Chapter 117: An Old Acquaintance

“Qinglian! Let’s each take a dose of second-grade spirit liquid as well. While we have the chance, let’s raise our strength by another level before we do anything else! Xiaolie, you’ll stand guard!”

Du Long produced two jade bottles with a turn of his hand and passed one to Qinglian.

Ever since he had successfully refined his first dose of second-grade spirit liquid, Du Long had refined another dose every night during his rest period. After all these days, he now had five doses in his possession, though naturally, he had failed several times along the way.

“Oh!”

Xia Qinglian hesitated briefly before reaching out to accept the bottle. She had already come to terms with things. In this lifetime, she could never repay Du Long for all he had done for her. The only thing she could do was give herself to him.

Since that was the case, there was no need for her to remain so reserved. They were family now, after all.

Thus, inside the cavern, Du Long and the two women each refined a dose of second-grade spirit liquid, while the great lion stood guard at the entrance. As time passed, the three of them opened their eyes one after another.

Du Long had now reached the fourth level of the Qi Cyclone Realm, Xia Qinglian the third level, and the Fire Phoenix the second level.

After the three humans and the spirit beast finished a simple breakfast, they resumed the journey that had been interrupted by the volcanic eruption the day before. The great lion carried Du Long and the other two as it flew toward the opposite side of the volcano. Before long, they arrived at the territory of a Flame Tiger settlement.

It was a relatively small active volcano. Lava churned endlessly within the molten cavern at its summit. The upper half of the mountain was covered in pitch-black volcanic rock, while the lower half was blanketed in the distinctive forest vegetation found among volcanic ranges.

At least several thousand Flame Tigers had gathered across the volcano. Some chased and played with one another, while others sprawled along the ridgelines with their eyes closed, resting. This active volcano, which had not erupted for many years, had become the territory and home of the Flame Tigers.

Roar!

With a furious bellow, the great lion Xiaolie transformed in midair. Its body, previously only two or three meters tall, suddenly expanded into a terrifying Flame One-Horned Lion twenty or thirty meters in height. Majestically suspended in the air, it appeared before the thousands of Flame Tigers without warning.

“Wow! Xiaolie is amazing!”

Princess Fire Phoenix, who was concealed with Du Long atop a nearby volcano, cried out excitedly. Du Long and Xia Qinglian said nothing, quietly watching the scene unfolding in the distance.

The thousands of Flame Tigers were startled by the sudden appearance of the great lion. Then a terrifying aura descended, enveloping the entire volcano. The unique presence of a fifth-level beast king immediately caused every one of the Flame Tigers to collapse onto the ground, trembling in fear.

Among them, the strongest was a large beast in the early fourth level. Although it had been badly frightened by the overwhelming pressure, it was, after all, the Flame Tiger King of this territory. No matter how terrified it was, it could not simply bow its head.

Roar!

The Flame Tiger King raised its head and let out a long tiger roar. It looked toward the enormous Flame One-Horned Lion in the sky, but soon its expression became strange. It stared fixedly at Xiaolie as though it had witnessed something utterly unbelievable.

“Lord Blazewind?! Is that really you?!”

The fourth-level Flame Tiger King asked in disbelief. Naturally, it spoke in the language of beasts, but with the beautiful spirit-ring maiden translating for him, Du Long could understand it.

“Runi?!”

Xiaolie, hovering in the air, looked equally astonished.

“Yes, yes! Lord Blazewind, it really is me—Runi!”

The fourth-level Flame Tiger King Runi answered excitedly. Having initially believed that it had encountered some formidable enemy, it finally allowed itself to relax.

“Hahaha! Runi, I never expected to see you here! You actually broke through to the fourth level and became a tiger king!”

Xiaolie recognized Runi’s strength at a glance and flew toward it in a flash.

“Heh heh! Compared with Lord Blazewind, who has broken through to the fifth level, what is my paltry strength worth?”

Runi replied modestly. It then asked warmly, “May I ask why Lord Blazewind has honored my territory with his presence? If there is anything this subordinate can do to help, Runi will do everything in his power!”

Looking at Runi’s enthusiastic expression, Xiaolie suddenly found itself at a loss for words. After pondering for a moment, it finally said, “Runi! Do you know how I managed to break through to the fifth level?”

“I heard that a Spirit-Linking Herb once appeared in your territory. Could it be that you relied on that herb to break through to the fifth level?”

Runi answered doubtfully. It did not know why Blazewind was asking such a question. After all, even beasts possessed their own channels for spreading information.

“Alas!”

Xiaolie sighed. “After you left, I met a lioness named Fireshade. We spent several years together, but who would have thought that the detestable crocodile demon in the Beast Marsh would kill her? That despicable creature not only murdered Fireshade, but also stole the Spirit-Linking Herb I had guarded for many years. It even used the herb to break through to the fifth level…”

Xiaolie recounted in full the grievances between itself and the crocodile demon of the Beast Marsh. Only at the end did it say, “Just as I was about to lose to that detestable crocodile demon, a remarkable young human arrived. He gave me a pill that enabled me to break through to the fifth level, and he also healed every injury on my body. In the end, I was able to kill that loathsome crocodile demon and avenge Fireshade!”

