"Is this the Painting Saint Mountain?"
This is the boundary between the first and second mountain ranges.
Not a blade of grass grows; black sand covers the land, exuding an aura of death and decay, as if this land itself were fill dug from some giant tomb.
More than twenty people from different factions gathered here, maintaining a subtle distance from each other, clearly divided.
For many of them, this was indeed their first time setting foot in the territory of Painting Saint Mountain.
After all, before the news of the "emergence of the Secret Realm " spread, Monan City and Painting Saint Mountain were nothing more than desolate lands on the northwestern border of the Blood Moon Realm. Not to mention Heavenly Human, even ordinary Dan-Holding masters would not bother to set foot there.
Meng Ran glanced around at everyone present, confirming that the group was mostly complete, and then spoke solemnly:
"Gentlemen, the entrance to the Secret Realm lies deep within the Triple Mountain. But before stepping into the realm, there is something unpleasant to say beforehand—"
She paused, making sure every gaze was on her, before continuing:
"The 'key' in each hand must be activated with true energy at all times and cannot be interrupted. If anything goes wrong after entering the realm due to self-reliance on cultivation or luck, I, Tianji Tower, will not be responsible."
Upon hearing this, a murmur of discussion immediately arose within the group, and then everyone took out the keys they had obtained.
Some were held in the palm of the hand, others pressed against the chest; as True Essence was poured in, halos of various colors lit up in succession.
Chen Yan's gaze swept over the items in everyone's hands, and a thought flickered in his mind.
He, Meng Ran, Wu Xiang three all used Talisman, which were neither paper nor silk, and were cool to the touch. They were decorated with intricate and mysterious patterns outlined in dark gold lines.
Pei Yin and his men, as well as the young men in brocade and other scattered forces, all use the exquisite badge key with the word "treasure" embedded in it.
Chen Yan thought to himself, this woman looks alluring and carefree, but she is actually more clear-headed than anyone else, at least she knows to keep something in reserve.
Pei Yin naturally caught a glimpse of those Talisman as well.
Her red lips pursed slightly, and a cold glint flashed in her phoenix eyes, clearly showing her utter contempt for Meng Ran's self-righteous leader-like attitude.
But with the Secret Realm before her, she only gave a cold snort and did not make a move on the spot.
"Walk."
The group continued their journey towards the Triple Mountain.
The deeper you go, the clearer that invisible sense of oppression becomes.
Triple Mountain stretched out before us.
The mountain has an eerie bluish-black color, not the texture of ordinary rock, but like some kind of slag that has been repeatedly burned, tempered and then cooled and solidified. Its outline appears particularly rugged in the thin, dim air.
The entire mountain range lies sprawling across the land, giving the faint impression of an ancient Beast slumbering in wait.
Along with that came a strange sound.
It rises and falls intermittently, like muffled thunder rolling deep in the dark clouds, low and long, yet its exact source cannot be found.
Instinctively, everyone slowed their pace, concealed their breathing, and, using the jagged rocks and withered giant trees as cover, quietly followed the sound and approached.
Before long, a relatively open clearing in the woods came into view.
At the edge of the open space, a huge cave suddenly opened up, its depths unfathomable. And the muffled thunderous noise came from the depths of the cave's shadows.
Everyone stared intently, and in unison, gasped in shock.
At the entrance to the cave, a Beast was coiled up.
The rumbling sound came from the cave entrance; upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a Beast crouching in the shadows.
Its body was over ten zhang long, and its four limbs, when crawling, resembled a small mountain.
Its spine rises high with three peak-like joints, each covered by a thick, layered carapace that gleams like dark jade.
It was a black tiger with mottled fur and a king-like stripe on its forehead.
It was with each breath of this beast that its chest resonated, sounding like Thunder Movement.
Even just lying prone to rest, its imposing presence made the surrounding air seem to freeze.
"This..." someone exclaimed, "When did such a ferocious creature appear around Monan City?"
The Brocade-Clad Youth narrowed his eyes and examined it for a moment, then said with certainty, "I have never seen this Tiger Beast in any records. If I am not mistaken, it should have been mutated due to the influence of the strange domain power deep within the Painting Saint Mountain."
He paused, then added, "It might not even be made of flesh and blood."
Meng Ran's eyelids twitched.
She considered herself to be no weakling among the Heavenly Human, but at this moment, judging solely from the individual aura unintentionally emanating from this Tiger Beast, she had an intuition that she was "no match" for it.
But she quickly regained her composure and glanced at the twenty-odd people behind her.
"You wretched beast, you're truly a vicious monster." Her voice was low, yet it carried a fierce edge.
Then he thought to himself, "But now there are more than ten of us at the Heavenly Human Realm. Even if we can't concentrate our strength in one direction, we can take turns attacking and kill this mere gatekeeper beast without a problem."
"On my command, launch a surprise attack! Strike first, don't let it catch its breath!"
