206: The Lion King's Entrustment

Having obtained six catties of earth core flame marrow—far exceeding the mission requirement—as well as that incredibly precious Earth Flame Essence, Qin Feng and the other three were eager to return home. Their Master, Chu Tianhe, was still suffering on the Self-Reflection Cliff; returning even a moment sooner meant he could be freed from his confinement that much earlier.

They retraced their steps, cautiously navigating through the scorching corridors of the fire vein. Passing through the hidden Lava Slide once more, they returned to the relatively "cooler" tunnels. They remained alert throughout, fearing another unexpected turn of events. However, perhaps because the Lava Giant Lizard King had intentionally restrained his subordinates after his recovery, or perhaps because the residual aura of the Lizard King on them acted as a deterrent, they encountered no further harassment from the Lava Beast packs and arrived safely at the original fork in the road.

As long as they crossed the edge of the Lava Stone Lion King's territory ahead and returned to the Boiling Mud Swamp through the secret passage, the path out would be smooth.

However, just as they were about to step into the outskirts of the Lion King's territory, a familiar, mountain-like figure silently blocked the middle of the road from within the massive shadows.

The Lava Stone Lion King!

It was still crouching there, but it was clearly not asleep. Its molten-gold vertical pupils quietly gazed at the four returning people. Its gaze was deep and unreadable, neither angry nor happy, yet it carried an undeniable majesty.

The four of them felt their hearts tighten and immediately stopped, secretly on guard. Had the Lion King changed its mind? Or was it blaming them for healing its rival, or perhaps it had taken a fancy to their belongings?

Qin Feng took a step forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Lion King, we have obtained what we need and are leaving now. We will not disturb your peace again."

The Lion King did not respond to Qin Feng's words. It simply lowered its head slowly, opened its massive mouth slightly, and carefully picked up something from beneath itself, gently placing it on the ground in front of Qin Feng and the others.

It was an... egg, about the size of a watermelon, dark gold in color, and covered in natural lava flame patterns. The shell's luster was dim, and there were even fine grayish-white cracks in some places. Almost no life fluctuations could be felt from within; it was like an oddly shaped stone.

A dead egg.

The Lion King gently nudged the lifeless egg with the tip of its nose, then raised its massive head. Its molten-gold vertical pupils no longer looked at Qin Feng, but instead moved past him to rest on Xiao Chun in the back. The previous brutality and scrutiny in its eyes were gone, replaced by an indescribably complex emotion—there seemed to be deep sorrow, a faint glimmer of hope, and... entrustment.

It let out a low, barely audible roar with a sorrowful rhythm, signaling to Xiao Chun with its gaze before looking back at the egg.

The meaning was all too clear: take it away.

All four were stunned. Was this egg... the Lion King's offspring? Looking at its patterns and the extremely weak lava aura it emitted, it likely belonged to the Lava Lion tribe.

Looking at the lifeless egg and then at the deep grief and hope in the Lion King's eyes, the softest part of Xiao Chun's heart was touched. She stepped forward and, at Qin Feng's slightly worried nod, knelt down and gently placed her hands on the cold shell. The perception of her Myriad Medicine Body quietly seeped in.

Silence... utter silence. Inside the shell, the life Origin that should have been burgeoning had long since withered and dissipated. Only a few extremely faint, scorching imprints belonging to the Lava Lion tribe remained, like a flickering candle in the wind that could go out at any moment. For some reason, this egg had died during its gestation stage and had been dead for quite some time.

"It... no longer has any aura of life," Xiao Chun whispered to the Lion King, her eyes filled with sympathy.

The last glimmer of light in the Lion King's eyes seemed to dim slightly, but it still stubbornly looked at Xiao Chun. It then nudged the egg again with its front paw with extreme gentleness and let out a low growl, filled with a certain stubbornness—take it and try.

It had witnessed Xiao Chun's miraculous power of vitality, which could even alleviate and heal a nearly incurable Dao injury like the one the Lava Giant Lizard King had. In the desperate heart of this parent, this was perhaps the last and only faint hope for this long-pronounced "dead" egg. Since it could not do it itself, it placed this final expectation on this human girl with special powers.

Thoughts raced through Qin Feng's mind. Taking away a dead egg? It seemed useless and might even be a burden. But the Lava Stone Lion King's move had deep meaning. This might be its way of expressing goodwill, or it could be a connection of Karma. Refusing the final request of a Half-step Martial Emperor level beast king might not be wise.

He looked at Xiao Chun, asking for her opinion with his eyes. Xiao Chun stroked the cold eggshell, feeling the weight in the Lion King's gaze. She bit her lip and nodded gently to Qin Feng.

"Alright," Qin Feng turned to the Lion King and said solemnly. "We will take this... back as you have entrusted, and we will do our best."

