Chapter 33: Do You Need My Help?

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Do You Need My Help?

The elder and the youth continued on their way.

Yi Xiaoyao only knew that Elder Yan was taking him away from the Cloud Transformation Sect’s main territory, but he was completely unaware of their specific destination.

「On the evening of the third day.」

"ROAR!"

With a beastly roar, a red shadow shot out from the dense woods like a phantom, its gaping maw wide as it pounced on Yi Xiaoyao and Elder Yan.

"A Red Blood Tiger. An early second-tier Demon Beast. Its Cultivation is comparable to a human in the First Realm of Foundation Establishment."

Flame Medicine Hidden explained calmly to Yi Xiaoyao.

Yi Xiaoyao nodded. This was the eighteenth Demon Beast they had encountered in the past three days. To train him, Flame Medicine Hidden always watched dispassionately from the sidelines, letting Yi Xiaoyao be the one to deal with them.

However, the beasts they had met before were all first-tier. This Red Blood Tiger, on the other hand, was a second-tier Demon Beast, comparable to the First Realm of Foundation Establishment!

Just as Flame Medicine Hidden was about to intervene and handle the Demon Beast for him, Yi Xiaoyao stepped forward.

"Elder Yan, leave this Red Blood Tiger to me!"

Although Yi Xiaoyao had yet to enter the Foundation Establishment Realm, the power he currently wielded was not the least bit inferior to an average cultivator at the First Realm of Foundation Establishment.

Besides, while a Demon Beast’s strength and speed were far greater than a human’s, its intelligence was lacking. It couldn’t use Spiritual Skills and could only attack on instinct.

Therefore, Yi Xiaoyao was quite confident he could slay this Red Blood Tiger.

"Then be careful. A second-tier Demon Beast is nothing like the first-tier ones from before..."

Before Flame Medicine Hidden could finish, the Bloodthirsty Sword in Yi Xiaoyao’s hand had already transformed into a lightning-fast Sword Shadow as he instantly unleashed the Angry Wind Sword Skill.

"CLANG!"

With the sound of metal striking metal, the Red Blood Tiger’s sharp claws clashed with the sword’s gleam.

The tiger’s claws shattered, and the longsword shuddered violently.

Yi Xiaoyao felt a sharp, splitting pain in his right wrist from the impact. ’A second-tier Demon Beast really is powerful,’ he thought.

After several exchanges, Yi Xiaoyao seized an opportunity. He shot a burst of Destructive Sword Qi from his left hand, instantly blinding the Red Blood Tiger’s right eye.

After a pained roar, the Red Blood Tiger immediately abandoned its attack and turned to flee.

"Elder Yan, wait here for a moment! We’re having tiger meat for dinner tonight!"

Yi Xiaoyao laughed loudly at Flame Medicine Hidden, then Spiritual Power erupted from his legs as he gave chase to the Red Blood Tiger.

The Red Blood Tiger fled at an incredible speed. With each wave of his sword, Yi Xiaoyao sent out streams of Sword Qi, cutting off the beast’s escape routes.

The man and the beast, one in pursuit and one in flight, soon disappeared into the dense forest.

Flame Medicine Hidden watched Yi Xiaoyao’s disappearing figure and sighed, a strange expression on his face. "Though a Demon Beast’s intelligence is inferior to a human’s, I’ve never seen someone with a Qi Condensation Realm Cultivation hunt down a second-tier Demon Beast before."

Deep in the forest, after a long chase, Yi Xiaoyao finally found his chance.

As the Red Blood Tiger dodged his Sword Qi, it revealed an opening. Yi Xiaoyao seized it, unleashing the first form of the Nine Swords of Slaughter, accompanied by dozens of streams of Destructive Sword Qi, in a single slash!

A demonic sword light mixed with Sword Qi tore through the air, instantly ripping a bloody gash across the Red Blood Tiger’s back.

Yi Xiaoyao grinned. Before the Red Blood Tiger died, he raised a hand and pressed his palm onto its head.

"Soul-Devouring Forbidden Technique!"

After devouring the Demon Beast’s soul, Yi Xiaoyao stretched his body in satisfaction.

"A Demon Beast’s soul isn’t as good as a human’s, but this second-tier Demon Beast’s soul is much stronger than those of the previous seventeen," he muttered with a smile.

The Soul-Devouring Forbidden Technique could devour not only human souls, but the souls of Demon Beasts as well.

