"Since facing it alone was risky, I'd find a way to wear it down first."
Lin Chen jumped down from the tree and turned to leave.
Soon, he came to the entrance of a cave littered with bones.
"Hey~"
Standing far away, Lin Chen called toward the pitch-black cave.
"Roar~"
A low but piercing tiger's roar sounded from within.
A moment later, a One-Eyed White Tiger emerged.
It was over three meters long, and more than seven hundred years old.
The eye it had lost was a fresh wound. The fur around the corner of its eye was still scorched, clearly burned by intense heat.
That's right. Lin Chen had done it.
"Roar~"
When the White Tiger spotted Lin Chen, it looked as if it had found its father's killer. With a low growl, it charged straight at him.
Lin Chen turned and ran.
Spirit Beasts were generally a little stronger than the Spirit Masters capable of withstanding their Spirit Rings. In other words, a White Tiger over seven hundred years old was at least equivalent to a high-level Soul Grandmaster.
And the White Tiger was an all-around feline Spirit Beast, so it was naturally fast.
But Lin Chen wasn't an ordinary Soul Scholar. His physical strength had long since reached the Soul Grandmaster level, and physical strength meant more than just power.
Speed, agility, and the like all increased as one's physique grew stronger.
Lin Chen raced through the forest, with the White Tiger hot on his heels.
It wasn't that Lin Chen was deliberately keeping it on his tail. He simply couldn't shake it, and even managing not to get caught was proving extraordinarily difficult.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Just as the White Tiger was about to catch up, the Sky Thunder Whip shot from Lin Chen's hand and coiled around a branch.
The whip retracted, yanking Lin Chen off the ground and into the air.
"Roar~"
The White Tiger looked up at Lin Chen in the tree and let out an enraged roar.
Lin Chen swung his whip at it without turning around.
"Crack!"
The White Tiger managed to dodge, but the entire beast grew even more irritable.
"Roar~"
The Sky Thunder Whip shot out again, coiling around a branch on a distant tree.
Lin Chen swung down through the air.
"Roar~"
The White Tiger roared and gave chase, looking as though it wouldn't stop until it had killed Lin Chen.
"Big kitty, that all you've got?"
Lin Chen taunted it as he ran, occasionally stopping to lash it with his whip. He was worried it might suddenly turn back and give up the chase.
"Roar~"
As it pursued him, the White Tiger suddenly slammed on the brakes. It paced back and forth, growling under its breath. It seemed unwilling to give up, yet afraid to continue the chase.
Lin Chen knew the reason: Spirit Beasts had a territorial instinct.
The White Tiger knew this was the Deep Blue Thunder Python's territory.
And judging by how timid it looked, it probably couldn't beat the Deep Blue Thunder Python.
"Crack!"
The Sky Thunder Whip cracked through the air and lashed straight toward the White Tiger.
The White Tiger dodged to the right.
But Lin Chen flicked his wrist, and the whip changed direction in an instant.
"Crack!"
The whip struck the White Tiger's neck. Even it couldn't withstand the Sky Thunder Whip's power, and a bloody gash appeared at once.
"Roar~"
The White Tiger's fiery temper couldn't take it anymore. It bared its teeth and charged into the Deep Blue Thunder Python's territory, pouncing straight at Lin Chen.
Lin Chen didn't hurry to escape. Instead, he tangled with it for a while.
Only then did he pretend to be outmatched and resume running.
The White Tiger was already seeing red. It no longer cared about the Thunder Python or anything else.
It was going to kill that two-legged beast, no matter what.
When Lin Chen judged they were far enough in, he put everything he had into running.
He stopped using the trees to dodge.
Seeing this, the White Tiger couldn't help but pick up speed.
They were about to reach the clearing.
Lin Chen flicked his right hand. The Sky Thunder Whip shot skyward and wrapped around a tree trunk, yanking him up into the air.
The White Tiger managed to stop in time, but its momentum carried it sliding into the clearing.
"Roar!"
The Deep Blue Thunder Python had heard the commotion long ago. Seeing the White Tiger intrude, it let out a dragon-like roar and shot straight toward it.
The Deep Blue Thunder Python wasn't very fast, but the distance between them was too short.
By the time the White Tiger stopped, there was nowhere left to run.
At the critical moment, the White Tiger didn't back down. It roared and charged at the Deep Blue Thunder Python.
The battle was about to begin.
Using its agility, the White Tiger leaped clear of the Thunder Python's attack. Then it planted a paw on its head and bit down hard on its seven-inch point.
But it couldn't pierce the Deep Blue Thunder Python's hard scales. Instead, it nearly got caught by the great tail whipping toward it.
Fortunately, it jumped back in time.
Holding the Sky Thunder Whip, Lin Chen stood atop a tree branch and watched the battle between the dragon and tiger below.
The fight wasn't particularly fierce. If anything, it was a little boring.
The Deep Blue Thunder Python was slower and less agile than the White Tiger, while the White Tiger couldn't break through the Deep Blue Thunder Python's defenses. Neither could do anything to the other.
At least, not yet.
But when the Deep Blue Thunder Python lost its temper, the situation quickly changed.
"Roar~"
A dragon-like roar came from the Deep Blue Thunder Python's mouth. Blue lightning gathered inside it, and a terrifying aura abruptly swept outward.
The White Tiger had clearly suffered from that attack before. It immediately turned to run.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
The Sky Thunder Whip came hurtling through the air like a tornado, followed by a purple lightning net that instantly covered the Deep Blue Thunder Python.
"Crackle, crackle..."
Purple lightning crackled across the Deep Blue Thunder Python's body, instantly dispersing the lightning power it had just gathered.
The lightning's assault left its body somewhat rigid, but it hadn't suffered any serious injuries.
The White Tiger, which had been preparing to flee, immediately saw its chance.
It turned and charged at the Deep Blue Thunder Python.
It pushed off with its hind legs and leaped more than three meters into the air. Like a meteor falling from the sky, it came down on the Deep Blue Thunder Python's seven-inch point.
Brute force could bypass the scales and transfer the damage straight into its body.
The Deep Blue Thunder Python was held completely in place and couldn't dodge at all.
"This beast is pretty clever."
Watching the scene, Lin Chen was surprised and couldn't help admiring it.
"Boom!"
The White Tiger's massive body came crashing down on the Deep Blue Thunder Python's seven-inch point.
"Crack!"
A crisp sound of breaking bone rang out, and the Deep Blue Thunder Python's mouth gaped open.
"Crack!"
The Sky Thunder Whip cracked through the air, its tip darting precisely into the Python's mouth.
"Pfft!"
With no scales to protect it, its lower jaw was pierced through by the whip's sharp tip.
"Get over here!"
Lin Chen yanked hard, and the Deep Blue Thunder Python's massive body was flung into the air.
"Crack!"
Whether from the tremendous force or because its lower jaw had been pierced, the Deep Blue Thunder Python's jaw was torn clean off.
Only its jawbone had broken; the tough skin beneath it hadn't torn.
"Roar..."
The White Tiger growled and pressed down hard on the Deep Blue Thunder Python's head, pinning it beneath itself. It looked just like a cat guarding its food.
"Heavenly Thunder Strangling!"
With a sharp shout, Lin Chen twisted his wrist. The purple lightning net gathered again as the Sky Thunder Whip churned, covering both the White Tiger and the Deep Blue Thunder Python.
Before you continue