Chapter 316 - 219: Demon Cores Acquired, A Pleasant Surprise
Chapter 316: Chapter 219: Demon Cores Acquired, A Pleasant Surprise
Lin Changheng raised his hand, drawing the object toward him. A look of delight crossed his face as he examined it closely. "It wasn’t completely eaten! It seems the two Demon Tiger cubs have a limited appetite, or perhaps a weak digestive system. In the end, they left it for me!"
Then, his gaze traveled down the Treasure Medicine, and he couldn’t help but shake his head.
It had no Roots; the bottom showed signs of being violently torn off.
Clearly, it had been yanked out by a Demon Beast.
"What a pity, what a pity..."
Roots are useless to Demon Beasts. Unless the soil was soft enough to pull the plant out in one go, a beast would never bother carefully digging it up with the Roots intact.
With a flip of his hand, he placed the incomplete Treasure Medicine into a Long Wooden Box and applied a Seal. Lin Changheng also collected the five pieces of Ore, each glinting with a different luster.
He then began to search the cave dwelling meticulously, releasing his Divine Sense as well, wanting to see if he had missed anything.
’I don’t think there’s anything else.’
After finishing his search and confirming he hadn’t missed anything, Lin Changheng stepped forward, scooped up a Demon Tiger cub, and cradled it in his arms.
Then, he channeled his Magical Power and subconsciously blasted away the pile of Dry Spirit Grass in front of him, suddenly remembering he hadn’t checked underneath it.
The Dry Spirit Grass flew into the air. Lin Changheng swept his Divine Sense over the area and was about to turn away.
’Huh? What’s this...?’
His body froze, and he stopped abruptly.
Magical Power surged out, clearing away all the debris, and his gaze swept downward once more.
Below, there was a small hole dug out by Sharp Claws.
Something seemed to be placed inside.
Before, because the Dry Spirit Grass was piled on top, the occasional flicker of residual Spiritual Light had distorted his Divine Sense’s probe, preventing him from noticing it.
’Good thing I was extra careful.’
Lin Changheng placed the tiger cubs into his Spirit Beast Bag, immediately squatted down, and reached inside. To his surprise, two Demon Cores were stored within.
Cyan and blue patterns crisscrossed their surfaces.
They were dual-element Demon Cores of water and wind!
’Cyan-striped Tiger Demon Cores?’
Lin Changheng instantly had a theory. It was the only explanation. Otherwise, where would this Cyan-striped Tiger have found and hunted a dual-element water-and-wind Demon Beast to take its core and place it here?
And with such care?
After all, there was no sign of any other Demon Cores in the Cyan-striped Tiger’s lair. Even the Wild Bull Demon Beast’s core, which Lin Changheng had personally witnessed the tiger carrying into the cave, was gone.
It was highly likely that the Cyan-striped Tiger had eaten it completely.
The lack of any remains or residue was further proof.
Taking the two Demon Cores in hand, Lin Changheng used his Perfection Level Spirit Detecting Skill to examine them closely.
He discovered one had a Tier Two aura, while the other was Tier One Early Stage, clearly from a young beast.
It was precisely because this cave was a blessed land rich in Water Spirit Qi that these two Demon Cores, which appeared to have been stored for a long time, hadn’t lost their Spiritual Mechanism or started to decay.
’Could it be that when Zhao Li saw the mother tiger last time and suspected she was pregnant, she had actually given birth to this cub, but it died prematurely?’
’Then the other one... was it from another cub that had grown up, or was it from the mother tiger’s deceased mate or relative?’
Lin Changheng mulled it over for a moment, then turned and left.
Although the cave was excellent, it was useless to him. Besides, the Tier Two Late Stage Cyan-striped Male Tiger would be back soon. Staying here was tantamount to suicide.
WHOOSH!
Lin Changheng’s figure flashed, and he flew out swiftly.
...
"Brother Lin."
At that moment, Mo Zhaoli, who had finished processing the Cyan-striped Tiger’s Demon Corpse outside—separating the hide, meat, bones, blood, and Demon Core—saw Lin Changheng emerge and called out with a smile.
"How did it go?" she had just begun to ask when Lin Changheng, a smile on his face, replied, "Everything’s taken care of. We’ll talk later. It’s best we leave quickly."
As soon as he spoke, the Deep Lake Spirit Clam and the Black Armored Earth Turtle, which were outside, quickly approached and entered Lin Changheng’s Spirit Beast Bag. Then, Lin Changheng’s fingers formed a series of seals. The Array dissipated, and one by one, the Array Flags flew out of the ground, following the Array Plate like a school of fish into his Storage Bag.
"Let’s go!"
Lin Changheng called out, his figure not pausing for a moment as he led the way.
"Alright."
Mo Zhaoli didn’t ask any more questions and followed behind him.
RUMBLE...
The water vapor, no longer contained by the Array, spread outward, carrying a thick, bloody stench with it.
