CHAPTER 375: CHAPTER 375 STONE TIGER

[Do a good deed every day: Luck +1; Lucky draw *1]

The system prompt appeared again, but Jiang Yuan was too dazed to even notice what flashed through.

"Thank you all for your hard work, you can rest now." Suddenly losing his battle target, he felt his blood rushing up, his head felt as if it were swelling several times larger, and it was both painful and bewildering.

It was as if he’d overeaten carbs and was on the verge of fainting, like exerting too much force and leading to total exhaustion.

He bravely managed to store the Yu Hu warriors into his backpack, but the sound of the mountain collapsing and the earth roaring made his head buzz even more. Stumbling and staggering for two steps, he finally couldn’t sustain it and fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Booming~"

The earth shook more fiercely, and giant stones rolled down amidst flying dust.

Jiang Yuan, unconscious after exhaustion, lay atop cracked stones that fell away, dragging him off the cliff together.

"Clatter!"

Amidst the rolling stones, a giant furry paw lifted him up accurately and cradled him to prevent the stones from hurting him.

Soon, the massive body of Wo Hu Mountain began to shake violently, while more and more stones peeled away, revealing a layer of soft golden hair emitting a faint glow.

"Roar～"

A tiger’s roar bursting with emotions of joy, anger, and unwillingness after being liberated echoed throughout the empty valley.

The golden giant tiger shook off the last of the debris from its body, stood up, and stretched its ears and wagged its tail, finally moving its long-sealed body. Then it swiftly shrunk to a somewhat larger-than-average tiger size, carrying Jiang Yuan on its back, running and leaping a few times until it disappeared from the valley, leaving behind a pile of massive debris and flying dust.

"Hey, wake up!" The golden tiger patted the mutated skull with its paw, spoke human language, and shouted a few times but found the other party seemed unable to wake up.

After some thinking, it opened its huge mouth and gently exhaled towards Jiang Yuan. A golden demon core was spat out, swirling around his body twice before returning.

[Stone Tiger delivers innate primordial energy +1, physical strength +500]

Instantly, the health and mana bars refilled, negative buffs cleared, and Jiang Yuan immediately woke from his frenzy state.

He opened his eyes to find a giant tiger crouching nearby, looking down at him, which startled him as he quickly got up to grab his weapon, then saw the system details popping up.

[Stone Tiger: A stone tiger formed by the essence of heaven and earth, absorbing spiritual energy from the innate original stone of Stone Tiger Mountain, embodying the mountain god of Stone Tiger Mountain, just developing intelligence before being suppressed and moved here]

"Are you... really the tiger that transformed from Wo Hu Mountain?!" He had thought the bear demon’s description was a legend, but it turned out to be true!

The stone tiger relaxed with a sigh of relief as it saw him awake, laughed and said, "Thanks for saving my life, young friend. You might as well remove those disguises; I know you’re a human cultivator. Actually, the seal loosened many years ago, and although I couldn’t escape, I was fully aware of what happened ’around’ me."

Jiang Yuan found no threat, prepared to use the teleportation talisman in case of emergency, and then clicked to uninstall the "skin," revealing his true appearance.

"That’s something the demon monk hid in my ears. When the mountain fell apart, I kept it." The stone tiger shook its head to dump a pile of dazzling earth treasures from its left ear, saying, "This is your rightful reward.

Moreover, you uprooted the Nine Nether Peach Tree and unsealed me from Wo Hu Temple, allowing me to see the sun again. Unfortunately, I have nothing of value to repay your kindness..."

The furry, broad paw scratched its ear, bearing a clumsy look like an oversized kitty.

Upon regaining consciousness, Jiang Yuan impulsively reached out to stroke the tiger’s fluffy, massive rounded head, giving its chin a scratch as a familiar cat-petting gesture.

"Mmm! That feels good!" The stone tiger had been imprisoned for countless years; even after the seal loosened, it could sense everything around it but couldn’t move, maintaining the lying posture for countless years.

Now being freed, the stone tiger was replete with comfort after being stroked, involuntarily closing its eyes, "A bit harder, more to the left... Hiss, so nice～"

It voluntarily leaned its big head closer, comfortably slumping beside its benefactor, waiting for a full-body fur comb.

"Why were you suppressed here and transformed into Wo Hu Mountain? Who did it?" Jiang Yuan saw it as just a big cat; the touch of its golden fur was extraordinarily nice, so he immediately found a comfortable position, petting it while asking about its chin and hard-to-reach spots like its ears, chatting casually.

Recalling past events, the stone tiger sighed like an emperor’s engine, "Oh, that’s a long story.

I was originally born from Stone Tiger Mountain, a curious stone atop the mountain absorbing heaven and earth’s spiritual energy, giving birth to wisdom, a product of nature. Born with divine powers, although unable to ascend to immortality, I was a mountain god in my rights.

Humph! Vile Xuanyuan Yangguang desired to make me his servant!

I am not the coward to live under others, take orders, and serve! I struggled against him for a long time, but though the cunning fellow won by a trick, I refused to yield unto death.

Enraged, he specially constructed a sword-like temple to suppress me, using the Nine Nether Peach Tree as the array hub.

In fact, the Nine Nether Peach Tree absorbing cultivators started with the demon monk, Xuanyuan Yangguang wasn’t so malevolent.

He specifically created a small space made into a secret realm, transforming me into Wo Hu and moving me here.

Besides the Wo Hu Temple and the peach tree, he also built pavilions, towers, corridors, bridges, and houses here, layer upon layer to reinforce, allowing the Nine Nether Peach Tree to take root all over me. It absorbed nine parts of the outside spiritual energy around the clock, then siphoned off some of my energy to bear Immortal Peaches that extend lifespan for destined ones.

Xuanyuan Yangguang said this would wear down my strength and refine my wild nature; secondly, return the innate spiritual energy of heaven and earth to the beings.

He also said he would release me when I wholeheartedly repented, then keep me as his protector. Bah! The innate spiritual energy of heaven and earth is heaven’s grant, why does he say to return it just because he does? When did I ever owe beings anything?"

As he said this, his large head drooped slightly, "Benefactor, it’s not that I’m petty. It’s just these many years that the peach tree consumed too much of my origin. I’ve only just escaped, and my powers are lacking; when I’ve recuperated, I’ll surely repay the life-saving grace in the future!"

"What are your plans next?" Jiang Yuan felt alarmed inside, why the mention of Xuanyuan Yangguang again?

Old Dragon Zhou Jian was suppressed and sealed by him trying to subdue, and now a stone tiger also suffered by his wicked hands.

Not to mention, the legendary Xuanyuan Yangguang is evidently powerful, with a keen eye, wanting to subjugate the spirit of lands or incarnations of mountain gods, why hasn’t he returned later?

Whether old dragon or stone tiger, evidently neither waited for him to inspect if they submitted.

Did he go to other worlds? Or perhaps he faced tribulation and perished? Or is he still in seclusion somewhere? Now, the cultivation realm seems not to hear of such a powerful persona anymore; otherwise, if he had unsealed the old dragon, surely one would sense him taking action.

Jiang Yuan petting the fur, felt a bit of desire to take the stone tiger back to the small yard, but it all depended on whether the tiger was willing.

"I..." The stone tiger squinted enjoying, lazily said, "I gained wisdom shortly before running into Xuanyuan Yangguang, resulting in not having properly seen what this world truly looks like after so many years. Therefore, next up, I want to wander the world and thoroughly enjoy my free time!"