Seeing this, Fu Yao hurriedly followed.
Only Lu Li stood rooted to the spot, motionless as a fool.
Seeing the two charge in, the Flame Lion leapt up with a whoosh. Its massive body was even taller than the both of them. Seemingly surprised that humans had intruded, it let out an excited roar and lunged forward with hurried, almost joyful strides, crossing the five-zhang distance in the blink of an eye.
The two had never expected this outcome and were nearly scared into sitting right on the ground. Throwing out a quick feint, they bolted to the side.
How could the Flame Lion let them go so easily? A low roar left the valley buzzing as its massive frame soared through the air, landing with a thunderous crash right where they had just been standing.
Fortunately, neither was slow. Otherwise, they would have been smashed into meat paste by the Flame Lion's paw. Even so, though they narrowly avoided its claws, the powerful shockwave sent them flying back over a zhang.
"Senior Brother, what are you doing? Hurry up and attack!" Junior Sister Ling urged Lu Li from behind, her face full of anxiety.
"Uh, sorry, my legs went numb."
Having observed enough, Lu Li suddenly circulated his movement technique and headed directly... toward the cave.
That's right. He did not go to restrain the Flame Lion, but made a beeline for the cave instead.
"Brat, what the hell are you doing!" Seeing this, Zhong Ping flew into a rage, cursing Lu Li even as he fled for his life.
"Hold on, Senior Brother! I will go grab the Scarlet Flame Fruit and come right back!"
Lu Li's figure was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, he had already crossed more than half the valley.
Junior Sister Ling froze for a moment, as if struggling to understand Lu Li's actions. But upon further thought, she seemed to figure it out and charged straight at the Flame Lion. "Senior Brother, let me help you!"
Zhong Ping was on the verge of madness. As he ran, he frantically shot thick wooden spikes back at the Flame Lion, but they failed to even pierce its skin. Clearly, this Flame Lion had already advanced to a high rank.
Seeing that Lu Li had already rushed into the cave, Zhong Ping had no choice but to shout at the two women, "Both of you, retreat into the fissure! We'll wait until he comes back."
Hearing this, the two who were just about to step forward to help immediately turned around and sprinted back to the crevice.
Bang!
Unable to halt its momentum, the Flame Lion smashed its massive head directly against the edge of the fissure, roaring and snarling at Zhong Ping who was merely inches away.
Zhong Ping's face was deathly pale. Panting heavily, he gasped, "Junior Sister Fu, Junior Sister Ling, step back a little."
On the other side, upon entering the cave, Lu Li discovered that it wasn't narrow at all. Right in the center sat a pool of fiery red magma, bubbling and gurgling as rolling waves of scorching heat washed over his face.
At the edge of the magma pool stood a glowing red sapling, heavily laden with sparkling fruits. They looked remarkably like strawberries, though far more translucent, resembling drops of molten iron.
"Scarlet Flame Fruit. Hahaha, it really is the Scarlet Flame Fruit."
Lu Li was thrilled. This single tree held a full fifty Scarlet Flame Fruits. What an unexpected windfall!
He first carefully tested the temperature of the fruit. The moment his hand touched it, a sizzling sound echoed, like roasting meat. It felt as though he were being pricked by needles, but the sensation was still bearable.
His eyes darted about. Instead of plucking the fruits, he directly hauled the entire sapling up by its roots.
Instantly, even the air itself began to smoke.
Not daring to hesitate, Lu Li shifted his thoughts and stored it straight into the spiritual farm within the Spiritual Items Hall. He then sank his consciousness into the medicinal garden, dug a deep pit, and planted the Scarlet Flame Fruit tree.
Afterward, he stared at the tree, his face filled with anticipation as he waited for any changes.
A quarter of an hour passed.
Two quarters of an hour passed.
He found that not only had the fruit tree survived, but it had grown even more crystalline. Moreover, the three chi of soil surrounding the tree had actually turned entirely crimson, looking as if the environment was automatically adjusting to accommodate the plant.
This space defies the heavens!
Lu Li was both delighted and astounded. Just what kind of ultimate treasure had he picked up?
