The tiger demon's gaze swept through the temple. It saw five human children, each looking panicked, but four of them were looking at one little girl who seemed especially delicious.
After the Great Tribulation, humanity flourished across the world. Every human born carried a trace of true origin, varying only by talent.
But humans who hadn't embarked on the path of immortality would have their true essence clouded by consuming the five grains, and it would eventually dissipate.
So when it came to nourishment… the younger, the better.
Boys and girls whose essence hadn't been lost were the best of the best.
Normally it couldn't do evil, but this one was delivered right to its door… it would be a waste not to take it, right?
The tiger demon smiled, saliva unconsciously dripping from its mouth as it leaned forward. Seeing the increasingly terrified expressions on the human children's faces, it felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
Chen Baiqing glanced at the Foundation Establishment tiger demon before her and gave Cui Hao a light look.
Receiving the signal, Cui Hao stepped forward, staring directly at the tiger demon:
"So you're hungry? You want to eat us?"
The tiger demon looked at one of the children gathering courage to question it and grinned:
"Your Tiger Grandpa protects nine directions. Your life exists only under Tiger Grandpa's watch. Now that Tiger Grandpa is hungry, it's not that Tiger Grandpa wants to eat you—it's that you should willingly offer yourselves to Tiger Grandpa!"
With that, the tiger demon released its Foundation Establishment pressure, forcing the five children to their knees. They didn't even dare to cry out. Yellow and red turbidity mingled in its tiger eyes as it reached for the child who had spoken.
It didn't like noisy ones—they might just make a mess in a moment.
And it had to eat quickly. The other children probably couldn't handle the fear for long.
"Wait!" Cui Hao interrupted.
The tiger demon paused its hand. It glared fiercely but was also curious about what this child would say at death's door.
Would he beg not to be eaten, or ask it to eat someone else first?
Cui Hao cracked his knuckles as if preparing for something, then smiled and asked:
"What you say makes sense. But being hungry doesn't mean you can only eat us. I have something tastier and more filling. Interested in trying?"
The tiger demon sneered at this and no longer hesitated, its hand grabbing toward Cui Hao as it spoke:
"You're the most delicious one, little brat. Tiger Grandpa will just eat you."
"Tiger Grandpa works so hard—shouldn't he eat something good?" Cui Hao smiled lightly, raising a fist directly toward the tiger claw coming at him.
The tiger demon sneered at the sight, watching a small child swing a fist at it.
It had seen plenty of human plays. Was this kid trying to play the hero?
The thought flashed through the tiger demon's mind. It decided to chew a few extra times so this reckless brat could enjoy it longer.
The next moment.
An extremely asymmetrical clash of fists.
The tiger demon's eyes instantly filled with terror. It watched with its own eyes as its arm, merely upon touching that small hand, snapped into several pieces.
In an instant, it hadn't even felt the pain.
Was this a dream?
That was the first thought in the tiger demon's mind.
The tiger demon looked at Cui Hao in shock and panic. Cui Hao's small hand reached toward it, and it quickly retreated.
But that small hand, which seemed to move so slowly, grabbed the fur on its neck in an instant.
An overwhelming force that it couldn't resist slammed the tiger demon into the temple's earth floor.
At that moment, pain erupted from the tiger demon's chest, trembling through its entire body. It turned its head, tasted blood, and spat out a mouthful of tiger blood.
The tiger demon trembled and turned its head to look at Cui Hao. Cui Hao's expression was calm as he spoke:
"So impatient? I'll serve you the good stuff right now."
"N—"
The tiger demon tried to speak, but Cui Hao punched it and shut it up again.
It didn't know how many punches it took or how high it was sent flying and how deep it crashed.
It only felt that every bone in its tiger body was shattered, and the pool of blood on the ground was entirely its own.
Then it was suspended by an overwhelming spiritual energy.
The tiger demon quickly begged for mercy:
"Sp—spare my life."
It struggled to open its blood-glued eyes. Only now could it clearly see the five people in the temple.
These were no children at all—they were all clad in luxurious armor, high-level cultivators whose profound cultivation was enough to make it tremble at a single glance!
Cui Hao stood before the tiger demon with a playful expression:
"Was that beating delicious?"
"…D…delicious."
"Are you full?"
"F…full."
"Don't be polite with me. You still have to protect my safety, right? How can you protect me if you're not full?"
"I'm really full."
The tiger demon's voice was almost on the verge of tears.
Hearing this answer, Cui Hao nodded lightly, but his voice turned cold:
"Now that Grandpa here has fed you a good beating, I'm the one who's hungry. What do you have for Grandpa to eat? Your claws, or your head?"
The tiger demon's body trembled as if struck by lightning, and it quickly begged:
"Lord… please…"
Cui Hao's cold gaze locked onto the tiger demon's eyes, his voice icy:
"I really don't know how many demons like you, evil and vicious, Yunmeng Marsh has raised. Opening your mouth to eat people—who knows how many have fallen into your jaws."
The tiger demon didn't dare speak again, only looking terrified.
"Look at you, so afraid of death." Cui Hao patted the tiger demon's trembling body. "Even though your sins are many, if you're willing to start over and turn toward goodness, I'm still willing to spare your life."
The tiger demon looked sideways, still not daring to speak.
Cui Hao got straight to the point:
"How much do you know about what's happening inside Yunmeng Marsh?"
The tiger demon spoke timidly:
"Lord, I'm just a stray demon running a temple on the outskirts. How would I know what's happening inside Yunmeng Marsh?"
"Looking at you, I can tell you're genuinely not smart." Cui Hao's tone softened slightly. "You need to understand that useless things die the fastest. I'm only reminding you once."
Hearing this, the tiger demon quickly nodded:
"Lord, even though I'm not familiar with the inside, I've heard plenty of rumors. Whatever Lord wants to know, just ask."
Seeing this, Lu Lingyi cupped her fists to Chen Baiqing:
"Team Leader, leave the dirty work to me."
Chen Baiqing nodded:
"Good. Question thoroughly."
Lu Lingyi cupped her fists again, then casually tapped a point, sealing the tiger demon's mouth. With a wave of spiritual energy, she dragged the tiger demon outside the temple.
Interrogation inevitably involved some rough methods. To verify truthfulness and detect lies, the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect naturally had techniques for that—they just weren't pretty, and certainly wouldn't leave anyone feeling physically or mentally comfortable.
Lu Lingyi knew the rules well enough.
Chen Baiqing turned slightly, then raised her fist and shattered the tiger demon statue inside the temple with a single punch.
Something like this deserved incense offerings?
A trace of turbid yellow wish-power dissipated along with it.
Cui Hao watched the wish-power and said coldly:
"Even a Foundation Establishment little demon knows clearly how to store wish-power."
Chen Baiqing's expression remained calm:
"Once we're inside Yunmeng Marsh, everything will become clear. Just do what we can."
Cui Hao could only nod silently at this.
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