Chapter 105: Burning the Golden-Maned Lion

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This was a vast courtyard, adorned with breathtaking elegance. The ground was paved with some unknown kind of jade, warm and yielding beneath the feet, radiating a hazy milky glow. Tables and chairs, statues of every description, auspicious beasts and birds, and figures resembling immortals and gods were scattered throughout. Every flower in the beds was in full bloom, filling the air with a delicate fragrance.

Yet none of these were the most eye-catching sights. The resplendent golden palace was what they truly wished to reach. But after narrowly escaping death several times, no one dared to act rashly.

At that moment, a short old man slowly emerged from the palace. He had black hair and wore black robes. His appearance was ordinary; he possessed neither an overwhelming aura nor a lofty frame. Yet his icy gaze sent chills through everyone who met it, as though they were facing the sovereign of the sea—an existence vast and impossible to fathom.

“Welcome to the Endless Palace. I am its master, Gongshu Ban,” the old man said calmly. “It has been exactly two thousand years since the Endless Palace last opened. This time, I hope that one of you will obtain the immortal treasure I left behind. The rules are simple: the moment someone acquires the Endless Palace’s one and only immortal treasure, everyone will be transported outside. In addition, should any of you unfortunately trigger a restriction and bring disaster upon yourselves, you will bear the consequences.”

Everyone listened carefully to every word he spoke, studying this master of the immortal estate, this exalted True Immortal.

“You need not look at me like that. I perished three thousand years ago, my soul scattered beyond recovery. This is merely a remnant image I left behind in several cultivation realms.” As he spoke, the old man’s figure gradually blurred, but his voice continued to echo throughout the immense space. “If no one finds the treasure of the Endless Palace, you may also leave safely once your cultivation breaks through its current level.”

Gongshu Ban’s voice lingered for a long while before the palace, but his figure had already vanished.

It was merely a fragment of his image left behind after death, yet it possessed such astonishing abilities. Aside from their shock, everyone present was momentarily too stunned to move.

“What are you standing around for? Go find the treasure!” Che Ba strode into the palace. The others froze for a moment, then hurried after him one by one.

They had originally feared triggering some restriction, but nothing happened. Inside, the palace was just as magnificently decorated, its walls seemingly built of golden bricks. An ancient jade table stood in the center, with a large incense burner before it and two rows of bookshelves behind it. The shelves were completely empty. The entire palace was so spacious that it could reflect the figures within.

“Where’s the treasure? There are only these few things here. What the hell are we supposed to search?” Che Ba cursed loudly. He walked to the ancient table and glared around it, but discovered nothing.

“The books on the shelves must have been taken by the people who entered the immortal estate last time,” Chen Yuxi said softly.

“The entire hall can be seen at a glance. The treasure must be in the courtyard!” Yuan Qianzi shouted, then rushed outside ahead of everyone else.

The others followed him out in succession. Lin Feng walked at the rear, quietly contemplating. The predecessors had already come here once without discovering the treasure. It clearly would not be hidden somewhere obvious. They would have to rack their brains.

In the courtyard, everyone dispersed and searched every place that might conceal an immortal treasure. Beneath the statues, among the flowers, inside the pools—almost every location was searched three or five times.

No one knew how much time had passed. After their enthusiasm for treasure hunting had been completely worn away, everyone gathered around a jade table in the courtyard. Some sat, others stood, all of them frowning in frustration.

Obviously, no one had found the treasure spoken of by the Immortal Gongshu. They had not even obtained a single valuable item.

“We wasted half the day, only to come away with nothing! Damn it!” Yuan Qianzi roared angrily.

Che Ba said coldly, “How could an immortal’s treasure be so easy to find? In my opinion, you should stop wasting your effort. Sit there and cultivate. Leave as soon as possible.”

“Che Ba, you’re going too far! When have I ever offended you, Yuan Qianzi? You keep opposing me again and again. What exactly are you plotting?”

Yuan Qianzi slammed his palm onto the jade table. A series of cracking sounds immediately rang out. The table split into three pieces and was destroyed.

“Awooo—”

Just as everyone stared blankly at the shattered table, a beast’s roar suddenly rang out through the courtyard. Everyone jolted and sprang to their feet.

“A Golden Macaque Lion!” Che Ba sucked in a breath of cold air.

At the center of the courtyard stood a miniature golden lion, no larger than a hunting dog. It bared its teeth and yawned. Then the golden fur covering its entire body bristled upward as its eyes gleamed with murderous intent, glaring at the gathered cultivators.

“Just a little house cat…” Yuan Qianzi said with a dismissive curl of his lips.

