Chapter 43: Perilous Situations, Buyu and Zijing Fall into Despair
"Second Senior Brother!"
Without hesitation, Liu Zijing spun around and leapt towards Lu Chen, her sword drawn, ready to strike at the demon tiger.
Unaware of Lu Chen's true identity, she naturally would not abandon her senior brother.
Whoosh!
With Liu Zijing's powerful strike, the demon tiger had no choice but to retract its paw, which had been about to land on Lu Chen.
"Senior Brother, let's return to the sect and find—"
"Junior Sister, you stop the demon tiger for a while, I'll go find help!"
Just as Liu Zijing was about to grab Lu Chen and escape to seek reinforcements from the sect, Lu Chen suddenly pushed her back hard.
"Lu Senior Brother?!"
Liu Zijing, knocked to the ground, looked up in disbelief as Lu Chen activated his spiritual sword and shot forward, leaving her behind.
Boom!
Before Liu Zijing could get up, the demon tiger had already caught up, and a massive paw came crashing down on her.
Whoosh!
In the nick of time, Liu Zijing threw a golden bell talisman from her pouch and activated it with her spiritual power.
Clang!
As the demon tiger's paw was about to tear through her body, a glowing shield in the shape of a large bell appeared, enveloping her completely. With a loud clang, it absorbed the full force of the demon tiger's strike.
Dodge!
Quickly, Liu Zijing recited a secret incantation and began to sprint towards the edge of the forest, her steps light as the wind.
"Do you think a mere golden bell talisman can stop me?"
The demon tiger laughed wildly, then inhaled deeply, before letting out a roar that sent a gust of wind toward her.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Whipping, blade-like gusts of wind slammed into the golden bell shield. Liu Zijing was forced to stop and brace herself against the storm of wind blades.
But in the blink of an eye, she noticed that the golden bell's shield was starting to crack.
Liu Zijing found herself in a difficult situation.
Boom! Boom!
At that moment, the sound of rumbling thunder echoed through the forest.
Liu Zijing looked up and saw a glowing purple-gold talisman suspended in the air above the demon tiger's head. The thunderous noise was coming from that very talisman.
The Five Thunder Talisman?!
The demon tiger also noticed the talisman and froze for a moment. Then, it suddenly leaped into the air, trying to dodge the incoming thunder.
Boom!
But it was too late. The already wounded tail was struck by a bolt of lightning and burned to a crisp. The demon tiger was left paralyzed, unable to move even with all its demon power.
Roar!
In agony and fury, the demon tiger raised its head and let out a furious roar towards a figure perched on a branch above.
"You two won't escape! You will both be my blood meal today!"
It had spotted the one who had thrown the Five Thunder Talisman.
Yes, that person was none other than Lin Buyu, who had been hiding in the trees all this time.
"Go."
Lin Buyu leaped from the tree branch, grabbed Liu Zijing by the arm, and began running at full speed.
"Thank you, Junior Sister," Liu Zijing said, still shaken from the close call, as she followed Lin Buyu's lead.
Boom!
However, the two had underestimated the demon tiger's strength. Before they could escape the maple forest, they were once again confronted by the tiger.
"You think you can escape?!"
The demon tiger grinned wickedly as it blocked their path.
"You vile beast, do you dare to harm disciples of the Qingxuan Sect? Aren't you afraid of being hunted down by us?" Liu Zijing raised her sword, positioning herself in front of Lin Buyu.
"Do you think I have any way out at this point?" The demon tiger sneered. "Rather than waiting to be hunted, I might as well eat both of you and increase my strength!"
It paused and then grinned maliciously, saying, "Let me tell you the truth—just one more step and I'll break through to the Demon King level. Then, I'll be a true king-tier demon beast!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Zijing's brow furrowed even deeper.
A Demon King-tier beast's power was comparable to that of a cultivator at the peak of the Wangyou realm. Coupled with its monstrous body and unique abilities, even a cultivator who had reached the early stages of Wangyou would struggle to defeat it.
"Hm. The scent on you two is quite nice, especially the little girl behind you."
The demon tiger sniffed greedily, its eyes fixed on Lin Buyu, who was standing behind Liu Zijing.
"A disciple who can use the Five Thunder Talisman must be highly valued in the sect, with extraordinary roots. Perhaps she even has the rare Golden Spirit Bone. If I eat her, I will not only become a Demon King, but I might even awaken a new power in my bloodline!"
As it spoke, the demon tiger slowly prowled forward, its throat rumbling in a low growl, as though ready to pounce on them at any moment.
"Junior Sister, I will hold it off. You don't need to worry about me. Try to escape."
Liu Zijing subtly gathered her spiritual energy and transmitted her words to Lin Buyu.
Disciples like Lin Buyu, who had the Golden Spirit Bone, would definitely have some kind of escape method granted by their sect. That's why Liu Zijing said what she did.
Lin Buyu was silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Boom!
At that moment, the demon tiger inhaled deeply and then spewed another blast of energy at Liu Zijing and Lin Buyu.
"Cang Lang!"
Almost simultaneously, Liu Zijing unsheathed her sword, channeling her energy into it, and struck forward with a flowing wave of sword energy, aimed directly at the demon tiger.
Bang!
With a resounding crash, the demon tiger's gust of wind was cleaved by Liu Zijing's strike.
Boom!
But what Liu Zijing didn't expect was that, as her sword cut through the gust of wind, the demon tiger's severed tail silently swept toward her from the side.
Just as she was about to despair, a slender figure appeared by her side, holding a golden talisman.
It was none other than Lin Buyu!
Clang!
With a sharp metallic sound, Lin Buyu's talisman transformed into a golden flying sword, which she hurled at the demon tiger's tail.
Whoosh!
The tail was severed in mid-air, and the golden sword then continued toward the demon tiger's head.
Boom!
However, just at that moment, a beautiful crystal-like orb appeared in front of the demon tiger, and the beast's smile widened, revealing its malicious plan.
Boom!
With a thunderous sound, the golden flying sword transformed from the talisman was shattered by the violent wind that erupted from the crystal orb.
Boom!
Before Liu Zijing and Lin Buyu could react, a powerful circular wind barrier surrounded them, trapping the three of them within.
From above, it looked as though the three were caught inside a wind-formed circle.
"Did you really think you could defeat me? I still have one more use for my Shuofeng Pearl."
The demon tiger swallowed the crystal orb with a self-satisfied grin and slowly approached the two, its face filled with triumph.