Chapter 17 Mythical Beasts of Mountains and Seas, Zhen

The two walked into the mountain forest, but the deeper they went, the more Jiang Chen sensed the abundance of spiritual energy here.

Although it was not as good as Mount Mao, it was not far off.

"With such abundant spiritual energy here, yet no major demon has manifested, could it be that it already has an owner?" Jiang Chen said casually.

The speaker did not intend it, but the listener took it to heart; Xue Xichang shuddered upon hearing this.

"You are right, perhaps this place really has been occupied by something."

Just as Xue Xichang finished speaking, suddenly, a mountain wind blew up, and then grew stronger.

"Roar!" A deafening beast roar came from the depths of the mountain forest.

Immediately after, a large white tiger with a golden-eyed, spotted forehead, two meters tall and five meters long, suddenly leaped out from behind a tree.

However, it was not pouncing at Jiang Chen and his companion, but rather seemed to be fleeing for its life.

There were several scratch marks on the white tiger's body, the most severe one on its lower abdomen, where its white internal organs could almost be seen.

However, neither of the two paid much attention to this tiger, instead looking behind it at the much larger and fiercer beast.

A large beast with a crimson body, leopard-like figure, a spiral horn on its forehead, five tails, and a height of a full zhang walked leisurely out of the forest.

Accompanying its movement, flying sand and moving stones swirled around, and a clanging sound like striking stones resonated.

Jiang Chen had already recognized what this monster-like creature was.

"The Divine Beast recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the Zheng!"

Xue Xichang frowned and said: "It seems this Nameless Mountain has already been occupied by this Zheng. This white tiger just became a spirit and accidentally entered the Zheng's territory."

The Zheng also seemed to sense that the two people in front of it were not to be trifled with, and after two clanging sounds, it stood in place.

This white tiger had just become a spirit, but its strength was already comparable to a cultivator at the third or fourth level of the Qi Induction Stage.

Tigers are the kings of the mountains and are naturally stronger than humans.

At this moment, when it discovered that this Zheng seemed to be wary of these two humans, it actually lay down recklessly behind Jiang Chen to lick its wounds.

Jiang Chen felt both annoyed and amused; you led the Zheng here, and now you are lying down so brazenly.

He also unceremoniously reached out and rubbed the large white tiger's forehead.

The white tiger was startled at first, but upon sensing the thick Qi behind Jiang Chen and realizing he did not seem to have any intention of harming it, it let him be.

"This little white tiger is quite friendly to people and has high intelligence," Xue Xichang said in surprise upon seeing this.

"Junior Brother, can you handle this Zheng?"

Xue Xichang looked at the Zheng, then at his own small frame, and patted his chest: "In my view, this Zheng is like someone offering their head for the taking!"

Hearing Xue Xichang's words, the Zheng narrowed its large eyes and suddenly spoke in human language: "Two Fellow Daoists, I am the Mountain God of this place. This beast intruded into my territory, and I intend to eat it. Do you intend to stop me?"

Xue Xichang carefully examined the Zheng, then said: "I observe that you are full of evil Karma; surely you have eaten many people, right?"

A human-like sneer appeared on the Zheng's beastly face, and it said disdainfully: "They are merely two-legged beasts, very nourishing; I ate them, so what?"

"What, are the two of you here to deal with me on behalf of those two-legged beasts?"

Xue Xichang sneered: "Humans are the spiritual leaders of all things, and their Karma and resentment are the greatest of all things. Since you are naturally inclined to eat humans, you are already entangled by the baleful Qi of Karma, your spirituality obscured. This is the path to self-destruction!"

The Zheng was stunned by Xue Xichang's words. After a long while, the clanging sound of striking stones rose again.

The Zheng sneered: "We eat humans just as humans eat beasts; this is the law of nature. What is wrong with it?"

Xue Xichang shouted loudly and drew his tang dynasty straight sword: "This poor Daoist is also a human; will you come and eat me now?"

The Zheng was also furious. Having ruled over this place for more than a decade, it had become arrogant and overbearing.

Facing Xue Xichang's provocation, it naturally could not tolerate it.