Before he could finish, a flash of light streaked past. The Golden Macaque Lion had already leaped onto his chest. With a single swipe of its claw, it tore his front apart, leaving flesh and blood in tatters.

“Ah…” Yuan Qianzi’s expression changed dramatically. In his panic, he raised his hand to block. The Golden Macaque Lion opened and closed its jaws, and with a sharp crack, bit clean through his left hand at the wrist.

“Ah… Kill this beast, quickly!”

Yuan Qianzi’s howl was filled with terror and madness.

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The creature moved far too quickly. By the time everyone reacted, Yuan Qianzi was already rolling and struggling with the Golden Macaque Lion. The savage beast’s sharp teeth clamped tightly onto his maimed arm as the two continued tumbling across the jade floor.

“Use fire! Golden Macaque Lions fear fire!” Che Ba shouted at the crucial moment.

Boom! Boom!

Several balls of flame struck the Golden Macaque Lion and Yuan Qianzi in succession. Sure enough, the burning beast let out a low growl, released the old Daoist, and turned toward the others with a furious roar.

Apart from Che Ba, no one had expected this tiny Golden Macaque Lion to be so ferocious and savage. But moments later, sword light and flashes of magical brilliance enveloped the beast, while Yuan Qianzi struggled to his feet.

“Awooo—!”

The Golden Macaque Lion suddenly unleashed a violent roar. Its body swelled to more than twenty feet in length, its golden fur hard as iron. Sword qi struck it, but could only shear off tufts of fur, sending splinters of golden light flying through the flames. The Golden Macaque Lion charged straight at Lin Feng.

It was Lin Feng’s Heavenly Heart Whiteflame that had burned the beast’s hind leg earlier. Savage beasts were notoriously vengeful. After making a quick assessment, it had located its enemy.

“Courting death! Slaughter!”

Endless sword qi surged into the sky. From the side, the Golden Macaque Lion seemed to be leaping into a vast mass of dazzling light.

Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss!

The sword qi collided with its body as though cutting into metal. Shards of golden radiance exploded in all directions.

Seeing how unusually fierce the beast was, Lin Feng flipped his hand and produced the Hellfire Wind-Chasing Fan.

“I’ll fan you to death, you cursed beast!”

Whoosh—

This time, he fanned with all his strength. His vision suddenly went black, and his head began to spin. It felt as though all his strength had been drained away, and he nearly fainted.

“How can this be… It consumes too much spiritual power…”

Lin Feng had not expected such a result. He collapsed onto the jade floor.

“When I fought the phantom Leng Linglan last time, it seems I wasn’t using my full strength after all. Could it be that I truly have feelings for her? …Impossible. How could that be?”

He sat there in a daze, his mind momentarily blank.

A raging gale and infernal flames howled through the air, lifting the Golden Macaque Lion’s enormous body like a burning fireball and hurling it into the sky. It seemed to strike some kind of restriction. With a thunderous boom, it crashed back down. The Golden Macaque Lion let out a shriek, rolled several times, then rose again, flames still leaping across its body.

“Fire! More fire!” Che Ba shouted repeatedly as he charged forward, swinging the Dragon-Subduing Staff.

Duan Chen and the others rushed in as well. Zang You and Chen Yuxi formed fire seals, summoning two clusters of Earth Azure Flame in succession. Flames the size of millstones came crashing down upon the Golden Macaque Lion.

Leng Linglan cast a hurried glance at Lin Feng before turning around and offering up the White Snow Sword. Blinding white light surged forth, ice qi coiled around the blade, and flickering lightning seemed to form upon its surface.

Lightning and flames intertwined across the Golden Macaque Lion’s body. Che Ba leaped high into the air, dragon shadows twisting around the Dragon-Subduing Staff.

With a clear dragon’s cry, the staff descended with the force of ten thousand jun!

Roar!

The Golden Macaque Lion revealed its savage nature, baring its fangs wide. The golden fur scorched away by the flames gathered together like droplets of water, dripping continuously onto the jade floor. The sound was crisp and metallic, like strings of broken jade beads striking the ground.

The Earth Azure Flame and Heavenly Heart Flame continued burning across its body. The beast’s back slowly melted like wax.

Clang!

The Dragon-Subduing Staff struck its head like a hammer hitting a bronze gong, shaking everyone’s ears numb.

“Beast!”

Duan Chen arrived at the same moment, wielding a massive pine-green sword. Green radiance cleaved into the Golden Macaque Lion, which let out another furious roar, but its ability to fight back was gradually fading.

“Stand aside!” Leng Linglan cried sharply.

