CHAPTER 76: CHAPTER 76: DRAGON, TIGER.

He changed out of the long robe that was almost a rag. Qi Xiu prepared a basin of hot water, ready to shave the beard from his face.

Tying up his messy long hair, Qi Xiu had just lowered his head when his expression suddenly froze.

The reflection in the water was his true appearance.

After so many days of secluded cultivation, he had long since torn off the Hundred Faces Mask.

No wonder Song Tingye looked at me strangely just now.

Qi Xiu smiled helplessly.

If I’m exposed, then so be it.

He had been disguising himself all this time just to be extra cautious. Now, however, there was no need to be so timid and secretive.

After washing his face, shaving his beard, and changing into a clean, tidy long robe, Qi Xiu stood before the mirror and examined himself.

With the Hunyuan Dragon Tiger Scripture Mystery harmonizing Yin and Yang, the domineering aura that had been prominent due to his Purple Golden Skill finally receded. His conspicuous purple hair also returned to its original color.

In a trance, he transformed back into the gentle and elegant scholar from a year ago, who spoke in a soft and deliberate manner.

"This look is more pleasing to the eye."

Having sorted everything out, Qi Xiu stepped out the door. He didn’t head to the Song Residence but chose another direction instead.

「Song Residence.」

In the tranquil courtyard with its red walls and green tiles, Jia Yufei delicately picked a grape from a bunch and popped it between her crimson, luscious lips.

"Sister, what do you think of him?" Song Tingye asked, gently stroking her cat’s head with a faint smile on her lips.

"Not bad. Much stronger than I imagined," Jia Yufei replied, spitting out two grape seeds and leaning lazily against the railing. "But I must remind you of one thing: don’t, under any circumstances, provoke him."

The stroking motion paused, and Song Tingye’s eyes showed confusion. "Sister, what do you mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Earlier, in that courtyard, he harbored murderous intent towards me. It wasn’t mere anger; it was a genuine, earnest desire to kill me."

Her beautiful eyes shimmered with an unusual light as Jia Yufei casually twirled a strand of her hair. "It might have been because you were there, or perhaps due to some other reservation he had. That murderous intent appeared for just an instant before vanishing. Tingye, this man is far more dangerous than you imagine. So, take my advice: don’t mess with him. I’d hate to mourn you before I even get married. You know I’ve never liked white."

Are you actually worried about me, or do you just not want to wear white mourning flowers?

Song Tingye shot Jia Yufei a look, his expression turning solemn.

His sister might be incredibly capricious and somewhat perverse, but she was a genuine Initiate Realm cultivator. If it weren’t for the strict family rules prohibiting female members from studying higher-level Great Volume Scriptures, her cultivation Realm would likely be even higher. Therefore, her warning was definitely to be taken seriously.

"I never expected such an ordinary little county town to harbor such a fierce flood dragon. Interesting, truly interesting."

Jia Yufei’s eyes darted about as she casually crossed her legs.

A martial artist who hasn’t even reached the Initiate Realm actually dared to harbor killing intent towards an Initiate Realm cultivator like me. This fellow must have an extremely powerful trump card.

He must be confident in his ability to kill me. That’s why he dared to release his murderous intent so unreservedly, planning to finish me in one blow.

A martial artist killing an Initiate Realm cultivator... Heavens, what an unprecedented event!

Oh, how I wish I could capture him right now, strip him bare, wash him clean, and interrogate him thoroughly!

Biting her lip, Jia Yufei’s eyes grew moist. A faint red glint flickered deep within her pupils, and a strange, demonic aura emanated from her.

MEOW~~

Sensing something amiss with the meow from the cat in his arms, Song Tingye looked up in confusion towards Jia Yufei. His expression changed abruptly when he saw the red mist thickening around her.

"That madwoman is having another episode!"

Jumping to his feet, Song Tingye flipped his hand and produced a stone slab covered in bright red Talisman Scripts, smashing it hard onto the ground.

BANG—

The slab shattered. Streaks of golden light cascaded, accompanied by the echoing chants of Sanskrit Buddhist mantras.

