179: Chapter 179 The Black Tiger

"Since you are both fine, let's get out of here quickly." Xiang Tian had not forgotten the purpose of this trip. What exactly was it that possessed such eerie power, capable of mass-producing the Demon Blood Blade?

The two nodded immediately upon hearing this. But the next second, "Boom!" The ground beneath their feet suddenly collapsed.

Xiang Tian reacted extremely quickly, his figure flickering as he pulled Xiang Liu tightly into his embrace.

"Ah!" Startled by the sudden fall, Xiang Liu gasped subconsciously, her body pressing tightly against Xiang Tian's chest.

"What are you screaming for? Haven't I protected you well?" Xiang Tian rolled his eyes helplessly as they fell.

Xiang Liu only then came back to her senses, her nose filled with the scent of spiritual energy from Xiang Tian, her cheeks flushed slightly. She said softly, "Thank you, Xiang Tian."

Yang Yan, who was falling alongside them, steadied his figure. He said in a deep voice, "Brother Xiang, this underground area is extremely deep, and there is an eerie force constantly dragging me downwards."

"Hmm, if we can't break free, then let's go down and take a look." Xiang Tian did not care at all. He let his body plummet rapidly following that force, while secretly remaining vigilant in his heart. This Yin Qi was eerie and thick, clearly not belonging to any ordinary place.

This fall lasted for nearly an hour. "Thud!" The three of them landed heavily.

Yang Yan immediately furrowed his brows. He pinched a seal with his fingertips to investigate: "Why is the Yin Qi here so heavy?"

"So cold!" Xiang Liu couldn't help but shiver, subconsciously leaning closer to Xiang Tian. Xiang Tian slowly scanned his surroundings. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes: "This is... an Ancient Tomb? I fear we are still on its outskirts."

"Xiang Tian, look over there, is that a city wall?" Xiang Liu pointed ahead.

It was a pitch-black high wall, the top of which could not be seen at a glance, surrounded by dense Yin Qi.

Xiang Tian was slightly stunned, his fingertips lightly tapping the ground. Under the probe of his spiritual energy, his heart grew more puzzled. When he landed, this wall clearly hadn't been there. "This wall appeared suddenly." He nodded slowly. "Let's walk closer and see; perhaps we can find an entrance."

Xiang Tian was the first to dash towards the city wall. Who would have known that although the wall looked close, it took two full hours of flying to reach its base.

The wall was tall and majestic, with a biting cold. Faint black Qi flowed over the patterns, eerie and imposing. The three were just about to take a short rest to adjust their breathing.

A deafening beast roar suddenly echoed throughout the entire underground space, and the Yin Qi fluctuated violently. Immediately after, a gap split open on the city wall, and a black figure leapt out violently. Yin Qi churned around its body; it was a pitch-black ferocious tiger.

"A black tiger?" Xiang Tian was slightly stunned when he saw the black shadow clearly. This black tiger looked strange, exuding an Aura of evil throughout its body; it was definitely not an ordinary Spirit Beast.

"It is indeed a tiger in appearance, but everything it radiates is Yin Qi. It should be a Spirit Beast nurtured by the Yin Qi of the Ancient Tomb." Yang Yan's brows furrowed even tighter, and he gripped the large blade in his hand.

The black tiger did not hesitate at all, its scarlet eyes locking onto the three of them, and it let out a roar. It charged straight at them, its sharp claws carrying biting cold Yin Qi, with unstoppable momentum.

"Court death! Die, you wicked beast!" Yang Yan shouted angrily. He infused his spiritual energy into the blade, the large blade flashing with a cold light as he met the attack.

"Bang!" With one slash, the Saber Qi surged. The black tiger's body was split directly in two, and black blood gushed out.

"It's only at the Martial Emperor Early Stage level, not worth mentioning." Yang Yan sheathed his blade and sneered. Yet, there was no relaxation in his eyes; such evil beasts could not possibly be the only one.

As soon as his voice fell, thousands of black shadows swarmed out from the gap. They were dense and numerous, roars rising one after another; the entire underground space was trembling, and Yin Qi instantly permeated the area.

