NOVPUB"Is this a storage ring?" Lu Yun said from beside him.
"Sort of," Xu Zimei nodded slightly.
The two of them walked towards the east. Although this small world was rather vast, the lizard clan was a large group with a dense distribution, so they weren’t too difficult to find.
"You’ll face your first big challenge when we get to the Black Jiao River," Lu Yun cautioned.
"How so?" Xu Zimei asked.
"The Black Dragon has four protectors under him, Black Jiao, Black Python, Black Leopard, and Black Tortoise," Lu Yun explained.
"They guard between our four lizard clans, allowing us to stay connected."
"What’s the cultivation level of that Black Jiao?" As Xu Zimei wiped the long knife in his hands, he asked.
The knife had been given to him by a richly-dressed young master during a previous martial contest.
"It should be at the Beginning Melding Heaven level," Lu Yun pondered, then replied, "I’m not entirely sure.
Ragefire Brother once told us that the Black Dragon is already a Semi-Saint, only a step away from becoming a Saint.
Its protectors must be impressive as well."
"Why doesn’t anyone from your lizard clan cultivate?" Xu Zimei asked curiously.
"The Black Dragon doesn’t allow it. Only its lackeys get some low-level cultivation techniques," Lu Yun said.
"Otherwise, it’s afraid we might rebel."
Xu Zimei nodded and with a beckon of his right hand, summoned the Dark Heaven Tiger from the True Fate World.
The colossal black tiger stood before him, nearly dozens of meters tall, with its imposing beastly presence spreading in all directions.
With a roar from the Dark Heaven Tiger, its ferocious mouth opened, revealing fangs tens of centimeters long.
Upon seeing the Dark Heaven Tiger, Lu Yun let out a cry of shock and fell to the ground in fright.
She wanted to run but was too weak in the knees to move.
"This, this," she pointed at the Dark Heaven Tiger, her body trembling.
"Scared of what? This is my mount," Xu Zimei said with a smile.
"Mount?" Lu Yun was stunned, and she finally relaxed, though she still didn’t dare to approach Xu Zimei.
She said, "Couldn’t you have given me a heads-up?"
"I didn’t get a chance to explain before you reacted so wildly," Xu Zimei said.
"Traveling this way is too slow. Riding it will be faster."
Though the Dark Heaven Tiger rarely fought these days, under the nurturing of Xu Zimei’s boundless resources, it had already reached the Emperor Pulse Peak.
That was the peak of the Melting Heaven Realm.
Its body had grown sturdy and majestic, its eyes dark and profound, and its claws nearly half a meter long.
Every step it took on the ground left deep claw marks.
"Won’t it eat me?" Lu Yun asked worriedly.
"No, it only listens to my commands," Xu Zimei shook his head.
He effortlessly mounted the Dark Heaven Tiger with a leap.
"Come on up."
Lu Yun hesitated briefly, then cautiously approached.
Xu Zimei grabbed her hand and with a pull, hoisted her onto the Dark Heaven Tiger.
"Hold on tight," Xu Zimei reminded her.
The Dark Heaven Tiger sprinted forward at an incredible speed, as hurricanes blew past their ears on both sides.
Lu Yun felt the speed increasing to the point where the winds at her sides eventually turned into a Mad Wind, her body as frail as a sheet of paper, at risk of being blown away if she wasn’t careful.
"I can’t hold on any longer," Lu Yun shouted from behind. 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
Xu Zimei waved his right hand, and a large hand formed from spiritual energy pushed Lu Yun behind him.
About a few hours later, the colossal body of the Dark Heaven Tiger finally stopped beside a dark river.
The dark river flowed swiftly, its color extremely deep and heavy.
Like a river of death, an evil stench wafted from within, as the entire river surface surged tumultuously with waves rolling one after another.
"This is the place. Just across this river lies the territory of the Red Lizard," said Lu Yun.
"However, with the Black Jiao here, none of us dares to cross."
Xu Zimei cast a glance at the Dark Heaven Tiger, which let out a roar.
Baring its fangs, a blast of spiritual energy from its mouth shot directly into the dark river.
With a "boom", the water exploded, splashing everywhere, and the middle of the river was completely blown open.
The already turbulent surface of the river became even more violent.
"Who dares to disturb my slumber?" a gloomy voice rose from beneath the riverbed.
Lu Yun, visibly nervous, grasped Xu Zimei’s arm slightly and whispered, "If we can’t beat it, let’s run."
Following that, the murky water began to stir, and a profound vortex appeared in the center of the river.
Accompanied by the emergence of the vortex, "rumble" explosion sounds erupted continuously.
A massive silhouette slowly emerged from the river’s depths.
It was a dark Jiao Dragon, its body spanning over ten meters long, with scales that were half grey and half black.
Its mouth was somewhat pointed, with eight whiskers on either side, each one meter long, and its small, round eyes kept spinning ceaselessly.
There were two small horns atop its head, which seemed to have not yet completely shed.
"What species is this?" Xu Zimei asked with a smile.
He had seen many Jiao Dragons, but the one before him did not look fierce; rather, it looked somewhat comical.
"Who are you people?" the Jiao Dragon asked, looking at Xu Zimei.
"Quit wasting words. Kill it," Xu Zimei said with a nonchalant wave of his hand.
The Dark Heaven Tiger roared once again, its body leaping dozens of meters high, directly pouncing towards the Jiao Dragon.
The Jiao Dragon couldn’t even react before it was overwhelmed and toppled into the black river.
"Damn it, how dare you offend the noble Lord Black Jiao," a furious roar sounded.
Then, the Black Jiao wrapped its body around the Dark Heaven Tiger, trying to strangle it in two.
The river’s waters surged violently, as the two giant beasts fought in the river, stirring endless waves.
The Dark Heaven Tiger raised its claws sharply and slashed at the Jiao Dragon’s neck, blood gushing in an instant.
Piercing screams echoed from the encounter.
The might of the Dark Heaven Tiger was clearly superior, with its overwhelming animalistic aura radiating from its body.
It opened its bloody maw and bit into the Jiao Dragon’s body, tearing off chunks of flesh.
Its claws pinned down the Jiao Dragon’s head, scraping from its neck across.
The "rumble" of explosions grew more intense, blasting waves dozens of meters high in the Black Jiao River.
As the Jiao Dragon’s resistance grew weaker, a resentful voice came through.
"You killed me, the Black Dragon won’t let you go."
"Still worried about others when you’re about to die, really now," Xu Zimei shook his head.
The Dark Heaven Tiger exerted force once more, and the Jiao Dragon’s head was severed from its body.
In the murky dark river, a faint fishy scent diffused, as the rich blood slowly tinged the river red.
"It... it’s just dead like that?" Lu Yun asked stammeringly and in disbelief by the side.