Everyone hurriedly leaped away. In the wind, her snow-white robes fluttered. She raised the White Snow Sword, lightning crackling across its length as a single keen point of light gathered at the tip, dazzlingly bright.

“Ultimate Frozen Icebreaker!”

A violent gale erupted. The immortal estate suddenly grew bitterly cold. Lightning writhed across the sky like gigantic serpents, racing and intertwining. Wherever the snow-white sword light pointed, the Golden Macaque Lion was instantly swallowed whole.

Crack, crack—

As searing heat and piercing cold alternated with extreme speed, countless fine fissures appeared across the beast’s hide. Slowly, it split apart into a heap of fragments, shattering in every direction.

Leng Linglan’s face was pale as she sheathed her sword. Her body seemed to sway, and she immediately sat down cross-legged, closing her eyes to circulate her cultivation and recover.

Lin Feng walked to the place where the Golden Macaque Lion had died. All he saw was a pool of entrails, flesh, and blood that looked like molten metal. Not a single drop of blood had flowed out.

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“That was close, Brother Lin Feng. If none of us knew fire techniques, not one of us could have dealt with the Golden Macaque Lion.” Che Ba gazed at the pool of remains with lingering fear.

“Brother Che, you know what kind of beast this is?” Lin Feng was about to ask for more details. The Mountain and River Register of Demonic Beasts did not seem to contain any record of such a strange creature.

Che Ba nodded. “The Golden Macaque Lion feeds on metal and is violently tempered. It is said to be extremely rare even in the cultivation world, and its strength is impossible to gauge. This one doesn’t seem to have reached adulthood. It may have been raised as a pet by an immortal.”

“It hasn’t reached adulthood?” Lin Feng asked in astonishment.

The others also wore looks of horror.

“Indeed. As far as I know, once a Golden Macaque Lion reaches adulthood, it can control metal and iron. By then, half of the magical treasures and weapons we possess would become unusable—and would instead serve as its weapons.”

Che Ba still looked shaken by their narrow escape. No one present understood the various savage beasts of the world better than he did. Had an adult Golden Macaque Lion appeared, they could only have waited for death.

“How terrifying!”

Everyone was secretly aghast. When they turned back, they saw that Yuan Qianzi’s face was ashen. Several empty medicine bottles lay scattered at his feet, while his severed wrist rested forlornly on the jade floor. The sight was horrifying.

To regrow a severed limb, one had to attain true enlightenment and ascend to the immortal realm. Only then would there be any hope.

“What is that?” Duan Chen suddenly cried out in surprise and darted toward the palace entrance.

A cluster of multicolored radiance was quietly blooming there, as though some treasure were about to emerge.

“Successfully killed the lower-grade immortal beast, the Golden Macaque Lion cub. One low-grade immortal artifact awarded.”

Gongshu Ban’s emotionless voice echoed throughout the courtyard.

“What!”

Everyone was struck as though by thunder. Che Ba transformed into a streak of dark light and shot toward the palace entrance. A ruthless glint appeared in Zang You’s eyes. With a wave of his sleeve, several golden rays shot through the air toward the backs of the two men. Then his footwork changed abruptly, and he charged after them.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Che Ba and Duan Chen were struck in succession. The golden rays pierced through their bodies and emerged from the other side. Both grunted, yet they continued forward even faster, reaching for the treasure.

Buzz!

The moment they touched it one after another, a tremendous force flung them into the air. They were sent flying as though struck by a heavy blow, crashing onto the jade floor.

“Insatiable greed! How could an immortal artifact possibly suit the likes of you? This sword is called Wandering Immortal, and it belongs to Leng Linglan.”

Gongshu Ban’s voice was filled with fury. No one dared to utter a sound.

“Thank you, Senior.”

A faint trace of delight appeared on Leng Linglan’s face. Under the envious gazes of the others, she slowly walked toward the palace entrance.

A streak of blue light shot directly into her body. A flash of excitement crossed Leng Linglan’s eyes. She then walked slowly to the side, sat down, and closed her eyes in silent concentration.

“An immortal artifact…” Yuan Qianzi sighed bitterly, staring blankly at his severed hand.

“You dared to ambush me!” Fury blazed in Che Ba’s eyes as he stared at Zang You, grinding out each word through clenched teeth. He had failed to obtain the immortal artifact and had instead been attacked. One way or another, he had to vent his rage on someone.

“Zang You, you really have nerve…” Duan Chen sneered repeatedly as he slowly walked over.

Several bloody holes had been drilled through the backs of the two men, but these were only minor injuries and did not hinder them from casting techniques and seeking revenge.

Chen Yuxi exchanged a glance with Lin Feng. The two stepped aside and quietly watched the situation unfold.

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