Upon hearing this, the crowd reacted in various ways.
Pei Yin glanced at her coldly, as if to mock, "Who do you think you are?" But with a blade already at her neck, turning hostile now would only give the Tiger Beast an advantage. She snorted coldly and drew her weapon anyway.
The Brocade-Clad Youth robes remained indifferent, his fingertips already holding a talisman gleaming with golden light.
While silently reciting the Buddha's name, Wu Xiang imperceptible, Vajra Zen Light subtly emanated from his body.
Qin Lan gripped her spear tightly, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground, her True Essence shimmering faintly red. Yan Zheng, on the other hand, took a half-step forward like a mountain, his Mountain-Solid True Essence protecting his body three feet in an impenetrable shield.
Only Chen Yan calmly took half a step back, shielding everyone in front of him.
I found a spot that wasn't too far away, yet offered a panoramic view of the entire venue.
Within his sea of consciousness, the Invisible Needle had transformed into an extremely fine and faint wisp of silver light, poised to strike.
In the eyes of Meng Ran and Wu Xiang, his "persona" was that of a "detached Heavenly Human with extremely strong divine sense" who used Invisible Needle to attack from a distance, which perfectly matched his persona.
Secondly... standing a little further away makes it easier to drift along and observe the strategies and intentions of all parties involved.
Everyone watched intently, holding their breath; the room fell silent for a moment, until a certain instant.
"Make your move!"
The Brocade-Clad Youth was even faster than Meng Ran gave the order!
With a swift movement, he leaped out of the forest like a startled swan, the talisman on his fingertip burning out, and then a clear, metallic sound rang out as it tore through the air!
A white streak, shrieking as it tore through the air, aimed straight for the Tiger Beast's head!
At the same time, everyone launched their attack in unison following Meng Ran's shout of "Make your move!"
In an instant, swords flashed, spears and clubs clashed, Talisman and spells were cast, and hidden weapons and poison needles were thrown... all sorts of dazzling lights and sparks, like fireworks suddenly exploding, poured down on the black tiger at the cave entrance!
And the black tiger, at the same instant—
Startled to realize.
It suddenly rolled over, its beastly eyes snapping open and closing, gleaming with an eerie light.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, it pinpointed the location, number, and threat level of all the intruders.
Immediately afterwards, it didn't even get up, but just stayed in place, then spun around and whipped its tail!
"Call--!!!"
A violent black gust of wind rose from the ground! It carried sharp blades of energy capable of tearing through metal and shattering stone, clashing in mid-air with the swords, magical weapons, and True Essence techniques attacking from the crowd—
A deafening explosion!
The vast majority of attacks were completely swept away and blasted away by the power of this tail!
Those weapons of slightly lower grade were directly shredded into pieces by the gale and scattered in all directions!
Only the white rainbow of the Brocade-Clad Youth, with an extremely condensed and penetrating force, broke through the wind barrier and continued its momentum, heading straight for the Tiger Beast's brow!
However--
Black Tiger merely glanced to the side and dodged away.
A white rainbow grazed its brow, blasting a crater the size of a millstone into the mountainside behind it. That was all.
Meng Ran and the others were greatly shocked!
The power of the white rainbow from the Brocade-Clad Youth was witnessed by everyone present—it was a killing move capable of severely injuring or even killing an ordinary Heavenly Human! Yet this black tiger calmly neutralized it simply by dodging!
"Keep attacking! Don't let it catch its breath!" Pei Yin shouted urgently.
The crowd had no choice but to act according to the law, and their offensive continued unabated.
But the ferocity of this Tiger Beast was beyond imagination.
The crowd had no choice but to act according to the law.
But the Tiger Beast's power was truly beyond imagination.
Its massive body was surprisingly agile, moving nimbly and effortlessly. Its tail was like a steel whip, its claws could shatter metal and stone, and it could even control the eerie black gale. It was a perfect blend of offense and defense, and its power was terrifying.
After only ten or so rounds, it showed no signs of fatigue; on the contrary, it seemed poised to turn the tide!
"When--!!!"
A piercing clang of metal clashing rang out!
Qin Lan's spear clashed head-on with the black tiger's long tail! A tremendous force surged along the spear, causing Qin Lan's mouth to split open, and the spear was sent flying, spinning and embedding itself in a rock crevice several meters away!
The weapon fell from his hand.
For a Heavenly Human being known for their prowess in battle, this was nothing short of a profound disgrace.
But at this moment, no one can laugh.
The men on the Brocade-Clad Youth reacted quickly, immediately taking over and using various distraction tactics to barely divert Black Tiger's attention back.
Seizing the opportunity, Pei Yin suddenly raised her voice and shouted, her tone sharp and gloating:
" Pavilion Master Meng! At this point, are you still holding back? If you have any trump cards up your sleeve, it's time to show them! You don't want us to lose members before we even enter the Secret Realm, do you?"
