Huang Dahu passed away peacefully.
Crackle, crackle, craaackle-
More and more arcs of electricity coursed over Huang Dahu, even forming a suit of armor around him. His expression grew increasingly savage, as though he were suppressing tremendous pain.
"Big brother!" Black Tiger roared repeatedly. "You can't do this!"
"Heh." Huang Dahu glanced back at him. "My foolish little brother, my greatest regret now is not unleashing this move the day your brothers died such horrible deaths. A moment's hesitation became the greatest regret of my life. Today, you must make it out alive. As long as you're still here, the glory of our Old Bald Summit Gully Tiger Demon Clan will never die! Haaah-"
He seemed unable to hold it back any longer. Countless lightning dragons burst from his limbs, his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. Their dazzling light turned his striped yellow fur so white that he looked like a white tiger!
Only two generations had passed since their branch of tiger demons first transformed from wild beasts. But after coming to the city and experiencing so much human civilization, they had become fundamentally different from Demon Beasts driven only by survival instincts.
While studying human history in the basement, Huang Dahu had discovered that humans were skilled at using concepts like community and legacy to unite different forces.
Back then, he had thought that if their family of tiger demons continued to thrive and multiply, perhaps in a thousand years they could become a mighty demon clan, just like the ancient royal clans of the Demon Realm whose legacies stretched back millennia.
The first step toward building a legacy was knowing where you came from. So he had named their branch after the place where he and his brothers were born, just like the humans' "Li Clan of the Central Plains" or "Yang Clan of Tianbei"...
One day, the Old Bald Top Ditch Tiger Demon Clan would be known throughout the world!
Sadly, sudden disaster had shattered his dream. Now, all he could think of was avenging his brothers, even if he never returned.
What he was unleashing now was the ultimate killing move he had devised himself from the Thunder Tiger Shakes the Heavens Fist.
"He's using lightning to stimulate his blood vessels, meridians, muscles, and bones..." Zhao Xing'er recognized how his move worked and looked slightly startled. "That draws out even greater fighting power, but once the battle ends, practically his entire body will be ruined... He really is ruthless."
"Hahaha!" Huang Dahu laughed loudly. "This is the secret I discovered myself from the Thunder Tiger Shakes the Heavens Fist. It lets me gain power beyond my limits. Your feeble human bodies could never imagine enduring this degree of electrical stimulation. This move belongs exclusively to our Old Bald Summit Gully Tiger Demon Clan, and I've given it a name that's mine alone-"
"Heaven-Shaking Thunder Tiger Fist!"
"He actually just rearranged someone else's name?" Big Muntjac and Second Muntjac marveled from the side. "No wonder he's lived in a human city for over a decade. His cultural depth is truly terrifying!"
"You just said he rearranged the name. Where exactly are you seeing cultural depth?" Zhao Xing'er said, speechless. "Your fighting spirit is admirable, but it will only make me fight you with everything I've got."
Despite her words, the martial spirit red light in Zhao Xing'er's eyes disappeared.
As a cultivator specializing in martial arts, she understood better than most just how great a price Huang Dahu was paying by burning himself out like this. Even if he survived this battle, his meridians would be almost completely severed, leaving him a crippled tiger.
An enemy like that had earned her respect.
Boom-
As Huang Dahu's aura surged, he shouted to Black Tiger again, "Little Black, go! Get out of here! Whether we win or lose today, our clan's bloodline will live on through you!"
"Big brother!" Black Tiger seemed reluctant.
"Go!" Huang Dahu shouted.
"Boss, it's time we made our move too." Zhao Xing'er was about to call Yue Wen into battle with her, but when she turned, she found that he had already disappeared from her side. "Huh?"
When she looked up again, she discovered that Yue Wen had somehow appeared behind Black Tiger!
"Who the hell just stands around waiting for an enemy to charge up his ultimate move?" Yue Wen shouted. With the Flying Sword in hand, he thrust at Black Tiger in a sneak attack, sword energy surging.
His approach to battle remained unchanged: eliminate the enemy's weakest fighter first.
"Big brother, I'm not leaving, big brother..." Black Tiger had been wallowing in grief over his brother unleashing the Heaven-Shaking Thunder Tiger Fist when he suddenly discovered a lethal longsword behind him. His wailing instantly became, "Big brother, save me!"
Whoosh-
Just as Yue Wen's sword energy was about to strike, Huang Dahu flashed, his whole body shining white. With a sharp rush of air, he appeared above Black Tiger's head almost as though he had teleported.
He clenched his fist and gathered power.
Boom, boom, boom-
As the punch flew, Yue Wen abruptly vanished again. Yet even though the blow missed, it still unleashed a violent thunderblast in midair!
Feeling the threat of death, Black Tiger immediately changed his tune. "Big brother, I'll head out first. Take care, everyone!"
With that, he turned into a streak of black smoke and fled again.
