Chapter 103: Rock Mud Fierce Tiger
Jiao Yang Sou and his two brothers exchanged a glance, a withered Ghost Sheep Phantom emerged, their figures like ghosts, quickly heading toward Ancient Forest Mountain.
Second-order Feral Beasts would not appear for no reason, and moreover, Hundred Herbs Hall disciples who heard this tiger roar showed no excessive panic—this was too strange.
The two of them immediately realized a problem.
After Tang Yuxuan arrived, they had taken Hundred Herbs Hall guarding the various passes and paths of Ancient Forest Mountain as a matter of course.
But now, that might not be the case.
The two moved extremely fast, with Spirit Nurturing Great Accomplishment cultivation, and soon bypassed the sentries to enter the mountains of Ancient Forest Mountain.
They headed straight for the direction from which the sound came, which was the depths of Ancient Forest Mountain, near Ancient Forest Gorge.
The two had only gone one or two li deep when suddenly several Cave Monkey Monsters rushed out from in the forest, their eyes blood-red, pouncing toward them.
Yang Kun’s Antelope Horn Saber slashed out, saber light flashing as it killed the two Cave Monkey Monsters in front of him with one strike.
Yang Lun’s Ram Horn Sword thrust out, piercing two Cave Monkey Monsters straight through.
The two brothers paused slightly, their brows furrowed tightly.
“A Lun, something’s wrong. Cave Monkey Monsters are timid—how dare they take the initiative to attack people? There’s something off here.”
The two had rich experience and had already noticed that something was amiss.
Screams and sounds of fighting rang out in the forest. Hundred Herbs Hall disciples and servants who had been searching in the forest also suffered attacks from Feral Beasts.
Just from the successive sounds, the two brothers already realized that the changes in Ancient Forest Mountain were no small matter.
“Take one more look deeper in, then immediately go back and notify Lord.”
The two made up their minds, their figures speeding up by another three parts, avoiding the Feral Beasts in the shrubbery and those Hundred Herbs Hall martial artists who were fighting.
Most of the Hundred Herbs Hall disciples who had entered the mountains for herb gathering were in combat, with one after another blood-red-eyed enraged Feral Beasts rushing in from the direction of Ancient Forest Mountain’s Ancient Forest Gorge.
Yang Kun and his brother hurried over and finally saw a shocking scene outside Ancient Forest Gorge.
A over ten-foot-long cyan-blue giant tiger unleashed tidal demonic essence crashing against Zhang Tianhong and Tang Yuxuan.
Rock Mud Fierce Tiger!
Jiao Yang Sou and his brothers immediately recognized the identity of that cyan-blue giant tiger.
Second-order Feral Beast Rock Mud Fierce Tiger.
Cyan-blue like a shadow, body sleek and glossy, immense power, impervious to blades and spears; encountering water, the mountain lord turns to water, a vicious beast in water.
Although this was not a great river, there was a deep mountain stream in Ancient Forest Gorge, connected to seven or eight water channel caves.
Feral Beasts continuously surged out from inside, including no lack of Cave Monkey Monsters and monsters like Mad Horn Civet.
At a glance, no fewer than a hundred.
Green Sheep Tramples the Sky!
Zhang Tianhong took the lead, his long sword slashing down from above, unleashing a sword light.
Green Sheep True Intent hooves stepped out, green light like a canopy pressing down toward the Rock Mud Fierce Tiger.
Seeing such sword shadows and green light, the Rock Mud Fierce Tiger’s blood-red eyes became even more frenzied.
It opened its bloody maw, brewing a vortex-like demonic essence in its mouth, which immediately blasted out.
The sword shadow collided with the water vortex and was annihilated by the torrent.
From the sky, Green Sheep stepped toward the ground. The Rock Mud Fierce Tiger coiled its body, leaped a zhang, then pounced over, its tiger shadow like a curtain, with an aura that blotted out the sky.
A fierce claw strike unleashed four water-blade-like sharp edges, directly tearing this Green Sheep Tramples the Sky to shreds.
Tang Yuxuan watched from the side and seized the opportunity to suddenly charge in.
