430: An S-rank crimson monster! Lord Black Tiger!

Chapter 422: S-Class Deep Crimson Monster! Lord Morning Tiger!

“Boom—!”

In an instant, the earth cracked in response, bursting open with countless hideous fissures.

Yellow sand surged into the sky, dust filled the air, and violent gales roared outwards like a massive explosion.

Amidst this chaos, Red Mountain’s massive, three-meter-tall body, with an extreme speed completely unsuited to its size, used the recoil from the explosion to instantly appear over a thousand meters away!

Escape!

Only this thought remained in his mind.

Encountering Lu Xuan, this damned monster, what the hell is there to fight?!

Although he had fortunately gained power comparable to the Blazing Sun Realm through the deep crimson's blessing, this arrogant man before him was a true Blazing Sun Realm Perfection!

The opponent could probably crush him with just a light palm strike.

During his desperate escape, Red Mountain’s crimson eyes were filled with horror and disbelief.

He couldn't understand, nor could he accept—

He had clearly perfectly integrated his deep crimson aura into the surrounding environment, and most of his massive body was buried beneath the scorching sand.

Red Mountain was very confident that even a Blazing Sun Realm Perfection existence would find it extremely difficult to detect him.

So! How did Lu Xuan, this damned bastard, discover him?

The distant earth groaned under the unbearable weight, and the previously cracked fissures spread and expanded wildly at a visible speed, as if an ancient beast was awakening underground.

Red Mountain, who was desperately fleeing, clearly sensed the terrifying power behind him that made his Soul tremble.

What… what is this thing?!

As if in response to the horror in his heart, the next moment, the sky and earth suddenly darkened.

A pair of incomparably huge, illusory eyes, entirely condensed from starlight, appeared out of thin air in the firmament, as if transcending the river of time and space.

Within the eyes, star rivers shone brightly, nebulae formed and dissipated, carrying an absolute indifference, like the Heavenly Dao, beyond mortal comprehension, quietly “looking down” at the minuscule Red Mountain below.

Under the gaze of these eyes, not only Red Mountain, but even the vast earth beneath his feet seemed unable to bear the “weight” of this power, emitting an even more violent wail.

“Zhou Tian Star Eyes!”

Red Mountain looked at the incomparably sharp teeth that appeared in the sky before him, biting out these words with all his might.

His twisted, slender, bone-spiked legs stomped fiercely on the ground, creating such immense friction that the earth shattered into countless fragments, forming two deep gullies.

Under this unimaginable friction, Red Mountain halted his advance.

At the same time, all the soldiers of the army scattered in the nearby areas carrying out cleanup missions simultaneously noticed the anomaly in the sky.

The pressure emanating from those indifferent, star-filled giant eyes looking down on the earth, even from a great distance, made their hearts palpitate.

Gao Zheng, hovering in mid-air and commanding the overall situation, was the first to pinpoint the source of that star power.

His eyes suddenly narrowed, and a terrifying starlight instantly erupted around him, forming a visible wave of Qi.

He transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the direction where the Zhou Tian Star Eyes had appeared.

On the ground, Morning Tiger, who had initially carried a hint of arrogance, instantly shifted his expression to one of immense reverence and awe after looking up and seeing the familiar projection of the colossal star eyes.

His voice, amplified by the power of starlight, clearly echoed in the ears of every soldier around him.

“It’s the Deputy Regimental Commander! All personnel, listen to my command! Immediately gather at the designated coordinates according to the plan and rendezvous with other detachments!

“I’ll go over first!”

Morning Tiger let out an excited roar, showing no fear whatsoever; instead, he seemed greatly encouraged.

His Bright Moon Realm power erupted without reservation, the moon-white starlight reaching its utmost brilliance.

He charged towards the direction of the giant eyes like a cannonball, his speed more than a third faster than usual!

“It’s you, Red Mountain!”

Before long, Gao Zheng’s voice, filled with extreme anger, pressed down from high in the sky.

His figure slowly descended, precisely blocking Red Mountain’s last escape route, echoing the indifferent star eyes in the distant sky, forming a deadly trap of heaven and earth, with no escape.

