As the saying goes, "Where the mountains are high, there must be strange creatures; where the ridges are steep, there must be spirits."
The Evil Wind Mountain possesses both.
Jiang Tong'er entered the mountain, following the aura of the demons, and saw that the mountain mist was thick with miasma, while wolf-like insects moved in formation.
He activated the Yu Ding to protect himself, ensuring that the miasma and wolf-like insects could not approach.
Jiang Yuan arrived at the entrance of an old cave, where a stone door was ajar, and black mist poured out.
He focused his qi and peered inside, but could not hear any sounds; he deduced that the demon was not within the cave.
He thought to himself, "Strange! If this demon is not in the cave, where could it be? There are no guardians on this mountain, and I cannot ask for directions."
In the past, when he ascended Yuzhu Mountain, there were small demons guarding the entrance, but on this mountain, there were none to be seen.
How could this tiger not require a small demon to ring a bell and call out at night?
Jiang Yuan said, "This cave must be the demon's lair. I will hide outside the cave, waiting for the rabbit to come to me, and I will surely catch this demon off guard!"
After saying this, he searched for a hidden spot in the forest to conceal himself.
Before he could hide, he suddenly saw an old woman approaching from a distance.
"Sir, sir! Please slow down!"
The old woman had sharp eyes and spotted Jiang Yuan, waving her hands.
Jiang Yuan looked at the old woman in surprise.
How could there be an elderly person in this dark, evil mountain? He called out from a distance, "Where did you come from?"
The old woman waved her hands and said, "I am a traveler who accidentally wandered into the mountain and cannot find my way out. Sir, please take me with you, and I will give you a hundred coins!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan was skeptical.
How could an old woman make it to such a treacherous mountain? There must be something unusual about her.
He focused his qi and examined her appearance.
He saw that the old woman looked ordinary, but he was still astonished.
Could it be that his suspicions were unfounded?
As a mortal with ordinary eyesight, how could he discern the true nature of a demon? Just as he was about to approach, the ground suddenly trembled, and his primordial spirit was alerted.
When Jiang Tong'er looked again, the old woman was no longer human; she was enveloped in black mist, with a fierce tiger growing from her back.
Her eyes glowed green, and her teeth were sharp and white.
She was a mother tiger, disguised as a human to frighten him.
Jiang Yuan felt a surge of anger, nearly falling for her trick.
He thought, "That was close! This demon tried to deceive me; it deserves to be punished. I will pretend to be unsuspecting, get closer, and smash its heavenly spirit with the Yu Ding."
With that thought, he approached the old woman cautiously, keeping his guard up, his hand gripping the Yu Ding at his waist.
He said, "Old lady, I will take you with me; the night road is treacherous."
The old woman laughed and said, "Thank you, sir. If you take me down the mountain, I will teach two or three children to earn a hundred coins, so you won't suffer a loss."
Jiang Yuan feigned surprise and said, "A hundred coins would be wonderful! I am indeed in need of money."
He moved closer, observing the old woman's pupils, which were now slitted.
His heart steadied; she was indeed the king of mountain beasts.
The old woman, unaware of the change, smiled broadly, her hands transforming into claws behind her back, and asked, "Sir, what brings you to the mountain at night?"
Jiang Yuan stepped closer and replied, "I have come to subdue demons and capture monsters."
The old woman stiffened and asked, "Which demon are you here to subdue? Which monster are you here to capture?"
The two were less than ten steps apart.
Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "I am here to capture the mother tiger! I already know where she is. After I escort you down the mountain, I will come back to catch her, ensuring she has no way to escape."
The old woman's face changed in shock, and she asked, "How do you, sir, know that there is a mother tiger in this mountain?"
Jiang Yuan replied, "The mother tiger is right in front of me; how could I not know?"
With that, Jiang Tong'er suddenly raised the ding and smashed it down.
The old woman was taken aback, realizing her scheme had been uncovered.
Seeing the fierce attack, she rolled away, and Jiang Tong'er pursued her, hurriedly using the "Corpse Dissolution Technique" to leave behind a false corpse.
Boom!
Jiang Yuan smashed the ding onto the false corpse's heavenly spirit, causing it to shatter into pieces.
He turned to look, and there stood a creature with a tiger's head and a human body; this was the true form of the mother tiger.
The demon stood by a stone pillar, pointing at Jiang Yuan and said, "You little brat, you have no enmity with me, and no grievances; why do you come to attack me?"
