Fairy, don't be afraid, I'm about to begin my strategy.

The roar of the tiger shook the mountains and forests, and cries of agony and fleeing filled the Tiger Ravine, plunging the entire mountain into a terrifying chaos.

The tiger, for reasons unknown, was so enraged that it rampaged through the mountains, destroying rocks and vegetation, leaving a scene of utter devastation.

"It's a monster! Let's run!"

Young Master Zhao originally just wanted to show off and win a smile from the beauty, but he didn't expect it would alarm the monsters.

Sensing the fierce aura sweeping over him, his heart sank. This aura indicated at least the cultivation level of the Crystallization Realm.

Cold sweat silently soaked his back, and Young Master Zhao's hand holding the sword trembled slightly, but his gaze still involuntarily drifted towards his beloved Junior Sister Chen, his mind calculating how to escape.

Unfortunately, he had exerted too much force earlier, and now his body was weak and his legs were unsteady, so he was no longer able to carry Shen Mo to safety.

"What are you three standing there for? Quickly, take me and my junior sister and get out of here!"

Young Master Zhao took a deep breath, turned around and shouted urgently, his voice revealing his weakness and anxiety.

The three men in black realized something was wrong and hurriedly grabbed the two men, fleeing down the mountain.

Shen Mo remained silent, utterly disheartened. So you're not pretending anymore, huh?

Fortunately, all three were Foundation Establishment cultivators, capable of using Qi to fly, so their escape speed was not slow.

But everyone clearly underestimated the power of the monster. The tiger's roar gradually grew louder and clearer, and the ferocious beast was getting closer and closer.

Shen Mo was so engrossed in the shouting that his ears rang and his vision blurred; he figured today was probably going to be a terrible day.

Just as everyone had fled to the clear pool at the foot of Tiger Gorge, still shaken, a sudden gale arose, whipping up sand and stones. Amidst the murky dust and smoke, a massive black shadow, accompanied by a foul wind, crashed to the ground, causing ripples to spread across the pool.

Young Master Zhao screamed, "Crimson Flame Tiger!"

The tiger was enormous, with a long body and a height of over 2 meters. Its muscles bulged, and its body was covered with red flame-like markings. Its imposing presence was terrifying, and Shen Mo was terrified for a long time.

"Look there!"

Following the direction pointed out by the man in black, Shen Mo suddenly realized that what rushed down the mountain with the tiger was not only sand and stones, but also two strange people.

One of them was covered in black mist, obscuring his face. He was locked in fierce combat with a tiger and, though at a disadvantage, showed no signs of defeat.

Although Shen Mo knew very little about the cultivation world, he could tell that the person was definitely not a righteous cultivator and was deliberately hiding his identity, so he must have some ulterior motive.

The other person was struggling against the tiger's attack, clearly indicating a significant difference in cultivation level.

Although the man had also covered his face, Shen Mo recognized him at a glance.

Good heavens, it's someone I know!

Wang Rui, the senior disciple of the outer sect!

The other party had obviously noticed Shen Mo, but at this moment he was busy dealing with the tiger's attack and had no time to spare.

At this moment, a graceful figure flew over from afar, it was Lin Zhixia who had come to provide support after discovering the critical situation.

"Junior sister, are you alright?"

Seeing Lin Shijie's anxious and concerned expression, Shen Mo felt very pleased; it was a different feeling to have someone care about you.

Shen Mo assured Lin Zhixia that everything was alright, and Lin Zhixia finally felt relieved.

"Hey senior and junior sisters, this isn't the time for sisterly affection; survival is the priority!"

Young Master Zhao felt a chill run down his spine; the demonic beast's oppressive aura was drawing ever closer. He tugged at Junior Sister Chen's sleeve, his voice trembling with urgency.

"No, those two are hiding in the Lingyun Mountains, concealing their identities. They must be up to no good. We can't let them leave." Lin Zhixia righteously rejected Young Master Zhao's suggestion.

"That Crimson Flame Tiger is already an adult, at least at the Crystallization Realm level. We simply can't handle it! Our only option now is to call for help!"

As Young Master Zhao pulled everyone back, he spoke urgently.

"Which of you brought the sect's signal baton? If we can alert the disciples of the Enforcement Hall patrolling the nearby mountains, there might still be a glimmer of hope!"

Everyone looked at each other, their faces filled with helplessness.

These signal sticks are used by lower-level disciples of the sect specifically to request assistance; they are rarely used on ordinary days.

"Senior sister, use the sparkler!"

Shen Mo suddenly remembered this powerful weapon and quickly reminded him.

Lin Zhixia also realized what was happening and immediately took out her sparkler to launch a firework signal.

At this moment, the two who were fighting fiercely with the tiger were gradually becoming exhausted. The beast had been stimulated by something and became so violent.

The two exchanged glances and retreated while fighting, clearly trying to divert the trouble elsewhere.

Seeing this, Lin Zhixia drew out a whip-shaped magic weapon and held it in front of everyone, saying, "You all retreat first, I'll hold them off for a moment."

