Chapter 16: Terror Beneath the Lotus Flowers

Compared to the trapped Vanguard Tiger, Major General Tiger was in an exceptionally advantageous position.

He hovered in the sky while Wang Liang remained in the water. Occupying the high ground, Major General Tiger made it difficult for Wang Liang to even muster his strength effectively.

That strike from the Tiger-Slaying Axe Talisman had not been aimed properly, and consequently, it failed to hit Major General Tiger's vital spots.

It merely severed Major General Tiger's left hand.

However, the sheer momentum accompanying the blow gave Major General Tiger a profound shock. Initially thinking he had stumbled upon easy prey, he suddenly realized he had crashed against an iron wall.

Major General Tiger let out a roaring shout, pulling his trident up from the water. A foul, bloody gale wrapped around the weapon as he slashed it toward Wang Liang’s location.

The moment he unleashed the Tiger-Slaying Axe Talisman, Wang Liang sensed that killing Major General Tiger this time around was out of the question. He was not the type of person to stubbornly push forward when he knew the odds were impossible.

Assessing the situation on the spot, Wang Liang made up his mind: he had to escape to the shore first, and only after setting foot on solid ground would he consider retaliating.

Without a moment's hesitation, Wang Liang summoned the ancient Wengzhong figures. Eight black statues closed in on Major General Tiger from all directions. Following closely behind these eight ancient Wengzhong were thirty-two phantom projections of dragons, phoenixes, and tigers, which rapidly formed a battle array, trapping Major General Tiger within.

At the same time, eight silver Wengzhong hoisted Wang Liang and moved swiftly through the water. Being relatively heavy by nature, they maintained stable movement even beneath the surface.

All Wang Liang needed to do was regulate his breathing.

Seeing Wang Liang flee, Major General Tiger suddenly realized that Wang Liang was not as formidable as he had imagined; that previous blow must have come from some sort of protective artifact.

Furthermore, the sudden appearance of the eight black humanoid figures acting as Wang Liang's bodyguards seemed to corroborate the aura of royal purple qi surrounding him.

It appeared Wang Liang was truly a person of noble standing.

If he simply devoured him, all the losses he had suffered would be fully recovered.

With this thought, Major General Tiger roared once more, transforming his body into a gale mixed with yellow sand. He shattered the obstructing black Wengzhong and gave chase to Wang Liang.

The black Wengzhong hurriedly pursued from behind, with the two armed with ranged weapons pulling back their bowstrings and firing crossbow bolts directly at Major General Tiger.

However, their weapons relied purely on physical attacks. Having transformed into a gale, Major General Tiger's immunity to physical damage had increased significantly, rendering two or three arrows entirely negligible to him.

The other black Wengzhong wielding melee weapons could not even land a strike on him, let alone inflict any damage.

This allowed Major General Tiger to keep his eyes locked on Wang Liang's trajectory and pursue him relentlessly.

Sensing that something was terribly wrong, Wang Liang realized from the speed of Major General Tiger's flight that he would never make it to the shore before being overtaken.

Gritting his teeth, he took a deep, final breath when he surfaced to inhale, and commanded the silver Wengzhong to drag him toward the five mysterious-looking whirlpools ahead.

"Flee toward that lotus patch! There must be something wrong with that place; once we escape there, that tiger won't dare to follow."

Wang Liang knew he was escaping danger only to plunge into an even greater peril.

Yet, he had no other choice left.

His flight toward that direction immediately caught Major General Tiger's attention. Pausing to think, Major General Tiger recalled hearing nothing unusual about this river. Since no one had mentioned any danger, there must be none—he would pursue him straight through.

A sudden surge of determination stirred within Major General Tiger. Having pinpointed the direction of Wang Liang's escape, he accelerated, intending to cut him off ahead.

Just as Major General Tiger approached the lotus patch, the whirlpools encircling the river of lotuses began to spin at terrifying speeds. Five water spouts surged upward from the river, resembling massive hands reaching out from beneath the dark depths.

Unprepared for such a sudden turn of events, Major General Tiger was paralyzed with fear in mid-air by the sheer, overwhelming pressure.

Just as the five water spouts were about to seize him, five bolts of lightning struck down from the exact spots where the spouts had risen, shattering them into nothingness.

Immediately afterward, Major General Tiger heard high-pitched, shrill screeches accompanied by waves of bizarre, echoing Buddhist chants.

Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Major General Tiger realized he had just skirted the gates of hell and managed to return.

Without a second thought, he whipped up the wind and prepared to flee.

At that exact moment, however, the eight silver Wengzhong lifted Wang Liang out of the water, hoisting the Life-Slaying Saber for a decisive strike against Major General Tiger.

As Major General Tiger was flying back, Wang Liang's sudden emergence directly provoked him.

Thinking to himself that while he might not be able to handle the terrifying entity within the river, surely he could deal with a mere human, Major General Tiger let out a furious roar. Enveloped in a bloody gale and yellow sand, he lunged straight at Wang Liang.

At this moment, Wang Liang stood with both feet planted firmly atop the heads of two silver Wengzhong, his hands gripping the Life-Slaying Saber tightly while the residual power of the Tiger-Slaying Axe Talisman was channeled directly into the blade.

There was simply no alternative. The Tiger-Slaying Axe Talisman functioned as a divine technique, but one that required nourishment from tiger blood and tiger lives.

Wang Liang's previous strike had already consumed his stored charge.

The only reason he could still harness a fraction of the talisman's power now was because the talisman had previously slashed Major General Tiger, severing his left hand and absorbing a portion of tiger blood; otherwise, accessing it at all would have been impossible.

As the talisman's energy transferred to the Life-Slaying Saber, a crimson radiance joined the crackling lightning along the blade's edge.

Just as Major General Tiger lunged right before him, Wang Liang raised the Life-Slaying Saber high and brought it down with all his might.

Trembling a Hundred Miles!

With this single slash, the bloody gale and yellow sand transformed by Major General Tiger were cleaved cleanly in two.

Only afterward did Wang Liang hear a shrill scream erupt from Major General Tiger's direction.

In truth, Major General Tiger had been far too careless. Had he not courted death by charging straight at Wang Liang head-on, he might not have ended up in this plight.

Wang Liang's strike incorporated the talisman's innate suppressing effect against feline beasts, combined with the devastating finishing move of Trembling a Hundred Miles.

Even against the demonic tigers he had faced earlier on Jingyang Ridge in the Monster Mountains, Wang Liang would have felt confident unleashing this attack.

Add to that the fact that Major General Tiger had been frightened out of his wits and had charged forward at an enhanced speed, it was equivalent to Wang Liang jousting from a charging bronze warhorse—vastly multiplying the destructive power of the blow.

Naturally, the strike sliced Major General Tiger cleanly in half.

Feeling the warmth radiating from the Tiger-Slaying Axe Talisman on the back of his left hand, a faint smile finally touched Wang Liang's lips.

[Successfully killed Major General Tiger (Level 28) using the Tiger-Slaying Axe Talisman. Damage efficiency exceeded 30%, rewarding Constitution +1.]

Reading the notification filled Wang Liang with elation. It confirmed that Major General Tiger was dead and that he had secured his reward, meaning he no longer needed to venture toward the terrifying lotus pond.

At that exact moment, Wang Liang noticed a flash of light beneath the water. Just as he reached out to grab it, the river water suddenly surged backward in a reverse vortex, plunging Wang Liang and his Wengzhong deep into sudden darkness.