Chapter 175

"That old lion king is no weakling."

On the grassland's high ground, Meng Ying, while replenishing her magical energy, spoke.

By the time the old lion king intercepted her, Meng Ying's energy expenditure was already substantial.

Even though the fireball spell consumes little, Meng Ying had circled the entire Bihu Forest for over an hour, continuously casting spells—the drain was naturally heavy.

Of course, Meng Ying had carefully controlled her consumption, allowing her to escape smoothly when the old lion king intercepted her.

If she were at full strength, she could certainly defeat the old lion king—but she was still watching for the high priest!

Otherwise, she could have launched a decapitation strike.

Of course, if Meng Ying and Wen Ni had both stormed into Bihu Forest, it wouldn't have been impossible—but the risk was too great; what if the enemy refused to fight and instead sacrificed their lion warriors to drain you?

She and Wen Ni were indeed strong—Sixth-Rank champions, each capable of holding off ten thousand troops!

Together, they could probably kill over ten thousand lion warriors in one go, but after wiping them out, they'd have no strength left to face the old lion king and the high priest!

High-Rank champions are indeed powerful on the battlefield, but often, they are used to counter each other.

On the battlefield, ordinary soldiers matter just as much.

In the beastmen's realm, High-Rank champions' impact is amplified, because ordinary soldiers lack good equipment.

In human kingdoms, equipment is superior and coordination is better—so tactics like Meng Ying's wouldn't work as well now.

Moreover, if Meng Ying hadn't gained instant-cast spells, she wouldn't have dared to charge in alone.

A mage who gets too close to a Sixth-Rank warrior rarely survives.

"Will they fight?"

The fox woman, Sister Qing Ling, asked.

Meng Ying shook her head slightly: "Probably not yet—the high priest hasn't appeared; he likely wasn't here before."

As she spoke, Meng Ying realized she had missed an opportunity—if she'd known the high priest was absent, she could have teamed up with Wen Ni to kill the old lion king.

But even gods aren't omniscient, let alone them.

Meng Ying didn't dwell on it; she stood up and said: "I'm going in again. If the high priest is still absent, I'll kill the lion king, then launch the attack! Wait for my signal!"

Sister Qing Ling nodded: "Alright!"

Meng Ying mounted the centaur chieftain's back again and said: "Let's go!"

The thousand-centaur force charged once more toward the lion clan's territory.

This time, the old lion king wasn't in the central command tent—he was at the edge of Bihu Forest.

That gave him ample reaction time; unlike before, when his subordinates reported the attack, the enemy had already slain many lion warriors.

"They've come—there's the mage."

The old lion king said.

The centaur warriors moved too fast; from the grassland's high ground, they charged down and entered Bihu Forest in mere minutes.

"Hmph, this time, you won't leave alive."

The old lion king sneered.

How dare she come again!

"Run, the centaurs are back!"

In Bihu Forest, lion warriors fled in panic.

Those who ran a little too slowly were incinerated by Meng Ying's fireballs.

The centaur warriors sprinted full speed until they reached a wide valley—when suddenly, the old lion king descended from the sky, blocking their path.

Immediately after, from behind, a lion-man covered in mysterious symbols appeared.

This was the lion clan's mysterious high priest.

"So, a human."

The high priest rasped.

Meng Ying told the centaur chieftain: "Have the warriors move to the sides. Wait for my command."

"Yes!"

The centaur chieftain gave the order; the thousand centaurs swiftly moved to the valley's edges.

Dressed in full armor, they were unafraid of the lion warriors' thrown spears.

But Meng Ying knew for certain: these armors would offer little protection against attacks from Sixth-Rank warriors or Sixth-Rank mages.

Now, only Meng Ying remained in the center, facing the old lion king and the high priest!

"Fascinating—a human, a pack of foxes, a group of cats, some centaurs—all worshipping some so-called Lord of Flame. Let's see if your god can save you this time!"

The lion clan's high priest said.

Meng Ying snorted: "We'll see!"

Instantly, flames ignited on her staff.

Then, with a flick of her finger, massive fireballs rained down upon the old lion king.

These fireballs seemed to lock onto their target—the old lion king could only endure them unless he fled far away.

This spell didn't require Meng Ying to keep casting.

Falling Heavenly Flame was, in fact, a modified version of Meteor Fire Rain.

After Meng Ying cast it, the fireballs would keep falling until her magical energy and mental strength were fully drained.

Of course, Meng Ying could call it off!

"Again with this trick!"

The old lion king roared.

"I'll hold her—you take care of her."

The Old Lion King said.

As a Sixth-Rank powerhouse, it naturally knew that Meng Ying's this move consumed immense energy; if Meng Ying cast another high-power spell, her mana would be drained soon!

"Hehehe, young, beautiful, and powerful—such a perfect mage, if you offer your heart and soul to my god, perhaps you might earn a divine art in return."

The Lion Clan's Grand High Priest spoke coldly.

Meng Ying's expression changed slightly: "You worship the Abyssal Demon God?"

Only the Abyssal Demon God delights in such dark and cruel methods of sacrifice.

That could also be called equivalent exchange.

Give something, receive something in return.

Many Abyssal Demon Gods favor young human maidens, especially the souls of talented girls!

The Lion Clan's Grand High Priest laughed: "Why not? The gods of Heaven are all more miserly than the last, but the gods of the Abyss grant you equivalent rewards as long as you provide sufficient Sacrifices. Look—how fair."

Meng Ying sniffed: "The passage to the Abyss has long been sealed. How do you communicate with them?"

The Lion Clan's Grand High Priest said: "That's none of your concern. Once you become their servant demon, if you work hard enough, perhaps they'll take a liking to you. Then you can ask them all your questions. For now, you may die."

Immediately, the Lion Clan's Grand High Priest's eyes turned black.

It was casting a divine art.

Then, within its eyes, it seemed to become a vortex.

Next, a powerful spiritual assault erupted from within its eyes.

This was a Dark Divine Art.

As the assault struck, every centaur in the valley felt their vision go black, as if their souls were sinking forever into the endless Abyss, unable to escape.

Even the Lion Clan warriors farther away were struck down.