After making all the necessary arrangements, Tang Miao returned to their little village. He took the Dark Serpent and headed for the airport in a nearby city.
He was still quite hesitant about going to Tianshan... especially since he planned to venture deep inside.
After all, it was a genuine forbidden zone for humans. Those who entered either never came back, or suddenly reappeared decades later, unable to remember anything that had happened inside. Those who never made it out had no chance to tell their tales at all. It was a mysterious and terrifying place, the subject of countless folk legends. More than a few people had supposedly stumbled upon great treasures there and emerged transformed into legendary figures. Yet whether they were powerful warriors who had silently been buried beneath the snowy slopes, or famous legends, no one was willing to speak of anything that had happened in Tianshan...
But danger and reward went hand in hand. A place this ancient, known locally as a sacred mountain, surely held more than just the Totem Sacred Beast White Tiger. Other Totems might have survived there, too.
It was simply unknown whether those Totems would still obey the Kirin on his person.
Pan Town sat at the southern foot of Tianshan. It was quite different from other special waystations. As people had said, it had sprung up because the relatives of those who had gone missing in Tianshan hoped for their return. They had settled in wooden huts beside a river at the mountain's foot, building them on their own, and their homes had gradually grown into a village, then a town. Later, people heading to Tianshan had also flocked to Pan Town for supplies and a convenient place to stay. It had developed into a southern starting point for journeys into the mountain, and hunters, explorers, mercenaries, students, and other adventurers had gradually filled the little town. Few of the locals were from Xinjiang; most were outsiders.
After arriving, Tang Miao followed the directions given by the Kirin Jade and set off for Tianshan. The place was dangerous, but the outskirts were somewhat safer.
At least it wasn't crawling with Commander Level Demon Beasts.
After several days on the road, once he had ventured deeper in, he encountered no Commander Level Demon Beasts blocking his way, thanks to the Dark Serpent.
The General Level Demon Beasts that had obstructed them a few times on the outskirts had also been dealt with easily. After all, General Level Demon Beasts couldn't withstand even one blast of his thunder now.
With the Dark Serpent's aura bearing down on them, how could low-level Demon Beasts dare approach? But once they reached the area near the center of Tianshan, they could only follow the Dark Serpent farther in.
After all, this was already a dangerous zone.
The surface seemed calm and peaceful, but Tang Miao knew the real danger was hidden from view.
On the fifth day after entering Tianshan, the Dark Serpent led Tang Miao into the territory of the Tianshan Shadow Leopard clan.
Fortunately, Tang Miao had warned it not to linger in battle. After killing a few, the Dark Serpent left their territory, avoiding any further pursuit!
Bringing the Dark Serpent along had its pros and cons.
The aura of a Monarch Level Dark Serpent drew the attention of some clans here, and always brought trouble. After a battle, Tang Miao could obtain plenty of Remnant Souls, and sometimes even Spirit Essences. But he hadn't come here to fight, and he didn't want the Dark Serpent to exhaust itself.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have the strength to keep the Sky Eagle clan outside Hangzhou in check once they returned.
When they encountered Servant Level creatures, Tang Miao chose to handle them himself. Man and serpent traveled through Tianshan for ten whole days, yet they still hadn't reached the end of the route marked by the jade.
Fortunately, Tang Miao cultivated the Ice Element and had the power of his own domain, so the elements did little harm to him.
After another day of traveling, Tang Miao and the Dark Serpent found a cave to stay in.
"Hiss, hiss~"
In the middle of the night, the Dark Serpent suddenly hissed, waking Tang Miao from his meditation.
"What's wrong?"
"Hiss, hiss~"
Tang Miao froze as he listened to the Dark Serpent. Then he said, "You're not joking, are you?"
"Hiss, hiss~"
The Dark Serpent told Tang Miao that a Sky Scarred White Tiger had arrived outside the cave. Its strength was about equal to the Dark Serpent's—a Monarch Level creature!
Tang Miao stood up at once, but the Dark Serpent then told him that the other creature meant no harm. It seemed to be bringing them to meet the Totem Sacred Beast White Tiger!
Once he understood the situation, Tang Miao followed the Dark Serpent outside.
The Sky Scarred White Tiger before him had a body the color of white amber, with a translucent sheen. Yet it was far from smooth; thick, elegant fur ran from its neck to its tail.
Its ears were very pointed, shaped like leafy horns, and above its eyes sat a pair of imposing crescent-shaped stripes.
What made this Sky Scarred White Tiger most unusual was its eyebrows... They were as white as frost and as long as a thick beard. The curved eyebrow tufts hung beside its ferociously wild cheeks, lending it an even more regal air!
The tiny snake on Tang Miao's shoulder flicked its tongue as if communicating.
The Sky Scarred White Tiger let out a few low, symbolic growls in reply.
After the serpent and tiger had communicated for a while, the Dark Serpent looked toward Tang Miao.
Flicking its tongue, it told him that the other creature served the Sacred Beast White Tiger and had come to escort them there.
Tang Miao didn't question it. He climbed straight onto the Sky Scarred White Tiger, which then began making its way toward the place indicated by the Kirin Jade.
The Sky Scarred White Tiger had lived here for many years and knew how to avoid the other clans. They didn't start any more fights. By the time dawn broke, Tang Miao realized that the place marked by the Kirin Jade seemed to be getting closer and closer!
"Damn... With such a clever subordinate, why didn't it send it out sooner?" Tang Miao grumbled inwardly, thoroughly annoyed.
They'd had a rough time over the past few days. Fortunately, he'd had the sense to bring the Dark Serpent with him to Tianshan. Otherwise, they might have died before even getting this far!
At sunrise, the White Tiger brought Tang Miao to the summit of a mountain.
Once they arrived, the White Tiger stopped. It looked at Tang Miao behind it, gave a few low growls, then withdrew.
The Dark Serpent once again acted as interpreter, flicking its tongue as it told Tang Miao that this was where the White Tiger lived.
Tang Miao looked around at the empty surroundings, then glanced back at the Sky Scarred White Tiger in confusion. The tiger seemed uninterested in responding, but the Kirin Jade inside Tang Miao suddenly began to tremble.
Feeling it leap, Tang Miao summoned it.
As soon as the Kirin Jade appeared, the phantom image of an enormous white tiger materialized. It clearly wasn't showing its true size, and it looked much like the other white tigers, but one thing set it apart: a pair of immaculate white wings on its back, radiating an overwhelming pressure!
Even though it was deliberately concealing its presence, Tang Miao could still feel its oppressive aura.
The moment its phantom appeared, the Dark Serpent and the Sky Scarred White Tiger both lowered their heads, as if bowing in reverence.
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