Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Jing Yan had a faint smile on his face.
From the Stone-spotted Tiger King’s sudden strike to Lin Dongyang getting severely injured, Jing Yan had predicted it all. He simply picked a perfect moment to show himself.
Now one of the five warriors attacking the Stone-spotted Tiger King was seriously hurt. Even though he would survive with timely treatment, he could no longer participate in this fight. The five of them fought together with almost perfect teamwork, so losing any of them in a fight would seriously hamper their ability to take down their prey.
Stone-spotted Tiger Kings were almost as strong as Fourth-grade Spiritual Beasts. If a hunting group like Lin Qi’s lost their excellent cooperation, it would be very tough for them to kill a Stone-spotted Tiger King. Losing one of the fighters would have a significant influence on their performance. Their best solution would be to get a new person to fill the spot.
“Jing Yan?”
Lin Qi got a better look at the newcomer’s face and recognized Jing Yan.
In the past, Jing Yan had been a celebrity in Dong Lin City. Most warriors in the city knew who Jing Yan was—the genius of the city.
“What a surprise,” Lin Qi thought immediately when he recognized Jing Yan. He also knew about Jing Yan’s continuously falling rank. Jing Yan was only at the Third Heaven, and with a cultivation of that level, it was amazing that Jing Yan was still hanging around in the Blackrock Mountains. It was almost like he was looking to get himself killed. Not to mention that they were in the middle area of the Blackrock Mountains, not the outskirts.
Lin Qi took a cautious glance around after he saw Jing Yan, since he wasn’t sure if Jing Yan was alone. Chances were that if Jing Yan showed up, there was probably a hunting squad from the Jing Clan somewhere nearby.
But he soon realized that Jing Yan was the only Jing Clan warrior present. Lin Qi secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Howl!
The Stone-spotted Tiger King didn’t stop attacking just because Jing Yan showed up. Due to the reluctant absence of Lin Dongyang, the other four fighters were thrown off-kilter by the Stone-spotted Tiger King’s renewed offensive.
“B*stard!” Lin Qi growled as the Vital Qi inside his body swirled faster. He launched a fierce attack at the Stone-spotted Tiger King, and the longsword in his hand beamed with an intimidating cold light. The incredible power of his attack knocked the Stone-spotted Tiger King back a couple of steps.
Lin Qi was excellent, there was no doubt about that. If it hadn’t been for Lin Qi, this hunting group from the Lin Clan might have already died, full of regret for their tragic choice to challenge a Stone-spotted Tiger King.
“It looks like you guys could use my help here!”
Instead of taking action to help right away, Jing Yan spoke to them casually with a smile on his face.
Lin Qi and the others all gazed at Jing Yan furiously after hearing his words. If it hadn’t been for Jing Yan’s sudden appearance that distracted them from the fight, Lin Dongyang wouldn’t have been injured. In that case, it wouldn’t have taken them too long to kill the Stone-spotted Tiger King.
“You wanna help? With your Third Heaven cultivation?” Lin Hu curled his lips in contempt and sneered.
If Jing Yan’s rank hadn’t fallen, Lin Hu would never have dared to talk to him like that. But now, even someone like him didn’t need to show Jing Yan any respect.
“Hehe, without my help, it will be a little too challenging for you guys to kill the Stone-spotted Tiger King.” Jing Yan’s smile grew wider. He didn’t seem to be bothered at all by what Lin Hu had said.
Lin Qi glanced at Jing Yan. Something flashed in his eyes as he asked, “What do you want in return?”
If Jing Yan was offering to help, he obviously wanted something. He wouldn’t believe for a second that Jing Yan would help them kill the Stone-spotted Tiger King without asking for anything for himself.
In fact, if Lin Qi hadn’t been so preoccupied at the moment, he’d have preferred to turn his sword on Jing Yan. But since there were only four of them standing, they could barely defend themselves against the attacks of the Stone-spotted Tiger King. If they had to spare one person to kill Jing Yan, then all of them might end up dead on the spot.
