Eternal Holy Emperor
Chapter 45 - 43 Killing the Tiger (3rd Update)

Chapter 45: Chapter 43 Killing the Tiger (3rd Update)

Demon Beast Mountain Range was an extensive mountain range that spanned thousands of miles, stretching across almost half of Xiafeng Country and occupying a vast area of land.

The mountains were high and vast, with dense wilderness and lush greenery covering the slopes. The spiritual energy of the world here was richer than in ordinary regions, making it a favored dwelling place for demon beasts.

Within the expansive forest, countless fierce demon beasts lurked, including some truly terrifying ones, filling the entire mountain range with danger.

The deeper one ventured, the greater the peril.

Once someone entered the depths, let alone ordinary people, even cultivators who had stepped onto the path of cultivation were highly likely to encounter life-threatening crises and meet their end within the mountain range.

Such events were not infrequent throughout history, contributing to the Demon Beast Mountain Range’s notorious reputation that struck fear into the hearts of many.

Owing to the demon beasts, their flesh, fur, and bones held significant value and could fetch high prices in human towns. Moreover, precious medicinal materials and even legendary Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were rumored to be found within the mountain range, compelling countless individuals to brave the dangers and venture into the Demon Beast Mountain Range in search of immense wealth.

Each year, the number of people who died in the Demon Beast Mountain Range was countless, and even Innate Strong People who entered could not guarantee their own safety, for Innate Demonic Beasts were not uncommon within the range.

Indeed, since demon beasts naturally possessed stronger physical bodies than humans, an Innate Demonic Beast was much more fearsome than a typical Innate Strong Person...

Dark Peak Mountain, situated close to the deeper parts of the Demon Beast Mountain Range, was a dense and overgrown peak with vines covering the sky and miasma pervading the air, making it a dangerous place frequently visited by demon beasts that was not to be tread upon lightly.

Even for many Mercenary Groups that went into the mountain range to hunt demon beasts and gather medicinal herbs, this was a perilous area. Typically, they would rarely enter this location and would often keep a wide distance.

At this moment, near the precipitous cliff edge, a group of around a dozen people stood on the brink, each one bearing injuries and looking nearly hopeless.

This was because a Demon Tiger with hanging eyes and a white forehead blocked the only path forward. The beast stood ten feet tall, with bristling fur and a massive figure, barricading the sole escape route and leaving nothing but a sheer cliff as a dead-end.

The tiger now opened its bloodied maw wide and bared its teeth, eying them with its large, bell-like eyes filled with a craving for blood.

The tiger was an exceedingly terrifying creature, classified as an Acquired Ninth Rank Demon Beast. Due to its physical strength, it was much more formidable than Acquired Ninth Realm cultivators and was absolutely regarded as a territory lord within the Demon Beast Mountain Range, provoking fear and dread in many. It was considered one of the most fearsome demon beasts beneath the Innate Demonic Beasts.

Such a demon beast could slaughter Acquired Ninth Realm cultivators without issue, and clearly, this group of people stood no chance against it.

"Daddy, what do we do?"

A beautiful girl around the age of thirteen or fourteen anxiously clutched at the clothes of the middle-aged man leading the group. Her pretty face was dirty, and her large, clear eyes were filled with terror and fear.

"Meizi, don’t worry, your father is here by your side, and I won’t let you be harmed," the middle-aged man softly comforted his daughter, yet his gaze toward the Demon Tiger was also filled with helplessness and despair.

The others felt much the same.

This was a small Mercenary Group, not very well-known, with only about a dozen members. The strongest among them was this middle-aged man, the group leader, but he was merely an Acquired Eighth Realm cultivator—not very strong by any means.

The rest of the Mercenary Group consisted mostly of Acquired Sixth and Seventh Realm members, and there were even a few who were only Fourth or Fifth Ranks, so their overall strength was not impressive.

They usually undertook the dangerous task of hunting demon beasts within the Demon Beast Mountain Range to trade their valuable blood, flesh, and pelts for substantial amounts of money in order to sustain their livelihoods.

Since they mostly hunted at the fringes of the Demon Beast Mountain Range, where the demon beasts they encountered were relatively weak, their hunting excursions were quite safe, albeit less profitable—just enough to scrape by.

However, this time, greed had gotten the better of them. During one of their hunts, they accidentally came across a Red Jade Rabbit. Upon seeing it, they were instantly covetous.

