Slaying the Crystal Bear

After a bout of dizziness, Su Hao opened his eyes and saw the familiar surroundings.

Su Hao then began moving cautiously through the forest.

Not long after Su Hao started moving, he spotted a green shadow flash past him through a gap between the massive trees.

Su Hao then got a clear look at the green shadow. It was a large bird with green feathers. After circling once in the air, the bird let out a cry.

Upon hearing that cry, Su Hao immediately saw an innumerable flock of green birds rush out of the forest. They flew around the green bird and began circling it.

Seeing this, Su Hao quietly retreated. With so many green birds around, he could not guarantee that he could defeat them all.

Su Hao changed routes and continued onward. After walking for a while, he suddenly lunged forward and dropped to the ground.

The moment Su Hao hit the ground, three claw marks slashed through the air right after him.

Su Hao rolled across the ground and sprang to his feet. When he looked closely, he found that his attacker was a hundred-year Shadow Leopard, a Soul Beast known for its speed and stealth.

Seeing that its first strike had missed, the Shadow Leopard readied itself to swipe at Su Hao again.

Upon seeing the Shadow Leopard, Su Hao used the Laws of Earth and Wood within his Second Soul Ring.

Su Hao first controlled the earth beneath the Shadow Leopard's feet, softening it and making the beast sink into the ground. Then, he used the Law of Wood to control the surrounding roots and pierce the Shadow Leopard's heart.

However, just as Su Hao softened the soil beneath its feet with the Law of Earth, the Shadow Leopard sensed something amiss with the ground and immediately launched itself into the air with the strength of its hind legs.

Seeing this, Su Hao immediately controlled the surrounding roots, making them grow out of the earth. They grabbed the Shadow Leopard's hind legs in midair and dragged it down.

The other roots followed the falling Shadow Leopard and slowly coiled around it.

The entangled Shadow Leopard struggled desperately with all its strength, continuously growling low at Su Hao.

Watching the Shadow Leopard struggle before him, Su Hao controlled the roots wrapped around it and strangled it to death where it lay.

As he watched Spirit Power burst forth from the dead Shadow Leopard, Su Hao waved his hand and dispersed it.

Afterward, Su Hao continued onward in another direction.

Elsewhere, Gu Yue fled toward Su Hao while evading the Crystal Bear behind her.

Elsewhere, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie had just joined up and worked together to kill a Unicorn Dragon when they noticed a faint tremor in the distance. Tang Wulin immediately sat down and released Blue Silver Grass, using it to sense the situation ahead.

After investigating for a moment, Tang Wulin stood up and said to Xie Xie:

"Xie Xie, hurry. I just sensed a terrifying Soul Beast behind Gu Yue.

Gu Yue is running in that direction now. We need to go help her quickly."

Tang Wulin pointed toward the direction the tremor had come from, and Xie Xie replied:

"If that's the case, Wulin, let's hurry and help Gu Yue.

And Gu Yue is way too pathetic. Let's see how I mock her when we get there."

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie then hurried toward Gu Yue.

Su Hao, who was walking through the forest, also felt a tremor. At first, it had not been very strong, so he had paid it no mind. But now the tremors were growing louder, and Su Hao realized that whoever—or whatever—was causing them was heading in his direction.

With that thought, Su Hao immediately wanted to hide. But before he could act, Silver Light flashed, and Gu Yue appeared before him.

Gu Yue's face was somewhat pale, and Su Hao immediately realized that she had overexerted her Soul Power.

Before Su Hao could think further, he saw a Crystal Bear in the forest not far ahead. Like a bulldozer, it flattened shrubs wherever it passed, and even smaller trees suffered. Any tree it rammed became covered in crystal before shattering into powder. Its momentum was utterly terrifying.

Su Hao immediately scooped Gu Yue into his arms and retreated frantically. At the same time, he released part of his Laws, transforming the surrounding trees into treants and having them stop the Crystal Bear.

He then controlled the earth beneath the Crystal Bear's feet, softening it and making the beast sink into the ground.

After retreating some distance, Su Hao stopped and put Gu Yue down. Looking back, he saw that half of the Crystal Bear's body had sunk into the earth while the surrounding treants attacked it.

Although the mutated Crystal Bear was not skilled at long-range attacks, its close-combat ability was no weaker. Every attack carried crystallization power, causing parts of the treants it struck to crystallize before shattering apart.

Seeing this, Su Hao realized that this could not continue. He began recalling the Crystal Bear's weakness.

He soon remembered that although the Crystal Bear had a body of bronze and bones of iron, the back of its neck was relatively fragile. Its central nervous system was located there as well.

Su Hao continued controlling the earth beneath the Crystal Bear, softening it until two-thirds of its body was buried. At the same time, he controlled the nearby roots to bind it, dragging down and restraining its two paws as they continued struggling above the ground.

Su Hao then condensed a stone man and had it slowly walk behind the Crystal Bear. Considering the Crystal Bear's formidable defense, Su Hao shaped the stone man's hands into cones, intending to pierce through at a single point and kill it.

The stone man came up behind the Crystal Bear, raised its right hand, and mercilessly hammered down at the back of its neck.

The blow killed the Crystal Bear. After it died, crystal spikes shot in all directions, but Su Hao, having anticipated it, defended against them. Then Su Hao and Gu Yue suddenly heard a familiar voice.

Su Hao punched apart the crystallized tree wall in front of him, and he and Gu Yue looked toward the source of the voice.