Tiger Roar Severing Souls

The instant the masked assassin charged on horseback, Chen Qing moved.

Without the slightest hesitation, he stomped hard on the stirrup, his entire body launching like an arrow from a bow, soaring off his horse to meet the charging assassin!

Mid-air, his ring-hilted saber was already drawn! The blade was wreathed in dark red malevolent energy, no longer ostentatious as before, but contained like an abyss, carrying a deathly stillness that devoured all.

"Good!"

The masked assassin grunted hoarsely, his narrow curved saber slicing out in a strange arc. Before the blade even arrived, a bone-chilling saber intent locked onto Chen Qing, as if capable of freezing one's blood, qi, and soul.

Clang--!

The two sabers collided fiercely in mid-air!

There was no earth-shattering roar, only an extremely piercing, teeth-grinding screech of metal on metal! The dark red and the deep blue malevolent energies clashed violently, eroding each other, erupting in countless fine sparks!

Chen Qing felt an extremely cold and tricky force travel along the saber, attempting to freeze his meridians. Even his surrounding Fierce Tiger Domain faltered slightly. The opponent's strength was truly bizarre!

But the Mastery of Black Tiger True Intent within him instantly erupted. That domineering will, suppressing all directions, was like a scorching sun melting snow, instantly dispelling the invading cold! Simultaneously, the power of Fierce Tiger Iron Body reaching Mastery surged forth, dark red malevolent energy surging like lava!

"Break!"

Chen Qing roared, his wrist snapping with force. The dark red malevolent energy on his ring-hilted saber suddenly blazed, forcefully pushing back the deep blue saber light!

The masked assassin grunted, staggering back several yards with his horse. A flicker of shock flashed in his eyes. His "Mysterious Yin Fierce Saber" was always effective, specializing in breaking all sorts of protective qi. He never expected it to be so brutally broken by the opponent!

And at the very moment the two clashed!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

From the slopes on both sides, dozens of poisoned crossbow bolts shot out like venomous snakes towards the Black Tiger Camp formation!

"Shields up! Scatter!" Old Niu roared hoarsely.

The Black Tiger Camp soldiers reacted with extreme speed. Heavy shields were instantly raised, and their warhorses scattered to the sides simultaneously. Their movements were uniform, displaying a high level of training. However, a few soldiers reacted a fraction too late, struck by the crossbow bolts. They fell from their horses with screams, their wounds instantly turning black and festering!

"You dare!" Sun Quezi's eyes flashed with ferocity. Without waiting for Chen Qing's order, he led the soldiers under his command who were skilled in archery and crossbows, drawing their bows and nocking their arrows, launching a carpet counterattack towards the slopes on both sides!

At the same time, from the depths of the valley, nearly a hundred more black-clad assassins surged out, like ghosts, attacking the flanks of the Black Tiger Camp!

These assassins were clearly elites, with the lowest cultivation being the Skin Refining Realm. They coordinated seamlessly, their moves vicious and tricky, targeting vital points. Their style was completely different from the Northern Mang rangers!

"Form ranks! Annihilate them!" Old Niu roared, wielding his mace to engage. He clashed with an assassin wielding twin daggers, his mace whistling, incomparably fierce.

The entire Soul Severing Valley instantly turned into a brutal meat grinder!

Chen Qing and the masked assassin became the vortex at the center of the battlefield.

Foiled in the first exchange, the masked assassin no longer engaged head-on. His figure became elusive like a ghost, his narrow curved saber leaving trails of deep blue afterimages, attacking Chen Qing from all sorts of unbelievable angles, each strike aimed at a vital point. His movement technique was bizarre, his saber intent chilling, and he could even interfere with Chen Qing's Fierce Tiger Domain to a certain extent.

Chen Qing unleashed the Black Tiger Saber Technique to its absolute limit. His Mastery saber intent was integrated and perfected. At times, he was like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, powerful and heavy, forcing the opponent to meet his blow head-on; at other times, he was like a cunning cat playing with a mouse, his saber light unpredictable, always precisely intercepting the opponent's fatal attacks.

Clang clang clang clang!

