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--- Chapter 307 ---
The next morning, everyone gathered at the camp. Ruo Ling coordinated her students and began providing breakfast to the residents who had just woken up.
Yun Yun walked over to Ruo Ling and said, "I've cleaned up the remains of the beast tide with my dou techniques. There shouldn't be any smell of blood left."
"I've also collected all the magic cores and valuable remains that you can sell on your way to Jia Nan Academy, Teacher Ruo." She handed Ruo Ling a storage ring.
"This..." Ruo Ling looked somewhat conflicted but ultimately accepted the ring. "Thank you, Sect Master Yun. I will put these resources to good use."
"Mm," Yun Yun nodded calmly. "If possible, please turn a portion of these resources into gold coins and give them to the townspeople. Last night was a disaster, and I take full responsibility for it."
"I understand." Ruo Ling clenched her fist unconsciously, feeling guilty because she had led her students from the Magical Beast Mountain Range to this town.
Yun Yun looked at the townspeople enjoying their breakfast and noticed Han Yuan was missing. "Teacher Ruo, I don't see Han Yuan."
"Ah, he went to a cliff nearby," Ruo Ling answered helplessly. "You can find him on the narrow path near that grove."
"A cliff?" Yun Yun tilted her head slightly. "Thank you for letting me know, Teacher Ruo."
After saying this, Yun Yun left the camp and walked toward the narrow path located west of the camp, near a natural grove. She spread her senses and discovered Han Yuan meditating, facing the sunrise.
Currently, he was cultivating the Heavenly Demon Eyes, absorbing the purple qi from the sunrise to recuperate his lost spiritual power.
Frankly, Han Yuan had underestimated the amount of spiritual power needed to override Yun Yun's body and Dou Qi cyclone, which had caused him to be mentally exhausted.
A faint purple-gold light glimmered in Han Yuan's eyes as he sensed Yun Yun approaching from behind.
He closed his eyes and smiled faintly, "Good morning, senior. Have you eaten breakfast?"
Yun Yun casually sat beside Han Yuan, folding her skirt. "No, what about you?"
"I haven't eaten anything since last night, haha!" Han Yuan replied with a laugh, eyeing her with a playful look.
Yun Yun was speechless momentarily, "You really need to take better care of your body, Han Yuan."
"You're only twelve, and this is your crucial growth period..." Then she fell silent, realizing Han Yuan was much taller and more muscular than most boys his age.
Yun Yun wanted to tell him that he shouldn't skip breakfast, but a glance at his physique made her reconsider. He clearly didn't lack nutrients.
So, she swallowed her words. "Never mind."
Yun Yun pouted slightly and glanced down at the grassland where she and Han Yuan had fought the Amethyst Winged Lion King. Although the grassland was 'unfortunately' ruined by their battle, some big patches remained green under the rising sun.
Han Yuan yawned and stretched his body. "You didn't come here just to sit and enjoy the sunrise, did you?"
Yun Yun unconsciously gulped but quickly hid her reaction. "Huff, well, yes."
"I wanted you to accompany me back to the Amethyst Winged Lion King's nest."
"I still need the Amethyst Birth Essence for my disciple."
"As for the Storm Dragon Lion and the newborn lion, that's up to you."
Han Yuan narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure? We're talking about a long-extinct magical beast here. The Storm Dragon Lion is worth more than the Amethyst Winged Lion King."
"Not to mention, the cub. That's a cub with a potential of reaching Rank 6 or Dou Emperor Realm, suitable to be a guardian beast for your sect."
"Mm, I only need the birth essence." Yun Yun gave Han Yuan a serious look.
"Okay, then let's leave right now." Han Yuan stood up, dusting off his pants.
"R-Right now?" Yun Yun was startled. "Aren't you going to tell Teacher Ruo and the others first?"
Han Yuan shook his head gently. "No need. I told Teacher Ruo not to disturb my cultivation, and my sisters will handle the rest."
"Sisters? I see. Then let's leave and return quickly." Yun Yun nodded in understanding.
Since Yun Yun had wanted to recruit Han Yuan as her disciple a while ago, she was also familiar with his adopted sister, Xiao Yixian, who was also talented but not suited to be her disciple.
Han Yuan and Yun Yun jumped off the cliff. Han Yuan moved through the air as if walking, light and graceful, while Yun Yun summoned her Dou Qi wings to fly.
