This valley teemed with small magical beasts, something Chen Feng had known for a long time. However, these creatures kept to fixed territories, and as long as you didn't provoke them, they usually wouldn't stir up trouble. Take the Scarlet-Tailed Adder Viper Chen Feng first encountered; its domain was that single "peach tree," which it subsisted on by eating the fruit. Since Chen Feng had silently gone to take the peaches, he naturally angered this group of native residents.

Suddenly, a crowd of magical beasts, large and small, appeared. Were they all after the Celestial Dragon Sun Fruit?

This was terrible. Chen Feng cried out internally. In his current state, the Cyclone Force within his body had drained almost entirely. That little tiger, with its infatuated expression over the Celestial Dragon Sun Fruit, was hardly reliable now. What was he to do?

Just then, Little Tiger let out a few low growls, its face etched with displeasure.

No matter what, Little Tiger was a high-level Phantom Beast. This low growl did indeed have an effect; the surrounding beasts all retreated a few steps. Chen Feng let out a breath of relief, yet worry immediately followed.

Little Tiger possessed only the strength of a sixth-level Fighter, at best reaching the peak level of a second-tier magical beast. Yet, there were many fourth-tier magical beasts around. If not for the natural fear lower-tier beasts held toward the might of a higher-level one, they would have charged long ago. But if the Celestial Dragon Sun Fruit ripened, the beasts' inherent possessiveness over treasures would be ignited, and they might charge in immediately!

Chen Feng's spirit tightened, and the Cyclone Force in his Dantian dissipated even faster. He discovered that the Cyclone Force remaining inside him was less than that of a second-level Fighter.

Fourth-tier magical beasts! Those were equivalent to Fighter Masters! And there wasn't just one! Him, a current second-level Fighter, contending with Fighter Masters for a treasure—wasn't that just asking for death?

It seemed that rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures were never easily obtained, no matter where they were!

Perhaps Chen Feng's worry had taken effect, or maybe the Celestial Dragon Sun Fruit had absorbed energy to its limit. The Cyclone Force inside him stabilized at the second-level mark and ceased to dissipate; instead, it showed signs of converging.

"Aooo..."

A four-tier magical beast, the Emerald Spirit Wolf, howled toward the sky!

The Emerald Spirit Wolf was the most brutal and numerous type of magical beast found in the jungle. This lone individual might have fallen from the mountain by accident, just like Chen Feng. Its blood-red eyes were filled with savage energy.

Following this roar, all the surrounding magical beasts advanced in unison. The closest one was barely three meters from Chen Feng.

Cold sweat beaded on Chen Feng's forehead, and the pressure he felt grew immense. He turned to look at Little Tiger, seeing it stand straight, its face contorted into a ferocious expression.

What good is a fierce look? There is a world of difference between a Fighter and a Fighter Master. You could twist your face into a pretzel and still not manage to do anything to them!

Just as Chen Feng was about to pull Little Tiger and leave, his heart clenched.

Could it be that the Celestial Dragon Sun Fruit has an even greater effect on magical beasts?

According to what Little Tiger had said, the fruit was hugely beneficial only when a Fighter advanced to the Fighter Master level. But the circle surrounding them was filled only with magical beasts; not a single Battle Beast was in sight (Battle Beasts cultivate Qi energy, while Magical Beasts cultivate magic). Magical Beasts cultivate magic; logically, they shouldn't risk offending a high-level Phantom Beast to come snatching this?

There must be something fishy here!

It seemed Little Tiger hadn't told the whole truth!

The Celestial Dragon Sun Fruit must have immense efficacy for magic-cultivating magical beasts, otherwise, why would so many of them gather to compete for it!

With this thought, Chen Feng secretly cursed Little Tiger a few times. Having this creature acknowledge him as master wasn't simple at all. Under the constraints of their contract, it still dared to lie to him. What was it planning?

Despite his curses, Little Tiger had been with him for over three months, and their bond was real. He sighed, deciding he would confront this scheming tiger later.

The Celestial Dragon Sun Fruit began to shift from its previous pink hue to a pale yellow, looking more and more like human skin the longer he stared. If he hadn't known it was a plant, Chen Feng might have suspected a real person was hanging from the tree.

The Emerald Spirit Wolf roared again, unable to endure any longer, and lunged forward first!

Little Tiger opened its maw and shot a Wind Blade directly toward the wolf's eyes! The Emerald Spirit Wolf twisted its body mid-air to dodge the strike, and an arrow condensed from flame shot from its claws, heading straight for Little Tiger's forehead!

A third-tier magic spell: Fire Dragon Arrow!

This Emerald Spirit Wolf was fire-attributed!

