Gregory Eric vaguely sensed that the mysterious power within his body was related to the Yingyan Flower. Squatting on the mound, Gregory Eric raised the green fruit to his brow, staring intently at this fruit from the Yingyan Flower tree.

The tremor subsided, and Gregory Eric didn’t even have time to feel whether the flow of that mysterious power inside him differed from the Qingluo elixir force.

A person’s soul essence resides within the blood. Unlike the path taken by elixir force through the meridians, the awakened soul power circulates throughout the body with the flow of blood.

The awakening of soul power allows one to sense another kind of miraculous force, yet he felt nothing at all. What on earth was going on?

As his thoughts tangled, he suddenly heard a “szzzt” sound from the tall grass behind him, a foul wind rushed at him, and in a flash, it was already at his back. Gregory Eric was shocked, knowing it was a fierce beast from the mountains, but not which kind—it moved so fast that there was no time to react. In that instant, Eric lunged forward, curling his body and rolling, barely escaping from under the beast’s jaws at the very moment its claws brushed his thin shirt. Cold sweat broke out all over him. Looking up, he saw two chaotic, shadowy beast eyes like twin flames of darkness, not far from his head. The hot breath from the beast’s mouth almost hit his face, its jaws wide open, about to bite at Gregory Eric’s waist.

Gregory Eric kicked out with both feet, striking the beast’s forelimbs, and slipped out from under its jaws. Using the force of the kick, he spun and leapt in the air, tapping twice in the void, and landed a yard away at the beast’s side. His homemade spear was still in its original spot. Eric’s left palm gathered elixir force to form a Qingluo energy shield, holding it in front of him.

The beast’s forelimbs ached from the kick, its bite missed, and it turned back to face Eric with a long roar that shook the earth, startling a flock of roosting birds from the distant thickets. The beast was now truly enraged.

Only now did Gregory Eric see the beast clearly—it was a wild beast resembling a tiger or leopard, massive in size, its purple fur dazzling under the sunset’s glow. Embedded in the center of its brow was a crescent-moon-shaped, dark purple mark—it was a wild beast that had grown a demon core within its body. Its belly was slightly swollen, its teats a bit engorged—it was a wild beast nurturing its young.

The wild beast glared angrily at Eric with its large, purple, flame-like eyes.

The “Yanyun Chronicle: Bestiary” records this beast: “In the mountains of Yanyun, among jagged rocks and barren hills, there are fierce beasts, massive in size, shaped like tigers or leopards, fur like purple flames, eyes containing the fire of chaos.” This beast is called the Purple Suan, ferocious beyond compare. After a hundred years of growth, the demon power within it is enough to form a demon core, and a crescent-moon-shaped, dark purple mark appears on its head.

This Purple Suan stood on all fours, its body robust and powerful, raising its fierce head, standing a full seven feet tall. Its faint breathing sounded like distant thunder.

It must have roamed the deep mountains of Yanyun for more than a hundred years.

Thinking of this, Gregory Eric was even more alarmed. Why would this Purple Suan, roaming the deep mountains of Yanyun, come down the mountain for no reason? The Purple Suan’s eyes contained the fire of chaos—could it store the power of chaotic elements as demon power within its body? Staring at the faint purple light in the beast’s eyes, Eric felt a chill in his heart and dared not embarrass himself by using fire talismans.

Yanyun wild beasts rarely encounter humans and only distinguish enemies by instinct. A Purple Suan over a hundred years old has developed intelligence. Gregory Eric didn’t think his own strength could provoke the hostility of such a centenarian Purple Suan.

Was this even its territory?

Could it be that the earlier anomaly had driven this hundred-year-old Purple Suan mad?

The Purple Suan twisted its head and moved a step forward. Eric dared not get too close and retreated several feet. The Purple Suan seemed to restrain its ferocity, its bowl-sized paw stepping forward, then cautiously pulling back, its eyes glancing—intentionally or not—at Eric’s left hand.

There was no time to put the green fruit in the bag, and he feared dropping it on the ground for the wild beast to ruin. Gregory Eric looked at the Yingyan Flower fruit in his right hand and suddenly understood—the now-sentient Purple Suan had come for this green fruit.

When the Purple Suan appeared, the green fruit had already returned to normal, its glassy luster faded. If not for holding it in his right hand, Gregory Eric wouldn’t have sensed the faint flow of life within it. How could this wild beast still recognize that this green fruit was extraordinary? When meeting Brian Sutton, Gregory Eric had tucked the green fruit into his chest, but he didn’t know if the other had noticed anything unusual.

There was no time to worry about that now. Gregory Eric extended his right hand forward, startling the Purple Suan, whose huge, fierce head jerked back. Seeing the beast gather strength to pounce, Gregory Eric swept his left hand with the energy shield outward, dodging to the right and tucking the green fruit into his chest. His left wrist to elbow throbbed with pain from the impact, the greenish energy shield now just a thin layer, unable to withstand another attack.

The Purple Suan seemed to be holding back, not using its full strength in its leaps and strikes. Even so, the force of its pounce and bite sent winds slicing at his face like knives. Gregory Eric dodged and weaved, but the exposed skin was stung painfully by the wind, leaving several bloody scratches.

The Purple Suan seemed to be toying with him, not using its full strength in its attacks, its eyes glinting cunningly. Eric couldn’t help but feel disheartened. This couldn’t go on—he hadn’t found a chance to escape, but his energy would be exhausted first. Eric forced himself to suppress his panic and racked his brains for a solution.

This beast was even more cunning than a human. Enough fighting, Gregory Eric thought, flashing the idea through his mind. He held the green fruit in his hand—if the Purple Suan pounced again, he would thrust the fruit under its paw, try to provoke it, and maybe, just maybe, there would be a chance.