First Meeting

The fourth wave of soul beasts arrived suddenly.

It wasn't a pack, but a single one.

Yet, that one was larger than any soul beast they had seen before.

Standing over three meters tall, its entire body was covered in dark gold fur, and a pair of massive claws hung before it, the tips gleaming with a cold light.

Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

Ye Xinglan's expression shifted.

"Hundred-year?"

Her voice was a bit tight. "This thing looks like this at a hundred years old?"

Yun Jingheng did not speak.

He stared at the bear, his mind rapidly recalling the lore he had read in his past life.

Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, a top-tier soul beast, invincible among its own rank.

A hundred-year-old could go head-to-head with a thousand-year-old, and a thousand-year-old could challenge a ten-thousand-year-old.

As for this one right now—

Judging by its size, it was indeed a hundred-year-old.

But that sense of oppression was stronger than any thousand-year soul beast he had encountered before.

"Run or fight?" Ye Xinglan asked.

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment.

"Run."

The two turned and bolted.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear let out a roar and gave chase.

It didn't run fast, but every step caused the ground to tremble, and the small trees it collided with were brushed aside like grass.

Ye Xinglan glanced back while running.

"It's catching up!"

Yun Jingheng didn't look back, flicking a Crescent Slash behind him.

The moon-shaped blade landed on the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, not even leaving a white mark.

But the mark was applied.

With a thought, Yun Jingheng flashed behind it and thrust his sword toward its nape.

"Clang—"

The tip of the sword struck the fur as if hitting an iron plate.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear turned its head and swiped a claw.

Yun Jingheng dodged quickly, but the wind from the claw grazed his shoulder, leaving a burning pain.

He landed and continued to run.

"Can't pierce it," he said.

Ye Xinglan gritted her teeth.

She suddenly stopped, turned around, and a blinding golden light erupted from the Star God Sword.

"Sword God Star!"

A golden beam of sword light shot from the tip of the blade, heading straight for the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's face.

This strike was faster and stronger than any sword move of hers that Yun Jingheng had ever seen.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was struck, swaying as its pace faltered.

Ye Xinglan's face turned pale; this single strike had drained most of her soul power.

"Go!" she shouted.

The two continued to run.

But the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear only hesitated for a moment before chasing after them again.

It was enraged.

Its speed was faster than before, and in a few strides, it was right behind them.

The giant claw swung down.

Yun Jingheng shoved Ye Xinglan aside and rolled away in the other direction.

"Boom—"

The ground was smashed into a deep crater.

The two were completely separated by this blow, with over a dozen meters and that enraged bear standing between them.

"Split up and run!"

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear looked at Ye Xinglan running to the left, then at Yun Jingheng running to the right.

It chose Yun Jingheng.

Because that little human had just struck it with a sword, and it hurt.

It gave chase.

Behind Yun Jingheng, the footsteps of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear grew closer and closer.

He glanced back, "Oh my god! Why are you chasing me?!"

Ye Xinglan gasped for air, her chest heaving.

She watched the direction in which the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was chasing Yun Jingheng, her expression grim.

"Damn it..."

She wanted to give chase, but that full-force sword strike had drained her soul power, and her legs were weak and trembling.

"Damn it..."

Gritting her teeth, she leaned against a tree to stand up and began to walk forward, step by step.

Yun Jingheng was running.

Running fast.

Behind him, the footsteps of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear sounded like thunder, each step shaking the ground.

"Crap--!!!"

He shouted as he ran.

"Stop chasing me!"

"I didn't steal your cub! Why are you chasing me?!"

The bear remained silent, mindlessly swinging its arms down.

"BOOM--"

A tree collapsed three meters behind him.

Yun Jingheng didn't even look back; he pushed off the ground, veered to the right, and dove into the denser forest.

As he ran, he kept throwing Crescent Slash behind him.

It wasn't to hurt the bear—that thing was impossible to damage—but to leave marks.

The moon blades landed on the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, leaving behind trails of silver light.

Then, with a thought, Yun Jingheng blinked behind the bear.

Another Crescent Slash.

Blink again.

Another one.

The bear was being led in circles, and every time it turned to swat him, he had already blinked to the other side.

But running like this consumed too much soul power.

Yun Jingheng calculated as he ran; at this rate, he could last two minutes at most before his soul power bottomed out.

He glanced back.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was still in pursuit, its eyes filled with rage, as if it were determined to flatten him into a meat patty.

"Is it really that serious..."

He muttered and kept running.

Then, he saw people ahead.

A group of them.

Standing in a clearing, gathered in a circle, doing something he couldn't identify.

Yun Jingheng froze for a second.

What was going on?

Before he could react, his feet had already carried him out of the forest.

"Hand over your spirit power and withdraw yourselves; I won't make things difficult for you."

Xu Xiaoyu's voice was cold, his blue hair shimmering under the virtual sunlight.

The little girl behind him peeked out to look at them.

Tang Wulin was just about to say something, but he suddenly stopped.

He felt the ground trembling.

It wasn't an ordinary tremor; it was rhythmic, as if something massive were running.

He looked toward his companions.

Xie Xie and Wang Jinxi were busy cursing the blue-haired person in front of them, completely oblivious to the anomaly beneath their feet.

Zhang Yangzi stood to the side, looking at him with a puzzled expression, as if asking, "Why did you stop talking?"

And Gu Yue—

The only girl in the team, who usually didn't speak much to anyone, was currently staring intently at... his side?

Tang Wulin followed her gaze.

It was the direction of the forest.

The tremors grew closer.

"Boom—boom—boom—"

Xie Xie finally noticed.

He stopped his tirade and turned his head toward the forest.

"What is that sound?"

Wang Jinxi was also stunned.

Zhang Yangzi opened his mouth to say something, then swallowed it back.

Xu Xiaoyu frowned and took a step back, shielding the blue-haired girl tightly.

Then, someone burst out of the forest.

A boy, about their age, with black hair and a faint crescent moon mark between his brows.

He was running very fast.

Fast as a gust of wind.

But the expression on his face—

How to put it? It wasn't panic, nor fear; it was a look of... exasperated fury?

The moment he rushed out of the forest, he locked eyes with them.

Tang Wulin froze.

Who is this?

Before he could react, there was another loud crash from the forest.

"Boom—"

A tree was snapped in half, and a massive figure charged out of the woods.

Over three meters tall, covered in dark gold fur, with a pair of giant claws hanging before its chest, the tips gleaming with a cold light.

Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

It panted heavily, staring at the boy, its eyes burning with rage.

Tang Wulin's mind went blank for a second.

Then, he shouted.

"Dark, Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear?!"

His voice trembled slightly.

"A century-level Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear!"

As soon as those words left his lips, Xie Xie and Wang Jinxi screamed in unison.

"Ahhhhhhh—!"

"A century-level Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear!"

"Run!"

Zhang Yangzi's face turned pale as he grabbed Xie Xie's sleeve and backed away.

Wang Jinxi's legs went weak, and he stood rooted to the spot, unable to move.

Xu Xiaoyu's expression shifted from cold indifference to panic.

He instinctively stepped forward, blocking the girl behind him.

But his legs were shaking.

Yun Jingheng stood where he was, looking at the bear, then at the group of people.

He was silent for half a second.

Then, he stepped aside.

"Excuse me."

He said.

Then he continued to run.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear gave chase.

But after two strides, it suddenly stopped.

Because—

"Holy crap?! Gu Yue! What are you doing?!" Xie Xie's panicked voice rang out.

Yun Jingheng looked back.

A wisp of smoke was rising from the top of the bear's head...

It was very faint, so faint it was almost invisible, but it was definitely smoke.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was stunned.

It raised a giant claw, touched its own head, and then looked toward Gu Yue.

Gu Yue stood where she was, her hand still raised.

Her expression was indifferent, as calm as if she had done nothing at all.

But those eyes were locked onto the bear.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear let out a roar.

It wasn't one of anger, but of wariness.

It took a step back.

Gu Yue took a step forward.

And another.

She walked toward the bear, her pace not fast, but steady.

Yun Jingheng stood rooted to the spot, watching this scene, his mind unable to process what was happening.

What is she doing?

Fighting a bear?

By herself?