The Flame Pool Secret Realm was vast. The safe zone alone was a full thirty li deep and over a hundred li long.
Having witnessed the tragic scene just now, many disciples were still shaken.
Some of the more cautious disciples carefully entered the Secret Realm but stayed near the entrance, immersing themselves in the Flame Pool for Body Tempering.
Many of the other disciples also gave up on the idea of hunting Spirit Beasts to obtain Fire Crystals.
They sensibly dispersed throughout the safe zone marked on the map, each looking for a pool with water they could tolerate.
In the end, only about ten disciples from the main family branches, along with Xiao Chen, Ye Fei, and a few others, reached the edge of the inner region.
A massive fissure served as the dividing line between the outer and inner regions.
A jade pillar lay across the fissure, acting as a makeshift bridge connecting the two sides.
Upon reaching this point, Xiao Chen finally got a clear look at the Guardian Spirit Beasts roaming on the other side.
Not far from the bridge, a lion with two heads was lying on the ground, asleep.
Beside it, two smaller, identical-looking Two-headed Lions were chasing each other and playing.
Song Zhongwen, who was walking at the very front, saw this and immediately stopped. "Hold on."
Song Shengying was very surprised. "How can we run into three Spirit Beasts right here? Doesn’t that mean there will be even more of them further in?"
Chen Guangyu, however, glanced nonchalantly at Song Zhongwen. "It’s just two at the seventh level of Qi Refining and one at the ninth. With so many of us here, one strike each and we’ll be done with them. What’s there to worry about?"
Song Zhongwen was a bit speechless. The Guardian Spirit Beasts inside the Secret Realm were very difficult to deal with.
Having lived here for a long time, their bodies and even their Magic were saturated with a large amount of Fire Qi.
Once a fight broke out, a Cultivator had to not only battle the beast but also resist the erosion of the Fire Qi and watch out for fissures in the ground, making it extremely difficult.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have bothered teaming up to leverage their numerical advantage.
However, Chen Guangyu had a point. They couldn’t just stop here because of the difficulty.
So, Song Zhongwen announced, "Everyone, get ready. Let’s deal with these three Spirit Beasts at the entrance first."
However, no one expected what happened next.
The moment they crossed the makeshift bridge, the three lions actually turned and fled.
Chen Guangyu said smugly, "Ha, those beasts run pretty fast. See? That wasn’t so hard."
Xiao Chen cut him off. "Something’s not right. Since there are cubs, this is likely a large pack of Spirit Beasts."
"We should probably stay put and wait for a bit. If things go south, we can retreat in time."
Liu Shi Qing agreed. "Junior Brother Xiao is right. We should wait."
Chen Guangyu scoffed. "How could there be that many Spirit Beasts? The disciples who came in the past never encountered a pack."
But soon enough, a full ten Two-headed Lions surrounded them. Among them were six adult lions at the ninth level of Qi Refining.
This time, Chen Guangyu wasn’t laughing.
Liu Shi Qing guessed, "Could it be because the Secret Realm opened early?"
Su Yuanpeng drew his Flying Sword. "There aren’t that many. We can take them. I’ll handle the ninth-level Qi Refining lion on the far left."
Song Zhongwen promptly raised a mirror-like artifact. "It’s worth a try. I’ll take the one on the far right."
The others quickly chose their opponents as well.
Due to their numerical advantage, Xiao Chen and Liu Benxin were paired up to deal with a young lion at the seventh level of Qi Refining.
It could be said that everyone here was an elite. Under normal circumstances, dealing with a Spirit Beast of the same level was practically a sure thing.
However, when Xiao Chen smashed a Fireball Technique into it, he was surprised to find that the young lion was merely knocked to the ground. It rolled over and got right back up.
He immediately switched tactics, summoning his Golden Light Pearl and Evergreen Sword to face the young lion.
At the same time, he shouted a warning, "These Guardian Spirit Beasts aren’t afraid of Fire Magic!"
Before his voice had faded, Su Wanqing’s voice rang out, "These Guardian Spirit Beasts aren’t afraid of Water Magic either!"
Following that, the group discovered to their astonishment that these Two-headed Lions had a natural resistance to all Five Elements Magic.
If not for the fact that everyone was equipped with various Magical Artifacts, especially Protective Spiritual Artifacts, they might have already suffered casualties in the initial assault.
Song Zhongwen made a swift decision. "This isn’t good! Fall back in formation! We’re retreating to the outer region!"
However, without them realizing it, three more ninth-level Qi Refining Two-headed Lions had appeared behind them, blocking the path to the makeshift bridge.
’These lions actually know how to flank!’
Seeing this, Song Zhongwen decisively pulled a stack of Talismans from his Storage Bag. "I’ll hold the front! Break through the rear first!"
Su Yuanpeng let out a great shout as the Golden Light Body Protection flared around him. He charged toward the rear and directly engaged one of the lions.
Liu Shi Qing unfurled a seven-colored ribbon, entangling another one.
A fierce wind suddenly erupted from Ye Fei, his speed surging as he stalled the third lion.
In the space they cleared, several Talismans immediately fell, transforming into countless Wood Vines that blocked the Two-headed Lions at the front.
However, under the influence of the Fire Qi, the Wood Vines were torn to shreds in less than three breaths.