Chapter 14

"Big Brother, be careful!"

A voice suddenly came from the nearby forest, clearly from the hidden archer giving a warning.

Iron-tailed Tiger Demon, after killing one person, suddenly lunged at the most powerful man among them, a burly and muscular man.

"Rumble..."

The Iron-tailed Tiger Demon was extremely ferocious, its claws capable of easily tearing through large trees. Despite being an Eighth Stage Body Tempering Warrior, the burly man was in grave danger in front of this beast.

The attacks from the others could only provide some restraint. Ordinary weapons clanged against the beast's body, unable to cause significant damage.

Apart from the initial sneak attack that hit the tiger demon's soft neck, the hidden archer failed to make any further contributions.

"Everyone, run! This beast is too powerful!" The burly man roared, channeling his inner energy to the extreme. "I'll cover you!"

"Mountain Splitting Axe!"

The burly man shouted, his dual axes glowing with a cold light, the whistling sound of the wind as they swung was sharp and piercing, striking the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon's forehead.

The blow was powerful, and even the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon, as fierce as it was, was sent flying back, blood streaming from its forehead.

However, the burly man was also in bad shape, struck by the tiger demon's tail, which broke his ribs and left him with deep, bloody wounds.

"Big Brother!" The others cried out in alarm.

"Don't worry about me, just go!" The burly man gritted his teeth, standing up and fighting to the death to cover his brothers' retreat.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!...

The archer continued to provide cover from a distance, restraining the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon's attacks, allowing the burly man to catch his breath.

"Boom!"

The burly man and the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon clashed again, and the burly man was immediately thrown back by the brute force, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

The Iron-tailed Tiger Demon ignored the arrows flying towards it, its eyes filled with ferocity, and lunged at the heavily wounded burly man.

All of this happened in a split second. From the moment Ah Fei was killed by the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon, it had only been a few breaths.

Although Luo Xiu had seen much bloodshed during his training and hunting in Water Dock Mountain, this was the first time he had seen someone killed.

"Die, beast!"

Luo Xiu's body moved like a flash of light, his feet kicking towards the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon's head.

"Bang!"

A powerful force surged through his feet, and Luo Xiu was thrown back, flipping in mid-air to dissipate the force, landing several meters away.

"Roar!"

The Iron-tailed Tiger Demon let out a painful roar, its fierce eyes fixed on the human several meters away.

It felt as if its skull had nearly been shattered by the human's kick.

The burly man thought he was doomed, but now he saw the powerful Iron-tailed Tiger Demon looking at a suddenly appearing young man with fear, and he was momentarily stunned.

The Iron-tailed Tiger Demon's attention was now on Luo Xiu. Beasts are not just stronger than wild animals; they have a certain level of intelligence. Its instincts told it that this human youth was a threat.

The burly man, having escaped death, quickly ran to Luo Xiu's side, facing the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon.

"Brother, thank you for saving my life. My name is Yuan Dashan," the burly man said, bowing.

"Let's take care of this tiger demon first," Luo Xiu nodded.

"Roar!"

Just as they spoke, the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon lunged. Luo Xiu, having mastered the Inch Step technique, quickly dodged.

"Mountain Splitting Axe!"

Yuan Dashan used his signature move again, his axe striking the tiger demon. With his Eighth Stage Body Tempering cultivation, his full-strength attack only left a minor wound.

Luo Xiu, using the Inch Step technique, saw the life veins of the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon clearly.

"Fierce Tiger Stance!"

He suddenly leaped up, his inner energy roaring like a storm.

"Bang!"

His punch struck the tiger demon's head again, a crack sounded, and the tiger demon roared in pain, staggering back, its vision blurred.

Yuan Dashan was stunned. His full-strength axe strike only caused minor injuries, but this youth, who looked to be only fourteen or fifteen, had a punch that was even more powerful than his own?

"Rising Dragon Stance!" Luo Xiu's technique changed, his body spinning in mid-air, his fists striking the tiger demon's head like thunder.

"Boom!"

The Iron-tailed Tiger Demon had no time to react, hit by the most powerful move of the Dragon Tiger Fist, its head's life veins were severely damaged, and its skull shattered on the spot.

"Ao!" The Iron-tailed Tiger Demon let out a mournful cry, its massive body collapsing, dead.

"Truly a peak First Rank demon beast. It took me three consecutive strikes to the same spot to kill it."

Luo Xiu knew that in terms of pure strength, he was far inferior to the tiger demon. He was able to kill it thanks to his mastery of the Inch Step technique and his special ability to damage life veins.

Seeing the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon dead, the others who had fled nearby cautiously approached, reuniting with Yuan Dashan.

At this moment, Luo Xiu's brows furrowed, sensing a dangerous aura.

Since fusing with the Life and Death Pearl, his perception had become extremely sensitive. He immediately determined that the hidden archer was aiming at him.

"Big Brother, this kid's inner energy fluctuation is only at the Sixth Stage Body Tempering."