Green Horn Reversal
Using sharp sheep horns as a sword, thrusting toward the Rock Mud Fierce Tiger.
This strike was unavoidable for the Rock Mud Fierce Tiger, which was directly slashed open on its mottled tiger hide, a huge bloody gash spurting blood.
In pain, it did not dodge but grew even crazier, turning its head for a bloody maw that blasted out a surging demonic essence water column.
With a muffled bang, it pierced through Tang Yuxuan’s Green Sheep True Intent.
Pfft!
Green Sheep was not skilled in defense to begin with, its cultivation manuals focused on nurturing the body, and even transformed into this Green Sheep True Intent, it was still somewhat fragile before the Rock Mud Fierce Tiger.
With the Beast Spirit True Intent pierced, the martial artist connected to it in mind immediately shuddered, blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth.
Although the Rock Mud Fierce Tiger was injured, it grew even crazier, and even those mere First-order Feral Beasts pounced forward, wanting to surround and trap Zhang Tianhong and Tang Yuxuan here.
“Go, leave now—it’s a small beast tide!”
Jiao Yang Sou and his two brothers had now figured out what was happening with the chaos in Ancient Forest Mountain.
The two fled like startled birds, immediately running toward the outside of Ancient Forest Mountain.
The beast tide was frenzied; even if not large in scale, if another Second-order Feral Beast appeared, or more First-order Feral Beasts, the entire Ancient Forest Mountain would be thrown into chaos.
The two took advantage of not yet being entangled by Feral Beasts and quickly withdrew.
In Ancient Forest Mountain, the Feral Beasts originally hiding in various places to avoid the sweeps now also became frenzied due to the commotion from Ancient Forest Gorge.
The beast tide spread instantly like ignited cattail floss.
Once the beast tide erupted, unless the core Feral Beast causing the riot was killed, such chaos would not subside easily.
And now, with that Second-order Feral Beast Rock Mud Fierce Tiger so frenzied, who knew what might happen.
Grindstone Mountain, Grindstone Stockade
Jiao Yang Sou and his two brothers hurried back, gasping for breath, looking exhausted.
“Where is Lord?”
They knocked open the gate and learned Su Yan’s whereabouts from the gate-guarding bandit, then hurried over.
Knock knock knock—they knocked on the door and strode in.
Seeing their state, Su Yan’s eyes lifted slightly: “Something happened in Ancient Forest Mountain?”
Yang Kun caught his breath a bit, then said: “Yes, Lord. A small beast tide suddenly erupted in the depths of Ancient Forest Mountain, with the core being an Early Second-order Feral Beast Rock Mud Fierce Tiger, and over a hundred remaining First-order Feral Beasts. Hundred Herbs Hall’s Head Shopkeeper and Second Shopkeeper held off the Rock Mud Fierce Tiger, but I’m afraid they won’t easily suppress this small beast tide.”
Hundred Herbs Hall was now basically blocked from both ends.
They could not afford to lose Ancient Forest Mountain, because having taken the mountain-guarding rights, they had to hold the mountain, or they would offend other forces for nothing.
Secondly, their foundation would have problems: Little Mountain Association was still contending for their Medicine Mountain, they had lost the mountain-guarding rights in Miasma Valley, and if they now lost Ancient Forest Mountain’s mountain-guarding rights too, their medicinal herbs supply would become a big issue.
Would Hundred Herbs Hall still be Hundred Herbs Hall without a stable herb source?
But to truly suppress it, they would need to kill the Second-order Feral Beast and then many First-order Feral Beasts to reclaim Ancient Forest Mountain.
It would just come at a considerable cost.
“That beast tide is a herd riot, frenzied and fierce, attacking people madly regardless of tier difference.”
“How do you know, Lord?”
Yang Kun and his brother immediately showed astonished expressions, looking at Su Yan.
The strange things they had seen, which they hadn’t even had time to mention, he already knew—and knew without mistake.
The two suddenly realized that this person had likely called them to keep watch because he already knew something.
“Lord, Ancient Forest Mountain is in chaos. Even if Hundred Herbs Hall suppresses it, they’ll pay a huge price. What do we do next?”
