novelraw Chapter 546 - 452: The Reason
Chapter 546 - 452: The Reason
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On this particular day, Chen Sheng did not go out to hunt for food. Instead, he lay obediently at the sunlit entrance of the den.
His body slowly operated according to the Technique of "Swallowing Elephant and Devouring Dragon," with every inch of muscle subtly writhing, honing his tendons, bones, and flesh.
Meanwhile, his spirit sank into the sea of consciousness, visualizing the Circulation Stars, as weak streams of Star Power converged into his Divine Soul, making it increasingly condensed.
Outside the den, on the open ground, two young white tiger cubs were playfully frolicking.
They soon ventured out of the den together, running towards the nearby stream, their clear "woo woo" sounds echoing through the mountain forest.
At the moment when the two cubs stepped into the shallows by the stream, playfully splashing water with their little paws, a group of four people cautiously traversed the dense forest several miles away. They were the same stubbled man quartet who had plotted to hunt the White Tiger at the Martial Hall a month ago.
Equipped with hunting ropes, traps, and steel forks, they vigilantly scanned their surroundings, following the traces of tiger paw prints and droppings, step by step approaching the direction of the tiger’s den.
"Look quickly!"
The stubbled man suddenly halted, lowered his voice, and pointed towards the direction of the stream.
Following his gaze, the two fluffy white tiger cubs were visible playing in the water, their figures especially conspicuous in the sunlight.
A greedy gleam instantly erupted in the stubbled man’s eyes as he licked his chapped lips:
"They’re cubs! With such young cubs, it seems the White Tiger’s lair must be nearby!"
"Fantastic!"
The dark-skinned man beside him showed an expression of ecstasy:
"We need to quickly set up traps nearby and lure out the adult White Tiger to deal with it first!"
"Right, don’t harm these two cubs! I heard the nobles in the city love raising these rare little White Tigers as pets."
"With cubs of such fine appearance, they might fetch a price higher than even tiger skins; we brothers are going to make a fortune this time!"
"Exactly!" The tall, skinny man rubbed his hands with eager anticipation:
"No matter how fierce that Mountain Monarch is, it’s just a beast. It can’t withstand the trap assault from us four at the Qi and Blood Realm combatants."
"I’ll go catch these two little cubs first to prevent them from running away. They can also be used as bait!"
With that, he crouched, holding a rope, quietly creeping towards the stream.
As the four split up, one to catch the tigers and three to set traps, Chen Sheng inside the tiger’s den slowly opened his eyes.
The range his mental power could cover wasn’t large, but it was more than sufficient to encompass a hundred or so yards around.
At the same time, the Qi and Blood Power emanating from those four far exceeded that of ordinary mortals and appeared as four burning flames to his Perception, particularly striking.
"So this is the path of cultivation in this realm, which seems to primarily involve Qi and Blood?"
Sensing the tall, skinny man closing in on his fellow cubs, Chen Sheng’s heart stirred, ready to concentrate his mental power and condense a blade of air to slay him.
But at that moment, a violent and familiar aura suddenly surged rapidly from the depths of the forest.
Chen Sheng’s actions abruptly stopped, a gleam of understanding flickered in his eyes:
"The Tiger Mother has returned."
Meanwhile, the tall skinny man had already crept nearby the stream, ready to pounce and capture the two unsuspecting white tiger cubs.
Yet as he leaped, a chilling wind suddenly attacked from the side and rear, with a piercing sound mixed with a strong stench, making his hair stand on end.
He didn’t even have time to turn and see who it was before he spotted a white blur like a ghost flashing past.
"Squelch—"
Two muffled thuds resounded in quick succession; the heads of the two men squatting to set traps were smashed like watermelons, red and white splattered everywhere as their bodies limply fell.
The stubbled man and the dark-skinned man turned pale, chilled to the bone, watching the suddenly appeared snowy white figure nearby, their pupils shrinking to pinpricks.
It was a beast far larger than an ordinary White Tiger; its snow-white fur stained with some blood, and its amber beast eyes filled with bloodthirsty ferocity.
The two men screamed in terror:
"Demon! It’s a demon!"