"To get this tiger demon, Ah Fei died. We can't let the beast's body fall into someone else's hands." They whispered, discussing with Yuan Dashan.

Luo Xiu overheard this, his face turning cold. He coldly said, "This tiger demon was killed by me."

"Hmph, it was you who killed it, but without our Big Brother, could a Sixth Stage Body Tempering kid like you defeat this Iron-tailed Tiger Demon?" someone sneered.

"Wang Yun, shut up! If it weren't for this young brother, I would have been killed by this beast," Yuan Dashan shouted.

He stepped forward, bowing to Luo Xiu, "Young brother, you saved my life. I will never forget this favor. The tiger demon is yours to deal with as you see fit."

Luo Xiu nodded, impressed by Yuan Dashan. The value of the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon was at least ten thousand silver taels.

If these people had really attacked, Luo Xiu wouldn't have been afraid, but it would have been troublesome. It was better to avoid conflict if possible.

"This Yuan Dashan is a fool!" Wang Yun's eyes flickered. In his view, even if the youth had saved Yuan Dashan's life, it wasn't worth giving up the value of the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon.

Hunters often fought over treasure and benefits, and this youth was only a Sixth Stage Body Tempering.

"Let's go!" Yuan Dashan bowed to Luo Xiu and then led his group, carrying their companion's body, away.

"Wang Yun, I know what you're thinking, but let me advise you. That youth who killed the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon is no ordinary person. He might be a disciple of a prominent family in Green Cloud City, not someone we can provoke."

Yuan Dashan glanced at Wang Yun, his voice cold, "Besides, he saved my life. As a martial artist, how can we be ungrateful?"

"Yes, Big Brother, I understand," Wang Yun said, but he was not convinced.

"I know you're clever, but use your brain for the right things," Yuan Dashan warned. "I was injured in the fight with the beast and need to rest. We'll probably spend the night in the mountains."

The others in the group also looked tired and dejected. This hunt for the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon was a disaster, with one person dead and no benefits gained.

A short while later, the group found a safe place to rest and regroup.

Yuan Dashan leaned against a large tree, tearing open his bloodied shirt. Fortunately, it was only a superficial wound, and his bones were not broken.

He applied the wound medicine he carried, thinking, "I wonder who that youth is. He's only at the Sixth Stage Body Tempering, yet he could kill the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon with two punches..."

Yuan Dashan knew that without the black-clothed youth, they wouldn't have killed the tiger demon, and he might have been killed himself.

With his Eighth Stage Body Tempering cultivation and the use of inner energy and wound medicine, his injuries healed quickly.

"Hmm? Where are Wang Yun and Zhang Huan?" After less than half an hour, Yuan Dashan, now healed, noticed that only two people were left in the group.

"Wang Yun said he would check if there were any prey nearby," someone replied.

"Oh no!" Yuan Dashan's face changed. With his experience and knowledge of Wang Yun, he knew what was happening.

"Wang Yun must be after the materials from the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon, so he took Zhang Huan to kill and rob. This is going to be a disaster!"

...

The body of the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon was large, and Luo Xiu couldn't carry it all.

Infusing his inner energy into the green saber, he first skinned the tiger, the hide relatively intact with only a few axe cuts, which could fetch a good price.

Additionally, there were the tiger bones, heart blood, and teeth. The most valuable was the tiger's tail, known as the iron tail, which was material for crafting low-grade human-grade weapons.

Collecting all the valuable materials, especially the tiger hide, Luo Xiu's bag was full.

He looked at the sky. It was unlikely he could return to Green Cloud City before sunset, so he would have to spend the night in the mountains and return at dawn the next day.

The number of demon beasts in Water Dock Mountain was not high, mainly wild animals, but at night, the forest would be dangerous. Luo Xiu needed to find a safe place to stay before dark.

"Twang!"

The sound of a bowstring vibrating was clear in the quiet forest.

Luo Xiu's pupils constricted, sensing a sharp wind from behind, heading towards his head.

He moved sideways, and an arrow struck the tree trunk with a thud, the feathers trembling.

Expanding his perception, Luo Xiu detected two life auras.

Not far away, a short, dark-faced young man held a longbow, fully drawn, coldly staring at him.

At the same time, another figure emerged, Wang Yun.

"What do you two want?" Luo Xiu asked coldly.

"Kid, don't pretend. Leave your bag and sword, and we'll let you go," Wang Yun said, holding a sword, smirking.

"What if I don't?" Luo Xiu's eyes flashed with coldness. He had saved these people, but they were so shameless and ungrateful!

In Luo Xiu's perception, only Wang Yun and the archer were present; Yuan Dashan and the others were not nearby.

After a moment's thought, Luo Xiu understood. These two must have acted on their own, trying to kill and rob.

The materials from the Iron-tailed Tiger Demon were worth tens of thousands of silver taels, enough to make Body Tempering martial artists take risks.

Luo Xiu finally understood the true nature of human evil!