Chapter 497 - 428: The Strong Devour the Weak, the Struggle for Existence!

Jiang Qiu had never tasted the flesh of a demon like that tiger before. The main reason was that he had only just arrived in this world. In fact, he was a newborn, severely lacking in nutrients and still starving.

Indeed, Jiang Qiu was extremely hungry. He just hadn’t been dwelling on it, but the moment he did, the gnawing hunger became impossible to ignore.

That was why he had killed the tiger—partly to fill his stomach, not just for the sake of killing it.

Besides, this tiger was a Great Demon that had achieved Spiritual Vein Opening, perhaps even the strongest expert in this region, second only to those at the Dominator Level. The nutritional value of its flesh was exceptionally high.

In a world like this, while many things contained Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm, Jiang Qiu had yet to encounter any resources truly suitable for absorption—the kind that could be called Treasures of Heaven and Earth. To properly nourish his body and increase his strength, slaughtering experts like the Fierce Tiger Great Demon who had achieved Spiritual Vein Opening was a must.

Of course, this method was highly efficient. That Fierce Tiger Great Demon’s body was larger than four or five of him and Xiong Batian combined. How could they possibly not eat their fill?

Killing a single Fierce Tiger Great Demon meant they wouldn’t need to eat or drink for days; the feeling of satiety would be more than enough.

And so, Jiang Qiu and Xiong Batian began to feast ravenously. Xiong Batian’s body had shrunk by at least two-thirds, but his appetite, paradoxically, had grown even more voracious, and he ate an incredible amount.

With his previous appetite, he definitely wouldn’t have been able to finish one of the tiger’s legs. Of course, the tiger’s leg was nothing to scoff at. Even for the old Xiong Batian, it was about the size of one of his own legs, perhaps a third larger. In truth, if he could finish this Fierce Tiger Great Demon’s leg, he wouldn’t have to hunt for days!

Of course, this was just his own speculation; he’d never had a chance to test it. ’After all, how could I have ever tasted the leg of an expert at the Spiritual Vein Opening Realm before? Let alone a late-stage expert like the Fierce Tiger Great Demon!’

His reverence for Spiritual Vein Opening experts had always been immense, and now, after taking a bite, he realized that reverence was entirely justified. The Fierce Tiger Great Demon’s leg was truly packed with nutrients!

"Damn, this leg is delicious!"

Xiong Batian howled with delight as he ate the roasted tiger leg. This single leg was enough to make his eyes light up with brilliant excitement!

’This doesn’t seem like food that should even exist in the First Celestial Realm! It’s a delicacy from the High Heavens! It’s just too astounding.’

The main reason for his reaction was that Xiong Batian had lived a bitter life. He was used to eating raw food, and not even necessarily good raw food. Most of the time, he filled his stomach with measly, unsatisfying berries. This was why his first taste of cooked Fierce Tiger Great Demon meat was such a stunning revelation.

Of course, there was another crucial factor: the Fierce Tiger Great Demon’s thigh meat contained an incredibly dense Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm, making it comparable to an ordinary Treasure of Heaven and Earth. A Treasure of Heaven and Earth with this level of Spirit Charm would normally be guarded by Dominator Level figures!

’It’s hard to imagine just how formidable this Fierce Tiger Great Demon was. How many years did it spend tempering its body with Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm to achieve such a rich concentration of it?’

With every bite he tore off, Xiong Batian could feel his Realm improving. The sensation was incredibly distinct. He knew that if he could fully digest this one leg of the Fierce Tiger Great Demon, his Realm would take a huge leap forward toward the Middle Stage of Spiritual Vein Opening!

Indeed, it was that efficient. A single leg from a Fierce Tiger Great Demon could potentially allow him to take a massive step toward the next stage of his Realm.

This was actually quite logical. After all, from the moment the Fierce Tiger Great Demon achieved Spiritual Vein Opening until now, it had absorbed an unknown amount of Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm. And where had all that Spirit Charm gone?

The Great Demons of this world who had achieved Spiritual Vein Opening didn’t know how to properly utilize Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm. They could only use it to temper their physical bodies, continuously strengthening their flesh. Over time, their own flesh and blood became infused with an immense amount of Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm.

This was a process that took years. It was as if every single day was spent infusing energy into the Great Demon. Now, all that stored energy was being absorbed by Jiang Qiu and Xiong Batian.

For Xiong Batian, the energy in this one leg alone was enough to keep him busy absorbing and digesting for a long time. He was, of course, overjoyed!

For Jiang Qiu, however, it was just so-so. He took large bites of the roasted tiger meat, finding it rather flavorless. But with his keen perception of Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm, he could still taste its unique essence. It felt like soaking in a hot spring, a soothing sensation spreading through his veins.

Furthermore, the fact that his incredibly tiny body could completely digest all the meat of the Fierce Tiger Great Demon—save for the one leg—was simply unbelievable!

Indeed, Xiong Batian watched as Jiang Qiu’s tiny mouth tore into the Fierce Tiger Great Demon’s corpse. It was like an incomparably sharp blade carving a steak—effortless.

Most importantly, this was a Fierce Tiger Great Demon three or four times his own size, and dozens of times larger than Jiang Qiu! That immense weight was being completely and utterly digested by Jiang Qiu!