Red Mountain’s twisted, massive body completely stiffened.

He looked around—in front were the cold eyes of the former Regimental Commander, filled with thunderous wrath, and behind was the Soul-freezing pressure of Deputy Regimental Commander Lu Xuan’s star-filled giant eyes.

Red Mountain’s terrifying mouth—without lips, only densely packed, sawtooth-like interlocking sharp teeth—struggled to move.

Finally, it twisted into a bizarre expression mixed with extreme despair, mockery, and endless helplessness.

Well… he had originally only been drawn by the scent of blood from the battlefield, thinking he might seize an opportunity to devour some remaining flesh and blood to nourish this fallen body that increasingly craved power.

But he never expected that this moment of luck and greed would completely end his life here.

Pick the soft persimmons to squeeze!

Red Mountain showed no intention of responding, pushing his deep crimson power to the limit. His massive body suddenly transformed into a bloody afterimage, charging fiercely towards the relatively familiar aura of Gao Zheng with a desperate resolve!

“Hmph, seeking death!”

A sharp blue light flashed in Gao Zheng’s aged eyes. He thrust his right palm forward, and blue light burst from his palm.

As if holding the power of a Star Domain in his hand, he then pressed it down fiercely.

“Star Palm!”

A colossal azure palm, several tens of feet in area, materialized out of thin air. Its palm lines were as clear as ravines, carrying the majestic power to crush mountains and rivers, descending upon Red Mountain’s charging figure with an unavoidable force!

Red Mountain’s eyes were blood-red, bursting with extreme unwillingness. Ten sharp claws tore through the air, carving out ten intersecting blood-colored streaks of light, attempting to rip apart this killing blow.

However, this dying struggle was like trying to hit a rock with an egg in the face of an absolute Realm gap.

The colossal Star Palm crushed and annihilated the ten blood-red streaks in an instant, with an unstoppable force.

Then, its momentum undiminished, it mercilessly slammed Red Mountain’s massive body into the ground!

“Boom—!”

The earth shook violently, and dust shot into the sky, forming a clear, huge, palm-shaped crater.

The area around the crater was stained an ominous red by the foul-smelling, crimson blood.

However, what came from the bottom of the pit was not a wail, but a chilling, low laugh.

“Hehehe… Regimental Commander Gao, not good enough.” Red Mountain’s voice, twisted with mockery, echoed eerily from the bottom of the pit, “It seems you’re really old, this strength… why does it feel like you’re just tickling me?”

Gao Zheng, far away, listened to this blatant taunt, his face still as calm as an ancient well.

He was long past the age where he would be provoked by words; his will was as firm as a rock.

However, deep down, Gao Zheng was indeed a little surprised by Red Mountain’s tenacious vitality.

As expected of power originating from the deep crimson, he mused to himself.

Every time he fought these Deep Red Fallen Ones, Gao Zheng had to confront a cruel truth.

These Deep Red Fallen Ones almost completely abandoned the arduous Cultivation, Comprehension Ability, and resource accumulation required for human Cultivators.

Simply by submitting to the deep crimson will, they could easily obtain powerful strength that ordinary people could hardly achieve.

Red Mountain before him was clear proof—he was once just a Cultivator at Bright Moon Realm Major Achievement, but after falling, he gained the capital to directly contend with Blazing Sun Realm human powerhouses in such a short time.

The dust slowly cleared, revealing Red Mountain’s gruesome state at the bottom of the deep pit.

Such injuries, if inflicted on any normal human or even ordinary creature, would be enough to kill them instantly.

His head was half-flattened, with shattered skull and grayish brain tissue directly exposed to the air.

His limbs were completely twisted and disintegrated, crushed into a blurry pulp of flesh by an irresistible force, mixed with sand and soil.

It truly could be said that his entire body, top to bottom, only his mouth remained tough!!!

However, even though Red Mountain had suffered such a devastating blow, countless slender, wriggling crimson flesh sprouts were now rapidly growing from that pile of shattered flesh, visible to the naked eye.

They were like living red threads, eagerly intertwining and coiling, attempting to re-stitch the broken body.