Huang Dahu had no time to respond. A moment later, he turned back and threw a soaring punch at the charging Zhao Xing'er! Whoosh-
"Just what I wanted!" Zhao Xing'er shouted.
With a flick of her hand, she summoned an Eyebrow-Level Copper Staff and clashed with the white-shining Huang Dahu!
A staff was still the handiest weapon for beating tigers.
Bang, bang, crack, crack, boom, boom, boom!
Their close-range exchange began in an instant. Both figures moved as fast as lightning, impossible to track with the naked eye. Each collision triggered twin explosions of true qi and lightning, creating a dazzling spectacle.
It was hard to imagine cultivators of the lower three realms producing such an earthshaking battle through physical martial prowess alone.
Meanwhile, seeing Huang Dahu tie up Zhao Xing'er, the two muntjac demons regrouped and charged straight toward Yue Wen!
Yue Wen had actually used the Shadow Talisman to sneak up on Black Tiger, hoping to quietly kill a backline enemy first. He hadn't expected Huang Dahu to react so quickly. Fortunately, he had swiftly shot the Shadow Talisman back to his original position, allowing him to teleport back.
His body became a flickering shadow, coming and going freely.
Unfortunately, Black Tiger had escaped. The fight had barely started, and some Evil-Suppressing Money had already slipped away.
Big Muntjac and Second Muntjac used the simplest of methods. Carrying wrenches and hammers, they attacked from either side, leaping up together and roaring as they descended for the kill.
Yue Wen used the Sword-Controlling Technique to stab straight at the more badly wounded Second Muntjac, blasting the demon back with sword energy. At the same time, he flipped his other hand and shot a purple-black Shadow Talisman toward Big Muntjac, who knocked it away with a wrench.
Then Big Muntjac's wrench came crashing down. A hit would mean death or crippling injury!
Yue Wen's figure flickered again, and he appeared with a whoosh at the loca-
tion where the Shadow Talisman had been knocked away.
Although he had obtained this technique only recently, he had already comprehended it and practiced it many times within the visualization diagram. Only because he had become quite proficient did he dare use it in actual combat.
If he were still rusty, one little mistake might leave his head and body going their separate ways. He wouldn't have dared bring it out then.
But he discovered that this move wasn't foolproof either. On his second use, before he could even attack, Big Muntjac had already predicted where he would appear in midair and swung a hammer at him!
"There!"
Although muntjac demons weren't particularly bright, their combat instincts were first-rate, almost innate. Sensing the killing intent, the demon had immediately pinpointed Yue Wen's location.
Bang!
Yue Wen had no time to dodge again. He grabbed the Shadow Talisman to block, but the tremendous force still sent him flying. He crashed more than ten meters away, gouging a deep furrow in the ground.
Almost simultaneously, the rampaging Huang Dahu punched Zhao Xing'er away on the other side, sending her crashing down beside Yue Wen.
Whoosh-
Dust billowed everywhere. Lying on the ground, Zhao Xing'er said, "That life-burning secret technique of his really is powerful."
Looking into her clear eyes, Yue Wen shouted, "How are you supposed to fight when you're this compassionate? Where's your anger? Where's your martial spirit red light?"
"But I..." Zhao Xing'er looked troubled too. "I'm just not angry right now."
Seeing Huang Dahu burn his life away to fight, she genuinely found it hard to feel anger.
Sometimes getting angry was like having a baby. Not having one just because you didn't want to, or having one just because you did, could both be difficult.
Some people who didn't want a baby went to the bathroom and suddenly gave birth, while others who wanted one couldn't manage it no matter what.
"I'm telling you, if you don't beat him today, you won't get a single cent of this livestream's earnings!" Yue Wen waved his hand. "And next month, I'm cutting your base salary in half!"
"Hey, you bastard!" Red light instantly flared in Zhao Xing'er's eyes. "I worked for that money! What gives you the right to dock my pay?"
"Heh." Yue Wen sneered. "Our contract has a clause saying your performance pay won't be settled normally if you fail to complete your regular duties. This is your job right now. Get to it!"
"Think about which fight you're more likely to win: the one against the tiger demon, or the one in labor arbitration!"
Just as the dust cleared, he shoved Zhao Xing'er forward.
Huang Dahu, descending through the air to attack, suddenly found himself facing Zhao Xing'er as she shot skyward, her whole body blazing red! A huge phantom loomed behind her, crimson light reaching the heavens, a golden circlet around its head, and an indescribably ferocious air.
She still held the same eyebrow-level staff, yet in the blink of an eye, she seemed to have transformed from the pilgrim who excelled at beating tigers into the pilgrim who excelled at beating that old bastard, the Jade Emperor.
Was this right?
A moment later, he could no longer see Zhao Xing'er at all. There was only endless red light. He vaguely heard someone shout something beside his ears: "Die, you evil capitalist-"
Crimson Stains the Firmament, Heavenward Staff Strike!
-Boom!
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