Chapter 511: Chapter 328: Scarface_2
The tiger in the air couldn’t change its direction; all it could do was watch its prey dive beneath it, trying to roll away to safety.
The ambush had failed. The tiger roared furiously, standing still as it decided whether to continue attacking or retreat.
Only now did Yan Xiaobao realize that this tiger was none other than Scarface’s tiger. Meanwhile, Yueyue’s ice-blue eyes instantly darkened with danger. He wondered where Scarface might be and if his friends were safe.
Looking at the tiger, Yan Xiaobao had no intention of letting it escape. But now, he preferred to focus on ensuring the safety of his friends. After quickly surveying the tiger, Yan Xiaobao darted toward the upper level as fast as he could. Upon entering a room, he discovered a person tied up with a rope, their face buried beneath layers of bindings.
Seeing this, Yan Xiaobao’s face broke into a smile. As a curious voice asked, "Where are you going?" he immediately turned around, preparing to leave.
Returning to the room, Yan Xiaobao smiled faintly and replied briefly, "Pest control!" Then, once again, he headed into the hallway, chasing after the oversized feline. His smile didn’t waver, and his body brimmed with energy, ready to burst forth.
Yan Xiaobao felt extremely frustrated about not finding an exit for the underground city or a legal way out. However, he could now vent some of this frustration on the enraged tiger—how could he pass up such an opportunity?
Releasing his spiritual energy, Yan Xiaobao scanned the surrounding area. But if this beast was of higher rank than Yan Xiaobao himself, the effort would be pointless. Detecting a stronger opponent in hiding was nearly impossible.
The outcome was as Yan Xiaobao had expected. He found that locating the tiger was not a challenge, but given its ferocity during its ambush of Hui Yue, the white-haired youth was certain it still lingered nearby. He surmised it planned to kill them one by one to free its master.
Seeing the depth of its loyalty left Yan Xiaobao somewhat surprised, but this beast blocked his path. Even if the comradeship between Scarface and the tiger was profound, neither gave Yan Xiaobao a reason to show them mercy. Scarface held some value to him, but the beast didn’t. In fact, it was just the opposite—a threat. Eliminating it was the only suitable course of action.
Back in the room, Yan Xiaobao was certain the tiger would ambush him again. He was on high alert, a blue flame in his hand, ready to strike at anything that moved.
The downside was that even though he was searching for the tiger, he couldn’t be certain if it had truly left or was still lurking nearby—something that might waste his time.
Initially, Yan Xiaobao felt some excitement about the encounter. Yet, as he advanced deeper into the large house, inspecting room after room, he quickly grew quiet. His entire focus zeroed in on everything occurring around him. At last, he noticed faint, subtle movements.
Pretending as though he felt nothing, Yan Xiaobao kept looking straight ahead, casually scanning his surroundings. While he appeared distracted, in secret, his full focus was locked onto the movements hidden within the shadows of the room. As he entered, the blue flame in his hand expanded, ever so slightly.
Just like before, the massive tiger’s body suddenly leapt out from the shadows. This time, as its claws sliced through the air, a dark silhouette emerged right in front of Yan Xiaobao. The tiger clearly intended to prevent the human from evading below.
From the air, dark energy burst forth as the tiger’s claws neared Yan Xiaobao. The shadow of black blades, as sharp as the finest knives, flew toward Yan Xiaobao faster than most top speeds achievable by humans.
Being a magical beast, the tiger naturally possessed elemental attacks it was born with—these black blades were one such ability.
Seeing this, Yan Xiaobao hurled the blue fireball from his hand toward the black shadow. The two collided mid-air, and a deafening boom echoed throughout the mansion.
The tiger’s eyes brimmed with disbelief as it witnessed the blue flame not only slow down the black energy but also completely disintegrate it.
Not giving the tiger a chance to react, Yan Xiaobao swallowed a mouthful of blood and dashed toward the beast, while blowing out another burst of blue flame from his other hand. He was acutely aware of its two massive claws and knew that if he wanted to prevail, he had to breach its defenses.