Before she could finish speaking, Meng Ran's eyelids twitched, and she instinctively reached out to attack—
Immediately, she caught a glimpse of Pei Yin's hypocritical face, and her mind cleared instantly.
She was no longer in a hurry.
"Oh."
Meng Ran scoffed lightly, casually flicking the Green Jade Smoking Pipe in her hand, truly adopting a leisurely posture, only occasionally raising her hand to shoot out wisps of bluish-gray smoke.
The smoke wasn't thick, but it drifted away with the wind with remarkable grace, quietly settling and gradually enveloping the massive body of the black tiger.
At first, Black Tiger showed no unusual behavior.
But just a few breaths later, its lightning-fast movements visibly slowed down. It wasn't poisoned or injured; rather, it was as if some invisible, sticky force was binding its limbs and bones, making each claw swing and tail flick more strenuous than before.
Those who were engaged in close combat with it immediately felt the pressure lessen!
Upon seeing this, Pei Yin's face darkened, but she was unable to retaliate.
The Brocade-Clad Youth gave Meng Ran a deep look, knowing he could no longer hold back, and suddenly hissed.
He knew that this battle should not be delayed any longer.
Although the black tiger had been slowed down, it was far from being seriously injured; and the group from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion each had their own ulterior motives, so continuing the fight would only increase the variables.
He no longer hesitated.
Suddenly—a hiss was exhaled.
A wisp of crimson light, as thin as a hair, shot out from between his slightly parted lips!
Tranquil.
Unlike the earth-shattering power of the previous white rainbow, this wisp of crimson light was almost silent. It did not tear through the air, nor did it explode with True Essence; it was as if it were just a spark of starlight accidentally splashed from a midnight candle.
But it flies extremely fast.
It was so fast that even Black Tiger's keen senses, capable of detecting the simultaneous attacks of more than ten Heavenly Human, failed to provide timely warning.
Wu Xiang had moved to Chen Yan's side Wu Xiang, seemingly looking down and fiddling with prayer beads, but actually muttering to himself in a low voice:
"As expected of people from the imperial court... using such a secret treasure without even blinking an eye."
Chen Yan glanced at the crimson light out of the corner of his eye, but did not respond.
Then, the crimson light entered the black tiger's left eye.
Like the sharpest needle piercing the surface of water, it created no ripples and caused no hesitation whatsoever.
The ferocious beast, whose ferocity was overwhelming and whose breath was like thunder, had been unable to be seriously injured even after more than ten Heavenly Human joined forces to attack it for dozens of rounds, suddenly stiffened.
There was no roar that shook the mountains and forests.
There were no agonizing screams.
There was not even a struggle.
Its body, under that single stab, suddenly disintegrated—like a torn paper doll, turning into a cloud of black smoke that drifted away in all directions.
The smoke cleared and the clouds dispersed.
Only one thing remained, swaying and fluttering as it twirled and fell from mid-air, even being flipped twice by the wind.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the scene.
That...
It's a piece of paper.
A piece of paper cut into the shape of an animal.
The paper is painted with extremely exquisite and lifelike brushstrokes, depicting a fierce tiger with blue eyes, golden pupils, and black stripes, poised to pounce.
turn out to be...
The so-called "beast" that fought them for more than twenty rounds and almost turned the tide of the battle was nothing more than a piece of paper.
"Paper...?" Someone swallowed hard, their voice hoarse. "It's actually made of paper?"
Meng Ran strode forward, bent down to examine the paper-cut that had lost all its spirit, and after a moment, slowly shook her head:
"Not just paper."
Her fingertips lightly touched the paper, her tone grave:
"The patterns and brushstrokes on this... weren't cut out. They were drawn on."
painting?!
This word, like a drop of water falling into boiling oil, stirred up a tremendous ripple in everyone's hearts.
Pei Yin, unusually, did not refute, but stared at the Painting Tiger, her expression shifting between light and shadow. After a long while, she finally managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth:
"... A so-called Painting Saint can naturally paint anything realistically. It's not surprising that he can paint a demon beast with strength comparable to a top-tier Heavenly Human being."
Her tone was still barbed, but it no longer carried the condescending sarcasm of before.
--Because everyone present understood that this wasn't a question of "whether it's worth making a fuss about."
Previously, Heavenly Mystery Pavilion had no information about the " Painting Beast ".
Meng Ran has always prided herself on her accurate intelligence and well-informed information, but she searched through her memory and could not find any record that mentioned that living guardians made of pure painting-dao creations had appeared on the outskirts of Painting Saint Mountain.
This was not an intelligence oversight.
The Brocade-Clad Youth had a somber expression, ignoring the verbal exchange between Pei Yin and Meng Ran. He glanced at the fragment of the Painting Tiger, its edges slightly curled by the wind, and said in a low voice:
"In the few days we've been preparing for the Secret Realm, Painting Saint Mountain... has encountered a new variable."