The aura was still thousands of meters away, yet Zhang Yang had already begun to speak, completely unconcerned whether the other party could hear him. That presence was incredibly dangerous, radiating an intense killing intent even from a thousand meters out—like a long-watching leopard finally finding its opening—yet Zhang Yang’s single utterance completely shattered that feeling.

Park Tian-eun had always considered himself the leopard and Zhang Yang the prey, which is why he trailed Zhang Yang from a distance, not rushing his advance. The fact that Zhang Yang hadn't returned to Changjing with the convoy was good news for him; now that Zhang Yang was deep within this profoundly primal mountain range, it saved him considerable trouble.

But when Zhang Yang challenged him, Park Tian-eun suddenly felt as if he were the prey, and the other was the long-watching leopard. To conceal his habits, Park Tian-eun couldn't sense the presence of other Fifth Layer experts while on the soil of Huaxia.

Yet, at this very moment, Zhang Yang had locked onto his aura. A distance of a thousand meters was crossed almost instantaneously.

Concealment was now pointless. Park Tian-eun stepped slowly in front of Zhang Yang, and only then did the three spirit beasts realize the presence of such a powerful cultivator, immediately becoming alert.

“Jee jee jee!” “Squeak squeak squeak!” The moment Park Tian-eun materialized, Wuying Shandian began to shriek, while Zhuifeng immediately recoiled a step, his front hooves incessantly pawing the ground, poised for action. Their gazes were fixed entirely on the ground beneath Park Tian-eun.

Unlike his appearance at the foot of Mount Changbai, this time Park Tian-eun was riding a spirit beast the same size as Zhuifeng. He sat sideways on its back, his eyes fixed solely on Zhang Yang.

The spirit beast beneath him was pitch black, its entire body emitting a thin, dark mist laden with virulent poison. Its appearance bore a slight resemblance to the grayish-white Three-Eyed Beast from before.

No—the spirit beast under him was the Three-Eyed Beast! Zhang Yang frowned sharply, his gaze zeroing in on the spirit beast beneath Park Tian-eun.

Sensing Zhang Yang’s stare, the beast’s vacant eyes suddenly widened slightly, and a fissure slowly split open on its forehead, revealing a single, blood-red orb within. A three-eyed, Fallen Three-Eyed Demonic Beast, possessing Fifth Layer strength!

Ignoring Zhang Yang, Park Tian-eun, no longer hiding his presence, first swept his gaze across the surroundings, scanning the powerful auras nearby. He noted the absence of any other Fifth Layer experts near Zhang Yang, which caused him a small moment of surprise.

“Just you alone?” Park Tian-eun raised a hand to adjust the black coronet atop his head; his voluminous outer robes billowed slightly, revealing the narrow black blade concealed beneath his garments. “I am more than enough.” Zhang Yang knew he was asking about the other Fifth Layer expert from Huaxia.

It seemed Park Tian-eun was unaware that this other expert was currently in Seoul, South Korea, and that his own Park Clan was facing an absolute catastrophe—alas, none of his disciples or grand-disciples would have the chance to report it to him. “Heh heh, truly possessing the backbone of our great Korean people.” Park Tian-eun felt no urgency.

With the absence of the other Fifth Layer presence confirmed, he settled his mind, looking at Zhang Yang with increasing admiration. Zhang Yang’s power was far greater than he had anticipated.

Nevertheless, as long as the other Fifth Layer expert didn't appear, Park Tian-eun had nothing to worry about. In fact, the cup of Rootless Water he had bartered from Hua Feitian was only intended as a precaution against that specific powerful figure.

That other Fifth Layer expert was a true veteran of the realm, superior to Zhang Yang, who had only just passed his Heavenly Tribulation and ascended to the Fifth Layer, in every aspect. Since that person hadn't shown up, the Rootless Water he acquired now seemed unnecessary.

In Park Tian-eun's estimation, even though Zhang Yang was more formidable than expected, dealing with him alone did not warrant consuming the Rootless Water. They were both Fifth Layer experts.

Zhang Yang's current weakness could fool anyone, but it could not hide from Park Tian-eun, who shared the same Internal Energy cultivation base. Though he hadn't experienced the terror of the Heavenly Tribulation himself, he knew enduring it was far from easy.

While Park Tian-eun hadn't faced his own Tribulation, the Fallen Demonic Beast beneath him had indeed attracted a lightning tribulation when it ascended to the Fifth Layer—though it had only drawn a single bolt. Spirit beasts typically attract a minimum of five bolts during their Tribulation, but because this Fallen Three-Eyed Demonic Beast ascended through a method so bloody and cruel, it couldn't condense much Heaven and Earth energy, thus the tribulation clouds weren't overwhelmingly powerful.

That single bolt was even weaker than Zhang Yang’s initial strike. To help it survive that lightning tribulation, Park Tian-eun had to commit nearly the entire foundation of the Park Clan, only managing to help it pass the bolt and safely complete the ascent.

Even after passing that single, not-so-powerful tribulation bolt, it took the newly Fifth-Layer beast two to three years to fully recover. Park Tian-eun, knowing the Fallen Three-Eyed Demonic Beast beneath him as intimately as himself, understood precisely how weak a cultivator was immediately after passing the Heavenly Tribulation.

