196: Chapter 196 Little Black Tiger

"Enter the mountains immediately! The people from the Ximen Clan are definitely going to pursue us!"

Leaving the teleportation array directly, Chu Feng led Jiang Miaoyi and the other two as they flew toward the massive mountain range in the distance.

This scene did not attract much attention.

As the city closest to the Endless Mountains, Cultivators often came here for adventures.

Not long after, the four of them entered the Endless Mountains.

They entered a mountain cave and began to rest and regroup.

The first step of resting was to have a delicious meal.

Chu Feng sliced the bear meat into uniform, thin pieces, each about the same size and thickness.

This way, it would heat evenly when roasted and wouldn't easily burn.

After lighting the fire, Chu Feng placed the meat skewers onto the fire one by one to roast.

As the temperature rose, the fat in the bear meat began to sizzle, dripping onto the charcoal fire and sending up tiny sparks.

The rich aroma of the meat gradually spread, wafting through the cave and making one's mouth water just from the smell.

Tang An couldn't sit still, enticed by the fragrance. He leaned toward the campfire, staring intently at the meat skewers, his Adam's apple bobbing constantly: "Brother Feng, is it ready yet? It looks almost done to me."

"What's the rush? It's still early."

Chu Feng smiled as he turned the skewers, allowing each side to heat evenly. "You can't rush roasting meat. If the heat isn't right, the outside will burn while the inside remains raw; that would be a waste."

He took out several small porcelain bottles from his Storage Ring, which contained various seasonings.

There was salt, cumin, chili powder, and some spice powder he had concocted himself.

As the seasonings were sprinkled on, the aroma of the meat became even richer.

The scent of cumin mixed with the spiciness of chili, combined with the savory fat of the bear meat itself—the flavors intertwined to make one's mouth water.

"Is it ready? Is it ready?" Tang An was so anxious he scratched his ears and cheeks.

Chu Feng checked the color of the meat skewers, pressed them lightly with his fingernail, and nodded: "Alright, it's ready to eat."

As he spoke, he handed the first skewer to Tang An.

Tang An took it and immediately took a huge bite.

The 100-degree meat skewer couldn't burn his 1000-degree mouth.

The meat juices burst in his mouth. The skin was roasted to a golden, crispy Perfection, while the meat inside remained tender and juicy. The taste of the spices was just right—not overpowering the natural deliciousness of the meat, but adding a rich depth of flavor.

"Mmm! Delicious! So delicious!" Tang An praised, his words muffled.

Jiang Miaoyi and Yun Luoli also each took a skewer and began to taste it carefully.

Jiang Miaoyi took a small bite, and her eyes immediately lit up: "This tastes really good. It's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the seasoning is well-balanced. It's been a long time since I've eaten something this delicious."

Yun Luoli ate elegantly, taking small, dainty bites, but the slight upturn of her lips showed that she quite enjoyed the roast meat.

The four of them sat around the campfire, eating the roast meat and chatting.

"The Endless Mountains are so vast, and the Tianhuang Secret Realm has no exact coordinates; we cannot just search aimlessly like this."

Chu Feng swallowed a piece of roast meat, "We need to come up with a plan; we can't just run around like headless flies."

"Brother Feng, do you have any ideas?" Tang An asked, his mouth full, his words slurred.

"I think we can start by looking at special geographical features."

"Whenever such Secret Realms appear, they tend to manifest in places with unique terrain, such as deep valleys, cliffs, or mountain peaks shrouded in clouds and mist all year round."

"Additionally, we should focus on areas with abnormal Spiritual Qi," Chu Feng analyzed.

"There are quite a few special geographical features in these mountains, but where should we start looking?"

Tang An took another bite of the roast meat, "And abnormal Spiritual Qi doesn't necessarily mean a Secret Realm; it could be the lair of some powerful Yao Beast. If we rashly break in, wouldn't we be asking for trouble?"

This made sense.

"Tang An is right; it's never wrong to be cautious."

Jiang Miaoyi put down her skewer and wiped the corners of her mouth, "However, I remember reading in an ancient book that before a Secret Realm opens, there is a unique fluctuation in the surrounding Spiritual Qi."

"Perhaps we can keep an eye out for this. Everyone, pay more attention to the changes in the surrounding Spiritual Qi while we travel. If we notice anything unusual, we will stop and investigate carefully."

Yun Luoli nodded, "Also, we can make inquiries along the way."

"The Endless Mountains are so large that there might be some reclusive Cultivators or mountain folk who have lived here for generations."

"They have lived here for a long time and must be more familiar with the surrounding environment than we are; perhaps they know some clues."

"That's a good idea!" Chu Feng's eyes lit up.

Yun Luoli was right; the locals definitely understood this mountain range better than they, as outsiders, did.

If they could find such people, they might be able to gather some useful information.

With a direction established, the four of them felt much more at ease.

After finishing the roast meat, they began their rest.

The next day.

"Roar!!!"

As the four of them were walking, a sudden change occurred!

Just as the four of them were passing through a patch of waist-high weeds.

A sudden gust of foul wind whipped up from the weeds, followed immediately by a pungent, fishy stench that rushed toward them!

A black tiger, only a zhang in size, suddenly sprang out from the weeds and lunged straight at them!

At the same time, the black tiger opened its jaws and let out a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering tiger roar.

The rolling sound waves struck like a physical force. Jiang Miaoyi and the other two only felt a "buzz" in their heads, and their minds went blank for an instant.

This was actually a level ten Earth Demon!

The black tiger's target was Chu Feng, who was walking in the lead. Its massive tiger claw swiped down with a whistling wind; if this strike connected, even Chu Feng would be injured.

However, Chu Feng was not hard-controlled.

"Sshhh!!!" With a soft sound, warm blood splattered onto Chu Feng's face.

"Awoo!!!" The black tiger let out a shrill, mournful howl, and its body fell from mid-air.

Where the jade blood sword had slashed, a deep wound extended from its abdomen all the way to its front leg, with blood gushing out.

Even more bizarrely, after the jade blood sword had passed, the tiger's body shrank by nearly half, like a deflating ball!

Jiang Miaoyi and the other two finally regained their senses and attacked the injured black tiger one after another.

Chu Feng stared at the black tiger with some curiosity. He actually didn't recognize this black tiger.

This black tiger's ability to hide was truly formidable; even a Cultivator like him, whose Divine Sense had reached Golden Core Perfection, hadn't discovered it beforehand.

This was the first time since Chu Feng had stepped into the world of cultivation that he had been ambushed by a Yao Beast at such close range!

"You all step back! Leave it to me!"

Chu Feng's magical power surged violently around him, and the jade blood sword in his hand burst forth with a dazzling, five-colored light.

His figure flashed, and he slashed down at the black tiger with wide, sweeping strokes.

The five-colored Sword Qi crisscrossed, shattering rocks and sending debris flying. The large trees, as thick as water vats, fell one after another in the wake of the Sword Qi, emitting a thunderous roar.

Although injured, the black tiger's ferocity did not diminish.

It nimbly dodged Chu Feng's Sword Qi while continuing to lunge at him.

Its jaws were wide open, and the foul, fishy breath rushed toward him; it was clearly trying to bite off Chu Feng's head in one go.