Late Foundation Establishment stage—at this level, even demon beasts have developed intelligence and can learn human speech.
Clearly, this talking tiger demon was the true target of this mission.
“How can there be another tiger demon?”
Ye Qing thrust his sword, deep blue eyes flashing. Relying on the “Reverse Flow Technique,” he could predict the tiger demon’s next move.
The tiger demon’s next move would be to strike down at him with its left paw!
If he took that strike head-on, Ye Qing would either die or be crippled. He shifted his stance, intending to dodge directly.
But just as he turned sharply, adjusting his steps, a long, thick tail lashed his abdomen like a steel whip, leaving a bloody taste on his tongue.
The next instant, he was sent flying, only stopping after crashing through several trees.
Too fast!
Even though he had predicted his opponent’s move, the tiger demon was no fool. It could also adapt to the enemy’s changes.
“I originally didn’t plan to attack you all. Killing you would be a big hassle for me. But who told you to hurt my wife?” the tiger demon roared in fury.
Tong Yao and Wang Zhiyai both realized they had been careless. At the sight of the tiger demon, they’d instinctively assumed there was only one enemy.
In the earlier fight, they had used their spiritual energy without restraint. Now, with not much left for spells, it was almost impossible to defeat this late Foundation Establishment tiger demon.
“Senior Brother Lin!” Wang Zhiyai shouted toward the carriage.
Now, it was no longer a question of whether they could complete the mission—their lives were at stake.
His shout was loud enough for even the tiger demon to hear. The beast glanced at the carriage, stared at Lin Shu for a moment, then turned its gaze back to the four disciples.
By rights, knowing there was a protector present, the enemy shouldn’t dare attack so rashly.
But there was no fear at all in the tiger demon’s eyes as it lunged again at the group.
“Senior Brother Lin! Please protect us, we can’t hold on much longer!” Tong Yao cried out as well.
But Lin Shu was unmoved by the pleas of his junior brothers and sisters, merely smiling as he watched, as if enjoying a performance.
What they didn’t know was that Lin Shu had already made his choice—[Keep smiling, do nothing, and wait for Lu Zhiyun to resolve everything. Random Attribute +1]
That’s right!
Just a moment ago, Lin Shu had actually been about to step in, but the system had popped up, presenting three options.
[Step in immediately to stop the fight, prioritize saving people, and first rescue the disciples of Broken Demon Mountain. All Basic Attributes +100]
[Step in immediately to stop the fight, prioritize saving people, and first rescue the disciples of Cloud-Treading Immortal Sect and Myriad Laws Immortal Sect. Poison Resistance +1000, Spirit +1000]
[Keep smiling, do nothing, and wait for Lu Zhiyun to resolve everything. Random Attribute +1]
Lin Shu glanced at the options and almost laughed from anger.
Wretched Junior Sister Tong! I’ve treated you well, and you want to harm me???
If he chose [All Basic Attributes +100], Lin Shu would be skinned alive if not dead.
He had no idea why there’d be such a penalty, but there was no way he’d ever pick it.
The second option was easy to judge: he’d probably be dragged off to drink weird herbal concoctions and undergo all kinds of hypnosis techniques to “correct” his preferences in one go.
As for the third option…
It was a little different from usual, though Lin Shu couldn’t quite put his finger on why.
Still, he was curious how Lu Zhiyun would deal with a Foundation Establishment tiger demon with only her late Qi Refining cultivation.
Such a vast difference in cultivation realms—even with exquisite technique, it would be nearly impossible to win.
Even Ye Qing with his innate Sword Bone was already on the ground. Could Junior Sister’s sword skills possibly triumph over the tiger demon?
Seeing that Lin Shu refused to help, Tong Yao and Wang Zhiyai began to feel a creeping despair. A wild suspicion arose—could the tiger demon be working with Lin Shu?
Just now, the man and beast had stared at each other and, in perfect unspoken agreement, did nothing. No way there’s no connection!
Off to the side, Lu Zhiyun dodged another strike from the tiger demon and smirked disdainfully.
She saw the puzzled looks in Tong Yao and Wang Zhiyai’s eyes and simply shook her head.
Did they really have to wonder?
The tiger demon they’d killed before was actually the real mission target.
This new tiger demon was just an extra challenge set up for her by that evil cultivator Lin Shu!!!
Lu Zhiyun saw through everything again!
This tiger demon must be Lin Shu’s puppet or a beast he raised.
According to his plan, the first tiger demon would wear them down, and this second one would push them into the depths of despair.
