Chapter 255: Tiger

The dying sun's final afterglow, like splattered fresh blood, stained this suddenly dead‑silent snowfield. The dazzling giant beast that stepped out from the dim forest stood there alone; its massive body, sleek and powerful lines, and its cold golden eyes that gazed upon all living things stole every sound, becoming the sole protagonist of this world.

The air hung still like ice; the wolf pack that had been ferocious moments ago now lay low as if pressed by an invisible mountain, whimpering with fear, even the massive alpha wolf tucked its tail and dared not meet the gaze of the forest king. Their courage to ambush and assault vanished before this absolute power and majesty.

The members of the Steel Rolling Mill Security Department felt as if their very breath had been strangled.

Against the wolves they could still fight with weapons and bravery, but facing this tiger that seemed to have stepped out of myth—a Northeast tiger—a shiver born of primal instinct shot from their soles up through their spirit caps; their weapon‑gripping hands trembled uncontrollably, and cold sweat instantly soaked their clothes.

It was not merely a difference in size, but a soul‑shaking awe stemming from an insurmountable gap in the food‑chain hierarchy.

All eyes involuntarily fixed on the figure standing tall before the circular formation—Li Ping'an.

He stood about thirty meters from the massive tiger, facing it at a distance. The immense pressure hit his mind like tangible waves, crashing over and over.

He could hear his heart pounding like a drum, blood racing through his vessels. The Qi and blood of a master‑level practitioner surged on their own, resisting the life‑level pressure; his spirit concentrated intensely, and his Divine Perception, more focused than ever, locked onto the beast.

The tiger's gaze swept over the trembling wolf pack, over the humans it regarded as ants, and finally settled on Li Ping'an.

It seemed to sense that within this tiny creature lay an energy unlike any other prey in its domain—a scent that could pique its interest, even… a hint of threat.

It did not attack immediately, but lowered its forebody slightly, its massive tail swaying behind like a steel whip, stirring up the snow.

From deep in its throat came a low, oppressive 'wu‑lu' sound, the final warning before an attack and a sign of power gathering.

"Dir… Director…" Wang Dahu's voice was hoarse, barely forming a full sentence. He wanted Li Ping'an to retreat into the circle, yet felt that before the beast the formation was as flimsy as paper.

Li Ping'an did not turn back; his entire spirit was already linked with the forest king opposite him. He slowly passed the blood‑stained dagger to his left hand, let his right hand hang slightly, lowered his center of gravity, and assumed a seemingly relaxed yet infinitely variable opening stance. Tai Chi's 'Embrace the Origin, Guard the One' is meant to sense heaven and earth and to perceive hostility.

He knew that against a beast whose strength and speed far surpassed humans, a head‑on clash was the worst option. An old‑style cartridge might wound it, but given its terrifying burst speed, even firing a second shot was doubtful. And if it were enraged, how many of those present could survive?

He was searching, searching for a sliver of hope. Not to defeat, but… to coexist, or to drive it back.

The tiger seemed to lose patience, or rather, Li Ping'an's calm demeanor turned into provocation in its eyes. Its hind legs thrust down, and the massive body erupted with a speed incongruent with its size, like a ghostly golden lightning skimming the ground, charging straight at Li Ping'an! The thirty‑meter gap vanished in an instant under its terrifying burst.

A foul wind slammed into his face! The massive shadow that fell could make an ordinary person's liver and gallbladder burst.

"Fire!" Wang Dahu roared hoarsely, almost pulling the trigger!

But in that instant, Li Ping'an moved! He neither retreated nor surged forward; instead, his feet followed a mysterious footwork, his body seeming weightless, like willow fluff in the wind, slipping sideways‑backward in the blink of an eye! It was the essence of the Carefree Step—present ahead, vanished behind!

The tiger's determined lunge missed! Its sharp claws brushed Li Ping'an's coat, the gust it generated stung his cheek, and it slammed into the snow, sending a spray of slush into the air.

"Roar!" The missed strike prompted the tiger to emit an angry bellow that shook the surroundings, even dislodging snow from distant treetops. It clearly hadn't expected this 'little thing' to evade its attack.

It twisted sharply, its massive tail like a true steel whip, whistling as it tore the air, sweeping across! The sweep covered a huge area, moving faster than the naked eye could track.

Li Ping'an's Divine Perception had already anticipated! Just before the tail struck, his body folded back as if boneless, nearly parallel to the ground, the tail's icy wind sweeping over his nose! Simultaneously, his left‑hand dagger, like a Poison Snake emerging from a hole, sliced lightly across the tail's thick flesh.

"Chi‑la!" a light sound rang as the tough tiger fur and hide were cut with a shallow slash.

