Chapter Fifty-Four: Blowing Up the Cave Dwelling Directly

The palm-sized, dark green fire lotus appeared unremarkable at first glance, and even Yanran Nalan had no idea what was happening. In her eyes, the two men before her seemed to have witnessed something utterly inconceivable, then collapsed lifelessly to the ground as if dead.

Under Lin An's gaze, the green fire lotus drifted swiftly toward Xu Wen. The slightest touch from its flame made him emit a piercing, agonized scream, as though he were suffering the most dreadful torment imaginable. At the same time, Mo Feng endured the same fate—the fire lotus seemed to be the most terrifying thing in the world, burning the souls of both men.

This green fire lotus was a unique flame of the Hall of Yama, capable of scorching the soul without bringing death. In the world of Hua Xia, lighting the heavenly lamp and burning a soul through countless lifetimes of anguish was done with this very fire.

Now, for the first time in this world of Battle Through the Heavens, such a flame had appeared.

Lin An ignored their pleas for mercy, as if he hadn’t heard them at all. Soon, unwilling to listen to their wails any longer, he ordered Black and White Impermanence to take their souls into the Hall of Yama for continued torment.

As for the two corpses on the ground, a surge of the Heart Lotus Fire swiftly incinerated them, leaving not a trace behind.

“What a disappointment—running into such disgusting people,” Lin An said helplessly.

“Well, they’re just unlucky to have met you, Junior Brother. It's only fitting after all the unspeakable evil they committed!” Yanran Nalan replied angrily.

“Let’s not dwell on such unpleasant matters.”

“As for this so-called Lion Mercenary Group, let Black and White Impermanence handle them. We should focus on solving our food problem next!”

No sooner had Lin An spoken than Yanran Nalan’s expression brightened, casting aside her previous displeasure. The main reason was her junior brother’s extraordinary culinary skills—the food he prepared was always a delight.

After tasting Yanran Nalan’s cooking last time, Lin An had persuaded her to abandon any dreams of becoming a chef. She was far better suited to being a warrior; such a talent was ill-matched for the kitchen.

Though Yanran Nalan was somewhat unhappy about it, she knew her cooking skills were lacking, and could only resign herself to giving up.

The Lion Mercenary Group was made up of vicious, desperate outlaws, but faced with the elusive Black and White Impermanence, they had no ability to resist.

In a single night, most of the Lion Mercenary Group was wiped out. The few survivors posed no threat, and Lin An had no interest in pursuing them further.

After a night’s rest, Lin An and Yanran Nalan continued deeper into the Magic Beast Mountains. The further they traveled, the more formidable the magical beasts they encountered, and correspondingly, the fewer humans they saw—almost none at all.

In two months, Lin An and Yanran Nalan’s strength had grown enormously. Lin An, in particular, had now reached the level of a Two-Star Grand Fighter, and even Yanran Nalan had broken through to Four-Star Fighter. The speed of their progress was astonishing—even Yanran Nalan herself had not expected such rapid advancement.

“According to the map Master gave us, the Purple-Gold Winged Lion King should be somewhere on the mountain ahead, right?” Yanran Nalan said, gazing at the distant, massive mountain. At its peak, a large cave mouth could be glimpsed, half-hidden by branches.

“That’s right, that should be the lair of the Purple-Gold Winged Lion King. Senior Sister, you must think carefully—if we provoke this beast, at our current level it will be a tough opponent. One careless move, and we could die at its hands,” Lin An warned her.

“If you’re not afraid, Junior Brother, how could I retreat and risk being mocked by you for the rest of my life?” Yanran Nalan replied confidently, showing no hint of fear.

“In that case, I’ll call out this Sixth Tier magical beast myself!” Lin An declared.

“How do you plan to draw it out?” she asked.

“Don’t worry, I have my ways.”

With that, under Lin An’s control, the Heart Lotus Fire and the Bone Spirit Cold Flame swiftly converged before him. Under Yanran Nalan’s watchful gaze, the two unique flames fused perfectly, forming a two-colored lotus.

“Who would have thought this attack skill from the unique flames would end up in my hands?” Even Lin An could sense the terrifying energy hidden within the two-colored lotus before him—one misstep might trigger a tremendous explosion.

Controlling the two-colored fire lotus with his fighting spirit, Lin An slowly directed it toward the cave mouth of the Purple-Gold Winged Lion King.

A thunderous roar echoed as the cave entrance of the Purple-Gold Winged Lion King was blasted apart. Rocks tumbled down the mountainside, and the entire range was shaken. Many magical beasts, sensing the explosion, hurried toward the Lion King’s location.

The Purple-Gold Winged Lion King, a Sixth Tier magical beast and ruler of this region, commanded the loyalty of many beasts.

A furious roar rang out. In moments, a pillar of purple-gold light shot from the cave—a strike from the Lion King.

Soon, the Purple-Gold Winged Lion King soared from its lair. Its massive form stretched seven or eight meters long, clad in a layer of crystalline purple. Sunlight reflected off its body in dazzling brilliance.

Its head was a fierce lion’s visage, with beastly eyes glowing with strange purple light amid blood red, a giant maw full of fangs, and atop its brow a fiery red spiral horn. Purple flames swirled and danced at the horn’s tip. On its vast sides grew a pair of purple wings, which, when flapped, unleashed waves of pale purple fire like a flamethrower, sweeping across the sky. Each of its four powerful paws was wrapped in purple crystal.

Hovering in midair, the Purple-Gold Winged Lion King radiated a palpable aura of intimidation.

“What a magnificent beast! If I could tame it as a pet, it would surely turn heads everywhere,” Lin An exclaimed, instantly captivated by the majestic creature.

“Only you would dare covet the Purple-Gold Winged Lion King. Master said even she might not be its match, and you’re only a Two-Star Grand Fighter—one breath from it and you’d be dead,” Yanran Nalan retorted mercilessly, feeling somewhat troubled herself. Originally, she’d hoped to sneak in and get what she wanted without attracting attention, but her junior brother’s temperament was so bold, he’d blown up the creature’s lair without hesitation.

“Heh heh...”

“If even you doubt me, Senior Sister, it only makes me want all the more to make it my mount,” Lin An said, eyes gleaming with anticipation.