Chapter Fifty-Six: Fiercely Beating the Purple-Gold Winged Lion King

As soon as the words fell, countless shadows emerged from the void, converging from all directions and streaming into Lin An's body. Lin An’s aura surged visibly, rising at a tremendous rate—within the blink of an eye, it had already increased more than tenfold, and the ascension showed no sign of slowing.

The Purple-Gold Winged Lion King, who had initially regarded him with indifference, now found itself compelled to treat Lin An with utmost caution. Though it could not fathom how this young human achieved such a feat, a sense of peril had already pricked at its instincts.

Despite Lin An’s youth, his perception was razor-sharp. The Lion King was indeed in a weakened state; its current strength was equivalent to a Dou King among humans—so long as it did not exert itself to the utmost. If it cast caution to the wind and unleashed its power without restraint, it could restore itself to its peak in an instant, but the cost would be catastrophic.

Strange black markings crawled across Lin An’s skin, as if he had become a demon stepping forth from the abyss, his entire being exuding an eerie and unearthly aura.

“So this is the descent of the Yama King? Remarkable strength indeed. I wonder, though, how it compares to the Purple-Gold Winged Lion King—who is truly stronger?”

A surge of anticipation welled up in Lin An’s chest. The transformation wasn’t merely a boost to his strength, but a comprehensive elevation of his physical abilities—speed, power, everything. Such a heaven-defying change could only be wrought by the system.

With this thought, Lin An vanished from where he stood. In the next instant, he materialized above the Purple-Gold Winged Lion King.

“So fast!”

The Lion King was taken aback; Lin An’s speed now surpassed its own. Still, it did not panic—its senses were sharp enough to locate Lin An at once.

An astonishing tide of energy gathered swiftly at the Lion King’s horn, forming a colossal beam in the blink of an eye. The pillar of light pierced the heavens, and the world itself seemed to tremble with a thunderous roar—the spectacle was terrifying.

“Sevenfold Soul-Annihilating Finger!”

Just as the Lion King believed it had struck Lin An, Lin An’s voice echoed from afar.

Earth-grade combat skill, Sevenfold Soul-Annihilating Finger!

Heaven and earth’s energies condensed rapidly at Lin An’s fingertip. In a single breath, a massive, jet-black phantom finger materialized, its surface inscribed with ancient patterns, as if it were the severed digit of some primordial demon god, radiating a destructive force that threatened to obliterate all.

Now, empowered by the current state of Lin An’s body, the Sevenfold Soul-Annihilating Finger had far exceeded its original strength. Especially now, at the seventh fold, the energy it contained sent even the Purple-Gold Winged Lion King reeling with dread.

“This brat is too dangerous. In my current state, I cannot afford to be entangled in a drawn-out battle. I must end this quickly!”

The Lion King muttered to itself.

“If that’s the case, don’t blame me for what comes next!” A furious roar thundered from the beast’s great jaws. The purple light on its body intensified, soon outshining even the sun above. The magical beasts spectating below began to retreat in terror, including three massive fifth-rank beasts that had been watching the battle all along.

The world was bathed in violet radiance. After a moment’s gathering, the light contracted sharply—within an instant, the boundless glow condensed into a deep purple beam, barely half a foot thick.

“Amethyst Seal!”

As the purple light flashed, the Lion King’s deep roar echoed through the mountains.

The ancient, giant finger collided with the purple-gold beam, unleashing a terrifying energy that distorted the surrounding space. The two forces clashed in midair, locked in a stalemate for more than ten seconds. Gradually, the Amethyst Seal fell into disadvantage, and a moment later, Lin An’s Sevenfold Soul-Annihilating Finger smashed through it with irresistible force.

Without pause, the phantom finger continued its assault, barreling toward the Lion King.

To Lin An’s surprise, the Lion King remained motionless, as if resigned to defeat. Suspicion flickered in Lin An’s mind—clearly, this was not the real Lion King but merely a phantom.

As he expected, the Sevenfold Soul-Annihilating Finger pierced through the image, crashing into a distant mountaintop and sending debris flying as the energy waves swept outward.

“Die, human!”

Suddenly, the Lion King appeared out of thin air behind Lin An, murderous intent blazing.

Lin An realized he had underestimated his opponent. Even weakened, the Lion King’s strength rivaled a Dou King, and he himself was no true Dou King. Even with the power of the Yama King’s Descent, he had only reached that level temporarily, and he had no experience battling an opponent of the Dou Emperor class.

At such a level, these combatants always held trump cards in reserve.

The Lion King’s claws shone with dazzling purple light, carrying the power to rend stone and shatter gold. If that strike landed, no matter how monstrous Lin An’s current state, survival was impossible.

The Lion King could already envision this human dying beneath its claws.

Lin An shook his head helplessly. Under the Lion King’s puzzled gaze, he vanished without a trace.

The Lion King’s attack struck nothing but air.

“A spatial combat skill? No, that’s not right...”

“Now the real battle begins!”

Lin An’s voice sounded by the Lion King’s ear. His fist loomed large in the beast’s vision.

Bang!

The Lion King was sent flying by a single punch, but before its body could even come to a halt, Lin An appeared again, delivering another blow.

He pressed his advantage relentlessly, raining blows down upon the Lion King like a storm.

Soon, the Lion King was utterly subdued.

This human youth did not kill it, nor did he demand anything of it—he simply pummeled it, blow after blow.

No matter how thick its hide and tough its flesh, it could not withstand such a beating.

“What do you want?” the Lion King demanded, but before it finished speaking, another punch landed, nearly fracturing its violet horn.

“I concede! Stop hitting me!” the Lion King pleaded.

Seeing that his work was done, Lin An finally relented, standing atop the Lion King’s head.

Yet at that moment, the Lion King’s fur began to glow—it was clear the beast had not yet given up.

But Lin An had no patience to continue; he simply spirited the Lion King directly into the Hall of Yama.