Chapter 68: The Kill

The demon tiger’s nascent soul was no fool, and neither was Wang Liang. Though his slash appeared to be a standard "Shocking Hundred Miles" technique, he had actually executed a "Self-Sacrifice Slash." This move traded one’s entire strength, stamina, and vitality for a single, all-out strike. How could such an attack possibly miss?

When Wang Liang struck, the demon tiger’s nascent soul attempted a confident dodge, only to find that Wang Liang’s Life-Severing Blade had defied the boundaries of time and space, landing squarely upon its head. Forced to block the blow rather than evade it, the nascent soul missed the optimal window for defense, leaving it vulnerable to the full force of the strike.

From outside, the Indominus Rex, Little Gray, witnessed a flash of light erupt from the silhouette of the white tiger. The phantom was cleaved in two, and a pale, exhausted Wang Liang was ejected from the center. A phantom tiger image flickered across the blade in his hand, as if a fragment of the white tiger had been absorbed into the steel. Ignoring the tiger, Little Gray caught Wang Liang in its claws and shielded him with its body.

As the mangled white tiger struggled to pull itself back together, a loud boom erupted from the direction of the bluestone slab. Wu Er had shattered the stone, revealing a hidden token crafted from starlight, inscribed with the character for "Wound." The moment Wu Er touched it, the token shattered into three large fragments and one small one. The starlight within surged into Wu Er, transforming his solid form into a translucent, deep-blue entity of pure light.

Understanding his new state, Wu Er glanced at the reforming white tiger and drove a fist into its body. His strike no longer carried the fiery heat of alcohol, but the frigid bite of starlight. Even from behind the protection of Little Gray, Wang Liang could sense the immense lethality radiating from that blow. As the fist connected, clusters of starlight exploded within the tiger’s phantom body, as if stars were detonating inside it.

Seeing this, Little Gray retreated with Wang Liang. However, the beast was no bodyguard; while its massive claws were excellent for catching prey, they were clumsy for shielding people. Wang Liang’s remaining health nearly bottomed out from the rough handling. Once they reached a safer distance, Wang Liang managed to extract himself from the fray. His passive health regeneration kicked in, granting him enough strength to sit and eat.

He pulled out a portion of meat-steamed rice, squeezed it into a ball, and shoved it into his mouth with a sigh of relief. Chewing rhythmically, he watched Wu Er pummel the white tiger with a sense of detachment.

"So this is what they call being a spectator," he mused. "I don't know who came up with that phrase, but it's spot on. Good, hit him hard! Bravo!"

Wu Er remained unaffected by Wang Liang’s commentary. Like a machine, he mounted the tiger again, pinning its neck with his left hand while his right hand struck blow after mechanical blow. The white tiger thrashed at first, but under the relentless barrage, its form grew increasingly faint until it dissolved into motes of starlight and vanished.

At that moment, a beam of sunlight broke through the clouds and bathed Wu Er in its glow. Wang Liang looked up to see the sun piercing the gloom, and the demonic miasma of Jingyang Ridge dissipating rapidly.

"We won?" Wang Liang stood up, surprised. He had been planning to eat and recover his health for a second round.

[Ding! Temporary Mission: Reverse Tiger Slaughter completed. Obtained Demon Cultivation Technique: "White Tiger Living-Kill True Method."]
[Ding! Temporary Mission: Tiger Slaughter completed. Obtained Tiger Bone Ornament Blueprint and Demon Tiger Kill-Bag (Medium).]

"We really won!" Wang Liang laughed.

Wu Er looked toward him. "You’re not bad, but you're still not enough. Take this—it settles the debt of our fighting side-by-side." With a flick of his hand, he tossed one of the shards from the shattered token toward Wang Liang. It was the largest of the three pieces. Wu Er discarded the other two, pressed the shard to his brow, and his body dissolved into starlight, ascending into the sky.

Wang Liang watched as the starlight rose, a powerful wind sweeping away the remaining clouds and the stench of the forest. "Is this... an astral homecoming? Who exactly is this Wu Er? Never mind, I'll look it up later." He tucked the shard into his inventory.

He then examined the three new items. The first was a scroll made of beast hide. Knowing its purpose, Wang Liang took the "White Tiger Living-Kill True Method" and pointed it at Little Gray. The scroll transformed into a white light that surged into the dinosaur's brow. Little Gray let out a roar, its body twisting as if undergoing a profound transformation.

Wang Liang stepped back and examined the Tiger Bone Ornament Blueprint. It was of little use to him; it merely taught one how to reconstruct tiger bones into a display piece. To most, such a trophy held the same status as a tiger-skin rug. If the tiger had been powerful, the display would retain some of its lingering aura.

"Just a decoration," Wang Liang muttered. Compared to the cultivation technique, this reward felt lackluster. In reality, he didn't realize that the Tiger Bone Ornament—along with tanning techniques and tiger-whip wine—was one of the three core pillars of the Xiao family of Southern Jiangxi, a trade secret as guarded as their tiger-slaughtering arts. He had only acquired it through the system’s favor.

The final item, the Demon Tiger Kill-Bag, also surprised him. It wasn't a gift box, but a pouch that could be worn at the waist. It could also be stored in his inventory, though it would occupy a slot, providing an extra cubic meter of storage—a convenient upgrade similar to the tiger-skin pouches he had seen before.

As Wang Liang inspected his spoils, Little Gray stood up.