Li Dixian and his group of seven proceeded cautiously through the dim jungle.
"Be careful…"
"This area isn't right…"
The trees in this region were exceptionally thick.
The dense leaves were as large as heads, displaying a deep green that was almost black.
The mud beneath their feet was sticky, and each step felt like treading in mire mixed with decaying flesh.
The air was thick with a heavy, fishy smell, and the ubiquitous skeletal remains all confirmed an ominous premonition.
Everything was silent.
Even the chirping of insects had vanished.
An invisible pressure enveloped the area, making every breath a heart-stopping experience.
All signs pointed to one thing:
They had entered the territory of some terrifying Soul Beast.
"O-o-idol…"
Yu Feng's voice trembled with fear.
"L-look… what's that?!"
Li Dixian and the others quickly followed his gaze.
What greeted their eyes was a dark, Xuan-black stone wall covered in vines.
On the seemingly indestructible stone wall, several claw marks, several meters long, were clearly visible.
The claw marks were deeply etched into the stone surface, and an indescribable aura of ferocity assailed them, causing Li Dixian and the others to tremble in shock.
"Let's go take a look."
Li Dixian said in a low voice.
Everyone held their breath, cautiously approaching.
The closer they got to the stone wall, the more intense the ferocious aura from the claw marks became, and the invisible pressure made their legs tremble, almost unable to stand steadily.
Li Dixian walked to the bottom of the claw marks and looked up, staring intently.
He slowly raised his hand.
His fingertip traced the groove of a claw mark.
Screech—
A sharp sting came from his fingertip.
Crimson blood seeped out, instantly staining the claw mark.
But the inner wall of the claw mark was smooth as a mirror, without a single stone shard… Li Dixian's pupils slowly contracted, and for the first time, a look of horror appeared in his eyes.
"Sword Qi?!"
"Why would Sword Qi be contained within the claw marks of a Bloodtooth Demonic Tiger?!"
"No, there's something strange about this Bloodtooth Demonic Tiger!"
Roar—!!!!!
No sooner had he spoken.
A terrifying roar, like thunder, suddenly exploded from the northern part of the jungle.
The roaring sound waves overturned mountains and seas, shaking the towering trees violently, and even the ground trembled.
Li Dixian and the others only felt a continuous ringing in their ears and their blood surging.
"It's the direction of the Wind Sword Sect!"
"They've encountered the Bloodtooth Demonic Tiger!"
Li Dixian's expression changed slightly.
"Quick, let's go take a look!"
Immediately, the seven figures moved like lightning, rushing towards the direction from which the tiger's roar came.
Within the absolute territory of this Bloodtooth Demonic Tiger, there was no threat from other Soul Beasts.
They no longer had any reservations, accelerating to their maximum speed.
A few minutes later.
Before reaching their destination.
Li Dixian's galloping footsteps abruptly halted.
"Wait a moment!"
He shouted sternly, stopping the six others.
Just then, a crimson mist, like a blood-colored tide, rolled in from the depths of the jungle several tens of meters ahead.
Bushes taller than a person were pressed down to both sides by an invisible force, and an intensely nauseating stench assailed them, as a terrifying oppressive feeling gradually descended.
Li Dixian and the seven felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave, chills running through their bodies.
Within that crimson blood mist, it seemed as if some extremely terrifying existence was about to break through the mist!
"Sister Dugu! Quick! Concealment Powder!"
Li Dixian urgently shouted to Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan reacted extremely quickly, swiftly taking out seven medicine bottles from her storage tool, flicking her fingers, and the medicine bottles accurately flew to each person.
Seeing Li Dixian's unprecedentedly solemn expression.
No one dared to hesitate for a moment, immediately swallowing the medicinal powder, then crouching down, lying prone in the dense bushes.
A few breaths later.
The surging crimson blood mist had already spread to them.
From deep within the mist, a six-meter-long, fierce tiger with piercing eyes stepped out.
Its pupils were like two blood-red lanterns, and its rough, red-and-black fur was disheveled, covering its broad, dragon-like back.
