The Blue-Headed Tiger King

Whoosh—

An arrow streaked through the air, its sharp, whistling sound echoing as it shot toward the "Iron Beak Eagle" soaring through the sky.

This arrow, powered by the incredible vision of Yun Che's left eye and the trajectory calculations, also embodied his profound understanding of the advanced archery technique, Meteor Shower Arrow.

"Chirp—"

A piercing, angry eagle cry resonated from the sky.

The Iron Beak Eagle had been struck in the abdomen by a poison-tipped arrow, the blood staining its feathers as it furiously charged toward Yun Che.

"Not good!"

Yun Che's expression shifted as he immediately activated the Floating Mist Walk, the light body technique, and darted toward the dense forest below.

Though his arrow had struck its target, it had not penetrated a fatal spot.

The Iron Beak Eagle's reaction time, flight speed, and defensive strength were far beyond that of typical wild animals, almost placing it in the realm of fierce beasts.

Yun Che's shot had not inflicted a lethal wound.

Whoosh—

Like a swift swallow, Yun Che leapt nimbly through the dense forest, his left eye remaining focused on the Iron Beak Eagle.

Wham—

A moment later, another arrow was loosed into the air.

This time, it struck the Iron Beak Eagle's throat, though it failed to pierce it completely.

"The throat is usually a beast's weak point. This Iron Beak Eagle's defense is truly formidable."

Yun Che hesitated for a moment, watching as the eagle let out a final, mournful cry and crashed to the ground.

Both of the arrows he had fired were coated in poison, and the second arrow had hit the vital spot.

Now, the Iron Beak Eagle succumbed to the poison.

Yun Che let out a relieved sigh, his eyes gleaming with delight. Killing the Iron Beak Eagle would earn him seven to eight hundred taels of silver.

Along with the Golden-Spotted Snake he had previously slain, Yun Che's "wealth" now totaled over a thousand taels of silver.

This was more than he had ever possessed in his life.

"This amount of silver probably won't be enough for me to purchase the precious medicinal herbs required to break through to the third level of Martial Path."

Suppressing his excitement, Yun Che quickly regained his composure.

For the next three days, Yun Che moved like a shadow, weaving through the edge of the Wild Forest in Hengyun Tianlin.

Each time he drew his bowstring, the cries of beasts and birds echoed through the forest.

"The Five-Serpent Centipede, with its potent venom, can be used to brew medicinal wine, fortifying the body, valued at two hundred taels of silver…"

"The Qingfeng Eagle, comparable to the peak of the third level of Martial Path, worth nine hundred taels of silver…"

"The Black-Spotted Wild Boar, nearing the strength of a third level martial artist, valued at four hundred taels of silver…"

…

To hunt more beasts and accumulate silver, Yun Che fully utilized the Floating Mist Walk and Meteor Shower Arrow.

After several days of effort, he had successfully cultivated the first part of the Floating Mist Walk to a small success.

His current speed was likely faster than most third-level martial artists in his clan, even rivaling those in the fourth level.

The Meteor Shower Arrow had been refined effortlessly to its pinnacle, nearing the peak of its power.

Yun Che could not help but marvel at his natural talent as an archer.

Now, if he faced the Iron Beak Eagle again, a single arrow would pierce its vital spot with a significantly enhanced killing power, ensuring a one-shot kill.

In the past few days, he had also hunted two more Iron Beak Eagles, along with another seven or eight beasts.

"Now, the materials I've gathered from hunting could fetch about three or four thousand taels of silver."

Yun Che packed up two large bags, a sense of achievement clear on his face.

All of his targets had one defining characteristic: while not too large, they were extremely dangerous, making them difficult to hunt but highly valuable.

Pleased with his haul, Yun Che was ready to return.

As he made his way back, he continued to use his left eye to scan for new prey.

After all, in the dense forest, his vision was limited, and he couldn't afford to miss anything.

Roar—

Suddenly, a deafening tiger roar reverberated from the northern part of Hengyun Tianlin.

