Demon, come and cultivate for me.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

Heavy footsteps echoed in the darkness, each step shaking the ground.

Chen Xiangzi threw out the last Bright Light Talisman.

The darkness was dispelled, and a huge tiger slowly emerged from the cave entrance ahead.

A pair of tiger-like eyes stared at Zhou Chu and the other two, sending chills down their spines.

"This is the Mountain Lord?" Zhou Chu was stunned.

If a person stands upright in front of it, they will only be about half a leg taller than it.

The enormous tiger's head was even larger than a millstone, and when it opened its mouth, it revealed sharp, white teeth, like a row of short swords.

Coupled with that domineering aura, the three of them could hardly breathe.

Despite their enormous size, Zhou Chu had never felt such pressure from the mandrill.

The tiger demon clan is born with the bloodline and strength to suppress other demon clans. Among demon clans of the same realm, the tiger demon is absolutely invincible.

When facing human martial artists of the same realm, it can undoubtedly exert a suppressive effect.

Among tiger demons, the first realm is the Great Insect, the second realm is the Tiger Demon, the third realm is the Mountain Lord, and above the third realm is the Mysterious Altar.

Xuan Tan is no longer a simple demon, but a being that is half demon and half god. But that's a story for another time.

The three realms of cultivation of demons are theoretically equivalent to the peak realm of humans, but this is only in theory.

This theory cannot be applied to the tiger demon clan.

The mountain lord had already reached the three of them; escape was impossible. Given its speed, fleeing would only hasten their demise.

Moreover, everyone in the camp was waiting to be rescued.

The innocent villagers who died unjustly in the jaws of tigers also deserve release.

Fighting to the death is the only way.

Xie Ning tossed the nearly fainting weasel to Chen Xiangzi:

"Hold on tight, don't let it get away."

Having said that, he drew his sword to fight the mountain lord.

"I'll help you!" Zhou Chu followed closely behind.

The Xie family's swordsmanship was exquisite and swift; Xie Qi's figure was elusive, leaving only afterimages.

In just a few breaths, he had already delivered dozens of sword strikes.

Unexpectedly, the mountain tiger's fur was like steel needles, and the sword blade did not cause any damage when it was slashed.

After a series of extreme maneuvers, Xie Qi almost exhausted his true energy.

After landing and regaining his footing, Xie Qi quickly circulated his internal energy to regulate his breathing and restore his true qi.

The mountain tiger locked its gaze on Xie Qi and raised its front paw to slap him.

Fortunately, Xie Qi was highly focused and prepared, and with a quick movement, he narrowly dodged the attack.

The tiger's paw slammed onto the rocky ground, leaving a huge palm print that was half a foot deep.

Xie Qi was terrified at the sight. If that blow had landed on him, he would have been turned into a pile of minced meat, so big that it would be impossible to scrape it up.

To everyone's surprise, the mountain lord struck again with his palm, even faster than before.

Xie Qi tried her best to dodge again.

With such speed, Xie Ning began to doubt whether she could dodge the next attack.

A gust of wind swept in, and the tiger's paw loomed over his head like a giant shadow.

At this moment, he was overwhelmed and could no longer dodge.

He closed his eyes in despair, deciding to simply wait for a quick end.

"Walk!"

Zhou Chu's voice rang in his ears.

Opening his eyes, he saw a huge mandrill beside him, which stretched out its arms to catch the tiger's paw that was about to strike.

Xie Qiqiang channeled his inner energy and flashed out of the battle.

Only Zhou Chu remained, transformed into a mountain demon to fight the mountain lord.

In his previous life, Zhou Chu was well-versed in the Four Great Classical Novels.

Aside from famous episodes like the Three Heroes Battle Lü Bu, Lin Daiyu's accidental entry into the White Tiger Hall, and Ximen Qing's clever capture of Pan Jinlian, the episode he was most familiar with was Wu Song fighting the tiger on Jingyang Ridge.

Even a strong man like Wu Song wouldn't dare to confront such a beast head-on.

Because that would only make you collapse even faster.

Only by starting from the back can something last.

Zhou Chu jumped around, looking for an opportunity to leap onto the mountain tiger's back.

