Chapter Sixty-Four: The Lion King and the Lion Queen

Deep within the Magic Beast Forest, giant trees so massive that several people would be needed to encircle them trembled violently, bowing their proud heads as leaves cascaded down in endless torrents.

Bang—

A stray burst of golden energy struck a tree, and with a deafening explosion, the trunk was cleaved in two, the severed section dissolving into powder that drifted away as the tree collapsed.

Bang—

Before the sound of the falling tree faded, a fierce detonation erupted overhead. Terrifying golden energy mingled with fiery red, scattering in all directions. The trees below suffered calamity, one after another falling, some obliterated midair by concentrated blasts, reduced to dust that vanished into the world.

"You've lost."

Suspended in midair, a graceful figure wreathed in gold hovered, her penetrating gaze fixed calmly upon the elderly man opposite, whose lips were stained with blood and whose clothing was in disarray. Her voice was cool and measured.

"Thank you, Golden Lioness, for your mercy."

After a light cough, the old man spoke with a hint of gratitude, though his eyes betrayed an irrepressible regret. Yet more than regret, he felt relief and lingering fear; had she not held back, he would surely be gravely wounded, his cultivation perhaps even diminished.

The woman called the Golden Lioness, with golden hair and attire, nodded faintly and vanished in a flash, reappearing beside a man dressed in matching gold.

"I knew you would defeat that old mage, my dear. Are you tired? Let me rub your shoulders..."

As soon as the woman appeared at his side, the man—whose dangerously handsome face could easily ensnare any woman—immediately wore a sycophantic smile. He hurried behind her, gently kneading her shoulders and speaking tenderly.

"Hmph!"

The woman snorted coldly and shot him a glare. Had he not disregarded her warnings and been so careless, she wouldn't have been forced into this wager. Otherwise, the match would have ended long ago, and she would be free to seek out her two beloved sons.

Knowing he was at fault, the man's ingratiating manner intensified as did the tenderness of his massage, heedless of the various expressions among those gathered on treetop or sky. After all, his happiness rested solely in her hands.

"Old Drunkard, our agreement was that if the Lioness wins three consecutive matches, the Lion King need not sign any contract. Now she's won twice—who will face her in the third round?"

While the golden-haired man muttered to himself, a tall young man in his twenties, clad in black robes, addressed a disheveled old man lounging atop a tree, who was drinking and eating meat.

"Burp—The Lioness is gifted, adept at divinations and predictions. Does anyone else wish to challenge her?"

The old drunk burped, then turned to question the floating mage nearby, the dragon knight astride a giant dragon, and several lesser-known domain experts.

"Lord of Wine, Quineid recently gained new insights into the wind element and wishes to exchange with the Golden Lioness. May he?"

Quineid, famed for centuries as a domain expert and chief mage of the Welsh Empire, addressed the old drunk as Lord of Wine—a detail that, if revealed, would stir all of Tianxuan Continent. Yet the well-informed found nothing unusual.

"Ah, Little Quineid. Very well, you'll do."

Hearing the old drunk's reply, Quineid's lips twitched imperceptibly, then he rose into the air, gazing at the Golden Lioness.

"Wife, hang in there—otherwise we’ll both end up as human mounts!"

Catching Quineid’s glance, the Lion King shot back a fierce look, then, with a woeful face, addressed the Lioness beside him.

She gave him an exasperated look, then soared skyward to face Quineid, her expression turning grave. After two consecutive battles against human opponents of equal rank, her reserves were sorely depleted.

"I’ll give it my all!"

Glancing back at the anxious Lion King, her mind raced. This was the final round. For freedom, she must employ that ultimate move taught by King Luo. Resolute, she bit her lip, her eyes determined, and began shifting her hands in rapid sequence.

"Hmph!"

Seeing her ignore him and start casting, Quineid snorted in displeasure. Over a thousand azure wind blades instantly coalesced before him, shooting toward the Lioness suspended in midair.

Clang clang—

A golden bell flashed into existence, enveloping the Lioness and blocking the incoming wind blades, filling the air with ceaseless ringing.

Before the wind blade assault ended, eighteen vivid, towering azure dragons—each dozens of meters long—materialized, roaring as they attacked the golden shield.

"O omnipresent wind elements, heed my call and transform into the world’s most savage and sharpest fangs. Tear asunder all evil... Rending Storm!"

With Quineid’s chant, a tornado dozens of meters high suddenly formed and expanded, in the blink of an eye reaching a hundred meters.

Woooo—

The massive tornado howled toward the golden shield, sweeping up countless tree limbs and leaves, its azure winds now mingled with debris.

Creak creak—

Tree after tree emitted tooth-grinding sounds in the gale, but only held for an instant before being sucked in, the tornado’s ferocity increasing further. The power of the wind element’s ultimate magic, Rending Storm, was fully revealed.

Watching the overwhelming tornado and sensing its terrifying energy, the Golden Lioness gritted her silver teeth as all her golden elemental power surged into the shield. Her hands shifted even faster, spiritual energy and blood essence flooding into the illusory blood-red skull above her palms.

The Lion King watched anxiously as she focused solely on defense. The others, seeing the unstoppable Rending Storm, were surprised; neither had uttered a word before fighting, and they had immediately escalated to this level, with no buildup at all.

Whoosh whoosh—

The raging tornado seemed poised to rend the heavens, leaving deep furrows in the earth as it swiftly approached the Lioness within the golden shield.

"My dear!"

As the tornado drew near, the shield rang violently and dimmed, yet she remained wholly focused on the gradually solidifying lips on the shifting hands. The Lion King could not help but cry out.

He was about to rush forward in rescue when a hot bone, clearly freshly gnawed, suddenly appeared and struck him hard.

"Hmph!"

Already wounded, the Lion King let out a cry of pain and staggered back several steps. In that brief moment, the tornado struck the golden bell shield.

Otherworldly Azure Dragon 64_Chapter Sixty-Four: Lion King and Lioness Complete!