"Roar!"

The mountain forest trembled, and then two figures quickly intertwined.

The massive commotion constantly kicked up waves of Qi, overturning the surrounding trees.

Jiang Chen watched intently, but it was difficult to see the movements of the two.

Xue Xichang was a 7th-tier cultivator, at the Peak of the 4th-tier Life Wheel Realm. At this Realm, one already knows the mandate of heaven and understands one's own lifespan.

And this Zheng had practiced for a long time, relying on accumulation, and was only a step away from the Sea of Suffering Realm.

The two sides could be said to be evenly matched, like a needle against a wheat awn.

However, Xue Xichang was, after all, a true disciple of the Daoist sect, and even though the Zheng had gathered the beauty of the mountain range, it gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Especially with the tang dynasty straight sword in Xue Xichang's hand, which had slain countless ghosts and refined demons, let alone a single Zheng.

The two fought from the ground all the way to the sky, the commotion of the battle even reaching the foot of the mountain, causing the mountain villagers to feel fear.

Over time, rumors spread that there was a great demon on this Nameless Mountain.

"Seven Styles of Ghost Slashing, Severance!"

A silver light suddenly erupted from the tang dynasty straight sword, and the surging Saber Qi made the Zheng feel a desire to retreat.

But it was too late; the Saber Qi pierced through the Zheng's body in a flash.

The Zheng opened its eyes and fell from the sky, unwilling.

"Boom!"

The white tiger's originally relaxed expression of watching the show suddenly became tense.

You beat the Zheng, but don't beat me, the tiger!

It even vigorously nudged Jiang Chen's hand twice, sticking out a large tongue, looking ingratiating.

"Look at your worthless appearance," Jiang Chen rubbed its large head.

"Hu hu~" The white tiger whimpered and lowered its head, feeling a bit aggrieved.

Xue Xichang walked over; he was not without injuries himself, with a scratch on his chest caused by the Zheng.

"This tiger has such high intelligence; after the Zheng dies, it might really become the Mountain God of this Nameless Mountain in the future."

After saying this, Xue Xichang used his sword to cut off the Zheng's beast horn and handed it to Jiang Chen: "Junior Brother, this is a good thing. Senior Brother doesn't have anything good, so consider this a welcome gift for you."

Jiang Chen took it and put it in his bosom: "Thank you, Senior Brother."

Xue Xichang said: "Alright, let's continue on our way."

Jiang Chen got up and walked forward, but as he walked, he noticed that this tiger was reluctantly following behind him.

However, neither Jiang Chen nor his companion paid it any mind.

At dusk, the two camped out, and the tiger, unafraid of strangers, lay down next to the campfire.

Jiang Chen ignored it and went about circulating the Huangting Classic, breathing in a strange frequency.

The tiger watched from the side, and after watching for a long time, it actually started to mimic Jiang Chen's breathing frequency quite well.

Although it was only one or two tenths similar, even with that one or two tenths, the tiger discovered that its speed of absorbing the essence of the sun and moon had accelerated slightly.

Just like that, the two people and one tiger traveled through the mountains for two days and two nights, and were finally about to leave the mountains.

"Junior Brother, I think it seems quite reluctant to part with you. Why not take it back to the mountain gate, adopt it as your younger brother, also surname it Jiang, call it Jiang Bai, and appoint it as a Divine Beast guarding the mountain," Xue Xichang joked.

Jiang Chen gave a wry smile: "Senior Brother, stop teasing me. Its home is ultimately the mountain forest."

"Little white tiger, from now on, live well in this mountain forest as your Mountain God, but you must not eat humans. If I discover you doing evil, I will definitely personally destroy your cultivation!"

Over these two days, it wasn't that Jiang Chen hadn't noticed this tiger spirit secretly learning his breathing frequency, but the breathing method was only a less important part of the Huangting Classic, and just by observing its form, it couldn't learn much, so Jiang Chen didn't pay much attention to it.

Jiang Chen's words fell into the tiger's heart like thunder. The tiger roared lowly twice, looked at Jiang Chen with reluctance, and returned to the mountain forest, looking back every few steps.