Time ticked by, and wounds began to appear on both Soul Beasts.
The Iron Armor Bear's claws had raked deep and shallow gashes across the Blazing Lion's body. The blood flowing from its wounds vaporized in the flames.
The Iron Armor Bear was in even worse shape. The Blazing Lion had bitten a huge chunk of flesh from its left hind leg, leaving it able only to stand its ground and defend itself.
Xiao Qing summoned the Prism Ball and released Xiao Feng from within it.
He knew this was the best chance to join the fray. The Blazing Lion had already expended most of its strength, and the Iron Armor Bear's life was in danger.
If he failed to seize this opportunity, the Iron Armor Bear would most likely die at the Blazing Lion's paws.
Looking at Xiao Feng, who had come up beside him, Xiao Qing patted the wolf's head and earnestly cautioned him, "Xiao Feng, be careful. If you're in danger, send out your Phantom Shadow first!"
Xiao Feng understood. He used "Wind Shadow," and two wolf silhouettes soundlessly leaped out from between the rocks. Taking cover in the shadows and behind the boulders, they crept toward the valley floor.
Xiao Qing followed close behind, nerves taut, the Prism Ball clutched tightly in his hand.
The Prism Ball's capture range was limited. From where Xiao Qing stood, he couldn't target the Iron Armor Bear. He had to advance quite a distance before he could select it.
On the valley floor, the battle between the two Soul Beasts had reached a fever pitch.
Wounded and even more ferocious, the Blazing Lion stopped circling and chose to fight the Iron Armor Bear head-on.
It swung its flaming claws and pounced on the Iron Armor Bear, which was crouched on all fours, repeatedly raking the three legs that had suffered fewer injuries.
The Iron Armor Bear was seeing red, too. It endured the Blazing Lion's attacks while gathering earth-attribute Soul Power in its forepaws, preparing to bring the Blazing Lion down with a single blow.
Just as the two were about to collide, an unexpected change occurred.
Two figures burst out from behind the rocks nearby and attacked the Blazing Lion in perfect unison.
At that moment, Xiao Feng's speed was on full display. Like a phantom, he sent the rampaging Blazing Lion chasing in circles.
Xiao Feng and his Phantom Shadow were like two mosquitoes, constantly harrying the Blazing Lion. But the mindless, enraged beast could do nothing about them.
While Xiao Feng and his Phantom Shadow drew the Blazing Lion's attention, the Iron Armor Bear seized its chance and charged forward. It raised the paw it had been building strength in and slammed it hard into the Blazing Lion's waist.
"Crack!"
The clear sound of breaking bones rang out. The Blazing Lion let out a wail as the blow sent it flying into a boulder over a person's height, kicking up a cloud of dust.
But the Blazing Lion wasn't so easily defeated. It struggled to its feet, and the excruciating pain in its waist brought it back to its senses.
Facing "two" Wind Shadow Wolves over eight hundred years old and an Iron Armor Bear over five hundred years old, the Blazing Lion knew it couldn't kill them all. At best, it could take the badly wounded Iron Armor Bear with it.
But that wasn't worth it to the Blazing Lion. A temporary defeat meant nothing. Staying alive was what mattered!
By the time Xiao Qing reached Xiao Feng, the Blazing Lion had already tucked its tail between its legs and streaked out of the valley entrance. It had vanished without a trace.
Once the Blazing Lion had retreated, Xiao Qing shifted his attention to the Iron Armor Bear.
The Iron Armor Bear's breathing was now extremely weak. It was clearly at the end of its strength, too.
The Blazing Lion had taken the Iron Armor Bear's blow head-on. If it avoided intense battles for the next few months, it could still recover.
But the Iron Armor Bear was different. The Blazing Lion had not only bitten off half its thigh, it had also injected its own flames into the bear through its wounds.
Xiao Qing didn't need to guess to know that the flames had already roasted most of the Iron Armor Bear's internal organs. There was no way it could recover on its own.
Standing beside Xiao Feng, Xiao Qing raised the Prism Ball and aimed it straight at the Iron Armor Bear.
