Chapter 113: Hunting Tigers
Chapter 113: Hunting Tigers
The Sabertooth Tiger, one of the strongest Wild Beasts in the Great Wilderness.
This large predator sat high on the Wilderness food chain. It liked to hunt Savage Oxen and Horned Sheep. Its fighting power was incredibly fierce.
One adult Sabertooth Tiger equaled an entry-level Totem Warrior.
Ordinary Giant Warriors needed to form an elite squad equipped with metal weapons.
Then they might defeat and kill one grown Sabertooth Tiger.
But it must be a solitary tiger.
This time, the Shan Yue Tribe sentries spotted a pack of tigers.
Nine Sabertooth Tigers in total!
The area around Shan Yue Village had been cleared many times by tribe hunters. No fierce beasts lived there.
This pack had chased herds of Savage Oxen migrating south, entering Shan Yue territory.
Faced with this situation, the Shan Yue Giants could have ignored it.
The Sabertooth Tigers would leave naturally.
But winter was approaching.
Shan Tai wanted to hunt this pack. He wanted to add to the tribe’s store of meat and animal hides.
Every part of the Sabertooth Tiger was precious.
Tiger hide offered great warmth and was very tough.
Tiger meat was an excellent ingredient to make medicine.
Tiger bones and tendons were also good for medicine or eating.
A dagger made from a Sabertooth Tiger’s tooth could easily pierce the thick hide of a wild boar.
Then there was the tiger whip.
It was a powerful source of strength for the men tasked with bearing children to grow the tribe!
“Oh, and tiger blood.”
Shan Tai said to Gao Jing. “At your current strength, you can drink raw tiger blood now.”
Sabertooth Tiger blood held intense life force. Drinking it while training your Totemic Power brought great results.
But the blood had to be absolutely fresh. Otherwise, it was completely useless.
Like most Wild Beasts, Sabertooth Tigers couldn’t be kept captive.
Their temper was extremely fierce. Even if captured alive, they would struggle, fight, and exhaust themselves to death.
So unless there was a special method, tiger blood usually had to be drunk fresh from the kill.
It couldn’t be brought back.
This was why Shan Tai invited Gao Jing to join the hunt.
Because now, every Shan Yue Giant accepted Gao Jing as a tribal member.
And as a Totem Warrior, he deserved this privilege.
Even just watching!
It was an honor.
The hunting team, made of five Totem Warriors and seven tribe warriors, waited at the village entrance, fully prepared.
Shan Tai led them personally.
Gao Jing rode ‘stored’ in a Back Basket carried by one tribe warrior.
This warrior wouldn’t join the fight.
“Move out!”
At Shan Tai’s command, the tiger hunting team set off right away.
They didn’t have much time.
They had to finish the hunt before sunset. Otherwise, the pack could easily use the cover of darkness to escape.
Or even ambush and attack the hunters.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
A dozen sturdy mountain dogs followed close behind.
They were the hunters’ best helpers!
After half an hour of running, the hunting team reached where the sentries first saw the Sabertooth Tigers.
The keen-nosed mountain dogs found large piles of tiger droppings scattered in the grass very soon.
They also determined the pack’s direction of travel.
The hunt team launched a pursuit immediately.
Caried by the tribe warrior, Gao Jing stood with his feet on the Clay Pots inside the Vine Basket.
He leaned out, looking left and right.
The first time he saw the Great Wilderness Giants.
The Shan Yue hunters had been killing Savage Oxen.
The sight had shocked him deeply then.
Now, being part of the tribe’s hunting group, his feelings felt very different.
All around him were Giant Warriors sprinting fast.
All over twenty meters tall, they moved like living mountains. Their heavy steps rumbled across the land.
Their presence was overwhelming.
These fearless warriors only wore half-cover animal hides. Their bronzed chests and backs were exposed.
Massive muscles moved rhythmically with each stride, pulsing with terrifying power.
The Totem Warriors, including Shan Tai, had different Totems etched onto their bodies.
This was the source of their superhuman strength.
Although Totem Warriors could hide their totem markings beneath their skin,
no Giant did this unless fighting enemies of their own tribe.
Because the totem clearly showed their identity and rank. It was a proud badge, not something to hide.
They’d gladly cover their whole bodies with them if they could.
Gao Jing could fully sense the aura of power radiating from these warriors.
Ancient. Deep. Powerful!
