Chapter 7: Life Hanging by a Thread

Under the sky-shading, towering ancient tree, among the swaying branches, a nimble figure darted through the jungle. Its massive body smashed forward recklessly, and thick branches snapped with a crack. As this figure crashed about, the entire ground shook violently, as if brewing a massive earthquake.

With a dull thud, the opponent’s huge body plummeted to the ground like a giant rock. Cracks spread out from under its feet.

After this demon beast landed, its pair of blood-red pupils, which shimmered with a strange light, fixed on Mu Xian without moving. Its mouth opened slightly, and even its sharp fangs held a clump of unknown beast’s fur. Even from over ten meters away, Mu Xian could smell the thick, choking scent of blood that emanated from its body.

This demon beast stood over three meters tall, half a body taller than Mu Xian. Standing before Mu Xian, it was like a towering mountain, giving him an immense sense of pressure.

“Blazing Flame Demon Tiger? Damn it, why is there a Blazing Flame Demon Tiger here?” Recognizing the origin of the demon beast before him, Mu Xian’s pupils contracted, and his mood became exceptionally heavy.

The Blazing Flame Demon Tiger was a third-tier demon beast, equivalent to a human Martial Master of the True Essence Realm. Mu Xian was currently only at the high stage of the Flesh Body Realm. The gap between them was simply too vast to bridge.

Mu Xian naturally knew why the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger had found him.

Earlier, while enduring immense pain, Mu Xian had practically gotten blood all around his body. And the demon beasts in the jungle were most susceptible to the stimulation of blood.

When Mu Xian first entered the jungle, he had been treading on thin ice, cautious everywhere. It was only after taking the medicine prepared with the Ironwood Forest Leaf as a catalyst that he became too preoccupied to pay attention to anything else.

Mu Xian had been puzzled earlier, wondering why there were no demon beasts within hundreds of meters around this withered ancient tree. Now, seeing the appearance of the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger, he completely understood.

As the king of the jungle, naturally no demon beast dared to step into its territory casually.

“Was this what they called laughing before crying?” Seeing the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger look at him with a mocking gaze, a bitter smile appeared at the corner of Mu Xian’s mouth.

While Mu Xian was still thinking of a way to deal with the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger, it opened its mouth and let out a heaven-shaking roar.

Immediately after, the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger’s huge body lunged toward Mu Xian like a cannonball. Its massive form gave Mu Xian a suffocating sense of pressure.

“Beast! Don’t you dare think I’m afraid of you!” Mu Xian was still hesitating whether to fight or flee. Seeing the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger attack without warning, anger flared up in his heart instantly.

“If you were a human cultivator, I might run as far as I could. But for a mere beast like you to dare bully me, do you think I’m made of clay?”

Facing the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger’s fierce pounce, Mu Xian showed no intention of retreating. Instead, he dove forward, charging straight toward the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger.

In almost the blink of an eye, Mu Xian’s body appeared right under the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger. The sharp Black Iron Sword in his hand quickly thrust toward the softest part of the tiger’s belly.

In his previous life, although Mu Xian was a Spiritual Pharmacist, he had never given up on training the Martial Path. His training in the Martial Path always advanced side by side with his cultivation of Spiritual Power.

At the time, many people thought it was just a strange quirk of Mu Xian’s, a complete waste of energy and time. After all, during the process of cultivating Spiritual Power, a Spiritual Master’s body strength would always improve and increase somewhat due to the transformation and nourishment of Spiritual Power. Such body strength was sufficient to allow them to skillfully and freely use the Spiritual Power within their bodies in battle or cultivation, without being unable to bear it.

However, gradually, people could no longer remain calm. Even though Mu Xian practiced Spirit and Martial Dual Cultivation, his cultivation speed was not the slightest bit slower than those who solely practiced the Martial Path or the Spiritual Path. And Mu Xian’s fighting power could be described as monstrous. He could not only challenge opponents of the same realm but a higher rank than himself, he could even challenge Spiritual Masters of a higher realm.

The phenomenon occurring with Mu Xian immediately attracted the attention of many old monsters. After carefully studying it, they ultimately reached a conclusion: Martial Cultivation was more beneficial for improving body strength. The higher the body strength, the more Spiritual Power could be stored within the muscles and meridians. Naturally, both cultivation speed and fighting power would greatly increase.

An inconsiderate action by Mu Xian unintentionally triggered a great revolution in the cultivation world. It not only greatly elevated the status of Martial Masters but also opened a new era for Spiritual Cultivation.

Having already tasted the sweetness of Spirit and Martial Dual Cultivation in his past life, Mu Xian would naturally not abandon the Martial Cultivation path to focus solely on Spiritual Power in this life. So, upon seeing the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger, an itch in his heart made him use the Sword Step technique, which he was extremely familiar with in his past life.

Sword Step was a special movement-type martial skill. It sensed the presence of the sword and, following the sword’s swings, stepped out with footwork most suited to the sword technique. The higher the mastery of sword arts, the more exquisite the Sword Step became.

