Chapter 122: Emerging from Seclusion

Glancing once at the place where Yin Tianfang was in seclusion, then back at the old man before it, the Sky-Winged Demon Tiger gritted its teeth. Its massive body gradually shrank until it was only a zhang in height. With a furious roar, it transformed into a streak of lightning and pounced toward the elder.

As its size diminished, the Sky-Winged Demon Tiger’s speed reached its absolute limit. Its sharp claws glimmered with a cold, metallic light, and the fierce gale generated by its movement tore through the air as it struck.

The elder let out a cold snort and flicked his sleeve. A sudden, violent wind arose, howling like ghosts and wailing like spirits. Under the pressure of this gale, the Sky-Winged Demon Tiger’s speed gradually faltered. As its four hooves touched the ground, the wind pushed it backward, carving deep furrows into the earth.

The elder formed hand seals and slammed his palms onto the ground. The earth trembled, and the soil surged, coalescing into a humanoid figure that delivered a massive blow to the tiger’s body.

The sheer force of the impact was more than even the exceptionally sturdy Sky-Winged Demon Tiger could withstand. It was sent flying, crashing heavily into a small hill behind it.

"Boom!" The mountainside shook, and countless boulders tumbled down, burying the tiger beneath them.

With a crash, the rubble exploded outward. The Sky-Winged Demon Tiger surged from the debris, opened its maw, and unleashed a beam of light, striking directly at the elder.

The elder remained calm, raising a finger to channel his spiritual energy. A colossal finger descended from the heavens, pinning the beam of light. A deafening roar ensued as the brilliant beam and the giant finger collided; after a moment of stalemate, they both shattered, dissipating into specks of spiritual light that drifted through the air.

The Sky-Winged Demon Tiger arched its back, baring its fangs. Its crimson eyes were filled with intense malice, and demonic energy roiled around it. Just then, several streaks of light shot out from the elder's sleeves like vipers, darting toward the tiger.

Spreading its wings, the Sky-Winged Demon Tiger leaped into the air, moving with lightning speed to evade the pursuit. In the distance, the elder narrowed his eyes and flicked his sleeve. Suddenly, the space surrounding the lightning-fast tiger felt as if it had solidified, and its speed plummeted.

Once slowed, the streaks of light caught up instantly, wrapping around the tiger and binding it tightly. The beast plummeted from the sky. These were no ordinary ropes; they were crafted from an unknown material, and no matter how the tiger struggled, it could not break free.

"You stubborn beast, still trying to resist?" The elder walked slowly toward the tiger and barked sharply.

"What a formidable demon tiger!" A middle-aged man approached with several youths, their eyes wide with shock as they looked at the ferocious beast.

During the battle, the intense demonic energy radiating from the tiger had chilled them to the bone. They knew that even if they all attacked together, they would likely be unable to subdue it.

"Powerful or not, it was still captured by our grand-uncle," one youth remarked, staring at the tiger with gleaming eyes. To have such a beast as a mount would be truly magnificent. However, since the elder had captured it, he was likely the only one who could truly break its spirit.

"Roar!" The tiger let out an angry cry, glaring at the group with eyes full of violence and rage.

"Hmph, stubborn to the end!" The elder snorted, forming hand seals and chanting a mantra. The ropes tightened, and the tiger’s eyes filled with pain, its throat emitting a low, mournful whimper.

"It seems the only option is to place a restrictive seal within its body," the elder muttered after a moment of thought. While voluntary submission was ideal, if the beast refused, one had to resort to a seal to bind its will and force obedience.

However, this came at a cost: the beast’s potential for growth would be limited, as the seal’s efficacy depended on the caster’s cultivation level. If the beast’s strength were to surge beyond that of its master, the seal could backfire. Furthermore, such seals typically siphoned energy from the subject to maintain themselves, weakening the beast’s cultivation. To ensure the master remained superior, these seals were designed to suppress the beast's cultivation speed.

The Sky-Winged Demon Tiger was a powerful creature from a formidable lineage. It would be a pity to kill it, but since it refused to submit, the elder had no choice but to force it.

The elder raised his hands, tracing mysterious trajectories in the air. Spiritual light spilled from his fingertips, weaving into a complex, intricate rune.

He bit his tongue and sprayed a mist of blood onto the rune, turning it a deep, crimson red. With a flick of his finger, the blood-red rune transformed into a streak of light, aiming directly for the tiger’s forehead. Once the seal was set, the tiger would be forced to obey, regardless of its own will.

Just as the rune was about to sink into the tiger’s brow, a shard of purple light appeared, emitting a brilliant, intense glow that enveloped the beast.

"Who goes there?!" The elder’s expression shifted, and he looked around, shouting in a deep voice.

"A dog must be judged by its master. To try and claim Yin’s mount without rhyme or reason—isn't that going a bit too far?" A calm, light voice echoed from all directions throughout the mountain forest.

The elder frowned. Behind him, the others looked around nervously, but they could see no one.

"I had not realized this tiger had an owner," the elder said, bowing slightly to the empty air. "Since you are its master, why not show yourself?"

"Show myself? Heh..." A cold, mocking laugh echoed. A loud boom followed as a nearby mountain peak suddenly exploded. Debris flew into the air amidst a cloud of dust, and a figure soared upward. He stood suspended in the void, long white hair cascading down, his expression indifferent. His pitch-black eyes shimmered with cold light as he looked down at the group.

"Can you see me now?" Yin Tianfang’s lips curled into a cold smile. He knew that the elder’s request to see him was merely a facade. If his cultivation were lower than the elder’s, the man would surely have killed him to leave the tiger ownerless, then sealed it for his own use.

Yin Tianfang stepped through the air, descending slowly. Arriving beside the Sky-Winged Demon Tiger, he stood silently, his green robes fluttering in the breeze as he gazed at the men below.