Beating the Tiger

The basement door was wide open, revealing the figure of a middle-aged man in a furious rage.

He looked to be in his mid-thirties to early forties, with silver-white hair, a square face, and round eyes. He certainly had a rather imposing appearance.

Upon opening the door and seeing the three figures standing outside—two unfamiliar young people and one of his subordinates—he asked in a deep voice, "Old Six, what are you doing here?"

"Brother Hu." The burly man immediately snapped to attention subconsciously. "I... I came to pick up takeout."

Zhao Xing'er, however, got straight to the point and asked, "Where is the child?"

"What child?" Brother Hu looked at her strangely, his expression still somewhat bewildered.

He had just been scolded by the delivery driver, and as soon as he stepped out, someone was looking for a child. It was hard for anyone to process such a rapid shift in events. What he was thinking at the moment was, could it be another child he'd fathered outside?

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened.

But with such a beautiful girl involved, he couldn't possibly forget it, could he?

Had he been too drunk at the time?

"Haa—"

In the second Brother Hu was frozen, Zhao Xing'er had already leaped forward and landed a punch on his face!

BOOM!

This punch sent him flying backward, tumbling down the basement stairs and disappearing into the shadows below.

Yue Wen and the burly man on the side winced. Who would have thought this seemingly delicate young girl was such a powerhouse?

Seeing Brother Hu sent flying back, Yue Wen and Zhao Xing'er followed him in. The long stairs in the basement were very steep, so the two of them didn't bother stepping on them. Instead, they leaped down, landing on the flat ground below.

The boss of the Tiger Head Gang had fallen to the ground, dazed and on the verge of unconsciousness.

Just as Yue Wen was about to step forward to apprehend him, he suddenly sensed that the atmosphere around them had changed.

Old Six, standing at the top of the stairs, dared not follow them down. After a moment's hesitation, he turned and slammed the basement door shut from the outside.

Whatever happened inside was none of his concern.

Inside the basement, a gust of foul wind swept across the ground.

"You..." a voice like rolling thunder sounded from directly ahead. "Who are you?"

The lighting here was dimmer than outside, but after a moment of adjustment, they could see their surroundings clearly. It was indeed a rather spacious area, easily over a thousand square meters at first glance.

The space was furnished with sofas, televisions, fitness equipment, and numerous private rooms. It was surprisingly a very comfortable living area.

Currently, in the central hall, four enormous figures were seated on the floor.

Each had the silhouette of a human, some wearing tank tops, others in neat suits. But the visible parts were covered in vibrant fur, golden-red with black stripes. Their three to four-meter-tall bodies were powerfully muscled, topped with massive tiger heads!

The distinctive "King" character on their foreheads was prominent and striking.

The one who had spoken was a tiger demon wearing an oversized suit directly in front of them. It sat with the most imposing posture, one elbow resting on its leg, while the other hand held several large poker cards.

That's right, these four tiger demons were playing cards in a circle.

In a distant corner, a large black tiger, not clearly visible in the darkness, lay on the ground in its beast form, eyes closed in meditation. It slowly opened its eyes now, revealing pupils like two glaring red lamps.

As the uninvited guests intruded, ten pairs of scarlet eyes turned towards them.

The basement of the Tiger Head Gang headquarters was clearly a demon's den!

Seeing this, Yue Wen and Zhao Xing'er remained still, cautiously observing their surroundings and sensing the aura of these tiger demons.

Before cultivators engage in combat, they circulate their true qi at full speed, allowing them to sense each other's aura to gauge their true cultivation level. However, this could only serve as a reference, as aura could be concealed and disguised. Until combat truly began, their strength could not be fully determined.

These tiger demons, simply by remaining motionless and circulating their blood, exuded an aura that brought a considerable sense of pressure.

Their strength was undoubtedly formidable.

After a brief moment of tense stillness, Yue Wen reached into his pocket in front of the tiger demons.

The atmosphere immediately became tense. The tiger demons' gazes sharpened, thinking he was about to pull out a weapon and initiate an attack. Just as the tension reached its peak, Yue Wen pulled out a pair of sunglasses and put them on.

"Damn it," a tiger demon wearing a black tight-fitting tank top couldn't help but curse. "He's a psycho."

"I know," another tiger demon wearing a gold chain stood up, a sinister grin on its face. "Wearing sunglasses in this darkness, he must be a rapper!"

"Who's a rapper?" The tiger demon with its back to Yue Wen and Zhao Xing'er turned around upon hearing this. It was the largest of the group and wore a specially made headset that fit over its pair of vertical ears.

