Chapter 334: Mount

Chapter 334: Battle Mount

BOOM!!

The fist imbued with Dragon-Elephant Prajna power came crashing down, landing squarely on the side of the white tiger's face.

The tiger’s massive head was driven into the ground with a loud *crack*.

The impact cratered the ground, fissures spiderwebbing fifty feet (~50 ft). Rocks and dirt exploded outward in every direction.

The white tiger was left dazed, its eyes barely able to focus. Its body thrashed wildly, claws digging furiously into the earth while its tail whipped through the air, producing shrill, whip-like cracks.

Before Su Mo could follow up, the tiger's hind claws were already behind him, delivering a powerful kick.

The impact launched Su Mo backward.

The razor-sharp claws tore three gashes into the back of his clothes. Yet, despite this, Su Mo’s skin wasn’t even grazed.

With a single palm strike against the ground, he tucked into a flip and landed steadily on his feet.

By the time he turned back, the white tiger had already rolled over and risen again.

When it opened its eyes to glare at Su Mo, they still seemed unfocused, so it swiped at its face a couple of clumsy times with its massive paw—looking like some giant, dopey house cat.

If not for the blood-red glare in its eyes, it might have appeared somewhat silly.

After shaking it off like nothing, it crouched low once more, staring fixedly at Su Mo while emitting a dangerous growl from its throat.

Three moves in—the first, Su Mo dodged; the second, Su Mo kicked it; and now, Su Mo had punched it.

At last, the cursed beast realized this opponent was in a whole other league.

It no longer dared to charge recklessly, instead circling warily, its eyes locked onto Su Mo as it searched for an opening from every angle.

Su Mo couldn’t help but admire:

"Damn, this thing’s built like a tank."

His punch had carried immense force, yet after shaking it off like nothing, the tiger seemed completely unharmed.

At this moment, the Grand Priestess and the Chief Attendant emerged from the temple, standing at the entrance. Seeing this, the Grand Priestess quickly spoke up:

"Chief Escort Su, please understand—this cursed beast has grown alongside the sacred artifact since birth. Its body has long been forged by the Emperor’s Heart Sutra’s energy.

"Now that it has merged with the sacred artifact, it naturally possesses the power of the White Tiger Righteous Body Scripture.

"Its body is almost blade-proof! You won’t find another like it!"

Hearing this, the white tiger clearly pissed that its secrets had been exposed, snarled at the Grand Priestess and the Chief Attendant.

The Grand Priestess went white, and the Chief Attendant staggered, clutching his ears.

That tiger’s roar was laced with qi.

This perfectly aligned with the *Tiger's Roar* technique from the White Tiger Righteous Heart Scripture, causing their internal energy to surge violently and instantly triggering their internal injuries.

At this sight, the white tiger’s eyes gleamed suddenly.

Turning back to Su Mo, it let out a deafening roar.

It thought—if the Grand Priestess and the Chief Attendant of the Imperial Court couldn’t withstand such a roar, how could Su Mo possibly endure it?

Yet despite the ferocity of its roar, shaking the surroundings and even making the scattered stones on the ground tremble, the earth beneath its feet faintly quaking—

Su Mo merely dug at his ear and said,

"Still just a beast, yowling like a damn idiot..."

The white tiger was momentarily stunned. After trying two more roars and confirming they had no effect on Su Mo, it finally sprang in a fury.

This time, however, it had learned its lesson. Before closing the distance, its massive paw was already arcing through the air.

Its razor-sharp claws gleamed like blades, aiming to shred Su Mo into quarters with a single swipe.

Yet the moment its claws descended, Su Mo had already disappeared.

Turning its head, it found him behind it—exactly what it had hoped for. Instantly, its tail lashed out, splitting the air with a crack.

Su Mo reached out and seized the tail in his grip. As he lifted his head, the tiger twisted around, its jaws gaping wide, already upon him.

The enormous white tiger's jaws were so vast they could’ve fit three Su Mos side by side.

But Su Mo only grinned and snapped a kick upward, expecting to strike its chin again. To his surprise, the tiger had grown wiser—digging its front paws into the ground, it skidded to a halt.

