The road connecting the eastern and western continents and traversing the mountains is winding and tortuous, sometimes passing through caves and sometimes climbing halfway up the mountainside. Mercenary groups and merchants trekked arduously through the vast mountains.
The little princess still makes a fuss every day, but she's not as downcast as she was a few days ago. The endless mountains are lush and green all year round, and the various exotic flowers, plants, birds and animals that she has never heard of or seen before attract most of her attention.
Along the way, she picked many bright wildflowers and delicious wild fruits, and occasionally screamed in surprise at strange animals that suddenly jumped out of the forest onto the road.
The beautiful scenery and colorful journey made the little princess gradually forget that she was a captive. She increasingly felt that this kind of travel life was a pleasure. Of course, only a royal princess like her, who rarely left the palace, could have this feeling.
Several bandit groups did appear on the road, but they were quickly wiped out by the powerful first-tier mage and the terrifying earth dragon knight.
This greatly displeased the little princess, who was eager to see a good show, and she repeatedly berated the bandits for being useless. The merchants and mercenaries exchanged bewildered glances, scratching their ears in disbelief, wondering if they had misheard.
Finally, with a flick of Chen Nan's finger, the little princess let out a painful groan, and the others came to their senses, secretly marveling at how "extraordinary" this girl truly was.
No dragons or ancient giants appeared along the way, only some magical Western beasts, all of which were dealt with by the bearded Guan Hao in a timely manner. Every time he extracted the magic crystal core from a beast's body, the little princess would scold him for being greedy and cruel.
After the mercenary group leader explained, Chen Nan learned that it wasn't that Guan Hao was greedy. He wanted to go to the Divine Wind Academy in the City of Sin to learn advanced techniques, but he heard that the tuition fees were exorbitantly high, so he had no choice but to try to earn money on the way.
The little princess pouted and said, "Shenfeng Academy only recruits young-level experts. You're so old, why would you want to join in? They won't even accept you."
Guan Haoqi said, "Who says I'm old? I'm only twenty-nine. Anyone under thirty can register for the Shenfeng Academy's test."
"My goodness, you're twenty-nine? You look like a thirty-nine-year-old uncle to me!"
Guan Hao was extremely frustrated. Finally, he borrowed a razor and quickly shaved his full beard clean, making him look younger.
After learning the details about Guan Hao, the little princess stopped scolding him for being greedy and a money-grubber, and began to affectionately call him "Hao Zai".
This made Guan Hao even more depressed.
"Hehe, you're overthinking it. That's not what I meant. But since you've said it yourself, I won't be polite. From now on, I'll call you Mouse."
Everyone burst into laughter, while Guan Hao was so angry he felt like he was going to vomit blood.
Five days later, the group entered a valley in the mountains. Although it was nearly noon, the tall trees on both sides of the road blocked out the scorching sun, so the group did not feel particularly hot.
Just as everyone was setting up their cooking pots, a foul wind suddenly blew through the forest, the earth trembled slightly, and groups of wild beasts emerged from the forest and ran forward, ranging from wild elephants, lions, and tigers to wild foxes and snow rabbits. Fortunately, none of the beasts attacked the group.
The mercenary group leader cried out in alarm and hurriedly gathered his men to prepare for battle.
"Brothers, grab your weapons! We're in trouble. There might be a powerful monster ahead."
Guan Hao whispered to Chen Nan, "Judging from the current situation, it's possible that a second-tier magical beast has successfully advanced to the third tier. Its powerful aura has caused the surrounding beasts to involuntarily come to pay homage."
Chen Nan was astonished and said, "Such a thing actually happened?"
Guan Hao nodded and said, "Yes, this road is usually very safe, and very few people would encounter something like this. I didn't expect us to be so unlucky. A powerful magical beast that has just successfully advanced will definitely use an enemy to establish its dominance, and a fierce battle is inevitable."
The little princess looked excited upon hearing this, almost clapping her hands in delight.
Chen Nan tapped her and said, "You little devil who loves to stir up trouble, what will you do when the magical beasts really attack and everyone is too busy to take care of themselves?"
"Hmph, if you dare to harm even a hair on my head, my sister and the others will not let you off the hook. You will die a horrible death."
Chen Nan was immediately amused: "Haha, you little devil, you're really naive. You still dare to threaten me even now. If I were afraid of your sister, would I have kidnapped you here? Hmm, I know you're a cunning little girl. Don't pretend to be innocent in front of me. Don't try to play tricks on me."
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed from afar: "Roar..."
The horses pulling the cart kept neighing and struggling restlessly.