Under the concussive force of this Divine Marvel Power, Jia Yufei’s gradually wild gaze regained clarity, and the strange, demonic red mist receded back into her body.

"Huh? Did I lose control again?" Jia Yufei blinked her clear eyes, her expression tinged with innocence.

Eldest Aunt was right. I have to marry this madwoman off as soon as possible. Otherwise, she’ll inevitably fall into the demonic Dao, never to return.

Gazing at Jia Yufei, who was blissfully unaware of her own peril, Song Tingye frowned slightly.

The most urgent task is to figure out how to send this calamitous deity packing.

「Deep in the mountain wilderness.」

Atop a familiar hundred-meter-high cliff—a place Qi Xiu, after several visits, had come to regard as the best spot for his secluded cultivation—he sat cross-legged. This lonely peak overlooked a vast, empty, and desolate expanse. Qi Xiu’s eyes were slightly closed, his hands resting naturally on his knees.

He sat meditating from daytime until midnight. The night wind rose, a sudden torrential rain poured down, and thunder rumbled. Like an unmoving, weathered stone statue, he silently endured the baptism of wind and rain, seemingly immersed in the deepest state of meditative concentration.

The downpour arrived fiercely and departed silently.

DRIP—

A raindrop from his sleeve fell into a puddle before him.

Qi Xiu slowly opened his eyes.

At this moment, the world was at the cusp of dawn, day and night separating. He opened his mouth and took a gentle breath, drawing the purest strand of Yang Qi from between Heaven and Earth into his abdomen.

Instantly, it was as if a spark had fallen into dry kindling. His boiling, fervent, and abundantly surging vital energy and blood suddenly revitalized, steaming out vast clouds of purple-white, vaporous mist. The dense fog grew thick and heavy, completely obscuring Qi Xiu’s figure on the cliff platform.

The next second, the mist surged, and a vast, imposing figure slowly materialized. It was a ferocious tiger condensed from the purple-white mist, its form majestic, fierce, and unshakeable. Merely by lying there silently, it emanated a terrifying oppressive power that made one dare not look at it directly.

Seated at the center of the purple tiger, Qi Xiu’s eyes were closed. Though his appearance and stature hadn’t changed in the slightest, at this moment, he seemed incredibly imposing and grand. An aura of aloof superiority naturally enveloped him, just like that reclining sovereign tiger of the mountains.

His cultivation technique progressing to this point, Qi Xiu opened his eyes once again. His eyes, however, were suddenly pitch-black and profound, without a trace of white—utterly terrifying!

The surrounding temperature plummeted, and the mist dispersed in an instant. His expression turned cold and somber as he lifted his right hand.

From his sleeve, a Mo Jiao, exuding a frigid and sinister dark aura, slithered out. With black scales and long horns, it coiled around his body.

As if sensing the gloomy, turbid, and frigid aura, the purple-white giant tiger reclining to Qi Xiu’s left slowly opened its eyes. Its pair of cold tiger eyes stared intently at the ferocious Mo Jiao gliding through the void.

ROAR—

BELLOW—

Dragon and tiger locked in battle!

Yin and Yang colliding!

The True Cultivation Power’s Inner Qi, representing vitality and life force.

The Spiritual Art’s Mana, representing the soul and mental acuity.

Qi Xiu watched calmly as these two forces contended and fought fiercely.

Atop the hundred-meter cliff, on the solitary peak, dragon roars and tiger howls echoed as the wind and clouds surged and transformed. A majestic, domineering purple-white giant tiger and a ferocious, green-eyed, black-scaled Mo Jiao battled madly.

After several life-and-death struggles, at the center of the two forces, strands of an utterly pure, colorful essence leisurely came into being.

His eyes flickered, focusing on those hair-thin, colorful Silken Threads of essence. Qi Xiu raised his hand and beckoned. The colorful threads flew through the air and condensed into a mark resembling a colorful cord on his wrist.

"To glimpse the gate to the Great Dao of immortality, one must refine the Hunyuan True Body. Just one last step remains."