CHAPTER 154: CHAPTER 154: SCORPION TAIL FIRE LION KING!

Endless mountain peaks emitted thick, grey-brown smoke. Spiderweb-like cracks were scattered across the peaks, with crimson magma churning within, bubbles constantly bursting and spewing out cloudy, grey-brown smoke.

Within the mountains, heart-pounding beastly roars could be heard from time to time.

This infamous place was none other than the Smelting Mountain Range, one of the six dangerous regions within the Red Chain Mountain Range.

In the past couple of days, a lone figure could often be seen shuttling between the peaks and the molten lava.

"Such terrible luck! I’ve been in the Smelting Mountain Range for two days and haven’t yet found any traces of a Purple Flame Python!"

Luo Feng leaped across a ten-meter-wide lava river, his gaze continually scanning the surroundings, his expression somewhat annoyed.

These past two days, he had been wandering around the outskirts of the Smelting Mountain Range. Though he had come across numerous Demon Beasts, none of them were the Purple Flame Python he was looking for.

Furthermore, as he ventured deeper into the Smelting Mountain Range, the temperature started to rise drastically, and he found it increasingly difficult to bear even with his Soul Power.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound arose, and a swath of firelight shot towards Luo Feng.

The moment the sound occurred, Luo Feng had already moved several steps to the side.

BANG!

The ground where he stood just a moment ago collapsed violently, sending stones flying. A lion-bodied, scorpion-tailed Demon Beast revealed itself, its two lantern-like eyes staring viciously at Luo Feng. It was a Scorpion Tail Fire Lion.

"A Level Three, early-stage Demon Beast, a Scorpion Tail Fire Lion."

Seeing the Demon Beast before him, Luo Feng wasn’t surprised.

Scorpion Tail Fire Lions were one of the most common Demon Beasts on the outskirts of the Smelting Mountain Range. He had slain countless of them these past few days.

WHOOSH!

With a swift movement, Luo Feng soared into the air, like a grand eagle flying several meters high. He launched a punch towards the Scorpion Tail Fire Lion.

HISS!

The Scorpion Tail Fire Lion’s lantern-like eyes glowered with murderous intent. Its three-meter-long scorpion tail swept fiercely, the hook at its end flashing with a crimson light as it stabbed towards Luo Feng.

"Die!"

Luo Feng ignored the beast’s attack, pushing his Teng Dragon’s Step to its limit. His figure created several afterimages in the air, avoiding the tail attack. He infused his right fist with Yuan Qi.

OMMM!

A layer of glaze-colored Gang Qi suddenly emerged, carrying an imposing aura like a mountain as his punch struck down.

CRASH!

The Scorpion Tail Fire Lion’s enormous body fell heavily to the ground, black blood pouring from its seven orifices, devoid of any breath.

With only a single punch, Luo Feng had killed a formidable Level Three, early-stage Demon Beast! If word of this got out, countless people would be utterly stunned.

The effects of high-grade, third-rank Spiritual Medicine are truly extraordinary. My cultivation has now thoroughly stabilized at the mid-stage of the Seventh Layer of the Essence Storage Realm.

Eyeing the Scorpion Tail Fire Lion’s corpse on the ground, Luo Feng’s eyes sparkled slightly.

He had consumed the high-grade, third-rank Purple Spirit Pill he obtained from Housekeeper Li.

Thanks to the pill, his cultivation had advanced further, and his Yuan Qi was even thicker than before. Dealing with a Level Three, early-stage Demon Beast had become effortless.

SCHLICK!

With a single stroke of his saber, Luo Feng severed the Scorpion Tail Fire Lion’s tail and stored it in his storage ring.

The Scorpion Tail Fire Lion, being a Level Three, early-stage Demon Beast, had materials on its body that were of great value. Among these, the most valuable was its scorpion tail.

The tail of a Scorpion Tail Fire Lion was incredibly tough and contained fire poison. As an ideal material for making a whip, it was worth almost ten thousand taels.

After storing the scorpion tail, Luo Feng looked around at the continuous mountains with a slight frown.

He still hadn’t caught any sight of the Purple Flame Python, and he only had four days left.

