The魔兽 guards at the entrance of the cave sanctuary had mostly been eliminated by Yunzhi, though due to the brief timeframe, two third-tier魔兽 still remained, hiding at the very back. At this moment, these two third-tier魔兽 were trembling anxiously, gazing upward at the intense battle above. The residual waves of combat reaching down from the sky caused them to lie flat on the ground, constantly shivering. After all these preparations were complete, Xiao Yan took a deep breath and leaped suddenly downward from above the entrance. Midway in the air, he hovered briefly before gently landing on the ground with both feet. As soon as his feet touched the earth, Xiao Yan slightly bent his body and then surged forward into the mountain cave. At the very moment Xiao Yan's figure vanished into the darkness, a three-stage beast turned its gaze toward him. However, finding nothing of significance, it only remained with a touch of curiosity before shifting its gaze again, trembling slightly under the ongoing aerial combat. Inside the deep and spacious cave, adorned with these amethyst crystals, it was exceptionally beautiful. Gazing at the naturally formed halls, Xiao Yan could only silently marvel—this refined lion, it seemed, also knew how to appreciate a comfortable life. Proceeding with care as Yunzhi had predicted, he found that within the cave, no other beasts dwelled. Aside from the soft sounds of his footsteps, there was no other noise. After traversing the long tunnel, two branching pathways appeared before him. Frowning at the two paths, Xiao Yan paused and then carefully stepped into the one on the left. This passage was quite winding, and he turned several corners before realizing that as he progressed deeper, the temperature around him was gradually rising. With a sense of alertness, Xiang Yan paused. He wiped sweat from his forehead, gazed at the distant exit glowing faintly with purple light, rubbed his hands, then exhaled deeply. His inner ki began to flow steadily, and the wind-type ki retained within Yun Zhi also started circulating. Only after completing these preparations did Xiang Yan continue forward. Focusing on the exit now just a few steps away, he kept his footsteps as quiet as possible, then gently extended half his head into the spacious cave. His eyes swiftly swept across the interior. Upon careful inspection, to his surprise, he found no trace of any beast. Blinking several times, he observed for a while longer before finally stepping inside. Upon entering the cave, Xiao Yan scanned the surroundings before his gaze settled on the central area. There, a stack of amethyst crystals, towering over a meter high, had formed a square platform. On this platform, a large, perfectly spherical purple object—about the size of Xiao Yan’s head—rested quietly. Focusing intently on the purple sphere, Xiao Yan suddenly realized that the heat within the cave was entirely emanating from this object. Surprised, he hadn’t expected such immense energy contained within it. He carefully scanned the surroundings once more, murmuring with mild curiosity, "Could this be the Purple Spirit Crystal? But why isn't the crystal itself warming up?" As he spoke, Xiao Yan withdrew the rhombic crystal from his chest, exposing it to the air. After waiting for a while, it remained perfectly cool. Store the crystal safely, and slowly walk toward the purple spirit platform. As he draws nearer, a faint wave of heat begins to wash over him, prompting yet another wave of astonishment at the warmth emanating from this object. Bending down slightly, Xiang Yan fixes his gaze intently on the enigmatic purple sphere, his mind suddenly stirring. He murmurs to himself, "Master, come take a look at this!" Hearing Xiang Yan's call, the elderly pharmacist drifts gently out of his ring, his eyes sweeping over the purple sphere. His eyebrows lift slightly, a spark of surprise flickering in his gaze. He murmurs, "This... could this be a naturally coexisting purple crystal source? Remarkable—how fortunate you are to have encountered such a thing!" "What exactly is a naturally coexisting purple crystal source?" Xiang Yan asks, frowning slightly at the unfamiliar term. "Hmm, this is indeed a precious find," the herbal elder murmured, circling the purple orb in the air. "The Purple Crystal Wing Lion King is a rare and gifted creature—otherwise, it would not have ascended to the sixth rank among the great beasts. Whenever such a lion king is born, there's a small chance that, alongside the newborn young beast, a companion purple crystal essence is also produced. This essence, having remained within the lion king's body for an extended period, accumulates a remarkably pure and vibrant energy. Once the young beast grows to the fourth rank, if it consumes this essence, it will instantly evolve into a fifth-rank beast, and its internal purple