Hearing this, the Lion King gave Xiao Chun a deep look, as if wanting to carve her image into its Soul. Then, it slowly moved its massive body aside to clear the path, lay back down, and closed its eyes. It seemed to have exhausted all its strength, turning back into a silent lava sculpture.

Xiao Chun carefully cradled the lifeless Lava Lion egg in her arms. The cold, heavy feel of the shell made her heart feel a bit heavy as well. The four of them did not linger, quickening their pace to pass through the Lion King's territory and re-enter the secret rock crevice leading to the Boiling Mud Swamp.

Leaving the range of the Lava Secret Realm and stepping back into the humid, sweltering, and miasma-filled swamp, the scorching and oppressive feeling finally began to subside. Only then did Xia Ya finally speak up: "Is that egg... really the Lion King's? It's already like this, can it still be brought back to life?"

Ji Ruxue was also deep in thought. "The Lava Stone Lion is a rare species of the Secret Realm; they are Martial Kings upon reaching adulthood. Their offspring's Bloodline is powerful, but hatching is also extremely difficult. This egg's life force is severed, I'm afraid..."

Xiao Chun looked down at the dim egg in her arms. A faint emerald light flickered at her fingertips again as she tried to infuse a trace of the purest vitality. That vitality was like a clay ox entering the sea, provoking no reaction; the eggshell remained cold and lifeless. "Although the Myriad Medicine Body can stimulate vitality and heal injuries, to... bring the dead back to life, especially for an egg that has long since lost its life Origin..." She shook her head, her tone not optimistic. "I can only say that I will try my best to nourish it with vitality. Perhaps... there is a one-in-ten-thousand chance to awaken a trace of the remaining imprint? But to truly have it hatch... it's difficult, far too difficult."

Qin Feng walked in front. Listening to their discussion, he suddenly spoke up: "Even if a miracle truly occurs and this egg is saved and successfully hatches a Lava Lion cub..."

He paused and looked back at the three women, his tone carrying realistic considerations: "Do you know why powerful Martial Artists on the continent rarely take high-tier Yao Beasts as battle pets or companions?"

Xia Ya and Ji Ruxue had both read some miscellaneous records, and Xiao Chun had heard similar things in Medicine King Valley, but they knew the 'what' without knowing the 'why.'

Qin Feng continued: "Except for a very few special cases where they are raised from infancy using Soul contracts or companion secret methods, most Yao Beasts—especially naturally powerful species like the Lava Lion—are difficult to tame and incredibly proud. An unwritten rule is that if you want to tame or form an equal contract with a Martial King-level Yao Beast, the contractor themselves must at least reach the Martial Emperor Realm. They must use absolute strength and Realm to form suppression and deterrence before the beast will truly submit or acknowledge them."

"Otherwise, at the same level, the Yao Beast's ferocity could explode, causing it to backlash against its Master. Uncontrolled slaughter is a common occurrence. Moreover, the more powerful the Yao Beast's Bloodline, the more terrifying the resources required for its growth. Daily maintenance for its survival and Cultivation is an astronomical sum. Have you ever seen anyone in West Lake City, or any of the major cities we passed through, parading around with a Martial King-level Spirit Beast?"

The three women thought back and indeed had never seen such a thing. Occasionally, a Martial Artist might have a Yao Beast, but most were of ordinary Bloodline, with strength at most equivalent to a Grand Martial Master or Martial Master, used for scouting or support.

"Only top-tier forces like Medicine King Valley," Qin Feng looked at Xiao Chun, "relying on unique companion contract secret methods, massive accumulation of resources, and a special Sect environment, can Cultivate and maintain a certain number of high-tier Spirit Beasts. But even then, it is built on the foundation of mutualism and long-term cultivation; it's by no means an easy task."

He summarized: "So, even if Xiao Chun truly creates a miracle and this egg hatches, we will be facing a huge challenge and burden. How to feed it? How to tame it? How to ensure it won't backlash once it grows up? More importantly, we currently simply cannot afford to raise a Lava Lion whose potential is at least that of a Martial King."

The realistic problems laid out before them cooled the slight emotional impulse that had arisen from the Lion King's entrustment. Xiao Chun tightened her arms around the egg; she understood Qin Feng's meaning. This wasn't something that could be solved just by being soft-hearted or liking it.

"Let's take it back first," Qin Feng said, his tone softening a bit as he saw Xiao Chun's somewhat dejected expression. "After all, we promised the Lion King. As for what follows... we'll take it one step at a time. Perhaps the Seniors of Medicine King Valley will have different insights or methods."

For now, the most important thing was still to return the earth core flame marrow to Medicine King Valley, complete the third class a mission, and rescue their Master.