Chapter 122: The Aura of Invincibility

"Don't be so gloomy! There's more."

Seeing the Profound Ice White Tiger sprawled out on the ground in the shape of a giant "X," Xiao Yang suddenly said with a laugh.

Almost simultaneously, the Profound Ice White Tiger shuddered. It scrambled to turn around, eager to see what else he had in store, while praying in its heart: *Oh, Heavens! Please, have some mercy! Make this freak act normal for once. I’m only a thousand years old; I’m still young, and I don't want to die yet!*

"Five-Emperor Coins! A copper coin sword! And red string..."

Xiao Yang continued to pull out various items one after another. By now, the Profound Ice White Tiger had fallen into utter despair. It lay in the grass, staring blankly at the horizon, tears of frustration welling up in the corners of its eyes.

"I’m not bragging, kid, but these are all top-tier treasures. They’ll definitely make that zombie howl in agony!" Xiao Yang explained with a grin.

However, ever since Xiao Yang brought out his "equipment set," the tiger had looked as if its soul had been sucked out of its body. *This is a suicide mission against a Zombie King! Even throwing one’s life away shouldn't be done like this.*

"Buck up, you guy!" Seeing the tiger acting like a dead dog, Xiao Yang reached down and hauled it up by the scruff of its neck.

The only reply he got was, "Don't touch me. Just let me die."

Xiao Yang was taken aback. He had brought out his "hidden trump cards" to boost morale, but it seemed to have had the exact opposite effect. The Profound Ice White Tiger had only become more dejected.

"Do you really think you can hide from this?" Xiao Yang wasn't about to let the tiger off the hook. He hoisted it onto his shoulder and resumed their journey.

Others might not know, but how could he be unaware? What he possessed was the ultimate "Zombie-Hunting Starter Pack." A bumpkin like this Profound Ice White Tiger couldn't possibly grasp their miraculous power.

The man and the cat continued on until they reached the bank of a massive river. Since the Profound Ice White Tiger had been here before, it didn't show much surprise, but Xiao Yang was a different story. It was his first time seeing a river this wide. The two-to-three-hundred-zhang-wide riverbed dealt a massive blow to his composure.

"Why is there such a wide river in such an arid place?" The current flowed with such ferocity that it seemed to span the world, and it wasn't hard to guess that the depth was significant—at least a dozen zhang deep.

"Big Cat, fly me across."

He had no choice now. If he tried to swim, he’d be thanking his lucky stars if he managed to make it halfway without being torn to shreds by some aquatic beast. A safer method was required.

"No!"

The Profound Ice White Tiger’s eyes lit up. They had made a pact: as long as Xiao Yang hadn't reached the King Realm, the tiger would never carry him. Xiao Yang had agreed to it at the time. A glimmer of hope for survival flickered in the tiger's eyes. *It’s not that I don't want to go, but you can't cross! Heh! Nothing I can do about that!*

"I remember our agreement, but these are special circumstances. Just carry me this one time." Xiao Yang, clearly a man of his word, knew he was in the wrong and tried to soften his tone to sway the tiger.

But he had severely underestimated the tiger's resolve.

"No! A gentleman's word is his bond; I absolutely will not carry you across." It shook its head repeatedly. It was currently praying that they wouldn't have to cross at all. How could it let such a perfect excuse slip by? It resolved deep down that it would rather die than carry him—this was its last hope.

Xiao Yang was so angry he started laughing. "A gentleman? You’re a fat cat! Don't talk to me about being a gentleman."

"You fat cat, you must be tired of living." Since soft tactics weren't working, he decided to apply pressure. If it didn't comply, it could look forward to becoming a "eunuch tiger."

"Don't force me to turn you into tiger-whip wine!"

"I don't care what you say, I won't agree!" The tiger gulped and shook its head violently.

Xiao Yang was stunned by the tiger's unwavering stubbornness. *Good grief, this cowardly cat is so firm—it’s scientifically impossible.* Suddenly, a compromise occurred to him. As long as the tiger agreed, he could still make it across.

Sensing the shift in Xiao Yang’s gaze, the big cat nervously tucked its hind legs.

"Hahaha! Don't be afraid, I wouldn't actually do that." Xiao Yang’s tone shifted abruptly, leaving the tiger confused. It muttered to itself, *What kind of trick is this kid pulling now?* But it held firm: even if it died, it would not carry a human across the river.

"Unless you reach the Martial King realm, I won't carry you," it repeated nervously.

This time, Xiao Yang didn't get angry. Instead, he asked with a smile, "I don't need you to carry me."

Hearing this, the Profound Ice White Tiger let out a sigh of relief. *Thank goodness, my life is saved.*

But before the breath was fully out, the master of courting death, Xiao Yang, added, "You can just carry me in your mouth. I don't need you to carry me on your back."

The Profound Ice White Tiger turned to stone on the spot. It wanted nothing more than to curse Xiao Yang out. *Can’t we just not cross the river? Would we die? Can’t we just stay alive and not go on this suicide mission?*

"Stop staring and open your mouth." Xiao Yang’s logic was simple: the Profound Ice White Tiger’s true form was over twenty zhang long. Carrying him in its mouth would be effortless.

The tiger opened its mouth slightly, wanting to argue, but no words came out. Xiao Yang was as stubborn as a mule; even if it stopped him this time, he would definitely find another way to cross.

"Fine! I’ll risk my life and go with you this once."

Although the tiger was no match for that corpse, surviving an encounter wasn't impossible, though it might get injured. A demonic beast’s body underwent a sublimation upon reaching the King Realm, allowing it to crush the physique of a Marquis-level beast. Because of this, any injury required rare treasures to heal, or the recovery period would be agonizingly long.

A flash of white light, and the Profound Ice White Tiger reverted to its true size. Standing over twenty zhang tall, it radiated an aura of invincibility even without attacking.

"Take it easy, don't drop me." Xiao Yang was quite wary of the river below. If he fell in, he felt he would be swallowed in an instant.

"I know."

The Profound Ice White Tiger leaped into the air, flying high. Halfway across, its nose twitched. "It seems like people died down there recently. Quite a few of them."

Xiao Yang looked down and saw half a corpse bobbing on the surface. He was just wondering why the body hadn't been eaten yet when he saw a three-to-four-zhang-long bird dive down, attempting to snatch the remains.

Just as the bird was about to succeed, the water surface erupted.

"Squawk!"

The bird, a powerful Demon Master-level creature, didn't even have time to let out a cry before a black shadow dragged it beneath the waves. A moment later, a spray of blood bloomed on the surface.

"Holy cow! Is that fishing? No, bird-fishing?" Xiao Yang was stunned. *You can do that?*

His perception of demonic beasts reached a new level. Their intelligence was not much lower than a human's—perhaps even surpassing many common people.