The merchants panicked, not only because they were afraid of the unknown, powerful monster, but also because they worried that their horses would be startled and lose all their goods.
Seeing that the horses were about to be frightened, the mercenary leader shouted, "Quickly, knock all the horses unconscious!"
The mercenaries sprang into action, striking the horses hard on the head with clubs and then their palms, causing more than twenty horses to fall to the ground.
The leader mounted the earth dragon and shouted, "Prepare for battle!" He then charged forward first, followed closely by the mercenaries with their weapons in hand. The vice-leader used a levitation spell to fly into the air and followed at the very back of the group.
Chen Nan and the little princess followed.
Ahead of the road was an open area, with no tall trees, only some low shrubs. There was a large, dark mass of wild animals lying on the ground, a rather spectacular sight.
Before the prostrate beasts stood a colossal creature, pure white with glossy fur, resembling a tiger but far larger and more imposing, measuring a full three zhang (approximately 10 meters) long—almost as tall as the guild leader's earth dragon. This gigantic beast evoked a strong sense of unease, for it was simply too enormous.
The scene before me was quite similar to that of feudal lords and their subjects paying homage to their ruler in human society, which was quite astonishing.
Someone exclaimed, "A white tiger! But it's so huge! Could it have become a spirit?"
"Even white tigers have stripes; this can't possibly be a tiger."
"What kind of monster is this?"
...
The crowd was buzzing with discussion.
The little princess exclaimed, "So powerful! So beautiful! So adorable!"
Guan Hao said, "In these vast mountains, monsters emerge one after another. This should be a tiger king with the bloodlines of a white tiger and a demon tiger."
The leader nodded in agreement and said, "The more mutated the magical beast, the more terrifying it is. Its power can grow. It has successfully advanced from a second-tier magical beast to a third-tier one. It is the time to establish its authority, but we happen to be here. A fierce battle is inevitable."
As expected of the king of beasts in the area, the Tiger King paid no attention to the arrival of the crowd, merely giving them a cold glance.
The deputy commander landed from the sky and said, "The magical elemental fluctuations around the Tiger King are very strong, which means its magical attacks must be terrifying. Everyone must be careful." Seeing that everyone was a little nervous, he added, "If we can kill it, the magic crystal core inside its body will definitely fetch an astronomical price."
The leader sighed in a barely audible voice, "It's tough. This is a third-tier magical beast. Although we have three first-tier cultivators here, the strength difference between different tiers isn't simply a matter of adding them together. Even if the entire mercenary group attacked together, the outcome was still uncertain."
The vice-captain suddenly shouted, "Oh no! It's preparing to attack! I can sense it gathering magical elements!"
The mercenaries were in a commotion because they were about to face a powerful Tier 3 Tiger King, a terrifying magical beast that was two tiers higher than their leader's Earth Dragon.
The commander ordered, "Everyone, don't panic. Spread out quickly and don't stay together."
These mercenaries, seasoned by life and death, quickly regained their composure and dispersed to more advantageous terrain.
Although the deputy commander was over fifty years old, he reacted quickly and launched the first attack. A gleaming wind blade whistled as it flew towards the Tiger King.
The Tiger King let out a deafening roar, seemingly enraged that everyone dared to attack it. It merely shook its head to dodge the wind blade radiating powerful magical energy, and then raised its head high, revealing a disdainful expression.
Everyone rubbed their eyes in disbelief, finally confirming that the Tiger King did indeed display a disdainful expression.
"This tiger has become a spirit; it can actually express human emotions."
...
The crowd murmured amongst themselves.
The little princess exclaimed excitedly, "It's so cute!"
Chen Nan grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back, away from the danger.
"You scoundrel, let me go! Let me go now..."
The Tiger King roared again, and the beasts that were lying on the ground trembled. Then they all stood up tremblingly and made way for the Tiger King.
Chen Nan was astonished and couldn't help but say, "This is really strange...it's so human-like."
At this moment, Tiger King, the captain, the vice captain, and Guan Hao were in a standoff. The other mercenaries were scattered around them, surrounding them. The beasts, intimidated by Tiger King's power, trembled not far away and dared not come closer.
"Roar..." After the Tiger King roared, it opened its mouth and spat out a bolt of lightning. The powerful arc of electricity crackled in the air as it struck the magician.
The magician quickly chanted a spell, and the ground in front of him began to rise, forming an earth shield in front of him. At the same time, he also erected a water shield in front of him.
The lightning pierced the earth shield, instantly disintegrating it into a pile of earth and rocks. Then it struck the water shield, and after a series of crackling sparks, the water shield also collapsed, turning into a cloud of water mist.
