202: Outwitting the Lion's Mouth

The cold scrutiny in the Lava Stone Lion's molten gold vertical pupils was like a physical probe, scraping inch by inch over the shadows at the corridor's exit. Under such close-range, high-intensity perception, the concealment web woven by the Moon Shadow Divine Art finally revealed an unnatural "blank space."

"Roar!"

The Lava Stone Lion did not pounce immediately but let out a low, warning growl. Its lava tail, thick as a massive pillar, suddenly whipped out. The tip of its tail curled around a millstone-sized rock burning with dark red flames and hurled it like a catapult. Accompanied by a shrill whistling sound, it smashed toward where Qin Feng and the other three were hiding!

This strike was not at full strength; it was more like a probe and an attempt to drive them away, but its power was already terrifying!

"Xuanwu: Defend!" Xia Ya reacted extremely quickly, her giant shield instantly blocking the front as an earth-yellow Qi wall condensed once more.

"Boom!"

The burning rock crashed into the Qi wall, exploding into countless splashing sparks and debris. The Qi wall vibrated violently, letting out a groan as if it couldn't bear the load. Xia Ya was even shaken back half a step, a scorching stinging sensation coming from the shield's surface. The Moon Shadow concealment was also completely shattered by this violent energy impact, and the figures of the four were fully exposed under the dim red lava light.

Dozens of Lava Beasts that had not yet gone to hunt down others immediately let out threatening low growls and slowly closed in, their blazing auras merging into a suffocating field. The Lava Stone Lion slowly stood up, its three-zhang-tall body casting a massive shadow. The terrifying pressure of a Late Stage Martial King was like the silence before a volcanic eruption, locking onto the four. As expected, there were still intruders.

Ji Ruxue's daggers were already held in a reverse grip, her figure slightly lowered as she entered the optimal assassination starting stance. Xia Ya's giant shield was held steadily forward, her giant tooth sword pointing diagonally at the ground, her gaze sharp. Xiao Chun’s face was pale, but she gritted her teeth and opened the yan luo umbrella, protecting everyone behind the umbrella's green light. Although the Four Symbols Formation had not been fully deployed, their internal Qi was already quietly linked.

The great battle was on the verge of breaking out!

Just as Xia Ya and Ji Ruxue were preparing to face a storm-like attack—

"Wait a moment!" Qin Feng suddenly spoke in a deep voice. His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed clearly in the oppressive cave. He took half a step forward and slowly returned the ink plum sword to its scabbard. This action caused the Lava Stone Lion's pupils to contract slightly.

Qin Feng raised his hands to show he had no weapons and met those molten gold vertical pupils with a calm gaze. He spoke in a steady and clear tone, "Lion King! We mean no harm! We are not here to invade your territory, nor do we intend to harm your companions!"

As he spoke, he signaled to the three beside him with his eyes. Although Xia Ya and Ji Ruxue were puzzled, they relaxed their tense stances slightly out of trust. Xiao Chun also looked at Qin Feng in confusion.

"We are just passing through this place to go deeper into the Secret Realm to find something we need," Qin Feng continued, while taking several of the best quality fire Yao stones he had collected earlier from his robes. "Look, these were obtained by us by chance on our way. Now, we are willing to leave them all behind to show that we have no intention of coveting the mineral deposits here."

After saying that, he was the first to gently place the fire Yao stones in his hand on the ground in front of his feet. "Xia Ya, Xiao Chun, Ruxue, take out all the fire Yao stones you have and put them down."

Xia Ya bit her lip but did as told, pouring out a small pile of the collected fire Yao stones with a clatter. Xiao Chun and Ji Ruxue also took theirs out and put them down as instructed. Dozens of catties of high-quality fire Yao stones piled together, emitting an enticingly pure fire energy.

However, the coldness and hostility in the Lava Stone Lion's eyes did not fade. Instead, it let out a low growl and took a step forward. Clearly, simply abandoning some "external" fire Yao stones was not enough to dispel its wariness toward the intruders—especially intruders who could threaten it with the faint aura of their Four Symbols Formation. To it, discarding "wealth" perhaps seemed more like a weakling's plea for mercy or the prelude to a trick.

The encirclement tightened a bit more, and the atmosphere became even more heavy.

Just as Qin Feng's mind was racing, thinking about what to do next, Xiao Chun suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She remembered her experience in the Medicine King Valley and the tokens of those spiritual Yao Beasts.

She carefully took several items out of her personal Hundred Treasure Pouch. One was a simple, ancient token made of neither metal nor wood, carved with profound plant and tree patterns—a token used by high-level Disciples of the Medicine King Valley when performing special missions. It carried the lingering, gentle yet vast vitality of plants and trees and an aura of goodwill unique to the Medicine King Valley. The other items were tokens given by the Beast King Valley, including Gray Shadow's whiskers, which faintly exuded a peaceful, wise, and powerful Yao Beast majesty—this was a mark of its gratitude and friendship given before they left the Medicine King Valley.