Su Mo’s go-to move this time met only empty air.

Watching Su Mo launch upward, the tiger instead opened its jaws wide, ready to catch him from below...

Su Mo barked a laugh—he still had the tiger’s tail in his grasp.

Midair, he wrenched hard, throwing the tiger off balance and ruining its plan to catch him like falling prey.

Plain astonishment flashed in its eyes.

The next moment, they seethed with fury.

It whipped its tail, trying to fling Su Mo away, but before it could fully exert its strength, Su Mo’s toes barely brushed the air. With a twist of his waist, the tiger lost its footing entirely.

Even as its claws gouged the ground, sending debris flying, it couldn’t regain control.

Martial arts in this world, no matter how varied, all follow the same principles.

Generally speaking, a person midair has no footing to push against.

But Su Mo, having mastered the Wind God’s Leg technique, defied conventional martial logic.

Even in midair, he could ride the wind’s currents.

The faintest purchase was enough for him to unleash his full power.

Thus, even now, suspended in the air, a mere twist of force was enough to drag the tiger off balance. And as he took two phantom steps through the void, the tiger was wrenched into utter disarray.

Its hind legs were already off the ground, relying solely on its front legs for support. Now, unable to hold on any longer, it flopped onto the ground, pawing uselessly at the dirt.

The next moment, it was yanked clean off its feet by an immense force.

Sailing through an arc in midair, it was piledrived into the ground by Su Mo with a thunderous crash.

The impact rattled the whole mountainside. Even after landing, the white tiger attempted to rise again, but Su Mo wasn't about to let it get uppity.

Before it could stand, it was wrenched up again and smashed onto the opposite side of the ground.

WHAM! CRASH! THUD!

Su Mo’s pounding session seemed endless.

From left to right, then right to left.

From the ground to the mountain wall, then from the mountain wall to the Tiger God Shrine.

The Tiger God Shrine collapsed, the mountain wall shattered, and the ground was left with one massive crater after another.

The small bridge over the trickling brook was completely smashed to kindling.

Water splashed everywhere.

The Grand Priestess and the Chief Attendant of the Imperial Court dodged by a hair's breadth several times, barely escaping death.

After that, they kept their distance, barking at their underlings to watch from afar, absolutely forbidding anyone to approach…

Even so, Su Mo might give an offhand toss or make a careless move, sending the tiger hurtling toward them.

If anyone called it an accident, the Grand Priestess wouldn’t buy that excuse if her life depended on it.

This was payback, plain and simple.

From the moment Su Mo first seized the tiger’s tail and began slamming it around, he seemed to have gotten a real kick out of it.

At first, the tiger still tried to stand and continue fighting.

But soon, it wised up to the situation—resistance was futile.

So it stopped fighting it, letting Su Mo use it as a battering ram.

After all, its body was built like a tank—a few crashes wouldn’t kill it.

But Su Mo, it seemed, never tired.

Occasionally, the tiger would half-heartedly snarl at Su Mo before taking its next beating without complaint.

Eventually, Su Mo realized this wasn't getting him anywhere.

Relying on the tiger’s own weight to cause destruction made for a good show, but didn't do much damage.

This bastard was tough to put down.

Still, if Su Mo truly wanted it dead, it wasn’t impossible.

On a whim, Su Mo suddenly gave a casual heave, flinging the tiger away.

The White Tiger had even forgotten to resist.

After being flung, it didn’t even try to right itself midair, letting its entire body crash onto the ground and waiting for the next toss.

But after waiting and waiting, the next toss never came.

It raised its head and looked at Su Mo in confusion—its eyes seemed to say, "Why’d you stop?"

"Did you actually start liking being tossed around?"

Su Mo didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh. His gaze fixed on the now somewhat lazy White Tiger as he spoke softly:

"You damn beast aren’t completely brainless after all.

"Killing you straight off would be a waste, honestly.

"The White Tiger remnants raised you for years, so I’ll give you a chance.

"If you’re willing to follow me, I’ll spare your life today—you come with me.

"If not, I’ll put you down right here, and don’t blame fate for being unkind."

Su Mo got a furious roar in reply.

