Chapter 12 — Predator in the Flames
The forest was burning.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
Trees crackled as waves of heat rolled through the land, leaves curling into ash before they could even fall. The ground beneath Su Xiaoyao's feet had turned black and brittle, scorched by the breath of the monster before him.
The Three-Headed Flame Lion stood proudly amid the devastation.
Its three blazing heads stared down at Su Xiaoyao, crimson flames dripping from its fangs like molten lava. Every breath it exhaled carried heat so intense that even the air distorted.
Core Formation Realm.
A being that had truly stepped beyond the mortal tier.
Su Xiaoyao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His upper robe had been burned away, exposing the faint shimmer of the Void Veil Spirit Armor beneath. Without it, that single attack earlier would have turned him into ash.
"So this… is the Core Formation Realm," he muttered quietly.
The flame lion roared.
The sound tore through the forest like a hurricane, shattering nearby trees and sending waves of pressure rolling outward.
Su Xiaoyao's did not panic, his mind raced on how to solve this predicament
Shadow-Soaring Movement activated.
He vanished.
A jet of flame erupted where he had stood, vaporizing stone. Su Xiaoyao reappeared on a broken cliffside and immediately slashed.
A crescent of moon-blue sword light tore through the air, slicing straight for the flame lion's eyes.
The beast snarled and twisted its head just in time. The sword energy grazed its cheek, carving a long, bleeding wound.
It was enraged that it could not kill an ant
The lion's rage doubled.
Three pillars of fire blasted toward Su Xiaoyao.
He leapt into the treetops, using branches and boulders as stepping stones, dodging by the width of a hair. Still, his sleeve caught fire. His skin blistered.
But his gaze stayed sharp.
The Heavenly Truth Eye activated.
Lines of weakness shimmered faintly around the beast but he need to put effort even to penetrate its weaknesses
Then—
Something else appeared.
A massive territorial aura, overlapping with the lion's domain.
Su Xiaoyao's eyes narrowed.
Another Core Formation Realm beast.
Not far.
"…Perfect."
The flame lion charged.
Su Xiaoyao turned and ran.
Not away.
But toward the deeper forest, while running towards the deeper forest he dodged and attacked the three-headed lion
The moment he crossed the invisible boundary…
The sky changed.
Clouds twisted violently. The air grew heavy. Lightning flickered between blackened clouds.
A piercing screech split the heavens.
Su Xiaoyao looked up.
A colossal shadow descended from the storm.
A massive eagle burst through the clouds, wings stretching wider than a street, feathers crackling with blue-white lightning.
The Heaven-Winged Lightning Eagle.
The sky tyrant.
The flame lion skidded to a halt.
Six burning eyes locked onto the intruder.
Two kings.
One battlefield.
The forest fell silent.
Then—
The eagle spread its wings.
BOOOOM!
Lightning exploded outward in a raging storm. Trees disintegrated. The ground turned to glass.
The flame lion answered with a roar that shook the mountains.
All three heads unleashed rivers of fire that surged upward like volcanic eruptions.
Lightning and flame collided mid-air.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The explosion carved a crater hundreds of meters wide.
Su Xiaoyao hid behind shattered stone, Heavenly Truth Eye blazing as he watched.
"This… is true power."
The eagle dove.
Its body wrapped in lightning, turning into a spear of thunder.
It struck.
The flame lion crossed its arms just in time.
BOOOOM!!!
Shockwaves flattened everything.
The lion slid back, fur burned, blood dripping.
It slammed its claws into the earth.
Lava pillars erupted upward.
The eagle screamed, slicing through molten rock while launching bolts of lightning that struck like falling stars.
They clashed again.
And again.
Fire burned the sky. Thunder split the earth.
Blood rained.
Feathers fell.
One of the flame lion's heads was torn open.
The eagle's wing was ripped apart.
They fought like ancient gods.
Hours passed.
Finally—
The forest no longer looked like a forest.
