Roar!
Even the crazed eyes of the Giant Tiger seemed to sense the overwhelming killing intent in the air. A flicker of struggle briefly surfaced amidst its madness, a sliver of rationality flashing through its mind, only to be instantly submerged by the surging frenzy.
Its fury intensified, its primal instincts pushed to their absolute limit.
A Demonic Wind suddenly erupted, and the Giant Tiger's terrifying form charged forward with relentless force. It first collided with the Blade Light that had arrived faster than its own momentum. The crescent-shaped radiance, capable of crushing the darkness, left only a shallow bloody scratch on the beast's hide.
Then—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three pale golden needles struck the Giant Tiger's body, producing metallic clangs.
In the next instant, azure and pale golden Sword Light descended simultaneously, only to shatter into a shower of Spirit Light.
The Giant Tiger Demon burst through the dispersing fragments, its body swarming with Gold Devouring Insects. These creatures, capable of devouring Magic Artifacts, could only leave fine bloody streaks on the demon's hide. After a violent shudder, the insects cascaded to the ground.
A sword's cry echoed from the heavens, its light piercing like a thunderbolt from the nine heavens.
Sensing imminent danger through its primal instincts, the Tiger Demon abruptly raised its head. An invisible wave erupted from its bloodshot, crazed eyes, directly confronting Chu Jinmo's Spirit Sword.
Divine Ability: Eyes of Imprisonment.
The Spirit Light descending from the heavens abruptly halted, revealing the true form of the Spirit Sword—a silver blade struggling against invisible bonds. Its nascent sentience, like that of a newborn infant, was overwhelmed by this sudden imprisonment. Its frantic thrashing only intensified its panic.
At that very moment, the Tiger Demon raised its head.
A silent, black shadow circled around from below, piercing upward to embed itself deep within the demon's throat.
Han Yi, who had relied solely on the Sword Control Technique to maintain stealth, felt a flicker of elation before his expression darkened.
The Shadowless Sword, now lodged in the Giant Tiger's throat, was trapped between its bones, utterly immobile. Only the black hilt remained visible, barely discernible in the darkness.
ROAR!!!
A thunderous roar shattered the night, carrying a terrifying wave of Demonic Power that crashed against the group like a physical force, far more savage and unhinged than its previous howls.
The group's faces froze in absolute terror.
In truth, their horror had begun earlier.
When Liu Ke's Blade Light had managed only a shallow scratch on the Tiger Demon's hide, the group had already been deeply shaken.
And then...
The golden needle clattered to the ground, followed by the shattering of sword lights. Even the Gold Devouring Insects from the High-Grade Magic Artifact, the Gold Devouring Cauldron, could only leave fine streaks of blood on the Tiger Demon's hide. The collective horror of the crowd reached its peak.
Then, a Divine Ability froze the Spirit Sword in place as the Tiger Demon turned and unleashed a deafening roar that shook the heavens.
Despite their concentrated, all-out assault, they hadn't managed to inflict even a scratch on the Giant Tiger.
Realizing their defeat was inevitable, panic surged through the crowd, and the urge to flee took root.
But the air itself seemed to solidify. The Tiger Demon's Eyes of Imprisonment, still glowing with Divine Ability, turned upon them like a mountain, pinning them in place.
In truth, the silver Spirit Sword hovering mid-air had already broken free from the Eyes of Imprisonment's restraint and regained its mobility. However, recently forged and lacking in true intelligence, it was paralyzed by fear. Had it dared to strike again, the outcome might have been different.
With a mournful hum, the Spirit Sword plummeted from the sky like a chastened child seeking solace in its family's embrace. It landed gently in the scabbard behind Chu Jinmo, trembling slightly.
At that moment, a Demonic Wind swept through, and the Tiger Demon lunged.
As the power of the Eyes of Imprisonment dissipated, the crowd instinctively glanced sideways and backward, their faces etched with terror.
The Tiger Demon, over three meters tall, lowered its crimson, savage eyes. In its jaws, it held a human figure, the upper body completely obscured, leaving only the lower half visible. The legs twitched faintly as blood dripped from the demon's mouth.
Lowering its gaze further, beneath the giant tiger's paw pressed against the ground lay another figure. From the neck down, the body had been crushed into the earth, leaving only a solitary head tilted sideways, its eyes frozen in eternal terror.
Too fast, too fast, too fast.
In the aftermath of the giant tiger's thunderous roar and savage pounce, Liu Ke, a Ninth Layer Qi Refinement cultivator positioned on the flank of the seven-person team, and He Ze, an Eighth Layer Qi Refinement cultivator who practiced the Sword Guiding Technique, had already met their deaths.
From the moment the giant tiger landed to this instant, barely a breath and a half had passed.
"Run!" He Fengdi screamed, his voice cracking with panic.
