Xu Taiping chased the demon tiger for seven days and seven nights.
During these seven days, he did not drink a single drop of water or eat a single grain of rice. He fought the dying demon tiger several times, eventually forcing it into this valley with no exit.
At this moment, his leather armor was mostly torn, his boots were gone, and his bare feet were raw and bleeding. His fists were also bloodied and bruised.
Apart from the surface wounds, his internal organs had been damaged during the fight with the demon tiger, and the blood in his body was now uncontrollably surging through his meridians.
However, despite his injuries, his eyes, which were fixed on the demon tiger ahead, still shone with determination, showing no sign of fatigue or fear.
"Boy... Do you really intend to fight me to the death... without rest?"
The demon tiger leaned against a large rock, its fist-sized tiger eyes also fixed on Xu Taiping.
"I won't rest until you die, and you won't rest until I die. We both know this."
As Xu Taiping spoke, he tore a strip of cloth from his body to wrap his hands, his eyes still fixed on the demon tiger.
He knew very well that this was the only chance to kill the demon tiger. Once it recovered and replenished its blood, he would be the one to die.
"I have seen many talented cultivators, and I haven't encountered someone with such unwavering resolve in many years. If I really die at your hands, it won't be in vain."
The demon tiger moved away from the rock and stood steadily.
"If you die, I won't make things difficult for you. I will just eat you and refine you into a ghost servant, to serve me for eternity."
As it spoke, it crouched, preparing to pounce.
Xu Taiping's response was a fierce leap, followed by a powerful headbutt that made a "boom" sound.
the demon tiger did not dodge but instead sidestepped to take the hit, then swiped at Xu Taiping's waist, preparing to trade injuries.
But what the demon tiger didn't expect was that Xu Taiping's fist, just before hitting its shoulder, suddenly turned into a claw, grabbing its fur and using the momentum to flip onto its back.
This move made the demon tiger's swipe miss.
During these seven days, Xu Taiping was not mindlessly chasing the demon tiger. He had clearly recorded every gain and loss from each battle in his mind, so he saw through the demon tiger's intentions at a glance.
After the demon tiger's swipe missed, Xu Taiping, still on its back, delivered another punch.
The sound echoed through the mountains.
Following this, Xu Taiping grabbed the tiger's fur with one hand and raised his fist with the other, delivering punch after punch, the "bang, bang, bang" sounds continuously echoing in the valley.
From a distance, Xu Taiping, surrounded by the aura of the Residual Afterglow, truly looked like a charging bull, continuously trampling and colliding with the tiger beneath him.
With a sound like a final drumbeat, Xu Taiping's last punch, the 108th, struck the demon tiger, forcing its body into the ground.
But at this moment, the demon tiger, which seemed to be on its last breath, suddenly turned its head and bit at Xu Taiping.
It was as if Xu Taiping had anticipated the demon tiger's move. The demon tiger had seen through the weakness of the Ox Fist and endured until all 108 punches were delivered before striking Xu Taiping.
Facing the sudden attack, Xu Taiping showed no panic. Instead, he grinned and, without hesitation, rammed his head into the demon tiger's head.
"This is the final punch."
The already injured head of the demon tiger, now struck again, caused the wounds on its neck to split open, and its head tilted to one side.
Xu Taiping did not give the demon tiger a chance to recover. He swiftly drew the fine steel longsword from his waist, poured the last of his true essence from his dantian into it, and slashed at the demon tiger's head.
The cold blade cut through the air, and the demon tiger's massive head fell to the ground with a "bang."
After the tiger's head was severed, a pile of gold, silver, jewels, and various weapons and swords spilled from its mouth, clearly taken from those it had killed.
However, Xu Taiping had no time to deal with these treasures.
At this moment, his dantian was empty, his blood weak, and his muscles and bones were extremely fatigued.
Xu Taiping's arm holding the sword dropped, and he let out a long breath. His body slid off the tiger's back, half-reclining against the headless body of the demon tiger, and he began to focus on the Residual Afterglow technique.
Just as Xu Taiping's true essence began to recover slightly, a white-headed eagle landed on a branch in front of him.
"You... actually... actually killed this demon tiger!"
The white-headed eagle exclaimed in shock.
It was almost evening, and the red light of the sunset filtered through the branches, illuminating Xu Taiping, giving him a sacred and dignified aura.
Especially in contrast to the massive body of the demon tiger, the sight was extremely visually striking, which is why the white eagle was so taken aback.
Xu Taiping looked up at the white eagle, a tired smile on his face.
He was not surprised by the white eagle's appearance, as this was something they had agreed upon in advance.
"The tiger's head and the things in its mouth are mine, and the rest of the body is yours. You will take me back to Green Bamboo Cottage."
Xu Taiping pointed to the tiger's head and then to the body behind him.
At this moment, he still looked very weak, but the white eagle no longer dared to look at him with any hint of contempt or negligence, as if facing a powerful figure like its own father.
After a long pause, the white eagle nodded solemnly.
"No wonder Father wanted me to get closer to him."
As the white eagle carried Xu Taiping and flew into the clouds, it finally understood why its father had asked it to get closer to this young man who was just a novice.
A few days later, one night.
"Sister Lingyue, look, I killed that demon tiger!"
"Sister, you don't know how dangerous it was. I didn't have time to think and directly leaped from a height of over a hundred feet, using the momentum of the fall to catch the demon tiger off guard with a punch!"
As soon as Fairy Lingyue woke up, Xu Taiping led her to the back courtyard, lifted the burlap covering the demon tiger's head, and described the events of that day with a touch of youthful enthusiasm.