Bandits Hunt a Bear

The clearing in the forest ahead was in complete disarray.

More than a dozen burly martial artists were surrounding and attacking a hideous, monstrous bear.

The beast's shoulders and back were hunched high, its muscles bulging like blocks of granite. Its black fur shone with an oily luster like steel needles, and its entire body radiated a dense, ferocious aura.

Most astonishing was its broad back: from the nape of its neck to its tailbone, it was covered in a layer of blue-black, shell-like, heavy keratin that shimmered with a metallic sheen. When swords and blades struck it, they left behind nothing but faint white marks.

"Roar—!"

The black bear reared up on its hind legs and swept its right paw horizontally. A pine tree as thick as a bowl was grazed by the edge of its palm; the bark instantly shattered, wood chips flew, and the main trunk was struck so hard it tilted, on the verge of collapsing. The wind from the blow whistled, sending fallen leaves within a ten-foot radius swirling into the air.

The group of men were no pushovers either. Every one of them was sturdy and robust, their vitality surging; they were all martial artists, and any one of them pulled from the crowd would be no weaker than Song Zhong.

Their gazes were fierce, and their words and actions carried a distinct, rugged bandit air.

One man laughed loudly while launching a fierce attack: "Boss, if we take down this demon bear and present it to the Great Chief, your position as a head chieftain will be secure!"

"Hahaha! Once the Great Chief's cultivation breaks through, do we really need to stay holed up in these deep mountains? Sooner or later, we'll lead the brothers to the surrounding villages and forts to live the high life!"

"Put your backs into it, brothers! Slaughter this beast, and we'll celebrate properly when we get back!" The scarred man also let out a wild laugh, his offensive becoming even more aggressive.

His name was Zhao Tianhu, a chieftain of the Black Wind Stronghold on Dawang Mountain. He had led his underlings into the mountains to hunt and had unexpectedly discovered this demon bear.

They had tracked it all the way here, finally cornering it.

Demonic beasts were already difficult to hunt, let alone an iron-backed black bear known for its defense. It ignored everything, charging recklessly, and it looked like it was about to break free again.

"Tie it down!"

The scarred man, Zhao Tianhu, shouted sharply. His bare upper body was a mass of knotted muscle, his skin now flushed red, with veins writhing beneath the surface like earthworms.

—This was the result of pushing his vitality to the limit. The nine-ring broadsword in his hand had a faint, bloody glow circulating along its blade.

Six bandits split into three groups, holding lassos soaked in tung oil and reinforced with ox sinew.

They worked with practiced coordination. Two men threw their ropes to entangle the bear's legs, while the other four immediately pulled tight, bracing their feet against the ground, their muscles bulging with effort.

The black bear stumbled, turning around in a rage.

But the moment it turned, the other two sets of ropes coiled around it. The six men roared in unison, pouring their vitality into their arms until their veins popped, actually managing to drag the thousand-pound beast to a sluggish halt.

"Now!"

Zhao Tianhu seized the opportunity. He kicked off the ground, blasting a shallow crater into the dirt. His figure shot forward like an arrow from a bow. He gripped his blade with both hands, the red glow of vitality on the steel suddenly intensifying by a third, and the blade emitted a low hum as it cut through the air.

"Puchi!"

The blade slashed fiercely into an old wound on the bear's shoulder—a gash that had been opened previously, where the black fur was charred and the flesh was curled outward. The blade sank nearly a foot into the meat, only to be wedged tight by that layer of iron-backed keratin.

The black bear roared in agony, its left palm whistling through the air as it swiped toward Zhao Tianhu's skull!

Zhao Tianhu did not release his blade. Instead, he formed a fist with his left hand, a thin layer of blood energy wrapping around his knuckles, and met the strike head-on!

"Boom!"

Fist and palm collided, sending a shockwave rippling outward.

The ground beneath Zhao Tianhu's feet cracked inch by inch. His legs sank half a foot into the soil, and blood trickled from his nose and mouth, yet he held firm against the terrifying blow. The muscles in his right arm trembled violently, and the nine-ring broadsword groaned under the unbearable strain.

"Now!"

Three bandits on the perimeter had already nocked heavy armor-piercing arrows—the arrowheads were triangular armor-piercing awls, and the shafts were as thick as a thumb. They drew their bows until they were full moons, the limbs of the bows groaning under the tension as they poured all their blood energy into their arms.

"Loose!"

The bowstrings snapped, and three streaks of black light tore through the air.

"Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!"

The three heavy arrows struck with lethal precision, burying themselves into the black bear's right eye socket, left ear canal, and deep into the wound on its shoulder.

"Awoo—!"

The black bear let out a heaven-shaking howl. Blood gushed from its right eye like a fountain, and it descended into a state of pure, unbridled madness. It erupted with terrifying, monstrous strength, clutching its chest with both paws and spinning its massive body like a top!

"Bang! Bang!"