Now that it realized Su Mo wasn’t throwing it anymore, the White Tiger flipped upright, locking its killing intent back onto him.

But then its pupils shrank to pinpricks.

Su Mo’s faint smile stayed, but his eyes glowed with threads of violet.

A deep, thunderous bell boomed, coalescing around him into an ancient, indestructible golden bell—as if timeless.

The roars of dragons and elephants rang out together as thirteen dragon-shaped auras, wreathed in violet light, coiled and writhed around the golden bell.

The pure yang energy in each was too intense to look at.

Pressure waves rolled outward, the ground trembling under the force, nearby rocks instantly reduced to dust.

This was the first time Su Mo had gone all out since mastering his arts.

His DragonElephant Prajna Art had never been fully deployed before. Back at the Ironblood Escort Agency, when facing Yang Yizhi’s spear, he had only summoned two dragon auras.

Whether fighting Sect Leader Youquan or the Night Monarch later, he had never revealed the might of all thirteen.

And since achieving mastery in the Yixuan Divine Art, all his skills had merged seamlessly—working together, separate or combined.

Now, with the Twelve Gates Golden Bell Shield, DragonElephant Prajna Art, Ninety-Nine Primordial Yang Art, and Yixuan Divine Art all firing at once, the spectacle was so dazzling it stunned onlookers—even struck terror into their hearts!

The Grand Priestess and the Chief Attendant were scared shitless.

"How… is someone like this even possible?"

The Grand Priestess muttered under her breath.

Meanwhile, the Chief Attendant of the Imperial Court felt genuine gratitude toward the Grand Priestess for stepping into his fight with Su Mo that day. Otherwise, the grass on his grave would already be knee-high by now.

As for the lower-ranking Attendants, they were too stunned to speak.

Even Yang Xiaoyun and Xu Lu, let alone them, were seeing Su Mo like this for the first time.

Xu Lu couldn’t help but mutter to himself:

"When’s Master gonna teach me these moves?"

"..."

Yang Xiaoyun snapped out of her daze at his voice and glanced at him:

"First, master the damn Qiankun Acupoint Technique. You couldn’t even hold Jun Luo for five seconds!"

"..."

Xu Lu fell silent, wanting to argue but not daring to. He could only shut his mouth, thinking to himself: Hell, even Master struggled to pin him down...

The spectators each had their own thoughts, but that aside.

The White Tiger facing Su Mo felt fear seeping into its bones.

Its four legs trembled uncontrollably, instinctively wanting to lower its head. Yet, its pride as the mountain’s ruler forced it to endure and keep its gaze on Su Mo.

Only, the fire in its eyes had died out, and only raw terror remained.

Then, Su Mo held out a hand and uttered a single word:

"Come."

He didn’t amplify the word with inner force—it wasn’t loud. Yet, the moment it reached the tiger’s ears, it felt utterly powerless.

It obeyed without thinking, walking toward Su Mo.

Though every step trembled, it kept walking until it reached him.

Finally, it dipped its head.

Su Mo gave its huge head an approving pat and smiled:

"Good."

"You don’t belong with the White Tiger remnants."

"From today onward, you’re Ziyang Escort’s tiger now."

Seeming to sense Su Mo’s gentleness, the tiger lifted its head to look at him, making a low, rumbling purr.

No longer a roar, but a sign of trust.

Su Mo nodded lightly, pushed off, and vaulted onto its back.

The energy around him dissipated in an instant. Seated on the tiger, he tapped its side:

"Let’s take a spin."

A deafening roar!!!

With a mighty roar, the White Tiger immediately bolted forward, dashing around the valley.

Within its body lay the sacred relic of the White Tiger lineage.

The Emperor’s Heart Sutra energy flowed endlessly, and despite the battle with Su Mo nearly leveling the entire valley,

it remained unharmed.

Now, as it ran, it charged like a tempest, swift as lightning, a blur of white.

Su Mo, however, discovered that this White Tiger was smarter than he expected.

It could understand human speech, and with a simple touch to the back of its neck, it would move according to his will.

It was obedient as his own limbs.

In an instant, the tiger skidded to a stop, halting right beside Yang Xiaoyun and Xu Lu.