The roar sent shockwaves through Yun Che's body, causing his blood to surge, his eardrums to ache, and the wind to howl, as sand was swept into the air.

"What beast could possess such overwhelming power?"

Yun Che was taken aback.

He quickly activated his left eye, and his vision pierced through four or five miles, locking onto a massive Blue-Headed Sabretooth Tiger.

The tiger was nearly half the size of a normal tiger, its body radiating a terrifying killing aura. As it roared, the surrounding forest trembled, causing all life within a ten-mile radius to cower.

"Run! This 'Blue-Headed Tiger King' has evolved into a fierce beast and is as powerful as a fourth-level martial artist."

Several young martial artists, ranging from second to third level, fled in panic.

"Scatter!"

The leader, a scarred youth around fifteen or sixteen years old, with the peak strength of a third-level martial artist, gripped a long blade and, with a single swing, cleaved a tree large enough for two people to embrace into two pieces, momentarily halting the Blue-Headed Tiger King's advance.

Crash!

The Blue-Headed Tiger King swiped with its claws, shattering the tree into splinters.

"The power of a fierce beast is truly frightening."

Yun Che was secretly shocked.

Once an animal ascends to the level of a fierce beast, only a true martial artist of fourth level or higher can hope to match it.

The Blue-Headed Tiger King's swipe was so powerful that even three Yun Ches combined would likely be destroyed in a single blow.

"Xin Fei! Watch out—"

Several of the youths cried out in alarm.

The Blue-Headed Tiger King was targeting the strongest among them, the scarred youth, known as Xin Fei.

"Xin? Could they be from the Xin family, one of the three great families in Yuyang City?"

Yun Che, surprised, spotted the family insignia on their clothing and immediately confirmed his guess.

Boom!

Wherever the Blue-Headed Tiger King passed, trees fell, and anything in its path was immediately torn apart.

An ordinary martial artist would have perished on the spot.

Yun Che observed that Xin Fei's strength was terrifying, having mastered an advanced sword technique, and his body was equipped with an advanced light-body martial art.

"With a single slash, Xin Fei cleaved through a tree large enough for two men to embrace, his strength far surpassing that of an ordinary martial artist of the third realm, likely rivaling that of Yun Yi Jian from the Yun Clan."

Yun Che was inwardly astonished.

"Quick, save Xin Fei!"

A few other disciples from the Xin family drew longbows and attacked the Blue-Headed Savage Tiger from a distance.

However, their efforts only managed to distract the beast, redirecting its focus temporarily.

The Blue-Headed Savage Tiger's defense was far superior to that of the Iron-Beaked Eagle, being two to three times more formidable. Attacks from martial artists below the fourth realm felt as harmless as an itch to it.

"If I can successfully hunt the 'Blue-Headed Tiger King', its worth could reach twenty to thirty thousand silver taels, equivalent to slaying dozens of wild beasts."

A bold decision flashed through Yun Che's mind in that instant.

With a leap, he immediately activated Floating Illusion, bounding across the treetops towards the scene of the conflict.

By the time Yun Che arrived, the five or six young disciples of the Xin family were on the verge of peril under the Blue-Headed Tiger King's assault.

"Wind-Cutting Slash!"

A flash of cold light sparkled in Xin Fei's eyes as his longsword slashed out like a thunderclap, the sound of the wind howling through the air as the blade struck the Blue-Headed Savage Tiger's forehead.

What a terrifying blow!

From hundreds of meters away, Yun Che's left eye locked onto the attack, calculating that its power could have easily slain two ordinary martial artists of the third realm. Even if he himself had taken the blow, he would not have been able to block it head-on.

He could also sense a faint green aura surging within Xin Fei's body, a sign that he was on the verge of mastering his internal energy.

Swish!

The blade struck the Blue-Headed Tiger King's forehead, sinking half an inch deep, only for an overwhelming force to knock Xin Fei away, spitting blood as he flew.

The blow's power was nearly on par with that of a martial artist at the fourth realm, and it even caused the beast some injury.