Xiao Chun held these items in her palm, and the emerald-green aura of the Myriad Medicine Body gently wrapped around them, maximizing their unique intentions of "healing," "affinity," and "harmlessness."

"Lion King, please look." Xiao Chun summoned her courage, her voice soft yet firm. "We come from the Medicine King Valley and have healed many Yao Beasts. We have never harmed living beings without cause. These tokens can prove we mean no harm."

The aura of the Medicine King Valley token was not entirely unfamiliar to a Yao Beast that had lived in the Secret Realm for a long time, surrounded by various Spirit Medicines and treasures. And the peaceful marks belonging to a certain powerful Beast King contained in those tokens caused a clear ripple to appear in the Lava Stone Lion's molten gold vertical pupils for the first time—it was surprise, confusion, and a hint of hesitation.

Its massive head tilted slightly, and its nostrils flared as if it were carefully discerning those auras.

At this moment, Xiao Bai, who had been shivering in Xiao Chun's arms, seemed to be infected by its master's courage and carefully poked its head out. It looked at the majestic and terrifying giant lion, then at its master, and suddenly let out a few "squeaks" before jumping from Xiao Chun's palm to the ground. It didn't run away; instead, it faced the Lava Stone Lion and began to gesture clumsily with its two small front paws. It pointed at the pile of fire Yao stones, then at the direction Qin Feng and the others had come from, then at the mineral vein behind the Lava Stone Lion, and finally shook its little head like a rattle while making a "taking a detour" motion.

It was trying to communicate in its own simple way: We aren't here to fight you; we're just passing through.

A little beast so small it wouldn't even be enough to get stuck in one's teeth, yet emitting a pure treasure-seeking spirituality and clearly close to the people before it—its "explanation," delivered with all its gathered courage, seemed to produce a strange softening effect.

The tyranny and killing intent in the Lava Stone Lion's eyes clearly receded a lot, replaced by a deep scrutiny and struggle. It looked at the pile of pure fire Yao stones, then at the tokens in Xiao Chun's hand that gave it complex feelings, then at the "bold" gesturing Xiao Bai, and finally, its gaze fell once more on the four people who had already formed the Four Symbols Formation, their Qi integrated, ready for both offense and defense, and showing an unyielding will.

If it fought, even if it won, it would inevitably pay a significant price, especially after just driving away another group of intruders. Moreover, these people indeed had an aura different from ordinary looters... especially that gentle healing power and the friendly auras of several Beast Kings.

The Four Symbols Formation slowly operated, the sharpness of the White Tiger's killing intent, the heavy defense of the Black Tortoise, the agility of the Vermilion Bird's shadows, and the vitality of the Azure Dragon's nurturing—all blended together to form a deterrent that could not be easily slighted. Qin Feng's gaze was calm; he showed neither weakness nor provocation, simply waiting for the other party's decision.

Inside the cave, only the sound of the gurgling lava river remained, along with the silent standoff between the two sides. Time seemed to stretch, and every breath felt incredibly heavy.

After a long time.

"Roar..."

The Lava Stone Lion let out a much lower growl with a complex meaning. It lifted a front paw.

Immediately, two larger Lava Beast underlings stepped forward and, without hesitation, picked up the pile of fire Yao stones Qin Feng and the others had placed on the ground and quickly retreated back into the pack.

Following that, the Lava Stone Lion's massive body shifted to the side. The Lava Beast pack behind it also slowly retreated to both sides as if receiving an order, opening a narrow gap—only wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side—at the edge of the mineral vein platform they were strictly guarding. At the end of the gap was another dark passage leading deeper into the cave, presumably toward the core area of the Secret Realm.

Its molten gold vertical pupils took one last deep look at everyone. A flash of hard-to-read complexity flickered in that gaze—there was warning, scrutiny, and perhaps a hint of... recognition? Immediately, it turned back and stopped looking at them, as if they didn't exist, and slowly lay back down, closing its eyes. However, the invisible pressure still shrouded the surroundings, reminding them to leave quickly.

Qin Feng breathed a long sigh of relief in his heart, his back already soaked with sweat. He cupped his fists and gave a silent salute toward the Lava Stone Lion, then whispered, "Let's go!"

The four immediately restrained their auras and maintained their basic formation, passing through the narrow gap quickly and quietly. As they passed by the Lava Stone Lion, they could clearly feel the terrifying power and heat contained within that massive body, making their hearts pound.

It wasn't until they had completely crossed the platform area and entered the deeper passage, leaving the dim red light and heavy pressure behind, that the four truly felt a wave of post-event fear, as if they were about to collapse from exhaustion.