Tall and straight poplar trees, their leaves long fallen, revealing large patches of ugly dry branches.
On both sides of the poplar tree are the back walls of two households, with a passage no more than a yard wide.
Behind the tree is a large pile of randomly stacked firewood, completely blocking the path behind the tree.
In the bright moonlight, Zhu Qiuniang could see the situation clearly around the big tree at a glance.
Surrounded by obstacles, in a complex environment, the Ironscale Demon Tiger would indeed be somewhat restricted, but there was no space for anyone to pass through.
In other words, for her and Gao Xian, there was no advantage in fighting in this environment.
What could they use to fight the Ironscale Demon Tiger?!
In terms of combat, Gao Xian was still quite immature!
Zhu Qiuniang really wanted to ignore Gao Xian, treating him well would be good for both of them.
Just as Zhu Qiuniang hesitated, Gao Xian spoke again, "Qiuniang, you stand under the tree, the demon tiger will enter through the gap between the two walls. I will ambush the demon tiger here. Qiuniang, use your spells to attack first as a support."
He reached out a hand from the Shadowless Robe to signal to Zhu Qiuniang his position, giving her a clear idea.
Seeing Gao Xian's hand, Zhu Qiuniang felt a bit more confident.
Gao Xian's plan was rough and simple, but it was still a plan after all.
After thinking about it, she thought it was acceptable, at least it wasn't reckless.
If the first strike failed, the outcome for both of them would be uncertain.
At this point, there weren't many choices left.
The key was that Gao Xian risked his life to help, what more could she say!
Following the plan, Zhu Qiuniang arrived under the poplar tree, holding the Green Frost Sword in her hand and a second-grade medium-quality Thunder Talisman.
Thunder techniques were the most powerful among all techniques.
The Thunder Talisman was just a general term, with specific types numbering in the thousands.
Only those thunder techniques that could be drawn into a talisman were called Thunder Talismans.
This was why she could activate the Thunder Talisman, being close to Foundation Establishment and proficient in the Green Wood Thunder Light Spear.
For other cultivators, it would be difficult to control the talisman.
If not careful, they might even be injured by the Thunder Talisman.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhu Qiuniang quickly focused her mind and prepared herself.
Gao Xian, draped in the Shadowless Robe, stood at the entrance between the two back walls.
Calculating the distance and direction, the Ironscale Demon Tiger would definitely enter from there.
He was hiding there to deliver a fierce blow to the Ironscale Demon Tiger.
Even if he couldn't kill the Ironscale Demon Tiger, at least he wanted to injure it.
Beasts usually act alone, although they are fierce and strong, they wouldn't fight to the death with their prey.
Once injured, the first choice for a beast would be to flee for its life.
After spending several tens of days in the mountain trial, although he hadn't killed many beasts, Gao Xian had a certain understanding of their habits.
This was also the only way he could think of to save Qiuniang.
The Ironscale Demon Tiger was extremely fast, with no complex thoughts, only wanting to tear apart the thing carrying the scent of its cub!
It locked onto Zhu Qiuniang's position, realizing that the other party wasn't running.
This further fueled its ferocity, increasing the speed of its limbs once again.
Under the moonlight, the Ironscale Demon Tiger sprinted, its huge and strong body moving lightly like a bird, leaping twice and already in front of Gao Xian.
Gao Xian was shocked, his Lightning Dragon Hand had reached the Grandmaster level, his speed not weaker than Zhu Qiuniang's.
However, the Ironscale Demon Tiger's leaping speed was even faster, considering its huge body, weighing at least ten times more than him.
It was evident how terrifying the strength of this tiger was.
Initially lacking in confidence, seeing the fierce and powerful posture of the tiger during its leap almost scared him off.
Fortunately, Lan Jie appeared in his mind, with the support of the Grandmaster-level Great Occult Art, Gao Xian managed to control his nervousness and enter a calm state as cold as ice.
At the same time, his sixth sense was greatly enhanced, making the Ironscale Demon Tiger, seemingly faster than a bird in his eyes, slow down continuously, with various details on the tiger's body magnified.
The undulating muscles combined strength and fluid beauty, the small triangular overlapping scales the size of a child's palm moved like flowing water, the blood-red pupils were eerie and intimidating, the two rows of black and yellow teeth in its mouth were as sharp as blades, and the black long whiskers similar to a small cat's...
Gao Xian's enhanced sense of smell still lingered, he could smell the strong stench emanating from the Ironscale Demon Tiger, mixed with complex scents of blood and more.
Surprisingly, there was a faint connection between the scent on Zhu Qiuniang and the scent on the Ironscale Demon Tiger.
