The Void-Striped Emerald Tiger was flabbergasted as the killing blow it inflicted with a great deal of Void Qi did not slay her.

  It watched as the vitality of the Lesser Venom Wyrm that was about to be snuffed out suddenly revitalised in a flood of energies.

  A usual Spirit Beast of the First Realm would not be able to devour a core this swiftly; the turbulent energies they contained were not to be trifled with, yet Sun Yuying used the Razorwind Chlorohawk Spirit Core to revive her from near-death.

  Her eyes filled with rage as she whipped her head around from the slain Hawk and tried to bite into the Void-Striped Emerald Tiger.

  Yet, remarkably agile, even caught by surprise, the Tiger withdrew its claws, leaping back; however, Sun Yuying utilised the infamous attack of a Lesser Venom Wyrm, venomous breath, empowering it with Venom Qi as she caught the Tiger mid-withdrawal with a spray of venom, causing it to roar in pain.

  The Void-Striped Emerald Tiger reeled in pain as it felt its glossy fur and flesh burn from the putrid venom.

  Staring at her with fury, indignation and confusion, its powerful voice filled her mind.

  You survive! Impossible! My Void Qi pierced your flesh; I felt your heart still.

  Sun Yuying stared down the Tiger in defiance as it stepped back far more cautiously and measured, the grassy meadows, the peak of Lingshou Forest, deathly silent as the two strongest remaining predators in the Forest eyed each other challengingly.

  The Lesser Venom Wyrm already decided to project her thoughts to the beast.

  You call yourself King? You let me kill the other Spirit Beasts, didn’t you? You could have stopped me, am I wrong?

  The Void-Striped Emerald Tiger stood tall and proud, even as she accused it, a guttural roar left it as its powerful voice once again filled her mind.

  So what! I watched as you slaughtered them. They needed to fall for me to grow. I devoured the remains of those that were left behind, yet you were the real prize. Your blood is necessary for me to break through the barrier to the Second Realm. Only then can I escape the bindings that keep me in this place. The Lesser Wyrm was strong, yet its blood was slightly weaker than mine, yours, on the other hand, who would expect a stronger variant like you to emerge? So what if you survived, I will sink my fangs…

  Sun Yuying pounced at the overly talkative beast mid-sentence as she aimed for its thick neck.

  The Void-Striped Emerald Tiger, as expected, was once again shockingly agile for its size, evading her pounce even when she attempted to catch it by surprise. Yet, mid-pounce, she curved towards the direction it attempted to evade, and she ended up tackling the beast.

  Trying to coil around and constrict it, she felt its powerful strength and jaws as it raked her tough scales with its powerful claws that glowed a violet purple as a coating of Qi covered them, Sun Yuying felt terrible pain, the Tiger was the most dangerous beast she encountered, yet she ignored the sheering pain and sunk her fangs into its flesh, pumping as much venom as she could into it.

  The Void-Striped Emerald Tiger, who was attempting to rip her into pieces, began to roar in anger as it felt her potent venom fill its body.

  For the first time in a long time, the Beast King of Lingshou Forest felt genuine fear and the creeping feeling of death.

  Despite its strength and powerful Void Qi, it boasted no increased resistance to Venom, and the Lesser Venom Wyrm contained the most potent Venom it had ever encountered.

  The Void-Striped Emerald Tiger roared even louder as it felt the venom coursing through its body, its powerful voice retorting desperately.

  You stupid little Serpent, you want to slay us both? We will slay you before your Venom ends us! Even if you emerge victorious, the Whispering Spirit Beast Pavilion follows. Even I cannot break the formation that surrounds this place; only a Second Realm beast could. Do you desire to ruin everything? Your existence is pointless… You should stay dead and become this my path to advancement!

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  The Tigers' attacks grew erratic and filled with rage. It felt her venom, and it knew it needed to slay her fast.

  It also led the Tiger to take risks with it trading strikes more than it should, not relying on its absurd agility as much, and as it tore through her thick flesh and scales like nothing, its powerful Void Qi potent enough to tear apart her strong defences, the Tiger found despite dealing significant damage it was not meaningful enough, the traits alongside her Lesser Dragon Blood, with the Tiger wasting much of its energy extensive Void Qi in its first attack that should have slayed her had resulted in the daunting situation that Sun Yuying was about to outlast it.