"As expected, your movement technique is impressive. I didn't mention it last night, but you really tread on air dashingly." Yun Yun praised him in amazement.
Han Yuan chuckled. "You can do it too, senior. It's just a matter of energy and body control, nothing special. At the end of the day, Dou Qi wings are just more efficient and faster, right?"
Yun Yun smiled at Han Yuan's humble brag and flapped her azure-green Dou Qi wings, taking flight into the horizon that led to the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Han Yuan calmly followed her, adjusting his speed so as not to surprise her too much.
Unbeknownst to Han Yuan, Yun Yun was still amazed since her current speed was already nearing her top speed. And remember, she is a wind-attributed Dou Fighter, and speed is her forte.
They travelled across the Magical Beast Mountain Range and arrived at the Amethyst Winged Lion King's nest in no time.
Han Yuan surveyed the area and clicked his tongue in awe because the surrounding mountains had already lost their tops.
"The nest is over there," Yun Yun pointed her finger at the lone peak surrounded by dry forests. "We should be careful of the Storm Dragon Lion."
"Although giving birth had weakened her, it is still a Rank 6 Magical Beast with pure dragon's blood."
"Understood." Han Yuan nodded a little, agreeing with Yun Yun.
They calmly descended from the sky and landed at the entrance of the nest, only to find a pair of golden eyes staring back at them. These eyes belonged to a powerful beast.
Thud! Thud!
Han Yuan narrowed his eyes as he watched a giant lion emerge from the nest.
Its body resembled that of the Amethyst Winged Lion King, but was much slimmer and covered in both azure fur and scales. In fact, this lion's limbs were more dragon-like than lion-like, and it had a pair of small wings resting on its back.
"Humans, I do not wish to fight you..." said the Storm Dragon Lion in a quiet yet shaky voice.
"But your husband attacked me first," Yun Yun snorted and replied indifferently. "I merely wanted to exchange resources with you guys."
The Storm Dragon Lion snorted back. "I can't call that kidnapper and defiler my husband…"
"Uuh, what do you mean?" Han Yuan felt that something was off.
The Storm Dragon Lion shifted her body to the side, exposing a gruesome wound on her waist. "I am not from this part of the Dou Qi Continent."
"I fell into the Magical Beast Mountain Range after a fierce battle, injured and weakened. The Amethyst Winged Lion King defiled me with his filthy seed."
She roared angrily, "That bastard made me carry his child for months while barely keeping me alive!"
"After giving birth, I knew he intended to devour my flesh and blood to advance to Rank 7..."
"Then, you came." She gazed at Yun Yun somewhat gratefully.
Han Yuan immediately pieced together the situation. 'Ah, no wonder a long-extinct Magical Beast like the Storm Dragon Lion appears in a remote place like the Magical Beast Mountain Range.'
'We are in the Northwest of the Dou Qi Continent. She must have been swept there by a wormhole. Sigh, how unfortunate for her!'
'Even so, it's shocking that the Amethyst Winged Lion King turned out to be such a scoundrel. He had a Scum Che template.'
Yun Yun also felt sympathy for the Storm Dragon Lion. "Rest assured, we have killed the Amethyst Winged Lion King."
The Storm Dragon Lion was 'naturally' taken aback by Yun Yun's words, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha, good riddance! Good riddance!"
"If only I could have killed him myself, but this is not so bad either. Being killed by humans should bring him despair in his last moments."
"Damn, you must truly hate him," Han Yuan commented, unable to contain himself after hearing her deranged laughter.
"Hate? Hahaha!" The Storm Dragon Lion replied coldly. "I wish I could skin and roast that shameless bastard alive!"
"Never mind then," Han Yuan shrugged. "But I have a question."
"What did you do with the cub?"
The Storm Dragon Lion's expression turned complicated. "As much as I hated Amethyst Winged Lion King and wished to kill that scoundrel myself, the cub is innocent."
"After all, the cub also carries half of my blood."
"Moreover, my Storm Dragon Lion lineage is on the verge of extinction, and the chances of me bearing offspring are very low."
"I simply hoped that if this cub could grow, it could shed that bastard's blood and truly awaken my own."
"But to achieve that, you need a safe place for your cub to grow," Han Yuan commented casually. "The same goes for you; at this rate, your body might not survive."