"It’s a Tiger Demon! It’s an intelligent Tiger Demon!"
Terrified out of their wits, they dared not harbor even a shred of greed, turning to flee madly into the dense forest.
But the Tiger Mother’s speed was beyond their imagination, her figure flashing like white lightning through the forest, each flicker accompanied by an ominous wind.
"Aowu—"
A deafening tiger roar rang out, making their eardrums ache and their Qi and blood surge.
Before they could run much further, the Tiger Mother caught up with the dark-skinned man, biting into his neck with a "crack," the sound of his cervical vertebrae snapping clearly audible.
The dark-skinned man couldn’t even utter a scream before collapsing into a pool of blood.
The last remaining stubbled man, his legs turned to jelly, tried to escape by crawling away, but the Tiger Mother gave him no chance, flashing over and striking his back with a paw, breaking his spine.
Coughing up blood, the stubbled man lay on the ground, looking in despair as the Tiger Mother slowly approached, finally having his throat bitten and snapped.
At the den entrance, Chen Sheng slowly stepped out, calmly observing the bloody scene not far away, his eyes devoid of any ripple.
But in the next moment, he suddenly noticed something, his pupils contracting slightly.
On the four bodies lying on the ground, four vague black soul shadows unexpectedly began to emerge, twisting and struggling, issuing silent screams, before flying toward the Tiger Mother, attempting to enter her body.
"Pak Spirit?"
Chen Sheng’s heart stirred, recognizing the origin of these soul shadows.
Legend has it that those devoured by the Mountain Monarch have their souls bound by the tiger’s fierce aura, turning into Pak Spirits, obeying the tiger and luring more people to their deaths.
Unexpectedly, this world also had the existence of Pak Spirits.
The Tiger Mother sensed the approaching Pak Spirits, a flicker of irritation in her eyes, she opened her mouth wide, letting out a deafening roar.
An invisible sound wave spread out, instantly shattering the three Pak Spirits hovering in mid-air into wisps of black smoke.
Just as she was about to roar again to disperse the last Pak Spirit, Chen Sheng took a step forward, standing in front of her.
During these days together, Chen Sheng had gained sufficient understanding of the Tiger Mother.
Her strength was considerable, but her intelligence had improved very little, still at the level of a beast, relying more on instinct and experience.
Regarding soul bodies, she only had an instinctive repulsion without understanding their essence.
Perplexed, the Tiger Mother glanced at Chen Sheng, her amber beast eyes showing a trace of confusion, a low whimpering sound emanating from her throat.
Chen Sheng lifted his head, gently rubbing his forehead against the Tiger Mother’s neck to calm her emotions.
Then he slightly lowered his head, a strange muffled sound suddenly emanating from his nostrils, deep and obscure, carrying a peculiar rhythm.
The waning Pak Spirit, upon hearing this muffled sound, seemed irresistibly drawn, flying involuntarily toward Chen Sheng and finally being inhaled into his nostrils.
The moment the Pak Spirit entered his body, countless chaotic memory fragments flooded into Chen Sheng’s mind like a tide:
"Blood rain fell from the sky... the red rain, warm on the skin..."
"A great martial artist in the county said the blood rain was a good omen, nourishing the Qi and blood, heralding a golden age of Martial Arts..."
"More and more people went into the mountains, wanting to hunt beasts touched by the blood rain for a good price..."
"In terms of martial realms, they include Blood Exchange, Aperture Opening, External Scene, Internal Scene, Martial Saint..."
These memory fragments came from the deceased martial artist, scattered yet crucial.
With the influx of these memories, all previous clues instantly converged, forming a complete narrative.
A glimmer of understanding flashed in Chen Sheng’s eyes as he murmured to himself:
"So that’s it... the so-called blood rain should be the power of the bloodline I dispersed at the end of my fifth life."
"Being a seventh-order essence, for the ordinary beasts of this world, it acts almost like the imperial nectar, accelerating their evolution, awakening their intelligence, and enhancing their strength."
"For the Tiger Mother to give birth to me, she must have come into contact with this blood rain, although not fully awakening her intelligence yet."