As the enormous clawed foot came crashing down, the woman gave a bitter smile. Just a moment of hesitation had led her into this deadly situation. That sweet-looking little girl had really caused no end of trouble! She never should have agreed to take her into the Magic Beast Mountains for training. And now, if she died here, what chance did the others have of surviving?
"Wahaha! After watching the show for so long, it's finally my turn to shine!" Goku chuckled as he stepped forward. He had been waiting all this time just for this moment. Saving a damsel in distress? Nothing boosts your favorability rating faster!
With a flash, Goku appeared right in front of the woman. With a dramatic flair, he raised his right hand. Boom! The massive body of the Amethyst-Winged Lion King slammed down, shaking the earth beneath it. Dust billowed in all directions, and the ground cracked under the impact, forming a pit over a meter deep.
The woman touched herself in disbelief—she was completely unharmed. She looked up and immediately froze, her eyes filled with astonishment.
As the dust cleared, a tall, muscular figure was revealed. With a single hand, he had caught the full force of the Amethyst-Winged Lion King's attack. The ground around him was shattered and uneven, but the earth beneath his feet was perfectly intact. Wind whipped around him, his clothes fluttering dramatically. The sheer power and grace of the scene left even this normally calm and composed beauty utterly stunned. Her jaw dropped in awe. This was a Rank 6 Magic Beast—equivalent to a Dou Emperor—and yet this man was holding it up with one hand like it was nothing!
"You alright?" Goku turned slightly, glancing back at the woman with a cool expression.
"I... I'm fine…" the woman replied, still dazed. But then she suddenly coughed violently, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Clearly, the earlier blow from the Lion King hadn't left her unscathed.
At the same time, the Amethyst-Winged Lion King itself was in shock. Its full-powered strike had been effortlessly blocked by a human—who then lifted its massive body one-handed like it weighed nothing! Just how terrifying was this man's physical strength? Since when did humans have bodies stronger than magical beasts?
"Heh!" Goku smirked and flung the beast into the air. Leaping up, he drove a devastating kick—infused with raw power—into the lion's wide back. Boom! The lion roared in agony as it crashed back down, forming a massive crater.
The beast tried to stand, but after several failed attempts, it collapsed completely. The violet crystals along its spine—famed for their defense—were shattered, and blood poured from the wounds. In just a single blow, the proud Amethyst-Winged Lion King had been completely incapacitated.
"He's so strong!" the woman gasped. Her eyes widened. He hadn't used any Dou Techniques or weapons—just sheer brute force. One kick had taken down a Rank 6 magical beast. How terrifying must his physical power be?
"That's him? I guess only a man like that could possess such overwhelming, tyrannical strength..." muttered Nalan Yanran, who had just emerged from the cave. Her heart trembled at the sight of Goku's fearsome attack, her eyes flashing with awe.
Behind her, two middle-aged men stood stunned. One held a violet orb, and the other carried a barely breathing Amethyst-Winged Lion cub.
The Lion King let out a roar of fury when it saw its child captured. But its bones were shattered, its organs crushed—it couldn't even stand. Panic set in, and for the first time, its proud voice held a pleading tone: "Spare... my child. Do whatever you want to me. Take everything in the cave. Just... let my child live…"
"You've already lost. What right do you have to bargain with us?" sneered the man holding the orb. This was the only time he dared act tough. If the Lion King were at full strength, he wouldn't even dare breathe in its presence.
Goku glanced at the man but said nothing. He walked over to the woman and raised a hand. A soft white light glowed in his palm and gently bathed her body. Instantly, her injuries began to heal, her Dou Qi restoring to peak condition before their very eyes.
Despite her high status, the woman bowed gratefully. "Thank you for saving my life. I am Yun Yun, and this is my disciple, Nalan Yanran. These two are Yun Feng and Gu He."
"So it really is Yun Yun," Goku smiled at the elegant, noble beauty before him. Then he turned to Nalan Yanran. "Hey, little lady, we meet again!"
"Yes, sir," Nalan Yanran said with a blush. "Every time I see you… it's always so overwhelming."
"Haha! Don't be so nervous! I'm not going to eat you. I'm Goku. If you don't mind, you can call me 'Brother Goku.' Haha~"
Hearing his playful tone, Nalan Yanran blushed even deeper. She hesitated for a moment, then quietly muttered, "Brother Goku…" prompting Goku to burst out laughing.
"Yanran, you know him?" Yun Yun looked curiously at her disciple. When had Yanran met someone this powerful?
"We met once at the Xiao family's estate," Yanran explained. But remembering what happened that day, she started to worry. 'My teacher is so beautiful… what if he sets his eyes on her next?'
Naturally, Goku saw right through her thoughts. He flicked her forehead and said sternly, "What are you thinking? I'm a good guy! The pure and innocent kind!"
