Forget it. Tomorrow, she would change locations.
Xu Chunniang felt that she could actually venture a little deeper; going to White Lion Ridge was somewhat too conservative.
Starting tomorrow, she would go to Tiger Gorge Mountain.
Compared to White Lion Ridge, Tiger Gorge Mountain was a whole level more dangerous.
There were quite a few fierce Cloud Tiger Beasts there.
Any random Cloud Tiger Beast was at least at the fourth level of Qi Condensation. It was said that deep within Tiger Gorge Mountain, there was a Cloud Tiger King that had even reached the sixth level of Qi Condensation.
A fourth-level Qi Condensation Cloud Tiger Beast had useful hide, flesh, and bones. One alone was worth forty or fifty spirit stones.
Xu Chunniang pondered secretly. Although she had no spirit artifact, she possessed talismans of every attribute. Against a fourth-level Qi Condensation Cloud Tiger, she had the strength to fight.
Wealth and honor were sought amid danger. As long as she killed two Cloud Tigers, she could buy herself a spirit artifact.
If she could kill three, she would also have the money for talisman brushes and talisman ink.
After weighing her options, Xu Chunniang finally stopped going to White Lion Ridge and instead headed toward Tiger Gorge Mountain.
Tiger Gorge Mountain was already some distance from Green Mountain Town. Xu Chunniang prepared herself for the possibility that she might not make it back and would have to spend the night in the mountains.
After hurrying along for half a day, Xu Chunniang finally entered the bounds of Tiger Gorge Mountain.
The demonic beasts in Tiger Gorge Mountain truly could not be compared to those in White Lion Ridge. The moment Xu Chunniang stepped into the mountain, she heard a tiger roar that shook heaven and earth. A Cloud Tiger had discovered her trail!
She looked toward the source of the sound, and her expression changed slightly. It was actually a fifth-level Qi Condensation Cloud Tiger!
A fifth-level Qi Condensation demonic beast was one level above even her true cultivation. Even if she could win, it would be a brutal battle.
Xu Chunniang made her decision at once. As she used Spirit Void Steps to retreat, she dispelled the Hidden Spirit Art and fiercely compressed her cultivation.
The aura around her changed abruptly. It rapidly rose from the third level Qi Condensation to the fourth level, then the fifth level, and finally the sixth level Qi Condensation!
Hesitation flashed through the Cloud Tiger Beast's eyes, and it became somewhat afraid to advance.
Seizing this chance, Xu Chunniang pushed Spirit Void Steps to its limit and swiftly retreated.
Only after she had run five li and confirmed that she was safe did she stop.
"Whew, good thing I ran fast!"
Xu Chunniang wiped the sweat from her forehead. She had not expected to encounter a fifth-level Qi Condensation Cloud Tiger Beast the moment she entered Tiger Gorge Mountain.
Fortunately, what she had encountered was not a Wind Cloud Tiger known for its speed.
But the good news was that the demonic beasts of Tiger Gorge Mountain far surpassed those of White Lion Ridge in both quality and quantity. At the very least, she no longer had to worry about failing to find demonic beasts.
After resting, Xu Chunniang withdrew the Manifesting Spirit Art, revealing her true fourth-level cultivation, and set off toward Tiger Gorge Mountain once more.
This time, she entered the mountain from another direction, deliberately avoiding the previous area.
She entered Tiger Gorge Mountain fairly smoothly this time and did not attract any demonic beasts.
Xu Chunniang did not dare venture too deeply and instead searched around this area.
After making a circuit, she did not encounter any Cloud Tiger Beasts, but she did catch a second-level Qi Condensation fox.
"I'll use this fox as bait and see if I can lure out a Cloud Tiger Beast."
After tying up the fox's legs, Xu Chunniang made a wound on its body, then hid not far away.
Bound up, the fox struggled in terror. As it struggled, more blood flowed from its wound, and a thick stench of blood soon spread through the air.
Xu Chunniang remained motionless behind a rock, ready to strike at any moment.
At last, the nearest Cloud Tiger Beast was drawn by the scent of blood and approached the fox.