This made him sharply aware of the huge gap between himself and a Great Wilderness Totem Warrior!
It also strengthened his determination to master the Titan Totem.
Only by fully awakening this totem’s power could he hope to bridge that gap.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
After over two hours of pursuit.
The mountain guard dogs running ahead began barking loudly.
“Sabertooth tigers!”
Shan Tai growled in a low voice.
Hearing this, the warriors immediately halted and quickly spread out.
Form battle formations!
The tribal warrior carrying Gao Jing broke away from the group, retreating to a much safer spot.
He and Gao Jing only needed to watch from a distance.
At that moment, Gao Jing spotted the sabertooth tiger pack a few miles away.
He pulled out a high-powered telescope.
The sabertooth tigers resembled those from the Middle Eocene period of the Primary World, belonging to large feline predators.
Their bodies were covered in mottled golden-brown fur, with sleek and powerful builds and strong limbs. Their most distinctive feature was undoubtedly the pair of 1.5-meter-long saber teeth.
Gao Jing had once seen a sabertooth tiger head mounted on the wall in the Elder Shaman’s room.
Those sword-like teeth left a deep impression on him.
These long teeth were also the sabertooth tiger’s deadliest weapon. A single bite to the throat could easily kill a novice Totem Warrior!
Thus, hunting sabertooth tigers always carried the risk of injuries and deaths for the Shan Yue Tribe.
Even with Totem Warriors present, accidents could never be entirely prevented.
However, today’s hunt involved five Totem Warriors from the tribe, including Shan Tai.
There was basically no chance of failure.
The target pack consisted of nine sabertooth tigers: one adult male, four females, and four cubs.
A whole tiger family.
In fact, most sabertooth tiger packs usually had only one adult male.
Serving as the leader.
The cubs would be driven away upon maturing to seek companions and form new packs.
Young males competed through brutal fights to win dominance over a pack and mating rights.
Losers were forced to wander the Wilderness alone.
Sometimes returning to challenge again after growing stronger.
Larger packs could number twenty to thirty cats.
This particular pack was clearly much weaker.
Hearing the mountain guard dogs bark, the sabertooth tigers immediately grew tense and uneasy.
They changed direction.
Two females shielded the four cubs.
The other two followed their male leader, roaring at the approaching giants.
“RrrrOWWW!”
Their roars carried strong warnings and fury.
Though ferocious, sabertooth tigers weren’t mindless beasts.
They assessed their opponents’ strength and rarely attacked without confidence in victory.
Adults also prioritized protecting cubs.
The male leader sensed the threat from the Shan Yue Giants and tried to intimidate them into retreating.
But with a wave of Shan Tai’s hand, four Totem Warriors and five tribal warriors swiftly flanked the tigers.
All warriors simultaneously raised their Black Iron Spears.
These brand-new spears were hunting weapons acquired in a recent trade with the Qinghe Merchant Caravan.
Their incredibly sharp metal tips shone with a dark blue gleam. Silvery patterns rippled across the surface, flashing threateningly under the sunlight.
The battle was about to erupt. Tension filled the air.
This made the giant male tiger even more agitated as it stared fixedly at the approaching Shan Yue Giant.
Its huge eyes gleamed with bloodlust!
“ROAR!”
The next instant, it exploded into movement, charging at the nearest Totem Warrior.
Fast as lightning.
“Kill!”
At almost the same moment, Shan Tai roared fiercely.
The warriors hurled their spears at the tiger pack with all their might!
Meanwhile, Shan Tai rushed forward, smashing brutally into the strongest male leader.
THUMP!
Shan Tai remained unmoved.
A muted golden aura covered his body, like a thick suit of armor.
He seemed invincible.
Battle Qi Armor Manifestation!
The mark of a High-tier Totem Warrior!
The sabertooth male, however, got knocked flying over a hundred meters away.
Wailing, it rolled across the ground.
Its bones were likely broken.
Shan Tai was unstoppable!
Watching from afar, Gao Jing felt his blood boil. He wanted to cheer wildly for Shan Tai.
A High-tier Totem Warrior really was that incredible!
In truth, Shan Tai possessed the “Earth” Bloodline Essence. The Battle Armor fueled by his Totemic Power was exceptionally sturdy.
The sabertooth tiger possessed no supernatural abilities like a monster beast.
In a direct clash, it naturally suffered badly.
The outcome of this fight…
Was decided from the very beginning!