Battle through the heaven: Azure Emperor

"Stop! Quickly stop … "

"Hurry up and f * cking stay …"

"You f * cking leftover, who told you to run …"

… …

Yan Aoyama was quickly followed by waves of curses. When these people saw Yan Aoyama, they were prepared to change directions and run towards him. However, they didn't expect Yan Aoyama to be so alert, running far away without stopping. Now, not only did they fail to steal the chicken, but because they changed directions, they were one step closer to danger.

"Roar ~ ~ ~"

Just as Yan Aoyama was running away, leaving these bastards far behind, the roar of a beast suddenly exploded in the forest. The magical beast that was chasing these herb gatherers had finally appeared.

"This is … a Blue Mane Manticore!!!"

Yan Aoyama somersaulted onto a high ground. In front of him was a small river. Beyond the river was a rocky canyon with a complicated terrain. It wouldn't be difficult to shake off these guys.

But after he somersaulted, he turned his head to take a look and stopped.

It was a magical beast the size of a calf. Its entire body was bluish purple and surrounded by lightning. Its appearance was similar to a male lion from his previous life.

This strange beast had a light blue mane around its neck that seemed to stand on end. Its lion-like body was strong and powerful, but it had an extremely disproportionate bluish purple tail that looked like a poisonous scorpion. Right now, it was surrounded by lightning, killing these herb gatherers one by one.

The Blue Mane Manticore was one of the rarer third rank lightning-type magical beasts in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. After it was born, it could control the power of lightning. In its infancy, it had the strength of a first rank magical beast. After a year of growth, it would become a second rank magical beast. When it reached adulthood, it would become a genuine third rank magical beast.

Lightning-Type magical beasts were already the best among their peers. The Blue Mane Manticore was said to be a hybrid between an ancient thunder lion and a scorpion dragon. It had a trace of a high-grade magical beast's bloodline. An adult Blue Mane Manticore would even dare to fight against a weaker fourth rank magical beast.

The Blue Mane Manticore usually only lived in the inner circle of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, and would never venture out to the outer circle. Who knew what these herb-gatherers had done to be chased all the way here by this powerful Magic Beast?

"This seems to be a cub?"

Yan Aoyama carefully hid behind a rock and watched from afar as the Blue-maned Manticore hunted down the bunch of herb-gatherers. This calf-sized Blue-manticore had yet to reach adulthood, and was still a cub that was less than a year old.

But even if it was a lion cub, it still had the strength of the peak of the first rank. In addition, this kind of magical beast was one of the best among its peers. It was even more difficult to deal with than a second rank magical beast.

"Here, take it back. We shouldn't have taken it …"

After the two unlucky fellows were brutally killed, one of the fleeing fellows broke down. Turning around, he kneeled down and pulled out a fruit from his medicine pouch, crying and begging for mercy from the magical beast.

"Lightning Tempering Fruit, no wonder …"

Yan Aoyama looked from afar and saw the fruit in the man's hand. Only then did he understand why these people were in such a miserable state.

The Lightning Tempering Fruit was considered the Blue-maned Manticore's companion. Or rather, it was a type of spiritual medicine that was specially planted by their kind. It was somewhat similar to the amethyst essence of the Amethyst Winged Lion King, and was very important to a cub. Only after consuming enough Lightning Tempering Fruits would the Blue-maned Manticore be able to reach adulthood after a year.

These people had probably found a Lightning Tempering Fruit Tree and picked it clean when the Manticore wasn't around. That was why they were being chased so desperately.

"Roar ~ Roar …"

The Blue-maned Manticore stopped in front of the man who was begging for mercy. The fleeing herb-gatherers looked on nervously, hoping that the situation would turn around.

After being hunted down, it wasn't that they hadn't thought of splitting up and escaping. Unfortunately, the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts was simply too dangerous. They had all come together, and had already lost two members. If they were to scatter and run in all directions within the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, it wouldn't take long for the Manticore to catch up and kill them.

Now that they had finally made it to the outer perimeter, they were thinking of splitting up and running for their lives after a while. Who knew that they would find a stranger. The leader of the group had a bad idea and ran towards the stranger, but he didn't expect the stranger to be so alert. He didn't even want to meet him face to face. Instead, they suddenly changed directions, allowing the Blue-maned Manticore to catch up.