Jiang Yuan shouted, "You have committed evil deeds in this mountain; I am here to subdue you!"
The demon roared in anger, "Which mountain do you cultivate in to speak such arrogant words?"
Jiang Yuan replied, "I am Guangxin, the eldest disciple of the Bodhi Patriarch from Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, and I have come to subdue you, you evil creature. Do not resist!"
He summoned two black and white fish to subdue the mother tiger.
The demon growled, "You should be made to serve my longevity!"
It lunged at him with its tiger claws.
Before the cave of Evil Wind Mountain, a fierce battle ensued, truly astonishing.
Jiang Tong'er, with his two fish techniques, had cultivated a high level of skill, while the demon's tiger claws were sharp and its evil techniques devoured lives.
The two fish attacked and defended simultaneously, while the tiger claws were cold and fierce, clashing back and forth in a fierce contest.
After ten exchanges, Jiang Yuan gained the upper hand.
With the protection of the Yu Ding, how could the demon harm him? Seeing an opportunity, he took the Yu Ding and smashed it down.
The demon, defeated, retreated and attempted to escape.
Jiang Yuan shouted, "Do not run!"
However, the demon feigned defeat.
Seeing Jiang Yuan pursue, it took out a gray pearl and blew into it, releasing a malevolent wind that was formless and invisible, chilling Jiang Yuan to the bone.
He was nearly blown away, but fortunately, the Yu Ding's weight anchored him.
For a moment, Jiang Yuan found himself unable to move.
The wind was vicious and truly formidable, preventing him from advancing.
He felt a surge of inspiration and summoned a white fish.
His golden fish had the ability to dispel divine weapons, and it should be able to knock the pearl down.
The white fish soared into the wind, opened its mouth, and the black pearl spun into the air, releasing murky air.
The demon was exerting itself to blow into the pearl, trying to amplify the malevolent wind, but was suddenly struck by the murky air.
The malevolent wind pearl lost its power, and no matter how the demon blew, the wind would not rise again.
Seeing the wind cease, Jiang Yuan leaped up and smashed the ding, frightening the evil tiger into a panic.
It dropped the malevolent wind pearl and fled.
The evil tiger summoned a wild wind to escape, truly embodying the phrase "the cloud follows the dragon, the wind follows the tiger," racing down the mountain with incredible speed.
Jiang Yuan collected his heart and the golden fish, and upon seeing the malevolent wind pearl on the ground, he stepped forward to pick it up and said, "That demon ran away quickly, leaving behind a treasure. This pearl can release malevolent wind and has some use. I should pursue that demon, but I am not skilled in the methods of soaring clouds. I will take my time in pursuit, as I doubt that demon can escape far."
The Patriarch had instructed him to first invite five people for assistance, but had not taught him various skills.
Thus, he was not very adept at flying into the sky or diving into the sea.
He could only leap high to perform a "soaring leap," slowly pursuing the evil tiger.
...
In the depths of the old forest on the mountain.
After fleeing for a while, the evil tiger landed and felt anxious and fearful.
"Where did this strange person come from? How formidable! My weapons are useless against him. My golden knife is still in the cave, and with the malevolent wind pearl lost, I cannot defeat this person. He mentioned Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and the Slanting Moon Three Stars Cave; where have I heard that name before?"
The demon recalled it sounded familiar.
Upon reflection, it realized that during the day, there was a fool who also claimed to come from "Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, Slanting Moon Three Stars Cave."
That fool had been muttering about not hoarding food and sitting in meditation for longevity, and it had eaten him.
These two came from the same place; now, he must be seeking revenge.
How could their powers differ so greatly? One had no power at all, merely satisfying its appetite, while the other had formidable power, causing it to flee in fear.
The demon pondered and devised a plan, saying, "Perhaps I should set a trap, summon a small demon dressed in a robe, and have it imitate that fool's voice. Since they are from the same sect, that fierce person will surely come to rescue. I will take the opportunity to attack him from behind and devour him."
The tiger demon then began to set up the trap.
This mountain was under its control, and it easily found a small demon to deceive Jiang Tong'er.
The demon was filled with hatred for Jiang Tong'er, digging a pit and summoning a demon, taking a large robe to trick Jiang Tong'er into falling for it, hoping to devour him and prolong its own life.
Meanwhile, Jiang Tong'er was desperately searching for demons, leaping slowly, unaware that the evil tiger intended to harm him...
(End of Chapter)