Seeing his three cousins ​​also retreating, Young Master Zhao was furious. "You three cowards, go help!"

The tiger clearly didn't distinguish between factions; it attacked anyone it saw, displaying extreme ferocity.

With Lin Zhixia and her group joining the fray, the battle escalated into a chaotic melee involving one tiger and six others. The two tigers attempted to escape, but Lin Zhixia's strong resistance prevented them from leaving the battlefield.

Just as the battle reached a stalemate, a sharp sound of air being torn apart suddenly came from the horizon, and the fluctuation of spiritual energy grew closer from afar, clearly indicating that someone was rushing towards them on a magical artifact.

Everyone looked up and saw several sword lights slicing through the clouds, heading straight for them.

The help from Lingyun Sect has finally arrived.

Seeing the battle at a stalemate, the strange man shrouded in black mist flashed a fierce light in his eyes, clearly having lost patience. His hands moved swiftly, and as his fingers changed hand seals, the red light around him suddenly intensified, then condensed into a crimson spirit pearl, which shot straight towards the tiger's eyes with a sharp whooshing sound!

Lin Zhixia had already been on guard against the strange man, and when she saw him suddenly unleash such a fierce attack, she immediately understood.

This is an attempt to use the opportunity to escape!

She moved swiftly, almost at the same moment the crimson spirit orb shot out, she had already flashed in front of the man's retreat path, her long whip like a bolt of lightning blocking his momentum.

"Be careful, senior sister!"

Unexpectedly, the crimson spirit orb suddenly turned around halfway through its flight and struck Lin Zhixia in the back of the heart at an even faster speed!

Lin Zhixia realized what was happening too late to dodge, and in her haste, she could only crush a protective jade talisman. Just as the spirit pearl was about to strike Lin Zhixia, a pale blue spiritual energy shield suddenly appeared, shielding her from the attack.

"Bang--!"

The spirit orb collided violently with the light shield, and after only a moment of stalemate, the light shield shattered. The remaining force slammed heavily onto Lin Zhixia's back, slamming her to the ground.

Shen Mo saw it from afar, and his heart clenched suddenly.

Sister Lin has truly had a tragic fate; she can't possibly die now.

Provoked by the aura of the crimson spirit pearl, the tiger turned around and pounced on Lin Zhixia, accompanied by a foul stench!

Although Zhao's three cousins ​​rushed to stop him, it was too late. They saw the enormous tiger claw, whipped by a fierce wind, slam down hard on Lin Zhixia's head, who was still lying on the ground.

Shen Mo covered his eyes, unable to look any longer.

Sigh, is this senior sister really going to die? How come she still can't be saved even after a reload?

"You beast, cease your insolence!"

With a roar, a sword flashed, blocking the fatal blow for Lin Zhixia.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the two strange men blurred into two black shadows and fled into the distance. By the time the disciples of the Enforcement Hall arrived, only the echoes of the tiger's roar and the lingering dust remained; the two men had vanished without a trace.

After a fierce battle, the disciples of the Enforcement Hall drove the tiger away, and the whole incident came to an end.

Lin Zhixia was seriously injured but not fatally, while Young Master Zhao was punished according to family rules and placed in confinement.

The Enforcement Hall thoroughly investigated the matter, tracing back the cause and effect, but the situation only became more perplexing.

The Crimson Tiger had already reached the Crystallization Realm and had long since developed sentience. Only after communicating with it did the elders of the Enforcement Hall learn the reason for its madness.

It turned out that on the day it was undergoing its transformation and advancement in Tiger Gorge, it was interrupted at the crucial moment by Young Master Zhao's domineering move, "Horizontal Cloud Slash," causing its years of cultivation to be wasted. The tiger was consumed by rage and went berserk, attacking indiscriminately, but inadvertently entangled the two people who were secretly meeting.

The Enforcement Hall discovered a cave where the two were meeting in secret, and inside were five girls who had been brutally murdered.

Shen Mo followed the others forward to investigate and saw that the five girls had lost all their life force, yet a faint spiritual light flowed between their bones, clearly indicating that they possessed exceptional talent for cultivation. Such talent had been abducted here like merchandise.

He felt a chill run down his spine; he already understood.

These two were probably involved in the human trafficking business. Now that their activities had been exposed, they had no choice but to kill all five people to prevent future trouble.

Shen Mo was not qualified to participate in what happened afterward, and thus had no way of knowing the results of his investigation.

The NPCs whose character cards are generated by the game system can all be identified at a glance by the name above their heads, regardless of whether their faces are covered. Shen Mo recognized his senior brother Wang Rui precisely by using this small system function.

Based on the private information obtained from the senior brother, it can be inferred that this transaction between the two must be related to the True Essence Extraction Technique.

It seems that Wang Rui is secretly abducting talented young women through the Demonic Sect's channels, using this evil method to forcibly enhance their cultivation. As for whether there are deeper collusion or more sordid transactions behind this, it is difficult to say at the moment.

It seems it's time to investigate our dear senior brother Wang Rui again.