The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

At the critical moment, an embroidery needle, streaked with the Power of Thunder and Lightning, shot toward the white tiger's right eye.

The Tiger Demon hadn't expected this human, with his faint aura, to actually dare and attack it. Sensing the strike, it instantly gathered a protective demonic aura. But the Power of Thunder and Lightning on the needle easily tore through this defense. The needle was so incredibly fast that the white tiger had no time to react, and in a flash, it buried itself in the demon's eyeball.

AWOOO! With a mournful howl, the white tiger's paw, which had been only three feet from Wang Wan'Er, froze. It clutched its head and began to roll on the ground in agony.

Seeing the white tiger's rolling body about to crush Wang Wan'Er, who had closed her eyes to await death, Chen Dong had no choice but to dash over and pull her up.

"Can you still run?"

Only then did Wang Wan'Er realize she had been saved, and she quickly nodded. She couldn't fly anymore, but running was still possible.

"Then run, quickly! If it recovers, we're both dead!" Chen Dong shouted, grabbing Wang Wan'Er and fleeing in a random direction.

Wang Wan'Er gritted her teeth against the searing pain in her shoulder, doing her best to keep up with Chen Dong's pace. She had been regulating her breathing when the white tiger ambushed her, striking her left shoulder blade with its paw. The blow had not only disrupted her True Qi, but she couldn't lift her left arm at all. 'Several bones in my left shoulder must be broken,' she thought.

They hadn't gotten far before eight Cultivators of various builds and appearances emerged from the dense forest ahead. The leader was a fierce-looking male Cultivator who appeared to be in his forties, wearing a yellow metal gauntlet on his right hand.

To his left were the Red-clothed Fatty, a middle-aged man as thin as a bamboo pole, and a burly man.

To his right were a foxy-looking old Daoist, a pale youth who looked on death's door, a dull-looking middle-aged man, and finally, an exceedingly ordinary-looking young man.

He made a gesture with his metal gauntlet, and the four men to his right moved forward to surround the Tiger Demon. The other three followed him to block Chen Dong and his companion.

Wang Wan'Er's expression turned to one of alarm. "This is bad. They're the Eight Immortals of Xiayun River!"

Chen Dong's brow furrowed. 'These people's skills and speed are only at the Early-stage Inner Realm, yet they dare to call themselves 'Immortals'?' Sensing the gravity of Wang Wan'Er's expression, he figured these 'Eight Immortals' were no saints.

Still, Chen Dong asked, "Who are these Eight Immortals of Xiayun River?"

Wang Wan'Er explained, "At the border between the Qixia Sect and the Yun Gu Sect, there are two cities and a river that form a lawless region, all occupied by Loose Cultivators. That river is the Xiayun River. These eight have been active in the Xiayun River area for a long time, calling themselves the Eight Immortals of Xiayun. But despite the name, their reputation is utterly rotten; they're infamous, also known as the Eight Freaks of Xiayun. The one wearing the Sharp Golden Claw is their leader, 'Sharp Gold Immortal' Zhuang Zheng. He's a vicious man who kills without batting an eye!"

Though Wang Wan'Er spoke softly, the four men not far away heard her loud and clear.

Dressed in white, Zhuang Zheng flexed his Sharp Golden Claw and roared with laughter. "Hahaha… To think the reputation of us Eight Immortals is so widespread! Even a random pretty little lady knows our names. Why not go on and introduce the rest of my brothers?"

Wang Wan'Er glared at him coldly but still spoke in a low voice. "The one dressed as a Daoist is the second brother, 'Longevity Immortal.' The Red-clothed Fatty is the third, 'Fiery Fire Immortal.' The one who looks like a bamboo pole is the fourth, 'Mountain-Carrying Immortal.' The one built like a Hao Niu is the fifth, 'Earth-Shattering Immortal.' The sickly-looking one is the sixth, 'Ji Du Immortal.' The most wooden-looking one is the seventh, 'Giant Wood Immortal,' and the youngest-looking one is the eighth, 'Flood Immortal.'"

The third brother, 'Fiery Fire Immortal,' said with a lecherous grin, "Big Brother, look at them in their new clothes. I bet they're either running from an arranged marriage or eloping. Chances are, this little missy is still a virgin. Can you let me have the first taste in a bit?"

Wang Wan'Er clenched her fists, her eyes filled with disgust. "That Fatty's name is Xin Ranming. He's good with Fire Techniques, so he calls himself the Fiery Fire Immortal. He's utterly depraved, constantly abducting wives and daughters to use as cultivation vessels. No woman has ever survived his clutches. If I weren't injured, I'd cut him down myself!" Though she was speaking to Chen Dong, her voice was ice-cold and laced with killing intent.

Xin Ranming gave a wicked chuckle. "An icy little chili pepper, are we? Cold and spicy, just how I like it! But in a little while, you'd better not start crying!"

A flicker of disdain crossed Zhuang Zheng's eyes, but he said, "Third Brother, it's precisely because you love those sordid plundering techniques that you were kicked out of the Black Dragon Sect. Now look at you, your True Qi is all impure. Otherwise, with your talent, you wouldn't still be stuck in the Early-stage Foundation Establishment!"

Of the eight, Xin Ranming actually had the best talent. He possessed both Fire and Earth Spirit Roots, with his excellent Fire Spirit Root accounting for eighty percent of his potential. In his youth, he had joined the outer sect of the Black Dragon Sect. During a chance encounter, he obtained a plundering Secret Technique and became obsessed with it. The very first time he practiced it, he used a servant girl, causing her to explode and die that same day. Back then, he wasn't so brazen. Terrified the Black Dragon Sect would find out, he immediately fled the sect.

Every time he thought back on it, Xin Ranming felt a twinge of regret. 'It was just one servant girl. The Black Dragon Sect probably wouldn't even have cared. It was all my fault for being such a coward back then.' It was only later, after his reputation had already soured, that the Black Dragon Sect issued a formal notice expelling him.

This incident was something the other seven Immortals often used to mock him. Zhuang Zheng's words, though they sounded like advice, were actually dripping with sarcasm. The rest of them had failed to enter the five major sects due to a lack of talent, but this idiot had willingly thrown it all away and become a Loose Cultivator for the sake of some sordid plundering Secret Technique.