Slaying the Leopard on the Long Street

"Roar—!"

A bestial howl shook the long street.

A gust of black wind erupted, revealing a massive black panther, six feet tall and ten feet long. Its fur shimmered with a glossy sheen, and it was wreathed in dark, swirling winds, exuding a ferocious and intimidating aura.

Had Chu Liang not dodged in the nick of time, he would have been struck head-on by the beast.

This was a fourth-realm Black Wind Leopard. It had just been delivered to the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall, and it should have been sedated while being moved from its cage. No one knew how it had suddenly opened its eyes, bitten the handler to death, and charged out.

The Black Wind Leopard was renowned for its speed. In the blink of an eye, before the experts guarding the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall could even react, it had already reached the main street.

"Monster on the loose! Take cover!" came the desperate shouts from behind.

The bustling crowd on the street scattered instantly. Although most people in Taotie City were cultivators, they were mostly in the first three realms and risked death if they faced a fourth-realm beast.

"Roar—!" With a thunderous bellow, the Black Wind Leopard leaped, attempting to ride the wind and soar into the sky.

"Stay, you wretched beast!"

A sharp command rang out from within the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall. Finally, an expert darted out. With a wave of a hand and a metallic chime, a string of golden bells adorned with red thread was flung into the air.

The string of bells unfurled, instantly transforming into a giant hexagonal net. Each of the six corners featured a golden bell, and as the net expanded, it blotted out the sky.

Blocked, the Black Wind Leopard twisted its body and landed back on the street. The crowd below scattered in panic. A few who were too slow to evade were grazed by the panther, resulting in disembowelment or severed limbs.

Seven or eight figures swept out from the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall, appearing on the rooftops on either side. They brandished long hooks, golden nets, and other artifacts, watching with predatory intensity.

But the Black Wind Leopard was too fast. It gave them no chance to strike, charging straight down the long street like a gale of black wind.

"Move."

The path ahead was already clear of pedestrians, but looking down the street, a woman stood there, motionless.

Amidst the empty, long street, she was a striking flash of red.

She was dressed in a sharp, flame-red combat outfit, her high waist and long legs accentuated as her clothes fluttered. A black cloak was tied about her, snapping in the wind. Her hair was tied back, her skin as white as snow, her features delicate and charming, yet her eyes were piercingly fierce.

Truly, she was as beautiful as a peach tree, yet as cold as frost.

As the black wind shrieked toward her, she flipped her right hand and suddenly drew a gilded, embossed staff. It shimmered with golden light, clearly no ordinary object. Beyond the golden reliefs, a flame-like red thread ran along the staff.

As she stepped down, the rising dust suddenly seemed to slow.

She raised the long staff with both hands. The red thread on it flared, spiraling upward to the tip, where it coalesced into a three-foot-long crimson blade!

She lunged, waist coiled, holding the long blade high. A soft, sharp cry escaped her lips.

By the time these movements were finished, the Black Wind Leopard had just reached her. Its ferocious eyes reflected that dazzling crimson.

*Sshhh—*

The long blade rose and fell.

The ferocity in the leopard’s eyes turned to terror; it could never have imagined that such a seemingly delicate frame could contain such terrifying power. As its head passed her, it was sliced in two; as its torso passed her, it was sliced in two; even its tail was sliced in two.

With a single strike, she had bisected the leaping panther!

One must understand that a fourth-realm Black Wind Leopard was no longer made of mere flesh and blood; its body was harder than metal and stone, and each hair was like an iron thorn. Yet, under this woman's blade, it was as flimsy as paper.

Rain of blood fell from the sky, splashing onto the woman’s red clothes and cloak. She didn't blink, her gaze burning like fire.

*Boom—*

The two halves of the Black Wind Leopard skidded dozens of feet further before landing, leaving a long trail of blood in their wake.

"Young Miss!" "Young Miss!" "Young Miss..."

In an instant, a group of figures rushed over, surrounding the woman to check on her safety.

"I am fine. Clean this up."

The woman strode forward without a second glance, her aura steaming. She led her entourage into the gates of the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall, where muffled voices could be heard: "Clear the area! Close the doors! The Young Miss needs to bathe and change."

...

"How domineering."

Chu Liang had watched the entire scene, feeling the woman’s overwhelming presence.

Although he spent his days with Di Nüfeng, she was perhaps getting older and rarely showed such overt dominance. Most of the time, she was lazy and didn't exert much pressure on others.

But that woman just now seemed to make the air grow colder with every step she took.

