Chapter 22: First Order Upper Grade
The Ninth Princess was not participating in the Royal Mountain Hunt for the first time, so she was very familiar with the general activity areas of the barbarian beasts.
"Ahead is Tiger Roar Slope. When I passed by there earlier, I heard the roar of a Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger. However, the Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger is a first order middle grade barbarian beast, even more formidable than an Iron-Hide Savage Ox. With my strength, I simply couldn't kill it, so I didn't provoke it," the Ninth Princess said.
Zhang Ruochen and the Ninth Princess dismounted from the antelope horse and cautiously entered Tiger Roar Slope, searching for traces of the Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger.
On the ground, Zhang Ruochen discovered signs of a struggle.
A tree trunk as thick as a bowl had been snapped in two, leaves were burned to ashes, and bloodstains remained beside a large rock not far away.
"Has someone already beaten us to it? Was the Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger hunted?" the Ninth Princess asked.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "That's not the blood of a Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger; it's human blood. Be careful—the Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger should still be nearby."
"Whoosh!"
No sooner had Zhang Ruochen spoken than a massive crimson tiger pounced down from the steep slope above, its sharp claws swiping toward Zhang Ruochen's neck.
In his previous life, Zhang Ruochen had been a Heavenly Extreme Realm Great Perfection powerhouse. Even after reincarnation, his soul and spiritual power remained at that level, giving him an extremely keen perception of danger.
The moment before the Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger lunged, he immediately sidestepped to the right, dodging its attack.
Not only that, but he also swiftly drew a Thunderclap Arrow from the quiver on his back, infused true qi into the arrowhead, and thrust it backward into the tiger's abdomen.
Then, pushing off the ground with both feet, he retreated rapidly.
The entire sequence unfolded in the blink of an eye. Before the Ninth Princess could even react, Zhang Ruochen had already driven the Thunderclap Arrow into the Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger's belly.
"Boom!"
The arrowhead exploded, tearing a palm-sized wound in the tiger's abdomen, from which blood gushed continuously.
However, since Zhang Ruochen had inserted the Thunderclap Arrow by hand rather than firing it from an Iron Wire Bow with greater impact force, the arrow had only penetrated about three inches beneath the skin, failing to inflict a fatal injury.
"Roar!"
The Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger was three times larger than an ordinary tiger, with two rows of half-foot-long razor-sharp teeth and claws like blades.
Its attack power rivaled that of a Yellow Extreme Realm Great Extreme Position martial artist, and its speed matched as well. For an ordinary martial artist, encountering a Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger was almost certain death.
Watching the tiger standing ten meters away, the Ninth Princess's face paled.
This was a barbarian beast comparable to a Great Extreme Position martial artist. At such close range, even a Thunderclap Arrow couldn't unleash its true power.
Bows and arrows were better suited for long-range attacks.
Resolved, she quickly drew a Thunderclap Arrow, nocked it to her bowstring, and pulled the Iron Wire Bow into a full moon shape.
"Swish!"
The Thunderclap Arrow shot forth like a bolt of lightning.
The Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger leaped into the air, evading the arrow with incredible speed.
In an instant, it crossed the ten-meter distance, reaching the Ninth Princess. With one swipe of its claw, it sent the Iron Wire Bow flying from her hands, then opened its bloody maw and lunged at her.
The Ninth Princess immediately flipped backward, pressing a finger to the ground to launch herself another seven or eight meters away, dodging the attack.
But the Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger was even faster, catching up to her in a flash and swinging a massive claw at her head.
The Ninth Princess had only just broken through to the Middle Extreme Position. In both strength and speed, she was a step behind the tiger.
At a distance, she could use Thunderclap Arrows to pose a significant threat. But in close combat, a Middle Extreme Position martial artist without a True Martial Treasure stood no chance against a Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger.
Before the tiger's claw even struck, the wind pressure stung her cheeks.
Just as the Ninth Princess thought she was doomed, she caught a glimpse of a figure charging at lightning speed, slamming directly into the tiger's massive body.
"Wild Elephant Stomps the Ground!"
Zhang Ruochen struck the Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger's back with his palm, the force roaring like a wild elephant, unleashing the power of sixteen oxen and sending the tiger flying.
"Boom!"