Clearly, given enough time, Red Mountain could, with the terrifying vitality bestowed by the deep crimson, climb out of this muddy mess and recover as before.

“Hmph, beast, you deserve to die!”

Gao Zheng's eyes were utterly cold, showing no trace of past affection.

The power of the Star River rapidly gathered in his aged palms, and brilliant starlight surged forth.

Gao Zheng knew very well that when facing Deep Red Fallen Ones, especially an existence like Red Mountain, who already possessed the strength of the Blazing Sun Realm, he had to finish the fight quickly, without giving him any chance to breathe.

Their bodies could, at any moment, become the perfect vessels for the S-Class Deep Crimson Monster lurking in the Void Realm to descend.

Once the will of that level of Crimson Monster was allowed to descend using this body, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Just as Gao Zheng was about to act and completely purify Red Mountain, Lu Xuan's voice rang out.

"Regimental Commander, leave this to me."

"You all should lead the team back to the Imperial Court to report. Please inform them for me that I have some personal matters to attend to and will return on my own later."

Upon hearing this, Gao Zheng's movements paused slightly, and the immense starlight gathered in his palm stagnated, then rapidly receded into his body like a tide.

He gave Lu Xuan a deep look, asked no further questions, and simply responded in a deep voice.

"Alright, I'll leave this to you."

Among the entire Ninth Guard Regiment, the one Gao Zheng trusted most was this seemingly aloof but never disappointing Genius of the Empire.

Since Lu Xuan had personally spoken, he believed there would be no further worries regarding this matter.

Gao Zheng's gaze then shifted to the burly figure not far away, and his tone became stern.

"Morning Tiger! What are you still doing here? Immediately return to your team and continue patrolling! We must return to the Imperial Court to report tomorrow!"

In the distance, Morning Tiger, who had just arrived and stabilized his steps, hadn't even had time to curse Red Mountain in the deep pit when he heard the Regimental Commander's reprimand.

He shrank his neck and quickly responded, "Yes! Regimental Commander Gao, I'm going now!"

But before turning around, Morning Tiger suddenly bent down, picked up a fist-sized hard stone from the ground, and with a surge of strength in his arm, hurled it into the deep pit with a heart full of resentment!

"Whoosh—thud!"

The stone accurately hit Red Mountain's already half-flattened head, instantly piercing a new bloody hole.

"Beast! This is the interest collected for Laibili and Sister Chen Xin!"

After roaring these words, Morning Tiger no longer lingered. He turned and burst into full speed, rushing towards the main force, as if afraid that a moment's delay would incur the Regimental Commander's punishment.

Red Mountain's eyes instantly turned blood-red. The intense pain of its head being pierced by the stone was far less potent than the humiliation it felt at that moment.

It stared fixedly in the direction Morning Tiger had left, letting out a beast-like growl from its throat: "Damn scoundrel... I will tear you to shreds!!!"

However, just as these harsh words fell, the fury on Red Mountain's face instantly froze, replaced by extreme terror, its distorted features filled with panic.

"No... no! Lord Black Tiger! Don't!" It suddenly shrieked wildly into the empty Void Realm, as if some invisible entity was watching it there, "I'm fine! Please... please don't come over!!!"

Red Mountain's sharp, distorted voice echoed continuously in the deep pit. Its massive body even began to tremble uncontrollably, as if enduring some mental torment far exceeding physical injury.

Because... once it became a vessel for an S-Class Deep Crimson Monster's descent, its own human will would be completely erased and devoured.

From then on, this body would become a mere puppet entirely controlled by the deep crimson will, no different from true death, and perhaps even more tragic.

This also fundamentally explained why, even though the deep crimson whispers could promise and grant a sudden surge of power overnight, the known human powerhouses in the Empire who truly chose to fall were still very few.

No sane powerhouse would willingly watch their consciousness be forcibly annihilated one day, transforming into a monster that only knew slaughter and destruction.

The price for this easily obtained deep crimson power was too cruel.

Red Mountain's sudden fear and pleading caused a nearly imperceptible upward curve at the corner of Lu Xuan's mouth.

