her [Netherworld Othershore] technique in tandem with the Gentle Breeze Treading Waves movement art, trailing wisps of black smoke from the soles of her feet. She glanced back and felt her scalp go numb.

The lions in pursuit began opening their jaws one after another, launching clusters of fireballs through the air straight toward the four of them.

Even the sand was incinerated upon contact; landing on human skin would mean instant ignition.

Seeing the main force of lions closing in rapidly while their own spiritual energy was depleting at an alarming rate, Ling Xi burned with anxiety.

Suddenly, she sprinted to the shadow of a poplar tree, came to a halt, picked up a withered branch from the ground, and a smile curved the corner of her lips.

"Listen well, it's still not too late to go your separate ways. If you insist on this path, I'll have no choice but to have roasted meat for an extra meal!"

The lead lion king clearly understood Ling Xi's words; its muzzle twitched violently as it let out a rough, booming laugh.

"Human, you can't scare us! Stay and become our extra meal!"

Ling Xi gripped the branch with her left hand, preserving the main stem of the withered wood, spun it in a circle, and held it diagonally in her right hand.

"Senior brothers, gather together."

Without a word of dispute, the three of them instantly abandoned their escape and huddled closely together.

Ling Xi pulled a talisman from her storage ring and hurled it unceremoniously toward the three of them.

Their survival instincts screamed at them to run, but the moment they moved their feet, they heard Ling Xi say, "Don't move." They tightly clenched their fists, suppressed their instincts, and froze in place.

The little junior sister would never harm them.

The talisman detonated above their heads, shooting out two dazzling golden threads that swept left and right, forming a pyramidal barrier.

Wen玦 glanced at the glowing arc of the barrier, slowed the circulation of spiritual power within his body, glanced at the yellow sand, and sat cross-legged.

Bingcang glanced at Ling Xi, then at Wen玦, and followed suit.

Seeing Suian standing stupidly without moving, Bingcang spat out a few low words: "Sit down, and try not to consume spiritual energy."

Suian was just about to ask why when the red thread on his wrist flashed frantically. The spiritual qi within his body began flowing along the thread, draining rapidly into Ling Xi.

He understood instantly, but it was already too late. The moment his spiritual power was emptied, his knees turned to jelly, and he collapsed sideways to the ground.

Beneath the withered poplar tree, Ling Xi stood straight as an arrow. The red thread on her wrist revealed itself, trembling slightly in the wind.

The spiritual light radiating from her body surged violently, enveloping her figure in a luminous aura. Her garments fluttered without any wind, purple light flashed across her pupils, and an overwhelming aura of sovereignty emanated from her entire being.

"I'll ask once more: you truly refuse to leave?"

Ling Xi's lips moved slightly as her calm gaze swept across the tide-like pack of lions.

The lion king let out a sky-shattering roar filled with mocking laughter, and massive fireballs erupted from its throat.

The other Flame Lions followed suit, opening their jaws to spit fireballs as well.

Very well, recovering completely after one's spiritual power was drained took time.

She hadn't originally wanted to unleash her ultimate move, but the lions kept pursuing relentlessly. If this attrition war continued, their spiritual energy would eventually run dry.

Ling Xi locked her sights on the lion king's movements, her feet planted immovably on the ground as she swung the withered branch. The wood collided with the air, friction sparking splinters of fire.

The withered branch flew past the lion king's right side, failing to graze even a single hair of its hide, provoking another round of mockery from the beast.

Before the laugh could fully escape its throat, the withered branch executed a sharp spin, whipping up a violent gale.

Vaguely, thousands of bamboo stalks materialized, dancing wildly in the wind.

The withered branch burst forth from the bamboo waves with lightning speed, striking squarely across the lion king's neck. Sword qi sliced through flesh and skin, and blood gushed in a steady stream from the wound as the lion king collapsed with a heavy thud.

The withered branch completed its circle and returned to Ling Xi's grasp.

Holding the branch, Ling Xi smiled, though warmth failed to reach her eyes. "How is it now? Do you wish to follow your king's footsteps?! I will give you three counts. If you do not leave by then, do not blame me for abandoning my benevolence!"

"Three!"

The lions at the very rear tucked their tails between their legs and fled in panic.

"Two!"

Quite a few Flame Lions cast furtive glances at Ling Xi, a spark of light rising in their eyes only to vanish instantly. Lowering their heads, looking back every three steps, they finally vanished at the edge of the sandy plain.

"One!"

Ling Xi held the withered branch diagonally; fresh blood dripped from its tip, kicking up a few specks of sand.

Ling Xi smiled sweetly. "Are you still not leaving? In that case, don't blame me!"

The very last Flame Lion whimpered and flattened itself against the ground upon hearing this, wagging its tail happily while making soft, whining sounds, as if it had encountered a natural predator or was desperately begging for mercy.

Ling Xi's fingers trembled slightly. Having caught the creature's plea, the heart hanging in her throat finally settled back into place.

"You want to carry me away?!" Ling Xi had already squatted down in front of the lion and asked three times.

The lion nodded once more, gazing at Ling Xi with softened eyes, and even lowered its body entirely so she could mount it.

Trapped within the barrier, Suian's mouth hung wide open, his jaw practically hitting the ground.

He had braced himself to cheer and root for his junior sister, only for... the Flame Lion to volunteer as her mount.

Ling Xi dispelled the barrier, scrambled onto the Flame Lion's back first, and beckoned for her senior brothers to join her.

To her surprise, the lion widened its eyes, snorted smoke from its nostrils, and roared fiercely at the trio.

Ling Xi patted its head, whispered a few words into its ear, and it finally ceased its angry bellowing. It shot a glance at Suian and the others, turned its head away, and waited for them to climb aboard.

A myriad of complex emotions churned within the three men; even Suian, who loved to talk the most, remained silent.

They had promised to protect their junior sister, only to end up being protected by her instead. The feeling was difficult to digest.

Ling Xi's lips twitched, and she prepared to offer a few words of comfort when the lion let out a low rumble.

Ling Xi removed her outer robe, draped it over her head, and within the shaded enclosure, she finally understood the lion's intent.

"It says it wants to take us to meet someone."

Ling Xi understood instantly: the Flame Lion had been directed here by someone else.

If she entered someone else's territory and happened to slay their pet, would that be considered somewhat impolite?

Wen玦 walked past the lion king's carcass, paused, turned back, stuffed the entire lion into his cosmos sack, licked the corner of his lips, and finally swung himself up onto the lion's back.