Such a wound was negligible for the thick‑skinned Northeast tiger, yet it utterly enraged the monarch! After two consecutive attacks were evaded by the tiny human, and even a minor skin injury was inflicted, its dignity felt provoked!

It held nothing back, limbs powering up, the massive body rising upright like a hill, crushing toward Li Ping'an; its gaping maw opened, fangs capable of snapping a bull's head glinting coldly, and a putrid stench nearly suffocated anyone nearby!

This strike covered an extremely wide area, seemingly unavoidable!

Every team member's heart rose to their throats; some even closed their eyes in despair.

Li Ping'an's eyes flashed with brilliance! Now!

He didn't retreat but advanced; as the tiger rose upright and swung its forepaw, its chest and abdomen gaping, his Carefree Step reached its limit, his body becoming a blurred afterimage that slipped through the tiny gap between the swinging claws and the gaping maw! Like a fish swimming upstream, peril upon peril!

At the same time, his right hand clenched; Qi and blood surged within, the Eighth‑Level Fist's explosive force instantly condensed at his fist's tip, targeting not the hard skull or spine but, like lightning, striking the tiger's relatively softer armpit exposed after it rose.

"Bang!" a muffled thud sounded, as if a massive drumhead were struck.

The tiger let out a thunderous roar mixing pain and fury! Li Ping'an's punch, infused with the master's full hidden force, had extreme penetrative power; though insufficient to cause a serious wound, the instant's searing pain and internal shock made the beast feel discomfort and… a hint of doubt.

Its massive body hit the ground, then spun sharply, its golden pupils fixed on Li Ping'an, who had again widened the distance; his breath slightly ragged but his gaze still calm as water.

It could not understand why this tiny creature was so slippery, why its strength was so odd.

Meanwhile, Li Ping'an, in those lightning‑fast exchanges, had pushed his spirit, Qi, footwork, and fist intent to the limit. He breathed lightly, appearing calm while his inner turmoil roiled.

He knew that he had been dancing on a knife's edge; any slight mistake now would end in the tiger's jaws. He could dodge bullets thanks to anticipating the shooter's intent and superhuman reaction and speed, but against a beast whose strength, speed, and instinct had reached the pinnacle of biology, each evasion drained his spirit.

The tiger did not attack again immediately. It paced slowly around Li Ping'an, emitting a threatening low growl; for the first time, its cold golden eyes showed an emotion beyond hunger and killing intent—scrutiny, and a barely perceptible… apprehension. This 'prey' was too strange, beyond its comprehension.

Seizing the chance, Li Ping'an signaled with his gaze to the nearly stone‑frozen teammates behind him, urging them to move back extremely slowly, making as little sound as possible, widening the gap from the tiger.

The standoff continued. The sunset finally vanished completely, leaving only the dim reflected light on the snow and the pair of golden eyes burning like ghost‑fire in the darkness.

At last, after another low roar, the tiger seemed to deem it unworthy to keep expending energy on this group of hard‑to‑catch 'food', especially since one of them proved troublesome. It gave Li Ping'an a deep look, as if to imprint the human in its memory.

Then, it abruptly turned its massive body, stepping with the same elegant yet heavy gait, slipping silently back into the dark primeval conifer forest, as if it had never appeared.

Only when the suffocating pressure fully faded, and the wolf pack had long since slipped away silently, did everyone collapse like the exhausted, gasping for breath, cold sweat already soaking their clothes, the post‑disaster relief and lingering fear surging like a tide.

Wang Dahu scrambled, rolling and crawling to Li Ping'an's side, his voice trembling with tears: "Director! Are you alright?! That just now… that was too dangerous!"

Li Ping'an slowly rose to a standing position, wiping the dampness from his forehead—whether sweat or meltwater—gazing toward the tiger's vanished direction, exhaling a long breath of foul air, while the surging Qi in his body gradually calmed.

"I'm fine." His voice carried a hint of fatigue but remained steady, "Pack up, leave this place immediately! Not a moment can be wasted!"

Recalling the heart‑pounding, near‑death moments, the instant of brushing past death, even Li Ping'an felt a chill rise within. Though a master can dodge bullets, before this primitive and brutal natural world, humanity remains tiny.

He once again deeply realized that power lies not only in destruction, but also in perceiving danger, seizing timing, and… reverence for natural law.

The team remained silent, bearing wounds, fatigue, and unprecedented gains, and the shock of teetering on death's edge, trudging through the deepening night toward the mountainside, toward the human world, in a frantic rush.

Behind them, the forest returned to silence, as if nothing had occurred, only the occasional distant, solemn tiger roar reminding people that this place still belonged to their sovereign realm.