“I just want the Flesh Horn,” Jing Yan said.
Every Stone-spotted Tiger King had a nearly transparent Flesh Horn on its head. That horn was also the most valuable thing on the Tiger King’s body.
“Haha, are you out of your mind, Jing Yan?”
“You think you have a chance to take the Flesh Horn of the Stone-spotted Tiger King? Only in your dreams!”
“Just get the hell out of our way! If you stay, we will kill you as soon as we have killed the Stone-spotted Tiger King!” Lin Hu was outraged at Jing Yan’s words.
The Flesh Horn on the head of the Stone-spotted Tiger King, as small as it was, counted for half of the beast’s total value. Jing Yan was only a Third Heaven warrior, yet he had the guts to covet half of the Stone-spotted Tiger Kong’s value. He thought he could take it from them. How could that be acceptable?
“Hey, I’m not forcing you guys to do anything. But if I don’t step in, you might end up with nothing,” Jing Yan said casually, his eyes narrowed.
As Lin Qi and the other three fought, their condition was growing steadily worse. Any of them could be badly injured at any second. Jing Yan was in no hurry, yet Lin Qi and others didn’t have much time to waste at all.
If Jing Yan hadn’t been there, they could still have concentrated entirely on fighting the Stone-spotted Tiger King. In that case, they might have still had a chance. But Jing Yan was standing so close to them that they were too distracted to focus on the beast. At the same time, they were also worried that Jing Yan might sneak up on them at some point.
Under the circumstances, even if Jing Yan was only a Third Heaven warrior, he could still be a fatal threat.
“Fine. We will go with what you just said.” Lin Qi nodded his agreement to Jing Yan’s offer.
“Brother Qi!” Lin Hu turned his gaze to Lin Qi in disbelief.
The other two warriors also looked at Lin Qi.
After such a long and tough fight, they certainly didn’t want to let Jing Yan take half of the rewards at the last moment simply because he showed up. How could they?
“All of you, don’t say a word!” Lin Qi growled.
Something cruel and cold flashed in Lin Qi’s eyes. There was a reason that he was agreeing to Jing Yan’s offer. From his perspective, even if the four of them couldn’t spare a hand to kill Jing Yan, they could still use the Stone-spotted Tiger King to kill Jing Yan. He was only a Third Heaven warrior, after all. After he joined the fight, it would be a simple matter for the four of them to send Jing Yan to his death under the Stone-spotted Tiger King’s sharp claws.
Once Jing Yan died, they could keep going and put all their focus into taking down the Stone-spotted Tiger King.
Jing Yan gave Lin Qi a smile. Of course, he knew what Lin Qi was up to, but he didn’t mind at all.
“Watch out, I’m coming through!” Jing Yan concentrated his Vital Qi, dashing forward as the Moonbeam Sword in his hand turned into a blurred shadow that went straight at the Stone-spotted Tiger King.
“You asked for it. Don’t blame me for your death!” Lin Qi hid a grin as he glanced at Jing Yan.
If Jing Yan died under the Stone-spotted Tiger King’s claws, even if the Jing Clan found his body afterward, they would never figure out that Lin Qi and his people were involved.
A tittering sound was heard. The incredibly fast Moonbeam Sword slashed through the air.
The Stone-spotted Tiger King turned his giant head and stared at Jing Yan the second that Jing Yan made a move. It could feel the terrifying sense of threat from Jing Yan.
Slash!
Although the Stone-spotted Tiger King sensed the horrifying foreboding coming from Jing Yan, its body couldn’t react in time. On top of that, it was being attacked by the other four people, so the beast couldn’t dodge Jing Yan’s strike at all.
The Stone-spotted Tiger King screamed in pain and anger, then Jing Yan’s sword plunged fully through its throat. Blood spurted out.
“How could this be?” Lin Qi stared at Jing Yan with a look of shock.
Lin Hu and others couldn’t believe what they were seeing either. Their eyes bulged so much that it looked as if their eyeballs were going to fall out.