Ascending from the mortal realm to become an immortal begins with taking charge of a grotto-heaven.

The older hunter stepped forward, pointing to a misty valley deep in the western mountains, his face full of apprehension: "Master, it's Misty Valley! Strange rocks are piled up in that valley, hiding countless natural caves. Thick fog often rises in the valley. In the past, when we hunted, we only dared to observe from afar on the outside, never daring to go even half a step deep."

A young hunter nearby added, "Every time the demon tiger comes down the mountain to raid at night, it always turns back towards Misty Valley before dawn. We've seen its figure disappear into the thick fog from afar."

"They certainly know how to choose where to hide."

Having determined the tiger demon's hiding place, Zhang Li no longer hesitated and immediately had two hunters lead him towards Misty Ridge.

About half an hour later.

The two hunters leading the way stopped listening and pointed in one direction.

"Immortal Master, once you cross this mountain, you'll reach the Misty Ridge."

Zhang Li looked in the direction they were pointing, and sure enough, it was true.

Behind the mountain peak, a thick layer of white mist enveloped the entire valley. With his current eyesight, he could only see less than half a zhang ahead. Any mortal without cultivation who entered the valley would only be trapped and die.

Zhang Li glanced at the two hunters beside him and said, "I don't need your help with what happens next. You two can leave now."

"Then we'll wait outside the mountain for the immortal master's good news."

The two hunters bowed repeatedly, not daring to linger, and quickly turned around and walked down the mountain along the path they had come from.

As the two figures disappeared, Zhang Li made a hand seal, activating the Ink Cloud Pendant. A stream of dark light swirled around him before vanishing again.

After setting up his defenses, he ventured alone into the Misty Valley.

Following the lingering aura of the tiger demon, Zhang Li continued walking into the valley.

Just as he continued to venture more than a hundred feet deeper, a low and ferocious tiger's roar suddenly rang out from the depths of the thick fog!

The white mist churned and rippled violently, and a massive figure covered in short, dark golden fur suddenly burst out from the shadows of the side cave, rushing straight toward Zhang Li with a whistling wind.

"Finally couldn't hold back anymore?"

Zhang Li remained calm, his feet shifting slightly as he moved several feet to the side, barely avoiding the tiger demon's powerful attack.

Boom!

The tiger demon's heavy body slammed heavily onto the ground, sending rubble and dirt flying everywhere, and its claws kicked deep furrows into the hard rock.

When the first attack failed, the tiger demon roared and its thick tail, like an iron whip, swept towards Zhang Li's waist and abdomen.

Zhang Li raised his hand and waved it. Several fire serpent talismans that had been prepared in advance flew out of the air, bursting with spiritual light. One after another, burning fire serpents roared and rushed towards the tiger demon.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Flames exploded one after another on the tiger demon's body, scorching it so much that it roared in pain. Although its thick fur blocked most of the fire, it was still scorched in patches.

The tiger demon, in pain, became even more ferocious. It opened its tiger's mouth and condensed a pure black light, which pierced through the air and struck Zhang Li's face.

A flash of inky light appeared in front of Zhang Li, transforming into a solid protective shield.

Bang!

The dark light slammed into the surface of the shield, leaving not even a ripple.

"This Ink Cloud Pendant truly lives up to its reputation as a top-grade magic artifact."

Having finally experienced the defensive capabilities of this sword artifact firsthand, Zhang Li nodded inwardly.

Then, before the tiger demon could react, a crimson magic sword appeared in his hand, and he raised his hand to slash horizontally.

Clang!

A clear sword cry tore through the thick fog in the valley. The crimson sword was surrounded by a dazzling spiritual light. A narrow, crimson sword aura shot out from the blade, slicing through the surging white fog with the speed of thunder, and cleaved straight at the tiger demon's head.

The black tiger demon's pupils shrank sharply. Having failed to attack twice before, it knew that the cultivator in front of it was extremely difficult to deal with. Now, seeing the sword energy coming, it dared not take it head-on. Its huge body twisted violently, and its four limbs pushed off the ground as it retreated rapidly, sending shards of stone flying everywhere under its claws.

But the speed of the sword energy far exceeded its expectations.

scoff!

The crimson sword energy grazed its shoulder blade, instantly tearing its black fur, which was as hard as refined iron, leaving a deep, bone-revealing bloodstain. The scalding sword energy then penetrated the wound, scorching the demonic flesh with a sizzling sound.

"Awooo—!"

The fierce roar of the tiger shook the surrounding thick fog, causing it to surge violently.

"He actually dodged it."

When his first attack failed, Zhang Li made a hand seal, and a streak of azure flame roared toward the tiger demon.

Seeing the blue flames flying towards it, the black tiger demon dared not let the flames get close. It swung its huge tiger claws out in mid-air to meet the blue flames head-on, wanting to extinguish them with one claw.

With Zhang Li's extensive investment of Azure Wood Cores, the cultivation of the second level of the Azure Flame Technique was more than half completed. The condensed Azure Flame already possessed the power of several-tenths of a true fire, so how could it be extinguished by a single claw from a demonic beast?

With a soft hiss, the moment the tiger's claws touched the azure flames, the dark, hard claws were instantly ignited. The azure flames, like maggots clinging to bones, rapidly spread upwards along the tiger's claws, scorching the flesh and bones.

"Awoo!"

A piercing pain struck, and the black tiger demon trembled violently. It hurriedly retracted its front paws and desperately rubbed them against the ground and rocks, trying to extinguish the flames.

Seeing the power of the Azure Flame, Zhang Li couldn't help but nod.

Now that the power of the talismans, spells, and magical artifacts has been tested, Zhang Li is no longer willing to waste any more time on this tiger demon.

Zhang Li raised his hand and a crimson sword aura, about ten feet high, slashed down fiercely.

The crimson sword energy tore through the white mist, accompanied by a whistling wind, and slashed down at the head of the black tiger demon.

The tiger demon was busy extinguishing the blue flames on its claws when it sensed the approaching deadly danger. Its fur stood on end, and ignoring the burning pain, it twisted its body to try to dodge.

However, the green flames continued to erode its flesh and slowed its growth, ultimately making it a fraction slower.

puff!

The sharp sword energy slashed fiercely at the tiger demon's neck, and its hard, iron-like black fur split open, gushing out blood.

"Aww..."

A short, mournful howl rang out, and the massive body of the Black Gold Tiger Demon collapsed heavily to the ground, its limbs twitching and struggling a few times before it completely lost its life.

Zhang Li took the tiger skin as proof of completion, and after collecting some tiger bones and animal meat, he left Misty Valley.

Before long, Zhang Li walked out of the western mountain area and saw two hunters guarding an open area in front of the mountain, anxiously looking into the distance.

Upon seeing Zhang Li emerge from the mountain, the two men's eyes lit up, and they quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"Immortal Master!" The two hunters bowed respectfully, their eyes instinctively glancing at the neatly folded tiger skin in Zhang Li's hand. They immediately understood, their faces lighting up with wild joy. "Could it be that demonic tiger..."

Zhang Li nodded slightly: "That wicked beast has been executed, and the demonic threat has been eliminated."

Upon hearing this, the two hunters breathed a sigh of relief, their eyes slightly moist. The revenge for the deaths of their fellow villagers had finally been achieved.

"Thank you so much, Immortal Master! We will hurry back to Tianshui County to share the good news with the magistrate and the villagers!"

Zhang Li waved his hand: "You two do as you please. I have important matters to attend to, so I won't be going back with you."

Having said that, he didn't linger any longer and commanded the Black Shadow Boat to leave Tianshui County.