The Shield in front of the Mountain God General was withdrawn.

Protection was no longer necessary, as the recent strike had already left more than half of the Demon Beasts dead or injured. Those injured had lost limbs, and if they continued to defend, the Demon Beasts would meet a dead end. So, shifting from defense to offense and taking the initiative might present a small chance.

"Bang---Bang---"

The Mountain God General’s feet, buried deep in the earth, rose. In an instant, a heavy aura swept through his body. Countless streams of Spiritual Qi circulated over his body. The rocks on his body became smoother and sturdier, emanating a yellow mist all over.

This was him spreading the power just absorbed from the earth throughout his body to maximize his defensive capabilities.

To win against the Tiger Demon General, he had to leverage his strengths to the fullest.

The Mountain God was large, his entire body made of stone, immensely slow. Coupled with his ability to draw power from the earth with endless Spiritual Qi, he could wear down the Tiger Demon before him.

He paced step by step towards the Tiger Demon General, each step causing the earth to tremble and leaving a clear footprint.

The Tiger Demon General watched the approaching Mountain God, a sinister smile creeping over his face.

In stark contrast to the Mountain God, waves of black Spiritual Qi erupted from his massive body, a majestic force lifting the earth, sending countless clods flying and landing far away.

Seeing through the Mountain God’s intentions, he couldn’t help but sneer.

"Let’s see if your shield is stronger, or if my fist is fiercer!"

He retracted his tiger claws and formed a fist. Like lightning, he charged wildly at the Mountain God. In the blink of an eye, the Tiger Fist was already upon the Mountain God, with torrents of black Spiritual Qi gathered in the fist, forming a black flame.

The Mountain God could clearly see the sneer in the Tiger Demon General’s eyes.

"Boom---"

In the next moment.

The fist, enveloped in black flames, crashed into the Mountain God with an earth-shattering sound. The powerful impact uprooted the few remaining giant trees around, hurling them into the sky. Nearby peaks crumbled, with giant rocks rolling from their tops.

For a moment, the Great Mountain groaned in agony, and countless Demon Beasts, frightened by this sudden catastrophe, fled from their caves in panic.

The Mountain God absorbing the power of the earth made the stones on his surface incredibly hard. The black flame left only a black mark on him, inflicting no Damage.

The Mountain God refused to be outdone. Streams of yellow Spiritual Qi surged from him, summoning countless stones from the ground to gather swiftly above his head. In an instant, a gigantic fist made of small stones hovered there, blocking the sunlight.

Then, the massive stone fist, full of weight, crashed down upon the Tiger Demon General.

Though the Mountain God’s defense was extraordinary, he was inherently a hill bearing immense weight. Even a simple strike carried the force of ten thousand pounds.

Such a force, even the Tiger Demon General dared not take lightly.

The Tiger Demon General felt the heavy aura from above, grinned, and then a black flame rose in the dense forest as he fled, leaving a black streak in the forest. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Boom---"

The massive stone formed by the Mountain God pounded the ground, raising dust and leaving a pit tens of meters deep.

The force of tens of thousands of pounds, hitting the ground, was a grand scene. Yet all the Demon Beasts’ eyes were on that black streak.

There’s the Tiger Demon General standing unharmed on the ground, hundreds of meters away from the pit, illustrating his incredible speed.

"This Tiger Demon really is troublesome, too fast. No matter how strong the Mountain God’s attacks are, under the crushing speed, he can’t harm him at all."

"But fortunately, this Tiger Demon also has no way to deal with the strong defense of the Mountain God!"

The Pangolin stood still, carefully watching the battle, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. In conclusion, neither could do anything to the other.

This result was the best for him.

He still relied on the Mountain God to breakthrough and ascend to the Great Demon ranks.

The four Guardians carrying the sedan chair for the Tiger Demon General also stood from afar, yet the chair in their hands never fell to the ground.

"This battle is terrifying!"

"The Tiger Demon General, in terms of both speed and combat, is incredibly strong, truly an outstanding Great Demon!"

"Fortunately, we made no mistakes while carrying the chair, or we would be the ones dead!"

"The Tiger Demon General is indeed very powerful, but it seems neither side can do anything to the other, caught in a deadlock!"

The four Guardians were also observing the battle. Their cultivation was a step below the Great Demons, yet they could clearly see the situation.

In close quarter combat, speed reigns supreme.

In just a brief pause, the Tiger Demon General acted again.

A wisp of faint black Spiritual Qi appeared in the air, circling behind the Mountain God.

"Whoosh--"

A sound like an arrow tearing through the sky suddenly came from the air. In the next moment, the massive form of the Tiger Demon General appeared on the Mountain God’s back, swapping positions with the black Qi.

Then, the tiger claws appeared again. Unlike before, the claws glimmered cold and were now enflamed with blazing black fire, which even bore a trace of blood-red.

Those eerie claws struck fiercely at the Mountain God’s back.

However, despite the Mountain God’s youthful strength, even his subconscious actions displayed his extraordinariness.

He seemed prepared, as his massive body of stone immediately broke into countless tiny stones, avoiding the Tiger Demon General’s attack. However, on those tiny stones, yellow strands of Spiritual Qi interconnected.

The Tiger Demon General was stunned mid-air at this sight. In the brief moment of his daze, the Mountain God, divided into countless small stones, reformed above the Tiger Demon General and stomped down.

"Boom--"

The Tiger Demon General’s massive figure slammed heavily into the ground, creating a gigantic pit.

However, despite the sound and fury, the Tiger Demon General’s whole body was enveloped by roaring black flames and remained unharmed.

"This... the Mountain God can have such an uncanny ability to split into countless tiny stone beings and then reform!"

The Pangolin was frozen in place at this sight, eyes filled with astonishment.

Such a method was beyond the expectations of all the Demon Beasts.

Not only was the Pangolin this way, but even the recently crippled Demon Beasts looked surprised, though their eyes carried a hint of satisfaction.

They were nearly killed by the Tiger Demon General earlier, yet thanks to fortune, they were only left with severed limbs, still alive.

Now the Mountain God’s actions have avenged them.

Not just the Pangolin and the group of Demon Beasts were astonished, but even the four Guardians carrying the Tiger Demon General’s sedan chair, the Jackal, Wolf, Tiger, and Leopard, were equally so.

"The Mountain God’s methods are truly strange, with the ability to split!"

"Such methods would be invincible against anyone with the same level of cultivation!"

"I’ve never seen the Tiger Demon General like this, should be fine!"

"The Tiger Demon General is invincible; rest assured!"

Although the Mountain God’s methods are indeed peculiar, these four Guardians were the most loyal followers of the Snake King, and with the Tiger Demon General being a strong subordinate of the Snake King, there was no reason not to believe in it.

As for being held accountable?

Even if the Tiger Demon General really lost, it would be only after the Mountain God paid a great price. By then, would there be any energy left to hold them accountable?

The Mountain God would be exhausted, and could those crippled Demon Beasts or the Pangolin, which only knew how to defend but had most of its scales broken, mete out any judgment?