Chapter 26

Yang Junshan guessed why the Earth Bear was so confident in ambushing the Mountain Tiger here, and he also guessed that the Mountain Tiger might have left descendants. However, he had one lingering doubt: if the Earth Bear already knew the location of the Mountain Tiger's den, why didn't it ambush the Mountain Tiger directly at its den like it did with the Purple-striped Boar, but instead chose to wait in the mountain hollow?

However, when Yang Junshan passed through the dense forest in front of him and a rocky cliff appeared, he finally understood the reason.

This rocky cliff was composed of uneven stone platforms of various sizes, and the Mountain Tiger's den was located in a cave at the very top of the cliff.

The Earth Bear's body was large and clumsy, making it impossible for it to climb up and down the stone platforms of the rocky cliff. In contrast, although the Mountain Tiger's body was also large, it had excellent jumping ability, allowing it to leap up and down the stone platforms and enter and exit its den.

Although Yang Junshan did not have the jumping ability of the Mountain Tiger, human limbs were much more flexible than those of fierce beasts. Despite the effort it took, after spending about half an incense stick's time, Yang Junshan finally found the Mountain Tiger's den.

Before entering the cave, a faint demonic aura mixed with a pungent smell wafted past him. If it weren't for his two lifetimes of experience, Yang Junshan might not have been able to distinguish it.

Yang Junshan was startled, but he quickly realized that this was not a hundred years later. The appearance of demonic aura was a significant surprise, but even the top fierce beasts of Bai Que Mountain, like the Mountain Tiger and the Earth Bear, had only just begun to transform into demons. He thought it unlikely that there would be any danger in the cave.

On the contrary, in the cultivation world of his previous life, there were various theories about the great changes in the world, and the rise of demonic disasters was one of the main causes. This might be one of the sources of future demonic disasters, and at this moment, Yang Junshan was filled with intense curiosity, eager to explore.

"Roar!"

Before Yang Junshan stepped into the cave, a soft, crisp roar reached his ears. A fluffy little tiger cub, unable to distinguish friend from foe, thought it was its mother returning and wobbled out of the cave to greet it.

Yang Junshan bent down and picked up the little tiger cub. Perhaps sensing that Yang Junshan's scent was different, the little tiger cub struggled in his arms, making Yang Junshan clearly feel the faint demonic aura that made him uneasy.

After calming the little tiger cub, Yang Junshan took a deep breath and stepped into the cave.

About three miles away from the mountain hollow, on a cliff, Su Baozhang, with nowhere to run, was cornered by Zhang Yueming and a group of young people. Exhausted, Su Baozhang began to curse before Zhang Yueming and the others could ask, "You scoundrels, why are you chasing me instead of hunting immortal spirits?"

Su Baozhang's counterattack was clever, and for a moment, the young people were stunned.

Soon, a young man jumped out and shouted, "Why did you run? You must be guilty!"

Su Baozhang retorted, "Nonsense, would I run if you didn't chase me? In this desolate mountain, if you have any bad intentions, where can I go to complain?"

Before the young man could speak, Zhang Yueming stepped forward with a stern face and asked, "Was it you who made those tiger roars just now?"

Su Baozhang looked at him deeply and then said proudly, "Yes, it was me. How was it, pretty convincing, right?"

Zhang Yueming's voice suddenly rose, and he angrily said, "You deliberately imitated the tiger's roar to attract us?"

Originally, Zhang Yueming and the others were following the butterfly tracking talisman to search for the Mountain Tiger, but the tiger's roar made them abandon the slow-moving talisman and rush towards the direction of the roar. However, the roar kept moving further away, leading them in the opposite direction of the mountain hollow.

By the time Zhang Yueming and the others realized something was wrong, Su Baozhang had already led them around the mountain for half an hour, until they were cornered on this cliff.

Hearing Zhang Yueming's question, Su Baozhang was surprised and said, "I did it on purpose, but why did it attract you? I was just trying to lure an injured Mountain Tiger to take advantage of the situation. What does that have to do with you?"

A young man could no longer hold back and shouted, "The Mountain Tiger you were chasing was injured by us. You dare to steal our prey. Tell us where the Mountain Tiger went, or we won't be polite!"

Hearing this, Su Baozhang cried out in indignation, "You're asking me for the Mountain Tiger's whereabouts, but I haven't even asked you. If you hadn't chased me, we would have found the Mountain Tiger long ago."

Su Baozhang's words confused the young people for a moment. Although they felt something was wrong, they couldn't put their finger on it. One thought lingered in their minds: Could this really be a misunderstanding?

