In front of the narrow mountain path of Twin Peaks Mountain Range.
"Awooo!"
From the mountain top came the roar of the King of Ten Thousand Beasts, a tiger's roar. The horses in the entire troop suddenly panicked, their legs trembling.
Even Zhang Jian's mount, the tall cyan horse, couldn't help but collapse to the ground.
"Such strong Demon Qi?"
Zhang Jian's eyes surveyed the surroundings, his expression slightly solemn. All he could see was a terrifying and domineering black wind filled with Demon Qi.
This was the first time he had encountered such a majestic presence of Demon Qi.
The soldiers behind him were also flustered, though a few veteran soldiers maintained their composure, scolding the numerous new recruits. With these veterans maintaining order, they managed not to let the new recruits lose their courage and scatter in panic.
"Gather behind the young master, keep formation, and protect the two young ladies!"
Hu Shan shouted angrily from the side.
On the mountain path ahead, more and more black wind was swirling, along with a lot of black mist surging out, seemingly obscuring their vision.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Jian sneered coldly, his magical power in hand condensing into a talisman.
The Wind Walking Technique swept forward like a cyan tornado, dispersing the black mist.
Rumble!!
At this moment, Zhang Jian sharply focused his divine thought on a spot within the black wind, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. His magical power condensed in his hand, transforming into a scarlet lightning bolt that shot out in an instant.
Bang!
The scarlet lightning streaked through.
Accompanied by a pained howl, a Black Tiger several feet tall suddenly leaped out from within, surrounded by intense black wind, charging toward Zhang Jian.
The Demon Qi around it was almost tangible.
"Thunder Technique?"
"Human, it was indeed you who killed my son. You're going to pay for it!"
"I killed your son?"
Zhang Jian's expression shifted slightly.
Wind follows the tiger, clouds follow the dragon. His mind moved instantaneously, no time to ponder; the Wind Walking Technique naturally flowed through him. He turned into a breeze, dodging beneath the tiger's claws. Simultaneously, his Dragon Roar Sword unsheathed, slashing out like a scorching sun. The blistering, extremely sharp sword aura swirled behind him, forming a spiritual vortex, forcing the Black Tiger's sweeping tail to retract lest it become a tailless old tiger.
Zhang Jian took advantage to increase the distance. Twelve crimson invisible talismans appeared around him in an instant.
Wind and Thunder Talisman.
His eyes were solemn, deep in his gaze lurked intense killing intent.
With just a slight perception, Zhang Jian knew that the Demon Qi circulating in this Black Tiger was even stronger than his.
This was a powerful Great Demon that had condensed a Demon Core.
Condensing a Demon Core is at least equivalent to the Foundation Establishment Stage of an orthodox cultivator.
To be honest, this was the first time he encountered such a tough opponent. While his heart surged with killing intent, facing the enormous Black Tiger glaring daggers ten or more feet away, Zhang Jian asked in a deep voice.
"What is your background, Black Tiger? We've only encountered each other by chance, so how can you say I killed your son?"
Though saying this, Zhang Jian had a vague suspicion in his heart.
If there was any enmity with a Tiger Demon, he did indeed kill a Black Tiger Demon.
The Black Tiger Demon of Xiaojun Mountain.
Back then, when three demons attacked the Iron Immortal Temple, he saved the day and finally slew a Black Tiger.
That Black Tiger Demon had some background; before dying, it even tried to threaten him, but didn't finish speaking before he decapitated it with a sword.
He originally thought that Black Tiger Demon was bluffing and nothing happened afterward. Now it seems there was still an elder who finally came seeking him.
The Black Tiger's eyes were grim, a gloomy voice emerged: "Human, no need to quibble. It was you who killed my son, someone witnessed you using Thunder Technique to kill my son, and now the evidence is irrefutable. You can't deny it!"
"Today, you will pay with your life for my son!"
Its tiger's head slowly lifted, the king's mark on its forehead faintly glowed with intense black light, captivating one's soul.
It bared its fangs, the strong stench around it was terrifying.
"Someone eyewitnessed it, looks like someone wants to make a move against me!" Zhang Jian thought to himself.
Facing the giant Black Tiger fiercely glaring at him, Zhang Jian sneered openly, simply admitting: "Tiger Demon, indeed, I must concede I killed a Tiger Demon, but that Black Tiger Demon was heinous, consuming humans, slaughtering the Iron Immortal Temple's hundreds, bloodily clouding its hands, deserving death!"
I see you're not entirely chaotic and unaware of propriety and shame. If you truly understand etiquette and righteousness, you should feel ashamed, seek forgiveness, rather than come for revenge!"
The Black Tiger listened, furious, snorted coldly.
"Human, do you think my child is comparable to mere hundreds of two-legged sheep? Die for me!"
The Black Tiger's eyes showed a trace of cruelty and impatience, transforming into a black whirlwind, sweeping towards Zhang Jian like a tornado.
What met it was twelve red thunders, yet it didn't dodge, trying to charge straight through the thunders' blockade to reach Zhang Jian, yearning for physical combat.
