Jin Yu Street.
"ROAR!"
Out of nowhere, a tiger’s roar that could shatter stone and pierce gold exploded through the air!
A massive, striped tiger, over ten feet long and as burly as a small mountain, stood in the middle of the street, baring its fangs. Under the sunlight, its golden-gradient fur bristled like steel needles. Beneath its skin, domineering muscles writhed like the gnarled roots of an old tree, radiating a suffocating pressure of Qi and Blood.
Most frightening of all, a flat, triangular snake’s head grew from the end of the tiger’s tail! Its vertical pupils stared menacingly as it hissed, flicking its scarlet tongue, a truly horrifying sight.
Such a bizarre mutation made its identity clear: this was no ordinary beast, but a High-tier demon tiger!
Behind this demon tiger stood a short man in black robes, his face painted with five colors of greasepaint. He held a poisoned dagger in a reverse grip, letting out a piercing, strange laugh.
This was Li Heihu, an inner disciple of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect from Jian’an Prefecture. His Cultivation had already reached the Late-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm.
But his own Realm was not the most terrifying thing about him. It was the snake-tailed demon tiger he had tamed since it was a cub using a secret blood pact! Man and tiger together could make even an expert at Flesh Refining Realm Perfection die in regret.
"Jiang Xuan, do you really think I’m afraid of you just because your Cultivation is at Flesh Refining Realm Perfection?"
Li Heihu sneered, "If you want to snatch something I’ve set my eyes on, you’ll have to ask my demon tiger for permission first!"
Thirty feet away from Li Heihu stood an arrogant young man with his arms crossed, holding a Seven Star Longsword. It was none other than the elite disciple of the Divine Weapon Manor, Jiang Xuan!
The man’s Qi and Blood was as deep as an abyss and as steady as a mountain; he was clearly a great expert at Flesh Refining Realm Perfection. His Seven Profound Swordsmanship was masterful, and he had once defeated three experts of the same Realm in a row on the Martial Arts stage in Jian’an Prefecture, earning a fearsome reputation.
Jiang Xuan’s gaze was ice-cold. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at a piece of ore on the counter of the Hu Clan Chamber of Commerce nearby.
It was a piece of Crimson Flame Meteoric Iron, a rare, supreme-grade Mortal Tier spirit material!
This iron was formed when a meteor from beyond the heavens fell into volcanic lava and was forged for a hundred years. It was dark red and naturally contained a violent, high-temperature fire toxin. If he could smelt it into his Seven Star Sword, not only would the blade’s sharpness increase dramatically, but it would also gain a terrifying fire toxin burning effect. It would absolutely become his Divine Weapon!
He had already negotiated the price and was about to hand over the silver notes when Li Heihu suddenly interfered, relying on the fearsome might of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect to try and seize it by force!
How could the ever-arrogant Jiang Xuan tolerate this?
"Li Heihu, since you’re so stubborn, I’ll use your life to christen my sword!"
A murderous glint flashed in Jiang Xuan’s eyes. ’I know that to kill this shorty, I have to deal with that troublesome demon tiger first.’
"CLANG!"
The Seven Star Longsword shot from its sheath, its ring like a dragon’s cry!
Jiang Xuan executed the Seven Star Steps, his body blurring into an erratic afterimage as he took the initiative and charged the demon tiger!
"ROAR!"
The snake-tailed demon tiger was enraged, roaring as it rose up on its hind legs. Its terrifying paws, a size larger than cattail fans, swiped down at Jiang Xuan’s head with a sharp whistle that tore through the air!
"Seven Profound Sword Force: Formation Breaker!"
Jiang Xuan was fearless, crazily pouring the Qi and Blood from his body into his longsword. Empowered by his sword force, the normally formless sword qi condensed on the blade’s surface into a half-foot-long, chilling blade of light!
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"
The blade of light and the tiger’s claws clashed wildly, sending out a dazzling shower of sparks!
In the blink of an eye, the man and the tiger had exchanged more than a dozen blows. The savage sword qi and the tiger’s terrifying brute force spilled out in all directions like a hurricane, instantly shredding the entrance of the Hu Clan Chamber of Commerce and a dozen surrounding stalls into dust.
"Masters! I’m begging you, please stop fighting! If you keep going, my whole family will have no way to live!"
The Shopkeeper of the Hu Clan Chamber of Commerce was an old man with a white beard and hair. Looking at his shop, now a pile of ruins, he anxiously tugged at his goatee.
Beside him, a young girl in a cloth skirt clung tightly to her grandfather’s arm, her eyes welling with tears. She suddenly turned her head and, her voice thick with sobs, pleaded with a squad of fully-armed Security Guards in the distance:
"Hurry and stop them! Aren’t you Security Guards supposed to protect the people?"
