“This mountain is quite beautiful, but if it stretches on like this, all mountains... how am I supposed to find that immortal crane?”
After He Xiuyuan stepped into the mountains amidst the morning mist, he quickly felt that things were not looking good.
Inside the Mount Shi Fang, once he walked in, mountains surrounded him everywhere. When he looked up and around, he could only see a small patch of sky peeking through above.
In this situation, trying to find that immortal crane seemed a bit too difficult.
“This is bad. The visible area is already limited, let alone finding the immortal crane.”
After walking for most of the day, he still hadn't seen an open area. Some small paths within the mountains were even obscured by trees, making the visible areas even more limited.
In this case, He Xiuyuan might not even be able to spot the immortal crane if it simply landed on a large tree.
After thinking for a moment, He Xiuyuan decided to find a high peak to climb. That way, he could at least see a bit further.
Upon realizing this, He Xiuyuan immediately scanned his surroundings.
A moment later, a mountain peak that looked as if it had been carved by a knife appeared before He Xiuyuan’s eyes.
Looking at this mountain, one could tell it was much taller than the other peaks, giving it a sense of standing out from the crowd.
And at the foot of this peak, there were other peaks nestled against its mountainside.
He Xiuyuan looked at the mountain peak before him and, after a comparison, felt it was sufficient.
Seeing this, he immediately walked towards the peak.
Although this peak didn't seem particularly far from him, there's a saying that looking at a mountain can exhaust a horse.
He Xiuyuan looked at this peak and only reached its base when the sun was setting.
Although the sun had just set, there was no significant difference from nighttime under the Mount Shi Fang.
“This mountain... so high, so steep... it won't be easy to climb.”
He Xiuyuan hadn't even reached halfway up the mountain when the sky completely darkened.
He didn't see any water around, which made it difficult for He Xiuyuan to use his Yushui Technique.
He had a water pouch on him, but there wasn't much water inside.
It seemed he would have to find a stream or similar place tomorrow to directly ascend the peak using Yushui Technique.
Otherwise, he really couldn't climb this mountain.
Under the night sky, a gentle breeze swept through the mountain forest. He Xiuyuan built a bonfire beside a rock.
After finishing some dry rations in his hand, he casually lay down on a nearby rock, preparing to rest for the night.
As He Xiuyuan closed his eyes, he fell into a deep sleep.
He didn't know how long he had slept when He Xiuyuan suddenly felt a jolt in his spirit, then subconsciously opened his eyes.
The bonfire in front of He Xiuyuan had already extinguished, with only a few embers still glowing red.
Under the moonlight, He Xiuyuan’s gaze fell upon the nearby forest.
Then, a large Tiger with distinctive markings slowly emerged from the forest, its enormous Tiger mouth continuously letting out soul-stirring roars.
Its round eyes radiated fierce malevolence at that moment.
The Tiger had its sights set on He Xiuyuan.
He Xiuyuan looked at the hundreds of pounds heavy Tiger in front of him. After a careful assessment, he realized it was completely different from the mountain lord he had seen before.
This Tiger in front of him certainly had no Dao cultivation.
This, in turn, put He Xiuyuan slightly at ease.
However, the Tiger in front of him didn't care much. After circling He Xiuyuan three times and sensing no threat from him.
It immediately opened its Tiger mouth, and that Tiger roar instantly spread.
The surrounding birds and beasts were instantly scared and scattered in all directions. Some birds, upon hearing this Tiger roar, even fell directly from the branches.
Seeing this, the Tiger leaped towards He Xiuyuan.
Once it got close, it could bite off He Xiuyuan's head in one go.
He Xiuyuan shook his head slightly at the sight.
The Tiger's movements were extremely swift, but now, in He Xiuyuan's eyes, they seemed somewhat sluggish.
Ever since he started to Cultivate, He Xiuyuan could clearly feel that he had become much stronger and more robust. He wondered if he could deal with this Tiger using just his physical body.
Thinking this, He Xiuyuan reached out his hand. When the Tiger got a few feet closer, he slapped it directly on its forehead.
“Bang!”
Accompanied by a heavy sound, the Tiger in front of him was then slapped to the ground by He Xiuyuan.
“Oh, this strength is good!”
He Xiuyuan looked at his palm in surprise, then became interested and strode up to the Tiger.
While the Tiger was still a bit dazed, several more heavy slaps landed.
These slaps landed on the Tiger, making it groan repeatedly in agony, then it struggled to get up.
After finally shaking off He Xiuyuan, the Tiger leaped three zhang away.
At this moment, the Tiger no longer had any semblance of its former king of beasts appearance. In its eyes, as it looked at He Xiuyuan, there was even a hint of grievance, a feeling of being small and helpless.
It didn't understand how this monkey that could walk upright could be so formidable.
These few slaps felt as if they were going to shatter its head.
“Come here.”
He Xiuyuan looked at the Tiger in front of him and beckoned to it.
He Xiuyuan was not afraid of an unenlightened Tiger with no Dao cultivation.
Seeing He Xiuyuan beckon, the Tiger let out a low growl, then turned and was about to disappear into the forest behind it.
But He Xiuyuan would not let it have its way.
With just a light tap of his foot, He Xiuyuan mounted the Tiger, then slapped it again.
“Bang!”
Under this slap, the Tiger's limbs went soft, and it collapsed directly onto the ground.
The Tiger turned its head to look at He Xiuyuan on its back, opening its Tiger mouth and letting out threatening roars at He Xiuyuan.
He Xiuyuan frowned and slapped it on the face again.
“No more howling!”
After this slap, it was unclear if the Tiger understood, but it was clearly a bit scared.
The Tiger lay sprawled on the ground, its tongue hanging out as it panted heavily, seemingly showing a hint of feeling that life was not worth living.
He Xiuyuan reached out and touched the Tiger's fur.
Indeed, the Tiger's fur was quite lustrous, with clear layers and shiny hair, excellent fur.
The Tiger seemed to sense something, turning its head to look at He Xiuyuan.
However, this time, before it could even huff at He Xiuyuan, it was glared back into submission by He Xiuyuan.
The Tiger's body trembled, and it quickly lay back down.
He Xiuyuan stroked the Tiger's fur, feeling that it was indeed much more comfortable than lying on a rock. He immediately lay down on the Tiger and fell asleep.
Given the spiritual perception He Xiuyuan had just displayed, he wasn't worried about the Tiger having any ideas by sleeping like this.
If it did have any ideas, He Xiuyuan would be able to sense it.