Black Tiger Beast

With the speed of Sword Riding, Su Changqing covered the distance of several dozen kilometers in about an hour and arrived at this mountain range.

"Looks like this is the Nine Yin Mountain I was searching for."

Su Changqing curiously surveyed the mountain range below from high in the air.

Sure enough, it was exactly as Shuiyue's master had described.

The terrain was exceptionally steep and perilous, with sheer cliffs and dangerous precipices everywhere. Layers of mist shrouded the mountains, concealing them completely. Apart from a few peaks towering into the clouds, it was impossible to see what lay at the foothills or mountainsides.

Most peculiar of all, the roars of savage beasts rang out from time to time, filling anyone who heard them with dread.

Ordinary people would likely find it difficult even to climb these mountains, let alone survive within them. Only cultivators capable of Sword Riding could enter.

Su Changqing felt no fear. Standing upon his Flying Sword, he passed through the veiling mist and flew directly toward the mountainside, where he found a relatively open area and landed.

The moment he landed, he spotted a strange little deer with four horns. There truly were countless Spirit Beasts and demonic creatures here, though this first deer he encountered posed no threat at all. Instead, it was startled by him and immediately fled.

Su Changqing was in no hurry to search for the Desolate Orchid Water Lily. This was his first time leaving the mountain, so he needed to make the most of the opportunity and relax properly.

After that, the white-robed youth could be seen wandering alone through the perilous Nine Yin Mountain, sightseeing and occasionally picking medicinal herbs recorded in the sect's texts.

"Come to think of it, ever since I began cultivating, I've never truly fought anyone in actual combat. I'm about to break through, but I don't even know what level I'm really at."

"Why not find a demonic beast and test my skills?"

As he walked, Su Changqing suddenly thought of this and muttered to himself.

Once the thought arose, Su Changqing felt increasingly eager. He could not wait to test the fruits of his cultivation.

Su Changqing hurried onward, intending to find a demonic beast to satisfy his idea.

However, he had barely taken two steps when rustling came from the grass. Just as Su Changqing was about to investigate the source of the noise, an enormous black shadow leaped out from the undergrowth the next instant.

"Roar!"

The massive black shadow let out a thunderous roar that shook the trees and grass, making them rustle violently. Countless birds, beasts, and Spirit Beasts scattered in terror, while the roar echoed repeatedly through the cliffs.

Su Changqing showed no fear whatsoever. His previously relaxed expression turned serious as he fixed his gaze on the enormous black shadow and examined it closely.

The massive black shadow was a black tiger.

This tiger beast was three or four meters long, with an immensely powerful body. A large white marking shaped like the character "king" rested on its forehead. Its entirely black fur looked like a coat of dark brocade, while its four limbs and five claws were thick and massive, its extended claw tips appearing incomparably sharp. It also had a long, thick tail that swayed at will like a black steel whip.

It looked exceptionally majestic and imposing, worthy of being called the king of beasts.

Only then did Su Changqing recall seeing this kind of demonic beast in Qingyun Sect records. It had been named the Black Tiger Beast.

Unlike ordinary tigers, Black Tiger Beasts were demonic beasts born with spiritual roots and capable of cultivation. Once they grew stronger through cultivation, they could not only develop intelligence, but potentially reach the Core Formation Realm. That alone would allow one to occupy an entire mountain range and become its king.

They were a type of demonic beast with considerable strength.

Furthermore, according to the records, Black Tiger Beasts were cruel by nature. Not only did they prey upon other demonic beasts in the mountains, but they could even transform into tiger-headed demons and directly kill and devour humans.

"Just when I wanted a pillow, one came right to me. You're perfect for testing my strength."

After examining it carefully, Su Changqing said with a faintly delighted smile.

While Su Changqing observed the Black Tiger Beast, the Black Tiger Beast was also pacing back and forth as it inspected the human who had entered its territory.

It had lived in these mountains for more than ten years. Over a decade ago, it had eaten two humans, and the exquisite taste of human flesh had lingered in its mind ever since. Yet in the following ten-odd years, it had never encountered another human.

This was also its first time meeting a human after first developing intelligence.

"Wahaha! It's been years since I last encountered a human. Today, I merely came out to find something to fill my belly, yet I actually ran into you. What a delightful surprise!"

Suddenly, the Black Tiger Beast shook its body and transformed into a tiger-headed, human-bodied demon. From its blood-filled maw, it spat human words and laughed arrogantly at Su Changqing.

Now that it had developed intelligence, it could clearly sense fluctuations of spiritual energy. Yet the person before it showed no signs of any Cultivation Level whatsoever, clearly appearing to be nothing more than an ordinary mortal incapable of even trussing a chicken.

Thus, it no longer worried that Su Changqing might be a human cultivator. It directly transformed into a tiger-headed demon and prepared to attack him, intending to properly savor the taste of human flesh once more.

"Boy, do you know that this is my territory? You, an ordinary mortal without any Cultivation Level, dare barge in here? You're truly courting death."

The Black Tiger Beast stared at Su Changqing, its eyes filled with hunger for delicious food.

"My territory? What king are you supposed to be?"

Hearing the Black Tiger Beast speak like that, Su Changqing could not help but smile and ask in return.

So his Heaven-Concealing Art had prevented the Black Tiger Beast from detecting his Cultivation Level, causing it to mistake him for an ordinary mortal.

And now it was even thinking about how to eat him.

"My name is Great Black King. Everything within a hundred meters of here is my territory. Every living thing is food upon my plate, and you are no exception!"

"I advise you to surrender obediently, lest I hurt you when I make my move. Just let me bite down on you. It'll only hurt for a moment. Otherwise, I'll gnaw at you starting from your limbs and make you watch as I eat you bite by bite."

The Black Tiger Beast opened its blood-filled maw and spoke to Su Changqing with extreme arrogance, its words utterly vicious.

"Oh? You really want to eat me that badly?"

When Su Changqing saw the Black Tiger Beast transform and heard it speak, he immediately recalled the book's descriptions of its brutality and became much more cautious.

"Then let's see whether you have the strength for it!"

Before the Black Tiger Beast could react, Su Changqing's words had barely fallen when his longsword shot from its sheath. In the Black Tiger Beast's widening pupils, his body turned into an afterimage and vanished in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared beside the Black Tiger Beast and slashed fiercely. Countless streams of sword qi burst from the blade, transforming into a fierce gale that howled toward the Black Tiger Beast.

"What is this?!"

The Black Tiger Beast froze in shock, and all the fur on its body instantly stood on end.

Wasn't this person devoid of spiritual energy fluctuations? How could he use the sword techniques of human cultivators? And that single slash alone made it feel the instinctive terror of death.

At the critical moment, the Black Tiger Beast's legs erupted with tremendous potential. It leaped violently away from its original position, barely allowing the sword qi to graze past its chest.

When it landed, panting heavily, it saw that the fur on its chest had been almost entirely sliced away by the sword qi. Had the attack gone any deeper, it might have ripped open its belly on the spot.

As the dust settled, it saw that the place where it had just stood had been blasted into a hole more than two meters deep by the sword qi. The trees within several meters had all been severed by that single slash, their trunks cut evenly as they fell to the ground.