Boom~~

You Ji devoured the Primordial Spirit Flower, and an incomparably pure stream of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi immediately surged into Wang Xu's body.

Mortal Level Eighth Layer.

Wang Xu broke through directly, without any obstacles.

The Primordial Spirit Flower is a rare flower that contains Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, and a single petal is enough to let a Fifth Layer Martial Artist step into the Sixth Layer. An entire Primordial Spirit Flower has as many as thirty-six petals, equivalent to devouring thirty-six Martial Artists at the Sixth Layer.

Wang Xu's Cultivation Realm rose all the way up and stopped near the peak of the Eighth Layer.

"Hehehe, now you can go challenge the Wandering White Tiger."

You Ji said with a satisfied smile.

The Wandering White Tiger, residing deep within the Piaoling Mountain Range, is the absolute king of the Piaoling Mountain Range.

The strength of a Ninth Layer Martial Artist, making Martial Artists hesitate with fright; except for Earth Level Martial Artists, no one dares to challenge the majesty of the Wandering White Tiger.

The very name of the Piaoling Mountain Range comes from the Wandering White Tiger, showing that the ferocity of the Wandering White Tiger is by no means ordinary.

Without a word, Wang Xu continued to sit cross-legged, consolidating his realm.

A day and a night passed.

Wang Xu set out again.

Wang Xu did not follow You Ji's suggestion to immediately go challenge the Wandering White Tiger.

He roamed within the Piaoling Mountain Range, hunting beasts stronger than Martial Artists at the Sixth Layer.

These beasts were very easy to find; the strong ones had their own territories and would not tolerate any intrusion. Wang Xu easily located them and defeated them one by one.

Wang Xu's power grew ever stronger.

Beasts at the Sixth and Seventh Layer, though unable to satisfy Wang Xu, who had reached Mortal Level Eighth Layer, were still something to him, as even a mosquito's leg is still meat.

When hungry, Wang Xu would capture an ordinary mountain boar, roast it, and the pork would be tasty and delicious.

When thirsty, Wang Xu would simply scoop up the snow from the ground and shove it into his mouth.

As for sleeping, with the continuous infusion of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi from the Fire of Silence, Wang Xu remained in a state of full vigor, without the slightest fatigue.

In a flash, seven days passed fleetingly.

Wang Xu stayed in the Piaoling Mountain Range for a full seven days, hunting down over a hundred Fifth Layer beasts, dozens of Sixth Layer beasts, and several Seventh Layer beasts, and finally at the dawn of the eighth day, he broke through to Mortal Level Ninth Layer.

The power, flesh, defense, reflexes, and so forth of the Mortal Level Ninth Layer had all reached the peak of the Mortal Level, bringing Wang Xu's strength to an unprecedented surge.

Compared to when he had just entered the Piaoling Mountain Range at the Seventh Layer, it was like heaven and earth apart.

Having reached Mortal Level Ninth Layer, Wang Xu, without saying another word, headed straight into the depths of the Piaoling Mountain Range.

The temperature deep within the Piaoling Mountain Range was even lower, with even the trees frozen into crystalline shapes, almost forming an Ice Crystal Forest.

Roar~!!

As soon as Wang Xu stepped into the deepest part, a deafening roar echoed out.

Then, from afar, a gigantic white tiger, towering at two meters high, came charging towards him.

The Wandering White Tiger.

Wang Xu took out a longsword that was almost unrecognizable and struck toward the Wandering White Tiger.

The blade of the longsword was completely cracked, the blade was crooked and distorted, not really a sword at all, just a lump of iron.

Yet at one corner of this lump, there remained a sharp triangular crack.

The place where Wang Xu swung the sword was exactly where the triangular crack pointed.

Clang!

However, the Wandering White Tiger was stronger than Wang Xu had imagined.

With a steel-like body more formidable than any frost sculpture, its fur was akin to armor, impervious to ordinary iron.

The longsword shattered at just one strike, and the blade broke in half, completely wrecking the longsword.

Roar!

Without the longsword, Wang Xu could only dodge from side to side, using close combat, pounding against the Wandering White Tiger's body.

Wang Xu's form was agile and nimble, often avoiding the attacks of the Wandering White Tiger, but he couldn't even break through its fur, much less hurt a single hair on it.

Instead, Wang Xu was hindered by the terrain of the Ice Crystal Forest, slowing his movements and taking a hit from the Wandering White Tiger.

Wang Xu did not give up and continued to assault the Wandering White Tiger.

But all this was undoubtedly in vain.

Bearing the brunt of three attacks from the Wandering White Tiger, Wang Xu spat blood, having to admit that the Wandering White Tiger's strength indeed surpassed his own.

Roar!

The Wandering White Tiger did not relent, ferociously attacking Wang Xu.

With no means to emerge victorious, Wang Xu could only raise his swollen hand.

"Creak…"

With a sudden exertion, the Wandering White Tiger seemed to be compressed by air, its bones shattered, flesh and blood splattered, and its giant frame of over two meters shrank to less than a meter, becoming a dwarf.

The Wandering White Tiger let out a cry of agony, unaware of what had happened.

Bang!

Wang Xu did not let it suffer any longer, crushing its life from its body.

To its death, the Wandering White Tiger never understood who it was or what method was used to kill it.

"Hahaha… Hahaha…"

Red-robed You Ji was rolling on the ground with laughter, "What a joke, using the Law of Void when you can't win, Wang Xu, could you be any more shameless!"

"Cut the crap!"

Wang Xu glared coldly at You Ji.

Flames flew out, engulfing the corpse of the Wandering White Tiger, and devoured it completely.

