Volume Two: Fishing in Troubled Waters - Jianyu Essence Cudgel

"Hiss..."

With a flash, the figure of the Leopard Boss Yan had already disappeared, while the Dark Sting Bear, still immersed in the Leopard Boss Yan's flattery, obviously had not yet reacted.

"Call out!"

A flash of bluish-black light appeared suddenly, and the Leopard Boss Yan shouted, "Triple attack!" His claw attack had only left a white mark on the Dark Sting Bear's thick black hide.

He wasn't launching a triple attack himself; he was signaling to his brother. He had just fully tested the Dark Sting Bear's defensive capabilities.

The Yan Leopard Second had already taken action, while Dark Sting Bear only just came to his senses. Feeling greatly insulted, he roared, "You three leopard cubs, if I don't smash you into mincemeat today, how will I, Dark Sting Bear, ever have the face to show my face again!"

He was met with a barrage of claws from the Yan Leopard Second. The Flame Leopard's claws were renowned throughout the entire Beast Valley. The strongest member of the Flame Leopard clan was a peerless expert who had reached the Tribulation Crossing Stage. A single Flame Leopard claw could destroy ordinary divine artifacts; its power was beyond the imagination of ordinary people. However, at this moment, the three Flame Leopards were only in the Form Transformation Stage, just little creatures who had just obtained Beast Origin Power. The Dark Sting Bear's power was beyond their comprehension; a single level was like a mountain!

"Hahahaha..." The Dark Sting Bear's arrogant laughter immediately rang out. Three Flame Leopards attacked simultaneously, their claws emitting a golden light. The intensity of the light startled the Dark Sting Bear, but...

"Take this!" The Dark Sting Bear suddenly swung its enormous Jianyu Essence Cudgel. The Jianyu Essence Cudgel was extremely yang and strong, composed entirely of Jianyu Essence, and Zhang Xingfeng probably knew better than anyone the value of Jianyu Essence at this moment.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

With a series of impacts, the Flaming Leopard's claws were completely knocked away by the Jianyu Essence Cudgel. The three Flaming Leopard brothers stared at the Jianyu Essence Cudgel with disbelief on their faces. Although they knew the Jianyu Essence Cudgel was powerful, the shock in their hearts was still unimaginable.

The most formidable aspect of the orcs is that each orc possesses a natural weapon—claws, palms, or legs—that is the strongest part of their body. These weapons are so powerful that they can rival divine artifacts.

As the Flame Leopard's power increases, so does the power of its claws. For example, the Flame Leopard Claws of the three brothers are now close to the attack power of a divine artifact.

However, the Orcs' own attacks all have a drawback: they cannot attack from outside their bodies, meaning they cannot attack at long range!

You're saying these guys can detach their claws from themselves? Have you ever seen an animal detach its claws from its body and continue attacking? That's like a person cutting off their own hand to use it to attack! Even Immortal Emperor couldn't do that.

If someone asks, "Can't you unleash your energy from the Flaming Leopard's claws?"

The Flaming Leopard's Claws are extremely powerful at this moment, but if it were to unleash a burst of energy for an attack, its power would probably be comparable to Mid-grade Immortal Artifact at best. After all, the energy itself cannot compare to the Flaming Leopard's Claws.

However, weapons from the outside, not those inherent to the user, are different. For example, this Jianyu Essence Cudgel, after being infused with beast Jianyu Essence Cudgel Beast Origin Power, can completely leave the body during an attack, yet Jianyu Essence Cudgel power remains undiminished. In the Mortal World, there are even instances of weapons flying out and injuring people; how much more so for these beast races who already possess Beast Origin Power!

The Yanbao brothers were stunned. If they wanted to hurt the Dark Sting Bear, they would have to attack it at close range. However, close-range attacks could not withstand the terrifyingly Jianyu Essence Cudgel of the Dark Stinging Bear. After all, their bodies were not those of the Dark Sting Bear. The Dark Sting Bear's terrifyingly thick skin could not be broken even by a single swipe of the Yanbao's claws.

"God, don't mess with me! My heart can't take this!" Zhang Xingfeng's former composure had completely vanished, his Divine Sense locked onto the Jianyu Essence Cudgel. "Heavens! Such a thick Jianyu Essence! Back in the Mortal World, even a Jianyu Stone Mountain the size of an island only yielded a dagger-sized amount of Jianyu Essence. Even the bracelets of the Five Great Demon Emperors combined only contained that little bit of Jianyu Essence. Jianyu Stone is one of the most important materials for immortal artifacts, Jianyu Essence can be considered the most yang and yang treasure. What's going on? How could there be such a huge amount of Jianyu Essence? How is this possible?" Zhang Xingfeng couldn't imagine how large a Jianyu mine would need to be to produce such a huge amount of Jianyu Essence. He estimated it would need to be as large as the Azure Dragon Continent Jianyu Essence. But did the Cultivation World have such a huge mine? Zhang Xingfeng didn't know.