Roar!

The Blue-Headed Tiger King roared fiercely, charging at Xin Fei with even greater speed.

However, Xin Fei, having reached the 'quasi-martial artist' level, used his advanced light-body technique to narrowly avoid the attack.

But having already expended immense energy with that powerful slash, he found himself on the edge of collapse as the Tiger King relentlessly counterattacked.

"Wind-Cutting Slash!"

Summoning all his remaining strength, Xin Fei unleashed another vicious blow, leaving another blood mark on the Tiger King's forehead.

But once more, he was knocked back, crashing into a large tree and spitting blood.

Roar!

The Blue-Headed Tiger King bared its fangs and lunged at Xin Fei, who, nearly exhausted, found himself unable to dodge.

"Xin Fei!"

The remaining disciples of the Xin family cried out in desperation, watching as the Tiger King's enormous maw closed in on their companion.

Whizz!

Suddenly, an arrow whistled through the air, cutting through the trees and striking the Blue-Headed Tiger King with deadly accuracy.

Roar!

The beast emitted an agonizing roar, the sound reverberating across several miles, shaking the forest.

The Xin family disciples were momentarily stunned as they saw the arrow embedded in the Tiger King's eye, blood dripping from the wound.

Though the Blue-Headed Tiger King's defense was formidable, the eyes were still its most vulnerable spot.

In a fit of rage, the Tiger King turned to search for the "culprit" who had inflicted the injury, allowing Xin Fei a fleeting chance to escape death.

Yet, as it scanned the surroundings, there was no trace of the archer to be found.

"That was close!"

Yun Che, hidden behind the branch of a towering ancient tree, was only about a hundred meters from the Blue-Headed Tiger King. A cold sweat ran down his back as he watched.

Taking advantage of the Tiger King's frenzy, the disciples of the Xin family quickly scattered.

However, the Blue-Headed Tiger King, now enraged and without a clear target, continued its relentless pursuit.

"Aaah..."

With a savage roar, a disciple from the Xin family, a martial artist of the second realm, was torn apart by a single swipe of the beast's claw.

The sight made Yun Che's heart drop.

Seeing the remaining disciples of the Xin family fall into grave danger, he feared they might be wiped out entirely.

Whizz!

Another arrow zipped through the air, striking the Blue-Headed Tiger King's other eye with pinpoint accuracy.

Roar!

The beast roared in pain, shutting its eyes as the arrow barely managed to pierce its tough skin.

Sigh...

Yun Che, still hidden, shook his head.

It wasn't that his archery was lacking, but rather that the Blue-Headed Tiger King had grown wary, and the same tactic was no longer effective.

"Wind-Cutting Slash!"

In this brief moment, Xin Fei unleashed another decisive strike, deepening the injury on the Tiger King's forehead.

The wound now stretched two inches deep.

"Now's my chance!"

Yun Che's eyes gleamed as he pulled back his bowstring, loosing a series of arrows.

Each arrow struck true, hitting the Tiger King's forehead where the wound had been dealt.

With every shot, the injury grew worse.

As time passed, the Blue-Headed Tiger King's attacks began to slow.

The combined effect of the accumulated wounds and the poison from the arrows—especially the one that had pierced its eye—had taken their toll.

At this moment, the Tiger King, seeing its strength waning, turned to flee deeper into the forest.

"Chase!"

The Xin disciples, grinding their teeth in fury, vowed to rip the beast to pieces and avenge their fallen comrades.

However, though severely wounded, the Blue-Headed Tiger King's speed remained extraordinary, far beyond the reach of martial artists at the second or third realm.

Only Xin Fei, with his quasi-martial artist strength, could barely keep up. But now, exhausted and covered in wounds, he had little energy left.

"Haha! What a perfect opportunity... You can't escape!"

Yun Che's heart surged with excitement as he leaped between the treetops, easily closing the gap between him and the Tiger King.

To him, the Blue-Headed Tiger King symbolized a fortune of twenty to thirty thousand silver taels.