Boom boom~~~

The Mortal Level Ninth Layer realm was rapidly rising, and within moments, Wang Xu was approaching the peak of the Ninth Layer.

Although the Wandering White Tiger's strength was at Mortal Level Ninth Layer, an ordinary Mortal Level Ninth Layer human was no match for it. Naturally, it was far stronger than an average Mortal Level Ninth Layer, providing more Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.

Having dealt with the Wandering White Tiger, Wang Xu embarked on his journey back.

"Hmm?"

Several miles away from Qingfeng Village, Wang Xu noticed that the atmosphere of the village seemed somewhat different.

As he drew closer, Wang Xu found that the villagers were all downcast, their brows furrowed with worry.

Wang Xu entered the village, and as he walked through, the aura of his Mortal Level Ninth Layer cultivation made the villagers uneasy.

But Wang Xu noticed that there was a glimmer of hope in their eyes as they looked at him.

Did they encounter some problem?

Upon returning to Ya Sang's home, Wang Xu saw Ya Sang and his parents gathered around the table.

"Wang Xu, you're finally back!"

Ya Sang's tense brows relaxed slightly upon seeing Wang Xu, as if with Wang Xu around, any difficulty could be easily resolved.

"What happened?"

Wang Xu's expression remained as cold as ever, with not a trace of life in his tone.

"A few days ago, when you weren't here, the tax collector from Flame Fire Main City came."

Ya Sang sighed, "Every year, the village has to pay taxes to the main city. The taxes are heavy, and each year the tax collectors make things difficult for us. This year's taxes have doubled compared to previous years."

Originally, the taxes for Qingfeng Village were not heavy, but since the new tax collector took office in Flame Fire Main City, taxes have doubled year after year.

All the villages are suffering greatly.

But the tax collectors said that everything within a hundred thousand miles belongs to Flame Fire Main City, and if we don't pay taxes, the land where the village is located will be reclaimed by the main city, leaving everyone homeless.

For the sake of survival, to protect the last piece of land, all the villages gritted their teeth to endure.

But this year it's really too hard to endure.

This year's taxes increased by fifty percent again compared to last year.

Such oppressive governance has utterly crushed the villagers of Qingfeng Village, leaving them unable to breathe.

Wang Xu listened quietly, then got up without a word, and continued cultivating martial techniques in the courtyard.

"Ya Sang, you can't rely on Wang Xu for everything. No matter how strong he is, he can't control the taxes,"

Ya Sang's father sighed.

In every village, Flame Fire Main City is considered an unshakable giant.

The City Lord and the tax collector are like gods to the simple villagers, distant and unreachable.

The policies they issue, no matter how harsh, must be endured and obeyed, with no chance of resistance.

......

The matter of taxation left everyone in Qingfeng Village worried and distressed.

The village chief was once concerned that the death of Boss Ao would bring trouble from the big figures behind the arena to Qingfeng Village, but instead came the news of increased taxes.

Some young martial artists could not tolerate such oppressive governance and chose to leave the village, heading to Flame Fire Main City or the territories of other main cities.

But more people were unwilling to leave their homes. To them, this was their hometown, and they would rather die here than elsewhere.

Day after day passed, and the seven-day deadline mentioned by the tax collector arrived.

Step! Step!

At the village entrance, three men in white clothing, with the Flame Fire insignia on their chests, appeared.

Their presence made the whole of Qingfeng Village tense, and many clutched burlap sacks in their hands.

Inside the burlap sacks were the taxes about to be handed over.

Once handed over, it would mean that all their harvest for the year was given for nothing to Flame Fire Main City, leaving them to face cold and hunger.

"Zhou Cui, the village chief of Qingfeng Village, welcomes the three tax collectors,"

The village chief greeted respectfully.

"Have you prepared what we asked for seven days ago?"

Among the three, the man holding a white sword scabbard had sharp brows and clear eyes, an expression of arrogance between his eyebrows. He looked under thirty but had the strength of the Seventh Layer, truly something to be proud of.

"A humble man dare not defy the lord's command, it has been prepared."

"Good, I will collect it personally."

The man with the sharp brows and clear eyes stepped forward and took the burlap bags from the villagers.

He didn't need to look; a light weigh was enough for him to determine if it was sufficient.

"Next."

One by one, the villagers handed over their burlap bags, deeply pained, but for survival, they had no choice but to endure the pain.

The two behind were not idle either, going door to door to search people to prevent anyone from evading taxes.

"Hmm?"

When they pushed open Ya Sang's wooden door, they sensed a powerful aura, which made them involuntarily take a step back.

"There's a strong one inside!"

The two exchanged glances, drew their longswords, and cautiously walked inside.

"What are you doing here!"

They reached the courtyard and saw Wang Xu cultivating. Although realizing Wang Xu was a strong person, the thought of being tax collectors made them immediately act tough.

Wang Xu was cultivating "Sword River," his powerful comprehension allowed him to cultivate this low-level martial technique to the Great Success Realm, just a step away from Perfection.

But their arrival interrupted Wang Xu's cultivation, making him quite displeased.

"Why are you not turning in your taxes, and instead wasting time here!"

A somewhat younger man with a longsword shouted coldly.

Wang Xu fixed his icy gaze on them, his eyes filled with killing intent, causing the two to involuntarily shiver.

"Y-You, quickly go out and pay your taxes!"

The relatively older man was somewhat fearful; such a terrifying gaze of killing intent could only belong to someone who had slaughtered countless beings. What if he really went berserk and killed them?

Just as the two didn't know whether to retreat or advance, a sudden shout came from outside:

"All residents of Qingfeng Village, come out immediately! If one is missing, I will kill the entire village!" (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)

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