Chapter 324: The Daoist Attendant Continues to Strengthen

“

Roar

!”

A thunderous roar shook the heavens.

Suddenly, the sound of rustling leaves emerged from the forest. A massive tiger, still not fully healed from its wounds, leapt out from the dense jungle, charging toward the group.

Although it seemed far away at first, the tiger’s speed was astonishingly fast, almost beyond imagination. By the time its striped pattern could be discerned in the undergrowth, it had already closed the distance. In the blink of an eye, it was upon them.

A few wolves, fortunate to have been chosen by Lady Calico as pathfinders, stood in front of the group, serving as their shield.

Yet, despite the tiger’s relatively low cultivation level, it had already gained sentience. Even these wolves, who were subordinates of the grasslands’ Wolf King, were shaken to their core by the tiger’s earth-shaking roar. They froze in place, paralyzed with fear.

Only one particularly bold and foolhardy wolf dared to lunge at the massive tiger, but with a casual swipe of its paw, the tiger sent the wolf flying. The wolf landed heavily, barely able to move. After a few futile attempts to struggle, it dissolved into black smoke, drifting up into the air and returning to the banner.

Lady Calico’s eyes widened.

She should have felt fear in the face of the tiger’s ferocity, or been intimidated by the soul-stirring roar that echoed through the forest. Yet, at that moment, she simply took a deep breath, steadying herself. Her expression sharpened as she gathered her strength. Then, she opened her mouth and released fire.

“

Whoosh

!”

A surge of True Fire erupted, distorting the very air with its heat.

Even as the flames surged forward, the heat wave rolled back, enveloping everything in scorching air. In the forest, yellow leaves burst into flames with a

whoosh

, while green leaves bubbled and sizzled.

The tiger charged at high speed, its silken fur rippling with each stride, reflecting light like undulating waves. These ripples outlined its well-defined muscles, each frame capturing a perfect moment of speed and power, a breathtaking fusion of strength and grace.

However, when the tiger lifted its head, its eyes caught sight of the oncoming blaze.

The searing heat wave rushed toward it.

Before any direct confrontation, the mere intensity of the heat and the spiritual energy radiating from the fire made it clear that this was no ordinary flame.

The tiger’s round, emotionless eyes revealed a flicker of fear. It hastily skidded to a stop, twisting its body to the side with agility, and darted into the underbrush to evade the fire.

Its charging momentum was thus brought to a halt.

Taking advantage of this brief pause, the wolves began to regroup. With low growls, they emerged from all directions in the forest, fearlessly hurling themselves at the tiger. At the same time, two Mountain Gods thundered through the forest, crashing through undergrowth and snapping branches. Each weighed over a thousand jin, their bodies entirely composed of solid stone. With the unstoppable force of their charge, they collided with the tiger in a powerful impact.

In an instant, the two sides were locked in a chaotic melee.

Although the tiger demon was not the king of this mountain, it was ferocious and incredibly brave. In the forest, it moved with remarkable agility, weaving and twisting with lightning speed. Its powerful strength was evident in every move—it could crash through dense underbrush with a single motion, and a swipe of its paw could scatter fallen leaves to reveal the soil beneath.

Often, a single strike was enough to kill a wolf, reducing it to black smoke that drifted back into the banner. When it launched an aggressive pounce, even the Mountain Gods could be shattered into rubble.

Here, strength and speed were combined in perfect harmony.

Lady Calico climbed onto a tree branch, taking the high ground to oversee and direct the wolf pack. If one of her summoned miniature Mountain Gods was destroyed by the tiger demon, she would immediately cast a spell to summon another.

“

Grrr

...”

The tiger demon had already killed an unknown number of wolves when it suddenly let out a low growl. With a slight shake of its body, the black stripes on its fur seemed to writhe, twisting and shifting until they faintly formed the grotesque and distorted shapes of human faces.

As the transformation continued, black smoke began to emanate from the tiger’s body. The smoke rose into the air, condensing into ferocious, clawing specters. These malevolent ghosts screeched and wailed, some lunging at the wolf pack while others charged toward Lady Calico’s position.

The young girl’s expression grew immediately serious, her demeanor turning solemn.

Lady Calico knew well that the essence of her wolves lay in their spiritual resonance. They did not fear being slain or mauled by the tiger, but they were vulnerable to spells and lightning fire. If their spiritual energy were damaged, they would never be able to return to the banner.

