Chapter 29: Day 29

Rustle.

Twitch?

A rabbit, peacefully munching on grass, twitched its ears at a faint sound.

It scanned its surroundings, its eyes full of caution, then returned to its meal, seemingly satisfied that there was no threat.

Suddenly…

Roar!

A massive beast lunged from the undergrowth, its jaws clamping down on the rabbit’s neck in a flash.

The rabbit died instantly, swallowed whole by the beast.

Cheon Seo Ah, hidden nearby, watched with interest.

This world was truly something.

The beast, though not a spirit beast, was far more powerful than any animal she’d seen in the modern world.

It resembled a hybrid of a tiger and a lion, combining the best traits of both.

She had encountered the hedgehog monster shortly after escaping Solitude, but that was a spirit beast, an exception.

This creature, however, was a regular beast, a fascinating example of this world’s unique fauna.

“It should be around here somewhere.”

Cheon Seo Ah’s gaze swept the area. She could sense the strong presence of the spirit beast, or at least its territory.

Or perhaps not? If this were truly a spirit beast’s territory…

“Would an ordinary beast be casually hunting here?”

The beast, having devoured the rabbit, now lay sprawled on the ground, a look of contentment on its face.

A liger, or perhaps a tigon, a perfect hybrid. If this were a spirit beast’s territory… such a creature wouldn’t be so relaxed.

Cheon Seo Ah’s eyes widened slightly as she scanned the area again.

A massive bird appeared above the slumbering beast. A bird of prey, descending silently, swiftly snatched the beast and soared into the sky.

The captured beast, startled, let out a panicked cry. Did this annoy the bird, or was it simply its hunting method? The bird, high in the air, simply released its grip.

Thud!

The beast, wingless, plummeted to the ground, its body exploding on impact.

The bird of prey, circling above, let out a sharp cry before descending to feast on the carcass.

Cheon Seo Ah grinned.

“Found it.”

This was it. This massive bird of prey was the spirit beast she’d been searching for.

A huge bird with crimson feathers, emanating a fiery aura.

Cheon Seo Ah’s mouth watered. How should she handle this? Kill it now and claim its heart and power? Or…

“Taming a spirit beast wouldn’t be so bad.”

She couldn’t enslave its soul, but even a spirit beast would eventually submit if beaten into submission.

A crude method, perhaps, but effective.

As she considered this, a fierce roar echoed through the forest, and another spirit beast emerged.

A magnificent creature with a powerful physique and snow-white fur.

A white tiger.

The crimson bird shrieked, its feathers bristling, a clear sign of hostility.

A crimson bird. A white tiger. Like the legendary Vermilion Bird and White Tiger.

Cheon Seo Ah’s grin widened. S

he’d been puzzled.

This area didn’t seem like a suitable territory for a bird.

Now she understood. This wasn’t the bird’s territory.

It belonged to the white tiger.

The beast the bird had eaten must have been one of the tiger’s subordinates.

And the white tiger, enraged by the loss, was now challenging the bird.

“A tiger is better than a bird, isn’t it?”

Cheon Seo Ah watched the confrontation, her decision made.

She would kill the bird, claim its core and heart.

She would beat the tiger into submission. Excellent. She liked this very much.

The bird and the tiger, locked in their standoff, were startled by Cheon Seo Ah’s sudden appearance.

Humans weren’t uncommon in the Central Mountain Range, but they should have sensed her presence.

The bird, startled, flapped its wings, preparing to take flight. The white tiger bristled, its fur standing on end. Cheon Seo Ah moved.

Stealth White Snake Steps.

Not a technique, not a skill. Just a way of walking.

Though considered a movement technique, a form of footwork, it was something every disciple of the White Snake Gate learned.

As the name suggested, Stealth White Snake Steps allowed for silent movement.

Screech?

The bird, about to take flight, let out a cry of surprise.

The human, who had been so far away, now stood before it, her speed and movements impossible to track.

The bird frantically flapped its wings.

Whooooosh-.

A gust of wind erupted, scattering leaves and debris. But…

“I prefer cats to birds.”

Unfazed by the wind, Cheon Seo Ah reached out, her hand snaking forward, wrapping around the bird’s neck in a swift, decisive motion.

Crack!

Screech!

Without hesitation, she snapped the bird’s neck, the bones shattering instantly. The bird fell lifelessly to the ground.

Cheon Seo Ah, without a flicker of emotion, tore open the bird’s chest and devoured its still-warm heart.

“Definitely better than that snake-human’s heart.”

She nodded in satisfaction. T

he bird’s heart was like a savory yakitori skewer. Each bite released a surge of warm blood, brimming with life force, converting into a potent dose of Demonic Qi far exceeding that of a hundred ordinary humans.

Having consumed the heart, she extracted the core.

“Want this?”

She tossed it towards the white tiger, who still watched her warily.

The tiger cautiously eyed the bird’s carcass and Cheon Seo Ah.

The bird, now a mangled corpse, was well known to the tiger. The ruler of the outer regions of the Central Mountain Range’s sky.

Humans called it the Fire Spirit Bird.

The tiger had planned to kill it one day, to claim its territory.

But this human had appeared out of nowhere and effortlessly killed the Fire Spirit Bird. The tiger couldn’t comprehend this.

“Hey, you. Want to be mine?”

The tiger flinched at Cheon Seo Ah’s voice beside it.

When had she moved? How had she moved? Just like with the Fire Spirit Bird, it hadn’t sensed her approach.

It couldn’t even claim distraction as an excuse.

It had been watching her intently. The tiger trembled.

This human wasn’t human. She was like the creatures from the depths of the Central Mountain Range, the ‘something not quite human’.

Creatures that even he, the self-proclaimed Mountain Lord, ruler of one of the countless peaks, could not challenge.

The tiger roared, its massive jaws opening wide, a display of power and dominance.

Cheon Seo Ah raised her hand, ready to beat it into submission.

Whimper.

Whimper, whimper.

The tiger, just moments ago roaring with the authority of a Mountain Lord, now lay on its back, belly exposed, whimpering pathetically. Cheon Seo Ah, caught off guard, burst out laughing.

“Pfft-.”

The sight of the massive tiger, a magnificent white tiger, a creature worthy of being called a spirit beast even in the modern world, lying on its back, whimpering like a frightened kitten, was simply too adorable.