Kui Er

Entering the mountain again, Zhong Shan was already very familiar with this valley, having been here many times.

As usual, he continued to chop trees. This time, he chose a large tree; just this one could equal three of the previous ones.

He chopped away, stroke by stroke. As Zhong Shan was chopping, he suddenly felt his muscles tense up, and a feeling of being watched lingered in his heart.

Not far from Zhong Shan, in a patch of grass, two green eyes were currently fixated on Zhong Shan with a bloodthirsty gaze.

Zhong Shan stopped and carefully sensed where this hint of danger was coming from.

Suddenly, Zhong Shan felt a very subtle sound behind him.

"Rustle~~~~" A soft sound. It was the owner of those bloodthirsty eyes who could finally no longer bear it, leaping up and rushing towards Zhong Shan.

Turning around, the true qi in his hand quickly filled the large saber, and he fiercely slashed towards the direction of the sound.

Exterminate!

With a single slash, the area around the large saber was filled with a faint layer of Fire Killing Qi.

"Clang~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The sound of metal clashing against stone. Zhong Shan retreated three steps and finally saw what it was.

A Mountain Cat, a fiery red, man-sized Mountain Cat. Its bloodthirsty eyes stared at Zhong Shan, clearly wanting to devour him.

A Demon Beast, it must be a Demon Beast. The previous slash hadn't left even a single mark on its body.

After the slash, the Mountain Cat rushed towards Zhong Shan again. Its massive claws quickly swiped at Zhong Shan. Zhong Shan saw that there seemed to be a hint of red light contained within those claws.

Exterminate!

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The giant claw and the large saber collided. Zhong Shan was sent flying by the immense force, crashing into a large tree. This caused a large number of leaves to fall from the tree.

The giant claw was as hard as diamond and as fast as lightning. His own strength and speed were far inferior to the Mountain Cat's. What should he do?

As Zhong Shan was feeling anxious, the Mountain Cat leaped over again. Its fiery red sharp claws lunged towards Zhong Shan once more.

Zhong Shan sidestepped to block a claw and leaped back. The Mountain Cat's other claw directly struck the large tree, tearing a hole in it and leaving it somewhat scorched.

Scorched? Was this Mountain Cat fire-attributed? Wouldn't that make it even less afraid of the Killing Qi in his saber?

Danger was imminent. Zhong Shan's eyes widened. His already bare upper body suddenly seemed to expand by a circle, his muscles bulging. The large saber in his hand slashed towards the gaps between the Mountain Cat's sharp claws once more.

Heavenly Devil Body Tempering Great Technique!

However, the Mountain Cat also possessed a certain level of intelligence. It quickly saw where the slash was aimed, avoided the gaps between its fingers, and swiped at the large saber.

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Even with his strength doubled, Zhong Shan was still sent flying backward. The Mountain Cat was too strong. However, with his strength suddenly doubled, the Mountain Cat also retreated slightly.

The Mountain Cat looked at Zhong Shan with some surprise, unable to understand why Zhong Shan's strength had suddenly increased.

Seeing that the effect was only average, Zhong Shan's heart tightened. He lunged at the Mountain Cat's face with another slash. However, this time, there was a hint of pink energy around the Saber Killing Qi.

Heaven Splitting Strike!

The Mountain Cat, instead of dodging, lowered its head slightly and clawed towards Zhong Shan's chest.

"Clang~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The saber struck the Mountain Cat's head, producing a sound like metal colliding with stone. At the same time, the Mountain Cat's claw reached Zhong Shan's chest.

However, due to the distance, it was only a slight touch. Combined with the Heavenly Devil Body Tempering Great Technique, which doubled Zhong Shan's physical toughness, three long red marks were still left on his chest.

Having failed with one strike, Zhong Shan quickly retreated. However, the Red Phoenix Mist had already been successfully inhaled by the Mountain Cat.

After fighting for a while longer, more bloody marks appeared on Zhong Shan's body, but he remained ultimately unharmed.

The Red Phoenix Mist finally took effect. The Mountain Cat suddenly became strange. A dry redness appeared in its eyes, and an indescribable sensation quickly spread throughout its body. Its movements also became much more erratic.

This was the moment.

Exterminate!

The saber once again struck towards the gaps between the Mountain Cat's claws.

"Rip~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The Mountain Cat's claw was split open from the middle. A large amount of blood spilled out, and the Mountain Cat was severely injured, losing the use of one leg.

Suddenly, the Mountain Cat's strength greatly diminished. Without hesitation, Zhong Shan struck towards the gap of the other claw, delivering a fierce blow.

After disabling the Mountain Cat's front paws with the saber, he quickly withdrew and delivered an Exterminate strike, severing the Mountain Cat's throat.

