Open and Aboveboard Sneak Attack!

At this moment, the door of the Mountain God Temple was pushed open once again.

This time, a group of traveling merchants passing through the area entered.

Judging by their attire, they should have come from elsewhere. If they were locals, they would not have dared enter Weihu Mountain even if they had to take a detour.

Zhou Yan took the initiative to strike up a conversation with them, asking during the chat whether they did not know that Weihu Mountain had demons.

The leading merchant wiped the rain from his face and said,

"There's no helping it. If we don't pick up the pace, none of our goods will sell. Then the whole family will have to drink the northwest wind."

Bai Xue, dressed in green, asked curiously, "If you can't sell them, why not do some other business?"

"We don't have the capital."

"Can't you borrow a few hundred taels of silver from relatives and friends? That should be easy, shouldn't it?"

The merchants looked at one another, staring at the pretty young girl.

Li Xuanxiao, hidden within the shrine, glanced at Bai Xue. Let them eat meat porridge, brought to life~

Zhou Yan shot Bai Xue a look, then smiled apologetically at the merchants.

"My apologies. My junior sister is unfamiliar with worldly affairs. Please do not take offense."

The merchants waved their hands.

Zhou Yan continued, "What can a few hundred taels of silver do? If you're borrowing money, you should borrow several thousand taels—enough to start a business.

"Otherwise, I think you could rent out your homes and farmland, let others cultivate them, and collect the rent. That's what my family does."

The merchants: ...

Li Xuanxiao remarked, You and your junior sister are the same bird of a feather, so don't mock each other.

The leading merchant gave an awkward smile and was about to say something.

Just then, a deep roar suddenly sounded outside.

The sound seemed to come from ancient times, piercing through layer upon layer of wind and rain and drilling straight into everyone's ears.

Amid the ravaging wind and torrential rain, the roar was astonishingly clear, like a sharp sword cleaving through the sky.

All the merchants were startled.

Could their luck really be this bad? Had they actually run into that Tiger Demon!?

Zhou Yan, Bai Xue, Qingfeng, and Qingming remained as calm as ever.

They were even somewhat pleasantly surprised. After all, they had come specifically for the Tiger Demon.

They had thought it would take some effort, but the Tiger Demon had delivered itself to their doorstep so quickly.

The already crumbling, dilapidated doors of the Mountain God Temple were torn apart by the fierce gale.

A cold wind carrying the scent of rainwater and mud howled inside, making everyone present shiver.

Everyone's gazes were drawn toward the doorway as if by prior agreement.

In the pouring rain, an enormous tiger's head suddenly emerged from the darkness!

Its body was massive and imposing, like a moving hill.

Above that tiger head, a pair of bell-sized eyes gleamed with a chilling light.

Above the giant beast's head, huge flashes of lightning tore through the pitch-black night sky from time to time, illuminating the surroundings as brightly as day.

With every flash of lightning, the tiger's fur reflected a dazzling radiance, making it appear even more savage and terrifying.

The merchants had long since gone pale with fright. Where had they ever seen such a gigantic tiger?

The tiger suddenly halted, and a contemptuous glint flashed through its eyes.

"More cultivators who overestimate themselves!"

Zhou Yan snorted coldly and stepped forward, shielding the merchants. "Whether we overestimate ourselves or not, we'll find out after we try."

Qingfeng pressed his palms together. "Tiger Benefactor, the sea of suffering has no shore; turn back, and you will reach the bank. Lay down your butcher's knife, and you may become a Buddha on the spot. Amitabha."

The white-browed tiger let out a roar. "Stop babbling and hand over your lives!!"

Four figures shot out of the temple almost at the same time and began battling the Tiger Demon.

"The chain of sword moves looked incomparably fierce, but upon close inspection, one could find quite a few openings.

"Though the movements were fairly nimble, the transitions between each move were somewhat rushed and lacked steadiness.

"Especially when performing more complex sword forms, the weakness of shallow skill and an unstable foundation became all too apparent.

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching the author instead—it may simply have been renamed!

"The essence of the Xuantian Sword Sect's sword arts lies in their continuity and stability.

"Yet the swordsmanship displayed by this person, though somewhat similar in appearance, had failed to truly grasp the mysteries within..."

As Li Xuanxiao watched the battle, he observed Zhou Yan, whose swordsmanship was the strongest among them.

"The palm arts of Fahua Temple truly live up to their reputation!"

Under the righteous group beating administered by the four of them, the white-browed tiger retreated step by step.

The white-browed tiger let out an enraged roar.

Clouds followed dragons; winds followed tigers.

A violent gale swept through the area.

Li Xuanxiao's Spiritual Sense stirred.

There were two Tiger Demons on Weihu Mountain. Now, the other one had appeared.

The moment this Tiger Demon appeared, it radiated a powerful aura that was impossible to ignore, leaving everyone present astonished.

Its entire body was snow-white, as though covered in a thick layer of snow. Without a single stray hair, it was crystalline and translucent, giving off a faint cold gleam.

Compared to the previous Tiger Demon, it was even larger—more than twice its size.

"What petty scoundrels dare harm my husband!!"

The situation immediately became two against four.

"Hiss!"

Zhou Yan's expression changed slightly.

Something was wrong. The information said that both Tiger Demons were at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

Yet this female tiger had already reached Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, a Half-step Golden Core.

This female tiger was even more vicious. Relying on her powerful body, she attacked without restraint.

What made her even harder to deal with was that her combat instincts far surpassed those of the Male Tiger.

She feinted, then pounced on Bai Xue, the weakest among the four.

"Junior Sister, watch out!!"

Zhou Yan wanted to turn back to save her, but it was already too late.

Bai Xue held her longsword and thrust fiercely at the vicious female tiger.

However, the female tiger was extraordinarily quick to react. She swung her huge, powerful claw and viciously slapped the blade.

The longsword in Bai Xue's hand was sent flying as easily as a weightless feather.

At that critical moment, a snow-white, gleaming sword light suddenly shot forth like lightning!

The sword light was incredibly fast, carrying an incomparably fierce momentum as it shot straight toward the female tiger.

Li Xuanxiao burst out from within the statue.

The sword light came too swiftly for the female tiger to evade.

It pierced through her chest and sent her flying backward.

Li Xuanxiao's style was simple: if he did not strike, so be it.

But once he struck, it was steady, precise, and ruthless!!

An Open and Aboveboard Sneak Attack!!

Having landed his blow, he did not waste a single word.

A talisman, long prepared in his hand, flew out in the same motion.

Bird in a Cage.

The talisman formed a cage and trapped the female tiger.

At the same time, he thrust out another sword.

Just then, an angry shout rang out.

"Do not harm my wife!"

A figure blocked the tip of Li Xuanxiao's sword.

It was the Male Tiger.

Li Xuanxiao's sword pierced through his body.