Ethan Carter’s current predicament can be said to be entirely thanks to David Foster’s “contribution”!

“Look! The Elder is coming!”

Someone in the crowd, sharp-eyed, pointed at a tall mountain peak opposite Five Thunder Mountain and shouted.

“Roar!”

A fierce howl shook the mountains. On Five Thunder Mountain, sand and stones flew, trees swayed, and the momentum was astonishing. Before anything could be seen, a wave of overwhelming ferocity, like a primordial beast, swept through the air, enveloping the entire Five Thunder Mountain from afar.

The temperature on Five Thunder Mountain plummeted instantly, and a chilling, murderous aura surged like a vast ocean, engulfing all the disciples. It felt as if they were submerged in a boundless sea, their lives hanging by a thread, facing annihilation at any moment.

“It’s that ferocious beast!”

Someone in the crowd cried out in alarm, their eyes filled with panic.

Ethan Carter stared at the opposite side, motionless. On the mountain across, a series of cracking sounds rang out as dense trees were snapped and broken, forcibly clearing a path. A huge, tiger-like creature slowly emerged from the forest. On its back, a human figure could be vaguely seen.

Whoosh!

The beast paused on the mountain for only a moment before leaping into the air like a bolt of lightning, racing down the mountain path toward Five Thunder Mountain. A white shadow snaked forward, and in the blink of an eye, it crossed hundreds of feet, appearing at the foot of the mountain.

“It’s a Tiger Hou!”

A name immediately surfaced in Ethan Carter’s memory.

Now that it was closer, Ethan Carter finally saw the true form of this ferocious beast. It was an extremely savage monster, with long fur, black and white intermingled, somewhat resembling a white tiger, but still different. Its face was fierce, its body massive, its bones sturdy—when crouched, it was more than four feet taller than an adult.

In front of this colossal creature, humans couldn’t help but feel their own insignificance. This was a Tiger Hou, said to be the offspring of the ancient beast Hou and a tiger, with bronze skin and iron bones, possessing immense strength!

David Foster had once ventured deep into the ferocious beast mountains and accidentally captured a Tiger Hou cub. He brought it back, raised it, and this was the very same Tiger Hou.

A fully grown Tiger Hou, at its peak, was said to be able to match a martial artist at the tenth level, the Thunderclap Stage. David Foster’s Tiger Hou wasn’t quite that powerful, but it could rival a martial artist at the eighth level, the Vajra Stage.

Much of David Foster’s status within the sect was due to this Tiger Hou!

“Greetings, Second Elder!”

Groups of disciples bowed deeply, their bodies bending even more than when they had met the Fifth Elder, Edward Harris.

A gust of wind swept by, and suddenly, a man and a beast appeared atop Five Thunder Mountain.

“Rise, all of you!”

David Foster sat atop the Tiger Hou, his gaze sweeping over the crowd with disdain. His figure was burly and powerful. Though over fifty, he was well maintained, and he exuded the imposing aura of someone long in a position of authority.

His gaze, from high above, slowly swept across the crowd. When he saw Ethan Carter, his eyes paused and he gave a sinister smile. Then he looked elsewhere, withdrawing his gaze as if he hadn’t seen anything.

“Hmph! Elder Council, don’t block the way—move aside, all of you!”

David Foster suddenly shouted, squeezing his legs around the Tiger Hou, which shot forward like lightning up the mountain. Midway, he veered slightly, charging directly toward where Ethan Carter stood, as if he needed to pass through Ethan Carter’s position to ascend.

“Ah!”

The Tiger Hou swept overhead, startling a group of Five Thunder Sect disciples, their faces turning pale. Before they could react, the beast crossed more than ten yards, heading straight for Ethan Carter in the crowd.

“Not good! This guy is coming after me!”

A strong sense of danger surged in Ethan Carter’s heart.

He had long known of David Foster’s sinister ruthlessness and utter disregard for scruples. But even so, Ethan Carter hadn’t expected that, in front of so many witnesses, David Foster would dare to attack him so brazenly.

Only now did Ethan Carter realize he had underestimated David Foster’s determination to cripple him. As long as he could get rid of him, David Foster would stop at nothing!

In an instant, Ethan Carter understood his intent. David Foster wanted to use this situation to deliberately create an “accident,” so that Ethan Carter would die under the Tiger Hou’s claws. Later, he could claim it was just an accident and wash his hands of the matter!

“What a vicious old scoundrel!”

Ethan Carter moved to dodge. But the Tiger Hou was incredibly fast, and David Foster had launched this attack with full intent. As soon as Ethan Carter moved, a wave of primordial beast-like ferocity enveloped him. In his vision, a huge, razor-sharp claw rapidly grew larger.

Wherever the claw passed, it seemed to slice through space itself, emitting a piercing screech. Ethan Carter even felt a chilling fear, as if his body had already been torn apart by the beast.

“I can’t beat it! This monster is too strong!”

Ethan Carter felt his own strength was as insignificant as a drop in the ocean before this giant beast. This ferocious creature, rivaling the Vajra Stage, could shatter a mountain—let alone him.

At the critical moment, with life and death hanging by a thread, Ethan Carter instead calmed down, completely abandoning any thought of escape. An unprecedented clarity shone in his eyes.

“What an old scoundrel! Even if I die, I’ll make you pay the price!”