"Thud~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The Mountain Cat fell to the ground. Blood gushed out, and it twitched on the ground for a while before dying from excessive blood loss.

Zhong Shan looked at the huge Mountain Cat before him. Standing on all fours, it was as tall as a person, and its body was actually three meters long.

He had been down for some time, and Zhong Shan didn't dare to hesitate. Carrying the bloody Mountain Cat on his back, he quickly ran towards his valley. After one hour of circulating the Heavenly Devil Body Tempering Great Technique, he would become incredibly weak. It was best to leave this troublesome place quickly.

Covered in blood, Zhong Shan finally returned to his valley within the hour.

Running to the front of the courtyard, he threw the Mountain Cat onto the ground, tossed aside his saber, and lay down. The parts of his body that had become stronger earlier also returned to normal.

Closing his eyes, he gently felt his condition. Now, his strength was only three-tenths of what it was before, making him extremely weak. But that wasn't the most important thing. The most important thing was the soreness all over his body, as if all his muscles and bones had shattered.

However, he had ultimately survived and killed the Mountain Cat.

"So you finally came back, you big liar." A very pleasant voice suddenly came from inside Zhong Shan's house.

The voice was pleasant, but the tone sounded not so friendly.

Following the sound, he saw Tian Ling'er in a fiery red dress. At this moment, she was walking out of the house, holding a wooden carving in each hand.

Tian Ling'er's face was full of anger. The moment she walked out, she saw Zhong Shan. Zhong Shan was naked from the waist up, and his pants had been torn in many places when he had previously used the Heavenly Devil Body Tempering Great Technique.

"Pervert~~~~~~~~~~~~~~" Tian Ling'er suddenly shouted.

However, at this moment, Zhong Shan's eyes widened.

"Put Bao Er and Kui Er down," Zhong Shan quickly got up and roared at Tian Ling'er.

The roar clearly made Tian Ling'er pause.

"Bao Er? Kui Er?" Tian Ling'er looked at the small wooden carvings in her hands.

Both carvings were of stunning women. One was the woman whose portrait hung in the Heng Mountain Manor, Bao Er. The other had a gentle face, so beautiful that one couldn't help but want to tease her with just a glance. These were carvings Zhong Shan had made with his great saber while practicing his saber techniques during this time. That such small carvings could be made with a great saber showed how diligently he practiced his saber techniques.

"Why are you being so fierce? I was just looking." Seeing Zhong Shan's bloodthirsty eyes, Tian Ling'er seemed a little flustered.

"Give them to me," Zhong Shan suddenly extended his right palm.

"No," Tian Ling'er pulled her hands back.

"Give them to me!" Zhong Shan roared.

At Zhong Shan's roar, Tian Ling'er's heart suddenly skipped a beat for some reason, as if she were truly afraid. But she was at the eighth level of the Innate Realm. How long had he been cultivating? She was stronger than him, so why should she be afraid of him?

Thinking this, Tian Ling'er puffed out her chest, her still-developing breasts trembling slightly.

"You said my father went to get the Somersault Cloud, but my father doesn't have it. You lied to me," Tian Ling'er immediately shouted.

Hearing Tian Ling'er say this, Zhong Shan frowned, knowing he had been in the wrong back then. His initial anger subsided considerably.

"I'm sorry. That day, I truly wanted a good Innate Realm cultivation technique. That day, I lied to you. In the future, I will compensate you," Zhong Shan said.

As a true man, it was not shameful to admit mistakes and apologize, especially when he was in the wrong.

"Then I really like these two wooden carvings. Just give them to me as compensation," Tian Ling'er immediately said.

"No, I can carve more for you, but absolutely not these two," Zhong Shan immediately refused.

In the past, Zhong Shan wouldn't have been so agitated, but these two wooden carvings were extremely important to him. Even if he could carve more, Zhong Shan was unwilling to give away carvings of these two women's likenesses to anyone else. If it were a different carving, Zhong Shan wouldn't mind, but these two women's, absolutely not.

"Hmph, I want these two," Tian Ling'er also shouted.

Truthfully, Tian Ling'er wasn't an unreasonable person, but at this moment, Zhong Shan was in the wrong yet acted as if she owed him something, which made Tian Ling'er very angry.

"Give them to me," Zhong Shan reached out to grab the wooden carvings.

"No," Tian Ling'er pulled her hand back, her body about to retreat.

However, Zhong Shan's hand had already reached close, and he was about to grab one of the wooden carvings.

"Crack!" Tian Ling'er used force with her hand and crushed the wooden carving.