The reason he had kept Red Mountain alive until now was not out of any meaningless kindness.

Immediately, Lu Xuan raised his eyes, and profound purple starlight shimmered in their depths. His gaze seemed to penetrate the barrier of reality, directly falling upon the Void Realm layer that ordinary people could not perceive.

Under the perception of the Star Domain Realm, everything previously hidden became visible—a ferocious black tiger head phantom was manifesting with extreme solidity.

Its eyes were blood-red, and its four curved fangs resembled giant scythes, exuding a terrifyingly violent aura.

The black tiger phantom was initially rushing rapidly towards Red Mountain, but suddenly paused mid-way.

Its massive head quickly turned in Lu Xuan's direction, and a hint of human-like surprise flashed in its blood-red pupils.

"Hmm? This human... seems to be able to see me?"

"Eh? No... why did he look away again?" Seeing Lu Xuan's gaze shift, the black tiger phantom became somewhat uncertain again, "Was it just a coincidence?"

However, time did not allow it to ponder further.

The black tiger phantom no longer hesitated, suddenly accelerated, and forcefully crashed into Red Mountain's defenseless body!

Immediately after, the crushed remains in the deep pit underwent a terrifying transformation.

Countless crimson tendrils sprouted and intertwined with unprecedented vitality, regenerating at a speed more than ten times faster than before!

In just a few breaths, a complete body, wreathed in ominous black mist, had been reshaped.

The black mist around it writhed like a living entity, emitting a suffocating sense of oppression.

Even more terrifying, its aura began to climb at an alarming rate!

Blazing Sun Realm Minor Achievement → Blazing Sun Realm Major Achievement → Blazing Sun Realm Perfection!

The surging momentum showed no signs of stopping, as if it was about to break through a certain limit and soar towards higher, more terrifying levels!

"Hehehehe..."

A strange laugh, completely different from Red Mountain's and mixed with a beast's growl, emanated from the newly formed mouth.

"Human... I'm hungry... I'm... back again..."

It took a greedy deep breath, as if savoring the sweet air of this world.

"I... will eat you!"

Just then, the greedy voice abruptly stopped.

The entire sky, at this moment, was enveloped by an endless purple glow, as if a purple sun had descended upon the world.

And at the center of that light, a pair of immense, indifferent eyes slowly opened, quietly looking down upon everything tiny below!

Zhou Tian Star Eyes, fully activated!

Seeing that the opponent's power had reached its peak and there were no new changes, Lu Xuan no longer held back.

The vast power belonging to the Star Domain Realm was fully unleashed by him without reservation.

"This... this power... is the Star Domain...!"

The voice emanating from Red Mountain's body, for the first time, carried an indescribable shock and disbelief.

However, its astonishment was forever frozen at this moment.

Under the radiance of the purple starlight that filled the heavens and earth, Red Mountain's massive body, just reshaped and emitting ominous black mist, began to disintegrate inch by inch from its edges.

It rapidly turned into countless flying ashes, eventually completely scattered by a passing breeze, leaving no trace in this world.

Host: Red Dust Immortal Lu Xuan (Sixth Incarnation)

Realm: Star Domain Realm (Initial Entry)

Cultivation Technique: Zhou Tian Star Eyes (7/9) Can be Evolved

Points: 100001

Please confirm whether to consume 50000 System Points to evolve Zhou Tian Star Eyes!

The System information appearing in his vision clearly indicated the harvest from this encounter.

A vessel possessed by an S-Class Deep Crimson Monster's will, with strength approaching the Star Domain Realm, had provided him with a full one hundred thousand System Points!

Lu Xuan gently licked his lips. In his deep eyes, for the first time, a flame of "intense interest" was ignited for this world.

"Just one possessed vessel yields such a harvest... how much could I gain if I personally slaughtered a true S-Class Deep Crimson Monster's main body?"

He looked towards this deep crimson-shrouded wasteland, his gaze seemingly penetrating layers of the Void Realm, seeing countless "Treasure Troves" awaiting harvest.

"This world, it really is... worth cherishing."