Old Chen's mood was heavy as he said, "There's no time left. By the time Qingmu brings help, everything here will be over." Wang Xuan frowned, realizing he had indeed overlooked this—they were in the Void Time, a very special state, and it would be too late by the time Qingmu returned. By then, the red-clad female demoness would have already broken through the veil; if she stood here, the inner scene would surely be drenched in blood, potentially killing them all.
Bang! Another crack appeared in the veil, shaking the entire inner scene and creating a sense of oppressive dread. The identity of the red-clad demoness from over two thousand years ago was likely astonishing; otherwise, she wouldn't be so arrogant as to think the later female sword immortals had heard her legend.
At that moment, the white tiger, having lost a claw, stood back up. Seeing the red-clad demoness so invincible, it regained its spirit and silently approached Wang Xuan and the others. "The big cat is back!" Qingmu's body stiffened; he had several blood holes in him, completely transparent. Here in the inner scene, he wouldn't die, but if he were taken away by the white tiger to another place, he'd already be a corpse.
Old Chen was equally furious; he had just surpassed the grandmaster level not long ago, only to be devoured by a great demon, half his body bitten through. The white tiger opened its massive jaws, seemingly laughing, swirling with malevolence, and amidst its ferocity, there was a hint of mockery and strong malice. Its master was about to attack, and it could hardly restrain itself.
"Do you still want to taste my sword?" Old Chen shouted. Wang Xuan added, "After being toyed with for so many years, this little cat should know better than to act up, or else it might get poked with a sword again!" Qingmu chimed in, "Who says you can't touch a tiger's butt? I struck it with the second sword, but unfortunately, this big cat's skin is tough, and the sword only pierced halfway."
The big cat seemed confused—were these three actually talking to it? Was it deliberately provoking death? It must be tired of living! It glanced at the woman holding the oil-paper umbrella behind the veil, seemingly transported back to its former era, where it was unmatched and made all the top experts bow down before it!
Thus, it floated up, stepping elegantly toward the three. Wang Xuan decided to call out to the female sword immortal. They were provoking the white tiger in hopes of getting the sword immortal to act, yet the big cat approached with elegance, and she hadn't moved. "Sword Immortal, this demon has offended you; it didn't lie down to listen to your teachings but stood up instead."
Upon hearing this, the big cat stiffened slightly but became angrier. What nonsense was this? Lying down was normal; standing up was an offense? It felt these three were taking advantage of its situation, and their hearts were treacherous! Suddenly, its tiger eyes widened, and it raised its head to reveal its sharp white fangs to the three.
The sword immortal cast a cold glance their way, and the big cat, without hesitation, lay down on the ground, lowering its gaze and drooping its eyelids, motionless. "This tiger is shameless!" Old Chen exclaimed. Wang Xuan nodded, "If this big cat knew shame, it wouldn't have let us toy with it for so many years." The big cat remained unfazed, looking down to count how many tiger hairs were on its large paw.
Bang! A terrifying sound erupted as six cracks in the veil burst simultaneously, like shimmering crystal about to shatter under immense pressure. The red-clad demoness, composed and powerful, only used her right hand, her white and crystalline fist exuding boundless power, aiming to pierce through two realms!
The sword immortal acted, but rather than directly confronting the red-clad woman, she thrust her sword into the white tiger's forehead. The tiger howled in pain, throwing its head back fiercely; it wasn't dead but had weakened considerably and shrunk in size.
In an instant, the red-clad woman vanished into thin air, the cracks in the veil gradually disappearing, and in the distance, a vague silhouette in red appeared, indicating how far away she was. She walked back slowly, her gaze chilling, fixed on the sword immortal. The sword immortal, undeterred, held her sword proudly, confronting the legendary demoness without a trace of fear.
At that moment, the ghostly monk appeared again. He peeked into the entrance of the inner scene, watched for a moment, then strode forward, still saying nothing, dragging the prostrated white tiger away like it was a dead dog, not caring where he was taking it. He was astute, recognizing that with the sword immortal and the legendary red-clad demoness in a standoff, there was no real danger, so he decided to lend a hand.
