The meborn Lion''s inferno had reached its limit, a testament to its exceptional martial prowess. If it hadn''t unleashed this final burst, the mes would have consumed Anos, inflicting severe injuries.


    As Anos circled around the dwindling mes, he spotted the meborn Lion''s fleeing figure. Its majestic strides, once full of strength and ferocity, now faltered due to its wounds.


    If uninjured, the lion would have shed with Anos, refusing to back down. But now, its instincts screamed survival. The lion''s pride and dominance were momentarily set aside, reced by a primal urge to escape.


    "Run?" Anos eximed, his voiceced with amusement. His feet stirred up whirlwinds as he unleashed his Speed Shadow martial skill. In an instant, his speed skyrocketed, and he gave chase.


    Thendscape blurred around Anos as he pursued the meborn Lion. Trees became green streaks, and rocks faded into the distance. The lion''sbored breathing and pounding heartbeats echoed through Anos'' senses.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" Anos shouted, his voice echoing through thendscape. The meborn Lion''s wounds and dwindling vitality made escape unlikely. Anos'' relentless pursuit would soon seal the lion''s fate.


    ...


    If he let the meborn Lion escape today, it would be a missed opportunity. Fortunately, Anos'' superior cultivation gave him an edge in speed, allowing him to slowly close the gap.


    The chase continued, with Anos bursting out of the field and into a dense forest. Trees blurred together as they sped through the underbrush. Emerging from the forest, another vast field stretched before them.


    "Damn!" Anos cursed, his Spirit st striking the ground mere inches from the meborn Lion''s heels. The lion''s incredible agility allowed it to dodge the attack.


    "If only I had a spirit artifact and a mastered sword technique," Anos thought, frustration creeping into his mind. "But against a powerful demon beast like this, I''ll do whatever it takes to emerge victorious."


    Determination hardened his resolve. Anos pressed on, undaunted by the challenge.


    ...


    After traversing the unforgiving wilderness, another dense forest loomed before Anos. As he burst through the trees, he finally closed in on the meborn Lion.


    But upon emerging from the forest, Anos'' triumphant cry froze in his throat.


    The scene unfolding before him left him stunned, refusing toprehend the reality.


    Anos'' eyes widened in shock, his mind reeling from the unexpected turn of events.


    Anos'' relentless pursuit had finally ended, but the scene before him made his heart sink. Beside the meborn Lion he''d been chasing stood a colossal counterpart, towering over three times its size. Its majestic presence was daunting, radiating an aura of unyielding power.


    The giant lion''s dark blue eyes, reminiscent of a death god''s fiery gaze, locked onto Anos, sending a chill through his veins. Those piercing eyes seemed to bore into his very soul.


    Under the lion''s left w, a womany pinned, her once-pristine white dress now stained crimson by the blood seeping from her wounds. The razor-sharp ws hovered at her neck, threatening to end her life with the slightest movement.


    As she turned to face Anos, her eyes shed with defiance, cold calction, and a hint of desperation. Yet, beneath the blood-soaked face, Anos struggled to discern her features. Her gaze held a deep-seated stubbornness, as if she refused to surrender to her dire circumstances.


    Anos'' instincts screamed to act, but the giant lion''s presence made him wary. One misstep could seal the woman''s fate – and his own. The air was heavy with tension, the oue hanging precariously in the bnce.


    ...


    Anos'' eyes widened as he gazed at the colossal meborn Lion. Its stats were shrouded in mystery:


    meborn Lion


    Realm: ???


    Level: ???


    Attribute: ???


    The question marks mocked Anos, hinting at a power beyond his understanding. This was no ordinary beast; it had transcended the Spirit Condensation Realm.


    Anos prioritized his own survival above all else. He wasn''t a hero who would recklessly risk his life to save others. His own life was his top priority.


    "I''m not going to risk my life for that woman," Anos thought. "My survival is all that matters."


    The woman''s desperate gaze didn''t move him. He was resolute in his decision.


    Anos turned to leave, but his curiosity lingered. What was the meborn Lion''s true strength? Could he exploit its unknown attributes to his advantage?


    With calcted caution, Anos began to formte a n, weighing the risks and potential rewards.


    ...


    A deafening roar shook the sky, making Anos'' ears ache.


    "Hey! you!" Anos shouted,unching a Spirit st Strike before turning to flee.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Just as he escaped, a system notification echoed in his mind:


    "Ding... Mission [Teasing Little Big Sister] triggered."


    Mission Details:


    Punishment for Failure: None


    Progress: 0%


    Reward: Sword Skill [Stormbringer''s Edge]


    Anos'' eyes widened in incredulity.


    "What the...?!" he eximed. "Are you kidding me, System?! Why didn''t you warn me about the mission trigger?! This is ridiculous!"


    The system remained silent, leaving Anos frustrated and bewildered.


    ...


    Anos seethed with frustration. This was outrageous! Why did he have to encounter a meborn Lion at the Arcane Body Realm? Such demonic beasts rarely ventured near human territory.


    His Spirit st had barely scratched the lion''s head, equivalent to a firecracker''s pop. The attack wasughable.


    A thunderous roar erupted behind him.


    Anos spun around to see the massive meborn Lion charging towards him, the smaller lion still cradled in its ws.


    The beast''s eyes zed with fury.


    Anos'' heart sank. He was in grave danger.


