Chapter 117: Tiger Demon Assault

Hoo!

As a demonic wind blew by, the clouds split, leaving a gap.

Sunlight streamed through the gap, revealing a vague human silhouette; under the Doppler effect, the figure appeared cloaked in golden, divine light, as if a celestial being had descended.

The ignorant townsfolk first fell silent, then someone—unknown—shouted, "The deity has manifested!"

Soon the whole city stirred; countless people crawled on the ground, repeatedly bowing to the figure in the sky, muttering prayers for divine protection.

But the townsfolk didn't know that the cultivators in the prefectural office could also be unaware.

What arrived was not a deity, but a life‑taking monster.

The silhouette raised a hand and swept downward; the rolling black clouds that covered the sky instantly pressed down, accompanied by gusts of demonic wind that swept the whole city.

The demonic wind could not lift plants or damage houses, but when it passed over a person, a scream of pain and panic erupted from within.

However it lasted only a brief moment; then a corpse, drained of all its blood, fell down.

The townsfolk, who had been praying to gods, stared at neighbors and friends whose bodies had been sucked dry by the wind, their faces turning pale, and began to flee for their lives; panic spread across the city in an instant.

"You audacious monster, daring to harm people in broad daylight!"

A roar of anger echoed through the prefectural office, yet the keen‑eared could hear a deep, hidden joy within it.

A cultivator who had just been criticizing Chen Shicheng drew a Three Pure Bell, formed a spell, and the crisp bell rang across heaven and earth, even the howling demonic wind could not suppress it.

The others were unsure whether they envied Elder Youyun's treatment, felt emboldened by slaying a zombie, or simply thought that the gathering of myriad sects in the room gave them the illusion that many hands make strong.

One after another rushed to act, and because the invading monster was so formidable, they even produced their treasured bottom‑drawer items.

Artifacts, Spirit Seals, forbidden techniques that bite the tongue and use one's own blood, lifespan‑consuming arts—within moments the entire prefectural office was bathed in spelllight, making it impossible to see that these were merely 7th‑ or 8th‑level minor Karami.

Seeing the scene, Chen Shicheng was dumbfounded; the finger that had been itching to move twitched twice in confusion, then he let it fall limp.

Nima!

These people weren't targeting anyone in particular; they looked down on everyone equally.

It should be known that the intruder is a Golden Core‑level great monster, a native beast with sentience, not those strong but terrain‑trapped beasts that can be worn down to death.

Even he, upon instantly learning the opponent's realm, instinctively wanted Hui Siye to quickly take him and flee.

But these people, as if blinded, forced themselves to charge upward.

Should we say they have a self‑sacrificing heart, or that they're blind? "Fellow Daoists, unite to slay the demon!"

It was unclear who shouted in the crowd, marking the declaration of battle.

Elder Youyun sneered at Chen Shicheng, saying sarcastically, "You, the 'Daoist' who wears a mask and refuses to show your true face, need not act; just watch as you did last night."

His words sparked a burst of laughter, easing the crowd's tension a bit.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh

As his words fell, rows of Spirit Seals and artifacts shot upward, flashing across the dim, cloud‑pressed city, looking imposing.

But the monster aloft, seeing this, wore a disdainful expression, did not move a muscle, merely raised a hand lightly; the demonic wind, wrapped in demonic clouds, enveloped its body, allowing all the attacks to be swallowed into the black clouds.

Boom!

A violent explosion cleared the black clouds, revealing the monster hidden within, unharmed.

It wore a mocking grin, looking at the people below in the prefectural office, "Such petty Spirit Seals and artifacts can hurt me?"

As soon as the words ended, a Spirit Seal materialized before it; before it could react, it instantly turned into a blue sword ray, slashing toward it.

"Hahaha, Grandpa, how does this ancestral 'Azure Emperor Demon‑Slaying Seal' taste?"

The speaker was the guy who had wet his pants, but before he could finish, the great monster nonchalantly began, catching the blue slash.

Then, under the stunned gazes of the prefectural office crowd, with a slight press of the hand, the blue slash was crushed into a spray of azure light.

"How can we hit it? The seal's power is almost equal to my sword‑spear, yet it can't wound that great monster. Hui Siye, let's run quickly."

Chen Shicheng had just considered following these people to strike, hoping to pick up something cheap.

After all, this great monster came with ill intent, likely aiming to raze the city.

And Huanglong Jun, though on the frontier, housed over a hundred thousand residents; even if the city possessed some trump cards to stop the great monster, casualties would still be inevitable during the process.

As long as he could strike—no, even just driving the monster away—the Merit Points earned would likely make him a fortune.

But now, looking at it, not to mention driving the monster away, even inflicting damage on it is questionable.

He didn't want to relive the helplessness he felt at low levels when he gave Yu Wei a mere scrape.

"No, it's injured!" Hui Siye shook his head, saying confidently.

"Really?"

Chen Shicheng squinted, mustering his sight toward the sky, but the distance was too great and the great monster was shrouded in black clouds; he stared in vain. With no other choice, he let Evil Ghost Orb rise, while he switched perspective, straining to observe the situation above.

