Fierce Tiger

After Yun Ji's scolding, that child Yun Long had indeed become much more sensible.

His originally impulsive temperament had also steadied considerably.

Now, as they searched the mountain, he consciously followed at the very back of the group.

Silently listening to the low exchanges between the three family elders ahead.

Gradually, from the words of these three elders, Yun Long seemed to discover an entirely new world.

Only then did he realize that in the past, it had been Yun Ji who bore all the storms for them, the younger generation.

Yun Long also followed in the group, but his thoughts ran deeper.

He also noticed that this time, the speed at which Yun Ji led the group was noticeably slower than during their usual hunting trips.

He pondered carefully and gradually guessed part of Yun Ji's plan.

This was to let any potential, impulsive, and brainless hotheads scout the way first.

No matter how many ferocious beasts roamed the Jingyang Mountain Range, their total number was finite.

Moving the group a bit slower would undoubtedly avoid many unknown dangers.

At the same time, Yun Long was also secretly contemplating the Ninth Prince's true purpose.

The Ninth Prince, Fang Yuanhua, had urged them into the mountains so hastily, yet once inside, he seemed to no longer care about the search speed, as if leaving them to fend for themselves.

"Dad's right, this matter is far from simple. There must be many hidden secrets behind it," Yun Long thought to himself.

The night had grown deep.

In the mountains, it was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Any rustle of wind or movement, amplified by the deathly silence, grated on everyone's taut nerves.

Yun Ji's expression was as heavy as water.

No matter how slowly he walked, the group had now penetrated deep into an unknown region he had never set foot in before.

Although they were all Xiantian martial artists and could roughly see the mountain conditions in the dark, it was still far less clear and comfortable than during the day.

In the deep forests of midnight, lurking beasts held an advantage over humans.

Suddenly, Yun Ji's ear twitched slightly.

His gaze sharpened!

"Careful, something's wrong!"

Yun Ji lowered his voice, but his tone carried an undeniable urgency.

"Judging by the sound of the wind breaking, it's not human!"

"Moving this fast, it's a full-grown Wind Tiger!"

Relying on his rich experience, Yun Ji quickly made his judgment.

"The beast is behind us, Ah Long, watch out!" Yun Ji suddenly turned his head and shouted a sharp warning.

"Clang--!"

A dull, metallic collision exploded abruptly in the silent mountain forest!

A solid Golden Bell phantom burst forth from Yun Ji's body, shining dazzlingly in the dark woods.

The Wind Tiger had chosen Yun Ji, whom it deemed the weakest in aura within the group, as its breakthrough point!

Little did it expect that this seemingly weakest link was actually the one with the strongest defense!

"This beast has already reached Late Xiantian!"

Yun Ji forcibly swallowed a mouthful of blood rising in his throat and warned the others in a low voice.

His three old friends beside him—Li Pinghu, Shi Tie, and the others—were all experienced men; they hardly needed his specific reminder at this moment.

The moment the Wind Tiger appeared, they had already been on guard.

Strike while the iron is hot!

The Wind Tiger's full-force attack had slammed heavily into Yun Ji's Golden Bell Shield, and it was far from comfortable itself.

The most noticeable change was that its proud speed had sharply decreased by several tens of percent from the impact.

Li Pinghu, Shi Tie, Yun Ji—the three old men—along with Yun Long, quickly spread out to the four directions, vaguely encircling the Wind Tiger in the center.

The Wind Tiger's pair of emerald-green beast eyes flickered with ferocity and unease.

It clearly dared not easily make a move against Li Pinghu, whose aura was the strongest and deepest in the group.

Cunningly, it chose to attack Yun Ji again, who seemed to have lost some vitality.

However, after entering the Xiantian Gong, Yun Ji's true qi was no longer what it used to be; both its refinement and his strength had undergone a qualitative leap.

At this moment, he was not far from Li Pinghu's level.

The Wind Tiger's pounce naturally gained no advantage.

Instead, Yun Ji spotted a flaw and struck three times in quick succession, each blade landing near the old wounds, forcing it to retreat with a series of furious roars.

The formidable strength Yun Ji displayed at this moment left Li Pinghu and Shi Tie, standing nearby, with unconcealable shock in their eyes.

They were old friends who had known each other for years.

Each knew the other's measure well enough.

Yun Ji's aura clearly hadn't reached Peak Late Xiantian yet, so how could his displayed strength have changed so drastically once he made a move?

Yun Ji exchanged a glance with his two old brothers, and they understood each other.

With tacit coordination, they began shifting positions, seemingly encircling the Wind Tiger, but in truth, they were cleverly herding the already flustered beast toward the direction where Yun Long stood.

This was to create an excellent training opportunity for the boy, Yun Long.

Seeing this, Yun Long took a deep breath, circulating his internal energy.

Facing the charging Wind Tiger, he calmly executed the Golden Bell Shield.

"Woom!"

Golden light flared, firmly protecting him, successfully blocking the Wind Tiger's impact and preventing any chance of escape.

At the same time, his sharp eyes carefully sought out the beast's weakness.

Seizing an opening, Yun Long let out a low shout and unleashed the Arhat Fist with fierce power!

The fist wind howled, striking the Wind Tiger's already injured abdomen.

The Wind Tiger let out a miserable howl, its massive body convulsing a few times before falling completely still.

"This beast was already carrying serious injuries."

Shi Tie stepped forward, carefully examining the Wind Tiger's corpse, and spoke in a deep voice.

"It looks like we just happened to block its path back to its lair."

When the three old-timers gathered around, they had already roughly figured out the true state of this Wind Tiger.

"It fled in such a hurry; its lair is likely nearby."

Yun Ji's gaze swept over the dark forest around them as he spoke slowly.

"Once A-Long has recovered his breath from meditation, let's search thoroughly."

"There might be an unexpected gain."

The night wind blew, leaving only faint insect chirps in the forest.

The Wind Tiger was dead. Under the protection of Li Pinghu and Shi Tie, Yun Ji sat cross-legged, silently regulating his breath.

The earlier fierce battle, though he had the Golden Bell Shield to protect him, had still taken a considerable toll from his head-on clash with the Peak Late Xiantian Wind Tiger's full-force strike.

Li Pinghu stared at the faint milky-white aura swirling around Yun Ji. The earth-shattering Golden Bell Shield and domineering blade techniques from earlier were still vivid in his mind, and he could no longer hold back: "Old Yun, this... why is your true energy milky-white? And that skill of yours just now..."

His tone was full of shock and uncertainty.

Shi Tie beside him also wore a probing expression, clearly baffled by Yun Ji's strange condition and Yun Long's unbelievable Golden Bell Shield, Arhat Fist, and that dazzling golden true energy.

"Yeah, Old Yun," Shi Tie rumbled in a low voice, "It's not just you. That kid A-Long's Golden Bell Shield, Arhat Fist, and that pure golden true energy—your Yun Clan never had such a legacy before, right?"

Li Pinghu cut straight to the point: "I know your Yun Clan's foundation well enough. Those few crude techniques, without some talent, can't even reach Houtian, let alone Xiantian! So what's going on now?"

As a friend of decades, he knew the Yun Clan's inheritance inside out. It was utterly unremarkable. If not for Yun Ji's own talent and hard work, he could never have reached the Xiantian realm, let alone such formidable strength now.

Not far away, Yun Long's ears perked up, his heart itching with curiosity. He also wanted to know how his father would explain things to his two uncles.