...
「Three days later.」
The waterfall was the same as ever, a river hanging upside down, its mist churning.
RUSTLE, RUSTLE.
Suddenly, the sound of something tearing through the air, mixed with the rustling of leaves in the forest, rang out.
Before long, two rather disheveled figures emerged from the woods.
"Xuan’er, the Water Spiritual Power here is dense, and I can faintly sense its purity. It’s enough for me to circulate my Water Technique to heal. Go and open a cave for me behind the waterfall. I can hide there for the time being."
The speaker was the older of the two Cultivators. He was at the Middle Stage Foundation Establishment, but his face was ashen with a strange flush, a clear sign of injury. He was speaking to the much younger Early Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
"Uncle, there are many jumbled footprints here. I’m afraid many Demon Beasts might come and go."
The young Foundation Establishment Cultivator observed the surroundings, couldn’t help but frown, and then looked at his uncle with worry.
"Heh heh, the most dangerous place is the safest place... They probably just come here to drink. With the mist washing everything away and an Array for concealment, it’ll be foolproof."
The older Foundation Establishment Cultivator chuckled, advising him with great confidence, "Although you’ve reached Foundation Establishment, you’re still too young and inexperienced. You have much to learn."
"Yes."
The young Foundation Establishment Cultivator nodded in agreement, then flew directly into the waterfall. He controlled his Spiritual Artifact to dig a cave, but was stunned to find it was already hollow inside.
He immediately reported back. The two of them entered together and discovered the blessed land. After a careful inspection, they found it unoccupied and decided to stay temporarily.
「Noon the next day.」
The Cyan-striped Male Tiger, over thirty feet long and at the Tier Two Late Stage, appeared outside the waterfall once again.
In its mouth, it carried a freshly killed, iridescent bird-like Demon Beast.
The moment it drew near, its nose twitched. It detected the residual, chaotic auras of various Demon Beasts, and even the scent of Human Race Cultivators.
It immediately sensed that something was terribly wrong. A fierce light, mixed with a hint of worry, appeared in its lantern-like eyes.
It transformed into a streak of cyan light and charged in without hesitation!
"ROAR!"
"What!"
"Vile beast!"
A tiger’s roar and enraged shouts erupted simultaneously, followed immediately by the violent sounds of Magical Combat and thunderous collisions!
A moment later, the intense booming and roaring came to an abrupt halt.
After a brief, deathly silence, a massive, ferocious cyan shadow slowly paced out.
It was the Cyan-striped Male Tiger!
It was now bathed in blood, its body bearing several shallow sword wounds and scorched marks from Magic. It had clearly been in a fight, but had suffered no substantial damage.
Furthermore, the tiger’s aura was even more imposing. Its fangs were bared, and saliva mixed with blood dripped from its crimson tongue. Its eyes burned with the savage madness that follows a slaughter.
It violently shook its head, flinging the two tattered Human Race Cultivator corpses it held in its mouth—bodies nearly torn in half—hard against the rocks by the pool!
The corpses’ chests were pierced through by a claw, their faces frozen in expressions of utter terror and disbelief. Their shattered Storage Bags lay scattered nearby, all Spiritual Light gone.
Although it had vented its fury by killing them, its cubs were nowhere to be found. The Cyan-striped Male Tiger’s rage did not subside. It threw its head back and let out a series of deafening roars, the sound waves battering the waterfall, its killing intent surging unabated.
...
「Meanwhile.」
Lin Changheng and Mo Zhaoli had no idea that someone else had taken the blame for them, bearing the full brunt of the Cyan-striped Male Tiger’s wrath.
They had already fled toward the edge of the Wilderness without stopping. Once they reached the outer perimeter, they summoned a Dharma Ship, took to the sky, and sped away.
After crossing the border between the Wilderness and the Song Territory, both of them visibly relaxed.
By now, the sky had darkened. They found an abandoned cave on a nearby barren mountain, landed to rest, and began to "divide the spoils."
As always, Lin Changheng carefully set up an Array before taking out everything he had found in the Cyan-striped Tiger’s lair in front of Mo Zhaoli.
This included two jade-white, furry little "meatballs."
"Are these the two Demon Tiger cubs?"
Mo Zhaoli’s beautiful eyes lit up, her attention completely captured.
"That’s right."
Lin Changheng nodded with a smile.
"But their fur isn’t cyan?"
Mo Zhaoli voiced her doubt.
"Maybe a tiger’s appearance changes a lot as it matures? Perhaps their fur will gradually change color as they grow?"
Lin Changheng wasn’t a professional in Beast Taming and didn’t have extensive knowledge about Demon Beasts. The Demon Beast encyclopedia he had obtained earlier also lacked any detailed records on this.
So he conjectured.
"That’s possible."
Mo Zhaoli gave a gentle smile and a slight nod, not pressing the matter further.