"Roar …"

The man's pleading was ultimately unable to move the Blue-maned Manticore. The lion opened its mouth and bit off half of the man's arm that was holding the Lightning Tempering Fruit. After chewing a few times, the arm was swallowed into the lion's stomach. Before he could scream, the scorpion tail on the man's back suddenly swung forward and smashed into his head, causing his head to explode. Immediately after, the Blue-maned Manticore roared and gave chase.

"Ah …"

"Everyone, run!!!"

"Split up, split up, split up. We're already in the outer perimeter. Everyone's life and death is up to fate …"

The herb-gatherers who had stopped in their tracks finally reacted. One by one, they broke into a run, fleeing in all directions towards the outer perimeter of the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

Yan Aoyama carefully hid behind a rock, peeking at the Blue-maned Manticore in all directions. "Blue-maned Manticore. Although it's not of the wood attribute, it's not the best choice.

But … a juvenile Blue-maned Manticore is extremely rare. Also … a juvenile of a third rank magical beast is definitely stronger than a first rank magical beast. "

Yan Aoyama's training could be considered to be on the right path. He had barely managed to reach the beginner level of the Secret Technique of the Lionheart. Although this technique didn't have any elemental restrictions, it did have some special requirements. One had to forge the heart of a lion and form the image of a lion. The Secret Technique of the Lionheart required the use of a lion-type magical beast.

Yan Aoyama's current training speed wasn't slow, but he still wanted to be faster. The Secret Technique of the Lionheart also had a secret technique that could increase one's training speed. It was called the Lionheart's Baptism. Using the blood of a lion-type magical beast in combination with the Baptism, a practitioner of the Secret Technique of the Lionheart would be able to undergo the baptism once at every rank after the Fighter level.

The Lionheart's Baptism used the blood of a lion-type magical beast to undergo the baptism. Not only could it increase the practitioner's training, it could also strengthen the body and temper the body. If one was lucky, they could even obtain some special abilities.

Half a month after entering the Magic Beast Mountain Range, Yan Aoyama had relied on his accumulation of experience and the opportunities he had found in the cave to become a Three stars level Fighter in less than a month. But now, he seemed to be facing some difficulties.

The barrier from Three stars level to Four stars was not too difficult for him to break through since he had already trained in a Profound level technique. Of course, he could do it by slowly training.

But there was a sense of urgency in his heart. He didn't want to drag it out. Now that a suitable lion-type magical beast had appeared, it wasn't in his character to not take it. Moreover, he also wanted to try out the results of his many days of training.

"Although the Blue-maned Manticore is one of the best among its peers, it's not like I don't have a chance of success. For the sake of a better Lionheart's Baptism, I can give it a try."

Yan Aoyama had originally planned to leave immediately after escaping, but the appearance of the Blue-maned Manticore behind him changed his mind.

Lion-type magical beasts were rare in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. A level one Blue-maned Manticore with a high-grade magical beast bloodline was something that could only be encountered by chance. If he missed this opportunity, he might not have another chance. Yan Aoyama was unwilling to leave without giving it a try.

"Dawn, gather information and come up with a battle plan …"

Yan Aoyama made up his mind and carefully observed his surroundings. First, he had to make sure that the Blue-maned Manticore wasn't moving alone and that there wasn't an adult Manticore following behind it.

This was very important. If there was an adult Manticore following him from afar to ensure his safety, Yan Aoyama would leave without a second thought.

An adult Blue-maned Manticore was one of the best among level three magical beasts. It wasn't something he could afford to provoke. Once he was targeted, even with his flying battle technique, he wasn't completely confident that he would be safe.

"Looks like the situation isn't too bad."

Yan Aoyama stealthily left. He spread the wings of the Purple Cloud Condor and circled around the Blue-maned Manticore. After scanning the area, he didn't find a second Blue-maned Manticore. This made him feel slightly relieved. This cub seemed to have snuck out alone and didn't have an adult Manticore following it.

Yan Aoyama returned to the crown of a large tree behind the Blue-maned Manticore. His movements were careful and light. Neither the pursuers nor the escapers noticed that he had returned.

"Roar ~ ~ ~"

The Blue-maned Manticore roared angrily and began a bloody massacre of the remaining herb-gatherers. It had been chasing these thieves for an entire day and night and its heart was filled with anger.