However, Zhang Xingfeng already knew that the treasure before him was the Jianyu Essence. Not only did Zhang Xingfeng himself possess some, but most importantly, this Jianyu Essence Cudgel was already close to the level of a divine artifact! Only the Jianyu Essence could reach this level before it was refined.

"I can't stand it anymore! This Dark Sting Bear is a complete bastard! He didn't even bother with any refining before using the Jianyu Essence Cudgel as a weapon. He's a real bastard!" Zhang Xingfeng lamented inwardly.

The Jianyu Essence, without any refining, was already close to a divine artifact simply by virtue of its inherent properties. With a little refining, it could become a divine artifact. It's worth noting that even Firmament Stone can be used to forge immortal artifacts. This Jianyu Essence, a million times more precious than Firmament Stone, could easily be used to forge a divine artifact. However... the Jianyu Essence is extremely yang and pure; how could it possibly be refined?

In truth, the Dark Sting Bear was also lamenting in its heart. "It's not that I don't want to refine it, it's just that this Jianyu Essence is too hard. My Nascent Soul's Yuan Fire is as powerful as Heavenly Fire, but I have no way to deal with that Jianyu Essence!"

"Mother's death cannot go unavenged! Second brother, third brother, get ready! Give it your all! Attack one point simultaneously, attack as many times as you can!" A resolute look appeared on Leopard Boss Yan's face. He flashed and disappeared.

"Big Brother!" The Yan Leopard Second stared at the spot where Leopard Boss Yan had disappeared, feeling a pang of sorrow. But in an instant, the two brothers had already set their sights on the culprit— the Dark Sting Bear!

"Hmm... this Flame Leopard is quite fast. It's probably almost as fast as me. It seems that speed is the Flame Leopard's greatest strength!" Zhang Xingfeng exclaimed inwardly. He was right. The Flame Leopard was most famous for its speed. Even among the beast race, apart from the Golden Winged Great Peng and the Chi Winged Flying Eagle flying in the sky, their speed was the fastest.

The Dark Sting Bear was extremely enraged. Its greatest weakness was its speed; its slowness was renowned among the beastmen, perhaps only slower than the Black Tortoise. However, it did have its strengths: its bear hide provided defense comparable to a lower-level magical artifact, and its powerful bear paws! Its strongest part was its hide, and now, with the Jianyu Essence Cudgel, it was a formidable force, combining offense and defense. Faced with the Flaming Leopard's attack, all it could do was—remain still and wait for the right moment!

The Dark Sting Bear's Divine Sense completely covered its surroundings, and the Jianyu Essence Cudgel was ready to strike at any moment!

"Whoosh!" The air suddenly seemed to tear apart as a beam of light flashed and pierced the Dark Sting Bear.

The Dark Sting Bear was ready at any moment. Divine Sense, it immediately swung its Jianyu Essence Cudgel. The Dark Sting Bear was slow in movement, but it was fast in swinging its staff.

"Boom!"

The Dark Sting Bear seemed extremely excited, letting out a high-pitched howl. "Awooo..." Upon closer inspection, it became clear that his blow had struck the Leopard Boss Yan. What worried the Yan Leopard Second most was that Flame Leopard had actually been hit by the club itself, and hadn't been sent flying!

Indeed, the Leopard Boss Yan gang seemed to be holding onto the staff with his hands, and he did not let go even when he was spitting blood.

Zhang Xingfeng, who was watching the battle, frowned and thought to himself, "Something's not right. Given Yanbao's speed, even if it was attacked, it could escape at top speed. How could it be clinging to this stick?"

"Brothers, kill him! Avenge Mom!" Leopard Boss Yan, roared, his body moving towards the Dark Sting Bear along the stick he was holding. At this moment, Leopard Boss Yan's idea was completely exposed. He actually wanted to hold the Jianyu Essence Cudgel and attack the Dark Sting Bear along the Jianyu Essence Cudgel to avoid being blocked by it.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

The Yan Leopard Second could fully imagine how heavy the attack must be, being attacked by Jianyu Essence Cudgel while still holding it. However... what they had to do now was to make sure their leader's wish was not in vain.

The Dark Sting Bear fully realized how despicable the Flame Leopard was, as it had rendered its Jianyu Essence Cudgel unable to attack the opponent for the time being. Enraged, it roared, "Awooo... You three brats, I'm going to tear you apart!"