The white tiger was furious. Where was this dead monk taking it? It struggled violently, refusing to go. After all, it had suffered at the hands of those bald heads and had no desire to enter their temple again. The big cat fought and then bit back, resisting and trying to wrestle with the old monk.
The old monk was remarkably brave, confident in dealing with the white tiger demon, ready to subdue it with a good beating! The white tiger was enraged and wanted to roar, "Bald head, what does this have to do with you?" Then it spat blood from its seven orifices, unable to break free, as the old monk sat atop it and pounded it relentlessly.
Wang Xuan: "..." He didn't know what to say anymore. Old Chen was also speechless; this monk was unexpectedly adaptable, keenly assessing the situation and returning so boldly to "contribute."
The sword immortal glanced at the old monk with disdain, floated over with her graceful form, and without a word, swiftly struck off one of the big cat's hind legs with her sword. The old monk's body instantly stiffened, splattered with tiger blood, as golden light radiated from him, the Buddhist light illuminating and drying the blood on his monk robe.
The female sword immortal lifted the massive tiger leg and, not far away, began to slice off the tiger's skin with her sword, washing it with mysterious energy. She then ignited a fire to start cooking, soon tasting the tiger meat in small bites.
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This was astonishing! They were in the inner scene, where the bloodshed wasn't real; there was no physical white tiger—only the manifestation of residual spiritual energy. Old Chen and Qingmu were mentally scarred, not physically torn apart.
The red-clad demoness's expression turned extremely cold. Gripping her oil-paper umbrella with both hands, she struck the veil with great force. The paper umbrella erupted with blinding red light, like a vast ocean crashing down, causing numerous cracks to appear in the veil, almost tearing it apart.
Whoosh! The female sword immortal swept her sword again, leaving another scar on the white tiger's head, causing its body to shrink even more. This frustrated the red-clad demoness; her connection to this side grew weaker, severed by some unknown force, and she retreated further away.
Wang Xuan spoke gravely, "The white tiger might be one of the links between the red-clad woman and the real world, allowing her to sense everything happening here from a great distance!" Old Chen nodded seriously, saying, "We must eliminate the tiger demon today!" "Exactly!" Wang Xuan agreed, equally solemn.
Then Qingmu watched as Wang Jiaozu and Old Chen exchanged a knowing glance, both clearly on the same wavelength. They retrieved the black sword and dashed toward the white tiger's injured hind leg, which was being pinned down by the old monk, starting to slice the meat and then attempting to... eat it raw!
Qingmu was dumbfounded. Weren't they supposed to be fighting demons? Why were they eating first?! "Qingmu, hurry over! This isn't real meat; it's the essence of mysterious energy!" Old Chen called out to his disciple, urging him to join in the feast.
Realizing the truth, Qingmu rushed over, biting into the injured tiger leg before it was even cut off! He was surprisingly more enthusiastic than Old Chen and Wang Xuan combined. The white tiger roared, shaking the entire inner scene with its rage and despair, but it was pinned down by the monk and unable to move.
The old monk looked at the scene, gritted his teeth, and joined in, attempting to feast on the white tiger. This left Old Chen, Wang Xuan, and Qingmu stunned! However, the old monk was separated by a faint light barrier and couldn't eat the tiger meat, ultimately just continuing to pummel the beast.
With a swish, a bright sword light flashed, cleaving the white tiger's head off. The female sword immortal pointed coldly at the severed head, signaling Wang Xuan and the others to stay still.
What did this mean?! Ultimately, the three of them deduced that the remaining spiritual energy of the white tiger seemed concentrated in its head, with none left in its body. At least after they began eating, they absorbed only the purest essence of mysterious energy without any remnants of the white tiger's spirit.
Now they felt more at ease! Soon after, Old Chen and Qingmu's injuries remarkably healed; the effect was astounding! The old monk silently removed two tiger legs and, with a sigh, handed them to Wang Xuan and Old Chen.