"Get on."

Su Mo reached out his hand, and Yang Xiaoyun immediately grasped it. With a gentle pull, she was pulled close into his embrace.

The White Tiger, sensing another person on its back, growled in annoyance.

But after Su Mo patted its head, it calmed instantly.

Seeing this, Xu Lu also wanted to hitch a ride.

Yet the White Tiger bounded away in one swift leap, turning back to snarl at Xu Lu, teeth bared.

Xu Lu’s heart tightened, and he wasn’t about to test his luck.

Inwardly, he lamented:

"Great, just great. Now the agency’s got another people-eater."

Usually, watching Zhen Xiaoxiao eat, he feared she might lose control and chomp down on someone nearby.

But that was just his paranoid fantasy.

After all, in all the time he had known Zhen Xiaoxiao, he had never seen the hefty lass actually eat anyone.

This one? Different story.

This tiger truly would eat people.

If it got too hungry, gobbling up a few folks would be child’s play.

Su Mo let out a booming laugh and gently patted the tiger’s head, saying:

"He’s one of us. If you don’t want to let him ride, that’s fine—but you can’t eat him."

The White Tiger turned to look at Su Mo, confirming his words, then butted its head against his hand, as if to show understanding.

Su Mo couldn’t help but feel pleased at this.

Then, turning to Yang Xiaoyun, he said:

"Didn't get to be a tiger-slayer, but ended up as a tiger-riding hero instead..."

"...Don't gloat."

Yang Xiaoyun reached out to stroke the White Tiger's fur. The soft fur felt nice under her fingers, and she couldn't help but smile:

"In the future, when we're escorting caravans and making camp outside, we can have it lie down and sleep on its back. That would be better than sleeping on the ground."

"True, though going into towns might scare people."

Su Mo chuckled: "But that’s something we’ll have to take slowly. This White Tiger still has a wild streak and will need time to get used to people."

"Exactly. We absolutely mustn’t let it harm anyone."

Yang Xiaoyun nodded in agreement, then asked, "So what's next?"

"Let’s go."

Su Mo said softly, "If we don’t get moving, it’ll be dawn."

With that, he glanced at Xu Lu:

"We’ll take the lead. You bring up the rear."

"..."

What could Xu Lu say?

The tiger refused to carry him, so he had no choice but to follow on foot.

Just as the trio and the tiger were about to leave, the Grand Priestess spoke up:

"Chief Escort Su, wait!"

"Hmm?"

Su Mo turned to look at the Grand Priestess and smiled:

"Does the Grand Priestess have something else to say?"

"...Well, Chief Escort Su, your skills are unmatched, truly admirable. We, the White Tiger remnants, won't cross you again.

"But... while we have no objection to you taking this damned tiger, it still carries our tribal artifact. Could you... could you let us have it back?"

The Grand Priestess spoke these words through gritted teeth, forcing herself to press on.

Hearing this, the Chief Attendant of the Imperial Court couldn’t help but admire her guts.

Such courage!

After witnessing Su Mo’s incredible power and awe-inspiring displays, he himself wouldn’t dare say another word.

Having cheated death multiple times, why would he willingly stick his neck out again?

The Grand Priestess must have a death wish.

Of course, if she knew what the Chief Attendant was thinking, she’d probably execute him right then.

Su Mo, however, didn’t take offense. He just laughed:

"Grand Priestess, do you know that Su Mo actually came here today for two matters...

"The first matter we'll leave aside for now, but the second is to settle accounts with you, Grand Priestess.

"That day when I passed through White Tiger City, the Chief Attendant of the Imperial Court tried to pull a fast one on me, attempting to seize the escort goods I carried. At the time, you, Grand Priestess, kept saying you knew nothing about it.

"Now, it seems your words were likely untrue, no?

"Furthermore, that night when you apologized before me, Grand Priestess, you even threw in the Emperor’s Heart Sutra to show you were serious.

"Yet, once one practices this Emperor’s Heart Sutra, they would inevitably be at your mercy—and by extension, the dominion of White Tiger City!

"You've got some shady plans, Grand Priestess. Do you have anything to say for yourself now?"