Chapter 67: The White Tiger

The more this was the case, the less Wang Liang dared to let his guard down; he always felt the enemy was not as simple as he had imagined. Although he had the help of Wu Er, the opponent was a Level 30 Boss. Recalling the two he had fought previously, Wang Liang understood exactly what kind of concept a Boss represented. These creatures known as Bosses would have at least one or two transformation opportunities; the previous Yuxun the Governor was like this, and the Wild Boar Mountain Whale was the same. There was no reason the Demon Tiger, as their leader, would not have a transformation. Therefore, holding his Life-Severing Blade, Wang Liang prepared himself for an attack, keeping a close watch on every move the Demon Tiger made.

Just then, the Demon Tiger had already been beaten to the point of exhaustion by Wu Er, lacking even the strength to lift its head. Seeing this, Wang Liang couldn't help but think to himself: Could I have guessed wrong? Is this Demon Tiger not living up to its reputation? Before Wang Liang could finish his thought, the Demon Tiger breathed its last. Watching Wu Er jump down from the beast, Wang Liang felt skeptical. He stepped forward to give the corpse a light kick, then looked up at Wu Er.

"Is that it?"

Wu Er also seemed doubtful. He examined the corpse closely and said, "It should be... no, the Demon Tiger’s connection to the power of the ghost servant hasn't ended; it isn't dead yet." With that, Wu Er punched the corpse.

But as the blow landed, the Demon Tiger's body exploded on the spot, spraying blood infused with baleful energy everywhere. Amidst the tiger's blood, they heard a voice.

"Hahaha, you are all going to die!"

Before the voice finished, Wang Liang’s heart stirred, and his left hand instinctively pushed forward. The moment his hand pushed out, a phantom of a white tiger lunged out from the blood. This white tiger was not as large as the original Demon Tiger, and its body was clearly translucent; it was obviously the primordial spirit of the Demon Tiger. Because it was now in a spiritual form, the right foreleg Wang Liang had previously severed was fully restored, and it lunged at Wang Liang using the most primal and orthodox tiger pounce.

In the white tiger's eyes, the Tyrannosaurus Rex Xiao Hui was merely Wang Liang's subordinate, present to protect him—if it killed Wang Liang, the beast would be useless. Wu Er was a rebellious ghost servant who could be suppressed by superior power. The only one it really needed to deal with was Wang Liang.

So, the moment it surged out, it pounced on Wang Liang. But it never expected that Wang Liang would instinctively sense something wrong and push his left hand forward, activating the Tiger-Slaying Axe talisman that the old man had placed on his palm. Wang Liang didn't actually know why he did it, but the instincts gained from his study of the I Ching often led him to trust his intuition. This time, he succeeded. As his left hand pushed out, a white axe-shadow flew from his palm, slicing directly across the white tiger's belly.

The white tiger was clearly a phantom, but the axe-shadow was as well, and it was evidently designed specifically to counter a tiger's pouncing motion. Without any conscious operation from Wang Liang, the axe cut a wound into the white tiger's belly.

At that moment, Wang Liang followed up with a "Shocking the Hundred Miles" strike. The Life-Severing Blade, charged with the power of lightning, struck the white tiger’s forehead, shattering much of its body on the spot. Xiao Hui and Wu Er did not miss this opportunity. Wu Er struck again; due to his positioning, he could only strike from below, landing a punch squarely on the white tiger’s chin. The force was immense, forcing the white tiger's head to snap upward.

Xiao Hui’s jaws clamped down from above, biting onto the white tiger’s head. However, the situation was unfavorable for Xiao Hui. The white tiger’s body was a phantom, and Wu Er was a spectral entity, so he could strike it, but Xiao Hui’s abilities relied on his physical claws and teeth. While his blood energy and baleful aura could harm spirits, the effect was not as potent as Wu Er's. Xiao Hui’s bite caused the white tiger's body to disperse, and it quickly reappeared not far away, its size and density noticeably weaker than before.

Seeing the opportunity, Wang Liang stopped holding back and unleashed a third "Shocking the Hundred Miles." This strike was aimed squarely at the white tiger's head again.

The white tiger felt a surge of rage. "Are you finished yet? Three times in a row with the same move—do you think I don't know how to dodge?"

The white tiger tilted its body downward, pouncing toward Wang Liang's left, while flicking its tail like a whip toward his face. At that moment, Xiao Hui’s "Screaming Sickle" arrived first, dispersing the tail-whip while clawing at the white tiger’s body. Just then, Wang Liang heard a "pop" from nearby. The bubbles trapping the bluestone slab had vanished; the Mysterious Light Ruler flew back into Wang Liang’s hand, and the bluestone slab flew toward him.

Seeing its artifact return, the white tiger’s eyes brightened. It twisted its body on the ground, leaped, and charged toward the bluestone slab. Without needing an order, Xiao Hui, who had not yet retracted the Screaming Sickle, whipped his front claw, sending the sickle striking against the bluestone slab. This time, Xiao Hui activated the "Mountain-Moving" function of the Screaming Sickle, adding 15 points to his strength. This raised Xiao Hui’s strength to 65 points, and with a single blow, he sent the bluestone slab flying over a hundred meters away.

The white tiger missed the slab as it flew away, hitting the ground and cracking open on the spot, revealing a glimmer of starlight from within. Wu Er, who was preparing to attack, seemed to recognize that starlight; he bypassed the white tiger and lunged toward the slab instead.

Wang Liang realized the Demon Tiger must have hidden something inside the bluestone, and this was the perfect time for Wu Er to retrieve it. Wang Liang swept his still-active "Shocking the Hundred Miles" horizontally, cutting into the white tiger, while he lunged forward, the Mysterious Light Ruler projecting a shield around him as he collided with the white tiger’s body.

The moment he collided, he felt as if he had crashed into a pile of cotton. That cotton was clearly divided into three parts: one was a fierce wind filled with a fishy stench, which must be the Demon Tiger's nature; one was demonic energy carrying starlight, the origin of which was unknown; and the final part was the primordial spirit residing at the very top of the white tiger’s body.

Although Wang Liang’s previous strike had wounded the Demon Tiger’s primordial spirit, it had not destroyed it; instead, it had given the spirit a chance to break free from the tiger’s physical body and merge the three powers into one. Seeing this, Wang Liang prepared his Life-Severing Blade once more.

Seeing Wang Liang raise his blade, the primordial spirit showed a look of disdain in its eyes.

"This is the fourth time. Do you really think I won't dodge?"