The Gap Between Mortals and Demonic Beasts

Whether it was because they had already eaten before arriving, Ji Yuan didn't see these people eat anything—they just drank some water.

By the time it was fully dark outside, the outer garments of the group were mostly dry, so they put them on and prepared to move out.

It seemed that besides resting to recover their strength, having their clothes completely dry would greatly boost their combat effectiveness—the same principle as Ji Yuan leaning closer to the screen for better accuracy or swaying left and right to improve evasion when playing games.

Two strong men hoisted the sacks containing the pigs and sheep back onto their shoulders, one of them being Lu Chengfeng, who had said he wanted to see the demon.

"Alright, let's go!"

Yan Fei was still full of energy, taking the lead.

Lu Chengfeng, carrying the sack, turned his head and shouted at Ji Yuan.

"Beggar, wait for our good news. When we get back, we'll take you down the mountain!"

Hey hey hey, Eldest Brother, don't jinx it!

Ji Yuan was nervous hearing this. He hesitated, then shouted at Lu Chengfeng as the last man stepped out of the temple gate.

"Young Master Lu, if you're in extreme danger, shout that you know Mister Ji! Remember this, remember it well!"

By then, Lu Chengfeng had already stepped out of the temple gate. He turned back at the sound, but even with the faint firelight, the inside was pitch black, and he couldn't see the beggar's face clearly.

Not quite understanding the meaning of these words, Lu Chengfeng didn't dwell on it and quickly caught up with his companions ahead.

Niu Kui Mountain had dozens of peaks, large and small, and the Mountain God Temple was merely on a small hill at the outer perimeter.

Though the nine young bladesmen lacked some worldly experience and were a bit naive, their martial arts foundation was solid. They traversed the rugged mountain paths as if walking on flat ground.

In local terms, within about an hour, they crossed three peaks and reached a relatively deep forest on Niu Kui Mountain.

By then, the nine of them were slightly sweating.

Yan Fei, at the front, looked at the shadowy figures in the surrounding darkness and took a deep breath.

"Let's do it here. The Man-Eating Great Beast won't hide too deep in the mountains. Put down the pigs and sheep and prepare here!"

"Yeah, okay!"

"It's about the Xu hour now. The great beast will be out soon!"

Lu Chengfeng and the man with the staff set down their sacks, untied the openings, and led out a small female goat and a medium-sized domestic pig.

Having been carried over a long journey, the two livestock were clearly dizzy and barely made any noise.

"Tie their ropes to these two trees. Oh, and cut a gash on their legs!"

"I'll do it!"

A young man with a blade walked over to the pig and goat, drew his knife, and with a flick of his wrist, made two cuts on their hind legs.

"Squeal~ squeal~~~"

"Baa..."

In pain, the two animals immediately struggled, trying to escape, but the ropes held them fast.

Lu Chengfeng and the staff-wielding man each tied the livestock's ropes to nearby tree trunks. Meanwhile, the others scanned their surroundings.

"Alright, let's hide in the trees and wait!"

Everyone nodded silently, already slightly excited. Some used Lightness Skill to leap, others climbed quickly, concealing themselves in four or five large trees nearby.

For a moment, the mountain fell silent. Aside from the injured pig and goat crying out and thrashing about, only the occasional call of a night bird broke the stillness.

They waited for an hour.

"Hoo... hoo-hoo... hoo~~"

The night birds' calls made the darkness feel even more serene.

Lu Chengfeng, Bladesman Du Heng, and the woman Luo Ningshuang were hidden in the tree where the goat was tied, looking down through the canopy and leaves.

The goat and pig were exhausted. From their initial restless, frantic charging, they had now lain down to rest.

"It's been this long. Is the Fierce Tiger even coming?"

Luo Ningshuang lowered her voice to ask the two.

"Don't know. Normally, such easy prey should lure the beast out."

"Shh!"

Lu Chengfeng signaled them to be quiet.

"Whoosh... whoosh..."

The wind in the mountain forest suddenly picked up, swaying the branches of the surrounding big trees.

"Baa..."

With a goat's bleat, the goat and pig stood up, restlessly looking around.

"Baa... baa..."

"Squeak... squeak squeak..."

The two injured livestock frantically rushed outward, only to be yanked back by the ropes around their necks. This sudden shift roused the spirits of the nine people lying in ambush.

"Whoosh... whoosh..."

The cool wind not only made the hair of those in the trees fly wildly, but also sent a chill through them.

For some reason, this strange wind made many feel uneasy. No one noticed that, aside from the frantic pigs and sheep, all the birdsong in the forest had vanished.

In the distance, a tiger a full size larger than an ordinary one stood on a mountain rock deep in the woods. Through the green gloom of night, it gazed toward the direction of the pig and sheep, its eyes eerily human-like, tinged with a hint of contempt.

The tiger neither dodged nor avoided, walking straight toward the trapped pig and sheep, slowly approaching them.