Her role now was obvious: defeat the tiger demon in front of these disciples.
But if she used ordinary sword techniques, they’d surely suspect something. Even though the tiger demon was on Lin Shu’s side and wouldn’t hurt her, if her skills didn’t shine, it’d be hard to gain the evil cultivator’s favor or praise.
But Lu Zhiyun was unafraid!
After three months of bitter training, and with guidance from the evil cultivator, her swordsmanship—if not yet transcendent—had at least reached a solid foundation.
She recalled what Lin Shu had told her when she first learned to channel Qi:
“Little Lu, remember, everyone has spiritual energy inside them!”
Lu Zhiyun had pondered this: if spiritual energy was as ever-present as air, maybe there were special ways to use it besides absorbing it directly into the body?
Air…is for breathing, so could spiritual energy also be used like that?
Lu Zhiyun had a revelation, and found her own sword technique.
Now was the time to use it!
As the tiger demon lunged, Lu Zhiyun rolled to dodge, gripped her sword tighter, steadied herself, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
Vast spiritual energy flooded into her lungs from all around, making her sword tremble and emit a clear ringing.
“Cloud Breath: First Form: Cloud Sweep!”
Her ghostly steps burst forth, swirling around the tiger demon like clouds, darting in to find openings for her blade.
“What? Spiritual energy can be used like that?” Wang Zhiyai exclaimed. At this moment, Lu Zhiyun’s sword moves were even stronger than Ye Qing’s with his innate Sword Bone.
“Senior Brother Wang, maybe we’ve missed something,” Tong Yao said bitterly. “Little Lu, with her three spiritual roots, is actually at the same stage as us.”
Three spiritual roots—yet her cultivation matched their own single-root progress. It was plain to see who the real waste was.
But all along, they’d only looked at sect and innate talent, never seeing this fact.
Now, with Lu Zhiyun stepping up in a desperate moment, what more could they say?
Wait! Tong Yao suddenly thought of something and turned her gaze to Lin Shu.
Could it be that Senior Brother Lin refused to help because he was certain Lu Zhiyun could handle the tiger demon?
What kind of trust was that?
Meanwhile, Lin Shu watched the battle, ignoring everyone else’s calculations. He just felt like he had a thousand things to say but nowhere to begin.
Junior Sister’s naming sense for sword moves—wouldn’t someone try to sue over that?
Still, being able to use spiritual energy like air…Lin Shu was quite gratified.
He’d experimented with this style himself—in fact, it was how he got this far.
In low-level combat, this breathing method was like a small, persistent buff, giving a temporary boost to all attributes.
At this moment, Lu Zhiyun’s actual cultivation could rival mid-Foundation Establishment.
But! Her opponent was a late Foundation Establishment tiger demon!
Even so, she was still a level behind. The moment Lu Zhiyun ran out of stamina, she’d be doomed.
Realizing this, Tong Yao and Wang Zhiyai sat down to recover their strength, popping Qi Restoration Pills like there was no tomorrow, all in hopes of quickly helping Lu Zhiyun.
Lin Shu watched the fight with keen interest. Since the system said Little Lu could handle it, she surely could!
Under Lu Zhiyun’s guerrilla tactics, the tiger demon was already covered in wounds and utterly enraged.
“Brat! If I don’t smack you to death, I’ll write the character on my head upside-down!”
“Don’t run! Fight me head-on if you’ve got the guts!”
Lu Zhiyun ignored the taunts, waiting for something.
Finally, as the tiger demon prepared to subdue her with a thunderous roar, Lu Zhiyun moved—not to dodge, but to face it head-on.
“Junior Sister Lu! Are you crazy!!” Tong Yao leapt up in shock, with Wang Zhiyai startled beside her.
Fool! Knowing I’m about to use Tiger Roar and still daring to come close—does she have a death wish?
Seeing such provocation, the tiger demon opened its maw wide, aiming to shatter Lu Zhiyun’s body and give her the most agonizing death.
This was exactly the moment Lu Zhiyun had waited for. Facing the razor-sharp fangs and gaping jaws, she put away her sword, reached into her Storage Bag, and took something out.
In the next instant, with a beautiful throw, she hurled it precisely into the tiger demon’s mouth.
“Cough, cough! What did you make me eat?” The tiger demon staggered back, choking.
It hadn’t expected this Righteous Cultivator to resort to such a sneaky trick.
Lu Zhiyun dusted off her hands and turned around. “Oh, nothing. Just something I eat every day!”
“It’s just… it was made by Uncle Lin!”
And thus, the tiger demon—perished!
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