Two bandits holding the ropes were clipped by the edge of the bear's paws. Their chests caved in as they were sent flying, their lives extinguished before they even hit the ground.

A third man was yanked off his feet by the spinning bear and slammed heavily against a tree trunk, his spine snapping instantly.

Seizing the moment the bear turned, Zhao Tianhu gritted his teeth and wrenched his blade free. The sound of the steel grinding against bone was enough to set one's teeth on edge, and it brought with it a massive spray of boiling bear blood.

The black bear was drenched in blood, yet its movements grew increasingly frantic. Ignoring the ropes, it dropped to all fours and charged toward the densest cluster of people like a runaway chariot!

"Scatter!"

One bandit failed to dodge in time and was struck head-on.

"Crack! Crack!"

The sound of shattering bones echoed like popping beans. The bandit was sent flying thirty feet back; by the time he hit the ground, he was no longer in human shape, bleeding from all seven orifices and dead on the spot.

Qin Meng lay prone in the tall grass thirty paces away. Upon realizing these men were bandits, he pushed his environmental integration talent to the limit, holding his breath and focusing his mind. He dared not move, his entire being seemingly merging with the surrounding grass.

Watching the battle from such close quarters, his heart hammered against his ribs.

Is this the kind of combat that exists between martial artists and beasts?

The strength of that black bear was terrifying; a single swipe likely carried over ten thousand jin of force.

The scar-faced leader channeled his blood energy into his blade, allowing it to easily slice through the bear's tough hide. To go toe-to-toe with the black bear like that, he was likely at the blood changing realm or higher.

The coordination of those bandits was clearly the result of battle formations honed through life-and-death struggles.

Just then, notifications flickered before his eyes:

[life source +1.5%]

[life source +2.1%...]

Was the rich life essence dissipating as the bandits died?

Qin Meng felt the blood energy within his body stir slightly, and he had an instant realization.

Using the vegetation as cover, he crept forward a few more steps and hid behind a tree stump that had been snapped in half. The absorption speed increased significantly.

[life source +2.8%, +3.3%...]

On the battlefield, the black bear was at the end of its rope.

Its right eye was blinded, the wound on its shoulder was deep enough to see bone, and over a dozen arrows were embedded in its body, soaking the mud beneath it in blood. With every lunge, its strength waned.

As for the bandits, three were dead and three were severely wounded. Only the scar-faced leader and six lightly injured subordinates remained fit to fight.

"Damn it..." Zhao Tianhu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes burning with even fiercer malice.

He pulled a small porcelain bottle from his waist, shook out a crimson pill, and shoved it into his mouth.

As the pill hit his stomach, Zhao Tianhu's skin turned as red as a branding iron, and wisps of white steam rose from the top of his head. His blood energy surged violently, and the red glow on his nine-ring broadsword became so intense it looked like solid flame!

"Kill!"

He kicked off the ground, leaving a basin-sized crater in the earth. His body shot forward like a cannonball, moving so fast he left afterimages behind. The broadsword trailed a crimson arc as he hacked viciously at the black bear's neck!

This strike poured out every ounce of his blood energy and the power of the pill.

"Pfft—!"

The blade bit in, the sound of tearing flesh and bone piercing the air. Half of the black bear's neck was nearly severed, held together by only a few remaining tendons. But its dying counterattack erupted at that very moment.

Ignoring the wound to its neck, the black bear reared up on its hind legs with its final strength, its left paw slamming toward Zhao Tianhu's chest in a suicidal strike!

Zhao Tianhu had no time to retract his blade.

"Bang!"

The dull thud sounded like a beating drum.

Zhao Tianhu flew backward, snapping two bowl-thick trees before crashing to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning as pale as paper.

The black bear swayed, then collapsed with a thunderous boom that shook the earth. Blood gushed from its neck like a fountain; after a few final twitches, it lay still.

Zhao Tianhu struggled to his feet and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Although his face remained pale, he hadn't sustained any serious injuries, and his eyes were filled with joy.

After suffering over fifty percent casualties, they had finally taken down this demonic beast.

However, the smile that had just bloomed on his face suddenly froze. He whipped his head around, staring in the direction where Qin Meng was lurking, and barked sharply:

"Who's there?"

Qin Meng's heart skipped a beat. Did I get too close and give myself away?

"Hmph, hiding and skulking around, hoping to pick up the scraps? You're courting death!"

Without waiting for him to think further, Zhao Tianhu's gaze turned fierce. He and a few of his less-injured subordinates spread out, flanking Qin Meng's hiding spot from different directions.

Within a few breaths, they had closed in, their eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

Qin Meng's muscles tensed instantly, his right hand gripping his sword hilt tightly. He calculated the distance, preparing to burst forth, cut down one man, and then use the terrain to escape.

But in that split second—

A sudden change occurred. From behind a tree about twenty paces diagonally behind where Qin Meng was hiding, a burst of noisy, angry cursing erupted.

"Damn it, what rotten luck."

"Go, move it!"