Yang Lun asked softly, his tone somewhat cautious.
Clearly, the person opposite felt not very old, but such sources of information and insect egg control methods still made him fearful.
“Call Ding Meng, Cai Peng, and Wang Cang. We’ll go to Ancient Forest Mountain together.”
Chaos is a ladder upward.
For Su Yan, the chaos in Ancient Forest Mountain was a path to obtaining a Second-order Feral Beast.
No matter how Little Mountain Association schemed, the news of that one already frenzied Feral Beast clashing with Hundred Herbs Hall’s two True Intent Realm shopkeepers was beyond doubt.
When Su Yan brought people near Ancient Forest Mountain, the beast tide was no longer as before.
Key paths in Ancient Forest Mountain were strictly guarded by arriving guard disciples.
Jiao Yang Sou and the others’ expressions changed slightly as they recognized some disciples’ attire.
“Lord, we’re too late. It seems Third Shopkeeper Zhao Ji brought people to suppress the beast tide.”
Although Jiao Yang Sou had come and gone quickly, it still took several hours, enough time for Hundred Herbs Hall to respond to the beast tide.
They might not have completely cleared it, but that Rock Mud Fierce Tiger was probably doomed.
Under Su Yan’s mask, his eyes flickered: “Late? This is nothing—enter Ancient Forest Mountain first.”
The sky was gradually darkening now, which was not good news for Hundred Herbs Hall.
With Ancient Forest Mountain sealed like this, even if Zhang Tianhong and the others defeated the Rock Mud Fierce Tiger, they had paid some price.
Su Yan waved his sleeve, releasing two or three hundred hatched Blood Bees as sentinels. After identifying the direction, they quietly infiltrated Ancient Forest Mountain from an unguarded spot.
In Ancient Forest Mountain, Feral Beasts were scattered everywhere, but no longer as frenzied as before.
Hundred Herbs Hall disciples were searching all over, hunting Feral Beasts while seeming to look for something specific.
“Cover your faces too.”
Su Yan instructed in a low voice. No need for reminder—the several were all seasoned Jianghu bandits.
Now deep in Hundred Herbs Hall territory, how could they expose their true faces? They had already masked up.
“Lord, they seem to be looking for the Rock Mud Fierce Tiger.”
Cai Peng was sharp and quietly approached a group of Hundred Herbs Hall disciples, vaguely overhearing the news.
Su Yan’s eyes lifted slightly in surprise: “The Rock Mud Fierce Tiger is still alive?”
“Yang Kun, grab a tongue.”
Yang Kun nodded slightly and slipped toward a lone Hundred Herbs Hall disciple in the forest.
He struck decisively and ruthlessly.
After about ten minutes in the shrubbery, his figure like a shadow quietly returned to Su Yan’s side.
“Lord, I got it out of him. The Rock Mud Fierce Tiger gravely wounded Second Shopkeeper Tang Yuxuan, then was heavily injured by Zhang Tianhong and escaped into a cave. No one knows which exit it took—it’s somewhere in Ancient Forest Mountain. Zhang Tianhong and Zhao Ji ordered it must be killed.”
With the Rock Mud Fierce Tiger not eliminated, Ancient Forest Mountain could not be used, let alone their huge losses this time—if they couldn’t recover something, it would be a big problem.
“Swoosh”
A signal arrow shot into the sky, and suddenly someone shouted: “Enemy attack—enemies in the forest!”
Ding Meng, Cai Peng, and the others abruptly looked at Jiao Yang Sou and Yang Kun: “Yang Kun, you didn’t finish clean?”
Panic in their eyes—most of Hundred Herbs Hall’s disciples were in Ancient Forest Mountain, and Zhang Tianhong and Zhao Ji were here too.
If surrounded now, forget them being only Spirit Nurturing Realm.
Even True Intent Realm would likely be sieged and killed here.
Flee!
Their first thought was to escape.
Yang Kun’s expression changed slightly, but he denied it: “Impossible. I threw him into the mountain stream—no way he could make noise at night…”
“Not him.”
