"ROAR!"
Four unknown Barbaric Beasts, crimson as blood, appeared near Yang Ziling. They closely resembled dogs, with a hint of wolf, but were more than ten times larger than either.
Their long tongues lolled, dripping with saliva. The stiff fur on their bodies was like blood-red arrows as they moved to surround her.
They trapped Yang Ziling in the valley.
"Tier Four Barbaric Beasts! And they're at least at the Peak of Tier Four Mid-grade!"
Yang Ziling didn't know what these creatures were.
However, she could discern the aura of these four Barbaric Beasts.
Peak of Tier Four Mid-grade.
With her level of strength, she could barely hold her own against just one of them.
But now, there were four.
'What do I do?'
Yang Ziling was starting to panic, but her grip on her sword remained steady.
Her gaze, however, kept flicking toward the distant Inheritance Tower.
In her heart, she was worried about Yang Xiao.
Two and a half days had passed, and Yang Xiao still hadn't emerged.
Earlier, she had tried to enter it herself.
But she discovered an invisible force at the entrance, blocking her from going inside.
This actually made Yang Ziling breathe a sigh of relief.
If something had happened to Yang Xiao, or if this place were dangerous or had a problem, it surely wouldn't have stopped her from going in.
The fact that it was stopping her now clearly meant Yang Xiao was still inside. Even if there was danger, he likely hadn't come to harm yet.
However, it was this attempt to force her way in that had somehow summoned these four terrifying Barbaric Beasts from out of nowhere.
And just like that, things took a disastrous turn.
'Yang Xiao told me to never lose faith, no matter what!'
For some reason, Yang Ziling thought back to the first time she met Yang Xiao.
At that time, she had been defeated.
Defeated by Xuan Tianzhan's maid.
She had been utterly dejected.
But Yang Xiao, in his own abrasive way, had encouraged her, even passing on a powerful Cultivation Technique like the Void Sword Manual.
Yang Ziling felt that no matter what their relationship might become in the future, at least for now, she didn't want Yang Xiao to think she was a weak person.
"Kill!"
With a soft cry, Yang Ziling did the unexpected and took the initiative.
She slashed with her sword, aiming at one of the blood-red, dog-like Barbaric Beasts.
CLANG!
Her sword struck its hide, yet it produced the crisp sound of metal hitting stone.
Not only did Yang Ziling's attack fail to injure the Tier Four Mid-grade Barbaric Beast, but the recoil also sent a stinging pain through her wrist.
Her expression immediately turned grim.
"ROAR!"
At the same time, the Barbaric Beast she had attacked became enraged.
It let out a low growl and lunged violently at Yang Ziling.
Its massive, blood-red claws swiped directly at her head.
Its speed was incredible.
The danger was immense.
In a flash, under extreme pressure, Yang Ziling's figure flickered.
The Sword Qi cultivated from the Void Sword Manual erupted from within her.
Her entire body shot forward like a Flying Sword.
BOOM!
The bloody claws missed.
But Yang Ziling was also severely wounded.
It seemed her own Sword Qi had damaged all the meridians and acupoints throughout her body.
She couldn't muster even a shred of strength.
She couldn't move.
And at that moment, the four Tier Four Barbaric Beasts pounced on her in unison.
It looked as if she was about to lose her life under the claws of these Barbaric Beasts.
In the distance, the Inheritance Tower still showed no sign of activity.
At this moment, Yang Xiao seemed to have entered the most critical phase. He was on the verge of comprehending the true essence of a technique and naturally couldn't come out of his seclusion. He had no idea that Yang Ziling was in such a perilous situation.
But just then, a slightly surprised voice drifted over. "Hm? Are those Red Blood Hounds? I thought the bloodline of this Ancient Era Barbaric Beast had already gone extinct. Tsk tsk, this Northern Wilderness Sword God's Mansion really does have some special treasures."
Hearing this voice, Yang Ziling couldn't help but look over.
One look, and her expression changed drastically.
"It's you! Someone from the Profound Celestial Sect!"
The newcomer heard this and chuckled lightly. "No need to be nervous. I'm not here to harm you. On the contrary, I'm here to save you, you know."
The man's tone was a bit flippant, but his eyes showed no hint of malice.
This left Yang Ziling a little stunned.
'I don't know what this guy's deal is.'
"Just hurry up and deal with these Barbaric Beasts. Is there any point in bullying a girl?"
At this time, another voice chimed in.
It was somewhat familiar.
Yang Ziling looked over.
Her expression changed once again.
It was another person from the Profound Celestial Sect.
Moreover, it was the one who had defeated her before.
That's right.
The two who had just appeared were indeed the same two who had mysteriously vanished earlier. The one who had recognized the four Barbaric Beasts was the ever-enigmatic Yang Tian.
The one who spoke after him was Zhang Mengfei.
Although that guy had saved him twice, Zhang Mengfei wasn't particularly grateful.
Because that guy was somewhat dishonest and secretive.
The straightforward Zhang Mengfei didn't like him very much.
"Alright, alright. Honestly, you're making me feel like your bodyguard."
Yang Tian sighed with feigned helplessness.
He waved his hand.
What happened next instantly caused Yang Ziling's pupils to shrink.
Because she saw that the four vicious Barbaric Beasts charging toward her, the four terrifying Barbaric Beasts of which she couldn't even handle one, had, for some reason, lost their sense of direction with just a casual wave of Yang Tian's hand.
They actually turned around and charged toward their own companions.
Moreover, they acted as if their companions were their mortal enemies.
Their attacks were incredibly ferocious and ruthless.
It was a fight to the death.
Watching this, Yang Ziling couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.
Such a method was simply too bizarre.
In comparison to Yang Xiao, who could turn a person to dust with a single sword strike and absorb their Blood Qi into his blade, Yang Ziling felt that this Yang Tian before her—this True Disciple of the Profound Celestial Sect, said to be second only to Xuan Tianzhan—was utterly terrifying.
'No, wait. The power he's displaying right now is far greater than Xuan Tianzhan's. Even Xuan Tianzhan probably couldn't eliminate these four Barbaric Beasts so easily. Could it be...'
Thinking of Yang Tian's strange behavior, Yang Ziling subconsciously shrank back a little.
She clearly didn't want to get too close to this person.
He was too mysterious.
"You're acting like this? I'm truly hurt."
Yang Tian rubbed his nose.
Yang Ziling, however, remained expressionless, the wariness in her eyes only deepening.
And right at this moment, a flash of brilliant light seemed to flicker from the distant Inheritance Tower.
Yang Tian's previously flippant expression turned slightly more serious.
"What's wrong? Is someone inside that tower?"
Zhang Mengfei asked, a little curious.
Yang Ziling, on the other hand, grew tense.
She was afraid this mysterious fellow would realize Yang Xiao was inside and bring harm to him.
But Yang Tian's next words made her relax slightly.
"Of course there's someone inside. The Inheritance Tower exists for people to receive inheritances. I just didn't expect Junior Brother to obtain the inheritance so quickly. As expected of her son."
Yang Tian said with a sigh of emotion.
But his voice was rather low. Even though he had spoken the words aloud, surprisingly, neither Zhang Mengfei nor Yang Ziling seemed to have heard him clearly.
This was definitely not normal.
But right now, neither of them seemed to notice.
"Then when will he come out?"
Yang Ziling suddenly asked.
Yang Tian gave a mysterious smile. "Soon. There, look. Isn't he coming out now?"
As soon as his voice fell, Yang Ziling and the others saw a figure appear before the tower.