Guardian Beast

The faces of the few Island Nation People were filled with excitement. They had snuck into Huaxia, wasn't it all for this White Tiger Grotto right before their eyes?

Otherwise, would they have risked their lives to come to Huaxia just for fun?

This White Tiger Grotto before them was the truly precious treasure!

It was the key to their advancement!

"Found it! We found it!"

The few B-rank Island Nation People seemed to have gone dull, their spirits appearing somewhat manic as they began to dance with joy.

This left Yang Chen, watching from the side, completely bewildered.

Was it really worth it? It was just a grotto, why be so excited?

Although he didn't know what was inside this White Tiger Grotto, Yang Chen had read his fair share of fantasy novels. These so-called grottoes inevitably contained good things, though as for what exactly, he had no idea.

Still, even so, there was no need to act like this!

Yang Chen scratched his head, feeling somewhat confused.

The leading A-rank Island Nation Person seemed a bit more composed. After a moment of fervor, he calmed down and steadily took a pure white stone from his bosom.

For some reason, the moment that stone was brought out, it erupted with brilliant radiance. A milky-white light bloomed in an instant, and the thick white fog surrounding them seemed to encounter something terrifying, dissipating involuntarily.

Following that, a faint, pure white tiger silhouette slowly emerged within the milky-white stone.

Roar!

The tiger silhouette let out a low growl.

A ripple-like fluctuation instantly spread outward, and immediately after, a beam of light shot out from the entrance of the grotto in the distance.

It shone directly onto the tiger silhouette.

It was as if it were verifying something.

The surrounding Island Nation People stared at the beam of light with tense expressions, some looking around nervously, terrified that someone might intrude at this moment.

Yang Chen followed behind, hiding behind a massive boulder, remaining undiscovered.

A moment later, under the gaze of the four tense Island Nation People, the beam of light slowly dissipated, and then they felt the earth tremble.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!

It was like an earthquake; cracks spread out like a spiderweb, and massive boulders began to tumble down from the mountain.

Fortunately, all of them were ability users with decent cultivation, so they weren't about to be crushed to death by these falling rocks.

One after another, abilities were unleashed, shattering the boulders falling from above.

Afterward, they could see the gate of the grotto slowly creaking open!

"It's open!"

The leader's expression shifted, and a look of intense joy appeared on his face.

The stone he had taken out earlier was clearly the key to this grotto!

Hiding behind, Yang Chen's eyes flickered. It was a good thing he hadn't acted earlier; otherwise, even if he had found this place, he wouldn't have been able to open the door!

He had to admit, these four were truly excellent as tools!

The four Island Nation People exchanged glances, then scanned their surroundings once more. Confirming there were no traces of anyone else, they walked toward the grotto entrance.

Yang Chen struggled with himself, but ultimately held back.

He had wanted to go out right then and there to finish off these Island Nation People and explore the grotto himself, but he realized he had come unprepared and lacked experience.

But those four Island Nation People were different!

They had come prepared and surely possessed plenty of experience, so it was better to safely let them act as his tools!

Heh heh!

Yang Chen suddenly felt that he was truly brilliant. How could there be someone as smart as him in this world?

As the gate opened, the figures of the four Island Nation People were gradually swallowed by the darkness within.

Just as Yang Chen was about to move, he heard a roar.

"Get out! There's a spirit beast!"

Yang Chen's body stiffened, and he hid back behind the massive boulder, watching the front.

A moment later, the figures of the four Island Nation People appeared in his field of vision again, and along with them, a behemoth!

A giant white tiger!

ROAR!!!

As soon as the white tiger emerged, it let out a roar, causing even more boulders to slide down the mountain.

It opened its blood-red maw, and the "King" character on its forehead pulsed, as if it had encountered something extremely infuriating.

"An S-rank spirit beast!"

The leading Island Nation Person's face turned ugly. He hadn't expected that there would be an S-rank white tiger guarding the White Tiger Grotto!

That White Tiger was, unexpectedly, a guardian beast!

However, even though they looked unsightly, those four Island Nation People still sprang into action.

The four of them moved like a well-trained squad, instantly widening the distance between them before unleashing a barrage of supernatural abilities.

There was freezing ice, surging water waves, and raging flames.

The leader, an A-rank, possessed an ability that manifested as a long staff; as he swept it through the air, it generated fierce gusts of wind.

"Kill!"

The leader roared, and streaks of staff-light materialized, crashing down onto the White Tiger's massive body.

Yang Chen watched clearly from the rear, his eyes lighting up as he observed the leader's ability.

Weapon-type abilities were incredibly rare!

With such an ability, one wouldn't even need a physical weapon; after all, a weapon forged from one's own power was far more compatible than anything that could be crafted.