The Red Jade Rabbit was a lower-level Fourth Rank Demonic Beast with a charming and cute appearance and bright, black eyes, making it especially popular among noblewomen and young ladies. It could be sold for extremely high prices, often fetching over a thousand Gold Coins—an unquestionably immense fortune for the small Mercenary Group.

Although they saw the Red Jade Rabbit heading deeper into the range and knew the danger that entailed, they ultimately couldn’t resist the temptation. The entire Mercenary Group unanimously decided to hunt the rabbit, progressively venturing deeper into the Demon Beast Mountain Range. By the time they realized their predicament, they had already penetrated dozens of miles into the mountains and reached Dark Peak Mountain, a known danger zone.

And now, they had inadvertently entered the territory of the Demon Tiger with hanging eyes and a white forehead, leading to the beast’s pursuit and their current dire situation.

"Li Zi, Fatty, take Meizi and everyone else and leave. I’ll hold off this Demon Tiger for a moment, buying you time. Hurry and get out of here," the group leader commanded as he hoisted his large sword.

"Big brother, that’s absolutely not okay. We can’t abandon you and leave on our own."

"That’s right, we have to stick together, for better or worse."

The other members of the Mercenary Group hurriedly said, and the young girl tightly clutched the group leader’s clothes, crying, "Daddy, you can’t leave Meizi behind."

But the leader struggled free, lifted his great sword, and charged forward shouting, "Hurry and leave, now’s not the time for sentimentality, run—"

"Demon Tiger, meet your doom!"

With a clanging sound, the Demon Tiger merely swatted with a paw, sending the leader flying. He tumbled to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood, which caused those behind him to roar with blood-red eyes, "Big brother—"

"Dad—"

The leader struggled to stand up, rushing forward once again and shouting, "Go, hurry up and go!"

The other members of the Mercenary Group had sore eyes, unwilling to witness their brother-like leader head toward death, but at that moment they were powerless to do anything. They had to comply with the leader’s command, grabbing the crying girl, and using the opportunity created by their leader’s desperate struggle against injury, they bypassed the Demon Tiger and burst out.

"Ao Hou—"

Enraged, the Demon Tiger bellowed, its paw smashing down on the great sword. The impact rang out, sparks flying, and the sword shattered. The leader was sent flying, rolling on the ground, continuously coughing up blood.

Then in a rush, it pounced on him, opening its gaping maw and biting down on the leader, swallowing him on the spot.

"Leader—"

"Dad—"

The people fleeing for their lives saw all of this. They couldn’t help but scream with eyes splitting from pain, eyes filled with hot tears, full of despair.

The leader could only despairingly watch them, shaking his head, urging them to quickly leave, as he awaited the moment of death.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a streak of cold light split the heavens and earth, dazzling the eyes of everyone present.

Boom—

A long spear appeared out of nowhere, moving like lightning across the sky, too fast for anyone to react. It pierced the body of the arrogant Demon Tiger with the hanging eyes and white forehead, forcefully nailing it to the cliff wall, unable to break free.

Blood poured freely from the wound, splashing against the cliffside, staining the rocks red, a sight both stunning and unnerving.

This scene left everyone in the Mercenary Group with their mouths agape in shock, unable to believe what had happened.

What on earth was going on?

One moment filled with despair, the next brought back to life, having skirted the brink of death, giving everyone a surreal feeling.

Pitter-patter—

Suddenly, the clear sound of footsteps approached from a distance. Following the direction of the sound, they saw a figure slowly emerging from atop the cliff.

He was tall and slender with shoulder-length black hair, radiating vitality. His handsome, slightly youthful face clearly belonged to a youth, merely about sixteen years old, a jade-like young man.

At that moment, the young man was simply dressed in a black robe, no other equipment on him, not even a sword or a weapon. He appeared before everyone, composed, especially the crescent moon mark between his eyebrows, faintly visible and attracting attention, adding a touch of mystery.

Everyone was quite astounded. Could this be the mysterious powerful savior who had snatched them from the jaws of despair, this excessively young man before them?

The mysterious young man’s palm lightly clenched, and the long spear that had slain the Demon Tiger was drawn into his hand, along with the Demon Tiger itself, confirming his identity, leaving the people shocked and filled with reverence.

So strong. Who knows who this divine being is, to be this overwhelmingly powerful, nailing the Acquired Ninth-level Demon Tiger with a casual throw of his spear.

In this world, the strong were respected, so the people naturally held him in awe.

"Too weak, killed by a single spear," the youth shook his head nonchalantly, saying so in a voice not too loud nor too soft—just enough for everyone there to hear, leaving them stupefied.

The youth was Ye Chen.

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