With this in mind, she first opened her mouth and exhaled a ball of fire, burning the malevolent ghosts charging toward her to ash. Then, with a wave of her banner, the pack of wolves dissolved into black smoke and returned to her. She directed the smoke toward the tiger demon, breathing out another wave of flame like a dragon’s breath.

The fire not only incinerated the ghosts entirely but also engulfed the tiger demon from head to tail.

“

Roar

...”

The tiger demon let out continuous low growls, rolling on the ground in desperation to extinguish the flames.

When the fire was finally out, the tiger was in a far more pitiful state.

Its once-pristine fur was scorched and destroyed, and the heat had penetrated beneath the surface, searing its spiritual resonance and even burning its soul. Combined with the injuries it had already sustained, the pain was unbearable.

After scrambling back to its feet, it retreated slightly into the underbrush. It appeared to be fearful, but in truth, it was using the foliage to conceal its presence. Its gaze shifted subtly, locking onto the young girl who was waving her banner to summon the wolf pack once more.

Then its eyes darted toward a nearby figure—the Daoist who was seated cross-legged, seemingly indifferent to the chaos of the battle, as if waiting for its outcome.

The tiger demon understood the principle of “to defeat the enemy, first capture their chief.”

The tiger demon began pacing around the group in the forest, its striped body flickering in and out of sight among the underbrush.

The young girl remained on high alert, tightly gripping her banner and turning her head to track its every move. She summoned the Mountain Gods and the wolf pack back to her side, forming a protective barrier around herself and the Daoist.

“

Roar

!”

Suddenly, the tiger gathered its strength and erupted into a burst of incredible speed, charging out of the undergrowth in an instant.

Its massive body leapt into the air, soaring over the wolves and the Mountain Gods. It appeared to be lunging at the Daoist but continued past him, aiming instead for the young girl perched in the tree.

However, despite the tiger's immense strength, Lady Calico was not lacking in agility or speed. Though in human form, she nimbly sprang from one tree to another, lightly landing on a different branch with ease.

The tiger only managed to land on the branch where she had been.

But how could a tree branch possibly support its massive weight?

The branch snapped under the tiger, sending it crashing down. It fell, snapping countless branches along the way. Mid-fall, one of its old wounds was jarred, causing it to cry out in pain. After landing, it couldn’t keep its balance and tumbled to the ground, rolling over twice.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

This became the tiger demon's final struggle.

Before Lady Calico could even wave her banner, dozens of wolves pounced simultaneously, each tearing into a piece of the tiger. Their combined weight pinned it to the ground.

Roars and growls filled the air as the battle raged on, with bodies rolling and thrashing relentlessly.

Countless bushes were crushed, and fallen leaves scattered everywhere. Some wolves were flung off by the tiger, only to leap back into the fray. Even with its immense strength, the tiger was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. No matter how ferocious it was, it could not fend off the relentless assault of the pack.

The two Mountain Gods arrived next, raising their arms, each as thick as a person’s waist. They paid no heed to whether they struck tiger or wolf and slammed their massive stone fists down with crushing force.

These arms, entirely made of solid rock, bore fists the size of large stone basins. When raised high and brought down with full force, the combined power of their weight and strength was devastating. The stone’s hardness, combined with its sharp edges, made the blows all the more brutal.

With a resounding

thud

echoing through the forest, the impact reverberated.

If not for the fact that this tiger had achieved spiritual refinement, an ordinary tiger—no matter how robust—would have been utterly crushed under such a blow. A single strike could snap its back, shatter its legs, or crack its skull, leaving it incapable of rising ever again.

“

Bang! Bang! Bang!

”

A series of heavy thuds echoed, each one enough to make the heart race with fear.

Even the tiger demon could not withstand such relentless blows.

Gradually, the massive striped tiger lying on the ground stopped moving, leaving only the sound of the wolves gnashing and tearing at its body.

The young girl, lacking any sense of mercy, gave no order for the Mountain Gods to stop. They continued their assault. After a few more strikes, one of the stone giants used its rocky arm to nudge the tiger’s head. When there was no response, it struck a few more times for good measure.

It could only be said that the stone soldiers summoned by the young girl truly lived up to their origin—they embodied the playful yet cruel nature of a cat toying with its prey.

“It’s dead,” came the Daoist’s calm voice.

Hearing this, Lady Calico finally waved her hand. The Mountain Gods and wolves all retreated to her side.