These herb-gatherers had boldly ventured into the inner circle of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts and discovered the Blue-maned Manticore's Thunder Quenching Fruit Tree. At that time, the cub had gone hunting and wasn't around. The entire tree had been destroyed by these herb-gatherers. By the time the Blue-maned Manticore came out, they had already retreated from the inner circle of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, leaving only traces and scents.

The Thunder Quenching Fruit wasn't very valuable among the low-grade medicinal ingredients. It only had one use. However, because it was unique to the Blue-maned Manticore, it was relatively rare and expensive. Furthermore, a single tree could bear hundreds of fruits, which was worth tens of thousands of gold coins. How could these herb-gatherers let go of this opportunity?

The fruit tree had been stripped clean and the fruit tree had been destroyed beyond recognition. This could be said to be fatal to the Blue-maned Manticore's growth. How could the cub tolerate this? It didn't even care about its own nest and chased after these herb-gatherers through the night.

This morning, these herb-gatherers had been chased down by the Blue-maned Manticore at the outskirts of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts. After a huge massacre, only these few people were left. It wasn't that they hadn't thought of splitting up and running, but the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts was too dangerous. At first, a few of them had run in different directions, but it wasn't long before they started screaming in pain.

When they saw this situation, they didn't dare to run in different directions. The whole group of herb-gatherers ran along the mountain path created by the mercenaries, desperately running for their lives. When they bumped into Yan Aoyama, some of them had evil intentions and changed directions. Who would have thought that not only would they fail to harm him, but their sudden change in direction also slowed them down. When the Blue-maned Manticore caught up to them, they were all killed together.

"Everyone, stop running. If you run, you'll die anyway. Let's fight with this beast …"

A herb-gatherer, who was probably a mercenary, still had some courage. He wanted to turn around and fight, but as soon as he turned around, his chest was pierced by the blood-dripping silver-blue scorpion tail. His corpse hung from the tail and was flung away, turning into a pile of bloody mush.

Seeing this, the herb-gatherers who were running for their lives took to their heels. It wasn't as if they hadn't tried to surround and kill the Blue-manticore, but unfortunately, when there were so many of them, they failed. Now, who would dare to stay?

Right now, they were competing to see who was faster. Every time the Blue-maned Manticore killed someone, it would take some time. Previously, when the Blue-manticore was killing people, they had tried to distance themselves from it. However, the Blue-manticore was very good at tracking scent, and they couldn't completely shake it off.

But they just had to make sure that they weren't the last ones. They were already at the outskirts of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, and the nearest town, Magical Beasts Town, wasn't too far away. The level of danger was greatly reduced. As long as they could avoid this attack, they could split up and run.

These people had good intentions, but this time, the Blue-maned Manticore didn't seem to have any interest in chasing them down. Its killing speed and efficiency were clearly much faster. Before long, the group of twenty people was reduced to three. The fastest one was only a few steps away from the slope where Yan Aoyama had been hiding.

"Ouch!"

"Who did this …"

"Which son of a bitch!"

Just when the three of them thought that they would be able to escape this time, they tripped at the same time and all three of them fell flat on their faces. With this delay, the three of them had wasted precious time and the Blue-maned Manticore had already arrived, bringing with it a foul stench.

"Li Lie, you bastard, how could you be so vicious!"

"Wang Chong, why are you slandering me? I can even say that you and Yu Ping plotted against me!"

"Which bastard is it? Now, we're all done for!"

The three of them got up and pointed fingers at one another. At the same time, they drew their swords and faced the Blue-manticore together warily.

They were clear that if they turned around and ran, all three of them would die together. The only way was to lure the Blue-manticore's attention away from them.

The current situation was that whoever turned around first would be the most likely target of the Blue-manticore's attack. Everyone wanted to run, but no one was willing to turn around first. However, if they had to work together to deal with the Blue-manticore, what could the three of them do?

The reason why the three of them drew their swords and got into a defensive posture was because they wanted to leave the choice to the Blue-manticore. If the Blue-manticore were to attack first, the other two who were still in a defensive posture would immediately turn around and run. The three of them prayed that they wouldn't be attacked first. At the same time, none of them dared to play any tricks.

"Activating support function, prepare for battle …"

Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound came from above the canopy of the forest. Two whistling sounds came from two different directions and smashed onto the body of the Blue-maned Manticore at the same time. The two porcelain bottles exploded one after the other, and a cloud of powder instantly covered half of the Blue-maned Manticore's body, including its head.