Zhang Yueming suspected Su Baozhang was lying but lacked evidence to expose him. At this moment, another young man stepped forward and said fiercely, "No matter what, you misled our tracking direction, and that cannot be forgiven. Unless you can compensate us for our losses!"

Everyone was immediately energized and demanded that Su Baozhang hand over his valuables. Zhang Yueming watched coldly but said nothing.

The young man glanced at Zhang Yueming, feeling secretly pleased, and continued, "Behind you is a cliff dozens of feet high. You know the consequences of falling. If you don't want to fall, it's best to hand over your belongings and voluntarily withdraw from this hunting ground. Otherwise, we won't hesitate to send you on your way!"

As soon as the young man finished speaking, Zhang Yueming knew it was bad. He leaped forward and shouted, "Stop him, he's going to tear the protective talisman!"

Standing at the edge of the cliff, Su Baozhang smiled coldly and threw a black stone he had been holding. The stone hit the ground, and the surrounding sand and rocks gathered around it, forming a yellowish stone wall in front of him.

The cliff was already narrow, and the stone wall blocked everyone outside. Su Baozhang looked at them with a smile, then calmly circulated the faint spiritual energy in his body to his hands, tearing the protective talisman. Another layer of protective light rose, and with these two layers of protection, Su Baozhang could wait for the mountain guardian cultivators to arrive.

Zhang Yueming looked at Su Baozhang deeply, and the spiritual light on his talisman sword suddenly flashed. Su Baozhang was startled, but when he looked again, the talisman sword had already been put back into the scabbard. Zhang Yueming then turned and left without looking back. The young people followed, still cursing and lamenting their bad luck.

Seeing everyone leave, Su Baozhang sighed in relief and muttered, "I can only buy you this much time. I hope it's enough for you to hunt two fierce beasts."

As soon as Su Baozhang finished speaking, the stone wall in front of him suddenly collapsed, startling him. He then realized that Zhang Yueming's talisman sword had already destroyed the protective stone Yang Junshan had given him. Zhang Yueming was clearly warning him that he had the ability to break his protective means, and his previous words might have fooled others, but Zhang Yueming saw through everything.

This person, indeed, was a genius valued by the Heaven-Shaking Sect. No wonder Junshan's brother held him in such high regard.

A beam of light was already breaking through the sky, but there was no time to find an immortal spirit to summon. Su Baozhang left the Bai Que Mountain hunting ground with a slight regret.

Holding the little tiger cub, Yang Junshan emerged from the cave with a mix of excitement and shock on his face. He quickly suppressed his emotions and hurried towards the mountain hollow. The Mountain Tiger was already on the verge of death, and he hoped it wouldn't be too late when he brought the little tiger cub to it. Otherwise, all his plans would be in vain.

Fierce beasts, though lacking reason, might instinctively gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to nurture an immortal spirit within their bodies. The Mountain Tiger and the Earth Bear, influenced by demonic aura, had already begun to develop intelligence. They not only knew how to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate themselves but also knew how to conceal the immortal spirit they were nurturing.

The difference between the two was that while fierce beasts might nurture an immortal spirit, the immortal spirit in a demonized beast with intelligence was certain to exist.

However, because the former lacked intelligence, once killed, the immortal spirit would naturally be obtained by the killer. In contrast, the latter, facing life and death due to the immortal spirit, would often choose to destroy the immortal spirit first, leaving the cultivator with nothing.

In the cultivation world of his previous life, a hundred years later, these things were widely known, if not universally. However, in the current world, the cultivation world did not even know what demons were, and this knowledge was unique to Yang Junshan.

Previously, Yang Junshan only confirmed the presence of the tiger bone immortal spirit in the Mountain Tiger after it broke through the firebird talisman's attack because he was unsure if the Mountain Tiger, like the Earth Bear, had been influenced by demonic aura and begun to develop intelligence. He also did not want to arouse Su Baozhang's suspicion.

As for the Earth Bear, Yang Junshan did not go to such lengths because, in its final moments, the Earth Bear had become berserk, losing the little intelligence it had. Yang Junshan was not worried that the immortal spirit in the bear's body would self-destruct at the moment of death.

Yang Junshan hurriedly jumped down from the stone platform, holding the little tiger cub and rushing through the dense forest towards the mountain hollow. The little tiger cub seemed to sense its mother's presence and kept making soft, crisp roars. As they got closer, the roars became more frequent and urgent. The bloody smell from the mountain hollow seemed to stimulate the little tiger cub, almost making it struggle to jump out of Yang Junshan's arms.

Finally, a weak roar came from the mountain hollow, and the little tiger cub in his arms calmed down, only stretching its head out of Yang Junshan's arms, anxiously waiting for something.