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This sudden scene left Ye Tianchen at a loss, both bewildered and amused. Right in front of him, the seemingly small yet incredibly powerful Fire Qilin changed its form, shrinking to the size of a small kitten, looking exceedingly cute and well-behaved. There wasn't a hint of the overwhelming, fierce aura that it emanated previously. Instead, it made people want to play with it, to hold it in their arms and stroke it.

"Woo woo!" After rolling around on the ground a few times, the little Fire Qilin looked at Ye Tianchen with an adorably obedient gaze, leaving Ye Tianchen rather dazed. It seemed this little creature genuinely felt lonely and had no intention of killing him.

Ye Tianchen judged that the young Fire Qilin might be too lonely and was just playing with him. This was because, throughout the chase, although the young Fire Qilin used powerful moves, capable of easily obliterating someone, it clearly didn't mean to kill him outright. Otherwise, how could it have hesitated to attack Ye Tianchen despite them being from different species and having no prior connections? When the young Fire Qilin attempted to trap him within strong walls of flame, Ye Tianchen confirmed his guess. He had to believe that the young Fire Qilin didn't truly want to kill him but rather wanted to play. Otherwise, it would have been a relentless pursuit, not the current scene.

The young Fire Qilin had turned into the size of a kitten, cuter than any puppies or kittens by a hundred times. Ye Tianchen found it immensely endearing and lovely, cautiously approaching it, though still on guard. This was no ordinary creature but a legendary Immortal Beast, the Fire Qilin. Throughout history, no one has ever subdued a Fire Qilin, a species that naturally refuses to submit. You could become its friend, but it would never surrender, even unto death.

As he approached step by step, the young Fire Qilin seemed pleased when Ye Tianchen walked toward it, happily rolling on the ground. When Ye Tianchen got near the little Fire Qilin, it stopped moving, looking adorably at him with its big, fiery eyes. Ye Tianchen reached out his right hand and gently stroked the back of the Little Qilin, feeling rather incredulous. It was his first close encounter with such a legendary Immortal Beast, and though it was the size of a kitten, it was still entirely fiery red, like a little creature glowing with inner light, incredibly cute and eye-catching.

When Ye Tianchen touched the young Fire Qilin's skin, he found it smooth, emitting a cool sensation, not at all like the fiery, burning entire body people usually thought a Fire Qilin would have, living by consuming strong flames and cultivating. Contrary to the belief that a Fire Qilin is entirely engulfed in flames and unbearably hot, Ye Tianchen found the young Fire Qilin's skin to instead be cool to the touch, a surprising discovery for a creature hailed as part of the Immortal Beast clan.

Just thinking about it felt unbelievable. Imagine an Immortal Beast that feeds on flames, always living within fires potent enough to burn everything, consuming flames daily, enduring fiery burns inside and out year after year. Its entire body should be scaldingly hot and unapproachable. Why then was the young Fire Qilin's skin cool?

As Ye Tianchen briefly interacted with the young Fire Qilin, they became increasingly familiar. The little creature indeed stopped attacking, which reassured Ye Tianchen. Since the little one didn't let him leave and wanted company, he decided to play along. If he could befriend the young Fire Qilin, entering the Flame Valley in the future would be much easier, essentially unimpeded.

"There's nothing much fun here. How do you want me to play with you?" Ye Tianchen thought for a moment and then asked the young Fire Qilin, which was only the size of a kitten.

The young Fire Qilin seemed to furrow its brow as if pondering. After a moment, it suddenly jumped far away from Ye Tianchen, opened its mouth, and spat out a flame. The flame shaped itself into a little Fire Qilin, exuding powerful energy, flying towards Ye Tianchen with a force surpassing even the flames from the first and second layers of the Flame Valley. It startled Ye Tianchen. What was this little one trying to do? Was it trying to kill him again?

Bang!

Ye Tianchen swiftly dodged, and the small Qilin flame exploded at once, startling Ye Tianchen. He recalled a legend that the Fire Qilin, revered as an Immortal Beast, possesses a powerful Divine Art from birth — the "Qilin Fire Skill," immensely formidable. A small display could be like what this Fire Qilin just did, while a large one could sweep across the entire Heavenly Vault, an immense power that can be both vast and diminutive.