The Storm Dragon Lion looked grim. "I know that, but this place is remote, and resources are scarce."
"Here, take this pill, but from now on, you must follow me," Han Yuan said, tossing a pill toward the Storm Dragon Lion.
The Storm Dragon Lion caught the pill and sniffed it gently. "This is... a Life Return Pill? A peak Grade 6 Recovery Pill?"
"Just eat it without worry; think of it as a gift," Han Yuan replied, waving his hand modestly. "As a Magical Beast, you should know the pill is authentic."
"H-How did you get your hands on such a pill?" The Storm Dragon Lion was still shocked. Even in the Central Region, such a pure Life Return Pill is expensive and nearly a luxury.
"Sorry, trade secret," Han Yuan said, placing his index finger to his lips and winking playfully.
The Storm Dragon Lion fell silent for a moment before giving Han Yuan a serious look. "Alright, I trust you."
"But first, let me get the Amethyst Birth Essence for this woman."
The Storm Dragon Lion returned to the nest and then brought two purple crystals, one containing her cub, and the other containing the Amethyst Birth Essence.
Yun Yun got the Amethyst Birth Essence and sighed in relief, 'With this, Yanran's foundation is going to be stronger.'
'She shouldn't have a problem breaking through to the Dou Spirit Realm in three or four years.'
"This ring contains all the things I could find in the nest, and they should be helpful for you, human." The Storm Dragon Lion tossed a storage ring to Han Yuan.
"Oh?" Han Yuan accepted the gift this time and peeked into the storage ring, which contained piles upon piles of golden coins, some rare herbs, minerals, magic cores, and other resources.
"Not bad. Although the Amethyst Winged Lion King is a scoundrel, he has accumulated some wealth."
He glanced at Yun Yun, "We can give some of these golden coins to the town's people to reimburse them."
"Good." Yun Yun nodded, finding Han Yuan's decision pleasing.
Han Yuan smiled and then stared at the Storm Dragon Lion again, "As for you, you can secretly follow us back. I will have someone pick you up from my organization later."
"Hmm, I thought you were going to bring the Storm Dragon Lion and her cub to Jia Nan Academy?" Yun Yun was confused.
Han Yuan chuckled, "Come on, senior, do you think I am not eye-catching enough after you put me in the spotlight last night? If I bring the Storm Dragon Lion, you might as well paint me brightly."
Yun Yun giggled, "Well, that would be interesting."
The Storm Dragon Lion replied calmly, "Very well, I will follow you guys secretly."
After surveying the mountain where the nest resided a few more times, Han Yuan, Yun Yun, and the Storm Dragon Lion finally left the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
The Storm Dragon Lion gazed at Han Yuan's back solemnly.
Although she felt threatened by Yun Yun, it was normal, as this human female was a peak Dou Emperor powerhouse, but she couldn't see through this young human at all.
On top of that, the Storm Dragon Lion felt immense fear every time Han Yuan stared at her with his silver eyes. It was fear that came from her very own blood.
'As expected, this young human is not simple.' The Storm Dragon Lion thought to herself.
Meanwhile, Han Yuan and Yun Yun chatted in the sky while enjoying the morning breeze.
"By the way, Han Yuan," Yun Yun suddenly called him with a nervous tone. "I felt being called senior by you was a bit awkward, especially since you're my savior."
"If you want to, you may refer to me as Yun Yun."
Han Yuan was shocked before giving Yun Yun a puzzled look, "Why all of a sudden?"
Yun Yun coughed, "Well, I just want us to know each other better. Having a seniority between us seems awkward."
"After all, your insight into cultivation is much better than mine..."
"There are many things I could learn from you."
'This woman, don't tell me she is...' Han Yuan seemed to guess what had happened to Yun Yun. However, he didn't say it outright and kept it in his heart.
He chuckled, "Alright, then, I will call you Yun Yun from now on."
Yun Yun's eyes lit up in delight as she felt happy inside. "Mm, that's what I wanted to hear."
Their journey back to the camp is merry. Even though neither Yun Yun nor Han Yuan speaks much, their relationship has clearly broken through from a mere savior and damsel to more than an acquaintance, perhaps even closer than friends.
---
Alternative Title: The Truth About the Amethyst Winged Lion King, Yun Yun's Request