The crackling thunderbolts struck back fiercely at the Golden Lion.
Clang! Clang!
After two more punches to its chest, the Golden Lion's body slumped, its strength noticeably waning.
The Qilin's four hooves stomped powerfully, and the two monsters entered a tug-of-war.
"Strange, with such a good opportunity, why isn't the Golden Lion trying to break off the Qilin's horn, but instead pursuing damage?"
Li Fan, who was about to inhale a large amount of foul air, asked in his consciousness.
"Why break off the Qilin's horn?"
Yudora asked, confused.
"For the Golden Lion, the Qilin's horn is like the Crimson Scale for the Female Rathian to Kuku. Consuming it can trigger a mutation, granting it the ability to discharge electricity and transform, leading to a qualitative leap in combat power."
Li Fan explained.
"So that's how it is... I guess the Golden Lion thinks it can't obtain the horn without killing the Qilin?"
Yudora tried to understand.
After a moment of thought, Li Fan felt that this was indeed a possibility.
Not every Golden Lion could successfully obtain a Qilin's horn.
If this Golden Lion hadn't received complete inheritance, it could only experiment and grope its way through mutation attempts.
The easiest way to obtain a Qilin's horn would be to kill the Qilin, rather than breaking it off from a living creature.
"Should I tell it..."
As Li Fan pondered, he saw the giant ape, holding black matter in its palm, aiming and preparing for a second throw.
The toxic zone had already shrunk to its smallest, and this might be the only way the giant ape could think of to help the Golden Lion.
Let's help the giant ape then...
Li Fan felt that if the Golden Lion, whom the giant ape had finally found as a companion, died during its mutation trial, it would surely be sad.
"Yudora, clear a path. Dilu and I are going in!"
"No problem, I'm ready, meow! Uh... what are we going in for?"
Dilu asked, unable to understand.
"To give the Golden Lion an inspiration."
"The path is cleared... do I need to go in too?"
Yudora, who had cleared the path by injecting wind currents, asked.
"Not yet. Let's go!"
Li Fan said, and then he and the cat rushed into the toxic zone.
Although the Golden Lion had been trying its best to suppress the Qilin, after a prolonged struggle, it was clearly becoming more and more strained.
If the Qilin hadn't been unwilling to touch the toxic zone, it might have broken free long ago.
Owooo~
The Golden Lion, turning its head and roaring, signaled the giant ape to retreat quickly.
Owooo~
The giant ape indicated not to worry, as a brother was already coming.
The Golden Lion quickly scanned its surroundings and saw two small figures, a person and a cat, appearing in the toxic zone, and was immediately disappointed.
Li Fan waved at it, then picked up Dilu with one hand, holding its neck in his arm.
Then he extended his other hand and placed it on Dilu's forehead.
Taking the carrot offered by the cat's paw, Li Fan made two downward bending motions.
The Golden Lion blinked, pondered for a moment, and a look of surprise appeared on its face.
"What does it mean by giving us a thumbs-up, meow?"
Dilu, still suspended as a demonstration prop, asked curiously.
"That's a like, it means thank you."
Li Fan informed.
Dilu, feeling magical, raised its cat paw and returned a thumbs-up.
Owooo!
The Golden Lion roared, stabilized its stance, and concentrated its power to lock the Qilin tightly in its arm.
Its other giant paw reached for the spirally patterned blue sharp horn and gripped it tightly.
Crack!
As the giant paw bent downwards, a burst of lightning erupted.
Fine currents of electricity surged across its skin, as hard as black thorns, and wisps of smoke rose.
Hiss~
A stream of blood flowed from its nostrils.
Owooo! Owooo!
The Golden Lion did not let go despite its injuries, but instead roared upwards with a ferocious expression.
"It's going to die, meow..."
Dilu said worriedly.
"These are things one must experience to become a true Golden Lion."
Li Fan sighed.
Crack! Boom! Crack! Boom! ...
The lightning grew more uncontrollable, spilling wildly.
In the blinding flashes of light, the figures of the Golden Lion and the Qilin gradually blurred.
Boom! After a massive pillar of lightning struck, everything came to an abrupt halt.
In the center of the toxic zone, the Qilin lay on its side on the ground where electricity leaped, its four hooves churning as it tried to stand up.
The Golden Lion, lying on the ground, slowly stood up with one paw supporting it, its other giant paw holding high the spirally patterned blue sharp horn.
After bringing it close and aiming at the middle of the horn, it was put into its mouth.
Crunch... Bang!
With the prying of its fangs and giant paw, the horn broke into two pieces.
The Golden Lion's palm waved, and half of the horn flew towards the giant ape.
Seeing the flashing electric object approaching, the giant ape retreated two steps and did not catch it.
Clearly, if it really ate the Qilin's horn, its life journey would end there.
