A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 220 True Man of the Nether Tiger

"Almost there, almost there..." Mingyue gazed at the gradually clearer outline of Biling Island on the distant sea, and a trace of color finally appeared on her pale face, her tense mind relaxing slightly.

Even now, several months later, she still feels lingering fear when she recalls what happened back then. She remembers that the roar of the Nether Tiger contained a soul-devouring Yin power that shook her soul. Then, an extremely condensed gray-black tiger claw phantom tore through the sky, and the round bead magic treasure and protective spiritual light that she hastily summoned shattered like paper.

If it weren't for the Wind Fox Beast unleashing its astonishing speed at the crucial moment, using its Wind Escape technique to forcibly pull her away from her original spot and allowing her to escape far away using her innate ability to conceal herself, she would probably have been captured or severely injured and killed in a single encounter.

Even so, the chilling aura accompanying the attack from the Nether Tiger invaded her meridians, proving extremely difficult to expel. It continuously eroded her magical power and vitality, forcing her to expend most of her energy on suppressing and refining it over the past few months, resulting in a slow recovery from her injuries.

After narrowly escaping the gray-robed old man's pursuit several times, she wandered at sea for months before finally heading towards Biling Island once she was certain that he had given up on her.

Although she believed that her master could definitely deal with that person, she didn't want to cause trouble for him. She was a very strong-willed person and secretly vowed that once her cultivation level was high enough, she would definitely avenge this sneak attack.

However, she did not realize that about three hundred miles behind her, two faint streaks of light were following her slowly, like venomous snakes eyeing their prey.

Among the two streaks of light, the one on the left was none other than the gray-robed old man who had ambushed her earlier—Master Minghu. He was not riding the massive Minghu at this moment, but was flying side by side with a yellow-robed cultivator with a sallow complexion and sinister eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Huang Youzi, we have been friends for over a hundred years. If you hadn't repeatedly assured me that this woman had a great secret, I would have captured her in one fell swoop back then. I don't have the patience to spend nearly a year tracking her at sea."

The voice of True Immortal Minghu was deep and resonant, his gaze sharp as an eagle's. "What extraordinary secrets could a mere female cultivator who has only recently formed her core possibly possess? Is it worth going to such lengths?"

When he first discovered that this woman might possess something that could allow his Nether Tiger to break through its current realm, he was prepared to take her down directly. After all, a female cultivator who had just formed her core was no threat to him whatsoever.

However, just as he was about to make his move, his friend Huang Youzi also set his sights on the woman and warned him that it would be best not to take her down in one blow, but to seriously injure her and then track her down. This puzzled him greatly. If she were not his friend of hundreds of years, he would not have wasted his time on this.

Huang Youzi stroked his goatee and smiled sinisterly: "Fellow Daoist Minghu, please calm down. I noticed this woman ten years ago at the Silver Shark Island market. The talismans she sells, especially the 'Beast Soul Talisman,' are quite peculiar. They can seal the spirits of demonic beasts and unleash some of their supernatural powers. The crafting method is definitely not the common talisman techniques circulating today. I have been immersed in the art of talismans for hundreds of years, and I am most sensitive to such ancient or lost talismanic traditions. This woman must have received the legacy of some ancient talisman cultivator!"

He paused, his eyes gleaming with even greater greed: "What's most suspicious is that, through my investigation within the alliance, I discovered that the place where this woman condensed her golden core was not any of the spiritually rich islands near Silver Shark Island."

Fellow Daoist Minghu should also know that condensing the Golden Core is no small matter. Which cultivator doesn't choose the place with the most abundant spiritual energy? Moreover, this person has only just formed his Golden Core, yet he is accompanied by a top-level fifth-grade spirit beast with extraordinary spirituality and supernatural abilities!

"Fellow Daoist Minghu, you are skilled in beast taming, so you should know how difficult it is to raise spirit beasts. For a spirit beast's cultivation to surpass its master's, one must either obtain a heaven-defying spiritual medicine, or... possess a treasure land that allows the spirit beast to grow rapidly! Your Minghu has been stuck at the peak of level six for a long time. If you could have such a treasure land, breaking through to level seven would be just around the corner."

Upon hearing this, the Dark Tiger Immortal's eyes gleamed, clearly indicating that he had been persuaded.

His Nether Tiger is a unique species, requiring it to devour the essence of powerful demonic beasts or cultivators, or to absorb the energy of special Yin Sha lands, in order to advance. Finding suitable "resources" is extremely difficult, which is why it has been stuck at the peak of level six for over a hundred years.

If there truly is a secret place where spirit beasts can grow rapidly, it would undoubtedly be an immense opportunity for his Nether Tiger.

After a moment, the massive outline of Biling Island slowly appeared before the two of them. Huang Youzi frowned slightly and couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.

"It's this deserted island?"

"Is there something wrong with this island?" Master Minghu asked in confusion.

"I've been to this island a few times before, in search of a certain demonic bird. At the time, I noticed the spiritual energy was thin, so I didn't investigate it thoroughly. This woman is severely injured and should be in seclusion to heal in a place with abundant spiritual energy, yet she's come to this island. Could there be some secret here?"

As the two slowly approached Biling Island, they were unaware that a sharp-eyed demonic bird was watching them intently from high above.

Mingyue finally returned to Biling Island. Just as she arrived outside Luoming's cave and was about to report her experiences on this trip, the cave's restrictions opened on their own, and Luoming's puzzled voice came through.

"What happened? Did we encounter a monster on the road?"

Luo Ming had already sensed Mingyue's presence before she even returned to the island. However, when he noticed the chilling demonic aura emanating from Mingyue, he knew that her journey had not been peaceful.

"Master..." Mingyue was filled with guilt, "Disciple...disciple is useless, I was ambushed outside Silver Shark Island..."

Luo Ming waved his hand and said gently, "It's alright. Tell me, who made the move?"

Mingyue quickly recounted her encounter with the Nether Tiger Immortal and the subsequent pursuit, emphasizing especially the Nether Tiger's eerie and chilling power. Luo Ming listened quietly, his gaze already fixed on the outer sea.

"Mid-stage Core Formation, skilled in beast taming, a rare species of Nether Tiger..." Luo Ming nodded slightly, then said to Mingyue, "You go inside to regulate your breathing and suppress your injuries. Those two outside the island, since they dared to injure my disciple and have come looking for me, they don't need to leave."

Mingyue was startled upon hearing this. Someone was outside the island? Just as she was about to say something, she saw Luo Ming's heart stir slightly.

In an instant, a high-pitched and clear roar that pierced the soul came from the depths of the ground. Immediately afterwards, an enormous figure seemed to squeeze out of thin air and arrived in an instant using the Wood Release technique. It was the Azure Dragon, which had already advanced to the sixth level!

The Azure Dragon at this moment is vastly different from what it was a few years ago. Its body has grown to sixty or seventy zhang in length, slender and agile, giving the impression of blotting out the sky when it hovers in mid-air. Its azure scales are as clear as jade, with a faint dark golden luster at the edges, and each scale exudes a texture of toughness and power.

The overwhelming pressure of the level six demonic dragon spread out without any concealment, causing the nearby bright moon to feel a chill in its heart.

Mingyue stared in disbelief, still reeling from the enormous transformation of the Azure Dragon, when a steady and powerful tremor suddenly came from the ground beneath her feet.