52: Demon Tiger

"Lord Agula, the Yue army is not far ahead."

Agula rode a colorful tiger, his body wrapped in brown bear fur, and his exposed shoulder was covered in eerie and complex tattoos.

He wore a black face mask that revealed a pair of brown eyes, and a broad-backed saber was strapped to his back.

"The Farsighted Eagle has already seen the Yue army's formation and sensed the martial arts Aura within; they must not be underestimated."

"How is Danchier's progress with driving the wild beasts?"

"Lord Danchier is using the Beast-Attracting Incense along with the Lord Priest's methods. He has already driven the beasts down the mountain; they will arrive before us. However..."

"However what? Speak!"

Agula's tone turned cold; he disliked those who spoke in riddles most of all.

"Among the driven beasts, one seems to have transformed into a Yao."

"That's perfect. Hmph, that Yao Beast will be enough to give them a hard time. We will strike when they are nearly finished with the fight."

Only by crushing the prestige of these Yue People will they learn that we Barbarians are not to be trifled with."

"Prepare to move."

"Roar~ Roar~ Roar~"

Behind the ridge crouched no fewer than three thousand Barbarian Soldiers, and among them were dozens of Innate experts and seven or eight Barbarians with the strength of a Grandmaster.

As for Agula, the Aura he inadvertently leaked had unexpectedly reached the level of a Peak Grandmaster.

___

Noon, after lunch.

After eating some of the dry rations he had brought, Lu Xuan rested in his tent. For him, even going without food for three days would have no impact.

Roar~

Lu Xuan, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open.

"An attack!"

However, he did not move, as the counterattack had already begun outside.

Although they were only Pingze County's County Soldiers and a temporarily organized camp of Martial Artists, they moved with discipline, attacking and defending appropriately.

"Quick, quick, quick! Shieldmen, get to the front for me! These beasts have no intelligence; they only know how to charge blindly."

"Archers, fire at an upward angle! Three volleys in unison!"

As soon as Lu Xuan stepped out of his tent, he saw the beasts being held back by the County Soldiers. While an individual might feel fear facing a beast alone, with a military formation of armored soldiers armed with sharp weapons in front of them, the death of these beasts was only a matter of time.

"Grandmaster Lu, Grandmaster Li has ordered a meeting in the main tent; do not be late."

"I'll be there immediately."

Central Command Tent.

Wang Yuanhua sat in the primary seat, with two Vice Generals and a Military Inspector seated below him.

Lu Xuan nodded to Wang Yuanhua and then found his seat.

Within moments, the main tent was filled with people.

"Everyone, these wild beasts have come under strange circumstances. I suspect there are Barbarians controlling them from behind."

Wang Yuanhua didn't waste words and directly stated his suspicion.

"I have often heard that Barbarians have the ability to control and drive beasts. I thought it was just hearsay, but I didn't expect to see it today."

The Military Inspector was a middle-aged man in green robes dressed as a scholar; he not only represented the County Magistrate but could even be considered the Incarnation of the Prince of Zhennan's management of the army.

Although he usually did not interfere with military deployments, his opinions were extremely important.

When the suppression was over, the county's battle report and the Military Inspector's report would be submitted separately to the Prince of Zhennan. Moreover, this was only what was visible on the surface; there was no telling if there were other reports in the shadows.

"Inspector Yu, the Barbarians are coming with fierce momentum. I fear I may not be able to look after you. Would you consider retreating to the rear for safety?"

"Haha, Lord Wang, you must be joking. If an army of several thousand cannot protect me, then where could I possibly hide? I will stay right here."

Wang Yuanhua had only mentioned it in passing; after all, before they set out, County Magistrate Lu Ying had repeatedly urged him to protect this Military Inspector, Yu Zheng.

"Behind the wild beasts, there will surely be a Barbarian army. Everyone must stand firm at their posts."

"Those who desert in the face of the enemy will be executed."

"Those who disobey orders will be executed."