The "Qilin Fire Skill," it is said, is a Divine Art every Fire Qilin brings from the womb, showcasing tremendous strength. This art involves refining the flames the Fire Qilin devours daily, integrating them with its blood and flesh. So when unleashing the "Qilin Fire Skill," the power explosively emerges from within the Fire Qilin, incredibly formidable.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Before Ye Tianchen could react, several flame strikes resembling Qilins came rushing towards him. He didn't dare to confront them head-on, nor did he risk countering randomly. All he could do was use the "Divine Movement Skill" to its utmost potential, constantly shifting his position to dodge these Qilin-shaped flames. Meanwhile, the Little Fire Qilin, now only the size of a cat, appeared to be having an absolute blast, incessantly spewing these Qilin-shaped flames from its mouth, playing with Ye Tianchen.

After an hour had passed, Ye Tianchen was utterly exhausted, collapsed on the ground. Navigating the second layer of the Fire Domain within this Flame Valley, he had to allocate part of his Essence, Energy, Spirit to maintain the Sixteen-character Mantra of the Buddhist Sect, otherwise, his flesh could be incinerated to ashes at any moment. Moreover, he had to continually employ the "Divine Movement Skill" to evade the Little Fire Qilin's "Qilin Fire Skill." For Ye Tianchen, the expenditure was enormous, leaving him so tired he sat on the ground in a huff, looking at the Little Fire Qilin and saying, "You're full of energy and had your fun, but I'm so tired I'm hungry!"

Upon hearing Ye Tianchen's words, the Little Fire Qilin unexpectedly scampered over to Ye Tianchen's side, gently rubbing its small head against his arm, seemingly expressing gratitude for playing along, leaving Ye Tianchen at a loss whether to laugh or cry. He could only look at the Little Fire Qilin and say, "From now on, we're friends. When I have time, I'll come here often to play with you."

"Mm-hmm!" The Little Fire Qilin couldn't speak the language of the Human Clan, only making a couple of such sounds.

"Wow, my stomach is growling. I'd better head back, and I'll come play with you another day!" Ye Tianchen said while gently stroking the Little Fire Qilin's head.

Suddenly, the Little Fire Qilin bit onto Ye Tianchen's sleeve with its little mouth, preventing him from standing up. After making a sound towards Ye Tianchen, it then ran towards the deeper part of the second layer of the Fire Domain. Ye Tianchen was taken aback. What was this little creature trying to do? Was it going to fetch something?

Ye Tianchen waited there for over two hours, sufficient for his Martial Arts True Qi to almost completely recover, yet he hadn't seen the Little Fire Qilin return. Just as he was preparing to leave, suddenly a flash of fire darted towards him, and Ye Tianchen saw clearly that it was indeed the Little Fire Qilin. It had now returned to its original size, emanating the fierce power of an Immortal Beast all over. At this moment, even Ye Tianchen dared not approach lightly, the powerful aura of the Immortal Beast was astonishing.

When the Little Fire Qilin shrunk back to the size of a cat, he saw in its mouth a crystalline, grape-sized object shining with firelight, which it placed in Ye Tianchen's right palm. Upon touching this grape-sized object, Ye Tianchen felt a surge of immense power, a force that swept across the heavens and the earth. It both shocked and ignited in Ye Tianchen a longing for this power. He was truly amazed—this kind of object he had never seen before, and even though it was only the size of a grape, it concealed such immense energy. What on earth was it?

"Mmm!" The Little Fire Qilin made a gesture indicating for Ye Tianchen to eat the object.

"No way, I don't even know what this object is yet. Even though it's only grape-sized, it seems to harbor titanic energy. If I recklessly swallow it and can't refine its energy, that would be bad, possibly ending in an explosion and death!" Ye Tianchen glanced at the grape-sized object in his right palm, hesitating to say to the Little Fire Qilin.

Upon hearing Ye Tianchen's words, the Little Fire Qilin shook its head, then used one of its front paws to thump its own chest. This was to assure Ye Tianchen that it had eaten the object itself, not only showing no adverse effects but also becoming stronger. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)

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