The Chaos Giant Bear's roar echoed through the rocky valley like thunder, making Lin Yue's eardrums ring. He instinctively took half a step back, his gaze sweeping over the bear's mountain-sized body. The beast stood about thirty feet tall, with limbs as thick as stone pillars. A faint gray sheen covered its black fur, clearly indicating its formidable defenses. Most terrifying of all were its blood-red eyes, now glinting with greed and savagery as they fixed on the Three-Leaf Golden Ganoderma on the ground.
"A high-level beast..." Su Qingyan's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible gravity. She put away her flaming sword, but the fire around her burned even more fiercely. "How could something of this caliber be around here?"
Lin Yue didn't answer. His attention was entirely on the bear's movements. The beast clearly saw them as rivals competing for the spirit herb. A low growl rumbled in its throat as it repeatedly pawed at the ground, sending up sprays of stone fragments. It looked ready to attack at any moment.
"Should we deal with it first?" Su Qingyan turned to Lin Yue. Though her tone was still hostile, it had lost some of its earlier edge. She knew full well that in their current condition, neither of them stood a chance against the Chaos Giant Bear alone.
Lin Yue had just started to nod when the Chaos Giant Bear struck first. It roared and slammed a forepaw into the ground with tremendous force. A visible shock wave spread outward, and the earth instantly caved in, forming a crater several yards wide. Countless stone fragments shot toward them like cannonballs.
"Dodge!" Lin Yue growled, grabbing Su Qingyan by the arm and lunging sideways. He reacted quickly enough to avoid the densest part of the stone shower, but a small stone still struck him in the back, making him grimace in pain.
Su Qingyan stumbled when he pulled her. As soon as she regained her footing, she shook off his hand, a flash of anger crossing her face, but she said nothing. If Lin Yue hadn't pulled her away just then, the stones might have struck a vital spot.
They had barely steadied themselves when the Chaos Giant Bear charged over to the Three-Leaf Golden Ganoderma. It lowered its head and planted a massive paw on the herb without hesitation, as if crushing an ordinary stone.
"No!" Su Qingyan's eyes blazed with fury as she watched the spirit herb, which had gathered countless strands of chaotic vitality, crushed beneath the bear's foot. Its golden leaves were instantly mangled, and its rich aura of vitality visibly faded away. She instinctively started forward, but Lin Yue held her back.
"Are you crazy?" Lin Yue scolded under his breath. "Going over there now would be suicide!"
Su Qingyan struggled a few times. Seeing the bear lick the crushed herb with its rough tongue, its eyes growing even greedier, she finally let reason overcome her impulse. She took a deep breath and looked at Lin Yue, her expression turning more complicated. "What do we do now?"
"What else can we do?" Lin Yue stared at the Chaos Giant Bear, his mind racing. "That beast's defenses are extremely strong. We can't take it head-on. We have to find a way to lure it away, or..." Before he could finish, the bear raised its head and turned its blood-red gaze toward them. It had clearly added them to its list of targets.
"Roar!" The bear bellowed and charged at them. Its speed was shockingly fast for its immense size. Trailing a rank stench, it closed the distance in an instant.
"Split up!" Lin Yue decided at once and darted toward the rocky wall on the left. Su Qingyan reacted quickly too, dashing to the right. They went in opposite directions, trying to divide the bear's attention.
But the Chaos Giant Bear didn't pursue either of them. It abruptly stopped and slammed a forepaw into the ground again. This time, it aimed not at the earth itself, but at the space between them. With a thunderous boom, a wall of earth several yards high surged up, completely separating Lin Yue and Su Qingyan.
"Damn it!" Lin Yue cursed under his breath. He hadn't expected the beast to have a trick like this. The earthen wall was made of solid rock, its surface covered in a gray sheen. It clearly contained Chaos Energy and would be difficult to break through.
Su Qingyan's angry shout and the crackling of flames came from the other side of the wall. She had already engaged the bear. Lin Yue grew frantic. Su Qingyan's flames were powerful, but they might not break through the bear's defenses, and she wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
He tried attacking the wall with the Chaos Little Light Orb. The orb struck the stone and left only a faint white mark; it didn't even dislodge a fragment. "As hard as a high-level defensive artifact..." Lin Yue furrowed his brow and scanned the surroundings. Then he spotted a relatively weak seam near the top of the wall—a flaw left behind when the bear had hastily formed it.
Without hesitation, Lin Yue circulated the Chaos Airflow in his dantian and leaped upward. He was incredibly fast, and as he jumped, three Chaos Light Orbs formed in his hand and shot one after another toward the seam.
