Earth Violent Bear

Under Barn's insistence, Declan eventually decided to go into seclusion for a while first.

The Gobada Abyss had never been a place where reason mattered. Here, strength was the only currency that could keep you alive. Every bit more of an insight meant a greater chance of surviving a fight to the death.

Besides, Declan knew Barn had always been stubborn. Once he had made up his mind, he wouldn't change it easily. And even if Declan's seclusion lasted longer than expected, the worst that could happen was Barn going hungry for a while. In Gobada, a Sanctuary could starve, but it wouldn't die of hunger.

In a secret chamber deep inside the cave, Declan completely concealed his aura. Dense Darkness Element swirled around him as he officially entered seclusion, devoting himself to studying the trace of a new Darkness Profound Mystery he had just touched upon.

Barn stayed outside the chamber, keeping watch for any movement beyond the cave while planning his own cultivation path.

At this stage, Barn's main goal was to fuse the Water Body Technique and Circle Softness, two Water Element Profound Mysteries. He had only just begun to grasp both, and his foundations were still shallow. Trying to deduce more advanced levels too soon would only risk landing him in a bottleneck.

To make the breakthrough in fusion go more smoothly, he temporarily stopped advancing his studies of the Water Element Profound Mysteries and focused instead on meditation, doing all he could to improve his spiritual power.

He knew that spiritual power was not only the foundation for comprehending Profound Mysteries; the stronger it was, the more thoroughly one understood them, and the easier they were to fuse. More importantly, meditation consumed less food than studying Profound Mysteries. That would help ease his current shortage of provisions and let him stand watch over Declan's seclusion for longer.

In the days that followed, only utter silence remained in the cave.

Every so often, a faint but concentrated surge of Darkness energy leaked from Declan's chamber, a sign that he was making progress in comprehending the Profound Mystery. Barn sat in meditation each day, the ice-blue Water Element Magic Power slowly circulating around him as his spiritual power steadily grew. Through unconscious contemplation and practice, the compatibility between Circle Softness and the Water Body Technique also gradually improved.

He carefully rationed his provisions, cutting every piece of meat into tiny portions to barely meet his body's basic needs. He never wasted a morsel.

In the blink of an eye, a year passed amid Gobada's deathly silence and wary stillness.

Barn slowly woke from meditation. Looking at the few shriveled scraps of meat in his spatial ring, he clicked his tongue and muttered, "This kid's been in seclusion so long and still hasn't come out. I'll just have to eat sparingly. If I go three days without food and then have one full meal, I should be able to make these provisions last another six months."

Since arriving in Gobada, this was the first time he had faced such a long stretch of hunger. A year of meditation had significantly increased his spiritual power, but he still hadn't found an opportunity to fuse Circle Softness with the Water Body Technique.

At least he had kept his provisions from running too low.

Just as Barn was forcibly refining the surrounding Magic Power with his spiritual power to ease his hunger, a familiar yet powerful surge of energy suddenly came from outside the cave. It was heavy and violent, filled with the aura of the Earth Element and an undisguised savagery. In an instant, it enveloped the entire abandoned cave.

"An enemy attack!"

Barn's heart tightened. Without hesitation, he used Soul Transmission to jolt Declan awake from his seclusion.

At the same time, he flashed forward, unleashing the full power of his Tiger-pattern Warrior talent. White fur instantly covered his body; claws and fangs emerged, and the spear Mist Hidden in his hand glimmered with a fierce ice-blue light. He shot out like a streak of white light!

"Boom!"

A muffled crash erupted as two tremendous forces collided at the cave entrance. The shockwave swept in every direction, flinging all the loose rocks away and making the walls tremble violently.

Barn felt a tremendous force travel up the shaft of his spear, numbing his arm. He was hurled backward like a kite with its strings cut and slammed into the cave wall. With several sharp cracks, the rock face split into layers of fissures, and rubble pattered down through the dust.

"Cough, cough..." Barn coughed lightly, a thread of blood at the corner of his mouth. But he didn't stop. He sprang to his feet, gripped his spear, and stared grimly ahead. The massive figure before him was none other than the long-unseen Earth Violent Bear!

Declan also burst through the walls of the chamber and rushed out. The moment he saw the Earth Violent Bear, his dark-gold dragon pupils contracted, and a low, furious growl rumbled in his throat.

When old enemies met, their eyes burned with hatred. The humiliation of being driven into a panicked escape by the Earth Violent Bear surged through Declan's mind. Darkness Magic Power erupted around him, and he blurred into a streak of black light, charging straight at the bear with an overwhelming force.

The Earth Violent Bear glanced down at its forepaw. A fresh wound pierced through it, blood slowly seeping from the mark left by Barn's hurried strike.

A flicker of surprise crossed its bell-sized eyes. This Tiger-person has grown stronger.

It remembered that fight years ago. The Tiger-person had fought with everything he had and suffered severe injuries just to inflict a serious wound on it. Though the blow just now had sent Barn flying too, the bear could clearly sense that he'd only suffered a minor injury. His strength had improved by more than a little.

Though both the man and the dragon had grown considerably stronger, the Earth Violent Bear felt no fear. It growled, and an ocher Pulse Armor instantly enveloped its body. Fine ripples of vibration shivered across the heavy armor, radiating a powerful aura.

Its massive body surged forward with terrifying momentum, crashing headlong into the oncoming Declan.

Ocher light and black light crossed in a violent collision, and another thunderous impact rang out.

The Earth Violent Bear continued forward without slowing, while Declan slammed heavily into the ground. Several dragon scales had come loose, and blood seeped from his wounds. His aura had grown unsteady. The Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon's defenses were strong, but even they couldn't withstand a full-force blow from the Earth Violent Bear, empowered by Earth Pulse.

"Declan, don't be rash! Same tactic as before. I'll keep it occupied while you look for a chance to strike!" Barn's voice rang out, urgent but steady, snapping Declan out of his rage.

Before he had even finished speaking, Barn was charging forward again.

In Declan's sight, Barn's figure drifted around the Earth Violent Bear like a phantom. He pushed Circle Softness to its limit, his movements elusive and unpredictable, like willow branches swaying in the wind, deftly avoiding every heavy blow. His spear, Mist Hidden, darted like a snake, its tip coated in ice-blue Magic Power. Every thrust was precise, repeatedly piercing the bear's Pulse Armor and leaving a dense spray of tiny wounds across its body.

Seeing that Barn was unhurt and still able to maneuver calmly, Declan forced down his anger and regained his composure.