The Daoist turned to her and said, “Lady Calico, you’re truly remarkable. This tiger demon likely became a demon no later than you, with cultivation at a similar level. To defeat a tiger with the body of a cat is no small feat.”

“It’s all thanks to this banner,” said Lady Calico.

“The fact that you’ve learned to be modest is quite the surprise and a significant improvement,” the Daoist remarked with a hint of amusement.

“It’s just the truth!”

“While the Wolf Banner is indeed powerful, in my opinion, it’s your dedication to learning and steadfast cultivation that deserves the most credit,” the Daoist said as he turned to look at the young girl. “Lady Calico, you should continue to persevere.”

“You’re absolutely right,” she replied.

“As for this tiger...”

Song You turned his gaze to the tiger lying on the ground.

This tiger was far larger than a typical one. If it were any bigger, it could rival the size of an ox.

“The heavens may embody the virtue of cherishing life, but this tiger demon has devoured countless humans. After consuming them, it captured their souls and turned them into slave ghosts, using them to deceive and harm others, even weaponizing them as a spell. Its sins are beyond forgiveness,” the Daoist said with a calm expression.

He then turned his eyes toward the young girl. “Let me borrow your banner.”

“

Meow

?”

The young girl tilted her head in confusion but widened her eyes as she hopped down from the tree. Holding the banner, she approached and handed it to the Daoist.

The Daoist took the banner, gently stroking it with his hand. Instantly, the wolf head on one side of the banner disappeared. He then pointed at the tiger’s corpse and made a small beckoning gesture. A stream of black smoke rose from the tiger’s body and flowed into the banner.

The young girl watched in wide-eyed amazement, stunned by what she saw.

The Daoist handed the banner back to her.

“What did you do?” she asked.

“I’ve taken the spiritual resonance of the fierce tiger and infused it into the banner, adding the tiger to your arsenal,” the Daoist explained. “This technique was taught by Master Kong and Sir Dou. It doesn’t enslave the tiger’s soul but relies on the banner to manifest its form using its spiritual resonance, much like the wolves you summon.”

“A fierce tiger!” the girl exclaimed.

“However,” the Daoist continued, “I don’t possess the Wolf King’s mastery. The tiger won’t be as obedient as the wolves. Until you can subdue the tiger yourself, it’s best not to manifest it recklessly in battle. While it won’t turn on you since it’s drawn from your spiritual energy, it might refuse to follow orders. You’d be wasting spiritual energy to manifest it, yet won’t be able to control it.”

Lady Calico listened, staring at the Daoist in stunned amazement.

“You’re amazing!” she exclaimed.

“Not as amazing as you, Lady Calico,” he replied with a slight smile.

“...!”

The young girl didn’t know how to respond. She simply clutched the banner and lowered her head to examine it closely.

The Daoist, meanwhile, had already risen to his feet.

“Let’s move on, Lady Calico. There are many tigers in this mountain—vicious ones that have eaten humans—and quite a few have gained sentience. If you’re willing to rid the people of these threats, as long as you can subdue them yourself, I can extract their spiritual resonance and seal it into your banner,” the Daoist said. “But you must defeat them on your own.”

“Alright!” The young girl’s eyes lit up with determination, her energy renewed.

He said, “The tiger demons have developed intelligence, so please understand, Lady Calico, that our purpose is not killing for the sake of killing, nor is it simply to harvest their spiritual resonance for the banner.

“These vicious tigers intentionally prey on humans, deceive them to become food, and even coerce the people at the foot of the mountain into offering live sacrifices. What we are doing is eliminating threats for the sake of the people.”

“Okay...” Lady Calico's voice softened slightly.

They continued their journey up the mountain.

At the summit, they found a tiger’s lair—enormous and foreboding. Inside, piles of bones lay scattered, both human and animal. Signs of struggle marked the ground, which was in complete disarray. Tattered pieces of cloth and strands of silk were strewn about.

The Daoist walked forward slowly, carefully inspecting the scene.

The fabric on the ground was black and coarse, appearing to have been torn from clothing. Some of the thorny bushes and branches bore twisted strands of thread, also ripped from garments. Bloodstains on the ground, now a dark crimson, were visible as well.

Following the trail of blood and the marks of combat, they ventured deeper into the forest on the other side of the mountain. There, they suddenly came upon the massive corpse of a tiger. It was even larger than the tiger demon they had encountered earlier, its body riddled with sword wounds. It had been dead for some time.