The Golden Lion paid no mind and stuffed it into its mouth, chewing vigorously.
Puff-crack~ Crack-crack~ ...
With every chew, electric sparks sprayed outwards.
Before long, the Golden Lion's body suddenly froze.
Hiss~ Hiss~ Hiss...
Accompanied by golden electrical light, clumps of shiny golden fur extended from its broad back to its muscular arms.
The Golden Lion, panting heavily, lowered its head, as if trying to suppress something, but finally, it propped itself up on its paws and raised its head.
Roar! Buzz!
Golden beams of electricity sprayed from its mouth, sweeping across the cave ceiling, causing large sections of conical stone pillars to fall.
"Li Fan, dodge quickly, meow!"
Dilu reminded.
"No need. I'm wearing Thunder Dragon armor, and I have the Stormy Jade of the Abyss in hand. Dilu, Giant Ape, you two stay behind me."
Li Fan puffed out his chest, thinking that since he finally found a property he didn't need to fear, he should act a bit more boldly.
Dilu was still a bit worried, so it deployed the Super Regeneration Disc.
The Golden Lion's aimless electrical breath sweeping stopped soon after.
Bang~ Bang~... Clang!
The Golden Lion staggered back two steps, and finally lost its balance, falling backward onto the ground.
It seemed that its accumulated injuries had reached their limit, and it could no longer maintain normal actions.
Tap~ Tap~...
The Qilin slowly approached, watching with cold eyes.
Wooo!
The giant ape immediately let out an urgent roar, indicating that the Golden Lion was in danger.
"Don't get excited, everyone. I'll try to negotiate."
Li Fan said, then quickly ran to the center of the toxic zone.
The Qilin's gaze immediately shifted from the Golden Lion to Li Fan, who was running over.
The powerful electrical attribute emanating from its body gave it a vague sense of goodwill, so it lowered its guard.
"For my sake, Li Fan, let's drop this matter."
Hearing Li Fan's words, the Qilin was stunned for a moment, then lowered its head, revealing its horn, which was reduced to a stub.
"Broken so thoroughly... the Golden Lion is too much."
Li Fan said with a look of distress.
Hiss! Hiss!
The Qilin hissed in agreement, indicating that it wanted the two Golden Lions to pay with their lives.
"Let's not talk about paying with lives... How about this, until your horn recovers, I will be responsible for any ecological needs."
Li Fan proposed.
Hiss!
The Qilin shook its head sideways, its mane flying as a surge of electricity appeared.
"No?"
Li Fan was troubled.
Ecological matters were neither right nor wrong, nor were they good or evil.
Since he had intervened, it would naturally be best to resolve the dispute in a way that both parties could accept.
Crick~ Bang!
As Li Fan was thinking of a solution, the rock layer on the cave ceiling suddenly cracked, and a sharp claw extended out.
Looking up, Che Che's head emerged from the pit in the ceiling.
"Che Che, how did you dig down?"
Roar~
"There was some noise, but the part that needed fighting is over. Hurry back."
Li Fan waved.
Roar~
"It's a bit difficult to achieve... What does that mean?"
As Li Fan was asking, Che Che's neck and shoulders slid out of the soil.
The expanded part of the cave ceiling was squeezed in by Yuan Jiao and Lei Ge's heads.
"They're all squeezed into the tunnel, can't go back..."
Crash~ Boom!
The cave ceiling, unable to withstand it any longer, collapsed over a large area, and the three Ice Sea brothers fell to the ground.
Sensing that the surrounding smell was wrong, Yuan Jiao quickly dispersed his ghost fire, igniting and scattering the surrounding foul air.
The Qilin watched for a moment, its hooves moving slightly backward, adopting a vigilant posture.
Whoosh~
The impatient Bao Lie Zhan Chi flew in, followed by Xiao Ben Dan and Wan Pi Xi Xi.
"Hey! You're all rushing in to watch the fun, who's going to guard the Blazing Fire!"
Roar~
Xiao Ben Dan responded.
"Oh, so Hui Hui and Bing Bing Zi are here..."
Li Fan was immediately relieved upon hearing this.
The Qilin, with its eyes darting around, felt that the situation was not right. With its hooves lifting and falling, it began to quietly retreat.
"Where were we... Right! Until your horn recovers, I will be responsible for any ecological needs. These are all my companions, and with their assistance, I will surely be able to achieve it! Come! Everyone, say hello to the Qilin!"
Roar! Roar! Roar! ...
Inside the stone cave, roars shook the heavens.
Tap~ Tap~...
Stones dislodged by the roars continuously hit the Qilin, but it remained motionless, silently enduring.
Hiss~
After a long time, the Qilin responded softly.
"What did the Qilin say, meow?"
Dilu asked.
"It said 'fine'... it seems a bit reluctant. Perhaps it encountered something unhappy, so its spirits are not very high."