The mountain lord gave Zhou Chu no plan at all. After a few rounds, the mountain demon was injured, with several bloody scratches from the mountain lord's sharp claws.

"Zhou Chu alone cannot defeat the Mountain Lord." Xie Qi sat cross-legged on the ground, meditating and regulating his breathing.

"Then why aren't you going to help them in the battle?" Chen Xiangzi asked anxiously.

Chen Xiangzi wanted to go up and help, but he knew his own limitations and knew that even with the Swiftness Talisman, he might not be able to dodge the Mountain Lord's attack.

In less than two breaths, the Mountain Lord had already struck out three times.

Xie Qi's survival of the first two times was already considered an extreme feat.

Xie Qi sighed and said:

"My true energy is completely depleted; I have the will but not the strength."

"That's easy." Chen Xiangzi took out an irregularly shaped pill from his pocket: "A top-grade Qi Gathering Pill. It will restore your true qi immediately after you take it."

Xie Qi looked at the grayish-black pills that emitted a strange smell, and her expression clearly showed some resistance.

Chen Xiangzi seemed to sense his doubt and said:

"It really is a Qi Gathering Pill, not something I rubbed off my body. This is from my master... Zhou Chu, be careful!"

Chen Xiangzi's exclamation drew Xie Qi's attention to the battle.

Zhou Chupan leaped down from the thorny rock face and landed behind the mountain tiger.

Unexpectedly, the mountain lord leaped forward, its tiger tail whipping like a steel whip, striking Zhou Chu squarely in the abdomen.

Zhou Chu cried out in pain and fell heavily to the ground.

The mountain tiger turned around and pounced on Zhou Chu, who was lying on the ground.

Xie Qi snatched the pill from Chen Xiangzi's hand, swallowed it, and immediately went forward to pull the mountain king's tail to help Zhou Chu out of the predicament.

The tiger's tail and rear end are forbidden areas; you can't touch them.

Sensing that someone was holding its tail, the mountain lord suddenly swung it, throwing Xie Qi far away, and Zhou Chu took the opportunity to quickly escape.

The mountain king abandoned Zhou Chu and turned to attack Xie Qi.

For it, killing a person is easier than killing a mandrill.

Thanks to the effects of the Qi Gathering Pill, Xie Qi's internal energy became abundant again, allowing him to freely utilize his cultivation techniques.

This time, he didn't unleash his killing move right away like before.

Instead, they used a steady, gradual approach, relying on the Xie family's swift swordsmanship to evade the tiger's predation.

After several rounds, Xie Qi mastered the tiger's movement patterns and was able to dodge with ease.

Seeing that the mountain king was attracted by Xie Qi, Zhou Chu seized the opportunity and jumped onto the mountain king's back.

As the mountain tiger twisted and turned, it nearly threw Zhou Chu off the cliff.

Zhou Chu gripped the tiger's neck tightly to prevent it from shaking him off. Once he regained his balance, he swung his fist and smashed it into the tiger's head.

The mountain tiger roared in pain, then raised its front paws, stood upright, and tried to shake Zhou Chu off its back.

Zhou Chu held on tightly to its neck and wouldn't let go.

The mountain lord went berserk, roared, turned around, and ran into the cave.

Xie Qi and Chen Xiangzi exchanged a glance and, in perfect unison, chased after each other into the cave.

The weasel that had been feigning death and was tied to Chen Xiangzi suddenly began to struggle violently just before Chen Xiangzi stepped into the cave entrance:

"Don't go in, you'll die! It's a Thousand Corpses Gathering Yin Formation inside!"

"Ah?" Chen Xiangzi was shocked and quickly grabbed Xie Qi, pulling him out of the cave.

"Zhou Chu is still inside!" Xie Qi said urgently.

His upbringing instilled in him a habit of never owing favors to others.

Including just now, Zhou Chu has saved him at least three times; he can never repay this debt of gratitude.

He couldn't stand by and watch Zhou Chu die without doing anything.

"I know," Chen Xiangzi said, her voice equally loud, "Going in there will only be suicide for you."

"What do you suggest we do?!" Xie Qi was somewhat out of control.