Her cultivation was also extremely high. The Black Wind Leopard was definitely a powerhouse among fourth-realm beasts, with speed faster than lightning and claws like divine weapons. The reason it died so cleanly was simply that it had met a star of calamity.

Her strike just now...

Chu Liang recalled the moment. She had been dozens of feet away from the leopard, which, for the beast, was a matter of an instant.

Yet, in that time, she had drawn her weapon, invoked the blade, and gathered her strength...

The sequence of actions seemed to unfold slowly, without a hint of haste. Yet, precisely when she finished, the Black Wind Leopard reached her.

It felt as if the two were experiencing time at different speeds.

No... the key seemed to be that single step she took.

When that foot landed, something miraculous occurred. It reminded Chu Liang of something: Array Arts.

Arrays usually required complex setups and the combined power of many, but in the cultivation world, there was a unique technique that could simplify the process, using one's own True Qi to initiate and complete an array single-handedly.

This tradition of specializing in arrays was known as the Array Art.

If Chu Liang wasn't mistaken, the woman had just used an Array Art—a "zero-second" instant-cast array. Her mastery was clearly profound.

As he was lost in thought, he looked up to see the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall preparing to shut its doors.

Chu Liang felt a sudden urgency.

Once the doors closed, who knew when they would open again? If someone else snatched up the Human-Faced Xiao by the time he returned, what would he do?

He stepped forward quickly and said, "Don't close the door yet, may I go in for a moment?"

Before the henchman closing the door could answer, an elderly man with a long beard emerged from within and said coldly, "We are closed to guests. You may not enter."

Chu Liang said earnestly, "There is something inside that I am very keen on. Could you let me take a look?"

The old man glanced at him, and before he could speak, a woman's voice drifted down from upstairs: "Let him in."

"Hm?" The long-bearded elder looked back, appearing somewhat surprised, but he stepped aside and gestured for Chu Liang to enter, adding, "Do not go upstairs."

"Understood," Chu Liang nodded.

The Ten Thousand Beasts Hall was vast. The first floor displayed numerous cages containing various spirit beasts. The ghostly entities were all kept in a small corner.

Chu Liang searched for a while before finding the counter with the sign "Human-Faced Xiao."

The clerk behind the counter seemed a bit surprised, wondering how he had gotten in. But seeing Chu Liang approach, he habitually offered a smile. "Young hero, looking to buy something?"

"I want to take a look at this Human-Faced Xiao," Chu Liang said.

Ghostly entities were different from spirit beasts; while beasts were kept in cages, ghosts were sealed in small porcelain bottles, which were then placed inside cages marked with talismans.

The clerk followed his gaze and said, "Very well."

As he spoke, he traced a finger sign, and the talisman on the porcelain bottle fell away.

*Shoo—*

With a chilling aura, a white light suddenly surged out, and a greyish-white ghost, small as a child but with a disproportionately large head, suddenly appeared.

"Ah—!"

As soon as the Human-Faced Xiao emerged, it was filled with murderous intent, grabbing the iron cage with both hands and tearing at it wildly, desperate to escape. Seeing Chu Liang watching from outside, it bared its fangs. Had it not been for the cage, it would have lunged at him long ago.

It was ferocious and malevolent!

"This creature's cultivation isn't high, but it is quite rare, and it is vicious and cunning. The people of our Ten Thousand Beasts Hall spent quite a bit of effort to capture it," the clerk explained.

Chu Liang nodded gently. He knew this thing was hard to deal with.

However, the clerk was likely saying this to justify the price, so he asked directly, "How much?"

"Eight hundred Vermilion Bird coins," the clerk replied.

Chu Liang calculated in his mind. On Mount Shu, that was equivalent to eight hundred Sword Coins, which was quite a lot. Moreover, the Human-Faced Xiao’s cultivation was average—it was just rare and hard to catch. Coupled with the inflated market prices in Taotie City, that was the asking price.

But for him, its value was far beyond that.

"I am going to exchange for Vermilion Bird coins now. Could you hold it for me? Don't let anyone else buy it," Chu Liang said after a moment of contemplation.

He was determined to have this item, so for once, he didn't haggle, asking for a reservation instead.

"Very well," the clerk nodded. "However, you must pay a deposit, and we can only hold it for you for a maximum of three days."

"No problem," Chu Liang agreed instantly.

Walking out of the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall, he couldn't help but smile.

The beautiful vision of big-headed dolls sitting in rows and cultivating for him seemed to be right before his eyes!