Even as he cried out, he surged into the darkness, pulling a Spirit Talisman from his Storage Pouch and slapping it onto his body. A flash of light propelled him a hundred meters away.
Simultaneously, Shen Ru and Li Yi scattered in opposite directions, each employing their own escape methods to reach maximum speed in an instant.
But Chu Jinmo was faster than all of them.
Before anyone else could turn, the Spirit Sword on her back had already made the decision for her.
The Spirit Sword leaped out, hovering horizontally in the void. Upon witnessing the horrific scene behind her, Chu Jinmo lightly sprang onto the blade. Before soaring into the sky, she glanced around and froze in astonishment. Han Yi, who had been right beside her moments ago, was now a hundred meters away, moving just as swiftly as He Fengdi, who was enhanced by a Spirit Talisman.
Chu Jinmo's shock lasted only an instant. Recovering quickly, she dismissed the thought, and the Spirit Sword shot skyward, vanishing in a blur.
A Sword Immortal, even in the Qi Refining Stage, could harness a Spirit Sword to achieve flight. In contrast, only a rare few Late-Stage Qi Refining cultivators could manage flight using specialized Magic Artifacts, and even then, their methods were far less convenient than a Sword Immortal's.
In that instant, the five cultivators scattered in all directions, fleeing for their lives. This was their long-established rule: in the face of an overwhelming Demon Beast or enemy, each would escape alone.
Meanwhile, the Tiger Demon, its jaws still dripping with the blood of the cultivator it had just torn in half, roared again. The sword lodged in its throat, the near-boiling frenzy of blood coursing through its veins, and the corrupted, pitch-black Demonic Power churning within kept it perpetually teetering on the brink of madness.
After rampaging and destroying the immediate area, the Tiger Demon seemed to catch a scent and charged off in a specific direction.
Ten breaths after the Tiger Demon's disappearance, three figures emerged near the utterly devastated tree hollow.
"Hey, this Tiger Demon is really coming in handy," the youth on the left remarked.
"Even Martial Uncle An, who raised it in the Myriad Demon Mountain Range, never imagined it would be this effective," the youth added.
"This Demon Tiger isn't just an ordinary Demon Beast; it's taken a significant step toward becoming a Demon Cultivator. Calling it a half-step Demon Cultivator wouldn't be an exaggeration. Martial Uncle An kept it in the Myriad Demon Mountain Range not only to guard the Spirit Plant but also in the hope that it would take that final step and ascend to Demon Cultivation."
"What a pity. The Spirit Plant just happened to ripen at the same time as the Profound Pill Sect launched this mission. We had no choice but to sacrifice the Tiger Demon."
"However, the Blood Soul Curse works by corroding the Blood Demon's flesh and tainting its Demonic Power, indirectly burning its life force to drive it mad. This scheme can only last half a day at most," the youth on the right interjected.
The third youth, standing between the other two, wore a blood-red robe and carried a blood-red sword slung across his back. His expression remained calm as he glanced at the mangled corpses on the ground and nodded.
"Enough."
"Half a day is more than sufficient. Tonight, we placed the medicinal catalyst near the Profound Pill Sect disciples who were gathering in groups. As the Tiger Demon rampages through their ranks, killing some and scattering the rest, the hunting ground will be ours."
The calm-faced youth took a few steps forward, glancing at the spot where Chu Jinmo had stood moments before, then looked up at the sky.
"To think, there's actually a Sword Immortal among the Profound Pill Sect disciples."
A flicker of emotion crossed the youth's serene face as he uttered the words "Sword Immortal."
"Senior Brother Han, there's no need to worry," the youth on the left said. "That Sword Immortal is only at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining. Even the most renowned Sword Immortals, famed for their killing prowess, can't reliably overcome two layers in battle. And you, Senior Brother Han, are at the peak of the Ninth Layer—you wouldn't even fear a Foundation Establishment cultivator."
The youth on the left then frowned in confusion. "But isn't the Sword Immortal's legacy exclusive to that Land? How could someone from the Profound Pill Sect become a Sword Immortal?"
The youth in the middle regained his composure. "Let's move. We're responsible for tracking the Demon Tiger to prevent any surprises. Our junior brothers will take care of hunting down the scattered Profound Pill Sect disciples."
"As for that Sword Immortal, she's more complex than you think. For now, we'll ignore her."
"And remember this: if you encounter a Sword Immortal, kill her, but never humiliate her. If she dies in battle, it's merely proof of her insufficient training. But if she's humiliated, the people from that Land will come seeking retribution. Not just me—even the Blood God Sect will suffer."
The two Blood God Sect disciples, both at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, nodded in unison. Following the lead of the middle youth, they sped forward to catch up with the rampaging Demon Tiger.