The Bloodfang Tiger did not know what was causing the strange glow, but it certainly did not like it. Ignoring the other two, it moved straight toward the only one it deemed worthy of being its opponent—Hua Zhenlan. She instinctively retreated, and in doing so, her concentration wavered, slowing down the already painstaking activation process of her technique.
As she shifted backward, Chi Jung appeared, stepping in front of her and the beast, his entire body blazing with fire from head to toe. He blocked the Tiger's charge, halting it in its tracks.
"Are you certain you can handle it? That beast is in the late stage of the Monarch realm, while you and Hua Ya are still in the King realm. True, you may both be at the peak, but still, you are Kings," Hua Zhenlan said as she struggled to regain her focus.
"We'll take care of it. Just concentrate on what you're doing!" Chi Jung barked. At that moment, a majestic sword manifested in his grip, its aura so intense that even the Bloodfang Tiger faltered for a second before shaking off the feeling and leaping to attack.
But before it could close the distance, a massive clump of ice slammed into its side, sending the beast stumbling back several meters.
"I think it forgot about me," Hua Ya's melodic, angelic voice echoed across the clearing. From the ground beneath her feet, ice rapidly spread outward, blanketing the area in frost. Normally, Hua Ya was far more proficient with the water element, but recognizing that ice would better compliment Chi Jung's fire, she chose the freezing path as the superior option.
The Bloodfang Tiger, as an earth-elemental beast, had little defense against the fine frost particles that crept into its pores, freezing its bones from within and gradually sapping its speed. Hua Ya and her mother both had water affinity so they were not affected, while Chi Jung's fire canceled out any freezing effect to his body, creating a coordinated balance.
The Tiger grew furious. To be toyed with by such weaklings was intolerable. Ordinarily, cultivators of their level would be crushed in seconds. It was stronger. It was faster. It was better... It was better. Yet what it failed to understand was that Hua Ya's who had a higher-realm bloodline gave her a natural superiority, while Chi Jung, born of the upper echelons of this realm, possessed talent and resources beyond ordinary comprehension. For the two of them to fight across realms was remarkable—but the Bloodfang Tiger was merely warming up.
Its aura surged violently as it doubled its speed, darting toward Hua Ya, the one who annoyed it most. She stomped the frozen ground, summoning an ice spike that shot upward. The Tiger smashed through it with its claws, but before it could advance further, it had to block a downward slash of Chi Jung's sword. Their clash sent both reeling back several paces.
As the Tiger skidded backward, it felt a sudden spike in temperature. Without turning its head, a jagged earthen wall erupted from beneath the frozen ground, intercepting a massive fireball that Chi Jung hurled at it. The wall quickly melted under the heat, but not before absorbing much of the blast's force, leaving the remainder to wash harmlessly over its thick scales.
The Bloodfang Tiger steadied itself—only to find Chi Jung in front of it again, moving as though he had teleported. The young man's sword blazed white-hot, flames licking along its edge. He brought it down in a savage arc aimed at one of the Tiger's legs, seeking to cripple its mobility. The strike cut into its hide, shallow but didn't bleed, the Bloodfang tiger was careful not to get injured, knowing one among them—Hua Zhenlan—still had not joined the battle, standing with one glowing arm while cradling a child in the other.
Undeterred, Chi Jung pressed on, unleashing a storm of slashes and thrusts with precise, masterful skill. The Tiger, however, was still faster, dodging each strike. Yet with every exchange, it noticed something unsettling: the sword was inching closer and closer.
It looked down and finally understood. Its limbs were crusted with tiny fragments of ice, creeping upward every time its paws landed on the frozen ground. The build-up was so subtle that it had gone unnoticed, but together, those shards worked like chains, slowing it with every step.
The beast tried to shake the frost off, but the ice returned as quickly as it shed it. At the same time, it still had to contend with Chi Jung's fiery blade. Looking toward Hua Ya, the Tiger saw her standing motionless, all her focus poured into controlling the ice. This was not a tactic she would ever use in a duel, but as a support in a team battle, it was devastatingly effective.
Changing strategy, the Tiger lashed out with its massive tail. Chi Jung, caught off guard, was struck hard and sent crashing into a tree. The beast wasted no time and barreled straight for Hua Ya.
