The Lord of Void and Real

Chapter 169: Chapter 167: Heaven Devouring Tiger

Gauging by his cultivation speed in the past two years, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he has made rapid progress. Even the top-tier Dao Body aptitude, which Master Luo claims only occurs once in hundreds of years, simply can’t compare to it.

The pity is that no matter how good one’s aptitude or rapid one’s cultivation, or how high one’s realm is in the Dream World, it will all be left behind in the dream and can’t be brought back to reality.

“Alright, let’s get moving. The scent of the Mad Leopard’s blood spilled in our previous brawl might attract other monsters,” Shen Luo gently patted Ying Luo’s shoulder and suggested. @@novelbin@@

Only then did Ying Luo snap back to reality. The shock still settling within her, she found Shen Luo to be increasingly mysterious.

They continued their climb along the mountain path. Their journey was relatively calm; aside from occasionally encountering insignificant demons who took pains to avoid them, they met no major monsters.

“Big Brother Shen, my father once said that when a cultivator reaches the Soul Condensation Stage, their Divine Sense power can be radiated outwards. Is that true?” Ying Luo asked curiously.

“Correct. When one cultivates at the Soul Condensation Stage, souls within a person condense into a humanoid form, your divine sense power significantly intensifies and you can exert it externally to sense changes in the surroundings,” Shen Luo thought for a moment, then responded.

“How far can you extend your divine sense power, Big Brother Shen?” Ying Luo inquired further.

“With my current cultivation level and divine sense power, I can only probe movements within a radius of about 30 feet. However, if I encounter someone good at concealing their tracks, it’s quite challenging to detect them in advance,” Shen Luo explained.

“30 feet… That’s amazing,” Ying Luo admired with envy.

“You are no less talented. As long as you cultivate diligently, you will certainly reach this point in the future,” Shen Luo reassured her with a smile.

As their conversation unfolded, Ying Luo relaxed, losing the tension she had initially felt as she understood Shen Luo’s strength more deeply.

“Ying Luo, remember the stories you told about the guiding butterfly when we climbed the mountain last time? The story about the woodcutter got cut off by the appearance of the Mad Leopard,” Shen Luo abruptly brought up.

“Big Brother Shen, if you want to hear it, I’ll continue. Actually, it’s a story from a very, very long time ago, back when our Longevity Village…” Ying Luo thought for a while, a smile spreading across her face as she began her tale.

Once upon a time, there was a woodcutter in their village who would chop wood in the mountains every day. Most of the time, he’d stay close to the foot of the mountains, rarely venturing deep into the mountains.

One day, he chanced upon a snow-white rabbit while chopping wood. Wanting to capture it as a pet for his child, he chased the rabbit for quite a distance.

When he came to his senses, he found himself halfway up the mountain. The woodcutter didn’t manage to catch the rabbit, but came across two elderly men playing a game of Go, with black and white chess pieces, on a flat rock.

Being a simple farmer, he didn’t understand the game of Go. Seeing the otherworldly aura around the two men, he dared not interrupt and instead silently watched their match.

As he watched, he was stunned. He felt as though he had been transported onto a battlefield, watching white-clothed soldiers and black-armored warriors engage in fierce combat.

Unaware of how much time had passed, he was jolted back to reality when one of the elderly men patted his shoulder. He had a dazed expression as he looked around.

The woodcutter heard one of the elderly men saying, “Though you possess wisdom, you are still entangled in mortal affairs. Go back.” Before he could comprehend what was happening, he suddenly found himself back at the place where he had been chopping wood.

Looking around, he saw verdant grass and towering ancient trees, altogether different from before.

The woodcutter was startled. Bending down to pick up his axe, he found the axe handle had rotted, and the blade was covered in rust.

When he returned to the village, he discovered the village to look extraordinarily different, and not one villager recognized him.

After much inquiry, he finally found his home, only to discover that everything had changed.

It turned out that an entire cycle of 60 years, a “jiazi,” had passed since he went out to chop wood that day. His parents and wife had all passed away, and his home was occupied by three generations of his descendants.

The news spread like wildfire, with the stories becoming more and more wondrous. They thought he had discovered the secret to longevity, having lived 60 years without aging. The fact that there were indeed many centenarians in the village later on led to the village being named “Longevity Village.”

“What about afterwards?” Shen Luo, finding the story intriguing, couldn’t help but ask.

“Later, the woodcutter recalled the words of the immortal, bid goodbye to his descendants, and went into the mountain to practice Dao. It’s said that some villagers ever spotted him in the mountains, his appearance unchanged, often seen chopping wood and humming songs,” Ying Luo narrated.

“That’s indeed intriguing. I wonder if this man is still in the mountains?” Shen Luo looked at the dense forest of the mountain and chuckled.

“They are simply rumors, and shouldn’t be taken for…” Ying Luo’s voice trailed off as a roar from a wild beast rang out from the distance, cutting her off midway.

“Roar…”

The entire forest shook, as leaves rustled and fell from the trees.

Ying Luo felt a ringing in her ears and her surroundings seemed to be spinning around her.

“That sound came from beyond my divine sense probe range. It has such intense penetrating power, it must be a great demon in the Soul Condensation stage. Let’s not alarm it,” said Shen Luo, his expression changing as he quickly advised.

Ying Luo turned pale, she hurriedly followed Shen Luo as they climbed the mountain.

“That thing has discovered us and is catching up…” They had only gone about 30 feet when Shen Luo suddenly halted her.

As his words fell, a violent tremor struck the mountain forest ahead of them. A number of strong, towering trees fell to the sides, creating a cacophony of cracking sounds.

Shen Luo’s eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the tremor’s source.

Merely moments later, a large patch of forest right in front of them collapsed to reveal a massive creature lunging out and landing in front of them.

This creature was about twenty feet long, with a tail almost as long as its body. It was covered in white fur with black stripes. Without a doubt, it was a fierce tiger demon.

There was a ring of light blue mane around its head and it had dark red eyes as big as a copper bell. Steel-like whiskers sprouted from its mouth and its upper canines, sharp as knives, protruded from its lower lip, glinting with a chilling light.

“A Heaven Devouring Tiger!” Ying Luo exclaimed in surprise.

The tiger demon didn’t even glance her way. Instead, it stared menacingly at Shen Luo with its dark red eyes.

“You’ve got the scent of the Mad Leopard on you. No, it’s the scent of its Demon Pellet, and also the scent of a pesky fox…” The Heaven Devouring Tiger suddenly wrinkled its nose, sniffed the air, and said.

Its voice was deep, sounding like a middle-aged man’s voice.