The tiger's body crashed into a nearby tree trunk, snapping it in two, and slammed heavily to the ground.
Zhang Ruochen immediately rushed over, using his hand as a blade and channeling all his true qi.
"Thud!"
He chopped down on the tiger's neck, shattering its trachea with the force of his palm blade.
Once its trachea was crushed, the Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger convulsed violently. It scrambled to its feet, thrashed through the forest for a moment, and finally collapsed dead.
The Ninth Princess stared at Zhang Ruochen in shock. She couldn't help it—he had killed the Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger with his bare hands.
"Ninth Brother, are you really at the Small Extreme Position? Did you really only awaken your Divine Martial Mark three months ago?" the Ninth Princess asked.
Zhang Ruochen replied calmly, "I told you, both barbarian beasts and martial artists have weaknesses. Find the weakness, and killing them isn't hard. The Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger's weakness is the trachea below its neck."
"But I clearly saw you send it flying with one palm strike. That kind of power must be at least ten oxen of force, right?"
The Ninth Princess continued, "I've already reached the Yellow Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position, and I still can't unleash ten oxen of force. How did you manage it at the Small Extreme Position?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "As long as the martial body is strong enough, it's not strange for a Small Extreme Position martial artist to unleash ten oxen of force."
The Ninth Princess didn't press further. Zhang Ruochen's immense strength had left a deep impression on her. This half-brother, only a day younger than her, seemed increasingly unfathomable.
Zhang Ruochen and the Ninth Princess found the dead Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger in a nearby grove.
A Thunderclap Arrow was still lodged in its abdomen—the one Zhang Ruochen had thrust in by hand earlier.
"How infuriating! If I had my Azure Water Sword with me, I could have fought it and even had a chance to kill it," the Ninth Princess said, frustrated.
As one of the Two Beauties of the Royal Capital, equally renowned for her looks and talent, she had been driven to panic twice by barbarian beasts, needing Zhang Ruochen to save her both times.
This proud daughter of heaven had surely taken a blow to her pride. She silently vowed that the next time she encountered a barbarian beast, she would hunt it cleanly and brilliantly.
"Let's go, Ninth Brother. Let's hunt other barbarian beasts..."
Zhang Ruochen immediately raised a hand, pressing it on the Ninth Princess's delicate shoulder. His expression grew serious as he whispered, "Don't move!"
The Ninth Princess was puzzled and about to ask why, when she saw a deer-like beast covered in cyan flames slowly approaching them from a distance.
Seeing that Cyan Flame Deer, the Ninth Princess's body trembled slightly, and she even held her breath.
"Squeak, squeak!"
The Cyan Flame Deer had blood-red, gem-like eyes, stood over two meters tall, and bore antlers like emerald coral. Every strand of its fur flowed with cyan flames.
Wherever it stepped, the ground turned black and charred.
A first order upper grade barbarian beast, the Cyan Flame Deer. Its attack power rivaled a Yellow Extreme Realm Great Extreme Position martial artist, and its speed matched a Yellow Extreme Realm Great Perfection martial artist.
Its only weakness was its relatively weak defense, even inferior to the Saber-Toothed Crimson Tiger.
But with its terrifying speed, even if its defense was weaker, who could actually land a hit on it?
Before they could strike, they would already be dead.
"What do we do?" The Ninth Princess barely dared to breathe, a chill rising from her feet.
Given their current cultivation levels, encountering a first order upper grade barbarian beast meant certain death.
In past Royal Mountain Hunts, martial artists had been killed by barbarian beasts.
The Ninth Princess certainly didn't want to die here. She racked her brain for a plan, but against the Cyan Flame Deer's terrifying speed, even fleeing was impossible.
Yet Zhang Ruochen remained calm, a hint of battle intent in his eyes.
He took off his quiver and handed it to the Ninth Princess. "I have two Thunderclap Arrows left, and you have one. That makes three. With your archery skills, even if you can't hit the Cyan Flame Deer, you should at least be able to pose some threat to it, right?"
"What are you going to do?"
The Ninth Princess watched Zhang Ruochen walk toward the Cyan Flame Deer, her beautiful eyes wide with confusion. Was he trying to hunt it?
That was a first order upper grade barbarian beast!