"Hmph..."
When Tiger lunged at him, Ye Chen smiled disdainfully. He swept his right leg hard across the ground, kicking up a swirling cloud of sand.
Tiger's vision was blocked, and the grit slowed it down. Ye Chen ducked and shot straight toward it like an arrow loosed from a bow.
As he reached Tiger, he drove his left elbow into its jaw. At the same time, he hooked his right hand into a claw and raked it across Tiger's neck.
Blood sprayed. Tiger's roar turned shriller, with a hint of misery in it.
Ye Chen flicked the blood and flesh from his fingers, stepped in, and battered Tiger with a flurry of blows.
Still unsatisfied, he grabbed Tiger's tail and hurled the massive beast, weighing over a thousand pounds, against a nearby cliff.
Bang!
The impact left Tiger's head throbbing and stars flashing before its eyes. It howled in pain, the piercing sound making Ye Chen's eardrums ring. Fear gradually replaced the arrogance in its face.
When it saw Ye Chen coming toward it with a smile, Tiger raised its head and roared at him, as if warning him not to come any closer.
Ye Chen beckoned to it. "Come on. I'm not afraid of you. Let's have some fun."
But then?
With a frightened yowl, Tiger turned and fled at full speed.
Ye Chen stood perfectly still. Tiger glanced back and, seeing that he had not followed, breathed a sigh of relief.
Even a tiger knew better than to fight a losing battle. This one had some sense!
Ace was stunned too. Ye Chen could clearly have killed Tiger with ease, yet he had let it escape.
Ace had just sighed in disappointment when Ye Chen pushed off the ground. A blur lingered where he had stood as