  The Void-Striped Emerald Tiger began to feel that the conflict was growing too disadvantageous towards it.

  If things continue like this, it will fall, and thus, when Sun Yuying seemingly exposed herself, leaving it an opening, it sprang, trying to bite into her neck, only for the Lesser Venom Wyrm to catch it in a trap.

  Managing to get a good grip, she coiled around the Tiger, feeling its futile resistance, its large size proving useless, as the 25-foot-long Tiger felt the powerful serpent wrap tightly around it and began to trigger a suffocating grip.

  Perhaps if it were at its peak strength, it would be strong enough to resist, yet with the potent Venom coursing through it, it grew weaker and weaker, and the grip only grew tighter.

  The Lesser Venom Wyrm was bloodied and an absolute mess, yet held on with everything, and she felt the Tiger resistance grow lesser and lesser until she heard its final whimpers and rumblings.

  How could this be? To fall to a measly serpent… I was meant to be the King.

  Sun Yuying squeezed tighter as she crushed its bones.

  Does that make me the Queen?

  The Void-Striped Emerald Tiger did not reply as it finally stilled, dead at last.

  Sun Yuying breathed a sigh of relief at finally emerging victorious; she decided to devour her spoils.

  Disentangling herself from the Tiger, which she ensured was deceased, she decided to consume the Hawk first.

  The Lesser Venom Wyrm recovered partially from the Hawk beast core, yet the Tiger dealt serious damage to her before it died.

  I was fortunate; if that Tiger ambushed me without warning, I may have been slain before I could respond. Void Qi is ridiculously strong.

  Sun Yuying could see why the Lesser Wyrm was wary of the Tiger, yet even that was an understatement; the Lesser Wyrm's arrogance overestimated itself compared to the Tiger.

  Sun Yuying knew it would stand no chance as the Tiger was a terrible match-up for a beast that relied on its strong, thick armour like flesh, scales and needed to engage close.

  The Lesser Venom Wyrm relied heavily on her venom to slay the Tiger in the end, and her traits and the strengths of her species kept her alive long enough to slay it.

  I need to devour them, and without any remaining Spirit Beasts, it should be safe to progress my cultivation here.

  Sun Yuying approached the deceased Hawk and began to devour it. She had already torn chunks of it in a gambit to retrieve its core, yet there was still a large amount of the Giant Hawk remaining.

  You have consumed Peak First Realm, Refinement, Razorwind Chlorohawk, gaining +300 Spiritual Energy.

  Now for the Tiger.

  Moving to the Tiger, she decided to consume its flesh with its core.

  You have consumed Peak First Realm, Refinement, Void-Striped Emerald Tiger, gaining +450 Spiritual Energy.

  You have consumed Peak First Realm, Refinement, Void-Striped Emerald Tiger Spirit Core, gaining +1100 Spiritual Energy.

  The Tiger had the most Spirit Energy of the five, and it made her curious about the difference between them, since each had the same cultivation.

  Putting that aside for now, the gain in Spiritual Energy was enough to allow her to progress her cultivation once again, and with the so-called Whispering Spirit Beast Pavilion coming here, she needed to be as strong as she could get. After all, she knew conflict with Spirit Beasts was usually simpler than with humans, especially human cultivators.

  Moving to a secure location in the meadows, dense in the Hawk aura, no mortal beast came here, and it was perfect for her to progress.

  Sun Yuying brought up the prompt from the system.

  You have acquired 3000/3000 in excess Spiritual Energy, storing it for use.

  You have acquired enough Spiritual Energy to progress your cultivation. Your current cultivation, Intermediate First Realm Refinement, can progress to Upper First Realm Refinement.

  Would you like to advance your cultivation?

  Sun Yuying needed to advance her cultivation as swiftly as possible with the pressing issue of human cultivators; therefore, she accepted the prompt and found her vision darkening.

  Once again, she underwent an increase in cultivation.