"Who exactly are you!"
Yun Yun spoke with great seriousness, the edge of her sword pressing towards Yan Qingshan with astonishing force. At this moment, she was incredibly sharp, filled with a sense of anger at having been deceived and toyed with.
"I am who I am, Yan Qingshan."
Yan Qingshan smiled slightly, pushing the sword's edge away. He walked over to Yun Yun and patted her shoulder. "You didn't think your disguise was very successful, did you? In this vast Jia Ma Empire, a Dou Emperor is a peak powerhouse, and you're a woman. Was it really that hard to guess your identity?"
"I'm sorry, I..."
When Yun Yun heard Yan Qingshan say this, she was at a loss for how to respond. She felt like there weren't many problems during her time as Yun Zhi, but now that she thought back on it, it was an incredibly foolish act.
As Yan Qingshan said, there weren't many Dou Emperor powerhouses in the Jia Ma Empire, and only one of them was a woman. With just those two conditions, it wasn't hard at all to guess her identity.
She didn't ask Yan Qingshan why he was so sure she was from the Jia Ma Empire and not an external powerhouse. That question would have been too stupid.
After spending so many days together, they could both determine each other's general origins from their language and habits. She had also basically confirmed that Yan Qingshan was a person from the vicinity of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
"But still, you were right to be cautious just now."
Just as Yun Yun let out a sigh of relief, Yan Qingshan made this statement. While she was feeling puzzled, her expression suddenly changed, and she looked at the cave entrance. Subtle footsteps could be heard, and two figures, one large and one small, both with a purple glow, entered.
Yun Yun looked at Yan Qingshan with disbelief.
"You betrayed me! You're working with the Amethyst Winged Lion King!"
The Amethyst Winged Lion King, with a horn on its head, wings on its back, and a body gleaming with a purple light, was quite beautiful. But when you're cornered in a cave by two Amethyst Winged Lion Kings, you probably wouldn't think so.
In front of Yun Yun were two Amethyst Winged Lion Kings. One was the sixth-tier magical beast lord she had fought and who had sealed her, the Amethyst Winged Lion King itself.
The other one was a cub, like a large, fierce dog. When it stood up, it was almost as tall as a person. Its color was slightly lighter, appearing pink and adorable. It seemed not to have reached adulthood yet, but it possessed the aura of a fifth-tier magical beast, which made Yun Yun even more vigilant.
"Roar roar..."
Just as Yun Yun was secretly on guard, the little Amethyst Winged Lion King waddled over to Yan Qingshan in a few steps, lay down beside him, rubbed its head against his pants, and affectionately called out a few times.
"How should I answer that? It's not a betrayal, is it? I knew the Amethyst Winged Lion King before I met you. I even raised this little guy for a while!"
Yan Qingshan reached out and scratched the chin of the little Amethyst Winged Lion King. The little one let out a joyful call and rolled around on the ground, exposing its belly.
"So you were helping the Amethyst Winged Lion King deal with me."
Yun Yun looked at Yan Qingshan, who was playing with the little Amethyst Winged Lion King, a hint of self-mockery on her lips. The thought of how worried she had been about him going out that day now felt incredibly ironic.
This guy was clearly on very good terms with the Amethyst Winged Lion King, yet he had put on that act to gain her trust. She had even shed tears for this little rascal. Thinking about it now, he was probably on the verge of bursting out laughing back then.
Yan Qingshan turned to look at Yun Yun and said with some confusion, "Why would you think that?"
A fierce look appeared on Yun Yun's face, and a blue glow lit up the longsword. "At this point, do you really think I'll believe your lies?"
"What are you thinking?"
Yan Qingshan frowned slightly. Suddenly, he moved and appeared next to Yun Yun. His sudden action startled Yun Yun, and her longsword subconsciously went forward. But just as it was about to hit him, she hesitated for a split second.
"Clang..."
Yun Yun's palm went numb, and the sword fell to the ground. Her hands were crossed and clasped in his, and she was pulled into his embrace.
Yan Qingshan rested his chin on Yun Yun's shoulder, tilted his head slightly, and said, "You little fool, I called the Lion King here to resolve the misunderstanding between the two of you. I've already had the Lion King bring the purple crystal. The quality is definitely good enough."
"This purple crystal is one that I shed last time. It's still full of energy."
The Amethyst Winged Lion King spat out a purple crystal. Then, with a reluctant look at the little one, it said, "Now that this little guy, Amethyst, has reached this level of strength, I'm confident in letting it go out and explore on its own. Please take good care of it from now on."
After saying these words, it slowly turned around and let out a couple of low growls at the little Amethyst Winged Lion King before leaving the cave alone. Not long after, there was no other movement from outside.
The little Amethyst Winged Lion King stayed in the cave, silently watching its mother leave. It let out soft growls, as if saying goodbye. Some magical beasts live in tribes, while others go their separate ways after reaching adulthood. The Amethyst Winged Lion King species belongs to the latter.
