When it came to Xiao Yan, the future ruler of the Endless Fire Domain and the Flame Emperor of the Battle Through the Heavens world—
Lin Ran didn't really dislike him.
Sure, the guy had been a bit sneaky early on and had borderline lolicon tendencies, but overall, his character and actions weren't bad.
As the saying goes, Better to work under Xiao Yan than be Tang San's brother. The Endless Fire Domain had Yao Lao. The Divine Realm had no Yu Xiaogang. That said it all.
But there was one problem—his Cloud Rain Sect seemed to have a bit of a grudge with Yao Lao.
Lin Ran knew full well that back then, the Scorpion Demon Three Ghosts had once beaten Yao Chen so badly he fled like a stray dog. Later in the original story, when they met again, Yao Chen and Xiao Yan even killed the Scorpion Demon Three Ghosts and snatched away everything they had worked so hard for.
Even if the whole "looting" part hadn't happened, the relationship between the two sides was already beyond repair.
And since he was now the young sect master of the Cloud Rain Sect, this karmic entanglement wasn't something he could avoid.
In that case...
A glint of coldness flashed through Lin Ran's eyes.
He wasn't some arrogant, brain-dead villain who would underestimate an opponent just because they seemed weak.
Besides, Xiao Yan wasn't some pushover. As the protagonist of the Dou Qi Continent and the future Flame Emperor, he was a certified little cockroach—impossible to kill, with absurd growth speed.
If Lin Ran didn't take him out early, it wouldn't be long before Xiao Yan caught up—or even turned the tables.
At the moment, Xiao Yan's bond with Yao Chen hadn't reached its peak, but it was deepening. With the history between Cloud Rain Sect and Yao Chen, sooner or later, it would involve Xiao Yan too.
Lin Ran narrowed his eyes.
In the original story, Yun Yun had met Xiao Yan here in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. Now that there was no sign of him, it could only mean that Yao Chen had sensed his presence and deliberately avoided him.
But that wasn't a problem. You can dodge the monk, but not the temple.
He had foreknowledge—how could Xiao Yan possibly escape his grasp?
"Even though we're both from Earth, I can't let you live."
"Threats must be crushed in the cradle!"
The killing intent that flashed through Lin Ran's eyes was so cold and sudden that Yun Yun, standing nearby, felt her heart tremble. She thought she'd exposed his identity and that Lin Ran was now going to kill her to silence her.
'So be it. My body's already defiled. But if, because of me, the Jia Ma Empire or Misty Cloud Sect suffers in the future—if our reputation is ruined—that would be the real catastrophe.'
Yun Yun's heart sank in sorrow, but her resolve was firm.
To her, the Misty Cloud Sect mattered far more than herself. If sacrificing her could protect the sect, then so be it.
"Go ahead and do it."
She closed her eyes, her voice oddly calm.
"???"
Lin Ran raised an eyebrow. He had no clue what this crazy woman was thinking. The space around him rippled slightly, and the next moment, his body blurred into a black shadow and vanished from in front of Yun Yun.
Yun Yun's beautiful eyes snapped open. Her red lips trembled, utterly stunned.
"V-Void Step… a Dou Ancestor?!"
...
In the blink of an eye, Lin Ran's figure reappeared high above the Magic Beast Mountain Range. His feet hovered over the air as his vast soul power radiated outward, locking onto several auras in an instant.
Dou Ancestor-level cultivators had the ability to manipulate space. Without relying on flight Dou Techniques, they could traverse the air freely.
High-level Dou Ancestors could even create spatial locks—their strength was terrifying beyond measure.
"So it really is just the one Amethyst Winged Lion King that's a tier-6 beast, huh? Oh well. For a backwater like this, having one tier-6 Magic Beast is already pushing the limit."
Lin Ran felt slightly disappointed. The original novel had mentioned only one tier-6 Magic Beast in this region, and after scanning the area, he confirmed it was true.
That meant he'd have to visit other places to gather materials.
His gaze shifted downward toward a certain cave. With a light step, his figure blinked again—appearing silently right outside the lion's den.
Lin Ran didn't bother hiding his presence. But even as he stood plainly at the entrance of the Amethyst Winged Lion King's lair, no Magic Beast inside sensed a thing. He walked in calmly, unchallenged.
Though called a "lair," it was really just a large cave.
The stone walls occasionally shimmered with embedded violet crystal—natural formations of the mountain. In the human world, these violet crystal blocks were rare decorative gems, highly valuable.
The interior of the cave was spacious and lined with those purple crystals, giving it a lavish appearance. But to Lin Ran, it was meaningless.
With a single step, he vanished again. When he reappeared, he was at the core of the cave.
The area inside was massive. At its center, a giant Magic Beast nearly seven or eight meters long was curled up asleep. Nestled in its arms was a smaller Amethyst Winged Lion, resting quietly.
The two lion beasts lay closely together, radiating heat that raised the temperature of the entire cave.
But aside from the smaller lion cub, the larger lion's embrace also held a massive chunk of violet crystal—over a meter tall, large enough to resemble a stone altar.
Atop the crystal altar sat a perfectly spherical, basketball-sized violet orb, glowing faintly.
There was no doubt—this was the Violet Amethyst Essence!
His sudden arrival must have forced Yao Chen to flee early with Xiao Yan. As a result, this opportunity—the Violet Amethyst Essence—was now missed by Xiao Yan.
"Beast Flame: Fiery Roar. It's not a Heavenly Flame, but still decent."
"My physique is pure Yang and rigid, but my blood vitality lags behind. That's why my cultivation has stalled. Even absorbing Yin-type Dou Qi through cauldrons hasn't helped me break through. But the Heavenly Spirit Blood Dragon Pill, made with beast blood, could fix this flaw."
"This Beast Flame is somewhat similar to Magic Beast blood essence. If I can absorb and refine it, I might gain an unexpected benefit…"
After all, Dou Ancestor was known as a realm of terrifying power.
For experts at this level, low-ranked Heavenly Flames were no longer real threats—let alone a mere Beast Flame.
With a wave of his hand, Lin Ran swept the entire Violet Amethyst Essence along with the giant crystal platform into his storage ring.
The stone was huge—an extension of the entire crystal vein running through the mountain. Collecting it caused a considerable disturbance.
The slumbering Amethyst Winged Lion King's eyes shot open.
Sensing an intruder in its den, its heart pounded in alarm.
Then it noticed the missing crystal—and the vanished Violet Amethyst Essence.
Thinking back to Yun Yun's appearance not long ago, the lion king's broken horn ached with phantom pain. Rage consumed it. Its furious roar shook the entire cave.
"First you tried to snatch my Purple Spirit Crystal, and now you come to steal from me?! You filthy humans—shameless and treacherous!"
"Die!"
(End of Chapter)