56: Chapter 56 I Offer the Tiger’s Head to the High Monk!
56: Chapter 56 I Offer the Tiger’s Head to the High Monk!
“The Mountain Lord has emerged!!”
In the open space in front of the ancestral hall.
It was only after the tiger demon had left that all the villagers seemed to awaken from a great dream.
They screamed in terror, running in all directions.
Situ Qing and the others, seeing this, immediately looked grim and shouted, “Stay here, don’t run!”
With the old monk intervening, plus their presence, this place was still relatively safe.
But if they ran into the battlefield in a panic, they might very easily get caught in the crossfire and lose their lives!
Unfortunately, nobody heeded their words.
Seeing this scene, Situ Qing’s expression grew even uglier.
“Brother Situ, let’s not bother with these villagers who are aiding and abetting the enemy.
Hurry to the battlefield and see if we can earn some merit,” said one.
Assisting the monk in slaying a grandmaster-level Great Demon is itself a great achievement!”
Among the five, other than Situ Qing, Wu Meng, who was using the alias Zhu San, and Xin Yi, alias Ma Si, urged him on anxiously.
The remaining two women, one named Liu Yi and the other Zou Xi, although silent, also looked at Situ Qing with significant glances.
This caused Situ Qing to frown slightly.
Just then, a figure suddenly darted past them.
Then, like an apparition, it charged towards the nearby battlefield.
“This kid actually didn’t leave?!” Wu Meng exclaimed in shock.
Situ Qing glanced at the villagers who were nearly gone, then steeled himself and said, “Let’s go!”
With those words, the five of them quickly headed towards the battlefield.
Left behind was the dumbfounded village chief, who looked somewhat dazedly at his own chest.
Someone had seemed to pat him just now…
“Old monk, your strength is getting weaker!”
Atop the battlefield that resembled ruins, the elephantine tiger demon Mountain Lord roared like thunder at this moment.
Opposite it, Master Chongming, although his golden light had dimmed slightly, still maintained a calm demeanor, unwavering.
He stepped forward and his palms rained down like a storm, rapidly striking the tiger demon.
“It’s of no consequence, it’s enough to deal with you, you evil beast!”
If the force was weaker, then increase the frequency of attacks!
At any rate, one must not give the tiger demon any chance to catch its breath!
The consumption of merit was far greater than he had anticipated!
Maintaining clarity of nature required merit,
Maintaining current combat power required merit.
The amount of merit consumed every moment was incredibly vast!
So, he could not delay any longer; he had to slay the tiger demon as quickly as possible!
Otherwise, once his store of merit was exhausted, he would no longer be able to maintain his clear nature or his current fighting capability.
Then there would be endless troubles!
Qin’s Martial Arts talent was good, but he had not been cultivating for long.
He was still not yet capable of dealing with this tiger demon!
These thoughts flashed quickly through his mind.
A trace of seriousness not easily detected flickered through Master Chongming’s eyes.
Meanwhile, with each move he made, he became even more ferocious.
Under these circumstances, the tiger demon was repeatedly forced to retreat, its aura becoming increasingly disordered as a result.
A glint of realization flashed through the tiger demon’s eyes.
It then let out a raging roar and, without engaging the monk directly any longer, turned and ran toward the deeper parts of the mountains.
This old monk, though fierce in attack, indeed had his limits!
As long as time was dragged on, the old monk would collapse without being attacked!
The tiger demon felt its mind working at breakneck speed, almost reaching the peak of its life!
Within the mountains, continuous and incessant crashing sounds emerged.
The elephant-sized tiger demon, upon entering the forest, charged like a bulldozer, swiftly creating a path through the mountain.
Behind it, Master Chongming’s expression was grave, and the golden light radiating from his body dimmed yet another notch.
The old monk intoned the name of Buddha in a low murmur.
He knew that the tiger demon had become aware of his weaknesses.
Since it had come to this…
A resolute light flashed in Master Chongming’s eyes.
From within the void, it was as if the sound of thunder had erupted.
The once-dim golden glow on the monk’s body suddenly shone with renewed brilliance at this moment.
At the same time, the light, like flames, burst fiercely into combustion, enveloping the old monk.
In this moment, he truly resembled the Buddha reincarnated from legends!
Straight after, he turned his gaze toward the fleeing tiger demon, and with one stride, he shot forward like a swift arrow.
From above in the sky, one could see a streak of golden light, moving at incredible speed, like a meteor, violently crashing into the foremost tiger demon.
A sound of flesh exploding echoed forth.
This was followed by the sound of trees being flattened in the forest.
Under the influence of that nearly exhaustive strike, the body of the tiger demon was flung away, smashing a swath of trees.
The giant eyes of the tiger demon dilated, and it gasped for breath, as if trying to suck in the vital energy from the air.
Meanwhile, the golden light upon the old monk faded rapidly.
He looked at the tiger demon not far away with a trace of regret on his face.
Despite his all-out effort, the tiger demon was critically injured but still clinging to life.
And he had exhausted his strength!
No longer could he launch another fierce attack like the one he had just performed.
Plus, he could feel that, without the protection of his merit, his true nature seemed to sink into a swamp, gradually sinking into decadence.
It seemed that it wouldn’t take much time before he lost his sanity, completely turning into a resentful spirit of the tiger demon.
However, the critically injured tiger demon probably had no more combat strength left.
Qin were to arrive, he should be able to slay it.
With this thought, Master Chongming’s heart relaxed somewhat.
Suddenly, at that moment, a low roar emanated from within the tiger demon on the ground.
Then, its dispersed pupils converged once more, and a cold light reemerged in its tiger eyes.
It turned its head toward the old monk, cunning flickering in its eyes.
“I was thinking of deceiving you further, but it seems you’re truly done for!”
The tiger demon slowly spoke, its tone chilling.
At the same time, its giant form also stood up once again.
The massive body of the tiger, only its tail had been broken a segment, the other places bore no serious injuries.
“Once your last shred of self-awareness disappears, I will compel you to go and kill those villagers you’ve protected!”
Simultaneously, the tiger demon spoke coldly, a cruel and fierce smile emerging on its tiger face.
Seeing this, the old monk’s face exhibited panic for the first time.
He had miscalculated both his own strength and the cunning and might of the tiger demon.
He was powerless to fight any longer, and would even completely turn into a resentful spirit of the tiger demon.
The villagers of Riverside Village, Mr.
Qin, and those young heroes,
likely to fall victim to the tiger demon’s slaughter, becoming the innocent souls of injustice!
Upon this realization, the old monk felt a piercing pain in his heart, and two lines of tears slowly fell from the corners of his eyes.
“This monk is laden with immense sin!”
He truly was unable to fight any longer.
And the tiger demon, step by step, drew closer to him, looking down at the old monk with contempt.
It then opened its massive jaws, ready to swallow the old monk whole.
Suddenly, a figure shot out from the forest like a swift arrow.
And then with an irresistible aura of strength, before the tiger demon could react, the figure pressed a palm on the tiger’s head.
Under the surge of that great force, the tiger demon’s body was immediately pressed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Instantly, a blade as bright as the moon shone abruptly.
“Master Chongming, may your journey be a good one!”
The giant tiger head separated from its body, rolling before the old monk, its eyes still filled with cruel triumph.