This sudden turn of events stunned the three herb-gatherers. Following that, something shot out from the treetops in another direction. A mechanical net spread out in midair, firmly trapping the lion's head that had just emerged from the powder. A ray of light suddenly flashed above the Blue-maned Manticore.

The dazzling ray of light swept down and with a loud bang, a figure fell heavily to the ground. At the same time, the Blue-manticore's huge scorpion tail also fell to the ground. The saber chopped off the scorpion tail and left a deep ditch on the ground that was more than three inches deep.

The Blue-manticore was severely injured. Its tail was cut off and blue blood gushed out from the wound on its spine. The loss of its tail also destroyed its balance and greatly affected its movements.

Although its movements were slow, Yan Aoyama did not hesitate. The Blue-manticore tore open the hunting net and turned its head around. Yan Aoyama spread his wings and soared into the sky. At the same time, he slid in an arc in the air to avoid the Blue-manticore's pursuit. At the same time, his saber swept past the head of the Blue-manticore.

Yan Aoyama's saber still could not cut the head of the Blue-manticore in half. After the head was cut in half, the saber could no longer be used. It was stuck between the bones of the Blue-manticore's mane. Without any other choice, he immediately abandoned his weapon and soared into the sky.

Yan Aoyama spread his wings and flashed to the top of a large tree in front of him. He took out a bow and arrow, nocked an arrow, and quickly shot it.

Three arrows whistled through the air and pierced through the throat wound and two of the eyes of the Blue-manticore. Faced with such a seamless chain of attacks, the powerful Blue-manticore finally fell to the ground. Its mouth and nose were crooked and blood was spurting out from it. Slowly, it stopped breathing.

"Battle plan successful. The target will be completely dead in three minutes. Warning, there are other dangers in the surroundings …"

"Xiu Xiu … Dang …"

The Blue-maned Manticore stopped breathing, but in the next moment, another battle to the death occurred. Yan Aoyama's two arrows directly pierced through two of the herb-gatherers who tried to block the arrows. The third herb-gatherer's skill was a little better. After knocking away the arrows, he turned around and ran.

This group of herb-gatherers had evil intentions towards Yan Aoyama from the start. They wanted to divert the trouble away from him, so they deserved to die. Yan Aoyama had just revealed too many things. If news of this spread out, it would not be a good thing. He could not take this risk. These people must die here.

"Soaring Phoenix Steps, Wild Lion's Roar!"

With a thought, Yan Qingshan leaped down from the treetop and gave chase. If this Low Xuan Class footwork technique, 'Soaring Phoenix Steps', was combined with a flying Dou Technique, it would be able to unleash the might of a High Xuan Class Agility Technique. In just a few steps, his body had already traversed hundreds of feet and appeared behind this person. As his Dou Qi churned, it actually faintly formed the shape of an energy lion's head that roared wildly at the sky.

"No ~ ~ ~"

This herb-gatherer finally felt the fierce roar coming from behind him. Turning his head, he saw Yan Aoyama's fist growing larger and larger behind him. He let out a final cry of unwillingness.

Amidst the furious roar of the lion, Yan Aoyama's fist exploded with full power. The huge energy lion's head completely drowned the herb-gatherer. The huge explosion almost completely overturned the entire circle of fallen leaves. Huge cracks spread out like a spider web. A deep black hole with a diameter of one foot appeared on the ground. The last herb-gatherer … didn't even have a corpse left.

Yan Aoyama did not let his guard down. He soared into the air and circled around the area. After making sure that there were no survivors, he slowly landed. Looking at the ground full of corpses and bloodstains, he did not stay for long. After searching for a while, he quickly left with the corpse of the Blue-maned Manticore.

Not long after Yan Aoyama left, the sound of wolves howling could be heard. The thick smell of blood attracted countless carnivores. They were the best cleaners in the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

The howls of wolves and beasts did not stop. Before it was deep into the night, there were already no more corpses in this messy forest. Only pieces of torn cloth were left, as if telling the story of what had happened here.

… …

Although the winter in Aoyama Town was cold and cheerless, at this time of the year, there were many merchants coming and going. The bells of carriages and horses could be heard everywhere.

Around the New Year, many merchants came to Aoyama Town and other small towns near the Magic Beast Mountain Range to collect some of the goods that the mercenaries had accumulated. Amidst the hustle and bustle, Wanyao Zhai, which was not considered cold and cheerless, welcomed a person returning at night.