Confrontation, Compromise

Confrontation, Compromise

It had to be said that women were creatures born with an advantage. The moment Chu Xiaotian heard that incredibly sweet, cloying voice, his wariness toward the woman in the darkness had already diminished considerably. He even felt an urge to meet her. But in the blink of an eye, he came back to his senses and cursed himself inwardly for being a bastard. With an exquisite little beauty like Xia Xue already by his side, he was actually having such thoughts about other women. He really was no good.

Chu Xiaotian frowned slightly and said coldly, "Speak. What do you want? If it's nothing, don't come bother me." He could tell that although the woman speaking had only reached the initial Pi-Hai Realm, her strength should be roughly equal to his own. After all, she had approached from his left, not his left rear. Since she occupied the same position as he did, she was not trying to seize territory, but must have something to discuss.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, the woman replied in a somewhat aggrieved, coquettish voice, "You're really no fun. Fine, I came to ask you to cooperate with me. Tomorrow, we'll join hands to snatch that Spirit Beast cub. What do you think?" As soon as her words fell, she stepped out of the forest's shadows and entered Chu Xiaotian's sight.

She was a fiery little vixen, with wildly alluring curves. She wore a pair of knee-high little boots and tight leather shorts that barely covered half her thighs, perfectly outlining the curves of her lower body and a stretch of snow-white thigh. Her upper body was clad in a short, tight leather jacket that wrapped snugly around the two proud, towering mounds on her chest. They were so firm and seemed ready to burst forth that Chu Xiaotian could not help worrying whether they might split the leather garment apart. Her arms, smooth as jade lotus roots, and her slender, water-snake waist could not be contained by that little leather jacket and were left completely exposed to the air, challenging every man's gaze. With a face so exquisite it admitted no flaw and skin as tender and white as snow, the girl, who looked sixteen or seventeen, resembled a finely crafted porcelain doll.

The girl stood not far from Chu Xiaotian. Innocence and seduction flickered in her large eyes as she boldly swept her gaze over him again and again, leaving Chu Xiaotian unable to bear it. Indeed, if any man were watched by such an exquisite and fiery temptress, no one could endure it. Not getting a nosebleed already counted as formidable self-control. Chu Xiaotian forced his eyes not to drift toward certain particularly tempting parts of her body, but his throat bobbed as he could not help swallowing.

Xia Xue might have been a little more beautiful than this girl, but the feeling she gave Chu Xiaotian was like a rosy white peach, making one want only to cherish and protect her. The girl before him, however, was like a bright, glistening cherry, making one unable to resist tasting that delicious sweetness.

"Hey, say something. Do you agree to the cooperation I mentioned or not?" Seeing that Chu Xiaotian's gaze had actually shifted away from her in such a short time, the girl froze slightly, surprise flashing through her eyes. But soon afterward, she smiled again and spoke in a coquettish voice.

"Nothing to discuss. I don't know you, so why should I cooperate with you?" Chu Xiaotian said blandly, his eyelids drooping and his head lowered. It was not that he was coldhearted; he was simply afraid that the moment he looked up, he would be unable to stop himself from showing a lecherous expression.

"Hmph, what a blockhead." The girl gave a delicate snort, stamped her foot resentfully, then turned and left.

The girl's actions left Chu Xiaotian stunned. She had wanted to cooperate with him just moments ago, yet a single sentence had sent her away. That was a little too... strange. But after thinking it over, this was even better. It saved him a great deal of breath. With so many talismans in his Qiankun Bag, cooperating with others was something he had never even considered. Shaking his head and no longer thinking about that baffling girl, Chu Xiaotian resumed cultivating cross-legged.

After returning to her original position, however, the girl kept her gaze fixed on Chu Xiaotian. A faint smile hung on her lips as she muttered softly, in a voice only she could hear, "Interesting fellow. He actually managed to resist my, Little Snake Demon's, allure. Hehe, now I'll have something to do. I'll make you, blockhead, fall head over heels for me, Little Snake Demon, and then I'll kick you far, far away."

Chu Xiaotian did not know what the girl said afterward. He remained in cultivation the entire time. Nothing happened through the night. By the time he sensed the cold yin energy around him weakening, the sky had begun to brighten. A night of cultivation had greatly improved his strength again. Though he was still some distance from breaking through to the late Purple Corpse stage, it was no longer far away.

The forest, quiet all night, became lively at this moment. Purple Flame Tigers were Spirit Beasts born from heaven and earth's yang energy, and their cubs were born at noon, when yang energy was at its strongest. Right now was the best time to seize the optimal positions.

In the previous days, when the critical moment had not yet arrived, everyone had allowed the Huang Family to occupy the best ground. But now, everyone began to push back. Powerful cultivators who had gathered from every direction confronted the Huang Family, demanding the right to compete for the Spirit Beast cub as well.