Li Fan speculated.
"The most important thing for a monster is to be happy, meow! Don't be dejected, Qilin!"
Dilu encouraged.
The Qilin's gaze darkened, as if it hadn't been encouraged at all.
Wooo! Woooo!
The giant ape, watching in front of the Golden Lion, noticed that it was even weaker than before and quickly roared for help.
"The accumulated injuries are too severe, and it's happening right at the time of mutation. Moreover, the mutation process is clearly lacking in stamina. There must be a problem with the procedure, it's a bit dangerous..."
Li Fan observed for a moment and concluded.
The giant ape slumped to the ground powerlessly, removed the frame from its face, and tears welled up in its eyes.
"Don't worry, Giant Ape, it can still be saved. But first, we need to leave this environment, and then we need to log it into the handheld device to find out exactly what went wrong."
Li Fan opened his backpack, poured out a pile of Poké Balls, picked up the Oath Ball, and shouted, "Golden Lion! I promise I will help you complete your mutation, but you need to enter the ball first."
The Golden Lion opened its hazy eyes and whimpered continuously.
Li Fan felt he couldn't understand, so he directly opened the Oath Ball.
The Golden Lion turned into a white light and flew into the ball.
Tsk~ Tsk~ Tsk~
After completing the capture with great ease, Li Fan rode on Xiao Ben Dan's paw, preparing to return to the ground.
"Xi Xi! Bring that half of the horn up!"
Li Fan reminded, thinking it might be useful.
Upon returning to the ground, Li Fan released the Golden Lion in an open area, then opened his handheld device to check its status and administer emergency treatment.
[Golden Lion] Male (Unnamed)
HP: 511/9001↓
Status: Critically Injured, Limb Paralysis, Extensive Electrical Burns on Body Surface, Desire for Life Leap [Contract], Mutation Deteriorating, Do Not Underestimate the Weak Ape.
Level: 85↑
Strength: 1401↑
Agility: 701↑
Intelligence: 808↑
Skills: [Rage] This monster has an extremely tenacious will, is not easily discouraged, and is not easily intimidated.
[Power Call - Top Tier] This monster possesses top-tier power call, with terrifying burst power, and can exert full force in any posture.
[Species - Cognitive Dissonance] This monster has weak discernment ability.
[Mutating...] This monster is undergoing mutation.
[Chi Penetration] Chi circulates and generates itself, progress 68%↓, energy insufficient, deteriorating.
[Electrical Activation] Electrical energy stimulates and promotes, progress 55%↓, energy insufficient, deteriorating.
[Hunter - Qilin] This monster has been tracking Qilin for many years and has accumulated rich experience.
[Berserk] When this monster is enraged, it can greatly increase its Agility and Strength attributes by consuming stamina.
[Wild Strike Belief] This monster firmly believes that as long as it attacks enough times and covers a wide enough area, it will eventually hit its opponent.
[Left and Right Leap] The Golden Lion supports itself with its front paws and leaps rapidly horizontally, making it difficult for enemies to lock onto its position.
[Brutal Spin] The Golden Lion supports itself with its four limbs and charges forward with a powerful spin on the ground. Smaller targets with low self-weight will be directly knocked away.
Description: Fanged Wyvern species monster.
Possesses extreme aggression, often causing monsters in the entire area to flee due to its intense desire to attack.
Therefore, it frequently needs to migrate to satisfy its hunting and fighting desires.
"Energy insufficiency is causing two important mutation indicators to decline... Xi Xi, quickly bring the Qilin horn here."
After Li Fan reviewed the detailed attribute description, he realized that the critical injury was only one reason for the Golden Lion's declining condition.
He pried open the Golden Lion's mouth and inserted the Qilin horn.
Hiss~ Hiss~
As electrical sparks flashed, the decline rate of [Chi Penetration] and [Electrical Activation] slowed down, but the overall trend continued to decline.
Li Fan pondered for a moment, then took out the Stormy Jade of the Abyss and placed it in the center of the Golden Lion's chest.
The deterioration briefly paused, then continued to slowly decline.
"Does the energy for the Golden Lion's triggered mutation need to be injected all at once?"
Seeing that the situation was not optimistic, Li Fan frowned.
"Since injecting electrical attributes can slow down the mutation's deterioration, why not try injecting more? The problem is how to introduce it safely... Xi Xi, generate electricity!"
Li Fan felt that the only path left was brute force, so he gave the order.
"Ah? The Golden Lion won't be able to withstand it, meow!"
Dilu exclaimed in warning.
The power of attributes on some materials could be introduced based on demand.
But having a monster release it at the end of its operation was equivalent to an attribute attack in terms of intensity.
"It's okay, I'll guide the injection... Dilu, go find a cable and hang it high on the mast. I need to inject energy into the Golden Lion while suspended upside down."