By then, the pig and sheep had lost their earlier frenzy, trembling and collapsing on the ground, too terrified to move.

'What a massive tiger!'

The tiger that came was far larger than imagined, far beyond the descriptions of those who had seen tigers before.

The people in the trees all felt their hair stand on end and their scalps tingle. Though they wanted to hunt the tiger and rid the area of the menace, seeing such a huge beast up close still terrified them, their hearts pounding at an alarming rate.

The tiger stopped beside the two livestock, its fur rippling with the wind.

'Why isn't the tiger eating?'

This was the doubt that arose in everyone's minds amid their tension. They had agreed earlier that, barring any surprises, they would leap out and surround the tiger when it began to eat the livestock.

Sweat beaded on Yan Fei's face as he gripped his sword hilt with his right hand. If the tiger showed any sign of fleeing, he would immediately signal everyone to reveal themselves.

But just then, he suddenly noticed the tiger lifting its head to look toward the tree he was hiding in. A hoarse, rough voice emerged from the tiger's mouth.

"Interesting! Mortal martial artists? Since you've come seeking death, this shouldn't count as defying the Master's teachings!!"

In an instant, everyone, including Yan Fei, felt their hair stand on end, their scalps tingle, and goosebumps erupt all over their bodies.

Only one thought filled their minds: 'It's become a spirit!'

"Let's play a little first, roar!"

As the tiger's roar sounded, it lunged toward the tree canopy before it, startling the few people directly in its path into stiffness, their reactions frozen.

Yan Fei bit his tongue hard to shake off the paralysis of fear and roared.

"Move!"

"Clang~"

His tasseled long sword left its sheath, and he gritted his teeth as he slashed toward the tiger, trying to drive it back.

To his surprise, the tiger didn't dodge at all. One claw reached straight for the sword. In Yan Fei's eyes, that tiger paw was thicker than his own thigh, and the palm with its exposed claws was bigger than his head.

"Clang..."

"Pfft..."

In the blink of an eye, Yan Fei's sword was twisted aside, and he was swatted off the tree by a tiger paw, blood spraying from his chest as he crashed into the bushes, his fate unknown.

"Bastard!"

Zhao Long, the man wielding the long staff, charged at the Tiger Spirit with his weapon, but before the staff could fully extend, a blurry black-and-yellow whip-like shadow was already before his eyes.

"Bam~ crack..."

"Bam..."

A tiger tail, as hard as steel and iron, lashed out, shattering the staff that could withstand axe chops and sword cuts. Zhao Long was struck by the tail, spat blood, and fell from the tree, following Yan Fei's fate.

"Save them!"

"Charge!"

The remaining people leaped from their hiding spots, all attacking the tiger at once.

Lord Lu charged without slowing, landing lightly on the tree trunk where Yan Fei had been hiding. Its four claws gripped the tree like a cat's, body slightly crouched, and before the blades could reach it, it darted several zhang away in a flash.

"Woo~"

The wind stirred by the tiger swept over them. Before their strikes could land, they watched the tiger leap over the encirclement and land outside.

Du Heng, who had drawn his saber, and Luo Ningshuang, who had drawn her sword, reacted the fastest. They both kicked off the ground, twisting in midair, and shot after the tiger's direction of escape, one thrusting and one slashing, aiming straight for the tiger before it landed.

But the tiger, still in the air, pressed its limbs downward as if stepping on a solid point in the wind. Its massive body shifted abruptly to one side, and with eerie speed, it landed and crouched low, its green-glowing tiger eyes fixed on Du Heng and Luo Ningshuang.

"Roar~~~"

A single roar made the remaining people's bodies go numb, their movements stiffening in a bizarre way.

In a flash, the tiger's body seemed to blur, and it lunged again.

"Watch out!"

The shouts of others seemed distant. In the terrified, wide eyes of Luo Ningshuang and Du Heng, the tiger was already face-to-face with them, the cold gleam of its claws rivaling metal.

"Bam!"

"Pfft... bam!"

One claw swept down, first striking Du Heng, then hitting Luo Ningshuang.

Behind them, the cries of their companions had not yet faded when they saw Du Heng and Luo Ningshuang already flying left and right, spraying blood, Du Heng's hand gripping the saber twisted outward.

"Bam!"

"Bam!"

"Shh..."

The first two sounds were Luo Ningshuang and Du Heng crashing to the ground in the distance; the last, the Tiger Spirit landing, was almost too faint to hear.

In that brief exchange, four experts lay in unknown condition...

Not far from the remaining five, the Tiger Spirit stretched its limbs like a great cat lazily arching its back, its terrifying tiger eyes watching them with mockery.

"Whizz... clatter clatter clatter..."

A Ghost Head Saber bent at a ninety-degree angle spun in a parabolic arc and landed at their feet, the blade not only warped at the bend but the edge at the point of impact already curled.

Lu Chengfeng and the others felt their hands and feet turn to ice, unable to breathe, their fists or weapon-gripping hands already white at the knuckles.