Hearing the girl’s tearful, slightly accusatory cry, the dozen or so Security Guards felt their faces burn with shame and lowered their heads.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to intervene, but that they truly couldn’t!
The two fighting in the street were both top-tier experts at the Flesh Refining Realm from major powers in Jian’an Prefecture. A single stray graze from sword qi could take their lives.
"Both of you, stop right now!"
Zhao Tie was an upright man by nature. Hearing the girl’s cry, a hot-tempered anger rushed to his head. With a great shout, the muscles in his arms bulged as he swung his pair of Gua Ling Bright Silver Hammers and charged into the center of the battlefield!
Just then, Jiang Xuan noticed Zhao Tie charging over, and his eyes flickered.
His footwork suddenly changed. Like a slippery loach, he slid past the demon tiger’s claws in an instant, viciously ducking behind the newly arrived Zhao Tie!
Zhao Tie’s face fell in shock as his vision went dark. Without Jiang Xuan to keep it occupied, he was now facing the terrifying snake-tailed demon tiger head-on!
"ROAR!"
The deafening roar exploded by his ears like muffled thunder. A nauseating, foul stench washed over him, the wind so strong it made the skin on his face sting.
In the next instant, a terrifying paw, larger than a man’s head, crashed down with the force of a collapsing mountain!
"Block this for me!"
Zhao Tie’s eyes looked ready to split. Roaring, he pushed his body’s Qi and Blood to their absolute limit, crossed his arms, and raised his pair of bright silver hammers in a desperate block!
"BANG!!!"
The force behind the swipe was astonishing. Zhao Tie couldn’t block it in the slightest and was sent flying.
With a loud RUMBLE, he smashed hard into the half-standing stone wall of the Hu Clan’s shop, causing it to collapse completely.
Just as the demon tiger’s old force was spent from swatting Zhao Tie away and before new force could be generated,
Jiang Xuan, who had been hiding behind, struck like a venomous snake. He shot forward, his sword piercing cunningly into the demon tiger’s soft underbelly!
"PFFT!"
Scalding hot, dark red beast blood shot out like a fountain, dyeing a large patch of the ground red.
"ROOOAR—"
The demon tiger went berserk with pain, letting out a blood-curdling shriek that shook several streets and drew countless Martial Artists to leap onto rooftops and crane their necks to watch.
"Jiang Xuan! You fucking dare to scheme against my Demon Beast! I’ll slice you into a thousand pieces!"
Seeing this, Li Heihu’s eyes instantly turned crimson, and he lunged forward.
With Li Heihu joining the fray, the injured demon tiger grew even more savage, firmly suppressing Jiang Xuan. The battle once again reached a fever pitch.
In the ruins nearby, the young girl in the cloth skirt saw Zhao Tie lying in a pool of blood. Her heart trembled, and she quickly ran over to help him up.
"Cough, cough... PTUI!"
Zhao Tie coughed up a large mouthful of black blood. His arms hung limply, and a section of his sternum was caved in.
"Miss... don’t be afraid... *cough cough*... We Golden Scale Guards are no cowards. When my Lord Su arrives, he’ll definitely tear this damn beast apart alive..."
Zhao Tie’s face was as pale as paper, but he clenched his teeth, staring resentfully at the ongoing fight.
"Don’t talk! Quick, take this medicine!"
The girl wiped her tears and frantically fumbled in her clothes for a Hemostatic Pill, which she stuffed into Zhao Tie’s mouth.
"Hmph, such a weakling dares to interfere? This bunch from the Public Security Bureau are truly brainless. If you ask me, the Public Security Bureau should have been put under new management long ago."
In the distance, an effeminate man was fanning himself with a Feather Fan as he watched the battle.
This was Xu Xianzhou, the young master of the Spiritual Snake Martial Arts Hall. He had always looked down on Black Stone City and was quite critical of the Public Security Bureau.
Now, he was taking the opportunity to kick them while they were down, sneering mockingly.
"Xu Xianzhou, this squad leader from the Public Security Bureau is a loyal and honest man. He was willing to step forward and protect others even knowing he was outmatched. You can disapprove if you wish, but why the cold-hearted mockery?"
A woman’s voice rang out. It was Ding Mianyue of the Flying Fish Martial Arts Hall.
When Xu Xianzhou saw it was Ding Mianyue, a trace of fear flashed in his eyes. After all, her father, Ding Yi, who stood behind her, was a genuine Profound Bone Realm expert. He could only snort coldly and turn his head, ignoring her.
"Father, I’m going to stop them!"
Ding Mianyue glanced back at her father and was about to move forward.
"Don’t be hasty."
Ding Yi’s eyes flickered as he placed a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. "There’s no need for you to get involved. The main event has arrived!"