Xu Chunniang suppressed the excitement in her heart. The one that had come was a fourth-level Qi Condensation Fire Cloud Tiger Beast—her most suitable opponent.
Her hand seals flew, and spiritual power poured forth. Three water spheres appeared from thin air around the Fire Cloud Tiger, closing in to envelop it.
But the Fire Cloud Tiger leaped into the air and actually sprang straight out of the encirclement of the three water spheres. Turning around, it opened its jaws and spat out a huge mass of flame, instantly burning all three water spheres away!
Xu Chunniang's eyes narrowed. It had actually broken her Water Bind Technique. This Fire Cloud Tiger was indeed extraordinary!
With a flick of her fingers, a talisman appeared in each hand, and she shot them at the Fire Cloud Tiger!
The two Wind Blade Talismans abruptly exploded as they neared the Fire Cloud Tiger, transforming into two wind blades that slashed across its body.
Yet when the two wind blades struck the Fire Cloud Tiger, they only damaged a little of its fur. Still, those two talismans had bought Xu Chunniang some time.
Enraged, the Fire Cloud Tiger opened its mouth and spewed a great blast of flames at Xu Chunniang.
Xu Chunniang shifted her body, appearing on the other side in the blink of an eye. Three enhanced water spheres swept toward the Fire Cloud Tiger.
This time, she gave the Fire Cloud Tiger no chance to escape, and it was quickly bound within the water spheres.
Seizing this opportunity, Xu Chunniang rapidly cast the Spirit Blast Technique. She skipped one round of division and directly performed a second division, compressing four clumps of Explosive Spiritual Qi before splitting that Explosive Spiritual Qi once more!
In an extremely short time, she had made the Wood Spiritual Qi undergo three fissions.
At that moment, the Fire Cloud Tiger let out an enraged roar and actually broke free from the three enormous water spheres, pouncing toward Xu Chunniang!
Xu Chunniang used Spirit Void Steps to shift to the right. After evading the pounce, she controlled the Explosive Spiritual Qi and sent it clinging to the Fire Cloud Tiger.
The Fire Cloud Tiger faintly sensed danger and was about to retreat when the Explosive Spiritual Qi detonated all at once!
"Boom!"
Eight clumps of Explosive Spiritual Qi exploded at the Fire Cloud Tiger's throat, blasting a gaping hole through it. It died on the spot.
"Good thing I targeted its weak point. Otherwise, I might not have been able to kill it in a single strike."
After killing the Fire Cloud Tiger, Xu Chunniang swiftly stepped forward and stored it in her Storage Bag. She did not even collect the demonic blood on the ground before racing away.
After all, Tiger Gorge Mountain was no White Lion Ridge. Danger lurked on every side here; she had no time to slowly collect blood.
Xu Chunniang's decision was undoubtedly the right one. Not long after she left, three Cloud Tiger Beasts appeared where she had killed the Fire Cloud Tiger, letting out roar after roar.
Two of them were, astonishingly, fifth-level Qi Condensation Cloud Tigers.
If Xu Chunniang had remained where she was, encountering them would have been utterly disastrous.
After leaving Tiger Gorge Mountain, Xu Chunniang returned to the relatively safe outskirts of the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range.
Her face was slightly pale from spiritual power exhaustion, but her expression was full of excitement.
This trip to Tiger Gorge Mountain had yielded a rich harvest. Not only had she obtained a fourth-level Qi Condensation Fire Cloud Tiger, but under the pressure of danger, she had also awakened her potential and greatly increased the casting speed of the Spirit Blast Technique.
Fourth-level Qi Condensation demonic beasts were somewhat troublesome, but they were not too difficult to deal with.
However, she could handle only one demonic beast at a time. Any more than that, and she would have to flee.
Xu Chunniang suppressed the many distracting thoughts in her heart, chose a large tree with luxuriant branches and leaves, and sat cross-legged in its canopy to recover.
Her spiritual power was currently exhausted. Even though this was the outskirts of the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range, it was still highly dangerous. Restoring her spiritual power was the most urgent matter.
By the time she had fully replenished her spiritual power, night had fallen.
From time to time, the roars of demonic beasts drifted over from the distance.
Double update is here! Have a happy weekend!
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