C12 Scale Armor Tiger

At that moment, Jiaang Hao could no longer stand by silently and spoke up, "Lee Tao..."

Before Jiaang Hao could finish, Lee Tao cut him off with a dismissive wave of his hand, "Jiaang Hao, do you really think the Demon Core should go to Lu Chen? If that's your stance, then I'll withdraw from this expedition."

With those words, he stepped back, creating a gap between himself and the others, a cold smirk playing on his lips.

Jiaang Hao's voice faltered. Lee Tao's message was crystal clear: if Jiaang Hao pressed him to surrender the Demon Core, he would abandon the quest for the Essence Spirit Fruit. Losing a Layer Nine Body Tempering expert would jeopardize the entire journey into the Abyss Mountain Range.

Although the Demon Core was valuable, it paled in comparison to the Essence Spirit Fruit.

Jiaang Hao frowned, clearly unhappy with Lee Tao's ultimatum. Despite his irritation, he knew they couldn't afford to lose Lee Tao, a formidable ally at Layer Nine of Body Tempering.

After a brief contemplation, Jiaang Hao turned to Lu Chen with a look of regret, "Lu Chen, what do you think..."

"Brother Jiang, there's no need to continue. Lee Tao is right. He killed the Dark Shadow Leopard, so rightfully, it belongs to him."

Lu Chen, who had remained quiet until now, offered a faint smile, warm and unthreatening like a gentle spring breeze. Yet unnoticed by all, a sliver of coldness flickered in the depths of his eyes.

In his heart, Lu Chen had already sealed Lee Tao's fate.

"Hmph! Glad to see you know your place!" Lee Tao scoffed, convinced that Lu Chen was intimidated, for a Ninth Layer Body Tempering warrior was not someone an Eighth Layer could afford to cross.

Once they had gathered the Dark Shadow Panther's remains, the group pressed on.

They encountered Demon Beasts periodically, but none posed a significant challenge, being no higher than mid-stage Rank One, and none yielded another Demon Core.

"Lu Chen, be careful. We're approaching the location of the Essence Spirit Fruit," Jiaang Hao warned with caution.

Lu Chen nodded and stayed close behind Jiaang Hao as they moved forward.

The four of them navigated cautiously, parting the dense grass. Suddenly, their view opened up to a flat, expansive valley with a steep mountain at the far end. At the base of the mountain, Lu Chen's keen eyes spotted a pitch-black cave entrance, from which a menacing aura emanated.

Turning to Lu Chen with a smile, Jiaang Hao said, "Mr. Lu, the Essence Spirit Fruit lies within that cave."

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes, sensing something, and his eyebrows subtly lifted.

"Let's go!"

Unable to contain his excitement, Lee Tao gestured to the others and, with his sword drawn, charged ahead.

Without hesitation, Lu Chen and the rest followed suit.

"Roar!"

As Lee Tao neared the cave entrance, a thunderous roar echoed forth, followed by a gust of foul wind. The earth trembled as a massive figure lunged from the cave.

A claw, glinting with a chilling light, struck out at Lee Tao at the forefront.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing rang out as Lee Tao's face blanched, forcing him to stagger back several steps.

Lu Chen immediately halted, his eyes squinting as he scrutinized the creature: a two-meter-tall, three-meter-long beast, black as night, with a tiger-like form and a body sheathed in metallic scales that gleamed ominously.

"So this is the Scale Armor Tiger at the pinnacle of Rank One's late stage? Truly formidable. It repelled a Layer Nine Body Tempering cultivator with a single swipe of its claw. It seems I'll have to exert my full strength to battle it."

The sense of a formidable presence from the Scale Armor Tiger ignited a surge of combativeness in Lu Chen's eyes as he whispered to himself.

Had Jiaang Hao and the others overheard him, they would have been astounded, thinking Lu Chen had lost his mind.

The might of the Scale Armor Tiger's strike was so formidable that even Lee Tao, who had reached Layer Nine of the Body Refining Stage, struggled to withstand it. Yet Lu Chen, merely at Layer Eight, boasted arrogantly.

