My ancestors were spiritual plant growers, so it's not surprising that I hunt demons every day,

Cui Ying chased after him all the way to the foot of Songcui Cliff Mountain, and gradually lost sight of Gale Tiger.

Not only that, even the demonic aura in the air became faint and elusive.

"Wang Wang!"

Just as they lost their way, they suddenly heard the roar of snow-treading beneath their feet.

Unbeknownst to them, Ta Xue had also followed them out of their home.

Realizing that Ta Xue was also a demon, and that canine demons were most skilled at tracking, he immediately rode a cloud and followed the direction Ta Xue was heading, chasing after her once again.

Meanwhile, Ta Xue ran faster and faster, almost turning into a blur as she sprinted, finally stopping shivering in front of a quiet, dense forest.

Looking around, there are pine trees that take two people to hug, jagged rocks, and a complex terrain.

As soon as Cui Ying stepped into the stone forest, she felt an extremely intimidating sense of being spied upon.

It was as if deep within the dense forest, a colossal beast, ready to devour its prey, was watching them intently.

He was just waiting for himself to make a mistake before biting off his own neck.

Faced with such a chilling situation, Cui Ying calmed down instead.

After gesturing for Ta Xue to leave quickly, she dispelled her cloud-riding technique and walked barefoot on the ground covered with pine needles.

After taking only a few steps, they noticed a dark figure following behind them. It was Ta Xue, who was tucked between her legs and trembling as she followed behind, refusing to leave.

Cui Ying frowned slightly, and just as she was about to reprimand him, she suddenly felt a chill on her back as a gust of wind blew by.

Cui Ying narrowed her eyes, then suddenly leaned back, her short sword flashing as she channeled her magic power into it. A silver-white sword aura then pierced through from behind her.

There was a "pop" sound.

Behind them, a large ancient pine tree was cut in half, and a mournful howl echoed in the night wind. Several drops of scalding blood splattered onto Cui Ying's cheek.

As the surrounding pine forest swayed wildly, a white figure suddenly appeared in the canopy of one of the ancient pines.

The night was as dark as ink, and the pine forest was so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

But Cui Ying could still clearly see that there was a bloody wound on the flank of the Gale Tiger, which, if it were an inch deeper, would have almost torn open its belly.

"Ow."

The Gale Tiger roared and conjured seven or eight pale blue wind blades, which lunged fiercely at Cui Ying.

But Cui Ying seemed to have been prepared for this. As soon as the Gale Tiger appeared, the Yao Guang Sword in her hand shone brightly, and she slashed it out into the void in front of her.

After the sword was slashed out, the white figure rushed close.

The arm holding the sword was scratched with three deep, bone-revealing gashes.

At close range, everything suddenly became exceptionally clear.

Cui Ying watched helplessly as the Gale Tiger, several times her size, pounced on her, its body covered in blood. Its gaping maw and blood-stained teeth made it look even more terrifying.

And the sharp claws that gently sliced ​​across my arm—the pain was so vivid.

But Cui Ying didn't even frown. She simply switched hands instantly and used her left hand to hold the sword to block the Gale Tiger's attack.

But those incredibly sharp claws were already less than an inch from Cui Ying's neck.

No matter how Cui Ying retaliates, this attack will inevitably result in a lose-lose situation.

"Woof!!!"

Suddenly, the Gale Tiger in front of Cui Ying seemed to be knocked to the ground by a tremendous force.

Cui Ying instinctively dodged, shattering the oncoming wind blade with her sword. Turning around, she saw a thin, black figure being thrown out.

"Treading on Snow!"

"Roar!!"

Cui Ying was startled. Before she could take a closer look, another terrifying tiger roar rang in her ears.

Just as she was momentarily distracted and stunned, another incredibly fast white figure pounced towards her.

Fortunately, Cui Ying was mentally strong and quickly recovered from her momentary lapse in concentration.

With a flick of her wrist, another cold, sharp light shot out, but it only shattered the afterimage conjured by the Gale Tiger.

"bang bang bang"

Several more sword strikes were unleashed, but apart from the still-present phantom of the Gale Tiger, there was not a single trace of the sword piercing the demon tiger.

At this, Cui Ying's face also turned ugly.

But what terrified her even more was that the pill she had pressed under her tongue beforehand had already been refined, and the magical power in her dantian was no longer enough for her to unleash another killing move.

Her face was deathly pale; she knew that if things continued like this, she would surely die. But her magical power was almost gone, and she couldn't even stop the bleeding from her wounds.

Cui Ying looked unwilling but helpless, and could only kneel down powerlessly with her sword in one hand.

Perhaps sensing that Cui Ying was at her last gasp and posed no threat, a white shadow swiftly swept past behind her. The Gale Tiger, its aura equally weak, finally revealed itself.

It stared at Cui Ying for a moment, baring its teeth, then suddenly opened its mouthful of fangs and pounced on her.

There was a "pop" sound.

After swaying slightly, Cui Ying turned around with her face turned back, raised her arm, and flicked her finger lightly at the opposite side.

A flash of dark light appeared at his fingertips, as if something had flown out.

A piercing scream.

The illusory figure opposite him shuddered, and the aura surrounding him instantly dissipated. A white beast shadow, about ten feet long, fell from mid-air in front of Cui Ying.

It was that Swift Tiger.

"Wang Wang Wang."

Ta Xue struggled to her feet and rushed to Cui Ying's side, tearing at the white giant tiger in front of her with all her might.

"Whoo~"

Cui Ying steadied herself. With her keen senses, she could easily tell that the Gale Tiger was on the verge of death and was merely clinging to life.

She stood up, pale-faced, and walked to the body of the Gale Tiger, calming the agitated Ta Xue: "Ta Xue."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Ta Xue, her eyes bloodshot, stopped biting and let out a muffled whimper, tears streaming down her dark eyes.

Cui Ying was deeply shocked. It took her a long time to reach out and gently stroke Ta Xue's head and back.

Only when her tense spine slowly relaxed did she speak softly:

"It's alright, Ta Xue. Trust me, I won't let anything happen to me."

"Third girl."

Just then, a familiar call rang out from outside the pine forest.

Cui Ying turned her head and saw a tall figure stumbling and running towards her.

Behind him, there was a series of unfamiliar presences.

These people all seemed to have a glimmer of light in their hands or behind their backs, clearly indicating that they had come prepared.

"father."

Upon hearing Cui Ying's weak response, Cui Zhengming immediately ran over in the direction of the sound.

Before he even got close, he saw Cui Ying, covered in blood, kneeling beside a huge creature.

His heart skipped a beat, and he rushed over: "Girl, I'm sorry, I'm late."

Cui Ying saw that her father, a tough and sturdy man, was at a loss in front of her, and his voice was trembling:

"Father brought some medicine to stop the bleeding. Tell Father quickly, where are you hurt? Are you alright?!"

She shook her head, pressed down on her father's trembling arm as he frantically searched his pockets for what seemed like an impossible task, and couldn't help but smile, offering words of comfort:

"Dad, I'm fine."

"Nonsense, you've lost so much blood, how could you be alright?"

"Really, I used to."

Cui Ying paused slightly, then quickly changed the subject:

"It's really just a minor injury. If you had come any later, it would have almost healed by now. Look at that Gale Tiger, it seriously injured your daughter."