Flame Armored Bear

Tianhao Forest was the nearest small Soul Beast gathering ground to Suotuo City. Unlike places such as Soul Hunting Forest, it was not a Soul Beast habitat raised by humans.

Towering ancient trees rose from the ground in dense clusters, one pressed against another. Beast roars rose and fell without end, and simply standing within the forest was enough to feel its abundant vitality.

Roar!!!

A deafening beast roar rang through the air as Soul Power surged between the trees. Two figures, one large and one small, flashed swiftly through the dense woods.

It was a massive, blazing figure—a bear-type Fire Attribute Soul Beast covered from head to toe in flaming armor.

It raced through the forest on all fours. With every step it took, its thick bear claws were wrapped in scorching crimson flames. The instant its paws touched the ground, fine sparks exploded outward, while charred grass and steaming heat were swept away by the pressure of the wind.

It was pursuing an intruder who had entered its territory—the small figure ahead of it!

"This is a little troublesome." Qin Ming glanced back at the flaming giant beast relentlessly chasing him.

A year had passed since he defeated Roger in the Soul Fighting Arena and absorbed the Fire Demon Spirit Crystal Core.

A month ago, Qin Ming had reached the peak of the nineteenth level. He felt that he needed an opportunity to break through, so after informing Charlton and the others, he came to Tianhao Forest.

After nearly a month of fighting Soul Beasts, he had successfully broken through to the twentieth level and become a Quasi Soul Grandmaster. However, he had now run into a problem.

He had entered the territory of a thousand-year Flame Armored Bear.

This was a top-tier bear-type Fire Attribute Soul Beast, and it possessed a signature innate Soul Skill—Flame Armor Transformation!

This skill had made it renowned among bear-type Soul Beasts, granting it strength, speed, and defense far beyond those of similar Soul Beasts.

This type of Soul Beast was naturally violent and fiercely territorial. When facing an intruder in its territory, it had only one choice: tear them apart.

Roar!!!

Another thunderous sound came from behind Qin Ming. The Flame Armored Bear opened its bloody maw as Fire Elemental Power gathered in its mouth. The next moment, a fireball as thick as a water barrel shot toward Qin Ming.

The branches in the forest interwove like a dense spiderweb. Qin Ming used Thousand Spin Steps, continuously borrowing momentum from the branches as he streaked through the woods. Fireballs came at him one after another, yet they could not even touch his shadow.

Seeing that its ranged attacks were ineffective, the Flame Armored Bear's eyes grew even fiercer. The Flame Armor on its hind legs suddenly burst with blazing light, scorching two crimson molten tracks into the ground. Then the giant bear kicked off with its hind legs, launching its enormous body toward Qin Ming, determined to tear apart this human who darted around like a fly.

In midair, the dense, web-like branches could not hinder the giant bear in the slightest. Its heavy Flame Armor scraped past trunks and vines, leaving only a trail of scorch marks and black smoke.

The giant bear rapidly closed the distance between itself and Qin Ming by repeatedly landing and leaping.

Qin Ming stopped and looked at the Flame Armored Bear rampaging through the forest, a trace of anger rising in his heart.

"Perfect. I still need a Soul Ring now that I've broken through to the twentieth level. Since you've delivered yourself to me, I can save myself the trouble of spending time looking for a suitable Soul Beast."

The Flame Armored Bear was originally a top-tier Fire Attribute Soul Beast, and it also possessed the innate Soul Skill Flame Armor. Defense happened to be Qin Ming's weakness, so this Soul Skill was exactly what he needed most right now.

Qin Ming activated Martial Soul Possession. Sharp Wolf Claws sprang from his fingertips, his eyes transformed into blazing Crimson Gold Fire Pupils, and Gray Wolf Fire coiled around his body, radiating a destructive aura.

First Spirit Skill, Crimson Blood Body!

Without hesitation, Qin Ming activated his First Spirit Skill and lunged toward the Flame Armored Bear.

Seeing that the ant-like human not only failed to speed up and flee, but instead approached it, a human-like trace of mockery appeared in the bear's egg-sized eyes.

One bear claw rose high into the air, wrapped in crimson flames as it slammed down at Qin Ming.

Qin Ming tapped an overhead branch with the tip of his foot, his body shifting sideways like Gui Mei to the Flame Armored Bear's right. His Wolf Claws, wrapped in Crimson Gold Gray Wolf Fire, stabbed directly into the giant bear's arm.

The Flame Armor, originally as hard as black iron, crumbled apart the instant it came into contact with Gray Wolf Fire, as if ice had met fire.

Roar!!!

The Flame Armored Bear roared in pain after taking the blow. In its rage, it opened its mouth and spewed a vast wave of fire, dyeing the forest crimson as it tried to force Qin Ming back with the intense heat.

But Qin Ming neither dodged nor retreated. He wrapped his entire body in Gray Wolf Fire, forming a protective barrier.

His Gray Wolf Fire was now infinitely close to Ultimate Fire. When facing Fire Attribute Soul Beasts and Spirit Masters whose flames were inferior to his, as long as the difference in Soul Power was not absurdly great, victory came easily.

Qin Ming's gaze turned icy as he frantically poured Soul Power into the arm embedded in the giant bear's body.

The next moment, five crimson-gold claw lights rose. Blood sprayed wildly, and the Flame Armored Bear—a top-tier Soul Beast with a thousand years of cultivation—had one of its arms directly torn off by Qin Ming.

A severed bear arm, still spraying blood, crashed to the ground. Blood gushed out and turned into blazing fire that scorched the earth.

Roar!!!

The excruciating pain from its severe injury, combined with the fury already in its heart, caused the last shred of reason in the Flame Armored Bear's mind to be consumed by rage.

It now had only one goal: kill Qin Ming!

Its sole remaining thick bear arm swung madly, its Flame Armor clashing with itself and producing sounds like striking metal.

It charged wildly toward Qin Ming, ignoring everything in its path. Ancient trees were smashed apart, branches and leaves were instantly incinerated into ash by the heat, and flaming debris trailed behind its mad sprint like a crimson tail of fire.

But this was exactly what Qin Ming wanted. If the giant bear had fled, he would have had to spend some effort chasing it down.

Qin Ming suddenly leaped into the air, and the dense ancient trees instead became the best footholds for him in midair.

Thousand Spin Steps—Lueying!

Qin Ming transformed into a crimson-gold streak of light and shot directly in front of the giant bear.

The instant it saw Qin Ming, the Flame Armored Bear, its mind completely ruled by rage, immediately swung a paw at him.

Qin Ming shifted his footing and directly ran along the giant bear's arm, landing on its shoulder.

Splat!

Qin Ming drove his Wolf Claws straight into the giant bear's neck. Gray Wolf Fire rapidly poured through the wound into the Flame Armored Bear's body, burning its internal organs.

This was a fatal injury to any Soul Beast.

The Flame Armored Bear let out an incomparably shrill wail. The flaming armor on its body shattered inch by inch, its crimson flames rapidly dissipating. Its enormous body crashed to the ground, struggled a few times, and then went still.

As the Soul Beast died, a deep purple Thousand Year Soul Ring slowly rose from its body and hovered in midair, radiating the noble aura unique to a Thousand Year Soul Ring.