"A Douhuang-level expert?"
The Amethyst Winged Lion King's voice trembled with disbelief.
The six-winged golden python was a magical beast at the sixth level. To fight it head-on meant that the mysterious woman's cultivation had reached the Douhuang realm.
"Yun Yun!" Ya Fei gasped in surprise.
"You know her?" asked the Little Medical Fairy curiously.
"I saw her once back in the imperial capital, at the Nalan clan's residence," Ya Fei explained. "She had just taken Nalan Yanran as her disciple back then. I didn't expect her to appear here in the Magic Beast Mountain Range."
By the time Ye Feng and his party arrived, the battle was already nearing its end.
Golden Radiance. Wind Extreme Technique: Meteoric Annihilation.
Both Yun Yun and the six-winged golden python had unleashed their trump cards. Golden beams of light streaked through the air, impossibly fast. Though Yun Yun twisted her body to dodge, a sharp ray still pierced her left shoulder.
Despite her injury, Yun Yun—leader of the Misty Cloud Sect—was no weakling. At the critical moment, she activated her sect's exclusive martial skill. A brilliant green sword aura shot forth, piercing straight through the python's skull.
Puff!
Yun Yun coughed up a mouthful of blood, her gaze shifting toward the skies—only to lock eyes with the descending Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.
"Purple Crystal Winged Lion King..." she muttered in a strained voice, eyes filled with fear.
Had she been uninjured, she might still be able to fight back. But now—battered, bloodied, and exhausted—she stood no chance. Panic surged through her. Her green spirit wings flapped rapidly as she dived toward the fallen python to retrieve its spoils.
"Follow her!" Ya Fei ordered.
Yun Yun landed beside the python's corpse and swiftly extracted a golden beast core from its shattered head. Sensing the approaching pressure of the Amethyst Winged Lion King, her expression changed. She dared not linger any longer.
Her green wings flared, and she darted into the forest like a fleeing specter.
Several minutes later, Yun Yun realized something dreadful.
She hadn't shaken them off at all.
With gritted teeth, she spun around and raised her emerald longsword, facing the incoming Amethyst Winged Lion King head-on.
Its sudden stop sent a wave of wind blasting outward.
"Ah!" Ya Fei cried out in surprise.
"Ahh!" Xiao Yixian let out a small scream.
The sudden stop nearly threw them off. Xiao Yixian, sitting in the back, could clearly feel a particular part of her being crushed again—and this time, the impact was even worse than before.
As for Ya Fei, her little silver teeth bit into her soft lips.
She sat at the front, Ye Feng in the middle, and Xiao Yixian at the rear.
Her face was flushed crimson—so red it looked like it might start dripping blood. Clearly, what she had just experienced was far more embarrassing than anything Xiao Yixian went through.
"Xiao Zi," Ya Fei grumbled, "Why did you stop so suddenly?"
The Amethyst Winged Lion King replied with grievance, "Master, she stopped without warning. If I hadn't stopped, I would've crashed into her!"
"A human?"
Yun Yun was stunned.
Only now did she notice that the terrifying Amethyst Winged Lion King—the king of beasts in this part of the forest—had three humans riding its back.
One man. Two women.
Puff!
She spat out another mouthful of blood.
The reckless escape had pushed her injured body beyond its limits. Now that she saw the threat was neutralized and the lion didn't seem aggressive, her body gave in to exhaustion. A wave of dizziness hit her like a crashing tide.
Puff!
She vomited blood once again and fell.
Just as she collapsed, a blur flickered.
Ye Feng disappeared from the lion's back using spatial force and reappeared right beneath Yun Yun, catching her in his arms before she could hit the ground.
He looked down at the unconscious beauty.
She wore simple garments, her face pale and peaceful, her breath faint. Her left shoulder was still bleeding.
Ye Feng narrowed his eyes. The red light of his sixth spirit ring lit up beneath him.
Nine-Hearted Mysterious Tang. Sixth Spirit Skill: Embrace of the Goddess of Life.
A massive green phantom formed behind him. Gentle light wrapped around Yun Yun's wounded body, and in mere breaths, her pierced shoulder was fully healed.
Holding her in his arms, Ye Feng floated back to Ya Fei and Xiao Yixian, who had already dismounted from the lion.
He noticed their bright red faces and figured out what must've happened during the sudden stop.
Though Xiao Yixian looked merely shy, Ya Fei was on another level—covering her backside with both hands and glaring at him with eyes that could shoot lightning.
"Ya Fei," Ye Feng asked with a smirk, "Are you alright?"
Ya Fei bit her lip, unsure of how to respond.
Xiao Yixian glanced at her, then at Ye Feng—and suddenly understood what had just happened.
"Take care of her for now," Ye Feng said, handing Yun Yun to Ya Fei.
Ya Fei gently accepted Yun Yun, pulled back a bit of her collar, and inspected the wound.
"She's healed… But why hasn't she woken up yet?"
"The wound is gone, but her spirit energy hasn't recovered. A full night's rest will restore her," Ye Feng explained.
He then turned toward the lion. "Let's head back to the team."
"Wait—!"
"Don't go!"
Both Ya Fei and Xiao Yixian cried out in unison.
"What now?" Ye Feng asked, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips.
"Ye Feng…" Xiao Yixian's cheeks were as red as her spirit power. "You have teleportation skills… Why don't you go ahead first? Sister Ya Fei and I can ride the lion by ourselves…"
"Right! Mister Ye, I… I'm really uncomfortable," Ya Fei added, bashful and clearly in pain.
"Inconvenient?" Ye Feng chuckled. "Why's that?"
"B-Because… Because there's a difference between men and women!" Ya Fei blurted out.
"I know that," Ye Feng said, feigning innocence. "But it's not like I did anything to you."
Not like you did anything?
Ya Fei caught the implication in his words.
He wasn't denying what happened—just saying it wasn't his fault. That he was passive. An accident.
Her face turned even redder.
"Master Ye!"
She wanted to punch him.
"Alright, alright. I'll head back first."
With a casual wave, Ye Feng vanished from sight.
In mere breaths, he returned to the herbalist caravan dozens of miles away, already traveling through the Magic Beast Mountain Range from Qingshan Town.
Sitting back in the carriage, Ye Feng frowned slightly, deep in thought.
"Why did Yun Yun battle the six-winged golden python?"
That wasn't how the original storyline went.
In the original plot, Yun Yun hadn't fought the golden python at all. She appeared only after the fight against the Amethyst Winged Lion King. At that time, she'd come seeking the Purple Spirit Crystal.
But now… she'd fought a sixth-level magical beast with all her strength.
What exactly was she after?
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