The Smelting Mountain Range stretched over thousands of li, seemingly endless, and Purple Flame Pythons were extremely rare and scattered. Finding them was no easy task.

If only my cultivation had reached the Heavenly Court Realm, where Qi can manifest Divine Sense, I wouldn’t be having such a hard time.

In the Heavenly Court Realm, one’s Qi could yield Divine Sense that could reach several li away, making any search much more efficient.

With a bitter smile and a shake of his head, Luo Feng prepared to leave the area to continue his search for the Purple Flame Python.

All of a sudden, the ground beneath him started to shake violently. Sweltering heat waves came from all directions, and the tiny pebbles on the ground started to roll uncontrollably.

"What’s happening!"

Luo Feng’s face turned pale. An overwhelming sense of unease filled his heart. He grabbed the Tiger Soul Saber, his Yuan Qi surging within him, ready for anything.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Huge sounds like thunderclaps echoed all around. The hard rock terrain cracked and splintered, with crimson magma spouting out!

The entire sky was painted a bloody red.

AWOOOO!

Terrifying roars erupted from all directions, piercing the clouds!

Accompanied by these roars, huge shadows emerged from the magma.

They were all Scorpion Tail Fire Lions, their numbers exceeding one hundred and still rapidly increasing. Their terrifying eyes, like countless stars in the sky, glared hatefully at Luo Feng, deep growls rumbling in their throats.

This is bad!

Luo Feng’s heart sank.

I’ve unwittingly invaded a Scorpion Tail Fire Lion’s nest! What’s worse, I just killed one of them! I’m confident I wouldn’t lose against twenty or thirty Scorpion Tail Fire Lions. But there are over a hundred of them here! And their numbers are still increasing! With so many Scorpion Tail Fire Lions, even an expert at the Eighth Layer of the Hell Realm would have no choice but to flee!

ROAR!

As Luo Feng was contemplating his options, a terrifying roar that shook heaven and earth suddenly emerged from the magma. The massive soundwaves churned the ten-meter-wide magma river relentlessly.

SPLASH! A gigantic figure burst through the waves! This Scorpion Tail Fire Lion stood four meters tall and nearly ten meters long, its entire body a deep, dark red. With just a puff of its breath, it stirred up a demonic wind, bringing a scorching sensation that assailed the senses.

HISS...

"A Level Three, high-rank Demon Beast! The Scorpion Tail Fire Lion King!"

Feeling his scalp prickle, Luo Feng didn’t dare to delay. He quickly returned his Tiger Soul Saber to his storage ring, and with a spring in his step, transformed into a streak of lightning as he fled.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The sound of rushing air echoed as the surrounding Scorpion Tail Fire Lions roared in fury, chasing after Luo Feng.

Hundreds of Scorpion Tail Fire Lions formed a gigantic torrent of flames, tailing him.

Luo Feng cast a glance backward, sucked in a cold breath, then pushed his Teng Dragon’s Step to its limit, his figure shooting forward like a lightning bolt.

To his surprise, the Scorpion Tail Fire Lion King was also keeping pace!

The Scorpion Tail Fire Lion King was a top entity among Level Three, late-stage Demon Beasts; its strength was equivalent to an expert of the Eighth Layer of the Hell Realm! It could even release Gang Qi externally.

Luo Feng knew that unless he stepped into the Eighth Layer of the Hell Realm, he would never be able to triumph over the Scorpion Tail Fire Lion King!

Eight Qi Dragons hissed and writhed around Luo Feng. He continuously soared through the air, his feet never touching the ground, rushing forward with all his might, desperate to leave this dangerous place as swiftly as possible.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, a chill rushed towards him from behind, making the hairs on the back of Luo Feng’s neck stand on end.

Without needing to look, he knew it was the Flame Gang Qi shot by the Scorpion Tail Fire Lion King.

SWISH!

Relying on his powerful Soul Power and the speed of the Teng Dragon’s Step, Luo Feng easily evaded the Gang Qi assault.

No sooner had he dodged than a ball of crimson Gang Qi, over a meter in diameter, whizzed past, crashing violently into the ground a hundred meters away.

BOOM!