"Not good, there are thousands of them!" Yang Yan's expression changed. He drew his blade again, his spiritual energy surging, ready for battle.

Xiang Tian also gripped the Demon Blood Blade in his hand, the blade trembling slightly; Xiang Liu held her twin blades, her expression stern, her spiritual energy circulating as she prepared for battle.

"Roar—" The black tiger pack pounced instantly, sharp claws flying, Yin Qi attacking. The dense figures surrounded the three of them, not giving them any chance to catch their breath.

Xiang Tian stepped out with agile footwork, swinging the Demon Blood Blade, the light of the blade flashing. With one slash, he cut down several black tigers, black liquid splattering all over his robes; Xiang Liu's twin blades flew, her movements clean and sharp, her figure agile. Each strike was precise enough to kill, avoiding the black tigers' sharp claws, while her spiritual energy formed a barrier around her to resist the encroachment of the Yin Qi.

In a short while, all thousands of black tigers lay on the ground. But before the three could heave a sigh of relief, the gap in the city wall expanded again. More black tigers poured out continuously, their numbers several times greater than before, and the Yin Qi grew even more intense.

"At least ten thousand!" Yang Yan's expression was grave. The feeling of oppression around him surged like a tide.

"There is no other way, kill!" Xiang Tian's eyes turned stern, and holding the Demon Blood Blade, he was the first to rush into the tiger pack. Wherever the blade's light passed, black tigers fell. It was a clumsy method, but it was the most effective one at the moment. Only by slaying these evil beasts could they approach the city wall and uncover the secrets of the Ancient Tomb.

A cup of tea's time passed. The battle never ceased; the roars and the sounds of blades slashing intertwined, echoing through the underground. The ground was piled with the corpses of black tigers. The three of them were covered in black blood, their blades were stained through, and their breathing was gradually becoming somewhat disordered.

"Xiang Tian, I... I can't hold on anymore." Xiang Liu was the first to lose strength, her legs slightly weak. Her twin blades nearly slipped from her hands, and she had little spiritual energy left. She was only at the Martial Emperor Early Stage cultivation; being able to persist until now in such high-intensity combat was already remarkable.

"Stand behind me, I will protect you." Xiang Tian quickly scanned the black tigers closing in. His arm subconsciously blocked in front of Xiang Liu. At this moment, half of the remaining black tigers were still there, surrounding them densely, eyeing them covetously. They could launch an attack again at any moment.

Xiang Liu leaned behind Xiang Tian, panting slightly. She smiled bitterly: "Sorry, Xiang Tian, I'm holding you back again. If only I were a little stronger."

"Good that you know, but for the sake of you being a beauty, I will protect you this time." Xiang Tian's tone was flat, with no waves detectable. Yet, the movements of his hands did not stop, and the Demon Blood Blade swung out again. Another black tiger fell. As the blade's light flashed, the power of the blade increased, and the speed of slaying the black tigers became a bit faster.

"You're still joking at a time like this; your mentality is quite good." Xiang Liu shook her head helplessly. Her cheeks, however, flushed slightly, and a warmth welled up in her heart. Even in a desperate situation, with Xiang Tian by her side, she felt a bit more emboldened.

The next second, she mustered her courage and stood on tiptoe. She lightly kissed Xiang Tian on the cheek, her movements gentle and carrying a bit of shyness. Before Xiang Tian could react, she lowered her head. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, yet incredibly clear: "Xiang Tian, I think I really like you."

"You woman, how dare you take advantage of your Young Master?" Xiang Tian raised an eyebrow, feigning dissatisfaction, "If we can survive, see how I deal with you!"

"At most, we'll do Dual Cultivation; this Sword Servant isn't afraid of you!" Xiang Liu raised her head. The blush on her cheeks grew even deeper, dispelling some of the cold around her.

Yang Yan, who was on the side, inadvertently caught a glimpse of this scene, and the blade in his hand paused slightly. Then, he quickly swung it again. He grumbled inwardly: We are about to die, and these two still don't forget to flaunt their affection; this life is unbearable! In such a desperate situation, only these two could do this. Yet, his hands exerted more force, the large blade swung faster, Saber Qi surging, cutting down the black tigers in front of him.

