Chapter Seventy-One: The Crimson-Scaled Tiger!

Yang Yan was shaken by Cold Moon Sky’s achievement, but after a moment he calmed himself. Now that his relationship with the Jade Sword Pavilion had soured, it was only a matter of time before he faced Cold Moon Sky, whether or not she sought him out. He would do so not for any grudge, but for the reward granted to the first place in the Hunter’s Arena—the Spirit-Breaking Pill.

“But for now, I should meet up with Liu Zhengqing and the others.”

With this thought, Yang Yan scanned the names on the luminous screen, and after some time, finally found Liu Zhengqing.

“This guy is quite capable!”

Liu Zhengqing’s name glowed brighter than Yang Yan’s, ranked fifth on the top hundred list, with a soul hunt value of 430.

Having determined Liu Zhengqing’s location, Yang Yan didn’t move immediately, but continued to search the screen.

Soon, disappointment flickered in his eyes.

“Xu Shaoguang isn’t in the top hundred...”

But on second thought, with his cultivation at the peak of the second layer of the Sense Spirit Realm, Xu Shaoguang was only above average among the contestants; it was normal for him not to be among the top hundred.

This, however, would make finding him more difficult.

“There are still over two days left. Xu Shaoguang, I refuse to believe you can hide from me the whole time,” Yang Yan murmured coldly to himself.

He had no doubt that, with the Xu family’s influence, they would not allow Xu Shaoguang to be eliminated in this round.

With these thoughts, Yang Yan wasted no more time and sped toward the direction where Liu Zhengqing was located...

With a swish, Yang Yan darted through the woods at breathtaking speed, the wind whistling past him. Occasionally, he glanced back at the enormous screen in the center of the Hunter’s Arena, where Liu Zhengqing’s location was marked by a moving golden point drawing rapidly closer—if the pattern held, they would meet in about twenty minutes.

“I wonder how Zhang Lin and Zhang Fei are faring...”

Yang Yan pondered silently.

Though he hadn’t interacted much with the two from childhood, they were family, after all. Revitalizing the Zhang clan had always been his father’s wish; as the third son, Yang Yan felt compelled to contribute. He wouldn’t neglect the promising younger generation of the clan.

A thunderous roar suddenly erupted ahead as Yang Yan sped along.

Yang Yan skidded three or four meters across the ground before halting, his heart suddenly tensing.

“That’s... the Spirit Beast, Crimson Scale Tiger!”

He was astonished.

He had only encountered descriptions of such beasts in books. Seeing one in person was far more shocking than any written account.

The creature was over three meters long and half as tall, resembling a tiger, but instead of fur, crimson scales covered its body, glistening like molten lava. Most striking were two half-meter-long fangs protruding from its upper jaw, glinting coldly, and drool dripping from its cavernous maw.

The Crimson Scale Tiger was a second-tier spirit beast, equivalent to a third-layer Sense Spirit Realm cultivator. Its physical strength made it even deadlier than human practitioners of the same level.

With another roar, the tiger’s emerald eyes fixed on Yang Yan, and it launched itself at him, its powerful hind legs propelling it like a cannonball.

In a single leap, it closed to within fifteen meters of Yang Yan—its speed was astonishing!

The wind howled as the tiger’s massive body blotted out the sky, its formidable claws flexing to reveal thirty-centimeter-long spikes hidden beneath its pads, swinging fiercely at Yang Yan.

Sensing the terrifying energy in those blade-like claws, Yang Yan didn’t confront it directly. Instead, he instantly deployed his Shadowstep technique, twisting his body at the moment the claws struck downward, and appeared at the beast’s flank. Spiritual energy surged in his right hand, and he hammered a fist at the tiger’s side.

A boom echoed through the woods. The Crimson Scale Tiger collapsed under Yang Yan’s powerful strike, rolling several times before clambering upright, its eyes blazing even more viciously than before.

“This thing’s hide is tough!”

Yang Yan shook his numbed right arm, shocked at the steel-like hardness he’d felt upon impact.

The Crimson Scale Tiger roared again, shaking leaves from the trees as it lunged at Yang Yan once more. Despite taking a blow that could have crushed a second-layer Sense Spirit cultivator, it seemed barely injured.

“Foul beast!”

Yang Yan shouted, his spirits rising. His hands formed seals at lightning speed, and translucent water-element spiritual energy coiled around his palms, forming a profound rune. The energy of heaven and earth was drawn in, pouring into Yang Yan’s grasp.

With an incessant hum, the translucent rune in his right palm trembled and sang as energy filled it, finally transforming into a crystalline seal, which Yang Yan hurled straight at the ferocious tiger.

“Destruction Seal!”

The crystalline seal spun and expanded, tearing through the air like a comet, leaving a trail of bright energy in its wake.

This was Yang Yan’s first use of the Destruction Seal in actual combat since breaking through to the third layer of the Sense Spirit Realm. Its power was on a whole new level compared to his previous strength.

With his increased cultivation and more abundant spiritual energy, Yang Yan could now draw out nearly ninety percent of the high-grade Yellow-level martial art’s power—far more than the thirty or forty percent he had managed before.

With a thunderous crash, the light seal smashed into the tiger’s massive head, exploding in a deafening blast. A violent storm of energy erupted from the blast’s center, tearing up a thick layer of earth within dozens of meters.

Roars of fury echoed through the woods. The tiger’s entire head was drenched in blood, most of its crimson scales shattered, blood spurting like streams from its wounds with each beat of its heart. Even one of its razor-sharp fangs had snapped off!

“It took the Destruction Seal head-on—and still survived!?”