This colossal beast was actually a Saint Grade Spirit Beast?
Jiang Chen concealed himself at a distance, hiding in the shadows to watch. Hearing the Fire Crow King's words, he couldn't help but look toward the great beast.
A name immediately surfaced in his mind — the Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard.
This was a branch of the ancient Dragon clan, carrying within its bloodline a portion of Dragon blood. Though it had been passed down through countless generations, constantly diluted, as a Dragon clan offshoot the Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard still possessed certain Dragon traits in many respects.
For instance, the scales covering its body were shaped in the distinctive pattern unique to the Dragon clan.
For instance, its four limbs — although they weren't quite the same as a Dragon's claws and their offensive capability couldn't even begin to compare with the Dragon clan's talons, their outward appearance was remarkably similar.
Since it carried Dragon blood, no matter how thin that bloodline might be, it was Dragon blood all the same.
And so, the Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard's evolutionary potential was formidable, and its strength naturally defied the heavens as well. This particular Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard had reached the Saint Grade level, equivalent to a Yuan Realm old monster among humans.
Saint Grade sounded impressive, but as a Dragon clan descendant, this Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard's evolutionary rank was actually considered rather low.
Moreover, this Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard had died of old age still at the Saint Grade level, proving that the purity of the Dragon bloodline within its body had become vanishingly thin.
Otherwise, with the power of Dragon blood, it would never have stopped evolving at just the Saint Grade.
A Saint Grade Spirit Beast that died of old age would have had a lifespan of at least ten thousand years.
After all, Spirit Beasts generally lived longer than humans.
A Yuan Realm ancestor among humans, absent any catastrophe, could typically live past three to five thousand years, and with good fortune, some survived to seven or eight thousand — there were even rumors of Yuan Realm cultivators living past ten thousand years.
But all in all, under normal circumstances, Spirit Beasts did enjoy somewhat longer lifespans.
Whether Spirit Beast or human cultivator, once one's lifespan drew near and could no longer be reversed, all the power in one's body would gradually dissipate. One would slowly regress to being an ordinary mortal, and ultimately wither away to old age, dying a natural death.
Judging by the Fire Crow King's tone, this Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard was clearly a setting sun — its lifespan nearly spent.
As one's lifespan drew close, all the power in the body would gradually scatter. This Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard clearly wasn't willing to accept that reality.
Even a monster that had lived for ten thousand years couldn't face death with equanimity. Before one's lifespan was fully exhausted and one's lamp ran dry of oil, there was inevitably a last desperate struggle.
Jiang Chen suddenly recalled that when he had been sneaking through the depths of the stone cliffs, hadn't he felt a powerful wave of energy flash past at great speed?
Now that he thought about it, it must have been this Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard on the move.
And this Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard must have been heading straight for the Cloud Blaze Essence.
It was precisely because it had seized the Cloud Blaze Essence that it was pursued by the Fire Crow clan, fighting all the way to this place. The fire crows lying dead along the route must have been the handiwork of this Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard.
The Cloud Blaze Essence was a rare natural treasure. If the Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard swallowed it, it could indeed supplement its vitality to a certain degree, slowing the rate at which its power dissipated and delaying the arrival of the Reaper.
But for the Fire Crow King, the Cloud Blaze Essence was its lifeline — the key to whether it could advance to the Saint Grade.
Having it snatched away by the Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard naturally sent the Fire Crow King into a towering rage, and it brought the entire Fire Crow army in pursuit.
They had fought all the way to this spot and at last managed to corner the beast.
After a brutal clash, both sides ended up severely wounded, neither able to finish the other off.
The Fire Crow King was powerful, and it had a massive brood of offspring, but ultimately it was only at the peak of the Spirit Grade. Its advantages lay in numbers and mobility.
However, a peak Spirit Grade facing a Saint Grade Spirit Beast would naturally find its offensive power greatly diminished. And so, it couldn't simply eliminate the Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard in one go.
The Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard was a Saint Grade Spirit Beast, but its lifespan had been all but exhausted, leaving it in a state of near total collapse. More than half its cultivation had already dissipated.
It was precisely because it retained less than two or three tenths of its peak power that it had been chased here so desperately by the Fire Crow clan.
Otherwise, at its peak, wiping out the Fire Crow clan would have been a matter of the blink of an eye.
"A Saint Grade Spirit Beast really isn't something to trifle with. Even a Saint Grade on the verge of death was enough to inflict devastating casualties on the arrogant Fire Crow clan. It seems that although the Fire Crow King talked tough, it didn't come out of this looking too good either."
Jiang Chen could see that although the great beast was barely clinging to life, utterly exhausted, the Fire Crow King wasn't in much better shape.
At the very least, it had no certainty that it could finish off the Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard for good.
Otherwise, with the Fire Crow King's savage nature, why would it still be wasting words? It would have already ordered its offspring to swarm and attack the Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard.
Lying flat on the ground, the Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard let out a low growl and spoke in a tone of negotiation: "Stinking feather-bag, I've already swallowed the Cloud Blaze Essence. If you keep pressing me, we'll only destroy each other. Why not call off the fight right here? Let me refine the Cloud Blaze Essence and recover a portion of my power. If I ever get a chance to survive, I will find a way to repay you — tenfold."
The situation favored the one with greater strength.