Over the past three days, Yi Xiaoyao had devoured the souls of eighteen Demon Beasts. He had not only replenished the soul energy he burned while fighting Jin Lingfeng, but he had also strengthened his own soul considerably!

Next, Yi Xiaoyao retrieved the Red Blood Tiger’s Demon Core with a grin.

A Demon Beast’s Demon Core could not only be sold for money, but it could also be used by Elder Yan to refine Elixirs.

Then, as he started dragging the Red Blood Tiger’s corpse back, he suddenly froze.

...

In a nearby part of the dense forest, a group of young men and women stood huddled together, their faces tense as Spiritual Power surged from their bodies.

"It’s a wolf pack!"

All around them, a pack of Demon Wolves with glowing yellow eyes had them completely surrounded, staring at them with predatory hunger.

Sixteen first-tier Demon Wolves, and among them, a second-tier pack leader.

"We have the worst luck! To run into a Silver Ghost Wolf Pack... what do we do now?"

A delicate-featured young woman asked, her brow furrowed in a panic.

"Yun Qian, don’t panic. Senior Brother Qi Stone is here."

Though the others were also nervous, they tried to comfort the girl before turning to look at a slightly older youth in their group.

Qi Stone’s eyes narrowed. "If we kill this pack of Silver Ghost Wolves and get their Demon Cores," he said, "we’ll be able to pass the second assessment."

"Senior Brother Qi Stone, just the first-tier Silver Ghost Wolves are more than we can handle! Never mind the second-tier leader. How could we possibly kill them all!" the others exclaimed.

Qi Stone frowned. "I’ll kill the second-tier Silver Ghost Wolf. The eight of you can handle the rest!"

The group was taken aback. It was obvious to them that Qi Stone wanted the second-tier Silver Ghost Wolf’s Demon Core for himself.

But if Qi Stone failed to kill the second-tier Silver Ghost Wolf, they would all be in grave danger.

"Senior Brother Qi Stone, even though you’re at Half-Step Foundation Establishment and the strongest of the nine of us, taking on a second-tier Demon Beast is still probably impossible, isn’t it?" someone questioned.

"Hmph! You don’t trust my strength?" Qi Stone said, slightly angered.

They all glanced at each other, but no one spoke up. None of them wanted to take such a life-threatening risk.

Meanwhile, the Silver Ghost Wolf Pack was closing in on the nine of them, step by step. They were running out of time to think.

Just then, a clear voice called out from nearby. "Ahem... Do you need any help?"

Yi Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow. He had heard the commotion and had come over to see what was happening.

"What? You don’t need any? Fine, I’ll be on my way then."

Seeing as no one answered, Yi Xiaoyao simply shrugged and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

The young woman from the group, Yun Qian, called out, "Young Master, please wait!"

Qi Stone pulled Yun Qian back, frowning. "Yun Qian, think about it. That kid’s about our age. What kind of strength could he possibly have to help us?"

The others glanced at Yi Xiaoyao and nodded in agreement.

"Exactly! We’re all geniuses from major families. It’s not like any random person our age could have the kind of strength we do."

"Look at how he’s dressed. He’s just some wild brat. His Cultivation is at the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Condensation at most."

"We have enough trouble as it is. Don’t let that kid make things worse!"

Hearing this, Yi Xiaoyao glanced down at his own clothes, which were tattered from three days of fighting Demon Beasts, and couldn’t help but smile wryly.

"You don’t need to worry about my strength. If I can make it this far out, it stands to reason my Cultivation isn’t just at the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Condensation like you said."

Hearing Yi Xiaoyao’s words, the nine of them felt he had a point.

After all, this forest was crawling with Demon Beasts, and even the weakest first-tier Demon Beast was comparable to the Seventh and Eighth Realms of Qi Condensation. It was indeed unlikely for someone to be here without a certain level of strength.

They didn’t think Yi Xiaoyao was particularly strong, but figured that an extra person meant extra help.

"Alright then, help us deal with these Silver Ghost Wolves, and we will be sure to repay you afterward," Yun Qian said immediately.

"There’s no need for repayment. I just want the Demon Core from that second-tier Silver Ghost Wolf," Yi Xiaoyao said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of all nine changed. They looked toward Qi Stone, knowing full well that he was dead set on obtaining that second-tier Demon Core.

Qi Stone’s expression instantly turned grim.

"Dream on! We don’t need your help. Scram!"