"Hmph, what a joke. We discovered this Spirit Beast cub. What right do you have to make such demands of us?" Huang Taosong, the Huang Family's patriarch, stood angrily at the forefront of his people, glaring at the many experts opposite him with a cold snort.

"The Huang Family is the real joke. This Spirit Beast isn't raised by your family; it belongs to no one. Since that's the case, everyone who sees it gets a share. Such a thing belongs to whoever has the affinity for it. We can compete by our own abilities and see who truly is the one with that affinity." The gathered experts confronting the Huang Family did not yield either. A burly man at the late Huayuan Realm spoke coldly. Of course, the so-called person with affinity he spoke of would ultimately be whoever was stronger.

"Exactly, exactly! What gives the Huang Family the right to say that whoever sees it first owns it? If I saw one of your Huang Family wives first, would she be mine too?" Someone else in the crowd jeered, drawing a roar of laughter from the gathered experts. The Huang Family members' expressions turned incomparably ugly.

Chu Xiaotian stood amid the crowd without speaking, but his gaze swept across the surroundings as he studied the terrain, searching for a route that would bring him closest to the Spirit Beast's birthing ground while also being easiest to escape from.

"If you can't give us all a satisfactory answer today, we aren't afraid of fighting the Huang Family to the death. Given the current situation, who wins and who loses is still anyone's guess." Someone else in the crowd spoke coldly, striking directly at the Huang Family's sore spot.

The current situation was indeed extremely unfavorable for the Huang Family. Too many powerful cultivators had rushed over upon hearing the news, and their combined strength had exceeded what the Huang Family could control.

On the Huang Family's side, there was one Poxue Realm expert, fifty Huayuan Realm experts, two hundred Pi-Hai Realm experts, and five hundred Tongmai Realm experts. That was already an extremely formidable force. Yet among the various experts who had come upon hearing the news, there were no Poxue Realm experts, but there were more than seventy Huayuan Realm experts, over three hundred Pi-Hai Realm experts, and no fewer than seven or eight hundred Tongmai Realm experts. This vast sea of heads stood in the forest confronting the Huang Family, giving them an enormous headache.

Judging by the current situation, if they truly fought, perhaps not many Huang Family members would leave alive. Yet they were equally unwilling to give up the best position for competing over the Spirit Beast cub. Deep down, they had already regarded the cub as their own possession. How could they possibly accept others competing with them for it?

"We can reduce the area under our control to one hundred meters. Then everyone can compete according to their own abilities. If you still refuse, then we'll let the fish die and the net tear. We'll kill that Spirit Beast right now, and none of you will gain anything." Behind the Huang Family patriarch, a white-robed elder who appeared around sixty stepped forward and looked coldly at the crowd opposite him. As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from him, forcing several Huayuan Realm experts who had spoken earlier to retreat a few steps, their expressions turning unpleasant.

This elder was none other than the Huang Family's sole Poxue Realm expert, a figure of the rank of supreme elder. Once he spoke, even the Huang Family patriarch did not dare say another word.

"Fifty meters. No room for negotiation. Otherwise, go kill that Spirit Beast now. I'd like to see whether you're the ones who'll feel the pain, or us." The appearance of a Poxue Realm expert did give them the upper hand in terms of momentum. But these experts gathered from every direction were no pushovers either, and once again they struck at the Huang Family's sore spot.

The Spirit Beast was discovered by you. We merely came after hearing the news to try our luck. If you want to destroy it, then destroy it and see who feels the pain. These words drew a wave of cheers from the crowd. The Huang Family members' expressions became even uglier. Unless driven to utter despair, they would never destroy the Spirit Beast. It was something they had discovered; if it were destroyed, they would unquestionably be the ones who suffered. Besides, even with only a fifty-meter advantage, the Huang Family, with a Poxue Realm expert, still had the greatest hope of obtaining the Spirit Beast. Of course, that was only on the condition that another Poxue Realm expert did not appear.

"Hmph, let's go." The Huang Family's Poxue Realm expert swept his gaze over the people opposite him, snorted coldly, and led the Huang Family members backward. Though he did not openly answer, his actions were equivalent to agreeing to their demand.

After cheering, the people on this side followed behind the Huang Family members and slowly approached the Spirit Beast's birthing ground.

Fifty meters was not a great distance. From where Chu Xiaotian stood, he could already see the legendary sixth-rank Spirit Beast, the Purple Flame Tiger. It was a gigantic tiger over five meters long, lying on its side on the ground. Purple fur covered its entire body, gleaming dazzlingly under the sunlight. The giant tiger was indeed severely injured. Its abdomen had been ripped open by claws, leaving a wound more than a foot long, and even a section of its intestines had spilled out.