Chương 14: The Fisherman Waits

According to rumor, the Purple Spirit Tiger carries the bloodline of the Azure Sky Celestial Tiger. And that bloodline is terrifyingly powerful. Even the weakest Azure Sky Celestial Tiger can reach Tier 4, a level of strength that rivals a human cultivator in the Golden Core Realm. The Purple Spirit Tiger cub had been born not long ago. Now was the perfect time to tame it. But the adult tiger before them, a sixth level Qi Refining Realm spirit beast, was visibly weakened, struggling to stay on its feet.

Three beasts had it surrounded, an Iron Armored Lion, a Black Armored Fanged Hound, and a Crimson Blood Bear. The Black Armored Fanged Hound's blood red eyes burned with manic excitement. The male Purple Spirit Tiger must have already fallen. If it were still alive, it would have appeared by now. Today, the hound would finally have its revenge. The Black Armored Fanged Hound struck first. Its claws flashed with cold light as they tore toward the tiger's throat.

The Crimson Blood Bear and Iron Armored Lion didn't hesitate either. Despite their usual hostility toward one another, they now shared a common enemy. They would finish off the Purple Spirit Tigress first, then fight over whoever claimed the treasure. Boom! The four beasts collided. Wild energy exploded outward. The ground cracked. Trees splintered. Broken branches and dead leaves swirled through the air like a storm. Thwip! Thwip!

Within moments, a dozen gruesome wounds had opened across the Purple Spirit Tiger's body. Blood sprayed from the gashes, staining its violet coat a deep, wet crimson. But even weakened, the tigress showed no fear, only endless fury and cold, unyielding resolve. Its massive claws slashed down again and again. It fought for its life, bleeding and tearing, determined to defend its territory to the very end. This was the brutal law of the spirit beast world.

The moment you showed weakness, your enemies would seize the opportunity without mercy. It wasn't so different among humans either. Hidden deep among the trees, Zhang Huaijin watched in silence. He waited patiently, keeping his presence tightly concealed. If he revealed himself, the beasts would surely turn on him first. Time crept by. The Purple Spirit Tiger's wounds grew worse by the minute. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Fury alone couldn't overcome three enemies at once. The Black Armored Fanged Hound was injured too, yet its blood red eyes still blazed with savage joy. Even so, it remained on guard. It was weaker than the Iron Armored Lion and the Crimson Blood Bear. Once the tiger died, it would become their next target. The hound was already planning its escape route. The Iron Armored Lion and Crimson Blood Bear, both seasoned survivors of countless brutal battles, understood this perfectly.

The tiger was cornered, fighting its last stand. But a dying beast could still land a life taking blow. So they fought cautiously, encircling their prey while protecting themselves. Zhang Huaijin continued to wait. The perfect moment would come once the three beasts had worn each other down. Then his brow furrowed slightly. He pressed himself deeper into the foliage, not daring to leak even a shred of presence. Because now he sensed something else, two faint traces of energy on the opposite side. Human cultivators.

Thanks to The Primordial Tai Chi Visualization Diagram, Zhang Huaijin's soul had already grown strong enough to rival a ninth level Qi Refining Realm cultivator. Without that power, he never would have noticed them.

"Are they rogue cultivators? Or from one of the clans?"

"The noise from these four beasts is too loud. It's drawn unwanted attention." He thought quickly. This area lay outside the Zhang family's territory. Many rogue cultivators passed through here. And there were other Qi Refining Realm families nearby. If he remembered correctly, the clan bordering the Zhang family was the Hu family. The Hu family was no pushover. They sat comfortably in the middle among Langya County's twelve Qi Refining Realm families.

They had five late stage Qi Refining Realm cultivators, two of whom were at the ninth level. Of course, the Zhang family now had two ninth level cultivators as well. But overall, the Hu family still held the advantage. The two clans didn't get along. Their territories overlapped too closely, and conflicts were common. Still, that was only a guess. Zhang Huaijin tracked the two faint presences carefully. They thought they were well hidden, but they had no idea they'd already been discovered.

The Primordial Tai Chi Visualization Diagram hadn't just strengthened his soul, it also allowed him to mask his presence flawlessly. Even a perfected Qi Refining Realm cultivator would have to look very closely to find him. The snipe and the clam fight, and the fisherman catches both. The only question was, who would be the fisherman? A cold gleam passed through Zhang Huaijin's eyes. Deep in his sea of consciousness, three Yin Yang Divine Needles shimmered, poised and ready to strike. Boom!

The Purple Spirit Tiger, surrounded and drenched in its own blood, suddenly erupted. Its entire body blazed with violet light. Its speed and strength surged beyond all limits. The Black Armored Fanged Hound's blood red eyes went wide with terror. Crunch! A massive tiger claw tore open the hound's neck, ripping half its head clean off. Blood geysered into the air like a crimson fountain. The Iron Armored Lion and Crimson Blood Bear recoiled in shock. Boom! The tiger's face twisted with feral fury.

It moved even faster, closing in on the Iron Armored Lion in an instant. The Crimson Blood Bear flinched, then felt a surge of relief when the tiger went for the lion instead. It glanced at the hound's corpse with disdain. A fifth level Qi Refining Realm beast had no business in a fight like this… Boom! But in the next second, violet light swirled behind the tiger. Three searing purple flame blades materialized out of thin air, evaporating the moisture from the surrounding air.

Arranged in a triangle, they shot toward the Crimson Blood Bear, sealing off every possible escape route. Each blade carried power no weaker than a seventh level Qi Refining Realm strike. Zhang Huaijin understood, this was the tiger's final attack. It was burning its own bloodline for one last chance at vengeance. Thwip! The blades struck the Crimson Blood Bear's neck, chest, and arm. Blood exploded outward. The bear collapsed, grievously wounded, its life hanging by a thread. Thud!

The tiger's claws collided with the Iron Armored Lion's in a shower of sparks. Raw force blasted outward in all directions. The Purple Spirit Tiger was hurled away, and then slumped to the ground lifeless. In its final, desperate strike, the tiger had killed the Black Armored Fanged Hound and crippled the Crimson Blood Bear. The Iron Armored Lion stood alone as the victor. But before it could claim its spoils… Two figures burst from the trees.

"Beast! Die!" A middle aged cultivator, face alight with greed, raised a black dharma sword and drove it straight toward the Iron Armored Lion's skull. Behind him, a younger cultivator grinned with barely concealed excitement. What an incredible stroke of luck…

"Hu family… of course it's them." Zhang Huaijin held his breath, his eyes locked coldly onto the pair.