"No one who says they're a good guy is actually a good guy," Nalan Yanran muttered under her breath. Seeing Goku looking at her, she quickly covered her mouth. "I didn't say anything!"
"You think I didn't hear that? But fine, since you called me Brother Goku just now, I'll let it slide," he said with a grin. Then he frowned. "But seriously, what were you doing in the Magic Beast Mountains? You even dared to target the Amethyst-Winged Lion King. If I hadn't been nearby, you'd all be dead."
Yanran immediately turned to Yun Yun, guilt flooding her face. "I'm sorry, teacher, I—"
"No need to apologize. I'm fine, aren't I?" Yun Yun smiled gently, patting her disciple's head. It was clear she genuinely cared for the girl.
"After you left the Xiao family, Xiao Yan looked really pitiful… But for my own future, I still broke off the engagement. That led to a one-year agreement. A year from now, we'll have a duel at Cloud Mist Sect. If I lose, the engagement won't be annulled—it'll become a divorce."
Yanran began recounting what had happened after Goku left. Her voice carried a note of bitterness—any girl would feel humiliated being publicly cast aside.
"You didn't see Xiao Yan's eyes back then… So calm in his rage. That composure frightened me. That's why I begged my teacher to bring me here for training—to gather herbs to increase my strength. The Amethyst Spirit Crystal from this beast was a key ingredient."
Only then did Goku realize—this mess was indirectly his fault. Originally, Yanran and Xiao Yan had a three-year engagement. But thanks to his interference, it had become a one-year challenge.
"You agreed to a one-year pact? You're definitely going to lose," Goku said confidently. Xiao Yan was the protagonist of this world. No one could suppress him—except maybe Goku himself.
"W-what?" Yanran's eyes widened in disbelief. But hearing it from Goku made her doubt herself.
"Why?" Yun Yun asked, brows furrowed. "Xiao Yan may be able to cultivate now, but defeating Yanran within a year? That seems impossible. She's a rare genius, after all."
"It's hard to explain," Goku said. "Let's just say Xiao Yan has a powerful aura of destiny around him. As long as that's there, anything is possible."
"You're saying... some mysterious power is protecting him?" Yun Yun asked.
"Exactly," Goku nodded. The protagonist's plot armor needed no explanation.
"If you knew that, why provoke him?" Nalan Yanran asked suspiciously.
"Because I've got even stronger plot armor!" Goku laughed. "So if you just listen to me, you'll be fine."
Yanran rolled her eyes. So all this was just him trying to reel her in?
"Believe it or not." Goku smirked, but before he could say more, the injured Lion King suddenly lunged at them again, its sharp claws slashing toward the group like blades.
Goku's eyes lit up with surprise. "After all that, you can still stand? What's driving you?" He looked toward the Lion cub. "Is it for your child? Truly… nothing in this world beats a mother's love."
Yun Yun readied her sword again, but Goku held out an arm to stop her. He stepped forward and with a flick of his sleeve, a wave of energy blasted the Lion King backward, smashing it into a tree and raising a cloud of dust.
The beast struggled a little more but finally collapsed. Its vision dimmed as life ebbed away. No longer furious, its eyes pleaded: "Please… do whatever you want to me… just spare… my child…" Even in death, its prideful head bowed for its cub.
"…Damn it, you moved me," Goku muttered. "Fine, I'll spare you both."
He formed a strange seal, and a divine light descended, enveloping the beast. Its broken bones and ruptured organs rapidly regenerated. In moments, the once-dying Lion King was fully healed.
"ROAR!" It sprang to its feet, eyes filled with disbelief. Then it bowed deeply to Goku. "Thank you, mighty human! Not all humans are cruel. Some, like you, are honorable. Please… my child…"
Goku turned to Yun Feng. "Hey. You heard that, right?"
"Y-yes!" Yun Feng stammered and hurriedly released the cub.
The baby Lion was badly injured too. With a sigh, Goku sent another healing light its way. The cub instantly recovered and scurried to its mother's side.
Nalan Yanran watched everything unfold, a soft smile tugging at her lips. He's not as bad as I thought… Before, she'd been wary of him, but now… her feelings were starting to shift.
"Well, that's that. Let's get going," Goku said with a smile. Just then, a beast gracefully leaped toward him—startling everyone.
"A Rank 5 Magic Beast?!"
"Don't worry. This is Moonlight, one of my recent conquests. Pretty, right?" Goku chuckled, hopping onto its back.
Yun Yun studied the wolf. "A mutated Moonlight Wolf King? It might have the blood of the legendary Howling Moon Sky Wolf…"
"The Howling Moon Sky Wolf?" Gu He was stunned. "That's a Rank 10 Magic Beast—equal to a Dou God! If this wolf really has its bloodline, it might one day reach that level!"
Nalan Yanran stared in awe. "A Dou God… That's like a myth in our world!"
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T/N:
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