Strange Master

"These two are so powerful." Chen Feng was shocked and immediately held his breath. The flowing true energy in his body gradually calmed down, but a faint sense of danger surged in his heart. These high-level experts were not ones that Chen Feng could currently contend with.

"There's someone here too."

The middle-aged Taoist spoke calmly, stopping not far from the ancient tree where Chen Feng was.

Chen Feng naturally understood their meaning. It seemed that these two were also drawn by the traces of lightning strikes. At the same time, he speculated about what these lightning strike marks were all about.

"Not bad, this ancient tree has also been struck and lost all vitality. If our deduction is correct, there should be another shattered ancient tree about a hundred zhang ahead." The young cultivator spoke, his voice filled with excitement.

"It should be correct. This is a method of crossing the tribulation recorded in ancient texts. I never thought someone could actually use it." The middle-aged Taoist nodded.

"Could this be our opportunity? The opponent just crossed the tribulation, even if they succeed, their vital energy will be greatly damaged. Isn't this a good deal for us?" The young cultivator chuckled.

"Still, we must be careful. Since the opponent is proficient in this method of crossing the tribulation, they are definitely not simple characters." The middle-aged Taoist said.

"Hehe, we won't achieve anything without entering the tiger's den. The path of cultivation is full of difficulties and dangers. Without great opportunities, how can one achieve the supreme immortal path? Even if it means risking our lives, we can't miss such an opportunity." The young cultivator said solemnly.

"Indeed, indeed. We shouldn't waste time. Let's act quickly." The middle-aged Taoist nodded.

Then, the two figures floated and disappeared from their original positions, as if they had never appeared. This scene stunned Chen Feng.

"These two suddenly disappeared. What level of experts are they? Could they be secret realm cultivators?"

"And what do they mean by crossing the tribulation? And becoming an immortal? Are there really immortals in this world?"

Chen Feng remained motionless on the tree, but his mind continued to digest the conversation between the two. From their conversation, he learned that these ancient trees seemed to have been struck for a reason.

What should I do? Should I go back the way I came or follow them to see? Chen Feng began to feel conflicted.

These two are clearly experts, and I'm afraid they could kill me with just a flick of their finger. If I follow them and get discovered, I will definitely be dead. But now, if I go back, I feel a bit unwilling. Curiosity constantly gnawed at Chen Feng, urging him to go and see.

Just as Chen Feng was struggling internally, a white figure descended from the sky. To his surprise, it was a young woman, appearing like a fairy descending to the mortal world.

Dressed in a white gown that resembled a light veil, she was surrounded by a hazy moonlight, as if she was in a misty realm, both real and illusory. Her hair flowed like a waterfall, and her whole body was crystal clear and pure white. With a slender figure and a perfect posture, she radiated a radiant glow.

At this moment, Chen Feng was completely stunned. Even in his dreams, he couldn't have imagined such a scene. He blinked his eyes, staring fixedly at her, trying to see her face clearly. Unfortunately, her whole body was covered in a strange radiance, and her face appeared elusive. No matter how wide he opened his eyes, he couldn't see her features.

After the white-clad woman landed on the ground, she glanced at the lightning strike marks on the ground, nodded lightly, and then floated up again, her hair fluttering and her white gown billowing. She quickly disappeared into the night, but Chen Feng felt as if she had looked in his direction before leaving.

"She discovered me, didn't she?" Chen Feng's heart couldn't calm down for a long time. Hidden among the branches and leaves, he remained motionless, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

"Did I just imagine it? Did I really see a fairy?" Chen Feng almost exclaimed.

However, Chen Feng gradually calmed down. Although the other party seemed like a divine being, she should be a highly cultivated cultivator, similar to the middle-aged Taoist and the young cultivator from earlier. They had all come for the lightning-struck ancient trees here.

"She can actually fly. At the very least, she must be at the secret realm level. Just now, it seemed like she discovered me, but she didn't say anything. It seems that she didn't even bother with a small fry like me." Thinking of this, Chen Feng felt a faint sense of loss.

Just as Chen Feng was about to climb down the tree, his vision suddenly blurred, and a middle-aged man riding on a huge black tiger appeared beneath the tree. Then, a gust of wind swept through, shaking the towering trees within a hundred meters.

The black tiger was completely black, without a single strand of fur. Its eyes emitted a mysterious and terrifying light, appearing eerie and frightening in the dark night. It was over ten meters long, with sturdy limbs, exuding the aura of a fierce beast king.

"What a fierce tiger!" Chen Feng exclaimed in his heart.

Suddenly, the black tiger's ears twitched, and then it lifted its head, staring in the direction where Chen Feng was. Its two gazes were like lightning, seemingly materializing, and wherever they passed, branches and leaves turned to dust.

Chen Feng knew immediately that things were not good. Under the opponent's fierce aura, he couldn't move at all, and he could only watch as the two lightning-fast gazes pierced towards him like lightning.

