With a sweeping gesture, he declared magnanimously, "Boy, do you have any other wishes? You may state them, and we shall see if I can grant your desire."

Mo Han, hearing this, feigned gratitude and replied, "Then before I die, can you grant me one final request?" The Lion-man, Mó Kē, waved his hand smugly, "Speak then, what are your last words? Let's see if I can manage it."

Mo Han merely smiled as he spoke, "My request is simple, one you can certainly fulfill. My final request is that you let me go. Quite simple, isn't it?"

Upon hearing Mo Han's demand, the Lion-man Mó Kē nearly lost his footing. He erupted in fury, "You little brat! I kindly offered you a wish, and you dare play tricks on me? Then don't blame me!"

Mo Han, however, maintained an air of innocence. "You yourself asked me to make a request, and the one I made is clearly something you can grant. How can you blame me?" Mó Kē's eyes widened in anger. "I won't waste breath arguing with you. Prepare to die."

With that, he brandished his weapon and charged toward Mo Han.

The other Lion-men behind him, seeing their leader engage, swiftly followed Mó Kē, pressing their attack on Mo Han. But Mo Han remained unhurried, gently restraining Little Mo, who was preparing to transform. "We still have guests observing us, Little Mo. Don't expose your strength yet; just let me handle these Lion-men."

Then, Mo Han clapped his hands together and roared, "Fire Dragon Break!"

It turned out that during the exchange with the Lion-men, Mo Han had already secretly prepared his magic.

A torrent of flame, carrying an intense wave of heat, surged directly toward the opposing Lion-men. The leader, Mó Kē, was greatly shocked, unable to comprehend how the fire dragon had appeared without Mo Han chanting any spell. But he had no time to dwell on it; he threw his body aside, rolling clear of the blast.

His companions behind him, however, were not so fortunate. They were caught dead center by the oncoming fire dragon, letting out immediate shrieks as they collapsed to the ground, rolling wildly to extinguish the flames. Their comrades rushed forward to help, but with the Lion-men screaming and thrashing from the agony, the fire proved incredibly difficult to smother.

Just then, Mo Han's voice rang out from across the field: "Water Dragon Break."

Seizing the moment of the enemy's panic, Mo Han launched his next spell. A water dragon descended with perfect accuracy onto the burning Lion-men, instantly dousing the flames. This demonstrated the exceptional precision of Mo Han's magical control.

Although the fire was out, the affected Lion-men were scorched in patchy, uneven burns, presenting a rather comical sight.

This was the result of Mo Han intentionally holding back. Had he intended to take their lives, they would have already been dead.

After all, he had come here for negotiations. Even if these Beast-kin struck first, killing them outright would negatively impact his mission. Moreover, apart from their leader, Mó Kē, the rest were mere common soldiers. If the mastermind truly wanted Mo Han dead, they would not have sent such a paltry force. It seemed the primary objective was to test Mo Han's abilities or perhaps to deliver a warning—a show of strength.

If Mo Han had slaughtered these Lion-men soldiers, it would inevitably incite the enmity of the Beast-kin tribes, thus playing right into their scheme.

Indeed, not far from where Mo Han and his group stood, several shadowy figures were observing the unfolding battle from behind a small earthen mound.

One of them spoke, "It seems Mó Kē is destined to fail. I told you sending only them wouldn't be enough to kill the human envoy. I don't understand why the Prophet and the Second Prince insisted he go, sir."

If Mo Han could see the speaker, he would instantly recognize the man as Lìyǎ, the very person responsible for greeting him.

Hearing Lìyǎ's grumbling, the black-clad leader in the center had a sharp glint in his eyes.

He glared coldly at Lìyǎ. "Lìyǎ, since when did you learn to be so talkative? Are you in any position to critique the Prophet or the Second Prince? I suspect you’ve had too easy a time lately, your boldness has grown, hasn't it? It's fortunate I'm here today; had anyone else overheard your words, would you still wish to be alive?" Lìyǎ, chastened by the black-clad man's rebuke, quickly tried to placate him. "Sir, I only spoke casually because I saw you were here. Please don't take offense."

The black-clad man merely nodded. "Enough. Just remember it for next time. Do you truly believe the Second Prince and the Prophet intended for that idiot Mó Kē to kill this human? If you saw through that, then you wouldn't be the Second Prince's or the Prophet's subordinate. Their true goal was for Mó Kē to probe the human's capabilities first. That way, when this human reaches the capital, they can devise a strategy to deal with him. Understand? If this human had actually killed Mó Kē, then the Second Prince and the Prophet could use the incident as justification to openly move against him. Then how could he negotiate with our Beast Emperor? The objective of the Second Prince and the Prophet would be achieved, and we could seize the opportunity to dispose of him. Now do you understand their intentions?"

Lìyǎ listened, then nodded with effusive admiration. "Sir, this scheme is truly brilliant! It must have been devised by the Prophet, surely?" The black-clad man nodded in affirmation. "You have good judgment. Besides our Prophet, who else could conceive of such a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy? You could study for another hundred years and still never figure it out."

Lìyǎ could only continue nodding his assent from the side.

At this point, the black-clad man spoke. "Enough, there’s nothing more to see. I’ve gauged the extent of this young man’s abilities. There’s no need to watch further. Gather your soldiers and prepare to move on. Remember, do not act rashly without my direct orders. Otherwise, if things go awry, you know well the methods the Second Prince employs, don't you?" Hearing this, Lìyǎ quickly replied with utter deference, "Please rest assured, sir. I absolutely will not jeopardize the great undertaking of the Second Prince and the Prophet. I will diligently complete the tasks assigned by you and certainly will not bring you any disgrace."

The black-clad man nodded in satisfaction at Lìyǎ’s reply. "Good, that’s all I needed to hear. Hurry along. I estimate that young man has already guessed you left intentionally, but he won't voice it. You don't need to address it; just use any casual excuse."