Seeking the Flying Sword Path
chapter-35

After being struck, White Tiger felt his head buzz. Pain ran through his body as his skin began lacerating. His ligaments and bones were rupturing and even his blood was charred black. When Qin Yun came attacking with his deathblow, White Tiger's heart quivered. His survival instinct made his eyes widen but he could only barely make out the strike that Qin Yun was delivering. He instinctively raised the axe in his left claw to shield himself.

Although he was severely injured, White Tiger was still able to raise the axe extremely fast under the desire to survive.

"No good. There's no way to strike a vital spot." Qin Yun's expression changed slightly when he saw the turn of events. However, he could not stop his sword. He deviated it slightly and slashed at the arm that White Tiger was holding his axe with.

"I'll cleave off a claw of yours first!"

Shoo!

Qin Yun's sword was too fast. The momentum of the sword horrifying as it advanced relentlessly. It was already impressive that White Tiger was able to raise his axe to block his vital spots despite the severe injuries. However, he no longer had any more time because the strike cleaved straight at White Tiger's arm.

"Judging from the strength he used to hurt my tail, he will at best injure my arm—" Such a thought flashed across White Tiger's mind before he felt an excruciating pain.

Pew!

The sword beam was filled with killing intent and resembled an indomitable hurricane. With a thud, the claw that was clenching the massive axe fell to the ground.

Once Qin Yun's strike lost its momentum, he opened himself to attacks. However, White Tiger was already severely injured and horrified.

When Qin Yun struck again with his backhand, White Tiger was immediately enveloped by black winds as he instantly retreated backward with a boom.

"It escaped so quickly."

Qin Yun stepped on the axe beneath him and did not engage in a pursuit! He knew that if White Tiger really wanted to flee, there was no way for his speed, or even a Connate True Core expert, to chase up to it. Even Water God, who had terrorized the Grand Dominance County for two centuries, had speed about half White Tiger's.

As White Tiger simultaneously retreated, he passed by the other axe that had been sent flying far away after being struck by the lightning bolt. He used his right claw to grab the axe and immediately flew up into the sky with a whoosh.

By commanding the black winds, White Tiger looked down from mid-air and heaved a sigh of relief.

"My hand." White Tiger looked at the left claw that he had lost. Then, he looked down at the axe that Qin Yun was stepping on. "My axe!"

Despite having lost a claw and being severely injured, at his cultivation level, he could still grow it out again with the help of his master. However, he would firstly, need to consume a lot of nourishing items and secondly, he would need time.

Compared to the claw, White Tiger was feeling the pinch for his axe!

Two axes… They cost him nearly all the treasures he had accumulated over many years. For the second axe, he had spent three decades to gather the required amount.

"Tiger demon, come down if you have the guts." Qin Yun looked up and bellowed angrily.

White Tiger's expression was hideous but he knew. "I was only able to completely defend against his attacks with two axes! I only have one axe now. I can't even defend against him when I'm in perfect condition, much less after my serious injuries from being struck by lightning. Furthermore, I have lost one claw. My strength is probably only at thirty percent. Going down is probably equivalent to suicide."

"That strike was too powerful! My powerful physique and especially my front claws are immensely strong. How did he cleave it off with one strike? Was he hiding his strength when he slashed at my tail?" White Tiger still remembered that in the battle with Qin Yun, Qin Yun began to seemingly expose his weaknesses after using up all his moves. He no longer appeared completely impregnable that the misty rain's blur gave him.

"That must be his deathblow. It has flaws but is extremely powerful." White Tiger thought to himself.

"Hmph, if not for me being struck by the divine lightning and still having two axes, how could he cleave off my hand?" White Tiger swept his gaze at the light blue-clothed woman, Yi Xiao, who was standing beside Qin Yun. He felt a deep sense of resentment and hatred for her.

…

Below him in Mist Lake Valley.

Qin Yun looked up at the amputated White Tiger holding a massive axe. It controlled the black winds but it refused to come down.

"It does not dare come down. This demon is very careful. I heard that Water God has wreaked so much havoc that even Connate Golden Core experts want to finish him but it does not dare leave the Jiang river," said Qin Yun. "This White Tiger is the same. Once it notices that things aren't going well, it would fly into the sky and flee."

White Tiger was already fast enough when fleeing on the ground.

However, it was most adept at fleeing through flight! White Tiger could innately control the winds and it had cultivated arduously to fly in the sky… It was too difficult to chase after it.

Flying was not simple. Even many Connate False Core experts like Commander Fang could not fly!

"Such great demons are obviously careful. There have been elderly seniors at the Connate Golden Core realm in my sect that have wanted to vanquish Water God but it stays close to the Jiang riverbanks. Once it discovers a danger, it would immediately enter the Jiang river." Yi Xiao walked over and said, "It's because Water God can control the water that allows it to terrorize Grand Dominance County for two centuries, yet the imperial government and the Daoist and Buddhist sects are unable to do a thing about it."