    Anos'' heart overflowed with despair. "I''m done for, I''m done for, I''m done for!"


    He swiftly activated his Speed Shadow technique and used his Scumbag Points to exchange for Agility, doubling his velocity.


    However, the meborn Lion closed in relentlessly.


    "This is the parent, no doubt," Anos thought. "It won''t stop until I''m dead."


    The lion''s fury was palpable, driven by maternal instinct. Anos'' attack on its offspring had sealed his fate.


    The lion discarded its prey, fixated solely on Anos.


    ... "Cough, cough—" The woman struggled to sit up, clutching her chest. She had resigned herself to a tragic fate at the paws of the meborn Lion.


    But fate had other ns.


    Just as death loomed, a young man appeared out of nowhere, saving her from the brink.


    Now, he was the one fleeing for his life, pursued by the relentless meborn Lion.


    Charlotte Reys slowly rose to her feet, her battered body trembling with effort. The severity of her injuries and the depletion of her spiritual energy made recovery a daunting task, one that would require time and careful nurturing.


    Her face was a mask of crimson, blood obscuring her features and dripping onto the dusty ground. Yet, despite her own precarious state, her cold eyes betrayed a deeper concern – for the young man who had saved her.


    ....


    Fortunately, Charlotte Reys had survived! But the weight of her salvation settled heavily upon her. She had been saved by a stranger, a cultivator of unparalleled strength – at the fifth star of the Spirit Condensation Realm.


    As Anos fled, Charlotte Reys sensed his overwhelming power. In contrast, her own third-star Arcane Body Realm seemed woefully inadequate. The disparity stunned her, and a crushing sense of vulnerability followed.


    For the first time in her life, Charlotte Reys was indebted to someone. This stranger had saved her life, yet now he faced mortal danger alone. Her heart wrestled with the dilemma.


    A part of her yearned to repay her debt, to stand alongside her savior. But rationality cautioned against it – if she followed, she would only seal her own fate. The anguish of indecision gripped her.


    Typically, people would flee in fear, lest the enemy turn their attention back to them. But Charlotte Reys stood frozen, her gaze fixed on Anos'' receding figure for what felt like an eternity.


    Her cold, emotionless eyes betrayed no hint of her inner turmoil. No one could fathom the thoughts swirling behind her stoic facade.


    Finally, she stirred, slowly departing while tenderly cradling her wounds. Yet, the image of Anos'' brave retreat lingered in her mind, indelibly etched.


    The memory of his selfless rescue and her own helplessness haunted her, refusing to be shaken.


    Charlotte Reys'' steps faltered, her thoughts drifting back to the mysterious cultivator who had saved her life.


    ....


    At that moment, Anos was desperately evading the meborn Lion''s pursuit. He narrowly dodged several lethal blue fireballs, his heart racing with every close call.


    But as he nced ahead, his hopes sank. A sheer cliff loomed before him, a seemingly insurmountable barrier.


    Panic set in, his mind racing for an escape. Then, his gazended on a small cave to the side.


    Anos''s eyes sparkled with renewed hope. The cave''s entrance was narrow, too small for the massive meborn Lion to follow.


    Without hesitation, Anos sprinted toward the cave. He dove into its darkness mere seconds before the lion''s massive paw mmed into the ground.


    The earth shook beneath his feet as the lion''s attack created a five-meter-deep crater. Anos shuddered, imagining the devastating consequences had he been a fraction slower.


    After rushing into the cave, Anos tumbled more than ten meters beforeing to a stop against the far wall. "Damn it! This cave isn''t safe either?"


    Breathless and frustrated, Anos peered out from the cave''s depths, his eyes locked onto the meborn Lion''s menacing form.


    Just then, a zing fireball shot into the cave. Anos swiftly pivoted and pressed himself against the edge, narrowly avoiding the inferno.


    The mes licked the walls, casting flickering shadows. Anos held his breath, listening to the meborn Lion''s furious roars echoing outside.


    The lion''s relentless pursuit sent shivers down Anos''s spine. He knew he couldn''t stay hidden forever.


    "Damn it! I didn''t expect my first demon beast hunt to go sideways like this!" Anos cursed, his eyes burning with frustration.


    But then, a spark of hope ignited within him. He hastily retrieved a small, glowing object from his chest - the Firestorm Nugget.


    "The heavens aren''t ready for me to die just yet!" Anos eximed, relief washing over his face.


    In his handy the Firestorm Nugget, a potent tool capable of unleashing a devastating inferno, even obliterating a Profound Heaven Realm cultivator. Against an Arcane Body Realm foe like the meborn Lion, its destructive power would be unmatched.


    A calcted glint appeared in Anos''s eyes. "This nugget will turn the tables."


    Anos had nearly forgotten about the Firestorm Nugget, but its presence brought immense relief. Without it, his fate would have been sealed.


    Standing up, resolve etched on his face, Anos grasped the Firestorm Nugget firmly. His eyes zed with fury.


    "You dare chase me, spit fire at me, and refuse to leave? Then you''ll pay the price!" Anos snarled, his voice low and menacing.


    The meborn Lion''s relentless pursuit had pushed him to the edge. Now, Anos was ready to unleash his counterattack.


    With the Firestorm Nugget at the ready, Anos prepared to face his pursuer, determined to emerge victorious.


    ...