The two fought at lightning speed, the sound of clashing blades continuous, malevolent energy spilling out, shredding the surrounding dust and withered grass.

Chen Qing could feel that the opponent's strength was immense, especially the chilling saber intent and bizarre movement technique, which caused him considerable trouble. But he was even more excited! Such an opponent was the perfect whetstone to hone his new realm!

He no longer held back, fully deploying his Fierce Tiger Domain. Within a ten-foot radius around him, dark red malevolent energy surged like a living creature, suppressing and eroding the masked assassin from all sides!

Simultaneously, his spine writhed like a dragon, channeling all the Meridian Condensing Realm malevolent energy and Black Tiger True Intent into his ring-hilted saber!

"Take this saber strike! Black Tiger Rips the Sky!"

He raised the ring-hilted saber high above his head. All the malevolent energy, true intent, and power were condensed onto the blade's edge, causing the dark red saber light to instantly shrink, becoming deep and dark, as if it could devour even light! Then, he slashed down!

There was no flashy saber energy, only a condensed to the extreme, thin black line that silently sliced through the air, heading straight for the opponent's face!

The masked assassin's pupils constricted. He felt a fatal threat from this saber strike! Where the black line passed, even space seemed to distort slightly!

He dared not meet it head-on. As he retreated rapidly, he danced his narrow curved saber in front of him, creating a deep blue screen of light, attempting to block.

Chii--!

The black line cut into the light screen, like a hot knife through butter. The condensed deep blue saber light was split in two from the middle! The black line's momentum did not diminish, and it directly struck the masked assassin's curved saber!

Crack!

The narrow curved saber, clearly no ordinary weapon, was forcefully snapped in two!

The residual power of the black line continued forward, grazing the masked assassin's shoulder!

Puff!

An arm, accompanied by spurting blood, flew into the sky!

The masked assassin let out a shrill scream, his eyes filled with disbelief and terror. He could no longer care about anything else, clutching his severed arm, his figure like a startled rabbit, fleeing desperately towards the depths of the valley!

[Heavily injured peak Meridian Condensing Realm assassin, Fierce Tiger Iron Body proficiency +300! Black Tiger Saber Technique proficiency +280!]

[Fierce Tiger Domain absorbed pure killing intent, undergoing reinforcement!]

Chen Qing did not pursue. He stood with his saber, breathing slightly heavily. The "Black Tiger Rips the Sky" strike just now had nearly exhausted more than half his malevolent energy and mental focus. Although its power was immense, its consumption was also enormous.

He turned to look at the surrounding battlefield.

With their main general fleeing, the remaining black-clad assassins' morale instantly collapsed. Under the slaughter of the Black Tiger Camp's fierce soldiers, they were quickly wiped out.

The battle ended.

The Black Tiger Camp suffered over twenty casualties, but annihilated the nearly hundred elite assassins.

Old Niu walked over, swinging his blood-dripping mace, and spat out a bloody mouthful: "Damn it, these guys are more troublesome than those Northern Mang brats! They must be some shady scum!"

Sun Quezi, with a grim expression, examined the assassins' corpses. He found some identical tokens with no markings and poisoned hidden weapons on them.

"General, it seems someone doesn't want you to return alive." Sun Quezi handed the token to Chen Qing.

Chen Qing took the token. It felt ice-cold to the touch, still without any markings. However, he could tell that the material and craftsmanship were by no means from the Northern Mang.

The Imperial Capital? Or some other faction?

His eyes turned cold as he put the token away.

"Clean up the battlefield, bring back our fallen brothers, and return to camp."

This border patrol not only cleared out the Northern Mang cavalry but also exposed a hidden viper.

Furthermore, through this battle, Chen Qing had completely stabilized his Meridian Condensing Realm cultivation and gained a more profound mastery of the Fierce Tiger Domain and the Black Tiger Saber Technique.

He knew that as his status and strength grew, the road ahead would become even bloodier, and even more... exciting.

Fierce Tiger Patrols the Border, its fangs have been bared. Next, it's time to let those rats hiding in the shadows truly feel what fear is.