The dying Iron Armor Bear sensed the threat and roared, preparing to fight despite its injuries. But it was so badly wounded that its movements were far too slow.
To Xiao Feng, who was incredibly fast, it was no different from watching everything in slow motion. He directed his Phantom Shadow to seize the opening, and the two wolves attacked from the side.
All four paws struck the joints in the Iron Armor Bear's legs with pinpoint accuracy. Its armored hide was tough, but its joints were comparatively vulnerable.
The wolves' claws raked across them, and blood sprayed everywhere.
The Iron Armor Bear cried out in pain, lost all ability to fight back, and sank weakly to its knees.
Xiao Qing seized the fleeting opportunity. He poured Soul Power into the Prism Ball, then threw it at the Iron Armor Bear.
The instant it struck the bear, the Prism Ball blazed with light. A beam shot out and enveloped the Iron Armor Bear.
The Iron Armor Bear struggled, trying to resist the Prism Ball's pull. But it was too badly wounded, and the Soul Power inside it had long since run dry. Its struggles grew weaker and weaker.
Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds...
At last, the Iron Armor Bear turned into a streak of light and was drawn into the Prism Ball.
Xiao Qing sensed that, aside from Xiao Feng's green silhouette in his mental space, a gray-brown bear-shaped silhouette had appeared as well.
He had only become aware of this after breaking through to level twenty. Now that he had captured the Iron Armor Bear, he understood what it was for.
He could now sense the condition of the Soul Beasts stored inside the Prism Ball, and he could choose which one to release, since he only had one Prism Ball.
Of course, he could also release Xiao Feng and the Iron Armor Bear at the same time.
Xiao Qing let out a long breath and leaned against Xiao Feng. His second Soul Beast had finally been captured, and without a hitch.
Just then, Xiao Feng suddenly barked several times at him.
Xiao Qing looked toward the Blazing Lion in surprise. Xiao Feng was telling him that the nine-hundred-year-old Soul Beast had stopped breathing.
"What? The Blazing Lion's dead? Did the Iron Armor Bear's attack just now crush its organs?!"
That was the only reasonable explanation Xiao Qing could think of. The wounds on its body alone shouldn't have been enough to kill it.
After resting for a while, Xiao Qing had Xiao Feng direct his Phantom Shadow over to the Blazing Lion.
Xiao Feng used the Phantom Shadow to slash open the Blazing Lion's eyes, just in case it was faking death and waiting for them to approach.
Blood flowed from the Blazing Lion's eye sockets, soaking the earth beneath its body.
"Well, looks like the Blazing Lion really is dead!"
Only when the blood stopped flowing did Xiao Qing finally relax. He followed Xiao Feng to the Blazing Lion's corpse, took out his long knife, and plunged it into the lion's belly.
Before long, Xiao Qing found the object inside the Blazing Lion that stored its flames: a fist-sized red crystal.
"I never thought I'd actually get a Flame Fire Stone just by trying my luck!"
Excited, Xiao Qing took out a piece of burlap and wrapped the Flame Fire Stone in it. Even through the cloth, he could still feel the fire-attribute energy contained in the crystal.
After putting away the Flame Fire Stone, Xiao Qing noticed that the Iron Armor Bear's vital signs inside the Prism Ball had stabilized, so he released it.
Unlike its earlier rampage, the Iron Armor Bear seemed much more docile after being captured by the Prism Ball. Most of its wounds had already scabbed over.
Feeling how formidable Xiao Qing was, it lay down and gently rubbed its enormous head against his hand.
Xiao Qing often played with Xiao Feng, so he understood that the Iron Armor Bear was showing its submission.
There weren't many Soul Beasts around at the moment, so Xiao Qing had time to examine its injuries carefully.
Several gashes, each as long as a forearm, marked the Iron Armor Bear's chest and would take time to heal. The chunk bitten from its thigh would seriously hamper its ability to move about.
Xiao Qing took out the medicinal herbs he carried with him, crushed them, and applied them to the wounds. Then he bound them with strips of cloth.
"From today on, your name is A'Man. You'll handle defense, Xiao Feng will handle offense, and I'll give the orders."
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