After all, the ability was part of one's own essence, whereas a crafted weapon was merely an external object.

Of course, that excluded legendary divine artifacts, which would certainly be superior to an ability.

But Yang Chen currently lacked a weapon, so if he could acquire a weapon-type ability... heh, that would be quite nice.

Without realizing it, Yang Chen had already set his sights on the leader's ability.

By this time, those Island Nation People had already engaged the White Tiger in direct combat, unleashing their abilities as if they cost nothing, hammering them against the beast's body.

There was no helping it; this was an S-rank spirit beast, and the strongest among the Island Nation team was only at the peak of A-rank. Even so, they were still struggling to hold their own against this White Tiger.

Yet, those Island Nation People were unwilling to give up and immediately unleashed their trump cards.

The leader, serving as the main force, let out a furious roar as his clothes instantly shredded, revealing his lean, muscular frame.

He wielded his long staff with such ferocity that it whistled through the air, sending streaks of light straight toward the White Tiger's vital points!

ROAR!

The White Tiger took a hit and let out a pained cry. The "King" character on its forehead writhed even more violently as its massive body charged wildly across the spacious clearing, lunging toward the leader to tear him apart.

Perhaps because it had lived in that cave dwelling for so long, the White Tiger's combat skills were clearly lacking. In Yang Chen's view, this White Tiger wasn't even as strong as the Flying Tiger he had slain earlier.

In just a few moments, the White Tiger was covered in wounds, with scarlet blood flowing from hideous gashes.

Compounded by the erosion of flames and ice, the White Tiger was becoming increasingly unable to bear the burden.

"This is way too trashy!"

Yang Chen muttered helplessly.

You are a dignified S-rank spirit beast, yet you can't even beat one A-rank and three B-ranks?

One had to know that spirit beasts were inherently stronger than humans of the same rank!

To be beaten into such a state despite that—was it not a bit too weak?

The White Tiger roared in fury.

Lightning flickered across its body; it was the power of thunder!

Dark clouds gathered in the firmament, and arcs of lightning danced within them as a terrifying pressure instantly permeated the area.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Just like the Flying Tiger from before, thick bolts of lightning descended, striking toward the Island Nation People.

However, because the White Tiger's injuries affected its control, those bolts of lightning went slightly astray, and not a single one hit its mark.

Fortunately, although they didn't land directly, the shockwaves still struck the group.

The offensive power of an S-rank spirit beast was formidable, even in its aftermath.

Two of the B-rank Island Nation People spat out mouthfuls of blood, their faces instantly turning deathly pale. Yet, even so, they continued to unleash their abilities, attacking the White Tiger.

The situation was simple: either they killed the White Tiger, or the White Tiger killed them!

Even if they were injured, if they could manage to kill the White Tiger, it would still be a great outcome.

Both sides were fighting for their lives!

Only Yang Chen remained hidden behind a giant rock, easily blocking the shockwaves of the lightning as they spread outward.

Sure enough, being the third party was comfortable!

The leader of the Island Nation People suddenly extended his long staff, its metallic luster gleaming under the sunlight as he struck directly at the White Tiger's vitals!

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The sounds of collision rang out, and terrifying force erupted across the White Tiger's body. Having already been injured, the White Tiger couldn't withstand such a storm of attacks.

The fury in its eyes gradually faded, replaced by a deep sense of fear.

It was afraid; it wanted to flee!

Even a spirit beast would feel fear when faced with the crisis of death!

The White Tiger turned and bolted, fleeing back toward the cave dwelling.

In its view, the safest place was within its own lair.

However, would those Island Nation People let it escape? The answer was a resounding no.

As the White Tiger turned around, the leader let out a thunderous roar.

"Die!"

A long staff spanned the air, surrounded by towering pillars of ice and flame. It descended with a violent, crushing force, slamming heavily onto the White Tiger's body.

BOOM!

The immense power carved a massive wound into the White Tiger, sending its hulking frame flying backward until it crashed violently into the mountainside.

The impact blasted a deep, gaping crater into the rock face!

Awoo~

The White Tiger let out a mournful howl as a large mouthful of blood spilled from its jaws.

Its aura grew faint and ragged, as if it could perish at any moment.

The lead Island Nation Person walked slowly toward the White Tiger, his eyes devoid of any emotion, and thrust his long staff forward with sudden force.

He drove it straight into the White Tiger's pupil, then pulled it back out.

He repeated this several times until the White Tiger's life force vanished entirely, at which point the leader finally ceased his movements.

He then let out a long, deep breath.

His nerves finally began to relax.

But just at that moment, a playful voice suddenly exploded in the leader's ears.

"Not bad at all. Killing an S-rank spirit beast has saved me quite a bit of trouble!"

To be continued!