The ghostrunes left, and Xiang Shaoyun was just about to heave a sigh of relief when he noticed a massive silhouette slowly walking toward him from the woods. The newcomer was a demonic tiger. It was extremely fearsome with its fangs and crimson eyes. Its fur stood erect like needles, looking valiant and ferocious.
This was a bucktooth tiger, a species of demonic beast that was extremely vicious and had powerful offenses. This particular bucktooth tiger looked to be a late-stage Great Demon. It was currently eying Xiang Shaoyun and Liang Zhuangmin, evidently treating them as tasty food.
"Misfortune really does come in pairs," Xiang Shaoyun lamented helplessly.
With his combat prowess, he could barely battle ordinary Great Demons. Also, he had to be able to kill with one decisive hit or he would be disadvantaged if the fight dragged on. But it wouldn't be easy for him to face a late-stage Great Demon unless he was willing to fully exhaust his energy once again.
"Your turn to rest, Brother Xiang. Leave this tiger to me," said Liang Zhuangmin, who finally opened his eyes.
Xiang Shaoyun waved his hand and said, "Focus on recovering. I think I should be able to hang on, but it's better if you seal your hearing first."
Liang Zhuangmin sank into silence, feeling remorse over his incapability to provide any help. Inwardly, he said to himself, This is a friend worth making!
He gripped the earthstone heart tightly and absorbed a small part of its power. Instantly, his energy surged, allowing him to heal even faster. Without wasting any time, he focused on recovering again. He believed that Xiang Shaoyun would be able to deal with the tiger. He could still make a move if he later discovered that Xiang Shaoyun couldn't hang on anymore.
The bucktooth tiger finally attacked. With a roar, it charged at Xiang Shaoyun and Liang Zhuangmin. Xiang Shaoyun circulated his cultivation method in silence, fully activating the white tiger essence and white tiger energy within his second star, causing an apparition of a white tiger to appear behind him.
"Roar!"
He opened his mouth and sent a sound attack out of his mouth. That was the Tiger's Roar ability. It seemed to have shocked the world itself when it appeared, and even Liang Zhuangmin was given a massive fright by it. Fortunately, he had already sealed his ears. Otherwise, that roar would have injured him for sure. When the charging bucktooth tiger sensed the aura of a tiger king, it instantly stopped moving, and a timid look surfaced in its eyes.
"I am a friend of the Demon Emperor clan. I do not wish to harm my relationship with the tiger clan. Leave," said Xiang Shaoyun with a mild tone.
The only reason he was speaking with such a mild tone was because he had exhausted himself with the roar. He couldn't speak loudly right now even if he wanted to. The bucktooth tiger's eyes started flickering as it kept studying the white tiger apparition behind Xiang Shaoyun. Hesitation covered its face.
Xiang Shaoyun was incredibly nervous. He tightly gripped his Purple Lightning Saber and kept his internal energy circulating without stop, preparing to react the instant the bucktooth tiger attacked. Ultimately, the bucktooth tiger turned and left.
Xiang Shaoyun had not expected his plan to work at all. Without wasting any time, he entered a state of recovery once again. But before long, the bucktooth tiger returned again.
This time, Liang Zhuangmin opened his eyes and said, "Let me deal with it!"
After absorbing some power of the earthstone heart, Liang Zhuangmin had recovered about a third of his combat prowess. His wounds had healed slightly as well, and he was no longer as helpless as he was earlier.
"No, don't move rashly. It might not mean us harm," said Xiang Shaoyun.
He could see that the bucktooth tiger was carrying a five-colored antelope in its mouth and did not look like it was going to attack. The bucktooth tiger walked straight toward Xiang Shaoyun before putting the five-colored antelope down in front of him. The five-colored antelope was a species of demonic beast with almost non-existent offensive power yet possessed a flesh that was the optimal material for healing and recovery.
"Is this for me?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
The bucktooth tiger started speaking in the human language, "Yes. You are a friend of the Demon Emperor clan. If that is the case, you are the friend of my clan as well."
"Thank you," Xiang Shaoyun thanked gratefully.
It was quite lucky of him to receive the care of a demonic tiger in his current condition. As for Liang Zhuangmin, he heaved a breath of relief while his curiosity toward Xiang Shaoyun grew.
Xiang Shaoyun had successfully led their raid on the ancestral temple of the cannibals and robbed them of the earthstone heart. He could also fly, and now, he could even build a friendly relationship with a demonic tiger. All those were feats ordinary people wouldn't be able to accomplish.
And Xiang Shaoyun had accomplished them all. Everything was so very inconceivable. Liang Zhuangmin also finally understood why the pavilion had given Xiang Shaoyun the first-class estate, and he realized that this wasn't a person only relying on his connections—Xiang Shaoyun was also sufficiently capable.
Since Xiang Shaoyun wasn't able to immediately start preparing the antelope for consumption, he had the bucktooth tiger stand guard as he and Liang Zhuangmin continued recovering. The bucktooth tiger did not reject the request and lay down not far from the two. With this new guard, both Xiang Shaoyun and Liang Zhuangmin were much more at ease.
They put all their focus on recovery, and after one day, they had recovered considerably. Although they had not returned to their peak condition, they were now strong enough to protect themselves.
The first thing Xiang Shaoyun did after waking up from his meditation was to roast the five-colored antelope. Soon, an aromatic fragrance started drifting about in the air. Both him and Liang Zhuangmin were starving. They each tore an antelope leg off and started gorging themselves.
Xiang Shaoyun did not forget the bucktooth tiger and tossed over half the roasted five-colored antelope. The bucktooth tiger did not hesitate. After taking a bite off the meat and tasting how delicious it was, he started gorging on the meat and finished half the antelope in no time.
As Xiang Shaoyun ate, he could sense his vitality being replenished. He circulated his cultivation method and sent the energy rushing in toward his injuries, further nourishing them and helping them recover faster.
The five-colored antelope was indeed an excellent food for the purpose of recovery. When Xiang Shaoyun and Liang Zhuangmin were finally done resting, they stood up.
Liang Zhuangmin looked at Xiang Shaoyun and said, "Brother Xiang, we survived because of you. The earthstone heart shall go to you."
As he said that, he handed the earthstone heart to Xiang Shaoyun with no hesitation. It was clear he was a person of outstanding character.
Looking at the earthstone heart, Xiang Shaoyun shook his head. "This earthstone heart is more important to you. Keep it for yourself."
"No. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to get this earthstone heart at all. I can't keep it," said Liang Zhuangmin stubbornly.
Xiang Shaoyun replied seriously, "I don't cultivate the power of earth. You know that as well, right? So I don't really care that much for this earthstone heart. If you feel guilty keeping it, just help me get a soul spring as a way of repaying me then."
Liang Zhuangmin was overjoyed to hear those words. He replied, "Fine, I will help you get a soul spring with all my power!"