Although Little Tiger's cultivation was two levels lower than its opponent, as a high-level Phantom Beast, its intelligence far surpassed the other's. Seeing the Fire Dragon Arrow approaching swiftly, it didn't try to block it. Instead, it gathered the surrounding wind elements, propelled its legs, and leaped six or seven meters into the air, swinging its massive tiger claws down toward the wolf's head.

The opponent had sheer power; he had speed!

Little Tiger immediately exploited its strength upon engaging in combat!

If this strike connected, the Spirit Wolf would certainly die on the spot!

Chen Feng nodded. A high-level magical beast was indeed a high-level magical beast, capable of fully utilizing its advantages against others. No wonder lower-tier beasts were reluctant to offend them.

The Emerald Spirit Wolf proved worthy of being a fourth-tier beast. In its haste, it opened its mouth wide, and a fiery red Magic Core spun rapidly in the air, instantly enveloping Little Tiger in a ring of flames!

A fourth-tier innate magic spell: Wolf's Embrace!

The most powerful spells a magical beast could cast were its innate magics. However, innate magic had a flaw: if cast using incantations, it required blood to form a contract, taking twenty to thirty seconds to execute. Given that the opponent could force the beast to use its innate magic, it proved the strength of the challenger. How could such a formidable opponent be foolish enough to grant it that much time to cast a spell?

There was another way to cast innate magic: by ejecting the Magic Core and using it to guide the elemental fluctuations between heaven and earth. This method was faster but carried an equal flaw: the ejected Magic Core was left unprotected. At that moment, the magical beast was most vulnerable. If someone attacked and seized the Core, the beast would die within 30 seconds.

Chen Feng hadn't expected Little Tiger to force a fourth-tier magical beast into casting its innate magic right at the start; he was shocked. The Wolf's Embrace, being a fourth-tier spell, was far too powerful for the current level of Little Tiger to withstand!

If he didn't save it, Little Tiger could be burned to ashes in less than three seconds!

Chen Feng didn't hesitate. The Cyclone Force spun, his body shot upward, and a thin layer of Cyclone Force enveloped his palm. He swung his right fist, striking directly at the outer edge of the Wolf's Embrace!

"Boom..."

With a loud explosion, Little Tiger, engulfed in the ring of fire, was knocked sideways into the nearby pool of water!

This was the contingency plan Chen Feng devised before leaping up. With his current second-level Fighter Cyclone Force, dissolving a fourth-tier magic spell was impossible. But redirecting the downward force of Little Tiger into a horizontal fall into the water was achievable. As long as it landed in the lake, even a fifth-tier fire magic spell would be extinguished by the pool.

It was with this very tactic that Little Tiger had helped Chen Feng escape danger after he mistakenly ingested the Scorching Flame Ghost Fruit.

However, a fourth-tier spell couldn't be simply batted away. Chen Feng felt a sharp pain in his hand as the heat of the flames penetrated the thin barrier of Cyclone Force, reaching his arm!

"Pfft!" Chen Feng spat out a mouthful of blood, helping to alleviate the surging thermal toxin within his body. He hadn't expected the familiar sting of fire-based attacks, usually inflicted on others, to be turned upon himself; this sensation was certainly unpleasant!

Chen Feng twisted his body, executing the unique footwork of the 'Fist Emperor' in mid-air. He flickered, arriving in front of the Spirit Wolf, and snatched the spinning Magic Core!

Unexpectedly, the Emerald Spirit Wolf showed no signs of distress; rather, it looked somewhat gleeful. As Chen Feng pondered this, he felt as if he were gripping a red-hot steel ball. A scorched smell instantly rose from his palm.

Enduring the pain, Chen Feng dared not let go. This time, he had truly created a mess. The fourth-tier beast wouldn't kill the second-level high-level Phantom Beast Little Tiger, but it had no such reservations about him. If he let go of the Magic Core now, the wolf would surely use it again to kill him!

What should he do? If he held on, this hand might be burned to a crisp!

Time did not allow for extensive thought. Chen Feng swept his right arm in a half-circle, throwing the wolf's Magic Core with all his might toward a spot dozens of meters across the back of the pool. He shrank his body, flipped over, grabbed the Celestial Dragon Sun Fruit on a nearby plant with his left arm, and leaped into the pool!

"Aooo..."

The wolf was truly enraged. It retrieved its Magic Core, roared, and jumped into the water, following the direction Chen Feng had fallen!

This chain of actions was as fast as a shooting star. Only then did the surrounding magical beasts react. Seeing Chen Feng holding the Celestial Dragon Sun Fruit and jumping into the pool, they all swam toward the water!

P.S.: Thank you all for your recommendations. Old Ya is deeply moved...