In the distance, the massive head of the white tiger drooped, filled with resentment and sorrow, wishing to roar in frustration at its bad luck for encountering such fierce opponents. The "white tiger" was indeed a potent tonic, but as they continued eating, the three of them found they could no longer consume any more.
Wang Xuan stood up and quickly practiced the third form from the Five Pages of Golden Scripture. He felt his body was on the verge of bursting from excess, needing to expend some energy. Eventually, his organs repeatedly damaged but were automatically repaired by the mysterious energy within him, and after an unknown period, he successfully mastered it!
Old Chen came over and patted his shoulder, saying, "Don't space out; it's time to go. You were so engrossed in practicing Old Zhang's body technique that you didn't notice the passage of time—many years have gone by now." He added quietly, "We should leave soon."
He gestured for Wang Xuan to look in another direction. The sword immortal floated over from the inner scene's veil, glanced at Wang Xuan, and then struck the white tiger's head into pieces.
Then, the inner scene began to tremble violently, about to vanish. The cold, mocking laughter of the red-clad woman echoed as the white tiger was slain, her killing intent soaring. She turned and walked deeper into the world beyond the veil, where a crumbling temple and shattered statues were visible, stepping over rubble without a backward glance.
Surprisingly, a small white tiger, about a foot long, followed her, turning back to snarl at Wang Xuan and Old Chen, waving its claws in mockery. Wang Xuan's expression turned grave as he pondered, "Could it be that the white tiger demon successfully ascended back then, or was it that it wasn't truly dead from the thunder strike but was rescued by the demoness, leaving behind a piece of its bone to serve as a link to the real world?"
The old monk clasped his hands together in silent sorrow, ultimately letting out a soundless sigh as he rushed out of the inner scene. The female sword immortal also floated out, her sword light flickering away into nothingness.
Wang Xuan gazed at the direction they had departed, saying, "Old Chen, you might be onto something; the flow of time might be consistent inside and outside. The sword immortal and the old monk didn't slow down when they left, moving just as quickly as they did in the inner scene. But when I saw you leave, you moved much slower outside; it must be a matter of strength."
"We can study these issues later." Old Chen urged him to hurry out from the edge of the inner scene. Soon, the three of them returned, having gained significant benefits.
When Qingmu awoke, he immediately began taking notes: "I once stood alongside the unparalleled sword immortal! I witnessed the sword immortal battle against the supreme demoness from over two thousand years ago! I feasted on meat with the Bodhisattva, and together we eliminated a white tiger demon in an ancient inner scene filled with celestial beings!"
Wang Xuan initially wanted to laugh but quickly felt a sense of melancholy. All these experiences occurred in the inner scene, blurring the line between reality and illusion; once they returned to the outside world, everything was invisible.
Those immortals, demons, and Buddhas were all ancient beings, long gone. Their flesh had been shattered by thunder, leaving only residual spiritual power that manifested in this era. Would there ever be a day to truly see them, to witness that magnificent ancient world of celestial beings?
Wang Xuan couldn't help but sigh. If the old monk had indeed passed, leaving only his obsession to venture into the void, then everything happening now could merely be the resonance of his lingering thoughts. If the sword immortal had been shattered by thunder in ancient times, leaving only her spirit embedded in blackened bones, they could only meet in the inner scene, their encounters feeling like mere dreams. If the red-clad demoness truly was unique, she might reappear one day, and that would be terrifying indeed.
Wang Xuan hoped the old monk was still alive and even more wished for the sword immortal to return to the mortal realm. He dreaded the thought of a terrifying being like the red-clad demoness walking among them.
He looked out the window at the bright moon and star-filled sky, with interstellar ships departing and silver warships gliding across the horizon. In that moment, he felt invigorated, filled with determination.
This was the real world—a time of brilliant technology, with medicine profoundly advanced. In the future, the resurrection of the dead might not be impossible. Against this vast backdrop, he sought the path of ancient techniques, continually growing stronger; in the future, anything was possible!