"Roar!"
A heaven-shaking, miserable howl echoed through the mountain forests in the dark of night. The Jade-Qian Leopard had been torn in half by Sikong Jing.
Beast blood sprayed out, drenching Sikong Jing in a crimson red.
Even as the two halves of the corpse hit the ground, they continued to twitch.
Two breaths later, Sikong Jing's body, which had been hunched like a leopard, slowly straightened, becoming as upright and sharp as a blade once more.
He reached out his hand and drew in a breath; the Jade-Qian Leopard's inner core landed in his palm. He placed it in his mouth and took a light bite...
This scene caused the hair on everyone nearby to stand on end, as if they were looking at a true ferocious beast. At this moment, Sikong Jing did not seem human.
But he immediately moved the inner core away.
"The bloodline is too weak; swallowing it will only affect my own cultivation."
Sikong Jing's voice was slightly raspy; this was the intuition and judgment of the Lord of Ten Thousand Beasts.
Having said that, he casually tossed the inner core to Luo Ning and said, "It's yours. I need to cultivate now. Protect me."
Sitting cross-legged, Sikong Jing immediately entered a state of cultivation.
Combined with the sensation of entering the Cloud-Piercing Mountains—like a dragon entering the deep sea—and the method of circulating the Jade-Qian Leopard's demonic energy, the true qi within Sikong Jing's body grew continuously, boiling with an uncontrollable force.
Soon, he would be able to break through and reach the Dark Realm.
At this time, the surroundings were as silent as a death prison.
Several breaths later, Xiao Wu's voice rang out tremulously: "Cousin, are you sure he is human?"
*Gulp...*
Nearly a hundred Dark Realm experts from the Luoshui Jade Firm collectively swallowed their saliva.
They shared the same doubt. To tear a peak Dark Realm Jade-Qian Leopard apart with a Ninth-Level Bright Realm strength—was that something a human could do?
Holding the Jade-Qian Leopard's inner core and looking at the teeth marks left by Sikong Jing, Luo Ning, for a moment, she also dared not be certain.
Even if he was human, he was a humanoid monster.
Suddenly, Luo Ning's expression straightened, and she said, "Cousin, do you see now? Young Master Sikong is not someone you can afford to offend."
"Once he finishes his cultivation, you must apologize for your previous rudeness."
Her words were decisive. If she had felt that offending Sikong Jing would mean death when they were slaughtering the beast-hunting bandit group, then seeing the tragic state of the Jade-Qian Leopard now, Luo Ning dared not even imagine the consequences.
Xiao Wu and the others' faces turned incredibly grim.
Sikong Jing's terror had once again slapped them hard across the face.
*Rustle, rustle, rustle...*
Suddenly, a spine-chilling sound came from the darkness, causing the hair on Luo Ning, Xiao Wu, and the others to stand on end.
Could there be a second Jade-Qian Leopard?
In the next instant, several swaying figures flashed out from the bushes, reaching a count of a hundred in the blink of an eye.
When Luo Ning saw clearly who was leading them, she let out a low cry: "Lei Dong."
They were, of course, not Jade-Qian Leopards, but the hundred experts from the Leiying Trading Firm, their opponents in the wager.
"Eh? You lot have quite the nerve, daring to move in the middle of the night?" Lei Dong also looked at Luo Ning and the others with surprise.
For the sake of this victory, and due to sufficient confidence, Lei Dong was also operating late at night.
They had rushed over upon hearing the Jade-Qian Leopard's roar, but they hadn't expected Luo Ning to have beaten them to it.
Suddenly, Lei Dong's gaze fell upon the ground. Seeing the uncollected corpse of the Jade-Qian Leopard, his eyes bulged.
"Impossible!"
He cried out instinctively. The Jade-Qian Leopard was actually dead, and it had been torn in half.
At this point, Luo Ning regained her composure and stared coldly at Lei Dong, saying, "Sorry, we have already slain the Jade-Qian Leopard. This wager belongs to our Luoshui Jade Firm."
As she spoke, she shook the inner core in her hand with a hint of triumph.