Yet Hua Ya remained calm. As it bore down upon her, she sank her foot into the ground and snapped a kick into the air—an action that seemed meaningless. Instantly, an ice pole erupted from the earth, tracing the arc of her leg and spearing toward the Tiger. It smashed through the ice easily, continuing its charge, only for more poles to appear, each one reflecting her flowing Taekkyon footwork.
The Tiger ducked, dodged, weaved, and parried, but the poles continued relentlessly, forcing it to slow its advance. Though the damage was minimal, the incessant prickling sensation was maddening. Then, suddenly, it sensed danger from behind. Instinctively, it shifted left—barely dodging a fireball—only to meet Chi Jung's blazing slash head-on.
Blood gushed as the sword cleaved into its flesh, leaving a five-centimeter gash across its scales.
"Blood for blood," Chi Jung growled, spitting a mouthful of crimson.
"So it does bleed," Hua Ya mocked coldly from the other side, her eyes never leaving the beast. By now, Hua Zhenlan's glow had expanded to her torso, radiating brighter by the moment.
The Bloodfang Tiger understood. They were mocking it. Mocking him. That was unforgivable. It slammed its forelimbs into the ground with such force that the frozen layer shattered instantly, a jagged fissure ripping through the battlefield as rocks exploded into the air.
Thinking fast, Chi Jung used the flying debris as stepping stones [1], racing upward. From above, he brought his flaming sword down toward the beast's only true weakness—the soft spot atop its head. The Tiger sensed imminent death and barely twisted aside, though not without receiving a deep gash to its shoulder.
Roaring in fury at the near-fatal blow, it had no time to rest, forced to defend against both Hua Ya's ice spears and Chi Jung's swordplay. The young swordsman looked wild, his swings reckless and frenzied, but closer observation revealed the truth: every strike was calculated, every motion deliberate. He flowed seamlessly with the rhythm of Hua Ya's ice, their techniques complementing rather than conflicting. Together, they landed several more cuts—one dangerously close to the Tiger's eye. At one point, Chi Jung even used a back kick to redirect an ice pole toward the beast's face, forcing it to duck and take a glancing injury instead.
Even Hua Zhenlan, observing from the side, could not help but be impressed. It would have been a proud, joyous moment under any other circumstance. But this was no ordinary battle—they were fighting for their lives. And she knew the Bloodfang Tiger too well. It was merely toying with them. A beast of its caliber, especially one that sensed her looming power, would never rush recklessly. It was biding its time, stalling for whatever transformation Hua Zhenlan was attempting.
With every new cut, however, its fury mounted. Every time its flesh sizzled beneath Chi Jung's flames, it grew more unhinged. At last, its rage twisted into clarity. Now it understood. These weak humans could have killed his mate, it was no longer skeptical. They did kill her.
Its eyes turned crimson as it descended fully into rampage, bloodlust consuming it. The frozen battlefield split apart once more as an eruption of stones and earth hurled Chi Jung and Hua Ya back violently. Its aura exploded outward, suffocating and violent. This time, the Bloodfang Tiger was going all out.
The couple shared a glance, then nodded. Without a word, they turned away from the beast and rushed to Hua Zhenlan's side, leaving the rampaging monster baffled and roaring behind them. They embraced both the child and her grandmother tightly one final time. Chi Jung dismissed his sword, removing a ring from his finger and pressing it into Hua Zhenlan's hand. By now, the only part of her body not glowing was her head.
"Give this to her when she is old enough," he said solemnly. "Inside is the sword, a picture of us, and a few other keepsakes. That sword was my father's. He always told me that the greatest honor a swordsman can give his blade is to let it shatter in an attack against a stronger opponent. Only then will it have fulfilled its true purpose."
He paused, his gaze hardening as he looked at the beast. "This Bloodfang Tiger is not worthy."
In tears, Hua Zhenlan turned to Hua Ya. "Earlier, you said there was one more thing you wanted me to do before the beast came. What is it?"
Hua Ya's eyes brimmed with tears. "I want you to always remind my Chi Xianyan that I love her… from here to forever. And she must never forget it."
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[1]: Pun intended