The Dark Sting Bear's most proficient attack is Dark Sting Tear Jianyu Essence Cudgel! This was the Dark Sting Bear's most frequently used move before it acquired the Jianyu Essence Cudgel, but it hasn't used it since. However, not using it doesn't mean its power has decreased, since it's a natural ability of the Dark Sting Bear.

The three Yanbao brothers have forgotten that the Dark Sting Bear, who possesses the Jianyu Essence Cudgel, also has the Dark Sting Bear's most proficient attack skill!

The Leopard Boss Yan, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and his humanoid hands suddenly transformed into leopard claws, slashing towards the Dark Sting Bear with lightning speed. However, what awaited him was— the Dark Sting Tear!

"Awooo..." The Dark Sting Bear let out a huge roar, its tearing force, exceeding hundreds of thousands of pounds, instantly grabbing at the Leopard Boss Yan. The Dark Sting Bear's enormous paw even emitted a metallic light. It seems the name "Bear Paw" is not an exaggeration.

Seeing that things were not going well, the Leopard Boss Yan, a Flame Leopard in the Form Transformation Stage, dared not withstand the bear paw of the Dark Sting Bear in the Nascent Soul stage. His figure suddenly flashed, but the speed of the bear paw was too fast, completely out of sync with the movement speed of the Dark Sting Bear.

"Boom!"

Although the Leopard Boss Yan was not caught and torn apart by the Dark Sting Bear's two paws, he was still slapped by one of the paws. Fortunately, he had a moment of quick thinking and used his Flame Leopard Claw to place where he was slapped.

The Leopard Boss Yan felt a sudden tremor in his Flaming Leopard Claw, followed by a tingling sensation, while the Dark Sting Bear seemed to feel no discomfort at all, indicating that the skin on its paws was extremely thick.

"Hiss..."

Suddenly, the Dark Sting Bear felt a sharp pain in its back. The intense pain made it howl in agony. "Awooo... You two damned Dark Sting Bear Leopards, I'll kill, kill, kill, kill..." The two Flame Leopards were attacking it frantically from behind! The Beast Origin Power within the Dark Sting Bear suddenly erupted, and the powerful Beast Origin Power immediately amplified its defensive capabilities. The Dark Sting Bear also swung its Jianyu Essence Cudgel horizontally behind it, making the air seem to tear apart.

Dark Sting Bear suddenly noticed a trace of blood on his arm, and instantly realized that the attack from the two Flame Leopards behind him had broken through his defenses and even caused him to bleed!

At this moment, the Dark Sting Bear finally went into a final frenzy. He had no regard for anything else and only knew how to kill. "Kill, kill, kill..." he howled incessantly, Jianyu Essence Cudgel at the three Dark Sting Bear Leopards.

"Boss, his skin is too thick. We attacked three times, and we only barely broke through it!" the third brother said to the boss.

The eldest brother has completely suppressed the injuries left by his brother's blow. Now the most important thing is to find a way to kill the bear.

"However, four consecutive claw strikes should be enough to seriously injure him! Or at least hit the spot where he was injured earlier," the second brother said coldly. The first three claw strikes broke through his defenses, and the fourth strike went directly into the Dark Sting Bear's interior from the spot where the third strike had landed. However, the second brother didn't know that the wound had already healed since the Dark Sting Bear's Beast Origin Power erupted. After all, that bear hide wasn't easy to deal with. Its powerful self-healing ability left the three brothers utterly helpless. Nevertheless, the three brothers continued to dodge using their speed.

"Die!" Dark Sting Bear suddenly revealed a ferocious smile. Dark Sting Bear was no idiot. He had managed to live for so long despite possessing the Jianyu Essence Cudgel, and his little scheme deserved the most credit.

The Jianyu Essence Cudgel instantly grew larger, doubling its attack range. The massive sweeping attack caught the three Flame Leopards completely off guard; they hadn't expected Jianyu Essence Cudgel to suddenly lengthen. They hadn't heard of this when they were gathering information, but they didn't know that those who did had all perished by this single move.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The three Yanbao brothers were slammed to the side, spitting out blood. They exchanged a bitter glance, their faces filled with resentment. They had cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years, all for this day of revenge, yet they had still lost, even losing their lives. That blow had been incredibly powerful; Leopard Boss Yan was shocked. It was several times heavier than the one that had struck him earlier.

This means that the Dark Sting Bear was hiding its true strength!

Thinking of this, Leopard Boss Yan realized why the Dark Sting Bear could live for so long despite possessing the Jianyu Essence Cudgel —because this Dark Sting Bear was simply too cunning. However, it was too late now!

A bloodthirsty glint appeared on the Dark Sting Bear's face as it walked step by step toward the three brothers.

"Sigh! Don't blame me, it's just that your Jianyu Essence Cudgel is too tempting!" Zhang Xingfeng suddenly appeared on the battlefield.