It wasn't just a simple scent, it was more like a special aura imbued with spells.
This was why the Ironscale Demon Tiger was relentlessly chasing after Qiuniang.
Through his enhanced sense of smell and the Great Occult Art, Gao Xian roughly understood the reason why the tiger was hunting Qiuniang.
Time was of the essence, he didn't have time to analyze the specific situation.
The most crucial thing now was to deal with the Ironscale Demon Tiger.
Obviously, the Ironscale Demon Tiger hadn't noticed his presence.
The Grandmaster-level Shadowless Robe was very reliable.
Gao Xian gripped the handle of the Stone-Cutting Sword tightly.
The Ironscale Demon Tiger's body was so strong that his spell power would find it difficult to threaten the tiger, so the sword was more reliable.
The seventeen-pound Stone-Cutting Sword, with its sharp gold runes, when swung with full force, he didn't believe any flesh and blood body could withstand it!
Zhu Qiuniang had a very precise grasp of combat.
As soon as she saw the Ironscale Demon Tiger land, she activated the Thunder Talisman.
The talisman transformed into a blazing white thunder light, twisting and striking directly at the Ironscale Demon Tiger.
Thunder techniques were the fastest and most powerful.
The Ironscale Demon Tiger realized something was wrong but it was too late to dodge, and was directly hit by the thunder light.
Amidst a thunderous roar, the intense heat released by the thunder light melted more than half of the fine scales on the tiger's head, charring a portion of its forehead.
At the same time, a dark green-black light flame appeared on the Ironscale Demon Tiger's body, like a protective shield enveloping its entire body inside and out.
It was this layer of magical light flame shield that blocked most of the thunder's power.
On the side, Gao Xian then realized how powerful the Ironscale Demon Tiger's magical power was, the shield it conjured was so thick and solid that it could resist the Thunder Talisman.
In terms of magical power alone, the Ironscale Demon Tiger was at least ten times stronger than Zhu Qiuniang.
The difference in strength between the two sides was even greater in terms of physical bodies.
Fortunately, the Ironscale Demon Tiger lacked intelligence, didn't know much about spells and martial arts, and fought purely on instinct, making its control of magical power very crude and simple.
That was why it was injured by the Thunder Talisman.
Gao Xian marveled at the strength of the Ironscale Demon Tiger, but his determination to act didn't waver.
Taking advantage of the tiger's injury, it was his chance to strike.
Just as Gao Xian was about to draw his sword, Zhu Qiuniang's second wave of Green Wood Thunder Light Spears shot towards the Ironscale Demon Tiger.
The Ironscale Demon Tiger, with half of its face charred black, suddenly opened its mouth and let out a loud roar.
Releasing all its powerful magical power in the roar, the tiger's roar was truly earth-shattering.
In Gao Xian's eyes, the fiery shockwave emitted by the Ironscale Demon Tiger's roar seemed like a transparent cannonball heading straight towards Zhu Qiuniang.
The five Green Wood Thunder Light Spears shot towards them were shattered into countless streams of light by the roar.
The protective Thick Earth Shield and the Xuan Yuan Robe on Zhu Qiuniang's body were instantly shattered by the roar, and Zhu Qiuniang was also sent flying by the invisible shockwave, crashing into the scattered firewood behind.
The tall poplar tree bent backward in the roar, with the dry branches on the tree shattering into thousands of pieces, shooting out like rain.
The walls on both sides vibrated, stirring up countless dust and snow.
The Ironscale Demon Tiger's roar was so powerful and directional, with eighty percent of its force directed towards Zhu Qiuniang.
However, Gao Xian was too close and couldn't avoid being affected.
In the huge roar, the Shadowless Robe on his body rippled like water waves, revealing his figure.
The Grandmaster-level Shadowless Robe was exceptionally solid, although it couldn't conceal Gao Xian's figure, it blocked the residual shockwave from the roar.
With Lan Jie's control over his mind and body, Gao Xian wasn't deterred by the Ironscale Demon Tiger's roar.
His sword strike was almost unaffected.
The Ironscale Demon Tiger's red pupils widened as it saw Gao Xian beside it.
Its red pupils suddenly dilated, clearly startled by Gao Xian's sudden appearance!
In a critical moment, Gao Xian didn't hesitate and immediately thrust his sword.
The Ironscale Demon Tiger had just released most of its magical power, and at this moment, the red flame light around its body was very dim.
It had just roared with its neck fully exposed, the scales on its neck spreading open due to the force of the roar.
The seventeen-pound Stone-Cutting Sword turned into a snow-colored sword light, aiming directly at the Ironscale Demon Tiger's neck!
(End of Chapter)