26: Chapter 26 The Cicada Awaits

Roar!!!

In less than the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, a tiger's roar, filled with supreme majesty and fury, suddenly erupted from the dark cave!

The roar seemed capable of shaking the mountains, making the surrounding trees tremble.

Immediately after, a massive yellow bolt of lightning shot out from the cave entrance!

It was the true king of this mountain forest—the Tier 3 Tiger King!

It was nearly two zhang long, its muscles cast like steel, and on its golden fur, the black 'King' character markings looked ferocious and domineering.

Its appearance instantly made the temperature of the entire valley seem to drop a few degrees.

The Tiger King saw the blood-soaked live sheep at a glance, and even more so, the humans surrounding it holding weapons.

Its territory had been violated, and its royal authority challenged, which instantly sent it into a rage!

Beast! You finally came out! Attack!

County Magistrates Young Master Zhang Yang shouted excitedly, as if he had already envisioned the scene of himself riding on the Tiger King's back, showing off his might.

Stimulated by the heavy reward, the group of Jianghu experts beside him shouted and charged forward.

A brutal slaughter began right then and there!

However, they had clearly underestimated the terror of a Tier 3 exotic beast.

The Tiger King's speed was as fast as lightning; with a pounce, it instantly crashed into the crowd.

The man wielding twin blades at the very front had no time to react; he only felt an irresistible force strike him, his steel blades were instantly swiped away, and his entire body flew out like a broken sack.

While in the air, his chest had already collapsed, blood sprayed wildly, and it was clear he would not survive.

Roar!

Having succeeded with one strike, the Tiger King became even more ferocious.

Its massive tail swept out like a steel whip, striking the waist of an expert wielding a long sword. With a crisp 'crack,' the man's spine was broken on the spot, and he let out a scream that did not sound human before collapsing and convulsing on the ground.

In just a few breaths, the encirclement of the Tiger Slaying Squad was shattered, with men constantly being swiped away by the Tiger King's claws, which were as hard as metal and stone, or torn apart by that bloody maw. Screams rose one after another, and blood stained the ground red.

Trash! A bunch of trash!

Hiding at the back of the crowd, Zhang Yang was scared pale and screamed, 'Attack! Whoever kills it gets a reward of one hundred taels of silver! No! Five hundred taels of silver!'

Don't panic, you bastards! Form up!

At the critical moment, One Ear Zhou Tong let out a furious roar that sounded like thunder, temporarily suppressing everyone's panic.

He leveled his ghost-head broadsword, and his entire person stood before the Tiger King like a mountain!

Evil beast! Die!

Zhou Tong bellowed, and the Aura of a Tier 3 expert exploded out without reservation.

He exerted force with his feet, causing the ground to crack inch by inch, and the ghost-head broadsword in his hand, accompanied by a sharp whistle that tore through the air, slashed fiercely towards the Tiger King's head!

A hint of human-like wariness flashed in the Tiger King's eyes; it knew that the person before it was the greatest threat.

It roared and, neither dodging nor evading, swung a tiger claw larger than a human head to meet the ghost-head blade!

Clang!

A deafening sound of metal clashing rang out!

Blade and claw collided, sparks flying everywhere!

Zhou Tong was shaken back three steps by the immense force, leaving a deep footprint on the hard ground with each step, his tiger's mouth numb.

And the Tiger King also had a deep bloody scratch left on its claw by his blade.

For a time, blade light and tiger shadows flew; one man and one beast, two Tier 3 existences, were locked in a frantic struggle.

Relying on his rich combat experience and the Sharp Weapon in his hand, Zhou Tong temporarily stabilized the situation.

But he could only barely hold on. Every attack from the Tiger King made his Qi and blood surge, and he knew very well that the longer the fight dragged on, the more unfavorable it was for him.

Above on the high ground, the people of Panshi Stockade, who saw everything, all felt their hearts pounding with fear.

Goodness... is this the power of a Tier 3?

a young soldier muttered to himself, his face pale.

That Tiger King is too fierce. I'm afraid that one-eared guy won't last long.

Old Qiu's brows were tightly knit.

Gao Feng did not speak; his heart was in his throat, and he was once again glad that he had not acted recklessly back then.

If he had led his team to charge in, facing the Tiger King in its prime, the outcome would likely not be much better than this Tiger Slaying Squad.

Just as the battle reached a stalemate and two more of the Tiger Slaying Squad's men were swiped to death by the Tiger King, One Ear Zhou Tong, who had been struggling with the Tiger King, flashed a look of ruthlessness in his eyes!

All of you, back off!

He let out a furious roar and suddenly forced the Tiger King back with a slash. Taking advantage of this gap, he lightning-fast pulled out a special black porcelain bottle from his bosom.

Go to hell! Evil beast!

He used all his strength to throw the porcelain bottle fiercely towards the Tiger King's face!

The Tiger King had no idea what it was and opened its mouth, intending to bite it to pieces.

Bang!

The porcelain bottle exploded in mid-air, and a foul-smelling green smoke instantly burst forth, completely enveloping the Tiger King's massive head!

Awoo—

After inhaling the smoke, the Tiger King let out an extremely painful roar.

Its massive body began to sway violently, as if it were drunk, and its previously lightning-fast movements clearly became sluggish and stiff.

On the high ground, a sudden change occurred!

It's 'Muscle Softening Powder'!

Uncle Sun, who was knowledgeable and experienced, instantly recognized the origin of the smoke and exclaimed, 'And looking at this color and smell, it's a potent drug specially made by the military to deal with exotic beasts. It can paralyze their nerves and greatly reduce their strength!'

Hearing this, the people of Panshi Stockade were all shocked.

Gao Feng's heart also sank suddenly.

He realized that this 'mantis' was better prepared and more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.

This was no longer a common Jianghu conflict, but a premeditated hunt with official backing!

Hahaha! It worked!

Seeing the Muscle Softening Powder take effect, One Ear Zhou Tong let out a wild laugh.

Seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he closed in again, raising the ghost-head broadsword high in his hand. He poured all his strength into it and slashed fiercely at the Tiger King's back, which was unable to defend itself due to the drug's effect!

Puchi!

The sound of a blade entering flesh was clearly audible!

This blade landed solidly on the Tiger King's back, instantly splitting open a terrifying wound half a foot long and deep enough to see the bone!

Bright red blood gushed out like a fountain!

Roar!!!

The intense pain and the threat of death instead ignited the Tiger King's final ferocity!

It let out a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering wail, ignored the serious injury on its back, and suddenly turned its head, its pair of blood-red tiger eyes locking firmly onto Zhou Tong.

Gathering all the remaining power in its body, with the resolve to drag him down with it, a tiger claw, faster and more violent than before, slammed fiercely towards Zhou Tong's chest!

Zhou Tong did not expect that this beast could still erupt with such terrifying power after being hit by the Muscle Softening Powder; his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly held his blade horizontally to block!