As time wore on, not only did the soil beneath the Scarlet Flame Fruit tree change, but the medicinal garden's space actually expanded a fraction more.
It seems this Scarlet Flame Fruit truly is extremely rare.
Glancing over his garden full of lush, verdant Emerald Bamboo Grass, Lu Li's mood instantly soared.
Now, all that was missing was the Lightning Fire Orchid and Earth Milk Essence.
Once I find these two items, I can immediately start refining the Piercing Acupoint Pill.
After reveling in his joy for a while, Lu Li finally withdrew from the medicinal garden. He peeked halfway out of the cave toward the opposite fissure. Seeing that the others were still there, he let out a sigh of relief.
If Zhong Ping had gotten angry and fled, the joke would have been on him.
But on second thought, it was impossible for the other party to run. After all, Zhong Ping still wanted to kill him and monopolize the Scarlet Flame Fruit.
Lu Li dared not make a sound. It would be troublesome if he drew the Flame Lion's attention. Fortunately, the beast currently had its back to him. He simply walked to the cave entrance, winking and waving at Zhong Ping's group, hoping they would catch his drift.
Zhong Ping had been keeping an eye on the cave entrance this whole time. Seeing Lu Li's antics, a fire instantly lit in his belly. He glared viciously at Lu Li, then turned to Fu Yao behind him. "Junior Sister Fu, that bastard is out. Let's go distract the Flame Lion."
"Senior Brother, what about me?" Junior Sister Ling asked.
"Junior Sister Ling, your cultivation is too low, so stay back. If you get caught, it will only make things worse."
"Oh."
Zhong Ping had never seen her act so obediently before. His foul mood couldn't help but improve a little. He thought to himself, Once I kill that brat, we'll head back to the Sect. That way, the people outside won't have to worry about Junior Sister.
Taking a deep breath, he gestured with his hand and charged out once more. Forming hand seals, he unleashed a massive volley of sharp wooden spikes right at the Flame Lion. "Vile beast, die!"
Seeing this, the Flame Lion let out another explosive roar and gave chase after Zhong Ping.
Fu Yao hurriedly cast her techniques, desperately firing a barrage of ice spikes toward the Flame Lion's backside. Caught off guard, the Flame Lion felt its hindquarters clench in surprise. It whipped its head around and charged right at Fu Yao.
She originally wanted to retreat into the fissure, but seeing that Lu Li hadn't come over yet, she had no choice but to lure the Flame Lion toward the right.
Zhong Ping seized the chance to catch his breath, roaring at Lu Li, "Hurry up and come out!" After shouting, he also sprinted in Fu Yao's direction.
Lu Li figured the two couldn't hold out for long. No longer hesitating, he tapped his foot against the ground. Accompanied by the whistle of rushing wind, he instantly shot out ten zhang away. With just a few leaps, he dashed into the fissure.
Seeing the girl in pink standing right in the middle of the path, he urgently prompted, "Junior Sister Ling, let's go."
"Senior Brother and Senior Sister haven't come back yet."
"Wait for them outside." Lu Li looked anxious.
"No, I want to wait right here," the young girl replied stubbornly.
"Then forgive my offense!" Lu Li's expression hardened. He scooped her up, throwing her over his shoulder, and bolted frantically toward the exit.
Once out of the fissure, he tossed Junior Sister Ling onto the ground and spoke with absolute solemnity: "Little girl, your Senior Brother is not a good person. I advise you to stay far away from him. Farewell!"
After tossing those words behind him, wind gathered beneath his feet. He turned into a blurred shadow, tearing out toward the outer valley.
"You... you can't leave!" Only then did she finally realize it. This dark-hearted Senior Brother really was a bad person!
"Junior Sister, where is he!"
Right at that moment, Zhong Ping and Fu Yao finally ran out, panting heavily. Their hair was in disarray, their necks caked with dirt. They looked utterly disheveled.
"He... he ran away."
"Ran away?" Zhong Ping's face was so gloomy it looked ready to drip water. He let out a furious bellow, "Brat, you dare play me for a fool?! I will grind your bones to dust and scatter your ashes!"
Throwing out a command, he immediately gave chase.
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