Chapter Fifty-Five: The Arrival of Yama

“So it’s you two who dare trespass and destroy my lair?”

In an instant, the Violet-Gold Winged Lion King detected Lin An and his companion. He realized immediately that Lin An was the culprit.

“That’s right, I’m the one who destroyed it!” Lin An made no effort to hide the truth and laid everything bare.

“A pair of ants, daring to defile my lair—prepare to die!”

In the eyes of the Violet-Gold Winged Lion King, Lin An and Nalan Yanran were no different from insects. He had no patience for pointless words. A beam of violet-gold divine light burst from his maw, seething with terrifying energy. In a flash, it was upon Lin An.

Yet Lin An did not falter. Calmly, he whisked Nalan Yanran into the Hall of Yama. Only when the commotion outside subsided did they reappear.

“Humans have been swarming the Magical Beast Mountain Range lately. Hear my command: any human who steps within the bounds of my lair shall be slain without mercy!”

The Lion King’s decree thundered down. The lesser beasts below cowered, trembling on the ground.

Just as the Lion King turned to return to his lair, he was shocked to find Lin An and Nalan Yanran standing there unscathed, watching him with faint amusement.

“How can this be? Even a Dou Emperor among humans might not survive my attack, and yet you two weaklings stand unharmed as if nothing happened?”

If not for the gaping crater in the earth, the Lion King might have doubted the strength of his own strike.

“Your attack was indeed formidable,” Lin An said, smiling, “but it means nothing if it can’t reach its target.”

He quickly discerned that the Lion King was not at his peak, but rather in a weakened state—otherwise, Lin An would not have sensed such frailty after only a single exchange.

Suddenly, Lin An recalled that when Xiao Yan entered this lair, the young Violet-Gold Winged Lion was already present. Could it be that at this point in the timeline, the Lion King had just given birth and had yet to recover his former might?

If that was the case, then perhaps, even with his current strength, he stood a chance of defeating this legendary beast.

“Such arrogance from a mere human! Tiger King, kill these two who know not the immensity of heaven and earth!” the Lion King commanded, abstaining from further attack himself—something that only confirmed Lin An’s suspicion: the Lion King was desperate to return to his lair and conceal his weakness.

The so-called Tiger King was a fifth-tier beast, a golden-furred tiger whose power was middling among its rank—yet even so, it rivaled a Dou King in human terms.

“I know you understand my words. Leave now, or I won’t hesitate to slay you before I deal with the Lion King!”

Lin An summoned two strands of strange flame. The Tiger King, no fool, could sense the mortal threat they posed—either one could end its life in an instant. After a moment’s hesitation, it chose to flee, abandoning the field altogether.

“Useless creatures! Even weakened, do you think a mere human boy can harm me?” The Lion King, too, felt the menace in Lin An’s flames, and could not fathom how one so young could control two different kinds of strange fire.

“You’re welcome to try,” Lin An replied.

As he spoke, a pair of black wings formed behind him. With a gentle beat, he soared into the air, his speed no less than the Lion King’s.

The Lion King roared. The violet crystals on his body blazed with light, and in an instant, a torrent of purple flames surged out, coalescing into a giant pillar that shot into the sky. The searing heat was so intense that even Nalan Yanran, standing a thousand meters away, felt its burning force.

To be belittled by a mere human—how could the king of this land endure such humiliation?

But Lin An showed no fear. The two strange fires in his hands twisted together, forming twin beams that collided with the Lion King’s pillar of flame.

The resulting energy storm swept across the world, annihilating everything in its path, leaving nothing behind.

Nalan Yanran had not expected her junior brother to wield such overwhelming power. The surging energy was beyond anything she could withstand; without hesitation, she retreated into the Hall of Yama.

Even weakened, the Lion King’s speed was astonishing, his movements like teleportation as he released deadly attacks from the violet horn atop his head. Yet Lin An evaded each strike with ease, always appearing composed and unhurried, which infuriated the Lion King all the more.

How could a mere human possess such might? Had he been at his peak, he could have slain this youth with a thought. Now, however, he felt his strength waning with every passing moment.

“If I simply keep dodging, I could wear you down until you’re utterly spent. But that’s not what I want.”

“Our battle has lasted long enough for me to gauge your strength—about the level of a five-star Dou King. Considering the physical might of your beastly form, it would take someone at least at the eight-star Dou King level to defeat you.”

Lin An analyzed the Lion King’s abilities, estimating his current power. He guessed that in another month or two, the Lion King would fully recover his strength. After all, once the weakness passed, his power would return with increasing speed.

There were many ways Lin An could force the Lion King to submit—send Black and White Impermanence into the lair to seize the young lion as leverage, or drag the king into the Hall of Yama and subdue him by force, or tempt him with the allure of superior bloodlines…

Yet Lin An yearned to defeat the Lion King by his own strength, troublesome though it might be.

“Yama’s Descent!”

Lin An murmured softly.