While Long Aotian and Liu Rihai flirted, the expedition advanced deeper and deeper into the forest. The trail of blood left behind grew longer, yet strangely, few beasts were still in sight.

Seeing this, Liu Rihai furrowed her brows.

Aotian noticed her frown and grew concerned.

“Are you feeling uneasy because of the blood and the deaths of the beasts?” Aotian asked, his voice gentle and full of concern.

Rihai looked at him, surprised, but soon realized the misunderstanding and smiled softly.

“That’s not it…” She shook her head. “I just find it strange. Why are all the beasts gathered in the center of the forest?”

“Huh? Isn’t that normal? I heard that spiritual energy is more abundant there, so they prefer to stay in the middle.” Aotian asked, confused, repeating what old Huang Bo had told him on the day he arrived in this world.

“It’s true that the spiritual energy in the center of the forest is denser, but the difference isn’t big enough to completely empty the outskirts. On the contrary, stronger beasts usually drive the weaker ones out of the center—otherwise, the energy wouldn’t be enough to nourish them all… unless…” Rihai paused, her gaze lighting up as she considered something.

“Unless there is a spiritual vein at the heart of the forest!” she concluded.

Aotian was shocked. If there was a spiritual vein there, he wouldn’t have to worry when he reached the Essence Refinement stage.

But his expression quickly turned grim.

Rihai seemed to share the same concern. The two exchanged glances before silently vanishing into the forest.

‘If there’s a spiritual vein here, the number of first-rank fierce beasts couldn’t be this low… much less just a single Red Tiger. This expedition might be doomed to fail.’ The thought crossed both their minds.

Hidden among the shadows of the trees, Rihai pulled out two talismans and pressed one against her own chest and the other against Aotian’s.

He looked at her, puzzled.

“Aura Concealment Talisman. Every living being emits a faint spiritual presence. This will prevent us from being detected while we remain hidden.” She explained in a low voice.

They continued observing. The number of beasts in sight increased, and with it, so did the battles. Casualties in the army began to mount.

By the time the expedition finally neared the center of the forest, night had already fallen.

General Zhu ordered the camp to be set up, planning to continue at dawn.

Then, without any warning, a ferocious Red Tiger emerged from the shadows, its presence eclipsing the glow of the torches.

Unlike cultivators, who usually restrain their spiritual pressure, fierce beasts had no such habit. An overwhelming aura spread across the battlefield, crushing everything in its path.

Aotian felt a shiver run down his spine. The pressure was even greater than that of his sect leader’s avatar when unleashing its full power.

Rihai was also stunned. The two exchanged a glance and knew exactly what to do.

Without hesitation, Aotian grabbed Rihai in his arms and bolted back down the path they came from, moving as silently and quickly as he could.

“What do you think you’re doing, you idiot?!” Rihai hissed, clinging to his neck.

“Rihai, now’s not the time for shyness! That’s a mid-level… maybe even high-level second-rank fierce beast! We have to run!” Aotian responded, sweating bullets.

“That’s not what I meant, you moron!” She shot back, annoyed.

Before Aotian could react, he felt the world spin. In the blink of an eye, two slender arms wrapped around him, holding him by his back and thighs.

“I was asking why you, the slower one, were carrying me!” Rihai said, now running several times faster than Aotian could.

He could only cling to her neck, utterly helpless.

Meanwhile, back at the camp, the army was finally starting to react to the Red Tiger’s presence.

The female cultivator trembled uncontrollably under the beast’s crushing pressure.

‘I need to distract it so I can escape!’ She thought frantically, until an idea struck her.

‘That bitch Liu likes playing the heroine… Let her save me one more time!’

“Miss Liu! Let’s join forces! If we don’t act, all these people behind us will die!” She shouted, her voice full of righteousness.

The plea moved everyone, including her senior brother beside her.

But then, she realized the truth. That bastard had no intention of fighting—he only hoped that she and Liu Rihai would face the tiger so that he could escape.

