"Well then, let's go down and have a look."
Xiao Chong, brimming with an almost absolute confidence in his abilities, felt there was little issue in going out to take a look, even if it meant encountering some trouble.
"But hold on—don't rush out carelessly. I can sense that aside from the cries for help from a little girl down there, there are also two fighters with roughly Dou Zong levels of strength battling each other."
"It's likely that the identity of the little girl crying for help isn't simple. Otherwise, how could she attract the attention of two Dou Zongs?"
Hearing Xiao Chong reasoning, both Xiao Yan and Yao Chen, who was hidden inside the ring, nodded in agreement. The group promptly followed Xiao Chong as he flew out.
...
At the same time, in a nearby mountain range.
A purple-haired little girl, curled up behind an elderly man, cast her gaze onto the dragon-tiger-like magical beast in front of them and exclaimed in a delicate voice, "You meanie! I just snatched one of your Transformation Herbs to eat! Was that worth getting so angry over?"
"You're such a big guy, and you can't even let go of one little herb. You're so petty!"
The dragon-tiger-like magical beast bristled at the girl's words, roaring in fury, "You brat! I've guarded that Transformation Herb for decades, waiting for it to mature! And you just snuck in, ate it without a word, and now you have the audacity to criticize me?!"
"And another thing—how in the world did you even get in?!"
The magical beast distinctly remembered placing a spatial seal around this area. Regular people shouldn't have been able to enter. The little girl, with only the strength of a Dou Ling, shouldn't have been able to bypass the spatial seal, let alone do so without setting off any alarms. This puzzled the dragon-tiger-like magical beast deeply.
In response, the purple-haired little girl stuck out her tongue in a defiant gesture and retorted, "Ugh! As if I even wanted to eat that Transformation Herb! Look at me! After eating it, I shrunk into this tiny, bean-sized form!"
"It's not cute at all!"
"You! You little fiend! I'll eat you for this!"
The magical beast roared angrily, and its greedy eyes gleamed as they fixed on the purple-haired girl. The dragon-tiger-like magical beast could sense her bloodline—it was incredibly pure, emitting an aura that carried the oppressive might of dragons. If this little girl were devoured, the magical beast's own bloodline power might elevate again, making the loss of the Transformation Herb a small price to pay for such a gain. Besides, the girl was only a Dou Ling-level fighter. There would be no consequences once she was consumed.
The only challenge was the white-robed elderly man shielding her. The magical beast had gauged the old man's strength as an early-stage Dou Zong. While not as strong as itself, the man was still troublesome to deal with.
The dragon-tiger-like magical beast sneered, its voice ringing with derision: "Human old man, you heard it too, didn't you? This girl isn't one of your humans!"
"She's a magical beast in human form because she ate a Transformation Herb."
"Even if I set aside the possibility of you being some saintly do-gooder, this matter has nothing to do with you. Are you sure you want to get involved?"
"Your current strength has only just reached the Dou Zong stage. I, on the other hand, am powerful enough to be considered a Four-Star Dou Zong! You aren't my match!"
Faced with the taunting threats from the dragon-tiger-like magical beast, the white-robed elder gaze flickered with hesitation. Yet, his stance didn't waver an inch. He countered in a cold tone, "Dragon-Tiger King, I am Su Qian, the Grand Elder of Jia Nan Academy. I wonder if you might be willing to show me some respect and let this matter drop?"
"Oh, a Jia Nan Academy elder? Quite the title, but what does that have to do with me?"
The Dragon-Tiger King was clearly unimpressed by Su Qian self-introduction.
Sure, the Jia Nan Academy is powerful, but what relevance does that hold for magical beasts like us? What, if you offend us here today, is the academy going to send armies to exterminate me?
Seeing the Dragon-Tiger King bold defiance, Su Qian realized that today situation wouldn't be simple to resolve. But Su Qian personality wouldn't allow him to stand idly by and let a young girl get devoured by a magical beast right in front of him. Even though it was clear to him that the girl had transformed into her current state solely because she had consumed the Transformation Herb, as the Grand Elder of Jia Nan Academy, protecting young ones came as second nature to him. There was but one reason he would intervene here now.
Because he was righteous!
However, Su Qian understood that his opponent was someone he couldn't defeat head-on. The Dragon-Tiger King, unlike humans, had a clear advantage in physical strength. But what it lacked was speed. If he could move fast enough, Su Qian might be able to snatch the young girl and make a quick escape. As for pursuit by the magical beast, Su Qian wasn't worried. Once they reached Jia Nan Academy, where protectors resided, dealing with the beast would be a trivial matter.
The purple-haired girl behind Su Qian kept quiet as instructed, watching the white-robed elder with wide eyes. Though willful by nature, she wasn't a fool. She knew that in her current predicament, the only chance she had to escape safely lay in trusting this elder.
"Don't speak a word—I'll get you out of here," Su Qian transmitted telepathically.
The purple-haired girl nodded in agreement. On the other hand, the Dragon-Tiger King saw through their intentions and lunged forward, roaring furiously.
"Think you can run? Impossible!"
"If you insist on interfering, then you can both stay here, together!"
As the Dragon-Tiger King charged, Su Qian steeled himself. Activating a full defensive Dou Qi barrier, he prepared to withstand the attack directly and then flee with the purple-haired girl.
But just as the magical beast was about to strike, it suddenly froze, immobilized by an overwhelming force of spatial power. Its massive body remained locked in place mid-lunge, completely unable to move.
"Who… who dares to meddle in this king's affairs?!"
The Dragon-Tiger King instantly realized that the culprit must be a high-level expert—someone at least at the Dou Zun stage, capable of using such an absolute spatial suppression to seal its movements.
Su Qian and the purple-haired girl were just as stunned, their minds reeling as they witnessed this unexpected intervention. It seemed they had an unexpected ally.
At that moment, a soft chuckle echoed, followed by the graceful strides of Xiao Chong approaching.
"Well, well, it looks like coming here today wasn't a waste of time after all."
"We initially intended to be mere spectators, but after hearing Grand Elder Su Qian declare his affiliation with Jia Nan Academy, I decided it wouldn't hurt to lend a hand."
The sheer youth of Xiao Chong appearance coupled with his effortless subjugation of the Dragon-Tiger King—a creature wielding the strength of a Four-Star Dou Zong—left everyone present utterly dumbfounded.
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