Under Su Yan’s mask, a smile suddenly appeared: “Little Mountain Association has arrived.”
The scattered Blood Bees kept flying back, all reporting the same: a large group of unfamiliar auras had charged into Ancient Forest Mountain, heading straight for the camp.
In Ancient Forest Mountain, Xiao Feng and Lin Tianlang masked their faces, knives in hand, heading straight for the Ancient Forest Mountain camp.
Behind them followed forty or fifty people, scattering into the forest shrubbery, following swiftly like phantoms.
They were all Little Mountain Association bladesmen, each with a dagger in hand and short armguards on their left arms, crouching forward at extreme speed.
“Stop them!”
Hundred Herbs Hall disciples had noticed something wrong but were snuck up on just as they tried to block.
Saber light flashed like the moon, and the next moment their throats were slit.
Their strikes were sharp; Hundred Herbs Hall disciples fighting them were completely suppressed for the moment.
“Little Mountain Association, you’re going too far!”
Zhang Tianhong charged over, and Xiao Feng’s eyes flashed with fierceness: “Shopkeeper Zhang, you’re joking—where’s Little Mountain Association?”
Roar!
A tiger roar rose, and suddenly a one-horned giant tiger wreathed in vicious winds emerged from Xiao Feng’s body.
This One-horned Black Tiger was strangely formed, with coiled muscles, scaled tiger claws, and a spine like refined steel—clearly enhanced by Hardening, metamorphosed into this form.
“Good, good, good! Xiao Feng, let me see what your One-horned Black Tiger can do!”
Zhang Tianhong struck in fury, Green Sheep soaring up like a sharp sword rushing down from above.
Body like a sword, aura like a rainbow.
The One-horned Black Tiger collided with Green Sheep, power clashing, churning the area within five zhang into upheaval.
With Beast Spirits in deadly combat, Zhang Tianhong swung his long sword unleashing sword light to kill Xiao Feng on the spot.
Xiao Feng’s pair of metal tiger claws met it with steady, domineering fist momentum, shattering the sword light.
How could the Little Mountain Association’s second Gang Leader be a waste?
Zhao Ji clashed with Lin Tianlang, a horned Black Bear fighting Lin Tianlang’s Sky Wolf, shaking the ground with rumbling.
Their fight grew ever more vicious, trading wounds for wounds in a fight to the death.
They were the deciders of this battle—whoever won first would seize the initiative and help their side defeat the opponent.
Hundred Herbs Hall disciples kept closing in, but Little Mountain Association’s bladesmen were like daggers, charging into the camp to kill the gravely wounded Tang Yuxuan.
In the woods, a killing chill lingered.
Little Mountain Association had sent more than just bladesmen into Ancient Forest Mountain—many more disciples hiding their identities.
Slaughter erupted everywhere in an instant.
“Kill!”
Someone suddenly spotted Su Yan and his group, pouncing over.
Jiao Yang Sou’s Antelope Horn Saber slashed, immediately splitting him open. Removing the mask revealed a young martial artist.
“Seven Blades Martial Arts School’s style—they’re trying to uproot Hundred Herbs Hall together…”
“Let them kill theirs; we do ours. One thousand Blood Bees per person—find me the Rock Mud Fierce Tiger.”
Su Yan immediately gave the order, a vast insect mist surging out and dividing to follow each person.
“Understood.”
The group scattered, searching around Ancient Forest Gorge.
The high-hanging moon was shrouded by black clouds; the slaughter in Ancient Forest Mountain had devolved into chaos.
Martial artists fighting, Feral Beasts attacking—aside from battle cries and beast roars’ madness, the forest held no other sounds.
Su Yan hurried toward Ancient Forest Gorge.
Now there was no need to deliberately hide; whether Hundred Herbs Hall martial artists or Little Mountain Association ones, any encountered got a direct saber strike, killed on the spot.
Falling Peak Saber Technique was already at Great Accomplishment—even if Pang Tianfeng came back to life, he might not match him.
After such searching, not even half an hour later, a signal arrow from Ding Meng’s direction pierced the clouds.
Su Yan’s expression sharpened, his gaze like a blade: “Found it!”
