Chapter 444
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Chapter 444: Such a Good Number Should Be Full of Blood and Gore
When two paths meet,
there are wolves in front and tigers behind.
In an instant, Tanis felt like she weighed over a hundred pounds. She thought it might be better to dig a hole and bury herself.
Her mental state teetered on the brink of collapse.
From her perspective, she couldn’t even notice the person sitting atop the tiger’s back.
She couldn’t see them, but someone else could.
The familiar scent of the colorful tiger made her feel a mix of disgust and resistance, though she couldn’t pinpoint why.
She also caught disdain and contempt in the tiger’s eyes.
But that was it.
The disdain and contempt were cold and indifferent—like a cat eyeing someone it particularly disliked.
Too lazy to approach, it raised its head high, unwilling even to pounce or bite.
In other words, there was no killing intent.
As the colorful tiger approached, the mercenaries trembled and raised their guns.
Chao Lu quickly pushed down their muzzles and said, “It’s not coming for us.”
One mercenary, watching the tiger’s slow approach, froze when its massive head turned towards him.
Its car-sized eyes blinked, and it exhaled a strong, blood-tinged breath.
The tiger then licked the bald mercenary’s head. Its rough, barbed tongue swept over the top.
The mercenary stood still, stunned—experiencing an out-of-body terror before collapsing on the spot.
Chao Lu, however, sighed in relief.
Cats don’t lick for the taste, nor to show dominance.
They do it to smell and familiarize themselves with others—a form of social interaction.
The fierce tiger made its way through the mercenary group, passed by Tanis, and faced the thirty-odd riders halfway up the mountain.
The lieutenant’s expression turned grim.
Such a large tiger, so imposing and majestic—the king of the mountain.
Tigers are fearsome creatures even among demons. Growing to this size is no small feat, a sign of immense power.
But what truly unnerved the lieutenant was the figure sitting on the tiger’s back.
The figure sat cross-legged, a bronze mask covering their face.
A black cloak draped over their body, with a conical hat perched atop their head—a sharp, ominous silhouette.
The lieutenant knew retreat was not an option.
Gripping the reins tightly, he shouted, “Where are my comrades?”
The person on the tiger spoke, their voice light yet cold.
“Forty-five. All dead.”
The lieutenant’s grip on his sword tightened as rage filled his eyes.
He now understood why the forty riders sent to block the escape route, along with the black fox scouts, had failed to report back.
This masked figure had slaughtered them all.
Not a drop of blood stained the figure’s cloak.
Was this an opponent he could face?
The lieutenant hesitated, doubt creeping in.
But retreat was impossible.
To go back meant death.
With so much loss, his fate was already sealed.
…If death was inevitable, why not risk it here?
Life in the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom was cheap.
Be it their own lives or others, no one treasured it.
Drawing his sword, the lieutenant swung it forward.
“Attack!”
Ten riders surged down the mountainside.
Though their numbers were few, the sheer power of their charge was breathtaking.
Riders and horses moved in perfect unison, an elegant yet deadly force.
Blades gleamed coldly in the dark woods, leaving shimmering afterimages.
These cavalry slashes could shatter even stone.
The lieutenant roared inwardly, determined to make the figure shed blood.
But what followed was pure devastation.
The riders barely covered twenty meters when they suddenly froze.
A thin line of blood appeared across their shoulders.
As the war horses galloped forward, the riders’ bodies began to fall apart.
Upper torsos detached at the third rib, arms dismembered mid-motion.
Heads and limbs scattered across the ground.
The remaining portions of their bodies slumped lifelessly on horseback.
Not one cry of pain escaped.
The lieutenant’s jaw dropped.
This masked figure had killed from a distance, and the precision was terrifying.
Sitting atop the tiger, the figure rested a sword on their knee. The blade cracked quietly under its own pressure.
Without a second thought, they discarded the broken weapon, picking up a fallen waist sword nearby.
The lieutenant realized this wasn’t sorcery.
It was martial skill of the highest order—an art he had seen before.
The lieutenant shouted orders to the remaining cavalry, leading another desperate charge.
But the figure on the tiger casually unleashed another wave of destruction.
Blades whirled through the air, arrows redirected mid-flight.
In moments, more riders fell, their bodies dismembered with eerie precision.
Those who tried to escape met the same fate.
By the time the tiger growled again, fewer than ten riders remained.
The masked figure spoke calmly, “I have questions to ask. Two of you may take this lieutenant’s head back.”
With that, the tiger turned away.
The remaining soldiers glanced at each other nervously.
No one wanted to die, yet to live meant turning on their comrades.
The silence didn’t last.
One soldier drew their blade, and the inevitable bloodbath began.
Above it all, Bai Wei—wearing the bronze mask—watched from the tiger’s back.
His gaze lingered briefly on Dundun and Chao Lu below.
[The ‘Crossing Mountains and Seas’ incident has been completed.]
[Reward: Unlocking the second phase of the Four-Phase Puppet, Zhu Rong Phase.]
Bai Wei considered his next steps. Should he reveal his true identity to Chao Lu?
Hiding the truth would only waste time on needless doubt and mistrust.
In the end, he decided: no more guessing games.
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