Qin Yun nodded.

The weak humans were not its match.

The strong ones would not be able to chase up to Water God in the water.

"Swoosh."

At a high altitude, White Tiger flew to the demons that numbered nearly a hundred and grabbed the Green Tooth Mountain trumpet.

"All of you, retreat! Retreat out of Mist Lake Valley! Defend the perimeter. When more than a thousand demons are gathered, I want to see how they will be able to handle it." White Tiger flew up again with a hideous face as he simultaneously gave the orders.

"Yes, King White Tiger." All the demons rapidly retreated and headed out of Mist Lake Valley.

The number of demons was increasing rapidly.

There were some that could fly in the sky or burrow underground. They had all sorts of strange means which would leave disastrous consequences if they attacked together!

"Hmph, when the time comes, that sword immortal has only one sword. He will not be able to withstand all the attacks. As long as he misses a single one of them, he will be struck. Humans do not have strong physiques." White Tiger was confident. "As for that female cultivator, so what if she has a Dharma treasure? Using a Dharma treasure requires spending Quintessential Essence. With so many demons attacking her in a frenzy, it will only exhaust her of her Quintessential Essence faster."

"After all, they are juniors that have yet to enter the Connate realm. It might even be probable that the divine lightning spell she used has depleted more than half of her Quintessential Essence."

"Once she is completely drained off her Quintessential Essence, it will mean her death."

White Tiger had decided that he needed the man and woman dead to firstly, vent his anger. Secondly and most importantly, to retrieve his axe! As for the spirit fruit? That was the least of his considerations.

******

Qin Yun and Yi Xiao both knew that the greatest danger was the thousand-strong demons that would soon surround them.

"Brother Qin, after using the divine lightning spell, more than half my Quintessential Essence has been expended. Even the Five-elemental Lightning Dharma is something I can at best cast another seven or eight times," said Yi Xiao.

"It's fine. Leave it to me. There's no need for you to cast the Five-elemental Lightning Dharma either. Just ensure that you stay alive." Qin Yun looked down at the tiger claw that had already returned to its true form. The tiger claw was thicker than his waist. The length of the segment was about his height. The tiger claw's hide was a precious item. Vests made of it were valuable. Every sharp claw on the tiger's paw was like a curved blade. Each one of them was longer than his sword!

As for the axe that was about ten feet long, holding it up vertically made it about the height of a typical house. Such a massive axe that was made of extraordinary materials would be considered valuable if it were about five kilograms. But it was nine hundred kilograms… It was a treasure in itself!

He sheathed his sword.

With the massive axe in one hand, he held the tiger claw in his other.

"Let's go. Uncle Qian is still on the mountaintop. Let's rush there. We must not let him be harmed by the demons," said Qin Yun. He could see Uncle Qian sitting on the mountaintop at a glance.

"Alright, let's go."

The duo was extremely fast, much faster than the ordinary demons.

They moved swiftly and headed straight for Uncle Qian.

Along the mountain, beginning from the mountainside, Qin Yun and Yi Xiao saw demon corpses strewn on the ground. Their expressions changed. Many of these demon corpses had been ripped apart or penetrated by sharp claws. Some of them had been bitten to death. Clearly, they were wounds inflicted by another demon.

Not a single one of the demon corpses managed to reach the mountaintop.

"Elder Qian has managed to stop all the demons beneath the cliff." As Yi Xiao rushed up the mountain, she looked at her surroundings and transmitted her voice. "If he was fleeing alone, he just needed to focus on escaping far away. There was no need to risk his life to fight in such a manner."

"He is protecting that Jia Huairen." Qin Yun said with a voice transmission. "Elder Qian is rather famous in Grand Dominance County. After all, none of the nineteen demon leaders under the water god can match Elder Qian in strength. Water God had invited him numerous times but he had ignored it, dedicating his services to the Jia Manor. I heard that he was an ordinary mutt that the previous owner of Jia Manor reared when he was down and out. Later on, an opportunity befell him, allowing him to gain sentience to transform into a demon. He served his owner loyally. The previous owner of the Jia Manor supposedly lived in terrible conditions but with the demon servant's aid, he established his family estate. However, the previous owner of the Jia Manor was just too old. After a few years of bliss, he passed away from an illness, leaving behind his only son, Jia Huairen. It was Elder Qian that had been serving Jia Huairen. It is an impressive feat to ensure that Jia Huairen entered a cultivation sect and knocked open the gate of immortality, considering that it was achieved by a dog demon."

Yi Xiao fell silent when she heard that.

Woosh.

The duo reached the mountaintop and saw Uncle Qian sitting there.