It noticed that Zhang Jian seemed to excel at such remote casting, assuming his hand-to-hand combat skills weren't up to par!
However, the Black Tiger soon suffered a setback, with crackling lightning striking its body, resembling crimson vines, splitting its skin open.
That was a thunder of extremely high temperature, with blazing thunder light penetrating through the wounds directly into its internal organs.
Layers of cold wind emerged around the Black Tiger, turning into frost, striving to freeze the wounds, and its eyes showed a hint of dread.
It was the first time it had encountered such violent divine thunder.
Zhang Jian's eyes flashed with a trace of sneer; this Black Tiger relied on its tough skin and thick flesh, thinking it could withstand lightning, which was its own demise.
At this moment, the "Tongshan Pure Treasure Record" he cultivated made his magic more refined and pure. The Wind Thunder Technique, a common magic in his hands, had reached an extraordinary level.
In the instant that the Black Tiger was paralyzed, the Dragon Roar Sword in his hand transformed into a streak of crimson sword light, instantly enveloping the Black Tiger's head.
Accompanied by a low, wailing howl.
Blood trickled under the sword light.
It was seen that the Black Tiger's front paw was nearly severed entirely by the Dragon Roar Sword.
Yet, it was the Black Tiger's front paw that blocked its head at the last moment, halting this fatal blow but also leaving Black Mountain Monarch heavily injured.
"Is it actually this strong?"
Black Mountain Monarch's face changed with astonishment; having roamed the Shuangfeng Mountain Range for hundreds of years, its combat experience was exceedingly rich, yet it was the first time it found itself in such a sorry state.
Numerous thoughts flashed across its mind, with growing suspicion.
Suspecting that the informant had ill intentions, laying a trap for it.
Because according to the informant, this Zhang-named Daoist was still very young, with supposedly weak magical power!
Being inherently suspicious by nature, at this moment, suspicion arose in its heart, momentarily suppressing its full-blown rage.
But it wasn't startled. In the instant it was wounded, it fully utilized its demon core's pill qi, transforming a layer of lifebound technique into a roaring torrent.
Roar!
The earth-shattering tiger roar exploded in mid-air, charging directly at Zhang Jian and the numerous soldiers.
And at this moment, amidst the tiger roar, demon qi swept across. The soldiers on the mountain path swayed as if they were drunk, turning ashen-faced, others directly collapsing.
Being in close proximity, Zhang Jian also felt as if an invisible sonic bomb detonated near his ears.
His divine thought buzzed.
At the same moment, the massive Black Tiger transformed into a black wind, its sharp claws sweeping horizontally toward Zhang Jian.
At this moment, with his divine thought affected by numerous sonic waves, Zhang Jian couldn't avoid the strike, but he didn't panic. Countless golden talismans in his hand were instantly activated.
Golden light swirled, accompanied by glistening gleams, and it was seen that shields of golden magical power materialized, blocking in front of Zhang Jian.
Vajra Talisman!
Yet under the tiger's claws, the Vajra Talisman only held for a few moments before being violently penetrated by the demon qi, shattering into countless fragments, fiercely bombarding toward Zhang Jian.
By that time, Zhang Jian was already on guard; the Dragon Roar Sword in his hand transformed into a column-like crimson sword aura, fiercely striking upward toward the Black Tiger's abdomen, forcing it to retreat to avoid the fierce sword light.
The blazing sword aura still made the Black Tiger's skin feel intensely hot, as if close to a molten iron plate.
Zhang Jian's eyes remained calm, the deep crimson sword light released instantly, the Flying Sword Technique deployed, transforming into vortices of deep crimson sword light, enveloping the Black Tiger completely in mere moments.
Heart-rending tiger howls unfolded from within.
Just moments later, the Dragon Roar Sword flew out from the vortex, returning to Zhang Jian's hand, while the Black Tiger before him was all battered, blood and flesh scattered, just a breath away from perishing.
The Black Tiger Demon looked at Zhang Jian, its eyes still holding a hint of shock.
Zhang Jian intentionally left it with a breath of life, glancing at the numerous soldiers collapsed behind him; many's courage was shattered by the demonic tiger's roar, including a young veteran.
A strong chill appeared in his eyes.
At this moment, his gaze turned to the Black Tiger, his eyes shrouded in a deep hue, saying calmly.
"Black Tiger, you were deceived; the person who instigated you was merely using you to test my strength, sending you to your doom!"
Inherently suspicious, Black Mountain Monarch had no more doubts upon hearing this.
"Yu Family, how dare you scheme against me!"
It let out a fierce roar.
But its roar was abruptly overshadowed by a majestic thunder.
As the final bolt of crimson lightning struck, the shock in its eyes was entirely transformed into terror.
Under the thunder's roar, its body shuddered slightly, immediately falling silent.
Successfully slaying this Foundation Establishment stage Black Tiger Demon, Zhang Jian's expression was somber.
"Yu You?"
Zhang Jian also felt a faint sense of unease.
Glancing into the depths of the Commandery City, he worried about changes occurring there and immediately decided to rush back to the Commandery City as quickly as possible.