In the darkness, heavy footsteps drew nearer from afar, each one seeming to tread upon his heart with earth-shaking force. Li Changsheng narrowed his eyes and watched a massive figure slowly emerge from behind an ancient tree—it was a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.
Its entire body was covered in dark golden fur that gleamed with a metallic chill beneath the faint fluorescent light. It was as large as an elephant, its knotted muscles brimming with explosive power. Most striking were its foreclaws, each half a meter long, their tips flashing with a cold, sinister gleam as though they could effortlessly tear through steel. Its amber eyes were fixed on Li Changsheng, drool dripping from the corners of its mouth. Clearly, it had taken this human before it for a late-night meal delivered to its door.
"Heh, just a thousand-year-old little thing, yet you've got some nerve." Li Changsheng sneered, his tone filled with undisguised mockery. Though the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear clan was famed for its strength, this one only had a thousand years of cultivation. It was hardly worth his notice.
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear seemed to understand his taunt. It let out an enraged roar and lunged forward. Its massive body carried a foul wind, while its huge claws became two sharp blades aimed directly at Li Changsheng's head.
"Is that all you've got?" Li Changsheng stood as immovable as a mountain. With a thought, the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda above his head instantly expanded, its ancient body blocking his path like an insurmountable peak.
Clang!
The giant claws struck the pagoda with a harsh metallic crash. Shockingly, those sharp claws, capable of tearing through a Soul Sage's defenses, left only a few shallow white marks on its surface. They did not even cause