It walked with heavy and majestic steps, passing over the bushes where Li Dixian and the others were hiding.
Wherever it passed.
Sticky drops of blood continuously fell.
Leaving a shocking trail of blood on the ground.
The so-called 'bloody storm' (bloody storm) was precisely this meaning.
After approximately a few more minutes.
Until that terrifying aura had completely moved away.
Li Dixian and the seven cautiously emerged from the bushes, still feeling lingering fear.
Yu Feng's face was pale, and he said tremblingly:
"Such… such a terrifying Bloodtooth Demonic Tiger! It's all thanks to the Concealment Powder refined by Poison Douluo!"
Li Dixian looked in the direction where the crimson mist had receded, his eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty.
"Ten thousand years…"
"This Bloodtooth Demonic Tiger has a ten-thousand-year cultivation…"
Dugu Yan's pretty face was pale, and she nodded with lingering fear:
"Walking with a bloody storm is precisely the characteristic feature of a ten-thousand-year Bloodtooth Demonic Tiger."
Li Dixian then thought of the claw marks on the stone wall.
"Why…"
"Why would Sword Qi be contained within the claw marks of this Bloodtooth Demonic Tiger?"
"Can Soul Beasts also cultivate the Way of the Sword?!"
Ao Si Luo looked fearfully in the direction where the Bloodtooth Demonic Tiger had disappeared, and said hoarsely:
"Jian Jiu… should we still pursue it?"
Everyone's gaze focused on Li Dixian.
Li Dixian shook his head.
"With just us, we are definitely no match for a ten-thousand-year Bloodtooth Demonic Tiger."
"Let's first go see how the people from the Wind Sword Sect are doing."
...All the way along the dripping bloodstains on the ground.
Li Dixian and the others arrived at the area where the tiger's roar had previously come from.
The scene before them was a mess.
Vegetation within a thousand-meter radius was razed to the ground, leaving behind only a desolate landscape.
The ground was crisscrossed with ravines, soaked in large patches of dark red bloodstains, scattered with broken crimson fur, shattered broken swords, and a few scattered pieces of dismembered limbs that were unbearable to look at.
Feng Buyu was supporting the old man in green robes, followed by the disciples of the Wind Sword Sect.
They were all in a sorry state, their faces filled with apprehension.
When Feng Buyu saw Li Dixian, a smile was forced onto his blood-stained face.
"Brother Zhe Xian… we meet again."
Li Dixian said little, taking out a white jade medicine bottle from his waist pouch and tossing it to Feng Buyu.
"For healing."
Feng Buyu clasped his fists in gratitude:
"Thank you!"
He poured out two pills and took them, his spirits immediately lifted.
He then quickly poured out a few more, distributing them to the old man in green robes beside him and his more seriously injured fellow disciples.
"Brother Buyu, how strong is that beast?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Buyu's expression changed drastically.
When he saw the bloodstains on the robes of Li Dixian and the others, he smiled bitterly and shook his head, sighing:
"Extremely strong… extremely strong!"
"Although it has only just advanced to ten thousand years, the battle prowess of that Bloodtooth Demonic Tiger… is truly terrifying!"
"This Martial Uncle of mine, who has reached level seventy, set up a sword formation… yet he was still no match!"
After taking the healing medicine, the old man in green robes' breathing became a little smoother.
He cupped his hands towards Li Dixian and said:
"This old man is Feng Xiao, an Elder of the Wind Sword Sect. Thank you, Young Hero Li Dixian, for the medicine."
He looked at Li Dixian and the others, his tone carrying the advice of an elder.
"Young Hero Li Dixian, you have come to the Star Dou Forest, presumably to hunt Soul Rings."
"The Bloodtooth Demonic Tiger exceeds the cultivation limit you can absorb, and its ferocity is absolutely terrifying, so don't even think about it."
"Listen to this old man, it would be best to leave quickly."
Dear readers, I had too much work this morning, and only managed to write one chapter in my spare time… I'm home now, and the remaining two chapters will be posted together before 7:30! (PS: The protagonist's Soul Ring is not the Bloodtooth Demonic Tiger…)