"Dead?"

Looking at the Crystalline Flame Lion's corpse on the ground, Yuan Ying's beautiful eyes held a dazed look; she was lost in thought for a moment.

Just now, when she saw the Crystalline Flame Lion unleash its ultimate attack, she had worried Luo Feng wouldn't be able to withstand it. She hadn't expected the situation to reverse so quickly; the Crystalline Flame Lion was slain in the blink of an eye, killed on the spot.

The aura of that final slash was as terrifying as a mountain of blades.

"Impressive."

After a long moment, Yuan Ying finally uttered the word from her rosy lips, her expression filled with admiration.

Luo Feng flicked his blade, sheathed the Rage Flame Knife, and nodded, saying, "The strength of this Crystalline Flame Lion was indeed formidable, almost comparable to a peak Martial Artist at the Ninth Layer of the Heavenly Court Realm."

"I was talking about you."

Yuan Ying rolled her eyes. "If you're that strong, why didn't you say so earlier? Were you deliberately trying to make fun of me?"

Luo Feng felt somewhat helpless. "You insisted on protecting me from the very beginning. I never had a chance to explain."

Yuan Ying thought about it and realized he was right. A blush crept onto her cheeks, and she pouted her rosy lips, saying,

"Fine. Considering you dealt with the Crystalline Flame Lion and saved my life, I'll forgive you."

Luo Feng shook his head; winning an argument with Yuan Ying was truly no easy task.

Glancing at Yuan Ying, Luo Feng frowned slightly and asked, "Are you injured?"

Yuan Ying wiped the trace of blood from the corner of her mouth and shook her head. "I was just caught by the Yuan Qi shockwave. I'll be fine after some rest."

"Speaking of which, this Crystalline Flame Lion seems to have just reached adulthood, yet its strength is already at the peak of the Ninth Layer Heavenly Court Realm. That's very strange."

Yuan Ying's beautiful eyes turned to the Crystalline Flame Lion's corpse. With a graceful movement, her robes fluttering, she landed beside it.

"Huh!"

After examining the corpse, Yuan Ying's Daimei arched slightly, and she let out a soft sound of surprise.

Seeing the change in Yuan Ying's expression and worried about an unexpected development, Luo Feng also flew over. "What is it?"

Yuan Ying pointed to the small mountain-like body of the Crystalline Flame Lion and said, "There seems to be something here."

Luo Feng looked over. A dazzling red glow flickered faintly from the Crystalline Flame Lion's abdomen.

As his Soul Power permeated it, Luo Feng immediately felt an intense wave of heat wash over him, accompanied by the presence of extremely pure Fire Yuan Qi.

CLANG!

Yuan Ying, unable to wait any longer, directly drew her Cold Pheasant Sword.

Without the protection of Demon Qi, the Demon Beast's corpse offered far less defense. The Cold Pheasant Sword cut it open easily. Inside lay a bowl-sized, hexagonal, red-gold crystal. Faint golden light flashed in its center, and wisps of flame-like energy swirled on its surface, making it look quite extraordinary.

Could this be a Red Flame Crystal Jade?

Looking at the red-gold crystal, Luo Feng's eyes flickered. He sensed an immense amount of Fire Yuan Qi within the crystal, far exceeding that of Red Flame Crystal Ore by countless times.

Yuan Ying gazed at the crystal, her expression somewhat lost. Licking her red lips with her small tongue, she shook her head.

"A Red Flame Crystal Jade is entirely blood-red, with free-floating, blood-like filaments within, and its shape is irregular. This is not Red Flame Crystal Jade. If I'm not mistaken, this crystal should be a Red Flame Golden Crystal!"

"Red Flame Golden Crystal!"

Hearing these words, a warmth spread through Luo Feng's heart, and his breathing grew slightly heavier.

He had initially thought the crystal was a Red Flame Crystal Jade, never imagining it would turn out to be a Red Flame Golden Crystal.