flame will be significantly stronger than that of any other purple crystal wing lion that has never ingested such an essence." "Wow, really? That's amazing!" After hearing the Elder's explanation, Xiao Yan's eyes lit up instantly. He rushed forward and fell onto the amethyst stone platform, then extended his palms toward the companion amethyst source. "Ah!" As soon as his palms touched the companion amethyst source, he emitted a stifled cry, drawing in a sharp breath and quickly pulling his hands back. He stared at his now-burned palms, hastily retrieving some healing herbs to apply, his face filled with shock. "The temperature is so high—how am I supposed to carry it away?" "Hehe, of course it's hot. And this companion amethyst source is now fully integrated with the amethyst stone platform. To remove it, you'll have to dig it out of the cave entirely." The Elder chuckled with satisfaction. "Dig it out?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's expression darkened immediately. He scanned the platform beneath his feet—the stone platform seemed to extend deep into the ground. With just himself, even months of digging wouldn't be enough to extract it. Exhaling a long breath, Xiao Yan turned his gaze toward the medicine elder hovering in the air. Here, only he had the strength to excavate this crystal platform. Seeing Xiao Yan's gaze, the medicine elder shook his head and smiled, "You shouldn't look at me. Although I can move this thing, the considerable disturbance will certainly alert the outside Purple Crystal Wing Lion King. Moreover, even if we succeed in removing it, you'll never be able to crack open this accompanying Purple Crystal Source." "What does that mean?" Xiao Yan, eager not to let the precious opportunity slip away, quickly asked. "This accompanying Purple Crystal Source can only be consumed entirely once swallowed down—otherwise, it must be forcibly cracked open to extract the inner Purple Crystal Source. However, due to certain reasons, no matter what attack is made, it resists being cracked. In fact, the outer shell possesses a consuming effect—any attack will be absorbed and consumed by it." The medicine elder explained, spreading his hands. "Consumed in one go?" Staring at the deep purple sphere, the size of his own head, Xiao Yan’s mouth twitched. Not only was the temperature on top incredibly high, but even with that sheer volume, he simply couldn’t swallow it—no matter how he strained, his throat would burst. “What should we do? You’ve been searching for this thing all along—surely you must know how to handle it?” After a moment of slight concern, Xiao Yan turned to the Ye Lao, a smile forming on his face. “Indeed, sheer force won’t work. Only one thing can open it.” Ye Lao said mysteriously. “What kind of thing?” Xiao Yan’s eyes lit up, and he asked eagerly. “Hehe.” Ye Lao smiled, then his gaze shifted to the rhombus crystal worn on Xiao Yan’s chest. “This crystal? Wait—did you mean the Purple Spirit Crystal?” Xiao Yan was momentarily taken aback, then suddenly realized. “Exactly. Only a Purple Spirit Crystal can crack this sphere open.” Nodding in satisfaction, Ye Lao was pleased with Xiao Yan’s quick understanding. “Then why keep talking?” "Look for the Purple Spirit Crystal!" Hearing this, Xiao Yan turned around and dashed off—clearly, there was no Purple Spirit Crystal here, so it must be on another path. "Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to mention—since there are companion Purple Spirit Crystals here, there should also be a smaller one, a young Purple Crystal Winged Lion King." Floating behind Xiao Yan, Yao Lao smiled warmly. Xiao Yan's forward stride halted abruptly, his eyes twitching with frustration. After a moment, he growled, "Damn it! If it dares get in my way, I'll take it down. I won't believe it can be any fiercer than the one outside." With that, Xiao Yan quickly stepped out of the cave. "Brave," Yao Lao murmured, watching Xiao Yan's back, then added, "though perhaps a bit overconfident, heh." "... Running smoothly through the passage, Xiao Yan turned and darted toward another corridor, being especially cautious—aware that there was still a smaller Purple Crystal-Winged Lion King ahead. He even avoided stepping on stones at his feet. After walking for a while, the view ahead broadened once more. Pressing tightly against the entrance, Xiao Yan opened one eye and slowly scanned the nearly entirely crystal-stone-filled cavern. His gaze gradually slowed as it reached the center, coming to a halt—there, a young Purple Crystal-Winged Lion King lay curled up on the ground, peacefully asleep. Watching the sleeping lion king, Xiao Yan swallowed a lump in his throat and wiped a cold sweat from his forehead. 'Hehe, this little beast is only at the third stage. Let's go,' came the playful voice of Yao Lao, quietly echoing from behind. "