Such audacious words were bound to astonish everyone.

"Lee Tao, you and I will lead the main assault, while Lu Chen and Murong Yun will provide support from the sidelines," Jiaang Hao instructed, seemingly oblivious to the battle fervor in Lu Chen's eyes. He was acutely aware of the terrifying presence emanating from the Scale Armor Tiger, his expression grave.

The Scale Armor Tiger's aura indicated that it was far more powerful than the typical late-stage Rank One Demon Beast.

"Understood!"

"Roar!"

At that moment, an enraged roar erupted from the Scale Armor Tiger as it crouched, poised to strike once more.

"Attack!"

Realizing there was no time for hesitation, Jiaang Hao let out a fierce cry and charged forward. He swiftly drew a large blade from his back, and with muscles tensing, he brought the blade down in a powerful slash.

Lee Tao was quick to act as well, drawing his long sword and delivering a swift strike.

Clang! Clang!

Blade and sword clashed with the Scale Armor Tiger, unleashing a fearsome force. For a brief moment, the air was filled with the flash of steel and the release of energy. Both men and the beast staggered, each retreating a step.

"Attack!"

"Attack!"

Lee Tao and Jiaang Hao roared in unison, charging back into the fray.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen and Murong Yun circled the periphery, launching intermittent attacks to disrupt the Scale Armor Tiger.

Thud!

Another heavy blow landed, and Lee Tao was sent flying by a swipe of the Scale Armor Tiger's claw, hurtling through the air like a kite with its string cut.

Spurt!

Simultaneously, Jiaang Hao exploited an opening, his blade striking the Scale Armor Tiger and leaving a gash. Yet his blade-wielding hand was now drenched in blood, clearly injured from the recoil.

"We can't drag this out any longer. It looks like I'll have to step in."

Upon seeing the situation, Lu Chen let out a low sigh in his heart. He realized that if he didn't take action soon, Jiaang Hao and the others could be in mortal danger. With this thought, he began to channel the Origin Energy within him, preparing to unleash his full power.

Just then, an icy voice reached Lu Chen's ears.

"Kid, distract the Scale Armor Tiger for me. I'll take the chance to enter the cave and harvest the Essence Spirit Fruits. You'll be handsomely rewarded afterward."

Lee Tao, who had been swatted away by the Scale Armor Tiger's claw, stood up, fixed his gaze on Lu Chen, and issued his cold command.

He expects me to hold off the Scale Armor Tiger while he goes to pick the Essence Spirit Fruits?

That's ludicrous. Two cultivators at Layer Nine of the Body Refining Stage couldn't withstand the tiger's assault, and now I'm expected to fend it off? If I were merely an average practitioner at Layer Eight, I probably wouldn't last through a single blow.

Yet, Lu Chen didn't outright refuse. Instead, he seemingly innocently nodded and turned to face the Scale Armor Tiger. As he did, a hint of mockery played at the corner of his mouth.

With Lu Chen joining the fray, Jiaang Hao's burden was significantly lightened. For a brief moment, the Scale Armor Tiger was held at bay, and the cave entrance was wide open.

"Whoosh!"

Without hesitation, Lee Tao dashed into the cave.

"Roar!"

"Boom!"

Almost instantly after Lee Tao's entrance, the cave trembled violently, and a roar echoed. A figure then hurtled out, screaming in agony, and crashed to the ground, his life force fading.

It was Lee Tao, now with a gash across his chest so deep that bone was visible, his injuries grave.

"Oh no, there's another Scale Armor Tiger inside the cave!" Murong Yun's face blanched as she exclaimed in shock.

As her words hung in the air, the ground shook once more. The next moment, a massive figure emerged from the cave. It was indeed another Scale Armor Tiger, even larger than the first, its aura of savagery palpable even from a distance.

This creature was another peak late-stage Rank One Demon Beast, yet its strength was unquestionably far superior to that of the first one encountered.