“My goodness! There is actually such a miraculous pill in this world? It must be the most advanced pill in the human world!”

The Flame Tiger King Runi exclaimed in astonishment.

“That’s right! Out of gratitude, I, Blazewind, acknowledged that human as my master. He is Lord Du Long, the lord of Fengli Prefecture, the human territory nearest to this part of the Beast Forest! I entered the Beast Forest with him this time to subdue several beast clans and, in passing, establish a beast army!”

Xiaolie finally revealed the purpose of their visit.

“Establish a beast army?!”

Runi was stunned. It immediately understood Xiaolie’s intentions and began to hesitate.

“That’s right! In the early stages, we have already subdued the entire Ironhide Water Rhino clan within the Beast Marsh. The whole Beast Marsh can now be considered my master’s territory!”

Xiaolie continued to embellish the situation.

“Lord Blazewind, surely you know about the balance agreement between the experts within the Beast Forest and the human world? If beasts are subdued on such a large scale, there is no guarantee that the powerful beings within the Beast Forest will not discover it. When that happens…”

Runi earnestly tried to dissuade him.

“We are merely subduing some ordinary beast clans of relatively low rank from the outer reaches of the Beast Forest. The powerful beings deeper inside cannot be bothered with such a matter! I know my own strength. Once I have finished subduing a few Flame Tiger clans like yours, I will leave.”

Blazewind patiently explained.

After hearing Xiaolie’s explanation, Runi nodded without saying anything more. Clearly, it had no intention of being driven by a human. Remaining a free ruler in this territory was far better than becoming a mount for some human.

“Runi! I imagine you already know why I have come. I hope that your Flame Tiger clan will submit to my master under your leadership!”

Seeing that Runi had no intention of offering its allegiance voluntarily, Xiaolie could only ask directly.

“Well…”

Runi hesitated. “Lord Blazewind, you know that our Flame Tiger clan can only increase its strength rapidly in a volcanic environment such as this. That was why I left your territory all those years ago…”

Seeing that Runi was about to refuse, Xiaolie was just preparing to continue persuading it when the beautiful spirit-ring maiden’s voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

“Xiaolie! Tell it directly that if it is willing to submit, then once its strength reaches the peak of the fourth level, I will reward it with a pill to help it break through successfully to the fifth level.”

Xiaolie’s eyes lit up at once. His earlier uncertainty vanished, replaced by complete confidence. Smiling at his former subordinate, he said, “Runi! You should also know that, because of the bloodlines of our various species, many beasts are unable to break through their racial limits no matter how diligently they cultivate.”

“That’s true!”

The Flame Tiger King Runi nodded with a sigh. “Our Flame Tiger clan has a strong reproductive ability and a vast population, but unfortunately, our bloodline is weak. For one like me, reaching the fourth level is already the limit. At most, I can reach the peak of the fourth level in the future. Breaking through to the fifth level is virtually impossible.”

“My master has already said that if you are willing to submit, then once your strength reaches the peak of the fourth level, he will provide a pill guaranteed to help you break through to the fifth level.”

Xiaolie smiled as he dangled the bait before Runi.

“How could that be possible?! With the strength of our Flame Tiger bloodline, we would need a pill capable of enhancing our bloodline before we could possibly break through to the fifth level!”

Runi could hardly believe his ears.

“I am living proof. Do you doubt the word of Blazewind?”

Xiaolie sounded displeased.

“No, no! Lord Blazewind has always kept his word, so Runi naturally believes everything you say. I simply do not place much trust in the words of humans.”

Runi hurriedly explained.

“Xiaolie, assure it that I will do exactly as promised. Tell it to set its mind completely at ease. Not only will I help it reach the fifth level, but if it performs well in the future, I may even help it advance to an even higher realm!”

The beautiful spirit-ring maiden’s voice came at precisely the right moment.

“Runi! I, Blazewind, stake my own reputation on my master’s behalf. He will never break his word. As long as you are willing to submit, he will help you reach the fifth level once your strength reaches the peak of the fourth!”

With the spirit-ring maiden’s assurance behind him, Blazewind immediately pledged his guarantee with full confidence.

Runi gazed hesitantly at its former leader, who had reached the fifth level. It knew Blazewind’s temperament well. He would never make promises lightly, but once he did, he would certainly fulfill them.

“Very well, very well!”

Runi finally failed to escape Xiaolie’s temptation and shouted, “Since Lord Blazewind has vouched for it, Runi naturally believes you. From this day forward, I am willing to lead my more than five thousand clansmen in submitting to your master!”

“Hahaha! Good! Good!”

Xiaolie laughed excitedly, repeating the word twice.

******************************************************

Chapter One…