What he didn’t know… was that she thought exactly the same.

However, after her shout, silence fell.

And then, pale, she realized.

Liu Rihai had already fled.

“LIU RIHAI! YOU DAMN BITCH!!!”

Those were her last words before an immense, blood-red maw filled her vision.

In an instant, her beautiful and alluring body—one that had satisfied many men—fell to the ground, headless.

Then came the massacre.

Screams. Despair. Blood.

And finally, the only remaining sound was the dripping of crimson droplets falling from the Red Tiger’s fur.

That night, he became the Blood Tiger.

More than twenty thousand people died that day.

The tiger lifted his head and looked toward the center of the forest before opening his mouth.

“Destroy that city. Leave nothing behind this time.” His voice was cold, filled with ferocity and bloodlust.

Before, they were only innate masters. He had looked down on them. So he merely gave them a bloody lesson to refresh their memories from time to time.

But now, Qi Refining cultivators had come. And what if next time, Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived? Or even Golden Core ones?

This time, he would cut the grass and pull out the roots.

The Blood Tiger’s gaze turned toward the direction Aotian and Liu Rihai had fled.

In an instant, he vanished.

Then, from the heart of the forest, a tide of beasts emerged, surging forward like a murderous wave.

Their target was set.

The Red Tiger City… was doomed.

…

Aotian and Liu Rihai had covered a great distance and were about to exit the forest.

But suddenly, Aotian felt a tightness in his chest.

He looked back. Saw nothing.

The feeling intensified.

“Rihai! I think he’s coming! If you have a way to escape, use it now! Leave me behind, don’t worry about me!” Aotian said urgently, his gaze serious.

He didn’t want to die. But he also didn’t fear death. After all, he could revive through his avatars. The only real loss would be the permanent sacrifice of one of them.

Even so, there was a silver lining. With him being reborn where an avatar was, he would finally reunite with his other avatars.

With them, he would be protected and could grow stronger faster. In the end, the loss wasn’t that significant.

So, he decided to test Liu Rihai with his life.

If she was who he believed her to be, she wouldn’t abandon him. And in that case, he would reveal a little of his secret and force her to leave him behind.

In the future, he would try to find her again.

But if he was wrong about her…

If she left him behind without hesitation…

He would hold off the Blood Tiger for as long as he could and die.

And with that body, the feelings he had for Liu Rihai would fade as well.

Then, he would live peacefully with his avatars. And never think of her again.

Upon hearing his words, Liu Rihai looked at him, startled.

She searched for something in his eyes—and found the resolve of someone willing to die for her.

A tightness formed in her chest. Ever since her father died, she had never believed that someone would sacrifice themselves for her again.

“What nonsense are you saying?! No one is asking you to sacrifice yourself! No one will ever sacrifice themselves for me again!” she said fiercely.

With a swift motion, she touched a delicate ring on her finger.

Then, suddenly, a pair of transparent dragonfly wings, adorned with golden details, appeared in the air.

The wings fluttered and flew to her back, merging with her like a trail of light.

Liu Rihai grabbed Aotian and, without hesitation, shot through the sky at an absurd speed.

“Shit!” Aotian exclaimed, stunned, but before he could comprehend what was happening…

He looked back.

And felt his soul almost leave his body.

Liu Rihai looked as well.

Her face turned pale.

Behind them, the immense, bloodstained maw of the Blood Tiger was about to devour them alive.

But then—

Liu Rihai’s wings shone intensely.

And with one last burst, their speed increased even more.

They escaped by a hair’s breadth.

The inertia caused the Blood Tiger to crash down—after all, he had leaped into the air to capture them.

But Liu Rihai didn’t wait to see the tiger hit the ground and try again.

On the contrary, she flew even faster, leaving the forest far behind.

The Blood Tiger didn’t chase them.

He only watched them disappear, his eyes cold and unreadable.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep