Shadow Clone Technique

Declan's figure flickered, transforming once more into a shadow. With his Dark Magic Power erupting to its limit, he instantly burrowed deep into the earth, concealing even his aura—the stealth capabilities of the Night Veil Profound Mystery were pushed to their absolute peak at this moment. Only a faint, lingering ripple of dark magic emanated from deep underground as he waited for the perfect moment to strike.

On the other side, as the earthy-yellow light completely enveloped the Earth Violent Bear, the wounds on its front paws healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It channeled its incomparably tyrannical spiritual power, forcing a resonance with the earth beneath its feet. More and more earth-elemental energy surged from the depths, flowing endlessly into its body to replenish the energy consumed during the battle.

As the strongest Sanctuary being in this region, the Earth Violent Bear was only a single step away from the God-level. Its comprehension of the Earth Pulse Profound Mystery had reached its pinnacle, and combined with its formidable spiritual power, it could sustain such high-intensity combat for an entire day and night.

In a place like Gobada, where resources were scarce and danger lurked everywhere, few Sanctuary beings could sustain such prolonged slaughter. This was the very foundation that allowed it to stand its ground in this region, a capital that no one dared to provoke lightly.

However, Barn's strength was no longer what it once was.

Although his mastery of the Water Element's Round Soft Profound Mystery and Water Body Technique were only at the introductory stage, the boost they provided to his combat power was tangible. With his base strength as a Tiger-pattern Warrior, even the slightest improvement brought about a qualitative leap.

One must know that while the physical strength of a Tiger-pattern Warrior was inferior to that of a Dragon Blood Warrior or an Undead Warrior, it was by no means weaker than an average Sanctuary magical beast. Now, Barn's physical strength in his transformed state was only a fraction weaker than Declan's.

A white figure flashed rapidly through the cavern, appearing as if he had multiplied into thousands. Leveraging the boost from the Round Soft Profound Mystery, Barn pushed his speed to the limit, constantly circling the Earth Violent Bear. He avoided direct head-on clashes, focusing instead on guerrilla attrition.

The long spear in his hand, Mist Hidden, flickered gently from time to time. Every thrust was perfectly timed; he would withdraw immediately after piercing the Pulse Armor, denying the Earth Violent Bear any chance to counterattack, slowly draining its armor's energy while adding more minute wounds to its hide.

The Earth Violent Bear was gradually becoming truly enraged.

It clearly remembered that during their first battle, every time this Tiger-person wanted to wound it, he had to trade injury for injury, fighting with everything he had. But now, not only could the opponent briefly withstand its Pulse Impact with his body without being injured, but he could also circle it with ease, constantly causing trouble and leaving behind tiny wounds. This disparity made the ferocity in its heart grow even more intense, and its roars became increasingly savage.

Just as the Earth Violent Bear prepared to channel all its power to unleash a wide-range Pulse Impact to finish off the troublesome Barn, the ground suddenly shuddered violently. A black shadow burst forth from the earth with lightning speed—it was Declan, who had been lying in wait!

Declan seized the moment the Earth Violent Bear was distracted. His sharp Dragon Claw, condensed with dense Dark Magic Power, struck fiercely at the bear's abdomen—the area where its Pulse Armor was relatively weak and one of its vital points.

With a "shredding" sound, the Dragon Claw successfully pierced the pulse defense and drove deep into the Earth Violent Bear's abdomen, leaving a massive gash as blood sprayed out, staining the ground red.

But Declan paid a price. Although the bear's Pulse Armor had been breached, the residual vibration ripples traveled along his Dragon Claw into his wrist, instantly shattering his dragon scales. Blood splattered from his wrist, the bone was vaguely visible, and a wave of intense pain surged through him.

Having landed the blow, Declan did not linger. He knew clearly that the Earth Violent Bear's counterattack was imminent.

Enduring the agonizing pain in his wrist, he immediately turned and retreated rapidly.

The Earth Violent Bear turned and swiped its paw, causing three massive boulders to manifest out of thin air and smash toward Declan.

However, Declan's figure suddenly blurred, then shifted three meters to the side, narrowly evading the attack before vanishing back into the ground.

In pain, the Earth Violent Bear let out a deafening, furious roar. Its massive body stomped the ground, and a powerful earth-elemental vibration rippled through the subterranean depths, attempting to strike the hidden Declan through the earth.

Yet, Barn had already seized this gap. He lunged with his spear, the ice-blue magic condensing into a sharp spear-light that struck directly at the Earth Violent Bear's eye—its only weakness. This forced the bear to abandon its plan to attack Declan and hastily retreat to defend, using its paw to block the lethal strike.

Barn took the opportunity to withdraw, putting distance between himself and the Earth Violent Bear. He stared at the formidable enemy with a solemn expression, lost in deep thought.

This creature had clashed with him and Declan time and time again; it clearly viewed them as a thorn in its side. If it wasn't dealt with permanently, they would inevitably face more trouble in the future.

Barn was no pushover, and at this moment, the thought of eliminating the creature to prevent future trouble had already taken root in his mind.

But the current situation did not allow him to act on impulse. Even though both he and Declan had made significant breakthroughs, and their combined strength was enough to fight the Earth Violent Bear to a standstill, they still lacked the absolute certainty to kill it.

The Earth Violent Bear's recovery and endurance were too terrifying; the longer the fight dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became for them.

Of course, Barn had one other option—to cast the Water Element Forbidden Curse, "Absolute Zero."

With the terrifying power of a Forbidden Curse, he could instantly freeze the Earth Violent Bear's body, rendering its Pulse Armor temporarily useless. Then, he and Declan could seize the chance to strike together, giving them a high probability of killing the creature and ending this feud once and for all.

But this choice carried immense risk. This was Gobada, where the water-elemental energy in the air was dead and thin, far inferior to the Yulan Continent. To cast a Forbidden Curse, he would need to spend more time preparing, and that preparation time was enough for the Earth Violent Bear to seize the opportunity and inflict a fatal wound upon him.

Furthermore, casting a Forbidden Curse required a massive expenditure of magic and spiritual power. Even if they succeeded in killing the Earth Violent Bear, he and Declan would be left in a state of extreme exhaustion. If they were then targeted by other Sanctuary beings attracted by the commotion of the battle, the loss would outweigh the gain, and they might even lose their lives.

Gobada was never a place that allowed for impulsive disputes; survival was the only rule.

In the end, Barn communicated his thoughts to Declan via Soul Transmission. Having fought side-by-side for so long, they shared a deep tacit understanding. In an instant, they reached a consensus: retreat for now, abandon the idea of killing the Earth Violent Bear, and return to settle this score when their strength was greater and they had absolute certainty.

With the plan set, Declan was the first to escape from underground, using the Night Veil Profound Mystery to mask his aura and deny the Earth Violent Bear any chance of tracking him. Barn flickered, flying upward for a distance, and unleashed the full speed of a Tiger-pattern Warrior. He broke through the rock layer at the top of the cave and emerged onto the surface, then flew low to the ground, using obstacles as cover to retreat rapidly. He and Declan fled in different directions to divide the Earth Violent Bear's attention.

But just as the two were about to escape the Earth Violent Bear's range of perception and thought they had successfully slipped away, a binding force of extreme power suddenly descended from the sky, instantly enveloping both the man and the dragon.

This force was cold and formidable, carrying a powerful restrictive energy that caused their bodies to stiffen instantly. Whether it was the circulation of their magic or the movement of their bodies, everything became exceptionally difficult, as if they were firmly trapped by invisible shackles, making even breathing a struggle.

Immediately following this, a crisp, melodious, yet undeniably authoritative female voice echoed directly in their minds, breaking the surrounding silence: "Don't leave yet; let's be friends."