A single vein of Red Flame Crystal Ore would only produce a small amount of Red Flame Crystal Jade over a million years. The Red Flame Crystal Jade would then require thousands of years of evolution to potentially form a Red Flame Golden Crystal. Its preciousness was imaginable; it would fetch at least one hundred thousand taels of gold at auction!

Of course, his excitement wasn't due to the value of the Red Flame Golden Crystal, but because the Fire Yuan Qi it contained was extremely pure, perfectly suited for cultivating the Eight Wildernesses Dominating Flame Fist.

Yuan Ying also appeared very excited. Pursing her red lips, she said,

"No wonder this Crystalline Flame Lion possessed such destructive power. It actually swallowed a Red Flame Golden Crystal! Judging by its state, it seems to have swallowed it not long ago. Otherwise, if it had completely refined the crystal, it would likely have become a Level Five Demon Beast! Luo Feng, we're really lucky this time."

"Yes, we are."

Luo Feng nodded, feeling a similar sense of fortune.

A Level Five Demon Beast was equivalent to a Spiritual Rotation Realm expert; one could have killed both of them with a single blow.

After some thought, Luo Feng said to Yuan Ying, "Sister Yuan Ying, could you let me have this Red Flame Golden Crystal? This Red Flame Golden Crystal should sell for about one hundred and fifty thousand taels of gold. I'll give you eighty thousand taels of gold for it."

Yuan Ying shook her head, a smile playing on her lips. "A heaven-and-earth treasure like this isn't something you can buy just because you want to. Eighty thousand taels, isn't that a bit too little?"

"This..."

Luo Feng knew Yuan Ying was right. One hundred and fifty thousand taels was just an ideal price. If someone who truly needed it came across it, they wouldn't refuse to pay even several hundred thousand taels.

However, his entire fortune was only forty to fifty thousand taels of gold. Eighty thousand, even with collateral, was his absolute limit.

Seeing Luo Feng frowning deeply, Yuan Ying chuckled, her beauty breathtaking as she casually tossed the Red Flame Golden Crystal into Luo Feng's hands.

"Alright, I was just teasing you. Though I, Yuan Ying, may be just a weak woman, I still understand the principle of repaying kindness. If you hadn't risked your life to save me earlier, I wouldn't be standing here now. Since you need this Red Flame Golden Crystal, take it. However, it's not free. You need to agree to one condition."

As she spoke, Yuan Ying's bright eyes looked directly at Luo Feng, her tempting red lips curved into a meaningful smile.

"What condition?"

Looking at the beautiful woman before him, Luo Feng's heart skipped a beat. He wondered if he would agree should she propose to repay him with her body.

At this moment, Yuan Ying opened her palm and said with a charming smile, "Ten thousand taels of gold, not a single tael less!"

So that's what it was...

Luo Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Yuan Ying blinked her long lashes. "You seem a little disappointed. Did you think I was going to make an outrageous demand, or perhaps offer to repay my debt in kind...?"

Luo Feng's expression stiffened. He struggled to regain his composure, took out a gold note for ten thousand taels, and handed it to Yuan Ying. "Sister Yuan Ying, here are ten thousand taels of gold."

Yuan Ying didn't press further. She accepted the gold note and smiled. "I never thought I'd earn so much gold from a task I accepted on a whim."

Luo Feng felt a warmth in his heart. With Yuan Ying's reputation in the rtiad, ten thousand taels of gold would naturally mean little to her. She had likely made this request to put his mind at ease.

"Sister Yuan Ying, thank you!" Luo Feng said gratefully.

Yuan Ying reached out her delicate hand and playfully flicked Luo Feng's forehead. "Luo Feng, you are no mere pond dweller. You are destined for great achievements in the future."

Her tone softened, and Yuan Ying suddenly said, "If you truly wish to thank me, I only hope that in the future, you won't forget that we met today."

"Definitely," Luo Feng replied, his tone firm and resolute.

Hearing his response, Yuan Ying's slender frame trembled slightly. Gazing at his youthful, handsome face, her beautiful eyes filled with a complex, unspoken emotion.

Luo Feng's unhesitating reply stirred ripples in the calm lake of her heart.