It had become a battlefield of gods.
Charred trunks lay like broken spears. The earth had turned to molten glass in some places, while in others it was split open by lightning, glowing blue from residual thunder.
The Heaven-Winged Lightning Eagle lay impaled against a shattered cliff, its massive body still twitching as electricity leaked from its torn feathers. Its eyes, once arrogant and sharp, had dulled.
Dead.
The Three-Headed Flame Lion stood amid the ruins, barely alive.
One head was gone, torn clean off. The remaining two hung low, breathing ragged flames that sputtered weakly. Its once blazing mane had been reduced to blackened clumps. Blood poured from dozens of wounds, each glowing faintly as its fiery blood touched the ground.
But even like this…
It was still Core Formation Realm.
Su Xiaoyao stepped out of the shadows, his steps slow and calm
Like a predator approaching a wounded king.
The lion's remaining eyes snapped toward him. A roar tried to escape its throat—but only a broken wheeze came out. Its spiritual energy was in chaos, its core unstable from the battle.
Yet when it tried to rise—
It collapsed again.
Su Xiaoyao smiled faintly.
"This is the difference between gods… and hunters."
The beast gathered the last of its power and unleashed a desperate wave of flame.
Su Xiaoyao vanished.
Shadow-Soaring Movement.
He reappeared to the side, slicing a tendon behind the beast's leg. The lion screamed, its massive body crashing down again.
Heavenly Truth Eye flashed.
The glowing weak point now pulsed wildly—its beast core exposed beneath torn flesh.
Su Xiaoyao didn't hesitate.
Moon-Severing Sword Technique.
A blade of blue moonlight pierced straight through the wound.
The sword plunged deep.
Straight into the core.
The flame lion froze.
Then its body began to tremble.
Cracks spread across its burning hide, flames flickering out one by one.
With a final, powerless roar—
The king of this land collapsed.
Dead.
Silence fell.
Su Xiaoyao stood there, chest rising and falling slowly as steam rolled off his blood-stained blade. His body ached, his meridians burned, but his eyes shone brightly.
Core Formation Beast… slain.
He walked forward and plunged his hand into the beast's chest.
With a sharp twist—
A glowing crimson sphere was pulled out.
The Flame Lion Beast Core.
It radiated terrifying energy, heat rolling off it in waves.
Su Xiaoyao's lips curved.
"This alone… is worth many treasures."
Suddenly—
DING!
[Monthly Sign-In Activated]
Su Xiaoyao froze.
Then a translucent blue panel unfolded before him.
[Monthly Sign-In Rewards]
[ Heaven-Lock Suppression Talisman(can immobile core formation realm practitioners for 10 minutes)(3 uses)][ Beast-Slayer Blade (Temporary Artifact can unleash 4 strikes equivalent to golden core realm mid stage)][ Essence-Refining Furnace(can refine everything into purest essence and many other functions)]
A sharp breath left his lips.
Perfect timing.
Three lights appeared in his system space
The Furnace…
He looked at the beast core in his hand then he went to pick beast core of Eagle but it was completely ruined and broken, he didn't delve into further.
"Time to improve strength"
He found a cave then set a formation for protection then activated system isolation then he sat down amid the ruins, placed the core inside the Essence-Refining Furnace, and activated it.
The world shook.
Crimson Qi poured out like a storm.
Su Xiaoyao swallowed it.
His body screamed.
Blood steamed.
Bones cracked.
Meridians tore and reforged.
Foundation Establishment Realm — 3rd Stage→ 4th Stage→ 5th Stage
His aura surged like a rising tide.
When he opened his eyes, flames and lightning still danced faintly in the air around him.\
then he stabilized his Cultivation then went to explore further.
On the way of exploring forest he honed his skills and combat sense by fighting beasts repeatedly.
As the world started becoming dark, he found a cave and started cultivating.
And Su Xiaoyao didn't know that something has stirred and the Fallen Immortal Domain is no longer gonna be quiet