Six Tiger Ghosts Become Two Tigers
The nursery rhyme was chilling. Three masks floated around Lu Li, emitting faint glows. The flame on the torch he was holding also flickered. Then, six crippled squirrels emerged from the forest ahead.
Of the six squirrels, some were missing heads, some were missing forelimbs, some were missing hind limbs, some were missing bellies, some were missing tails, and one was missing nothing. These six squirrels approached Lu Li, and the one that was missing nothing spoke in human language, "Young man, although you have some skill, this South Mountain is not a place for you. You'd better go back quickly, lest you regret it!"
"We five brothers went up the mountain to hunt a tiger to rid the people of a menace, but we didn't find the tiger. Instead, our families down the mountain were all eaten. We're here to persuade those unrealistic young people to turn back and take good care of their families, instead of ending up like us, all alone," the intact squirrel said.
Hearing the squirrels' advice, Lu Li asked curiously, "Aren't you six squirrels? Why do you call yourselves five people?"
"We five lost our families, so naturally we went to fight that tiger to the death. But the tiger had become a demon. It bit off our limbs and pieced them together to transform into a squirrel. We also turned into squirrels along with our severed limbs. The five of us became six squirrels that were neither human nor ghost. So young people, you should go back."
These six squirrels serve as a stark reminder to the world that they went up the mountain to hunt a tiger, but the tiger was nowhere to be found. Instead, it went down the mountain and killed everyone there. The five squirrels were also tormented by the tiger, ending up in this tragic state.
Looking at the six squirrels in front of him, and remembering the nursery rhyme from before, it was clear that the rhyme didn't fit into this era. The mission had also clearly stated at the beginning that some legends about tigers had transcended certain limitations and been gathered here, forming a Dream of Delusion with tigers as its theme. Lu Li understood that these six squirrels were also part of the legends about the South Mountain Tiger, and Lu Li's mission was to defeat them.
"I've heard a legend that people who are killed by tigers become Tiger Ghost after death, serving the tigers by luring people to their deaths. But why don't you lure me? Why are you driving me away instead?" Lu Li said with a smile, looking at the six squirrels.
Upon hearing this, the Six Squirrels' expression changed, and they said viciously, "The five of us are doing this for your own good. If you had stayed, you could have saved your life, but you insisted on getting involved. Since that's the case, don't blame us."
The six squirrels split into two groups of three, clinging together. They reverted to human form and cried out incoherently, "We are tigers! We are all tigers! We are all man-eating tigers!"
Then they merged together and became two tigers, but these two tigers were also crippled, one without ears and the other without a tail. These two tigers moved like the wind and were extremely fast. As soon as they appeared, they pounced on Lu Li, their glowing claws directly grabbing at Lu Li's body.
A Shadow Mask floating beside Lu Li suddenly shone brightly, and a Claw Ghost wearing the mask appeared in the arena. It immediately summoned more Claw Ghost, whose jet-black claws blocked the tigers. These two tigers were no pushovers either; their immense strength pushed the Claw Ghost back repeatedly. With a leap, they seemed to bring gusts of foul wind, and coiled not far from the Claw Ghost, glaring menacingly at Lu Li.
"We are tigers, we possess invincible strength, we have the fastest speed, and you will become our food." The two tigers said this, and their speed and strength became even greater. With one pounce, they tore one of the Claw Ghost into black smoke and scattered it away. The masked Claw Ghost also had great difficulty in resisting the attack of the earless tiger.
"Do you think this is all our power? We are invincible tigers, with many servants, all on their way. Young man, despair! You will be torn apart by countless tigers and become our meal." The tailless tiger said this after killing a Claw Ghost.
As if in response to his words, countless tiger roars echoed from the distant jungle. The powerful howls indicated that a large number of tigers were approaching, and Lu Li and his companions seemed to have suddenly fallen into a desperate situation, about to be devoured by these tigers and become their meal.
Lu Li remained expressionless as the mask in front of him lit up again. The voice of the Shadow Assassin appeared before him, instantly summoning ten Assassin. Some disappeared into the jungle with eerie steps, while others drew their Short Blade and charged towards the tiger, launching a suicide attack.
The two tigers coldly chuckled as they caught and killed the Shadow Assassin pounced on them. Turning around, their tails lashed out like iron whips, creating a powerful gust of wind that forced the masked Claw Ghost back. They didn't rush forward, but instead sneered again, saying, "It's useless. These weaklings can't harm us at all. You'd better not resist and just become our food!"
"You need to realize that you are just an ordinary human being, incapable of matching our power. Give up that idea as soon as possible." The tiger said viciously, walking step by step towards Lu Li, bringing an immense sense of oppression. Accompanying it was the roar of tigers, which seemed to be getting closer and closer, as if thousands of tigers were rushing towards them.
"The power of words?" Lu Li noticed that every time the tigers finished speaking, their own power would be enhanced. Lu Li also found that emotions called despair and fear began to accumulate in a corner of his mind. These emotions also appeared because of the tigers' words.
A surge of energy erupted behind Lu Li, and countless shadows burst forth from it. The torch in his hand cast Lu Li's shadow onto the feet of the two tigers, from which two massive burrs burst forth, piercing straight through the tigers' bellies.
The two tigers howled in pain and quickly said, "These are just minor wounds. They are just useless shadows and cannot harm us. You are just an ordinary person, so don't try to go up the mountain to fight tigers. You will only get eaten by the tigers."
The two tigers seemed to turn into phantoms, escaping from the shadow tentacles that had pierced them. The wounds on their bellies began to heal. Just as they were about to speak again, Lu Li interrupted them. A paper tiger was thrown into the field by the masked Shadow Assassin.
"You're just paper tigers, nothing special." As Lu Li finished speaking, the shadow tentacles he controlled wriggled and stabbed out, crushing the two crippled tigers into pieces.