"Bang, bang, bang!" Three sharp cracks rang out, and the rocks around the seam shattered. Using the force of the impacts, Lin Yue sprang up to the top of the wall like a monkey. He caught sight of Su Qingyan being driven backward by the bear's paw, a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth. She had clearly sustained a minor injury.
"Su Qingyan, over here!" Lin Yue shouted, hurling a Chaos Light Orb at the bear's side. He remembered that a beast's abdomen was usually less well protected. Perhaps the same was true of the Chaos Giant Bear.
The orb struck the bear's flank. It failed to pierce the beast's defenses, but it still made the bear roar in pain and drew its attention. Su Qingyan seized the opportunity to retreat quickly and join Lin Yue atop the wall.
"Are you all right?" Lin Yue asked, keeping a wary eye on the bear below.
"I'm not dead yet." Su Qingyan wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her face pale. "This beast's hide is too thick. My flames can only singe its fur; they can't break through its defenses." She looked at Lin Yue, her eyes grave. "We can't keep this up. It'll wear us down sooner or later."
Lin Yue nodded. He had realized how serious the situation was too. The bear's strength and defenses far surpassed theirs, and it seemed tireless. If they dragged this out, their energy would keep dwindling until they ended up as food in the beast's belly.
"We have to find its weakness." Lin Yue studied the bear carefully. "Did you try attacking its eyes and nose? Those places are usually less well protected."
Su Qingyan paused, then shook her head. "Its eyes are hidden beneath thick eyelids. I can't hit them. I tried its nose and mouth, but every time it breathes, it exhales a cloud of Turbid Energy. My flames are blown away as soon as they get close."
Lin Yue fell into thought. Just then, the Chaos Giant Bear attacked again. It slammed its body against the earthen wall, making the entire structure shudder violently as countless fragments rained down from the top. Lin Yue and Su Qingyan hurriedly crouched and clung to the edge, only just managing not to be shaken off.
"At this rate, the wall won't hold much longer!" Su Qingyan cried. She could feel the rocks beneath her feet loosening.
Lin Yue took a deep breath. He suddenly recalled something Pangu had once taught him: "Everything has its own momentum. Go with it, and you need little force; fight against it, and you'll exhaust yourself." As he watched the bear's movements, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Su Qingyan, I have a plan," Lin Yue said quietly. "I'll lure it into charging at that rock wall. While it's distracted, attack its hind leg. The fur there looks thinner!" He pointed to a massive slanted boulder nearby. "The beast is incredibly strong. If it crashes into that slanted rock, it's bound to lose its balance. That'll be our chance!"
Su Qingyan followed his gaze. A trace of hesitation flickered in her eyes, but as she looked at the swaying earthen wall, she ultimately nodded. "All right. I'll trust you this once."
Lin Yue didn't hesitate. He leaped down from the top of the wall and landed a short distance in front of the bear. Deliberately, he hit the bear's nose with a Chaos Light Orb, making his provocation unmistakable.
"Roar!" The Chaos Giant Bear took the bait. It stopped attacking the wall and charged at Lin Yue with a roar, its massive body carrying the force of a cataclysm.
Lin Yue's heart pounded wildly, but he forced down his fear and ran toward the slanted boulder. He judged the bear's speed carefully, keeping just the right distance to lure it closer and closer to the rock.
Just before it could collide with the boulder, Lin Yue suddenly rolled to the side. Unable to stop in time, the Chaos Giant Bear slammed into the slanted rock face!
"Rumble!" The boulder shattered with a deafening crash, sending fragments flying. More importantly, the bear's momentum made its massive body tilt sideways. One of its hind legs was left exposed in the air, and it lost its balance.
"Now!" Lin Yue shouted.
Su Qingyan was ready. She gathered most of the flames she had left and shaped them into a scorching pillar, firing it precisely at the joint of the bear's hind leg. The fur there was indeed thinner. The flames burned straight through it, leaving a charred wound.
"Argh!" The Chaos Giant Bear let out a pained roar. Its unbalanced body crashed to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Lin Yue seized the opportunity and rushed over. He gathered all the Chaos Energy in his body into a single orb and slammed it into the bear's injured hind leg. The orb didn't inflict a fatal wound, but it widened the injury, making the bear roll on the ground in pain.
"Run!" Lin Yue pulled Su Qingyan along, turning to flee from the rocky valley. He knew the strike had wounded the bear, but it was nowhere near enough to kill it. If it recovered, the two of them still wouldn't escape with their lives.
Su Qingyan didn't hesitate and ran with Lin Yue. They soon disappeared deep into the rocky valley, leaving the Chaos Giant Bear roaring in pain where it lay. The crushed Three-Leaf Golden Ganoderma was all that remained, slowly losing the last of its vitality amid the dust.
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