The previous Fifth Layer elder had already disclosed all of Park Tian-eun's details to Zhang Yang, so Zhang Yang clearly knew that Park Tian-eun had merely borrowed the power of the Fallen Three-Eyed Demonic Beast to achieve Fifth Layer capability, leaving a massive gap between him and a true Fifth Layer master. Thus, Zhang Yang’s focus was not on Park Tian-eun, but on the Fallen Three-Eyed Demonic Beast.

Zhang Yang offered no reply to Park Tian-eun, as he already regarded him as a dead man, and there was no need for excessive dialogue with the deceased. “Zhang Yang, you must possess the bloodline of my great Korean nation.

It matters not if you refuse to admit it now; once you return to Korea with me, you will understand the feeling of a fallen leaf returning to its roots!” Park Tian-eun thought differently; he still hoped to persuade Zhang Yang—though he held little personal hope for success himself. “Truly shameless.” Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes, signaling Wuying Shandian and Zhuifeng to retreat.

This was a battle between Fifth Layer powerhouses; even though the three of them had already recovered to peak strength, they could not possibly entangle themselves in a fight with this opponent. The gap between the Fourth and Fifth Layers was not just a deep chasm; it was an insurmountable celestial rift!

Both the Cold Spring Sword and the Taiji Cudgel had perished during the previous Ninth Layer Heavenly Tribulation, leaving Zhang Yang without a suitable weapon. However, this did not impede him.

Mist suddenly gathered in Zhang Yang's hand, condensing into dew, then solidifying into ice, finally forming a crystal-clear longsword. This ice sword was an exact replica of the Cold Spring Sword in design, and its might was identical.

It was forged from the purest Heaven and Earth energy; its only drawback, of course, was its extreme consumption of that energy. “Oh!” Park Tian-eun was mildly surprised by the crystalline ice sword Zhang Yang conjured in an instant, but his face mostly showed an expression of pity.

“What a waste, what a waste…” Park Tian-eun shook his head slightly. The Fallen Three-Eyed Demonic Beast beneath him split its jaws open, revealing its cavernous mouth, and a drop of its venomous black mist dripped onto the ground.

Hiss. A cloud of black smoke instantly rose from the earth, and the surrounding wild grass withered and died as if set ablaze by a prairie fire.

In moments, the ground beneath the Fallen Three-Eyed Demonic Beast transformed from lush greenery into barren, scorched earth. “Are you really wasting your Heaven and Earth energy like that?” Park Tian-eun smiled softly, patting the Three-Eyed Beast beneath him, which immediately quieted down.

He then slowly looked up at Zhang Yang and said regretfully, “After all, he is merely a young man who has just ascended to the Fifth Layer, not yet truly mastering the strength of a Fifth Layer powerhouse.” In Park Tian-eun’s view, Zhang Yang’s move was a colossal waste of Heaven and Earth energy. Fifth Layer experts could completely control all external Heaven and Earth energy, but ultimately, their foundation relied on the Spirit Qi wholly converted from their Internal Energy.

This Spirit Qi was undoubtedly far more potent than the previous Internal Energy, but Zhang Yang currently possessed only the residual amount left after resisting the tribulation lightning. Therefore, while the Heaven and Earth energy he could mobilize was vast, it was severely limited.

To condense such a divine weapon naturally required an immense amount of Heaven and Earth energy. “Fight if you want to fight, stop the pointless chatter!” Zhang Yang didn't waste another word.

He certainly harbored no contempt for Park Tian-eun. Raising the ice sword, he attacked with his full might from the very first move!

He knew well the limited Spirit Qi within him. Spirit Qi did not recover as quickly as Internal Energy; in this short span of one month, he had only regained a tiny fraction.

But even that small fraction was enough for Zhang Yang to unleash his utmost power. He simply could not afford to waste a single bit of Heaven and Earth energy.

Park Tian-eun was entirely unaware that before even reaching the Fifth Layer, Zhang Yang had repeatedly employed powerful Fifth Layer offensive techniques. In terms of genuine Fifth Layer attack methods, there was virtually no gap between him and Park Tian-eun.

“It seems I must teach you a small lesson before you understand.” Saying this, Park Tian-eun suddenly sprang up, lightly tapping the back of the Three-Eyed Beast with his toe. He shot toward Zhang Yang like a soaring eagle spreading its wings!

The two instantly clashed and then separated in the blink of an eye! Boom!

Boom! Boom!

Dozens of massive explosions erupted only after they broke apart, and the resulting shockwaves from the Heaven and Earth energy caused the entire Wildman Mountain to tremble. Zhang Yang was completely unharmed, but the ice sword in his hand shattered instantly, dissolving back into formless Heaven and Earth energy.

However, Park Tian-eun hadn't emerged unscathed as easily as he might have hoped; he felt a slight numbness in both hands, and his tiger’s mouth throbbed with pain from the shock. Only through direct engagement did Park Tian-eun realize he had underestimated Zhang Yang once again.

Though currently severely weakened, Zhang Yang was no lamb to the slaughter. He was surprised that Zhang Yang had managed to recover this much strength in only a month.

But a moment’s reflection brought him a measure of acceptance. After all, Zhang Yang had endured the Ninth Layer Heavenly Tribulation—a full nine bolts of lightning!