She had truly been shocked just now and had forgotten that the wager was the main event. Everything had gone exactly as Sikong Jing said; he had a hundred percent chance of winning, and now he had won the wager for the Luoshui Jade Firm.
In contrast, Lei Dong's face turned extremely unsightly. How could they have lost so ridiculously?
However, his gaze suddenly snapped up, sensing something.
He suddenly pulled out a Realm Identification Mirror and scanned the surroundings, quickly discovering two soldiers stationed in the trees. He said coldly, "Officers of Yunye City, didn't you say you were here on official business? Why are you helping the Luoshui Jade Firm?"
Lei Dong did not believe for a second that the Luoshui Jade Firm could slay a Jade-Qian Leopard at night, let alone without a single loss.
It must have been those two soldiers hiding in the trees.
If he hadn't been carrying the Realm Identification Mirror, he really would have been deceived by the Luoshui Jade Firm.
Then, Lei Dong looked at Luo Ning and said, "You dare to cheat? Does the Luoshui Jade Firm truly want to go to full-scale war with us?"
This wager was meant to avoid war between the two major firms, but now Luo Ning had provoked him.
"Bullshit!" In the next instant, Old Zhang landed and immediately began cursing.
A-Hu, standing in a tree, said coldly, "We are currently performing our official duties, but we did not strike a blow."
The two were extremely displeased; Lei Dong dared to frame them for something they hadn't done.
"Impossible! If it wasn't you, how could the Luoshui Jade Firm possibly take down a Jade-Qian Leopard?"
Lei Dong refused to believe it. Staring at Old Zhang and A-Hu, he said venomously, "You are merely minor officers of Yunye City. Believe it or not, I can use my influence to send you to prison."
At these words, Old Zhang flew into a rage: "You dare?"
Instantly, the two soldiers and Lei Dong's side were in a tense standoff, leaving Luo Ning and the others dumbfounded.
Suddenly, a deep and vast voice came from the darkness: "Why can we not slay the Jade-Qian Leopard?"
As the voice rang out, everyone's eyes turned toward it. It was Sikong Jing.
He had finished his cultivation at some unknown point and was standing upright before the Jade-Qian Leopard's corpse, like a grim reaper in the cold night.
Lei Dong looked over angrily: "Ninth-Level Bright Realm. You have no right to speak here."
With the sound of footsteps, Sikong Jing walked over step by step and said, "You are mistaken. I am already at the First Level of the Dark Realm."
In just a short while, Sikong Jing had successfully broken through the bottleneck of the Bright Realm and reached the Dark Realm.
The true qi throughout his body had undergone a qualitative change.
However, Lei Dong's lip twitched, and he said impatiently, "First Level Dark Realm is still nothing. Get lost to the side. Once I deal with these ungrateful officers, I'll come back to kill you."
Lei Dong was completely irritated and had no desire to speak to a weakling like Sikong Jing.
Yet, in the next instant, Sikong Jing vanished from his spot... *Smack!*
A crisp sound rang out in the night. When Sikong Jing landed, Lei Dong had already been sent flying and hit the ground heavily.
"Now, do I have the right to speak?" Sikong Jing asked back with cold eyes.
The scene froze for a moment, then the nearly hundred experts of the Leiying Trading Firm shouted loudly: "Young Master Lei..."
The hundred men surrounded Lei Dong and pointed angrily at Sikong Jing: "Little Bright Realm, you are looking for death, daring to sneak attack Young Master Lei!"
They had not yet adjusted their perception and still instinctively believed Sikong Jing was at the Ninth-Level Bright Realm.
"Wait a moment."
Just as the hundred experts were about to besiege Sikong Jing, Lei Dong gave a low shout. He was seen clutching his face as he crawled up, staring at Sikong Jing with raging fury: "You dare sneak attack me? I will kill you with my own hands!"
Sikong Jing remained expressionless and replied, "For you, there is no need for a sneak attack."
His voice was very calm, but in the eyes of Lei Dong and the others, it was the height of arrogance, making them want to tear him apart and drink his blood.
But in the eyes of Luo Ning and the others, Sikong Jing was simply telling the truth.