"I'm done for." Chen Feng thought in his heart, feeling a mix of despair and indignation. He never expected that on this trip, he would die under the gaze of a ferocious beast.

"Seeing Chen Feng on the verge of death, suddenly, the true qi inside him surged rapidly, and he regained his freedom. Without much thought, Chen Feng desperately dodged to one side.

Swoosh!

With a light sound, one of the gazes brushed past Chen Feng's arm, breaking a thick tree branch behind him. The other gaze pierced through a towering ancient tree and disappeared into the air.

"Kacha, Kacha."

Chen Feng clenched his teeth tightly, refraining from making a sound. A piece of flesh disappeared from his arm, revealing white bones, and fresh blood gushed out relentlessly.

Just a casual glance almost took Chen Feng's life. He kept shouting inside but dared not utter a word, feeling a wave of fear engulfing him entirely.

"Forget it, you're just a small fry who hasn't even reached the secret realm. You can't even be considered a cultivator." The middle-aged man riding the black tiger said.

Swoosh!

The black tiger leaped lightly and vanished into the woods. This time, there was no sound, and the forest returned to its calm state as if nothing had ever happened.

Plop! Plop!

Blood continued to flow from Chen Feng's arm, dripping onto the leaves below. As he continued to bleed, Chen Feng snapped back to reality and quickly closed his acupoints, controlling his qi and blood to stop the bleeding. He then applied healing medicine to the wound, tightly wrapping it in torn clothing.

"Sss." While dressing the wound, Chen Feng gritted his teeth in pain, covered in cold sweat, obviously feeling uncomfortable.

"What level of ferocious beast is that black tiger? It's so powerful! Just a glance almost killed me. I was truly fortunate this time; this place is way too dangerous. I better leave before I end up throwing my life away for nothing."

Thinking this, Chen Feng jumped down from the tree and followed the original path to leave the place.

"Roar!"

Just at that moment, a loud roar came from a distance, shaking the forest as if a hurricane was approaching. The towering ancient trees around him swayed, and Chen Feng felt a moment of darkness. His qi and blood churned violently as if his blood vessels were about to burst. Even the true qi inside him became slightly disordered. Chen Feng quickly activated his qi, breathing in and out, finally calming himself down.

"Amazing! That was the roar of the black tiger from earlier. Judging by the sound, it's at least ten miles away from here. Even from such a distance, the roar had such power. It seems that I was indeed lucky just now." Chen Feng was secretly amazed.

Boom! Hula!

Following the roar, there were continuous explosions from afar, as if thunderbolts were descending, and clashes of immense force. It seemed that someone was engaging in a fierce battle.

The fierce wind blew, and the forest creatures, including various beasts and birds, ran in all directions as if fleeing a disaster. Among them, several giant beasts ran past Chen Feng, nearly startling him. Fortunately, these beasts were only running for their lives and paid no attention to him; otherwise, he might have been their meal.

Though Chen Feng couldn't see what was happening in the distance, he could faintly sense that something massive was colliding and fighting there. Even getting close would lead to complete annihilation.

"That black tiger seems to be in a fight with something. I can also hear the shouts of cultivators. I wonder if the white-robed fairy and the two ghost-like cultivators from earlier are involved. This kind of battle must be intense. It's a pity I can't get closer to watch." Chen Feng felt a little disappointed.

"Anyway, let's leave this dangerous place. Maybe I can come back and sneak a peek after they finish fighting? That sounds like a good idea." Chen Feng said as he quickened his pace and left the area.

Meanwhile, several dozen miles away from Chen Feng, in a mountainous forest, there used to be countless towering ancient trees. However, most of them were now shattered, with some hundred-meter-tall giant trees being uprooted and scattered around.

The middle-aged man, riding the black tiger and holding a fierce ten-zhang-long knife, exuded a black flame-like aura from his entire body. He was currently facing off against a ten-meter-tall humanoid monster covered in rough tree bark, a treant that hadn't fully transformed into a human form.

Deep in the mountains, there were many monstrous beings, and the wilds concealed qilins. Through cultivation, humans could unleash divine abilities, and ferocious beasts could attain enlightenment. The figure before them was a treant that hadn't completely transformed. Although not fully human, it had cultivated some profound abilities, far beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.

Riding the black tiger, the middle-aged man was a formidable figure even among the secret realm cultivators. Earlier, he had engaged in a battle with the treant with the assistance of the black tiger, but he couldn't gain the upper hand.

"Just leave. I won't pursue the matter of you ambushing me just now." A hoarse voice came from the treant.

"Joke! You've just crossed the Heavenly Tribulation, and now you're severely injured. It's a perfect chance to kill you and seize your essence, which, when refined, will enable me to break through once again. How could I let go of such a great opportunity?" The middle-aged man slowly spoke, and his knife emitted a faint electric glow. This was another reason the treant in front of him dreaded him. The black tiger continued to growl menacingly, as if it was ready to pounce at any moment.