Charging forward, the tiger accepted the challenge and lunged at Yan Xiaobao, deploying its black slicing attack once again. The attack was deflected once more by the blue fireball. Neither combatant’s attack relied heavily on physical strength, and in such terms, Yan Xiaobao was far inferior to the tiger.
While Yan Xiaobao lacked physical power compared to the tiger, his agility far exceeded that of the beast. Were it smaller in size, the situation might have been different; however, the seven-meter-long tiger wasn’t particularly fast.
Using his agility, Yan Xiaobao struck with black blood, successfully inflicting a deep wound on the side of the tiger’s head. As soon as he landed the blow, Yan Xiaobao retreated. The tiger whimpered, momentarily distracted by the injury, giving Yan Xiaobao enough time to launch the largest blue fireball he could summon at the tiger.
The tiger noticed the flames too late. Despite its frantic attempts to shield itself with black energy, it wasn’t sufficient. In an instant, the stench of charred flesh wafted through the hallway. The smell was accompanied by the tiger’s terrifying and blood-curdling screams, as the flames consumed it alive.
Yan Xiaobao stared into the tiger’s eyes without a shred of regret. He knew that this world is one where only the strong survive. If the tiger had the chance, Yan Xiaobao would have been the one to perish instead.
Waiting for the screams to fade, Yan Xiaobao finally lowered his flames and gazed at the cooked corpse before him. Extracting black blood, he cut a dazzling gemstone—the beast core—from the tiger’s head, wrinkling his brow slightly.
After obtaining the core, Yan Xiaobao had no desire for anything else. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the flames again. The blue fire engulfed the corpse instantly, reducing it to ashes.
Taking one final glance at the area where the battle had occurred, Yan Xiaobao turned and walked back toward the room. Upon entering, he noticed the alert expression in his friends’ eyes. Their vigilance quickly gave way to relief.
"We felt the building tremble during the battle," Deng Wu explained. "It was very worrisome whether you’d make it out alive."
Hearing this, Yan Xiaobao smiled as he took a seat, popping a bottle of liquor into his mouth.
"What’s your plan for this guy?" Sha Yun asked, pointing at the tied-up man, eagerly awaiting Yan Xiaobao’s response.
"I’ll trade him for information," Yan Xiaobao replied with a grin. "But for now, let’s keep training!"
With that said, Yan Xiaobao took another swig of liquor before closing his eyes to begin cultivating.
No more words were spoken as Yan Xiaobao fell into a state of deep cultivation. After the battle with the tiger, his entire body needed to relax, and he needed to boost his personal power.
It might have seemed like Yan Xiaobao had easily dispatched the tiger, but a battle of life and death is never simple. Yan Xiaobao had plenty of experience fighting opponents much stronger than himself, and each time he did so, he committed fully to the fight. His focus was entirely on finding the smallest flaw in his opponent before pushing his stamina to the limit to exploit it.
He understood well how fortunate he was to manage injuring the tiger within seconds. From the very start, Yan Xiaobao had used his most potent skills, including black blood and blue flame.
That fleeting moment determined the victor. Had fortune been less kind, Yan Xiaobao would have died. These truths sent his blood surging, filling him with excitement and vitality.
Yan Xiaobao decided to mentor the other young ones, beckoning them to sit down and join him in cultivation. The only two who didn’t cultivate were Xu Biao and Xie Lan, both of whom watched the tied-up man twisting and turning on the floor.
After reflecting on the battle for a while, Yan Xiaobao finally allowed his body to relax, enabling him to refine more spiritual energy and absorb the strength it provided.
Xu Biao sighed deeply before striding toward the man, knocking him out cold before returning to Xie Lan’s side. He picked up a bottle of liquor from Xie Lan’s hand and smiled faintly at the woman who, year after year, worked without complaint, dutifully fulfilling every instruction.
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