Normally, the Amethyst Winged Lion King takes care of its young until they reach adulthood with fifth-tier strength. After that, it allows them to choose their own path for the future: whether to stay in their mother's territory as a subordinate fifth-tier magical beast or to go out and conquer their own territory.
The little Amethyst Winged Lion King was not yet an adult, but after advancing to the fourth tier, it had consumed the Purple Amethyst Essence, refined and transformed it into a fifth-tier magical beast, and gained even greater potential. After exploring its mother's territory for a while, it began to long for the outside world.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King also knew that the Magical Beast Mountain Range was simply too small for her child. It had the potential to become a seventh-tier magical beast and needed a much wider world to support its growth.
Originally, the Amethyst Winged Lion King had planned to wait until the little one reached adulthood before letting it leave home. However, Yan Qingshan's return changed its mind.
It was a little worried about the little Amethyst Winged Lion King going out on its own, but its social circle was limited to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, and it didn't know much about the outside world.
Yan Qingshan, however, was different. Humans occupied large territories across the various continents and had connections and interactions with each other. To a magical beast, the human world was definitely very appealing.
Unfortunately, unless a magical beast could fully transform into a human form, it was basically impossible for them to swagger around in the human world. But there was one exception: magical beasts that followed humans.
Human powerhouses were not inferior to powerful magical beasts in terms of combat power, but they were often less versatile in their movements than magical beasts with unique characteristics. That's why many powerhouses liked to tame magical beast mounts or pets.
And some smart magical beasts would use certain methods to subjugate weaker humans, and then pretend to be magical pets to infiltrate the human world and strengthen themselves.
Of course, the Amethyst Winged Lion King had no such intention. It was preparing to let Yan Qingshan take the little one away. It had enough trust in Yan Qingshan to know that he would treat its child well.
"This is..."
Yun Yun was still a bit confused and couldn't quite figure out the situation. She turned her head blankly to look at Yan Qingshan, a movement that almost led to another intimate kiss between them.
Yan Qingshan smiled and let go of her. He then walked over to the little Amethyst Winged Lion King and played with it, helping it quickly overcome its sadness. "Amethyst is this little guy's name. We've known each other for over three years, and it's very obedient."
Yun Yun looked at him with disbelief. "You... tamed the child of the Amethyst Winged Lion King? Who exactly are you, and why..."
"I already told you, I'm Yan Qingshan, from Qingshan Town in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. How many times do I have to say it? As for me and Amethyst, it's not a magical pet I tamed. It followed me willingly, so I guess you could call it my little sidekick!"
Yan Qingshan continued to mess with the little Amethyst Winged Lion King's fluffy head. There was no point in bringing a pet back if you weren't going to play with it.
Yun Yun didn't know what to say. "You... I can't believe you're only eighteen anymore."
Yan Qingshan flipped himself onto the little Amethyst Winged Lion King's warm back and held out a hand to Yun Yun. "If you don't know what to say, then don't say anything. Come on, it's time for us to go."
Yun Yun walked over dazedly. Yan Qingshan took her hand, swung her onto the back of the little Amethyst Winged Lion King, and held her in his arms. A flash of purple light flickered, and a whirlwind blew through the cave. When the dust settled, there was no one left.
Above the terrifying Magical Beast Mountain Range, a figure glowing with a purple light swiftly disappeared into the horizon. From a tall mountaintop, the Amethyst Winged Lion King looked up at the purple shadow, letting out roars of reluctance. Its child had finally spread its wings and flown away from its home.
…
Outside the Sacred City of Jia Ma, on top of Misty Cloud Mountain, a figure with a flowing purple light slowly landed. A graceful figure, like a startled rabbit, quickly jumped off the back of the little Amethyst Winged Lion King, fleeing from Yan Qingshan's embrace as if her life depended on it.
"Ah! The world is truly getting worse. When you need someone, you hug them so tightly, but now that you don't need them, you abandon them like..."
Yan Qingshan shook his head and said, "Is this what a Sect Master is supposed to do? Or is it that the leaders of great factions all have these multiple faces? When you need them, they're 'sweetie pie,' and when you don't, they're..."
"Have you said enough!"
Yun Yun glared coldly at the guy who was talking to himself. She barely suppressed the anger of being deceived. Even now, she still 'didn't forgive' this bastard for misleading and deceiving her for so long, even though she still held a lingering fondness for those memories.
Yun Yun said coldly, "The Misty Cloud Sect does not keep external guests. You can leave now. I will exchange the purple crystal for something tomorrow at noon through the main gate. The Misty Cloud Sect doesn't have the habit of taking things for free."
Yan Qingshan moved next to her, picking up a lock of her hair and playing with it. "Didn't we just cuddle together yesterday? You're being so heartless today!"
"If you keep spouting such nonsense, I'm really going to chase you away."
A look of helplessness and anxiety flashed in Yun Yun's eyes. She looked at Yan Qingshan's face and said in a low voice, "You should leave quickly! Don't let anyone discover you. People could come here at any time."