265: Elder Long

Guan An was stunned for a moment, then looked at the headless lion body again, a trace of suspicion flashing across his face as he said, "Did I really kill it?!"

"That's for sure! At that time, you were the only one left here fighting the flying lion alone. I was thinking of hiding Brother Yu first before coming back to help you, but I didn't expect you to actually slay it. Incredible!!!" Tong Hongxia's eyes glowed as she looked at Guan An... "This... I didn't expect it either. I just used the Nine Heavens Waterfall with all my might, but I didn't expect this flying lion to not dodge or even defend. It was as if I chopped off its head and wings with a single strike... Thinking about it now, it feels like a dream..." Guan An said somewhat uncertainly.

Hearing this, Tong Hongxia said, "Brother Guan's Nine Heavens Waterfall already has the prototype of a Divine Ability. You used this move to take third place in this year's Elite Ranking Competition within the academy, making you the strongest among our trio. Perhaps you unleashed your full strength in that desperate situation, resulting in a combat power that exceeded your usual level. It's possible the Flame Flying Lion couldn't withstand it after underestimating its enemy..."

Guan An nodded slightly. Although Tong Hongxia wasn't present at the time, her analysis was well-reasoned, almost as if she had watched it on the spot. Perhaps he really had succeeded in counterattacking in a desperate situation, achieving such an impressive record. This battle alone was enough to greatly boost his confidence; maybe it was even possible to vie for the number one spot in the academy next year!

For a moment, Guan An was filled with lofty ambition, and his gaze became as sharp as his long saber... "Brother Guan, now that the Flame Flying Lion has become our spoils of war, why don't we go to its lair and excavate fire crystal stones and Fire Spirit Stones?" Tong Hongxia said excitedly.

"Of course! This entire area is the territory of the Flame Flying Lion. Since it's dead, all its resources are ours! Quickly bring Brother Yu over; the Fire Spirit Stones he needs are right inside that crater!" Guan An shouted.

"Alright, I'll go pick up Brother Yu right away!" Tong Hongxia responded and immediately left.

Guan An felt immensely satisfied. With his head held high, he paced around the headless lion body and the severed head with a swaggering gait, looking them over as if admiring a piece of art he had personally crafted. But as he looked, he suddenly froze and leaned in to observe the lion's eyes, his expression changing slightly!

"Wait! This flying lion's eyes seem to be blind?! How is that possible?!" He had made a startling discovery.

With his eyesight, he could naturally see that the Flame Flying Lion's eyes were indeed blind. However, the flying lion's eyes were perfectly fine during the final moments of the battle, and he clearly hadn't launched any attacks against its eyes. The injuries here weren't caused by his long saber either, so what exactly happened to the flying lion's eyes?

At this moment, he made another discovery: multiple dense red spots had appeared on the lion's head, which were clearly blood that had just coagulated. He immediately examined them and was shocked to find that these red spots were actually wounds. Judging by the degree of blood coagulation, these wounds should have been caused before he unleashed his Nine Heavens Waterfall. Because if they were caused afterward, it would not only be illogical but also have nothing to do with his long saber.

In his shock, Guan An thought back carefully and suddenly felt that the Flame Flying Lion's performance in those final moments was indeed abnormal. Not only was its gaze vacant, but it also lacked a sense of agility, which was vastly different from its previous performance. That was completely unlike its normal level.

With the Flame Flying Lion's abilities, it still held a great advantage while fighting the three of them alone, acting as if it were just playing. How could it have suddenly become so feeble that it was slain by him with a single saber strike?

Thinking of this, Guan An immediately tried to cut open a corner of the flying lion's skull to investigate. Sure enough, he found an anomaly: the inside of the flying lion's head had long since turned into a mess of mush, with countless wounds and damage inside. Brain matter had already filled the entire skull, and these injuries naturally couldn't have been caused by his single strike to the lion's neck... "Heavens, was someone helping me in the shadows?!" Guan An finally realized. He immediately checked the surroundings, but where could he find any sign of a person?

"Thank you, Senior, for saving me! I, Guan An, am infinitely grateful. Please grant me your name, Senior, so that I may remember your kindness!" Guan An bowed to the surroundings and shouted loudly.

But the surroundings were empty, with only faint echoes constantly ringing out... In Guan An's view, the person who acted must be a Human Race Senior. This person was like a divine dragon whose head is seen but not its tail, saving the three of them without leaving a name. Truly a noble character, worthy of immense admiration!

When Tong Hongxia and Yu Huacheng arrived and heard what Guan An said, they examined the Flame Flying Lion's corpse and immediately understood that their trio had likely been saved by a stroke of luck!

When the three went into the crater controlled by the Flame Flying Lion and found that the fire crystal stones and Fire Spirit Stones inside had disappeared, they finally confirmed the matter. They had no complaints about these resources being taken; it seemed they were taken by the Senior who saved them. Since their benefactor took them, what else could they say?

However, Yu Huacheng was still very excited because the crater was filled with the fire spiritual qi he needed. He didn't want to leave for a single moment and just wanted to stay here to Cultivate!

Ever since he noticed spiritual power appearing in his body, he found that he was different from ordinary Xuan Practitioners. In the same Realm, his combat power was stronger than others, mainly due to the help of this extra force. Therefore, he now really wanted to develop and expand this extra power. If feasible, he believed he could definitely reach a higher Peak.

Hearing that he wanted to stay here to Cultivate, Tong Hongxia also decided to stay and accompany him, while Guan An left on his own. However, Tong Hongxia and Yu Huacheng left the spoils of this battle, the Flame Flying Lion, to Guan An to handle... The "Senior benefactor" in their imagination, Dragon Yuan, had already returned to Nanming City. He had wandered around the wilderness, not only obtaining a personal flying vehicle from the Blood Wolf Hall but also gaining a large amount of fire crystal stones and Fire Spirit Stones, as well as collecting a vast amount of magma waste. His harvest was enormous. However, the Alchemy waste of the Tong Family in Nanming City and the waste from the Artifact Refining Guild were also very attractive to him, so he planned to check the situation. If there were any, he would collect them in passing... Just as he found a small tavern to have a meal, his phone rang. Seeing it was Qi Huaiyi, he answered and heard him say, "Where is Elder Dragon?"

Dragon Yuan was startled, only then realizing that Yu Xun had told him the Southern Division had bestowed upon him the position of "Guest Elder." Furthermore, North Division Chief Chang Hanshan had even said that this position allowed him to stand almost on equal footing with the two of them. In other words, his current status seemed to be even higher than Qi Huaiyi's!

No wonder Qi Huaiyi called him "Elder Dragon" as soon as he spoke...