"Xiang Liu, see if these black tigers have any Spirit Beast cores?" Xiang Tian suddenly spoke up. Upon hearing this, Xiang Liu immediately crouched down. She slashed open the head of a black tiger that had just fallen beside her. A black, shiny beast core was right there.

"Yes! It's a beast core! What do you need the beast cores for?" Xiang Liu picked up the beast core and looked up at Xiang Tian.

"Good if there are!" Xiang Tian's eyes lit up, and he walked forward quickly. "Perhaps we can use these beast cores to improve our strength and survive the current crisis." With a thought, he released Bai Yu and Frog Fairy from the System space. These two Spirit Beasts were gifted, perhaps they could absorb the energy in the beast cores to rapidly increase their combat power.

"Master! You haven't let me out for a long time!" As soon as Bai Yu came out, it immediately pounced into Xiang Tian's arms, its face full of resentment. Its furry head rubbed against him. It did not notice the crisis around them at all.

"Get off, don't you see your master is fighting?" Xiang Tian had black lines all over his head, reaching out to push Bai Yu away, shaking his head helplessly. It didn't even know the time and place to act spoiled!

Only then did Bai Yu lift its head, seeing the black tigers surrounding them, it shrank its neck in fear. It hurriedly hid behind Xiang Tian, whispering in surprise: "Ah! We are being besieged? So many black tigers!"

Unlike Bai Yu's naive cuteness, as soon as Frog Fairy came out, it immediately sensed the crisis and the dense Yin Qi around them, without any hesitation. It immediately circulated its spiritual energy and shouted loudly: "One Poison Covers the Sky!"

Green poisonous mist instantly permeated the area, carrying a pungent odor. It isolated them from the black tiger pack, forming a temporary isolation zone. Wherever the poisonous mist passed, the black tigers roared one after another, not daring to approach easily.

"Bai Yu, see if these black tiger beast cores are useful to you and Frog Fairy?" Xiang Tian signaled for Xiang Liu to pass over the beast cores. Xiang Liu hurriedly handed over the beast cores, and when Bai Yu took them and looked, its eyes instantly lit up. "These are Fifth-Rank beast cores! The energy contained within is so rich!"

Bai Yu immediately began to absorb the energy in the beast cores, its Aura slowly climbing. In just a moment, Bai Yu shook its head, "Master, Master! It can be absorbed! I leveled up directly!"

"That's great!" A trace of joy flashed in Xiang Tian's eyes. "Since it's useful, you and Frog Fairy hurry and absorb the beast cores to improve your strength. These black tiger beast cores are enough for you to quickly grow into main combat forces."

Upon hearing this, Frog Fairy immediately began to refine the beast cores with all its might. "Xiang Liu, thank you for your hard work; collect the beast cores as quickly as possible and send them to them. I will block these black tigers." Xiang Tian gripped the Demon Blood Blade, his gaze staring sharply at the tiger pack ahead. The spiritual energy in his body began to circulate again.

"Okay!" Xiang Liu nodded immediately. She methodically delivered the beast cores to Bai Yu and Frog Fairy. Xiang Tian, holding the Demon Blood Blade, rushed into the tiger pack. The blade light flashed, and every strike was precise and lethal. He forcefully carved out an empty space in the middle of the tiger pack.

Yang Yan was not to be outdone, swinging his large blade with great force. Saber Qi crisscrossed, slaying the black tigers in front of him. Although his spiritual energy was depleted, his Aura remained as strong as a rainbow.

At this moment, You Lingqing, lying in Xiang Tian's Sea of Consciousness, raised the corners of her mouth slightly. A trace of a smile flashed in her eyes: "Hehe, this little fellow seems to be no longer so afraid of death. If he can meet my requirements, perhaps..." She looked at Xiang Tian's figure as he swung his blade, her cheeks quietly flushing red. She had watched Xiang Tian's path of rise from the beginning to the end. In just a short time, he had already stepped into the Martial Emperor Realm. Such a growth rate was truly astonishing.