The magician hurriedly rolled to the side, but the electric arc still touched his body. He screamed in agony, his hair stood on end, and his entire body was charred black from the electric shock.
If it weren't for the earth and water shields blocking most of the electric arcs, the mage's life would have been in danger, and it took him a long time to shakily get up.
At this moment, all members of the mercenary group had taken action, and crossbow bolts whizzed past, raining down on the Tiger King like locusts.
Despite its enormous size, the Tiger King was incredibly agile. With a few leaps, it broke free from the encirclement and then lashed out at the mercenaries on the perimeter with a sweeping, overwhelming force.
Five mercenaries were struck by the Tiger King's massive tail, which was like a steel whip, and died instantly with broken bones and torso. The others were terrified and ran away as fast as they could.
The commander hurriedly urged the earth dragon forward, with Guan Hao following closely behind him.
The tiger king's fur shimmered in the sunlight, its strong, snow-white body appearing exceptionally majestic. Facing the men and dragon approaching menacingly, its eyes flashed with ferocity, poised to pounce.
The commander, riding his earth dragon, charged forward in the blink of an eye, thrusting his dragon-slaying spear towards the Tiger King's throat. At the same time, Guan Hao arrived, swinging his greatsword to slash at the Tiger King's abdomen.
With a roar, the Tiger King leaped up, dodging the two attacks, and pounced on the leader on the earth dragon's back.
The earth dragon was actually taller than the tiger king, but it cowered in fear when facing it.
Seeing that it was too late to urge the earth dragon to dodge, the guild leader quickly leaped down and ran away into the distance.
The giant tiger, three zhang long, pounced on the five-zhang long earth dragon and knocked it to the ground. Then it opened its huge mouth and bit down on the dragon's neck. The earth dragon struggled frantically, but it still couldn't escape the tiger's jaws. The tiger king bit down on its neck, and blood gushed out.
The commander, his eyes bloodshot with rage, roared and charged forward, his sharp Dragon-Slaying Spear plunging deep into the tiger's belly, a spurt of blood shooting out. Guan Hao also charged forward, swinging his greatsword and slashing fiercely at the tiger's back, blood dripping down the tiger king's glossy white fur.
The Tiger King, in pain, released the earth dragon.
Taking this moment to catch its breath, the earth dragon rolled over and got up. Perhaps because it had suffered so much, it hated the tiger king so much that it temporarily forgot its fear and viciously charged at the tiger king.
The tiger king was knocked away by the impact, and the mercenaries around it rushed up, wielding knives, spears, and clubs at it. In the blink of an eye, it was covered in blood.
"Roar..." With a loud roar, the Tiger King staggered to its feet, spewing out a large spray of flames. The mercenaries screamed in agony as they were burned, retreating hastily. But six of them were torn apart by the Tiger King as it pursued them, their blood staining the road red. The rest were terrified.
Just as everyone was in grave danger, the vice-captain had recovered. He chanted a long incantation, and magical elements gathered wildly in front of him. Finally, he gently waved his wand, and suddenly, fine snowflakes began to fall, bringing a chill to the sweltering summer day.
Suddenly, a large number of magical elements appeared in front of the ferocious tiger king, and a thick layer of solid ice appeared on its body. The ice grew thicker and thicker until it completely froze the tiger king inside.
The survivors cheered, and the Tiger King was frozen inside a huge block of ice.
But before the cheers had even subsided, the ice began to crack.
Cracks began to spread downwards from the top of the ice block, and finally, with a bang, the entire ice block shattered completely. The Tiger King reappeared before everyone's eyes, but this time it was clearly weak and listless.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the deputy commander, the commander, and Guan Hao launched another attack. After the deputy commander finished chanting the incantation, an ice spear appeared in front of him and flew towards the Tiger King like lightning, accurately piercing its chest. The commander and Guan Hao also plunged their Dragon-Slaying Spear and Greatsword into its abdomen, respectively. Then, the two leaped onto the tiger's back and fiercely struck its massive head.
The tiger king swayed violently, and blood gushed out from its body, leaving it covered in blood, its once white and glossy fur now completely stained red.
At this moment, the commander's earth dragon was no longer afraid of the tiger king and charged at it madly, its huge body knocking it away.
The leader and Guan Hao floated to the side. When the earth dragon charged at it again, the tiger king suddenly stood up unsteadily and let out a deafening roar. The earth dragon was so frightened that it stopped in its tracks.