Amidst the thunderous noise, waves of scorching hot air howled menacingly. Where the Gang Qi struck, a ten-meter-wide, scorched-black crater appeared.

Such powerful Gang Qi! This creature’s strength could rival a late-stage expert of the Eighth Layer of the Hell Realm! Rumor has it that the Wild Tribe in the Southern Forest Wilderness possesses the art of Beast Taming, allowing them to command Demon Beasts. If only I could tame this creature and make it my mount...

Snapping out of his reverie, Luo Feng felt the murderous intent radiating from the Scorpion Tail Fire Lion King behind him and couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

In this situation, I’m probably the only one who would dare to even think about subduing the Scorpion Tail Fire Lion King. I’m truly courting death.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Balls of Gang Qi continuously whizzed towards him, but Luo Feng managed to dodge them all.

Repeatedly missing its target, the Scorpion Tail Fire Lion King was visibly enraged. It no longer shot balls of Gang Qi; instead, it roared madly, leading the hundreds of Scorpion Tail Fire Lions in pursuit of Luo Feng.

Hundreds of Scorpion Tail Fire Lions charging together was a magnificent sight! However, Luo Feng was certainly not in the mood to appreciate it.

Ordinarily, with the speed of his Teng Dragon’s Step, the Scorpion Tail Fire Lions should not have been able to catch up to him.

However, they were currently in the Smelting Mountain Range, strewn with rivers of magma. Some of these rivers even spouted magma high into the sky. A moment of carelessness could reduce one to ashes, so Luo Feng had no choice but to remain vigilant.

But these Scorpion Tail Fire Lions, having always lived in the subterranean magma, were utterly unafraid of the searing lava that could melt even steel.

With him slowed by the terrain and them unhindered, the gap between them gradually closed.

Feeling the icy murderous aura surging towards him from behind, Luo Feng was overwhelmed with distress, lamenting that he had stirred up such a hornet’s nest.

One hundred meters, fifty meters, thirty meters...

The distance was shrinking. Luo Feng could even feel the scorching breath of the Scorpion Tail Fire Lions behind him!

If this continues, I’ll definitely be caught.

Luo Feng forced himself to calm down, his eyes scanning the surroundings. Suddenly, he noticed a crevice in the mountain ahead. Surprisingly, it contained no magma and was only wide enough for two people to pass!

Luo Feng was overjoyed. Without any hesitation, he pushed his Teng Dragon’s Step to its absolute limit. Like a large bird, he shot forward and dove into the crevice.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The mountain trembled. The Scorpion Tail Fire Lions were too large to enter the crevice. Their colossal impacts shattered rocks and caused the entire mountain to quake.

Turning back to look, Luo Feng saw a dense mass of Scorpion Tail Fire Lions outside the crevice, and a wave of relief washed over him.

ROAR!

After several unsuccessful attempts to charge into the crevice, the Scorpion Tail Fire Lion King suddenly let out a deafening roar. Its massive, blood-red maw opened wide, spewing out a ball of crimson Gang Qi.

Luo Feng’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly dodged. The Gang Qi exploded where he had just stood, a torrent of rubble raining down.

"Damned beast!"

Luo Feng dusted himself off, unable to suppress a curse.

If I stay here, I might get buried alive! Without waiting for a second ball of Gang Qi, Luo Feng activated his Teng Dragon’s Step and darted deeper into the crevice.

The crevice was incredibly deep and extended far. He flew for a hundred meters but still hadn’t reached its end.

After an unknown amount of time, the roars of the Scorpion Tail Fire Lions finally faded. Only then did Luo Feng come to a stop.

Letting out a breath, Luo Feng took out a few medicinal pills and consumed them, replenishing his Yuan Qi.

FWOOSH...

A gust of hot air blew past. Luo Feng’s eyebrows rose as he looked deeper into the crevice.

This crevice clearly extends downwards, yet there’s wind blowing up from below. How strange...

Luo Feng was puzzled. After a moment of deliberation, he decided to continue moving deeper.

The Scorpion Tail Fire Lions won’t be leaving anytime soon. Since I have nothing else to do, I might as well see what lies at the bottom of this crevice.