Could it be... I have feelings for him...?

The thought flashed through Yuan Ying's mind, and she immediately shook her head, dismissing it.

With Luo Feng's talent and potential, he was bound to soar to great heights one day. They were destined to be people of different worlds.

If he can just remember me in the future, that will be enough.

Glancing at the young man before her one last time, Yuan Ying murmured to herself, gently brushing away the inexplicable thought that had just surfaced.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Just then, two sounds of rushing air came from the nearby cave, and two figures shot out.

SHI! SHI! SHI! SHI!...

A piercing shriek tore through the air as a crimson Yuan Qi claw shot forth, aiming straight for Luo Feng's back.

The Yuan Qi claw was incredibly condensed. Its mere aftershock carved terrifying gashes into the surrounding stone walls, and a chaotic wind swept through.

Yuan Ying, standing before Luo Feng, was the first to spot the claw's shadow. Her Daimei furrowed slightly. Her Cold Pheasant Sword whistled out, unleashing a sudden burst of cold, brilliant blade light.

BANG!

The blade light and the claw shadow collided midway. A violent shockwave swept outwards before both dissipated.

Luo Feng had already sensed the arrival of people behind him. He turned, his gaze cold as he looked at the green-robed young man before him. "Yuan Kong!"

The newcomers were indeed Yuan Kong and another disciple from Wanluo School.

The two had been nearby and had rushed over immediately upon hearing the sounds of fighting.

Seeing the Crystalline Flame Lion's corpse, Yuan Kong instantly understood that Luo Feng had completed the mission before them.

As a disciple of the esteemed Twelve Golden Halls, how could he lose to a student from the mere Four Great Academies? Yuan Kong, without a second thought, attacked, intending to kill Luo Feng and then figure out how to claim the credit. He never expected Yuan Ying to intervene.

A cold glint flickered in his eyes as Yuan Kong glanced at Luo Feng. "Luo Feng, we meet again."

Yuan Ying's pretty face frosted over as she looked at Yuan Kong. "Yuan Kong, to attack so lethally without distinguishing right from wrong, isn't that going too far?"

Before Yuan Kong could speak, the other Wanluo School disciple noticed the Red Flame Golden Crystal in Luo Feng's hand. His expression changed slightly, and he tugged at Yuan Kong's sleeve.

"Senior Brother Yuan, he's holding a Red Flame Golden Crystal!"

"Red Flame Golden Crystal!"

Yuan Kong's brow twitched. His eyes, fixed on the Red Flame Golden Crystal in Luo Feng's hand, flashed with greed.

As a disciple of the Twelve Golden Halls, he naturally knew the value of a Red Flame Golden Crystal.

Yuan Kong surveyed Luo Feng with an arrogant gaze, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. He said directly, "Luo Feng, give me the Red Flame Golden Crystal. And leave the Crystalline Flame Lion's carcass as well."

"Give it to you? On what grounds? Just because you're a disciple of the Twelve Golden Halls?"

Luo Feng eyed Yuan Kong, a hint of provocation in his gaze.

A sharp light glinted in Yuan Kong's eyes. He hadn't expected Luo Feng to be so obstinate and arrogant. He sneered, "That's right, solely based on my status as a disciple of the Sword Hall! You insulted several of my junior brothers earlier, and I haven't settled that account with you yet. I'm giving you a chance now. Leave the Red Flame Golden Crystal, and I won't make things difficult for you."

"I advise you to obediently listen to Senior Brother Yuan, lest you ask for trouble. Senior Brother Yuan can kill you with a single finger!" the other Wanluo School disciple sneered contemptuously.

"Don't push your bullying too far!" Yuan Ying could no longer stand by and watch.

Luo Feng hadn't expected them to be so shameless. He raised a hand to stop Yuan Ying, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips. He toyed with the Red Flame Golden Crystal in his hand and looked at the two.

"Since you can kill me with a single finger, why haven't you made your move? This Red Flame Golden Crystal is right here in my hand. If you have the guts, come and take it!"

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