Chapter Eighty-Seven: Tianshan and the Splendid Leopard in Conflict

A flash of surprise flickered in Tang Wan’s beautiful eyes as she exchanged a glance with Jiang Yan. Without hesitation, the two of them dashed toward the direction of the beast’s roar. The sound was so anguished that it could only mean cultivators were besieging a demon beast. This was the first time they had encountered other cultivators since entering the demon-hunting grounds.

With a swish, Jiang Yan and Tang Wan simultaneously performed the Golden Light Technique, racing toward the source of the beast’s cry. From afar, the two streaks of golden light sped through the dense forest, though perhaps because both practiced wood-element techniques, their golden light was tinged with a faint green.

Another guttural, miserable roar echoed ahead, even more desperate and piercing than before.

Harnessing the Golden Light Technique, they covered several miles in a flash, quickly reaching the location of the beast’s cries. To avoid unnecessary conflict, they dispelled their golden light at a considerable distance and crept forward silently.

Yet again, a heart-wrenching roar came from the heart of the battlefield; from the sound, it was clear the beast was wounded.

Circling the edge of the skirmish, Jiang Yan used the jade talisman map in his hand to locate a low mound thickly veiled in vines and branches. He and his junior sister pressed themselves flat atop it, parting the foliage to peer into the heart of the battlefield.

There, at the very center, a mottled leopard nearly two meters tall twisted restlessly, its massive head swinging back and forth. It leaped and dodged incoming blades from every direction, but one of its powerful forelegs had been severed, and with each bound, blood pooled on the ground.

Six cultivators, all clad in tight-fitting white garments and their faces hidden by black scarves, encircled the wounded beast, driving their spiritual weapons against it.

“Tianshan Sect,” Jiang Yan murmured in surprise. Tianshan was led by Lu Tiannan—at least two among them were peak Qi Refining masters—yet they still struggled with a first-rank, lower-grade demon beast, one whose strength barely equaled a cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

“Master, the beast core from this leopard should be worth at least ten ordinary beast cores, don’t you think?” one of the white-robed attackers suddenly called out to a comrade beside him, whose face was likewise masked.

“Naturally,” came the reply. From his tone, Jiang Yan guessed this must be Lu Tiannan himself.

“This beast king’s strength can rival a peak Qi Refining cultivator. If it fights desperately, an ordinary master at that level would be no match. Now that we’ve severed one of its forelegs, its power is less than half what it was. Everyone, put forth your best effort—trap it within our Cold Ice Formation. Once we finish it, half our mission will be complete!” Lu Tiannan’s voice rang out, rallying the morale of his disciples.

Spurred by their master’s encouragement, the Tianshan disciples wielded their spiritual weapons with renewed vigor, and in moments the leopard’s pelt bore several more fresh, bloody gashes.

The leopard let out a furious, guttural roar, the sound thick with rage at the cultivators besieging it.

As the roar faded, a faint greenish light began to shimmer around the beast’s battered body. Dozens of bloodied wounds and a severed foreleg drove the leopard to fury—it would now unleash its innate skill: instant movement.

With a sudden surge, the leopard’s leaps became even faster. Dodging several spiritual weapons aimed at it, the great beast landed lightly on its three remaining paws before springing, agile as ever, straight at a Tianshan disciple.

“Condense the chill!” bellowed Lu Tiannan, activating the Cold Ice Formation. The other five Tianshan disciples responded instantly, their spiritual weapons erupting with freezing streams, further deepening the chill within the formation.

“Rotate as instructed!” Lu Tiannan commanded, his voice loud and clear.

Although unaware of the leopard’s teleportation gift, Lu Tiannan was quick to sense its sudden burst of speed, realizing the beast was about to launch a desperate assault. He wasted not a moment, immediately coordinating their formation’s supplementary skills.

A hum resonated as the disciples’ swords erupted with brilliant violet light, the blades radiating biting cold. Interlaced, the frosty gleam pursued the swift-moving leopard relentlessly.

Despite the intensified chill and a thin frost now coating the ground, the leopard—empowered by its innate skill—remained nearly as fast as before. With several nimble leaps, it evaded the encircling spiritual weapons, its gaze now fixed on Lu Tiannan, the orchestrator of the assault.

In a blur, the leopard’s speed increased yet again. Avoiding a stabbing sword of icy light, it pressed its three paws to the earth and became a streak of yellow shadow, darting straight at Lu Tiannan. Each time Lu Tiannan shouted an order, the beast felt the cold intensify, so it charged at him without hesitation.

“Rotate as instructed!” Lu Tiannan shouted again as the leopard lunged for him, secretly grinning to himself. He was not afraid of the leopard coming; it was only troublesome if it didn’t. Among the six, his cultivation was the highest, and he could draw on the formation’s power through his sect’s techniques. Seeing the beast’s direct charge, a hint of triumph curled his lips.

At his command, the disciples’ spiritual weapons converged, streaking toward the leopard.

Swords whistled through the air, their keen edge splitting the silence with chilling sounds. Before Lu Tiannan, the Cold Ice Sword created a luminous screen, shielding him. Through this gleaming barrier, he watched the leopard bear down on him, his smile growing broader. “Come, come, rush faster…”

“Master, what should we do?” Tang Wan asked after watching for a while. The leopard was about to fall to Lu Tiannan’s sword. If they revealed themselves now, the Tianshan disciples would no doubt turn on them the moment the beast was slain.

“Wait. Wait until we reap the fisherman’s profit,” Jiang Yan replied without turning his gaze from the deadly circle.

Before his eyes, a translucent information interface hovered, the leopard’s status labeled “Beast King,” its rank noted as first-grade, high tier. In the innate skill section, it read: Innate skill at fifty percent activation.

“To think only half its innate skill yields such speed—how spectacular it would be to witness the leopard unleash its full potential,” Jiang Yan mused, his face illuminated with focused anticipation. In this struggle between Tianshan and the Beast King, he would be the fisherman who seizes the spoils…

“Fisherman’s profit?” Tang Wan glanced at him in surprise. What was her senior brother thinking? The leopard was on the verge of death, and the Tianshan disciples were still unscathed—how could they possibly seize the advantage?

A sharp crack—the sound of bone snapping—suddenly reached Tang Wan’s ears.

P.S. Some readers have asked whether this story features a single female lead, no female lead, or multiple female leads. I have no intention of answering. Why, you ask? Neither Lihua Yuliang, Yipiao Qingcheng, nor Dudiaohanjiangxue have questioned it, nor have the many silent supporters who continue to cast their votes for this book. So, I shall not answer such questions…