Tail swipe
The moment the Forest Rock Tiger dodged the crossbow bolt, the air in the entire snowfield seemed to tighten suddenly.
Just moments before, the king of the forest had been lying lazily, letting the wind and snow cover its fur, but in an instant, all its ease and comfort vanished. Its massive body suddenly sprang off the ground, its limbs pounding the snow, kicking up fine snow mist, its deep chest rumbling and vibrating like a high-speed engine crushing across the wilderness. The oppressive feeling that swept over him was completely different from the ferocity of the Wolf Pack yesterday or the savagery of the Giant-Horned Deer the day before; it was the absolute suppressive power etched into the blood of a top predator.
The wind and snow continued to howl through the forest, Withered Branch trembled slightly in the cold wind. The entire desolate snowfield was stirred up into a storm of battle by the charge of this fierce tiger.
Lu Heng's pupils contracted sharply, and all the nerves in his body tensed up instantly.
Having endured two days of life-or-death battles, he had long since developed an instinct for improvisation. Seeing the tiger pounce at lightning speed, he instinctively planned to repeat his old trick, replicating the close-combat style he used against the Grayfang Wolf King. He gripped the Bronze Hunting Blade tightly, lowered his waist and took a sidestep, his body looming low, his eyes fixed on the tiger's attack trajectory, preparing to cut in close and seize the beast's momentary weakness after its charge, using his swift blade to dictate the course of the battle.
In his prediction, this tiger would be like all ferocious beasts, attacking and tearing straight at him. As long as he defended the front and avoided its sharp edge, he could find room to maneuver.
But the Forest Rock Tiger is completely unpredictable.
Its swift mid-air pounce was merely a feint.
The massive body suddenly adjusted its posture in mid-air, its front paws feigning a pounce to attract Lu Heng's full attention. The next second, its thick, sturdy tail, covered with stiff fur, suddenly swept out with tremendous force, like a steel whip!
The wind roared.
Snap--
A heavy, piercing sound suddenly rang out in the open space.
The tiger's tail swept solidly across Lu Heng's forearm, which was holding the knife, and slammed hard onto his leather chest armor.
The brand-new Tusked Wild Boar hide armor was incredibly tough, with layers of leather providing robust protection that prevented it from being directly torn or breached. However, the power of this Black Iron Tier tiger was terrifying, far exceeding the attack levels of any previous ferocious beast. The immense force pierced through the thick hide armor, slamming into the bones and muscles. A piercing pain instantly spread from the arm throughout the body, as if the bones had been struck by a heavy hammer. Aching, stinging, and numbness—three sensations intertwined, instantly engulfing every part of the body.
Lu Heng froze abruptly.
The wrist holding the knife suddenly lost its grip, the Hunting Blade trembled slightly, and the body staggered uncontrollably for half a step.
In that brief moment of stunned silence, an extreme sense of danger, an unprecedented fear and dread, gripped his heart completely.
Fighting the Giant-Horned Deer is a tough battle that can be won through attrition.
Fighting Wolf Pack is a dangerous battle that can be avoided by surrounding them.
But facing this Forest Rock Tiger, he felt for the first time the despair of not being able to control his own life or death.
Too fast, too ruthless, too cunning, and the disparity in strength was too great.
Without any fancy moves, a single tail sweep nearly shattered all of his defenses and confidence. At this moment, Lu Heng was perfectly clear-headed: in a head-on close-quarters fight, he definitely wouldn't last more than three moves. This king of the mountains was a truly terrifying being capable of taking his life in an instant.
A biting wind whipped across his face, carrying the piercing chill of the snow-covered plain, causing his mask to flutter wildly. The surrounding environment remained deathly still, the snow-covered earth seemingly tranquil and beautiful, but to Lu Heng, it had become an endless prison. The vast snowfield offered no shelter from tall trees, no complex terrain to aid him; the flat snow left him nowhere to hide, nowhere to conceal himself. All his advantages in maneuvering, ambushing, and circumventing the terrain were lost.
The extreme danger chilled him to the bone, and an instinctive fear surged within him.
We cannot linger in battle; we must retreat!
Even though he harbored resentment, even though he knew that taking a step back would put him in a completely passive position, Lu Heng still did not harbor any illusions. He endured the excruciating pain in his arms and chest, suppressed the stiffness and panic in his body, and suddenly exerted force with his feet, his body rapidly retreating, running back in a frantic retreat.
He quickly retreated from the area where the trial battle was taking place, just a few steps away.
The next second, the Forest Rock Tiger, which had been charging forward with murderous intent and was about to pounce on him, suddenly stopped moving.
The fierce charge came to an abrupt halt without warning, and the bloodthirsty glint that had been surging in their eyes vanished in an instant.
There were no anxious roars, no relentless pursuit.
The deadly surprise attack, the ferocious tail whip, and the overwhelming killing intent just now seemed like nothing more than an insignificant interlude.
The Forest Rock Tiger slowly retracted its forepaws, its massive body landing gracefully, crushing the snow beneath its feet. It lazily flicked its thick tail, shaking off the fine snow dust clinging to its fur, completely concealing all its ferocious and murderous aura.
It moved slowly and leisurely, casually turning around and walking back to its original position in the center of the open space.
The sub-zero wind and snow raged across the wilderness, blowing across its thick fur, but had no effect whatsoever on this mountain tyrant.
Before long, it lay down on the snow again, limbs outstretched, head slightly lowered, once again returning to that comfortable, peaceful, and indifferent sleeping posture.
The tense atmosphere of a deadly battle that had just taken hold vanished in an instant.
Lu Heng, having retreated from the battle zone, felt his chest heave violently. He exhaled a breath of turbid air mixed with white mist, his rapid breathing slowly calming the surging blood and qi within his body.
The dull pain and tingling sensation that pierced through my armor still lingered in my arms and chest, and my back was already stiff from being soaked in cold sweat.
He stood at a distance, silently watching the motionless tiger in the clearing, feeling only a deep sense of lingering fear and relief.
Fortunately, the trial has a fixed combat range restriction.
Fortunately, the ferocious beast did not pursue them indefinitely.
Without this layer of rules binding him, he would have had no way to escape during that charge. With the speed, strength, and cunning of this Forest Rock Tiger, once he was caught in close combat, he would have had absolutely no chance of survival.
This isn't a trial; it's a gamble with your life at every step.
Compared to the Giant-Horned Deer and Wolf Pack packs of the past two days, this tiger seemed ridiculously gentle.
Lu Heng knew perfectly well that if the area boundary hadn't blocked the ferocious beasts' pursuit, no ordinary survivor, no matter how well-equipped or agile they were, would have been able to withstand the trial on the third day.
Having narrowly escaped this wave of death, he suppressed the lingering fear in his heart, and his eyes slowly calmed down.
Fear is useless, and so is returning it.
Since he had to undergo the trial and overcome the extreme cold, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and persevere through this tough challenge.
The brief period of safety was his only chance to build up his strength.