"Enough," the suited tiger said, pressing a hand down. "No matter who they are, barging in here and seeing our true forms..."

"They all die."

[Adult Tiger Demon: King of the Mountain Forest, the apex predator transformed. Bloodthirsty and ferocious, they despise human males who drink excessively in the wild. Their combat power is equivalent to eight thousand healthy human grandmothers. They are born with powerful innate Supernatural Powers, but according to legend, a move called "Sliding Tackle" can break...]

Combat power equivalent to a division of grandmothers?

This was, by far, the most powerful Evil Spirit Yue Wen had encountered in his cultivation journey.

And there were five such opponents, with the suited tiger demon at the front having a combat power exceeding Ten Thousand Grandma Level, beyond the precise detection range of the Demon-Slaying Mirror.

From the Demon-Slaying Mirror's perspective, the entire basement was filled with surging demonic energy, wave after wave. The stench of blood mixed within was pungent. One couldn't imagine how many lives these tiger demons had taken to possess such a thick aura of blood.

Yue Wen didn't even have the mental capacity to consider how many Demon Suppressing Coins he might obtain, as he lacked the certainty of victory.

"Looks like today won't end easily," Yue Wen whispered to Zhao Xing'er. "I'll try to hold them off for a while, you find a chance to get your phone out and call the Supervision Bureau."

The current stalemate was only possible because neither side was making a move. If they tried to call for help while the Tiger Demons' auras were locked onto them, the demons would attack immediately. It wouldn't be that easy.

They had to wait until the real fight broke out. He would hold the front line, and then Zhao Xing'er could find an opportunity to call for backup.

The situation was clear: the higher-ups of the Tiger Head Gang and their boss were just puppets. The real power behind the gang was the several Tiger Demons in the basement.

Why were the Tiger Head Gang's enemies always killed in secret?

Because the Tiger Demons couldn't act openly. Like those smaller Cat Demons, they could only live in the shadows beneath the city. However, they were more powerful and cunning, colluding with the underworld to amass wealth.

If the Supervision Bureau discovered them, these Tiger Demons would undoubtedly be eliminated.

"Ah..."

At this moment, Brother Hu, who had been lying on the ground, slowly woke up. He opened his eyes and got to his feet.

"Damn it, you dare hit me? You're asking for death!" He twisted his neck and walked up to the suited tiger. "Ah Da, you can kill the man and eat his meat. Keep the woman. She might have some connection to me. I need to ask her clearly..."

Slap--

The suited tiger remained seated, its body unmoving. The tip of its tail flicked out from behind, transforming into a blur that sent Brother Hu flying. The just-awakened Brother Hu became a shooting star once more, slamming into a distant wall with a boom.

He went from cosplaying a carpet to cosplaying a mural.

"These two humans are very strong. You must be cautious," the suited tiger's gaze was fierce and domineering. It paused slightly before spitting out a single, heavy word: "Kill!"

"Roar--"

Tiger roars echoed through the mountains, their heavenly sound shaking the spirit. Waves of sound, mixed with supernatural demonic power, rolled towards them, causing Zhao Xing'er and Yue Wen's souls to flicker and a sense of dread to creep in.

This was one of the Tiger Demons' innate Supernatural Powers. Lesser beasts in the wilderness would have their souls shattered and die just from hearing this roar!

Yue Wen and Zhao Xing'er were, of course, not that fragile. They only faltered for a moment before regaining their focus. Three Tiger Demons were already attacking them from the left, center, and right.

The Tank Top Tiger, the Gold Refining Tiger, and the Headphone Tiger all lunged through the air, their blood-red shadows filling the sky. Each was faster than the last, their killing intent thicker, as if the mere gust of wind from their descent was enough to tear the two young people before them to shreds!

Yue Wen didn't dare to be careless. He immediately drew his sword and shouted, "Be careful! I'll face them first, you find an opportunity."

Over there, Zhao Xing'er had already raised a Three-Pointed Double-Edged Halberd taller than herself, her battle spirit surging. A faint red light glinted in her eyes as she shouted, "Good!"

Then, she charged forward with an excited expression!

Her martial arts techniques were unleashed, her blood and qi circulating with rising red light. Sharp, cold light flowed along the blade, her silhouette resembling a female Erlang Shen!

"No..." Yue Wen's eyes widened as he looked at her. "Didn't I tell you to get your phone out? Where did you pull that Three-Pointed Double-Edged Halberd from? That weapon is way too over the top!"