When Sword Step was practiced to an exquisite level, a single step out could cause the surrounding air to shatter, transforming into razor-sharp edges. It held a fierce potential, like an arrow on a drawn bowstring, ready to be released. Hence, it was also called Arrow Step.

In his past life, Mu Xian not only used Sword Step to train the Martial Path and enhance his physical strength, but he also habitually used it in battle.

The Blazing Flame Demon Tiger clearly hadn’t expected that a weak human like Mu Xian would dare challenge its authority. In extreme rage, its enormous bloody maw suddenly opened, and a thunderous roar shot out from its mouth, causing the air to churn violently.

At the same time, the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger’s huge, sharp paw tore through the air, slamming heavily toward Mu Xian’s back.

With his Spiritual Sense sweeping over the large paw descending toward his back, Mu Xian frowned slightly. If he let that giant claw hit him, although he could seriously injure the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger, he would absolutely be torn to shreds by its sharp claws.

Mu Xian did not want to trade his life for a chance to wound the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger. The steps under his feet changed, and the sword in his hand shifted from a thrust to an upward slice, cutting from below toward the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger’s claws from behind.

A series of clanging sounds rang out as the cold blade of the Black Iron Sword slammed fiercely into the claws the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger was swiping toward Mu Xian’s back.

A shower of sparks burst into the air, like brilliant fireworks blooming out of nowhere.

“Not good! With my strength, aside from attacking its vital weak points, attacking anywhere else simply cannot inflict any harm on the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger!” Sensing the hardness of the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger’s claws, the direction of Mu Xian’s steps changed strangely once again, putting several meters of distance between him and the tiger.

After both sides regained their footing, Mu Xian’s eyes were filled with gravity, while the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger’s cold gaze brimmed with endless fury. It seemed to feel humiliation and anger for failing to smash Mu Xian to pieces with one swipe.

The Blazing Flame Demon Tiger opened its bloody maw again, and a roar powerful enough to shatter mountains and rivers surged toward Mu Xian.

Invisible sound waves abruptly struck Mu Xian’s body, causing it to noticeably freeze. A wave of dizziness even welled up in his mind.

At the same time, the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger’s legs pushed off. Its fiery red, streamlined back straightened suddenly like a giant bow being drawn taut. Its body lunged toward Mu Xian’s direction with an overwhelming force. Its scarlet pupils flashed with endless killing intent.

Wherever the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger’s body passed, trees collapsed with a crash.

“It actually knows how to use Divine Soul attacks. This Blazing Flame Demon Tiger is definitely no ordinary demon beast.” Just as the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger’s front paw was about to smash Mu Xian’s head, a flash of angry resentment suddenly appeared in Mu Xian’s eyes, followed by a bright smile at the corner of his mouth. “Since you refuse to face me squarely with your physical strength, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

In the instant the claw was about to land, a strange gleam flashed in Mu Xian’s eyes. Simultaneously, his free left hand flicked lightly. Flecks of black powder shot toward the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger in mid-air.

After being swept by Mu Xian’s gaze, the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger’s eyes went blank for a split second. Although it regained alertness instantly, that blink of time was enough for the black powder to shoot into its mouth.

Only after watching the black powder fall into the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger’s mouth did Mu Xian execute a Sword Step with his foot, moving past the tiger in the most incredible manner.

The next moment, the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger’s frenzied body shot straight through Mu Xian’s afterimage, crashing heavily into a towering ancient tree. Its exceedingly sharp claws directly smashed a trunk thick enough for two people to embrace into powder. The towering ancient tree broke with a crack, the sound echoing continuously, triggering a violent earthquake.

The Blazing Flame Demon Tiger clearly hadn’t realized what had just happened.

Having had its two consecutive fierce attacks dodged by Mu Xian, the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger was thoroughly enraged. The red color in its pupils deepened, its roars resounded through the sky, and its mountain-like massive body began to charge about recklessly, destroying countless ancient trees.

“He who sows trouble reaps disaster.” Seeing the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger’s attacks had clearly lost all discipline, a mocking smile appeared at the corner of Mu Xian’s mouth.

Facing the increasingly fierce attacks of the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger, Mu Xian’s face showed no trace of panic or fear. Instead, he danced about gracefully, as if taking a leisurely stroll in a courtyard, narrowly dodging the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger’s pounces each time.

At the same time, the Black Iron Sword in Mu Xian’s hand occasionally tugged at the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. Faint, barely visible sword shadows began to bloom in his hand.

Under the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger’s frenzied onslaught, Mu Xian’s body performed one extreme movement after another. The footwork under his feet also slowly transformed from initially awkward to flowing smoothly. The sword shadows in his hand gradually multiplied, becoming exceptionally concentrated and intense, from just a few at first.

Slowly, Mu Xian became completely immersed in this exhilarating and satisfying battle. His eyes saw only the Blazing Flame Demon Tiger, nothing else. His mind held only the Sword Step under his feet—sword rises, foot lifts; sword falls, foot settles. His entire being entered a mysterious and profound state.