Chapter 115: The Platinum Winged Divine Tiger

"Feeling motivated" is easy to say, but for Li Ren, this was truly how he felt. It would be more accurate to say that after wandering in a state of confusion for so long, he had finally found a goal he desired.

There was a reason to grow stronger, and he had found it. To seek strength without a purpose—that was never a healthy mindset.

As monster after monster vanished before his eyes, swallowed whole by Mao Mao, the massive influx of experience finally triggered its third evolution. This meant its final mountable form was about to be revealed.

Level 80! The third evolution!

As Mao Mao absorbed the last of the heap of monster corpses, a dazzling radiance enveloped it, encasing it in a colossal egg made of pure light. This egg was countless times larger than the one Mao Mao had hatched from. Even Li Ren felt a sense of oppression standing before it, though fortunately, the process did not last long.

The light quickly contracted, rushing into Mao Mao’s body as if being devoured. Under the influence of this surging energy, the creature’s body grew rapidly. The skeletal frame that had inherited Li Ren’s own structure expanded to a massive size. When it casually flapped its wings, the resulting gale was so powerful it struck Li Ren as almost comical. Who would have thought that a few withered, branch-like bones could generate wind with the force of a massive fan?

Yet, that was exactly what Mao Mao’s wings were like. Despite being nothing but bare, fleshless bone, every flap stirred up a storm of immense proportions.

The tuft of down on its head, which had once been mistaken for mere fur, had finally revealed its true form. It was no longer soft fuzz, but a sharp, singular horn rising directly from its crown, its jagged, lethal point bearing no resemblance to the softness of the past. It looked significantly more formidable now.

A terrifying dragon’s form now stood before Li Ren. Although it was still relatively small—only about three meters in length—and could not be compared to the dragons that had appeared during the monster siege, one could not forget that Mao Mao was a creature that could continue to evolve. Furthermore, as a dragon, it naturally possessed terrifying abilities. Add to that the fact that it had once suppressed a powerful, mysterious, and unknown soul, and it was clear that a creature with suppression attributes could hardly be weak.

**Holy Winged Flame Dragon**
**Level: 80**
**Evolution Stage: 3**
**Mountable**

Li Ren looked at the brief description, feeling deeply satisfied. He had finally brought this creature’s level up to match his own. Given the terrifying attributes Mao Mao had accumulated from devouring countless monsters along the way, it was now in no way inferior to Li Ren himself. Moreover, its massive size and dragon heritage made it incredibly powerful.

Seeing the faint glimmer of red spirit-fire igniting in Mao Mao’s eyes, Li Ren could sense the budding of a faint, nascent intelligence. Deciding not to interfere, he let Mao Mao loose, allowing it to slaughter the remaining monsters at will. Relying on its already heaven-defying abilities like "Devour Heaven and Earth" and "Soul Storm," Li Ren had no concerns about its safety, especially since the evolution had granted it even more enhancements.

What caught Li Ren’s attention most, however, was a short, new line on Mao Mao’s status: *Flame Dragon Inheritance*. Anything that carried an "Inheritance" was without exception a monstrous existence; there was no telling what kind of incredibly powerful abilities might be contained within such a legacy. Furthermore, as a dragon, its raw physical power was immense, making quick work of the monsters before them.

Just as the two of them were whipping up a frenzy of slaughter in the Phantom Mountains, a roar filled with obvious madness erupted from not far away. The aura of crazed bloodshed contained in that sound forced the monsters surrounding Li Ren to freeze in place, despite them being mere fragmented souls of the Heavenly Evil, devoid of true self-awareness.

The madness in that roar drew the attention of both Li Ren and Mao Mao. Seeing that Mao Mao seemed interested, Li Ren didn't hesitate. There weren't many monsters left in this area anyway, and continuing to hunt here wasn't efficient. It was time to move on. He climbed onto Mao Mao’s back, and with a powerful beat of its wings, the two soared off at high speed toward the source of the sound.

One had to admit, a flying mount was worth its weight in gold; the prowess of the dragon race was truly no exaggeration. Even with the modifications Li Ren had made to his own body, his maximum flight speed didn't even reach half of Mao Mao’s. One could only imagine how fast it was moving.

Violent winds hammered against them. If not for the fact that both of them were essentially made of bone—allowing the wind to pass harmlessly through the gaps—they would have had to expend significant effort just to overcome that gale, making such speeds impossible.

Before long, they arrived at the source of the roar. A series of crazed bellows continued to echo from the terrain below. Li Ren squinted for a long moment before a white figure suddenly burst out from a field of jagged rocks.

It had wings on its back, a coat of white and gold, and eyes like cold, predatory stars. The source of that maddened roaring was the gaping, blood-red maw of this beast.

"I didn't expect it to be a Platinum Winged God-Tiger!" Li Ren stared at the creature for a long time, finally recalling its origins.

There had been some brief, albeit distinct, information about this creature on his map. As the only wandering Lord-level boss in the Phantom Mountains, Li Ren had always been curious about it. After all, the Phantom Mountains were usually strictly partitioned; where things were supposed to be was predetermined. Like the Skeleton Mountain, which only contained skeletons, those creatures would only ever appear on that specific peak.

This beast was the only one clearly marked on the map as a red-level "Lord" that had no fixed residence. Although he had only glanced at it briefly, a creature capable of roaming the central Phantom Mountains without being torn apart by other Lords must possess immense strength. Who would have let it act so arrogantly otherwise?

He never expected to encounter it under these circumstances.

At just over level 80, Li Ren had never entertained the thought of seeking out a Lord-level boss in the heart of the Phantom Mountains. Even in the outer regions like Skeleton Mountain, the Lords were at least level 150—there was no telling what level this creature was!

Yet, if he were to leave now, he would certainly be filled with regret. It would be difficult to cross paths with it again. Just as Li Ren hesitated, he discovered something extremely bizarre.