An unexpected change occurred: a pair of pure white wings suddenly appeared out of thin air on the tiger king's abdomen, forming a stark contrast with its blood-soaked body. Then, a single horn, about half a foot long and as white as jade, grew from its forehead.
This astonishing change left everyone present speechless.
Chen Nan was secretly alarmed. He knew that this was the Tiger King's true fighting state. If it had revealed its true strength earlier, the group might not have been able to hurt it.
The little princess's face lit up with joy, and she said, "This tiger king is so majestic and beautiful! How wonderful it would be if it could be my mount!"
The leader shouted, "Don't be afraid, everyone! It transformed too late. It's already seriously injured and won't last much longer. Let's all charge forward!" With that, he charged forward first, followed closely by the others. But the earth dragon cowered and dared not go any further.
The Tiger King soared into the sky and instantly reached a high altitude. It roared continuously in the air, and bolts of lightning struck down from the sky, followed by large swaths of flames sweeping down.
Lightning and flames danced wildly in the air, and cries of agony came from the ground. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen people were struck by electric arcs and fell into the flames, and a burnt smell filled the air.
Because of the trees blocking the view, the merchants in the distance could not see the horrific scene of the battle, but they could see flames soaring into the sky, lightning flashing wildly, and a huge, roaring monster in the air. They were terrified and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
The giant tiger was already severely injured, and after its onslaught, it became even weaker. However, by the time it stopped attacking, more than a dozen people on the ground had lost their lives.
Guan Hao picked up a spear from the ground and threw it forcefully. With a thud, it pierced the right wing of the creature. The creature swayed in the air and almost lost its balance and fell.
The Tiger King erupted in fury once more, frantically gathering nearby magical elements, causing violent energy fluctuations to emanate from the air.
The deputy commander shouted, "This is bad! The magical power is too strong this time. The Tiger King is going all out! Everyone, run! Otherwise, we'll all perish together with it!"
Chen Nan didn't want to cause trouble, but seeing that the mercenary group was already struggling, he had no choice but to intervene. Seeing him walk forward, the little princess cried out, "You scoundrel, before you go to your death, release the restrictions on me first!"
"Shut your little jinx." With that, he tapped the little princess on the forehead.
The little princess cried out in pain, "You scoundrel, I curse you to never return!"
"Then you can just wait for the wonderful feeling when the Sleepy God Finger Power kicks in."
Chen Nan quickly approached the deputy commander and asked, "Do you have a way to get me onto Tiger King's back quickly?"
The deputy commander was taken aback and said, "You... how did you get here? Leave quickly, I can't protect you here."
Chen Nan raised his hand and unleashed a golden sword aura, saying, "As long as you can send me up there, I can kill it."
The deputy commander immediately realized that the young man before him was a master. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Can you manage alone?"
"It will definitely work. Don't hesitate, or more people will die once it gathers enough magical energy."
Without further hesitation, the deputy commander said, "Okay, thank you."
He chanted a spell, and endless wind elements rapidly gathered around Chen Nan. He gently waved his wand, and Chen Nan was swept up by a gust of wind, rushing straight towards the Tiger King in the air.
The Tiger King was gathering magical elements in the air when it noticed the uninvited guest rapidly rising from the ground. Chen Nan had already been teleported by the vice-captain to within three zhang of it.
Just as it was about to open its mouth and spew flames, Chen Nan acted first. He quickly threw the spear he had prepared beforehand, and the spear, emitting a faint golden light, instantly pierced the tiger king's neck.
The tiger king let out a long, mournful howl, tumbled in the air, and sprayed blood everywhere, creating a large rain of blood in the sky.
After exhausting his last bit of magical energy, the vice-captain finally managed to get Chen Nan onto the Tiger King's back.
At this moment, the tiger king gradually lost its balance in the air and kept swaying. Chen Nan hurriedly grabbed its fur and steadied himself.
Gradually, the tiger king regained its balance, but by then its injuries were threatening its life. It had no desire to assert its dominance over the beasts any longer and quickly flew away into the distance.
Chen Nan was in a great hurry. He quickly climbed to the tiger's neck, steadied himself, and swung his fist to smash its head.
The tiger king's body swayed again and plummeted rapidly toward the ground.
Chen Nan dared not exert any more force. At this moment, the Tiger King was extremely weak. If he were to unleash his sword energy, he could easily kill it, but he himself would also be smashed to pieces. The wind whistled past his ears, making him tense.
When it was less than ten feet from the ground, the Tiger King regained its footing and stopped its fall. By then, blood was seeping from its ears and nose, and its muscles were spasming slightly. The repeated blows had left it extremely weak.