At first Evil Ghost Orb showed no abnormality, but as it approached the great monster, its body began to tremble instinctively, as if meeting a natural enemy, even resisting Chen Shicheng's orders, trying to flee.

However, under the constraint of the Evil Ghost Mask, Evil Ghost Orb, after a few futile resistances, could only reluctantly continue to ascend.

And Chen Shicheng clearly saw the great monster's true condition behind the black clouds.

Sure enough, as Hui Siye said, from afar there seemed no issue, but up close one could see the great monster's hand that caught the slash now trembling incessantly, a deep, bone‑visible wound appearing in its palm.

However, as demonic energy surged, the blood was sealed at the wound, and with the black clouds covering it, no one noticed the injury.

Moreover, most importantly, this great monster's species turned out to be a tiger; it stood upright with a massive tiger head, and a black "Wang" character scar marked its forehead.

WTF!

Chen Shicheng quickly nudged Hui Siye with his finger, "It's a tiger demon—could it be the mountain lord who drove your Grey Immortal Clan to the Ten‑Thousand Mountains?"

"What are you thinking!" Hui Siye rolled his eyes wordlessly, "Our Grey Immortal Clan's ancestors, though lacking combat power, are still great beings of the Ascended Immortal Realm, just one step from attaining divine status; how could such a Golden Core tiger demon force us to flee our homeland?"

Cultivation realms from lowest to highest are Body Refining Realm, Qi Refining Realm, Golden Core Realm, Zifu Realm, Dharma Image Realm, and finally Ascended Immortal Realm.

When one reaches the final realm, one can, according to one's own cultivation method and Skill, undergo the heavenly tribulation and ascend to become an immortal.

However, since antiquity, countless great beings have reached the Ascended Immortal Realm, yet the heavenly tribulation that grants ascension has never descended, leaving innumerable great beings with no path to heaven, forced to watch their Lifespan drain away and despairingly self‑immolate.

Thus, the cultivation world presently acknowledges that deities have vanished, the heavenly road is broken, and becoming an immortal is hopeless.

However, in Chen Shicheng's view, it is likely just a game version limitation; after the public beta, once a player reaches the Ascension Realm, the "becoming immortal" version will be unlocked.

Just as Chen Shicheng and Hui Siye were still discussing becoming immortal, the tiger demon had already begun its counterattack.

Behind it, dozens of demon spirits suddenly emerged, each with a ferocious visage, enveloped in a sky‑filled demonic cloud rushing toward the prefect's residence.

"This is a Golden Core Great Demon!"

Seeing the countless swarm of demon spirits, Old Daoist Youyun's face turned pale as he shouted in surprise.

"What?"

"How could that be?"

"The court and the Mountain Lord had an agreement forbidding the Golden Core Great Demon from leaving the forest; how could it disobey!"

Upon hearing this, the three teachings and nine schools within the prefect's residence fell into chaos, but the demon spirits were already near, so they could only clumsily display their skills to protect themselves.

Some of the pretenders, their faces full of terror, fled in panic.

Demon spirits are ethereal monsters, extremely fast; in the blink of an eye they were already inside the prefect's residence, brazenly engaging the people in battle.

"Ah!"

With a scream, someone was already taken down by a demon spirit, and the black cloud swept over, turning them into a dry corpse.

Before anyone could lend aid, the corpse stood upright, its blood‑red eyes gripping a weapon and slashing at nearby companions.

That person was clearly possessed by a demon spirit!

"I am the vanguard general under the Mountain Lord, merely gathering human essence as a birthday gift for the Mountain Lord; if you each offer one hundred boys and girls, I will overlook your killing of my demon spirits."

Amid the chaos at the prefect's residence, a seductive voice from the tiger demon echoed in the sky.

"Shameless boasting! I am of the Profound Void Sect, how could I allow you such recklessness!"

Realizing he could not be lenient, Old Daoist Youyun suddenly drew a purple talisman from his chest and quickly recited the incantation.

"Seal it on my hand, chant it from my mouth."

"Head crowned with Heaven‑Gang, feet treading the Northern Dipper."

"Wind, Rain Master, Lightning roars."

"Smash the temple, drive away the spirits, let gods and ghosts flee swiftly."

"Swift as a decree!"

With a sizzle as the talisman burned out, a dazzling bolt of thunder streaked across the sky, the awe‑inspiring heavenly might shaking everyone to the core.

Soon after, a continuous low rumble of thunder filled the air, and a torrential downpour poured down.

"Lightning comes!"

Old Daoist Youyun raised the Seven‑Star Sword toward the heavens, sealing the tiger demon's aura, and shouted loudly.

In an instant, lightning cracked across the sky, its blinding white light causing everyone to instinctively close their eyes.

Using the tiger demon's black cloud, the heavenly thunder's power surged, nearly surpassing the talisman's own limit, slashing the tiger demon down from the clouds; the black cloud vanished, leaving the entire prefectural city sky washed clean.

(End of Chapter)