142: Chapter 142 Returning to the Ten Thousand Mountains

[One year later.]

[You and Xiao Wang have traveled dusty and weary across the borders of the Great Tang, standing now at the edge of the Ten Thousand Mountains.]

[Over this past year, your Cultivate of the "Burning Heaven True Art" has gotten on the right track; although progress is slow, every day you can feel that wisp of crimson Spiritual Qi within your Qi Sea point growing bit by bit.]

[You stand at the edge of a dense forest and look up.]

[Before you, mountain ranges roll and undulate, piercing straight into the clouds. Thick fog churns like a sea around the mountainsides, blotting out the sky. Ancient trees poke their crowns out from the mist, each one thick enough for several people to wrap their arms around.]

[The concentration of Spiritual Qi in the air rises sharply here. You take a deep breath, feeling a refreshing coolness fill your lungs.]

[But Xiao Wang, beside you, is not reacting quite as calmly.]

[It stands three steps behind you, its nostrils twitching as it sniffs the scent drifting from the forest.]

[Then it begins to retreat.]

[One step, two steps, three steps.]

[You turn your head and see this great white tiger, nearly three meters long, tail tucked between its legs, with the words "I'm not going" written all over its eyes.]

["Awoo..." Xiao Wang lets out a low, mournful whine and shakes its head at you.]

[The corners of your mouth twitch slightly.]

[It is an adult white tiger, after all, the dignified King of Beasts. Who is it putting on this cowardly display for?]

[You walk over, bend down, and grab its front paw.]

["Have some backbone," you remark with disdain. "Follow me, what are you afraid of?"]

[Xiao Wang struggles for a moment, its four legs planted firmly on the ground, stubbornly refusing to move even half a step forward.]

[You exert your strength, dragging the two-hundred-plus-pound big cat until its front paws leave the ground, forcefully hauling it into the forest.]

[At first, Xiao Wang yelps in fright, its four legs plowing four deep furrows into the ground, but it soon realizes resistance is futile. It can only droop its ears and follow timidly behind you, like a downtrodden punching bag.]

[And so, you begin to trek into the Ten Thousand Mountains.]

[The first half-month goes smoothly enough.]

[You are taking the same route you walked in your previous simulation, so the terrain is clear in your mind. You know exactly where the water sources are, where it is suitable to camp, and which areas need to be bypassed.]

[Along the way, you encounter several waves of low-level Yao Beasts. You keenly notice that the density of Yao Beasts on this route you took in the last simulation is now significantly higher.]

[You think for a moment and understand the reason. In the previous simulation, a great war broke out in the territory of the Luoyun Sect, and a large number of Yao Beasts were caught in the crossfire and killed. But in this lifetime, because you arrived early, that turmoil that swept through the Cultivation World has not yet occurred, so the Yao Beasts in the Ten Thousand Mountains naturally thrive and multiply, making their numbers vast.]

[However, you do not panic.]

[You are now a woman holding the Purple Mansion Reincarnation, such a super trump card. If anyone dares to be blind and bare their fangs at you, you can completely slap their skull off with one hit.]

[But you still maintain extreme caution. You only have two Purple Mansion experience cards; use one and you have one less. You wouldn't do something as stupid as using an anti-aircraft gun to swat a mosquito.]

[Thus, you and Xiao Wang, one human and one tiger, sneak through the forest like thieves. Fortunately, your purple trait, Peerless Elegance, is continuously exerting its effect. Most low-level Yao Beasts not only lack hostility toward you but even actively avoid you. Occasionally, a few with strong territorial instincts will roar to drive you away, but they do not pursue relentlessly.]

[And so, you and Xiao Wang, like two thieving rats, sleep in tree hollows at night and travel during the day under the sunlight. When you encounter a Yao Beast, you detour; if you can't, you run.]

[The dignified former Empress of Great Li, the current Retired Emperor, the future Purple Mansion grand cultivator of the Cultivation World, has lived to become a stowaway.]

[Your heart is bitter, but you do not speak of it.]

[Two months later.]

[In the process of venturing deep into the Ten Thousand Mountains, you discover that Xiao Wang is exhibiting some anomalies.]

[Its fur has become exceptionally soft and shiny, faintly gleaming with a jade-like luster. Even stranger, it has become extremely sleepy, needing to lie down and nap after walking for only a few hours each day.]

[Once, when it woke up and stretched, you keenly caught a faint flash of golden light across its brow, which vanished in an instant.]

["Erlang Tiger?" you silently remark to yourself.]

[It seems some kind of Bloodline within Xiao Wang is Awakening. This big cat you picked up in the Mortal world is indeed no ordinary Mortal beast.]

[It is just that in the Mortal continent where Spiritual Qi is thin, this Bloodline could not be awakened.]

[Now that the environment has changed, the Bloodline within it finally has a reaction.]

[A touch of joy rises in your heart.]

[Xiao Wang is not just your companion; if its Bloodline is strong enough, it may become real combat power for you in the future.]

[But you also know that this cannot be rushed. Just like your own Cultivate, it can only take its natural course.]

[However, if you walk by the river often, you will inevitably get your shoes wet. Half a month later, an accident finally happened.]

[A Purple-Striped Thunder Leopard, nearly a zhang long, with a body of dark purple covered in lightning patterns, has set its sights on you.]

[Middle Stage Yao Beast.]

[You sense the violent thunder-attribute Spiritual Pressure on it, and without a word, you turn and run.]

[But the speed of the Purple-Striped Thunder Leopard is extremely fast. Its four paws generate wind, accompanied by the crackling of thunder. In just a few breaths, it closes the distance. It leaps violently, opening its blood-stained maw, its sharp claws carrying a shrill whistle that tears through the air, heading straight for your back.]

[You exert force from your waist, your body twisting unnaturally in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the lethal blow. However, the sharp claw wind still tears your clothes, leaving three bloody wounds on your fair back.]

[A sharp pain strikes, and you land with a muffled groan.]

["Roar!"]

[Seeing you injured, the usually timid Xiao Wang suddenly goes wild. Its massive body blocks you, and it lets out a roar that shakes the forest.]

[In that instant, Xiao Wang's formerly clear eyes suddenly turn into majestic golden slit pupils, and an extremely ancient, vast aura erupts from within its body.]

[The Purple-Striped Thunder Leopard in mid-air is struck by this aura, and a look of extremely anthropomorphic terror flashes in its eyes. It forces its body to twist in mid-air, and after landing, it retreats two steps.]

[But the good times do not last long; the golden light in Xiao Wang's eyes fades completely after just an instant. Its massive body sways, and it collapses to the ground, panting heavily, clearly having overdrawn its stamina.]

[Seeing this, the terror in the Purple-Striped Thunder Leopard's eyes turns into brutality. The lightning on its body flares up again, and it opens its fangs, preparing to launch the final blow.]

[You look at the approaching leopard and curse inwardly, "Do you really think this lady is made of mud?"]