At the eighth level of the Innate Realm, strength was terrifying. A moment of carelessness meant immense power. Tian Ling'er hadn't expected to crush it, but in that tense moment, she unconsciously used great force.

Watching the small wooden carving of Kui Er being crushed in Tian Ling'er's hand, Zhong Shan paused, as if he suddenly remembered something. His eyes instantly turned blood red.

"Sky Splitting Crown Prince, ah~~~, I'll kill you~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

In an instant, the usually calm Zhong Shan suddenly became enraged. He grabbed the great saber in his hand and fiercely slashed towards Tian Ling'er.

Zhong Shan's sudden madness startled Tian Ling'er. Seeing the saber slash towards her, it seemed as if he truly intended to kill her with one strike.

However, Zhong Shan's current strength was less than half of what it was before, and Tian Ling'er's strength was much greater than Zhong Shan's.

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

A red ribbon suddenly appeared in Tian Ling'er's hand, blocking Zhong Shan's great saber. Zhong Shan was not injured.

"Ah~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Zhong Shan's eyes were bloodshot, as if he had already regarded Tian Ling'er as a mortal enemy. The large saber in his hand swung towards Tian Ling'er again, each strike faster and fiercer than the last.

"Bang~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Zhong Shan was once again sent flying by the red ribbon.

"Puff~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

In mid-air, Zhong Shan spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. He fell to the ground.

After spitting out a mouthful of blood, Zhong Shan seemed to have calmed down a lot. He slowly stood up, supporting himself with the large saber, but his eyes still looked at Tian Ling'er with a murderous intent.

Seeing Zhong Shan's bloodshot eyes, Tian Ling'er threw the two wooden carvings in her hand to the ground.

"I'm not playing with you anymore." After throwing the wooden carvings, Tian Ling'er quickly flew away.

"Crack." Zhong Shan fell to the ground. Clearly, the force of Tian Ling'er's red ribbon strike was quite strong. It was even stronger than the Demon Beasts he had encountered before. Coupled with the fact that Zhong Shan was already severely injured, this injury on top of injury caused him to collapse as soon as Tian Ling'er left.

After half an incense stick's time, Zhong Shan felt much better. He slowly stood up and walked to where the wooden carvings were.

He picked up Bao Er's carving. Bao Er's carving was intact, but the other one was deformed from being gripped.

Gently picking up Kui Er's broken wooden carving, a bitter smile appeared on Zhong Shan's face again: "Kui Er, your old master, I, lost my mind for you again today."

He put down the large saber and sat on the ground, picking up Kui Er's wooden carving and gently stroking it.

"Thinking of my life, Zhong Shan, I have only loved two women, and only when facing the two of you do I lose my mind. Bao Er is now completely out of contact. Kui Er, I never expected that I, the dignified richest man in the Great Kun Kingdom, rich enough to rival a nation, couldn't protect you. Sky Splitting Crown Prince, that's a cultivator, killing whoever he wants, searching for the souls of people born in the Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, and Yin hour. You were fine in the morning, but in the afternoon, a group of demons descended from the sky. The one leading them was called 'Sky Splitting Crown Prince'. I remember, his subordinates shouted it out, I will never forget it. Sky Splitting Crown Prince, in order to refine a demonic banner, searched the world for people born in the Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, and Yin hour. With just one grab, just one grab, Kui Er, you died on the spot. If it weren't for, if it weren't for a subordinate knocking me out at the time, allowing me to escape, perhaps, there wouldn't be me today."

"Kui Er, don't worry, I can cultivate now. I have already joined an Immortal Sect. You watch from above. One day, I will find Sky Splitting Crown Prince. I will tear him into ten thousand pieces. I will avenge the hatred of that day for you." Zhong Shan clenched his fists tightly.

"That day, if we hadn't gone out for a spring outing and stayed at home, how good would that have been~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

As Zhong Shan softly muttered to himself, two lines of hot tears involuntarily flowed from his tiger eyes.

"How many years has it been? Forty years, perhaps. I never expected, I never expected that for you, I would shed tears again." Zhong Shan said to himself with a bitter smile while shedding tears.

A tough man shedding tears, his heart filled with sorrow. A man has his own way of handling things. Gently wiping his eyes, he suppressed the sadness in his heart and turned it into powerful motivation. He slowly closed his eyes and sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing.

While Zhong Shan was regulating his breathing, little did he know that in the corner of the small courtyard wall behind him, Tian Ling'er, after flying away, had returned and landed in the corner, hearing everything Zhong Shan had said to himself. She gently bit her lip, looked at Zhong Shan's face, covered in blood and incredibly resolute, and the Kui Er wooden carving in front of him. A trace of apology flashed in her eyes.

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