"As for the Martial Artist camp, I will have to trouble Grandmaster Li to lead the men in intercepting the experts among the Barbarians."

"I hope everyone will work together with one heart to face the enemy!"

"We obey the military command!"

Swish~

The curtain of the main tent was pulled open by a messenger.

"My Lord, there is a White-browed Tiger among the beasts. It is over two zhang long and half a zhang tall, spitting black smoke. A woman's face grows on its tail, occasionally letting out a crying sound. It is extremely eerie and is currently crashing through the front army formation."

"Three Innate Martial Artists have already been injured. Please decide on a course of action, My Lord."

*Hiss~*

Such a massive tiger.

Lu Xuan was also startled. One zhang was roughly three meters, so this tiger was over six meters long and one and a half meters tall—it was as large as a small car from his previous life.

And it spat black smoke and had a woman's face on its tail.

Had this tiger cultivated into a Mountain Lord?

Wang Yuanhua, in the primary seat, frowned slightly. If this beast was allowed to continue its rampage, the army's morale would be severely affected, making the subsequent battle even more difficult.

After all, there were still Barbarians watching like hawks from the forest.

But if he retreated now, as the commanding officer of this army, he would likely face severe consequences.

Even though he was a Grandmaster, they might still use him as an example to warn others; he wasn't a Great Grandmaster, after all.

"Everyone, follow me out to take a look."

The group quickly arrived at the front lines.

Aside from that tiger, most of the other wild beasts had been killed or scattered by the military formation, fleeing in all directions.

Only that tiger seemed to know no fear, frantically attacking the County Soldiers.

————

"Young Master, should we take action?"

In the shadows, the three from the Mu Family observed everything. They did not approach and were even staying on the outer edge of the forest.

"This beast has only just gained basic intelligence and grasped a few minor techniques. Its strength is only around the second or third level of Qi Refining. It can be killed by a coordinated attack from three to five Grandmasters; there's no need to intervene."

"Besides, the Lü Family is also watching from the sidelines, with no intention of taking action."

"We will just wait and see."

"As long as the Cultivators on the other side do not act, we will stay out of it."

————

Watching the tiger's rampage.

"Grandmaster Li, I'll have to trouble you!"

Wang Yuanhua looked toward Li Yan.

Grandmaster Li said nothing and charged forward with his saber.

Before the man even arrived, his Saber Gang slashed out first.

*Clang~*

The sound of metal clashing rang out.

"What a beast, its defense is actually this high."

His True Qi surged into the long saber in his hand, and the dark red patterns on the blade suddenly lit up, emitting a sensation of scorching heat.

"Three Blades of the Blazing Sun!"

Li Yan used his famous signature technique.

The saber was like the blazing sun in the sky, incinerating everything.

A fire Dragon of True Qi surged from the tip of the blade.

With one slash, the air seemed to fill with the smell of burning.

With a loud boom.

The tiger did not just sit and wait for death.

Black mist erupted from its mouth, quickly enveloping its entire body.

The black Qi collided with the Blazing Sun Saber Qi.

A blast of air rippled out from the center of the collision, making everyone's clothes flutter wildly.

Some nearby soldiers were even knocked to the ground, and the snow on the ground where the tiger stood was instantly melted in a circle.

"This is the power of a Grandmaster."

"So strong."

"That beast should be dead now, right?"

"Probably."

Lu Xuan shook his head as he listened to the surrounding voices.

The tiger wasn't dead, but it was injured.

Just as everyone was waiting for the dust to settle.

Suddenly, the black mist surrounding the tiger exploded, instantly filling the surroundings.

"Not good, the beast is trying to escape!"

Just as Grandmaster Li was about to give chase.

Swish, swish, swish~

A rain of arrows that blotted out the sky came flying toward them.

"Barbarian invasion! Form ranks!"

Seeing the black mist spread, the Barbarians immediately seized the opportunity and began their attack.

Lu Xuan did not chase the fleeing tiger; having comprehended Wind Intent, he was definitely an expert when it came to tracking.