Chapter 1721: Red-Browed White Tiger

The most powerful parts of the sacred beast are its teeth and claws; once these are removed, the remaining parts hold little value.

Given the young man's formidable strength, no one dared to object; they all simply nodded.

Soon, the massive wolf carcass was cleanly dissected.

Zhang Xuan possessed numerous treasures; although this Golden-faced Skywolf was powerful, he wasn't particularly interested in it. Moreover, it was a creature killed by others' strenuous efforts and had little to do with him. As a Master Teacher, he would never stoop to taking others' spoils.

Observing the distribution of the wolf carcass, he gained some insights. He had initially thought these people knew each other and had stayed together after entering the ruin, but it now seemed that was not the case. They were clearly wary of each other, each striving to maximize their own share during the distribution. While they appeared to be a united group, in reality, they were merely feigning cooperation.

“Friend,” the leading young man said, “seeing as you’re alone, why not join us? This ruin is vast, and there are countless masters and sacred beasts within. Traveling alone is inherently dangerous; even if you find something valuable, you might not be able to secure it!”

“Together, we can look out for each other!”

“Not to mention,” he continued, “sacred beasts of this caliber, like the Golden-faced Skywolf, are virtually extinct on the Master Teacher Continent—you can’t even find them. If you encounter one and are no match for it, forget about getting its hide and carcass; you might not even get a single strand of wolf fur!”

The others also nodded.

Though working together meant they might only receive a small share of each discovery, the sheer volume of potential treasures made it worthwhile! Alone, not only might you gain nothing, but if you were robbed, you wouldn't even know how you died. Outside, the Master Teacher Pavilion enforces rules, so cultivators dare not openly defy them. But this is a ruin, home to countless sacred beasts. If a few people are killed and their bodies disposed of, who would ever know what happened? There were no rules here, only basic principles and human nature. Master Teachers might uphold their principles, but what about the Otherworldly Demons? Or other rogue cultivators?

After a moment's pause, Zhang Xuan nodded: “Alright!” He had no particular destination anyway, so joining this group would allow him to hide his identity and avoid drawing suspicion.

“I am Mu Xiao, a cultivator from the Mu Clan!” The leading young man said, standing up with a hint of arrogance after Zhang Xuan agreed.

Zhang Xuan realized. So, he was a master from the Mu Clan. Such strength was likely their trump card, something he had never heard of before.

Zhang Xuan clasped his fist: “I am Xuan Zhang, a rogue cultivator!”

“Ah, Brother Xuan, I’ve long heard of your reputation!” Mu Xiao was being polite. The remaining few also introduced themselves. Of the seven people, six were disciples from major powers, with only one being a rogue cultivator.

“Let's go!”

With the alliance formed, Mu Xiao gave the command, and everyone moved forward in unison. Seeing that their direction matched his intended path, Zhang Xuan didn't bother to say more and followed closely behind them.

They walked for two consecutive hours. During this time, they encountered three sacred beasts comparable to the Golden-faced Skywolf. Unwilling to expose his ability to challenge higher-level opponents, Zhang Xuan merely went through the motions, contributing little.

Initially, seeing him travel alone without incident, they had assumed he possessed countless treasures and abilities. However, now seeing his mediocre strength, everyone lost interest, and their attitude was no longer as enthusiastic as before.

“You haven't contributed much, so you won't get a share of this sacred beast. We'll talk again when we encounter a suitable one next time!” After dissecting the third sacred beast, Mu Xiao said.

“I thought he'd have some powerful tricks; a rogue cultivator is just a rogue cultivator!”

“He barely helped in killing this sacred beast! What does he want anything for?”

Everyone was discussing animatedly. Ignoring these comments, Zhang Xuan instead looked in the direction from which the sacred beast had appeared, his eyes growing brighter. The three sacred beasts they had consecutively encountered all came from the same direction ahead. If that was the case... could the Temple of Confucius be directly ahead?

Thinking this, he no longer hesitated. Just as he was about to leave the group and proceed alone, he heard a rustling sound from the forest again. Looking up, a Crimson-browed White Tiger appeared before them. This sacred beast possessed the strength of the Perfected Intuition realm. As soon as it appeared, it exuded a powerful aura that instilled a sense of dread.

“Everyone, prepare!” Mu Xiao's expression changed, and he quickly shouted.

Having extensive combat experience, everyone listened to his command, quickly taking their positions, weapons in hand, with grave expressions. Seeing them obstruct its path, the Crimson-browed White Tiger immediately roared furiously and charged.

As soon as it moved, the enormous beast instantly displayed astonishing power. With a downward sweep of its hooves and claws, the air wailed. Even before it closed in, waves of energy, like sharp swords, slashed down towards Mu Xiao.

“Greenwood Shield!”

Mu Xiao's pupils constricted. He could no longer wait for rescue, and a round wooden shield appeared before him. It was a treasure of the Mu Clan.

Crack! Although this treasure was precious, the Crimson-browed White Tiger before them was simply too strong. With a swift, wind-like swipe of its claws, cracks appeared on the shield. Unable to withstand the blow, Mu Xiao spewed blood and flew backward.

“Everyone, attack…” Knowing that inaction meant likely death for all of them, he shouted even while airborne.

Upon receiving the command, the others launched their attacks in unison. Various weapons flew through the air, and energy glows crisscrossed. However, they couldn't even pierce the beast's hide. With a furious roar, the Crimson-browed White Tiger's massive body suddenly spun. The weapons of several individuals were all knocked to the ground, and they themselves flew backward, severely injured.

Even their combined efforts couldn't withstand it. Truly a sacred beast at the peak of the Intuition realm—terrifying!

“Are we going to die here?” Seeing that despite their full efforts, they couldn't even pierce the beast's hide, Mu Xiao and the others gave bitter smiles, knowing they might truly perish here this time. If only they had known, they wouldn't have ventured so deep.

Just as everyone believed their death was certain, the young man who had been merely "going through the motions" earlier walked out from behind the crowd.

“Flying isn't allowed here, and walking is too slow. It's fortunate you appeared... Since we have such destiny, I'll give you a chance to become my beast pet!” Approaching the Crimson-browed White Tiger, the person named Xuan Zhang said calmly.

“Roar???” The Crimson-browed White Tiger was dumbfounded.

“Is something wrong with this guy's brain?”

“Give me a chance to become his beast pet...”

The others were all stunned, their faces blank. Just moments ago, he barely contributed against a sacred beast of the Golden Body realm, and now he wants to tame a Perfected Intuition realm sacred beast as a pet... Beast tamers usually need several years to build a bond before they can sign a contract with a beast pet. It's unknown how long the Temple of Confucius ruin will be open, but it certainly won't be for several years. Regardless of his strength, simply in terms of time, it was impossible! Precisely because of this, they always attacked and killed them on sight, never even considering the possibility of taming one to take back.

This guy, with only Golden Body realm strength, dared to say such a thing. Was he truly not afraid of being slapped to death?

Before their bewildered gazes had even faded, the white tiger indeed let out a roar and slammed its paw towards his head.