Two Beasts in Conflict

Within the Gu Clan's Ancient Saint Mountain Range.

"Ahahaha, this feels amazing!"

"Faster, faster!"

"This is so comfortable..."

Looking down from above, within a forest shrouded in dark clouds, a third-tier giant bear was striding swiftly through the trees. Clinging to the back of its neck was an exquisitely adorable little girl.

Those bursts of delighted cries came from the little girl's mouth.

That little girl was Xun'er, the Gu Clan's little princess, while the giant bear beneath her was the "pet" she had just tamed—Little Gold, the Dark Gold Bear.

As Little Gold ran at high speed, the whistling wind brushed against Xun'er's tender little face, giving her an exhilarating rush.

Though it was moving at high speed, to Little Gold it was as effortless as walking on level ground. Some higher-ranked magical beasts possessed exceptionally sharp vision, and having lived in such darkness for so long, their eyes had long adapted to the environment. Seeing in the dark was no challenge for them.

That was why Xun'er had felt that the environment had no effect on it when she fought it.

"Five hundred meters ahead. Go take a look," Yun Xi's calm voice said.

"Alright, Little Gold, five hundred meters ahead. Let's go!"

"Roar!"

Gu Clan Back Mountain, training grounds.

Ling Ying paced back and forth anxiously. He had clearly searched the entire back mountain without finding Xun'er, and he was beginning to panic.

"She's nowhere to be found. What should I do? Could Miss Xun'er have run into the Dark Forest?" As he spoke, the strength of a Dou Emperor erupted from Ling Ying. Just as he was about to search the Dark Forest, he suddenly discovered that the entire forest was blanketed by dark clouds, making it impossible to investigate what was happening within.

"This is bad. High-tier magical beasts roam inside. If Miss really went in, then the consequences..." At that thought, Ling Ying became even more anxious. "I should report this to the Clan Leader immediately!"

Dou Qi surged, and a pair of dark Dou Qi Wings appeared behind him. With a sharp cry, he flew toward the Gu Clan's reception hall...

"Clan Leader, that is the situation. I suspect Miss Xun'er has entered the Dark Forest." Ling Ying bowed to Gu Yuan.

"I know," Gu Yuan said calmly. Suddenly, an immensely powerful soul force burst forth and swept across the Gu Clan Back Mountain.

"She is indeed inside, but it is fine. An expert is guarding her at her side, so there is no need to worry." Gu Yuan chuckled.

"An expert?" Ling Ying asked doubtfully upon hearing Gu Yuan's words.

"I personally placed a barrier around the entire Dark Forest. Do you think Xun'er, with the strength of a Six Star Dou Zhe, could enter so easily?" Gu Yuan said with a smile, the implication obvious.

Ling Ying was shocked. "May I ask who this expert the Clan Leader mentioned is?"

"You will find out in time."

"Yes."

"We're here, we're here."

After half an hour of high-speed running, Xun'er had finally reached their destination.

Looking at the cliff before her, she was quite excited. After all, Yun Xi had said there were "good things" here.

Activating her soul force, Xun'er moved first, preparing to investigate what treasure was hidden here.

As her soul force spread out, the surrounding trees appeared clearly in her mind once more. The towering cliff ahead gradually emerged as well, though only faintly.

"Is my soul force still too weak?" Xun'er was somewhat dissatisfied. Such useful soul force had such severe limitations, which greatly annoyed her.

"You little girl, you already possess such powerful soul force at this level, yet you are still complaining. I doubt even Gu Qingyang's soul force is stronger than yours, and you are still not satisfied," Yun Xi said irritably upon hearing Xun'er's "complaint."

At the strength of a Six Star Dou Zhe, she could skillfully control soul force and extend it nearly a hundred meters. That was practically monstrous.

From Yun Xi's observations, even Gu Qingyang and the other peak juniors of the Gu Clan possessed less than half of Xun'er's soul force. There could only be two reasons for this. One was that Xun'er's soul force was extraordinarily powerful, far beyond ordinary people. The other was that Gu Qingyang and the others had never paid attention to soul force.

Living within an ancient clan as supreme as the Gu Clan, guidance from excellent teachers was indispensable. Thus, the latter possibility could be ruled out. There was only one reason left: Xun'er's soul force was simply too powerful.

She activated her soul perception once again, carefully searching every corner inch by inch. Finally, after her "tireless efforts," she discovered this hidden treasure ground.

At the very bottom of the cliff was a natural cave. With thick trees concealing it and the forest's dark environment, there was virtually no sign of anything unusual from the outside. Only someone with soul perception who searched carefully could possibly find it.

Near the entrance stood a burly white giant ape nearly nine meters tall. Its entire body radiated an intense icy aura. Its arms were exceptionally long, its claws each as large as two adult heads, and its pair of blood-red eyes brimmed with savagery and killing intent as it stared fixedly at the other giant beast before it.

"This is... a fifth-tier Snow Devil Sky Ape?" Xun'er cried out after recognizing the beast.

She knew of the Snow Devil Sky Ape. It was an ice-attributed magical beast and one of the finest among fifth-tier magical beasts. A single punch from it could split mountains and shatter rocks, and it possessed boundless strength.

Xun'er had not expected to see a Snow Devil Sky Ape here. Then, as her gaze shifted toward the magical beast confronting it, she froze briefly before crying out, "A Fire Devouring Giant Rhino?"

Staring blankly at the rhinoceros in the distance, covered from head to toe in fiery armor, Xun'er was rather surprised.

As its name suggested, the Fire Devouring Giant Rhino was a strange species that fed on flames. Its body was enormous, even slightly larger than the Snow Devil Sky Ape's. It was covered in hard, fiery-red armor, while its thick limbs and developed muscles proved its immense strength. The massive horn that stretched nearly a zhang long also showed that it was no weak creature.

Hidden in the grass, Xun'er widened her eyes and stared motionlessly at the two fifth-tier magical beasts in the distance.

After all, Xun'er had seen very few magical beasts since childhood. Sometimes, she could not even come out to play for a long time.

The reason Xun'er recognized them was because, during one of her bored periods, she had read through all the ancient books in the clan. They contained clear records introducing all kinds of magical beasts, so the information remained fresh in her memory.

Crouching in the grass with Little Gold, Xun'er watched the two magical beasts in the distance. They had been building up their momentum for quite a while, yet neither had made a move. Expectantly, she said, "Fight! Just fight already! Let's see which one is stronger. Once they've fought themselves nearly to exhaustion, I'll go explore the cave, hehe."

Just as Xun'er was imagining it all, the Snow Devil Sky Ape in the distance finally spoke.

"Why have you left your Lava Land to come to my Dark Forest?" The Snow Devil Sky Ape's thunderous voice echoed through the air.