Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 187: The Gifts of the Winged Tigers

Without much effort, Tang San disposed of the two severely injured seventh-order Winged Tigers, then put them away, together with the fatally wounded eighth-order Winged Tiger, into his storage pouch.

This haul alone surpassed the total of their last training expedition.

Instead of rejoining his companions, Tang San continued to conceal his aura and pursued the direction of the Winged Tiger pack. He prioritized ensuring Mei Gongzi's safety, though he also intended to seize any opportunities that happened to come his way. His only concern was the limited space in his storage pouch; it couldn't hold many more Winged Tigers.

Winged Tigers, by nature, were not pack creatures; they lived in family units. However, the ninth-order Winged Tiger King was the true sovereign in this territory. In times of crisis, its call to arms would naturally be heeded by all Winged Tigers.

Winged Tigers were formidable creatures to begin with, and with their king at the ninth order—the pinnacle for demonic beasts—they were apex predators in the Kali Mountains. Normally, god-level demons disdained hunting them, so they lived practically undisturbed. However, the recent attack, which had resulted in the death of the Winged Tiger King's mate and offspring, had agitated the entire clan.

Thus, the gift Tang San presented to Mei Gongzi's team was formidable.

Song Junhou was inwardly groaning, unable to fathom why things had suddenly turned out this way. He had never heard of anyone being hunted by a whole clan during training in the Kali Mountains, especially since Winged Tigers weren't pack creatures. How could he be so unlucky?

Previously, he had somewhat restored his bloodline energy by devouring the bloodline energy of an eighth-order Winged Tiger through the Golden Holy Fire. However, the golden bloodline essence that allowed the Golden Holy Fire to burn was not recuperated. With the Golden Holy Fire Astral, he could restore his overall energy by burning the enemy's bloodline energy, but the golden bloodline essence would be consumed and that took time to recover.

Ninth order! The tiger that roared just now must have been a ninth-order Winged Tiger King, otherwise why would those injured Winged Tigers fight so desperately all of a sudden?

Both the Ironback Ape and the Cat Demon had sustained minor injuries, bleeding from wounds inflicted by the Wind Astral. Although the other team members were uninjured, they had expended plenty of energy in the previous battles. They might have had a chance to fight a demonic beast king to death, but injuries were inevitable. More importantly, it wasn't just the Winged Tiger King coming; it was also bringing its army! Song Junhou could sense them clearly.

In terms of power, they couldn’t win. In terms of speed, they couldn't run. What to do then?

Song Junhou turned to look at his companions, and his gaze locked on Mei Gongzi. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then suddenly paused.

Mei Gongzi's expression remained cool and detached. She simply ran alongside the team without betraying any emotion. In contrast to the other members' panic, she seemed pretty composed.

A thought struck Song Junhou, and he shouted, “This won't do. The Winged Tigers are too fast, we can’t outrun them. They'll catch up soon. You go ahead, I'll cover the rear.”

“Captain, how can we do that? How can we let you take the risk alone?” The Bear Demon, true to its role as Song Junhou's loyal subordinate, voiced its concern at the crucial moment.

“Enough talk, go ahead.” Song Junhou abruptly halted, turned, leaped over the heads of his team members, and positioned himself behind them.

The Ironback Ape and the Cat Demon exchanged glances and then, without hesitation, ran forward even faster. Mei Gongzi showed no intention of turning back. As for the Skunk Demon and the Shadow Sparrow, it was even less likely for them to stay behind, as their direct combat abilities were no match for even a seventh-order Winged Tiger, let alone the Winged Tiger King.

Only the sixth-order Bear Demon stopped and stood by Song Junhou's side.

“Idiot, go! What use is there for you to stay?” Song Junhou turned and kicked the Bear Demon in the hip, sending it tumbling.

Just as the Bear Demon opened his mouth to say something, a colossal figure descended from the sky, pouncing straight at Song Junhou.

The ninth-order Winged Tiger King unleashed its full power. The sharp Wind Astral energy burst forth instantly, shredding the surrounding trees in large swathes. Like giant scythes, the streaks of blue light cleaved directly toward Song Junhou.

“Roar—” Song Junhou let out a great lion roar, and his body once more radiated golden light.

He was staying behind for several reasons. They simply couldn't outrun the Winged Tigers, and rather than being continuously hunted, it was better to make a stand. Also, when the Peacock Demon clan besieged Mei Gongzi, the fact that he had just led the team away and fled had clearly left a bad impression on her. This was the best opportunity to turn that around.

Mei Gongzi's safe emergence from an encounter with five eighth-order Peacock Demons held some secret, which Song Junhou regretted not knowing. He didn't want to miss this chance to reconcile, but more importantly, he really wanted to see what Mei Gongzi's trump card was. With so many Winged Tigers chasing them, it was unlikely they were all just after him. The worst he would have to face was the Winged Tiger King.

Of course, the most crucial point was that he still had an ace in the sleeve. As a direct descendant of a golden bloodline clan, he naturally had some assurance.

Thus, he chose to stay behind, his back ramrod straight even as he faced the risk of death.

The fierce Golden Holy Fire burned, elevating Song Junhou's stature. His right claw struck out like lightning, emitting a piercing screech as it cut through the air. The Golden Holy Fire clashed with the Wind Astral, turning the latter golden.

Song Junhou revealed his true form, and his whole body burst out with blinding light. His golden mane stood on end, his presence in no way inferior to the ninth-order Winged Tiger’s.

A violent roar erupted from the collision, with the wind and fire elements fiercely colliding and devastating everything around. In an instant, the vegetation around them was shredded and burned, and dust and stones flew.

The clash of these two powerhouses caused the elemental energy in the area to stir wildly.

The Bear Demon finally came to its senses. Being only at the sixth order, it was useless in such a battle. But as it thought to flee, figures descended from the sky. Fierce Winged Tigers landed one after another, converging from all sides.

It was genuinely a menacing sight! Under their gaze, the little courage the Bear Demon had mustered instantly crumbled. Its face paled as it kept retreating, but behind it was the battleground of the two powerhouses, a place it couldn't approach.

"Boss, boss, help! Help, they're all coming!" The Bear Demon was nearly paralyzed with fright, overwhelmed by intense fear and feeling the terrifying fluctuations of the wind element around it.

Little did it know, its boss's mind was also filled with curses.

Song Junhou never imagined that the Winged Tigers would not even think to pursue Mei Gongzi and the others. They actually chose to surround him alone!

The effect of that drop of Tang San's blood essence was indeed extraordinary. Naturally, Song Junhou wouldn’t know that the weak energy fluctuation he had sensed earlier came from the blood of the Winged Tiger King’s mortal enemy.

The Winged Tiger King couldn't recognize the appearance of its enemy; all it remembered was the aura of the one who had slain its wife that day. At that time, it was engaged in battle with Zhang Haoxuan and didn't see what was happening on Tang San's side of the battlefield. But the enemy before it now bore that same aura, and considering his strength, he certainly seemed capable of killing its wife. Even with its undeveloped brain, this level of reasoning was not beyond it.

By now, Tang San had arrived nearby. Witnessing this scene, he felt a surge of shock, but then he relaxed. If Mei Gongzi had been among those besieged, he would have needed to find a way to intervene and rescue her at any moment. But Mei Gongzi wasn't among those under attack. She had already left. So, it was time to sit back and watch the beasts fight.

What a fierce battle between lions and tigers!