Tiger Head Cliff

Di Xin was powerfully built and exceptionally strong. Even in the army, he would have been a formidable general.

Back in the reign of his father, King Yi, when he was still the Crown Prince of the East Palace, he had personally led a large army on an expedition against the Li tribe of Eastern Yi. His iron-hoofed forces had swept all before them, and taking an enemy general's head from amidst the ranks had been as easy as reaching into a bag.

After inheriting the throne, he had never again led troops into battle. But every year, he went hunting, and from time to time he practiced with blade and horse on the training grounds. His martial skills had hardly grown rusty.

Under these circumstances, Di Xin couldn't use Magic Power. But when facing a ferocious tiger with only mortal martial skills, there was no opening to exploit.

The problem was, he had to keep himself in check at all times. He couldn't use even the slightest bit of Magic Power, not even when he was in extreme danger.

Four tigers pounced at him. Di Xin blurred aside, sweeping out a flash of blades that forcefully halted their overwhelming assault. Then he retreated several steps and concealed himself behind a tree on the slope.

He could take on a tiger one-on-one at his leisure. But against four, he had no choice but to use a little strategy.

He had the advantage of higher ground, with a tree for cover. He had already seized the initiative.

A tiger charging down a mountain was a far greater threat than one attacking uphill. A tiger descending the slope was like a tiger with wings, while one attacking uphill faced many constraints and limitations.

As soon as he had concealed himself, the four tigers seemed to act in perfect unison. They split up and surrounded Di Xin from four directions.

Before the tigers had even settled into position, Di Xin suddenly darted out from beside the tree. The General-Slaying Saber in his hand flashed coldly as he swung it diagonally down at one of the tigers.

The tiger charged straight at him through the blade's gleam. The other three also dug their hind paws into the ground, coiled their bodies, and sprang at Di Xin.

The situation was extremely dangerous.

One careless move, and Di Xin could easily end up drenched in blood beneath the tigers' jaws.

But he had weathered countless battles and remained calm in the face of danger. When his first strike failed, he let go of the saber with his right hand and drove an iron fist straight into the head of a tiger flying toward him.

Boom!

The force of his punch sent the tiger flying several yards before it crashed onto the slope.

Almost at the same moment, Di Xin pivoted around the tree. The tiger behind him pounced at empty air, while the one on his left slammed into the thick trunk, its claws carving several deep grooves into the sturdy wood.

Di Xin naturally wouldn't let such an opening go to waste. He darted forward again, yanking the saber's rear blade to the side. Its sharp spike sank deep into the tiger's belly.

Just then, the two tigers that had missed their pounces sprang at him again, moving as fast as lightning.

Di Xin shifted his grip and flung the General-Slaying Saber from his hand. It tore free of the tiger's belly and flashed toward the tiger charging straight at him.

Meanwhile, he had already drawn the precious sword at his waist with his right hand. He lifted it to meet the other tiger, curled his body sharply, and slashed across its belly.

The tiger hadn't expected Di Xin to launch several attacks at once in such a desperate situation.

It was in midair, and there was no way to change its course.

Under the force of its enormous momentum, Di Xin's sword tore a long, bloody gash across its belly.

Blood sprayed down, nearly soaking Di Xin from head to toe.

The General-Slaying Saber he had thrown also struck with the force of thunder, plunging into its target's chest and belly. Its eighteen-inch blade pierced right through the tiger's back, and both tiger and saber crashed onto the slope.

It had all happened in the blink of an eye. Only now did the tiger Di Xin had first punched manage to roll to its feet. Seeing how powerful he was, the cowardly beast showed no loyalty to its pack. It turned and shot into the woods, fleeing for its life.

The tiger wounded by the saber's rear spike had no desire to fight either. It fled in another direction.

Of the four tigers, only the two most severely wounded remained. One had nearly been sliced from head to tail by Di Xin's sword; the other had been pierced through by the General-Slaying Saber and could no longer get up, let alone escape.

Di Xin made no attempt to chase the two tigers that had fled. Instead, he went to the General-Slaying Saber, gripped its hilt, and pushed it in several times before yanking it free. Then he wiped the blood off on the tiger's still-twitching body.

He slid the precious sword in his right hand straight back into its sheath.

He was very satisfied with how the fight had gone. He had eliminated the danger without using a trace of Magic Power.

Still, he had to admit that since transcending the limits of mortals, his six senses had grown exceptionally keen. His hearing and eyesight had been a tremendous help.

Otherwise, even the Di Xin who had been reborn could never have won so easily under those circumstances.

He glanced at the sky. The sun was nearing its zenith. Without concerning himself with what would become of the two tigers, Di Xin set off again toward Tiger Head Cliff.

The few miles ahead posed no problem for him.

Nothing happened along the way. Di Xin watched his surroundings carefully, but spotted no sign of anyone.

Such vigilance was only natural, whether or not he possessed Magic Power, so Di Xin thought nothing of it.

In a dangerous and eerie place like this, anyone who failed to watch their surroundings closely was either a fool or had something to hide.

By now, Di Xin was feeling very puzzled.

Ever since Crown Prince Yin Jiao had been abducted, the system hadn't given him a single prompt.

It hadn't reacted last night either, when Daji had drugged him.

Was something wrong with the system? Or had it fallen fast asleep?

With that question on his mind, he finally reached Tiger Head Cliff.

The place was aptly named. A huge rock jutted out over the cliff, shaped like a tiger's head.

At the top of the cliff, Di Xin saw the Crown Prince of the East Palace, Yin Jiao, bound hand and foot and lying on the tiger-shaped rock. His arms were tied behind his back, his legs were securely bound, and a piece of rag had been stuffed into his mouth.

He didn't go straight to the Crown Prince. The whole situation was far too strange.

Had the other party abducted the Crown Prince and brought him here just to make me come all this way, only to take him away again?

As if. That couldn't be it.

How could Di Xin possibly believe that?

There had to be some kind of test I couldn't imagine!

Di Xin looked around for a while, but still saw no one. He even glanced up at the sky a few times, but found nothing there either.

"Ah... ah... ah..."

On the huge rock at Tiger Head Cliff, Yin Jiao saw that Father King had arrived. He writhed and made muffled sounds.

No one could tell what he was trying to say.

Di Xin steeled himself and walked straight toward the Crown Prince.

If the other party insists on testing me, then let them. Whatever happens, as long as I don't use even the slightest bit of Magic Power, I'll pass with flying colors.

But what happened next was beyond anything he could have imagined. When he stepped onto the tiger-shaped rock, with about six feet still between him and Yin Jiao, he suddenly heard a crack. The giant tiger-shaped rock broke off from the cliff with a whum and plunged over the hundred-zhang precipice.

His footing vanished too, and he fell over the cliff.

In his field of vision, Crown Prince Yin Jiao fell ahead of him.