Chapter 28: This Idiot!

"We're here, this is the place!"

Wang Tong lowered his voice, crouching low as he led the group into a thicket of bushes.

"Take it out," Wang Tong said in a heavy voice, glancing back at a somewhat slight, thin man beside him.

"Mm." The thin man fumbled inside his robes for a moment and pulled out a clump of something yellowish-black and somewhat sticky, though it emitted a faint, sweet aroma.

Immediately, the thin man was seen crawling through the bushes, circling around to the back of a large boulder. Gathering all his strength, he hurled the sticky mass forward with force.

Then, a series of "thud, thud, thud" sounds erupted, sounding almost like an earthquake. Clearly, the Cloud-Patterned Hanging-Eye Tiger guarding the Heaven-and-Earth Exotic Fruit had been stirred into action.

"That is bait made by mixing the blood of over a hundred different beasts with honey. Heh, no matter how powerful the Cloud-Patterned Hanging-Eye Tiger is, it is ultimately just a beast. Once stimulated by the scent of blood, it will instantly lose control of itself."

Wang Tong chuckled. "And in our carefully prepared bait, we've added enough anesthetic to knock out hundreds of oxen. Even if the Cloud-Patterned Hanging-Eye Tiger eats it, its limbs will become paralyzed for a while, and its reactions will become extremely sluggish. When that happens, we'll take our chance to strike. The demon beast and the exotic fruit will both be ours for the taking."

Only then did Ling Feng realize that they were planning to strike while the tiger's strength was greatly diminished by the anesthetic.

As for why they didn't use poison, it was likely because most such demon beasts possessed a keen sense of smell; if they caught the scent of poison, they probably wouldn't fall for the trap.

Sure enough, a loud "bang" was soon heard—the sound of the demon beast collapsing to the ground.

"Haha, we did it!" Wang Tong laughed loudly and was the first to leap out from the bushes.

"Everyone, move! While this brute is still paralyzed, we must slaughter it!"

As his voice fell, the disciples of the Heavenly Cloud Sword Sect leaped out one by one. Even the thin man rolled out from behind the boulder in a clumsy somersault.

These people were clearly a team that had undergone countless coordinated drills. The five of them joined forces, faintly forming a sword formation to surround the Cloud-Patterned Hanging-Eye Tiger. They acted without mercy, intending to kill the beast before the effects of the anesthetic wore off.

Ling Feng rubbed the bridge of his nose and scanned the area. Sure enough, about dozens of meters behind the tiger, he spotted an exotic herb about three inches long. It was entirely emerald green, with three leaves the size of a baby's palm folded inward, revealing a cluster of blood-red fruits, each about the size of a thumb.

The fruit was so vibrantly red it looked succulent; one glance was enough to make anyone's mouth water.

Wang Tong and the others, filled with killing intent, swung their longswords fiercely toward the Cloud-Patterned Hanging-Eye Tiger.

The Cloud-Patterned Hanging-Eye Tiger was, after all, the king of beasts. Even under the influence of the anesthetic, a sweep of its massive tail allowed it to remain standing, seemingly invincible.

"Roar!"

The beast king roared. The tiger scrambled up from the ground, its blood-red eyes staring at the humans in the clearing. It slammed its front paw against the ground, causing the earth to vibrate like a drum skin.

Such majesty caused the group's expressions to change.

"Damn, it's still so energetic even after the anesthetic? If I'd known, I would have used ten times the dose!" one of the martial artists complained.

"What are you afraid of? Kill it!"

Wang Tong shed his previously honest persona, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. He raised both hands, leaped into the air, and delivered a heavy downward sword strike.

The other four immediately tightened their formation to surround the tiger. Wang Tong led the attack while the other four provided interference, their coordination seamless.

"Roar!"

Seeing these humans dare to besiege it, the Cloud-Patterned Hanging-Eye Tiger forced itself to stay alert. It raised its paw and struck down hard. The power of the king of beasts was terrifying; if a blow landed, a person's head might split open.

Wang Tong possessed some skill; his body maneuvered in mid-air to dodge the tiger's claw, and as he turned, he slashed a heavy blow against the tiger's forehead.

*Clang!*

The edge of the longsword only left a white mark on the tiger's head. This brute had already cultivated a body of bronze skin and iron bones.

Ling Feng did not strike directly. Instead, he watched the every move of the tiger and Wang Tong's group. His right eye's divine pattern condensed, and the Heavenly Dao Eye quietly opened.

"Something is wrong. These guys' styles are completely different; they are definitely not disciples from the same sect." Ling Feng had long been suspicious of them. Once they moved, whether it was their true qi, sword techniques, or footwork, it was entirely inconsistent with sect disciples.

"Brother Ling Feng, are you still not going to make your move?" Seeing Ling Feng remaining on the sidelines, a flash of anger crossed Wang Tong's eyes, and he roared through gritted teeth.

Ling Feng curled his lip and slowly drew the Moon-Slaying Sword from his back.

*Swish!*

His figure flashed, and Ling Feng moved like a passing breeze. A streak of bright silver sword light swept across like a falling galaxy. The sharp sword qi condensed into a single point, as if intending to pierce through heaven and earth, and he thrust the sword out with ferocity!

This strike was too fast, too violent!

Seeing this, Wang Tong and the others widened their eyes, their gazes flickering with intense excitement.

*Bang!*

The sword qi collided with the forehead of the Cloud-Patterned Hanging-Eye Tiger. With an explosive sound, the Star-Shattering Sword Qi pierced through the tiger's hardened skull. A spray of blood erupted from the back of the tiger's head, splashing into the sky several yards high!

The tiger reared up on its hind legs, its massive pupils staring at the human who had slain it. Its pupils gradually dilated and lost focus, and then it fell backward with a heavy thud.

*Thump!*

A massive sound shook the ground, sending dust flying. The Cloud-Patterned Hanging-Eye Tiger exhaled its last breath of hot air through its nostrils, struggling a few times on the ground before growing increasingly weak, eventually becoming motionless.

The king of beasts was dead!

"What... what powerful swordsmanship!" Wang Tong took a deep breath, swallowing hard. He looked at Ling Feng and licked his lips, his greed completely undisguised.

The other companions were also stunned by the power of Ling Feng's single strike.

As the saying goes, "bronze head and iron bones, but a waist of tofu"—the hardest part of this tiger was its skull, yet Ling Feng's sword could pierce right through it. This showed just how terrifying the penetrating power of this sword technique was.

"Whew..." Ling Feng breathed heavily, his face somewhat pale. He leaned against a large tree behind him, gasping for air before smiling at Wang Tong and the others. "So, can we distribute the spoils now?"

"No, no, no." Wang Tong extended his right index finger and shook it slightly. "There is still one more prey we need to deal with."

"Prey? Where is there more prey?" Ling Feng feigned surprise, shaking his head as he looked around. "There's nothing here, no other demon beasts!"

"Hahaha, what an idiot!" One of the martial artists finally dropped his mask. "With death imminent, he still hasn't realized anything!"

"I told you, these sect disciples are all fools. You can say a few words to them and they'll believe anything." Zhu Xia walked up, swaying her willow-like waist, and giggled. "Little brother, what a pity. You're quite handsome, why are you so stupid?"

"Alright, alright, stop teasing him." Wang Tong walked slowly toward Ling Feng, holding his longsword. "If you're smart, hand over your sword and the manual for that sword technique you just used. Also, hand over the Qi-Condensing cultivation method of the Immortal-Seeking Sect, and we might let you live."

"You... lied to me?"

Ling Feng lowered his head. No one saw the flash of cold light that crossed his eyes.

It was a cold light filled with murderous intent!