Ten Thousand Year Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear!

Just as Mu En was returning from Ming Capital, deep within the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.

A soul-hunting squad was moving silently through the woods.

Leading them was Yan Shaozhe, with Elder Song and Elder Zhuang at his side.

At the core of the group were two young people in need of soul rings.

Suddenly, Yan Shaozhe, who was walking at the very front, abruptly raised his right hand. The entire team stopped instantly, and the forest became so quiet that a falling needle could be heard.

Several hundred meters ahead, in a relatively open clearing in the woods.

A dark-gold figure, resembling a small hill, was standing with its back to them, head bowed as it tore into the carcass of a massive rhinoceros-type soul beast.

A thick, bloody stench and a heart-palpitating aura of ferocity washed over them.

It was a giant bear covered from head to toe in dark-gold fur, its arms exceptionally thick and its shoulders as broad and imposing as a city wall.

At the ends of its two sturdy arms were peerlessly sharp dark-gold claws; the length of those claws alone exceeded a meter.

"This is..." Yan Shaozhe's pupils contracted sharply, and he could not help but show a look of shock on his face.

"A Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear! And it's at the ten-thousand-year level!" He lowered his voice, his tone filled with disbelief.

Behind him, Elder Song and Elder Zhuang's expressions immediately turned grave.

A soul beast of the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear's caliber was already extremely rare, and one that had grown to the ten-thousand-year level was rarer still.

Generally speaking, a ten-thousand-year Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear could even clash with a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, rivaling a human Titled Douluo.

If it were an ordinary soul-hunting team, they would never dream of targeting such a beast.

However, the strength of their current team was more than sufficient.

Yan Shaozhe scanned his surroundings: "Elder Song, Elder Zhuang, protect the two children. I will test this soul beast myself!"

Just as Yan Shaozhe assigned the tasks and his soul power began to rise quietly.

The Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear that had been feeding suddenly paused its massive body.

It seemed to have sensed the several powerful, undisguised auras locked onto it from afar.

For a creature with an absolute sense of possessiveness over its territory and prey, this was the most direct provocation.

"Roar—!!"

It turned abruptly and let out a roar that shook the heavens and the earth!

The sound waves rolled out like a tangible shockwave, shattering all the shrubs and grass within dozens of meters!

In its dark-gold bear eyes, a tyrannical and frenzied rage burned as it stared fixedly at Yan Shaozhe.

The moment it confirmed the hostility, it unleashed the attack it was most proud of.

One could see a blinding golden light, like a small sun, erupting from the terrifying dark-gold claw on its right forelimb!

An indestructible, sharp aura shot into the sky, slicing countless fine marks into the branches and leaves above.

The next instant, its arm, thick as a pillar, swung out ferociously!

Dark-Gold Terrorclaw!

A condensed, tangible streak of dark-gold claw energy tore through the air, slashing toward Yan Shaozhe's head with the force of a collapsing mountain!

Wherever the claw energy passed, the ground was plowed into deep trenches by the invisible, sharp aura, and the giant trees along the way were sliced through as easily as tofu, collapsing with a roar.

This strike contained both its ten thousand years of cultivation and the innate, powerful offensive strength of the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear clan.

An ordinary Titled Douluo would be injured if they dared to take this head-on!

However, Yan Shaozhe was, after all, a Super Douluo of the assault system.

"Well struck!" A brilliant light exploded in Yan Shaozhe's eyes; instead of retreating, he took a step forward.

"Clang--!"

A clear, resonant phoenix cry rang through the forest!

Behind him, the phantom of a Radiant Phoenix with a wingspan of over ten meters suddenly spread its wings.

A sacred, scorching aura erupted, instantly dispelling the fierce aura brought by the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw.

Facing the incoming dark-gold claw energy, the Radiant Phoenix phantom folded its wings.

"Boom--!"

The collision between the claw and the phoenix erupted with an earth-shattering roar.

Platinum and dark-gold lights intertwined crazily, and the resulting shockwave spread in a ring, shaving a layer off the ground within a hundred-meter radius.

As the light faded, Yan Shaozhe stood as steady as Mount Tai; the Radiant Phoenix phantom behind him was slightly dimmer, but still stood proudly.

"As expected of a Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear, its attack power is truly formidable."

Yan Shaozhe felt a slight numbness in his arm and praised it inwardly.

"However, this is where it ends."

Seeing that its full-force strike had been received by the opponent in such a manner, a flicker of shock and doubt flashed in the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear's enraged eyes for the first time.

Yet, its bestial nature quickly overcame this sliver of doubt; it roared, kicked off the ground with all four limbs, and charged toward Yan Shaozhe like a war chariot.

Its giant claws rose once more, preparing to unleash a relentless barrage of attacks.

However, Yan Shaozhe would not give it another chance to run wild.

The fifth soul ring on his body suddenly flared with a deep, profound black light.

He opened his mouth and spat out a beam of phoenix flames, condensed to the extreme, which instantly tore through space and struck precisely along the path of the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear's charge!

"BOOM—!"

The flames exploded.

The layer of incredibly tough dark-gold fur on the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear's body hissed the moment it touched the fire, rapidly turning charred black.

The terrifying heat and impact force penetrated its body, forcing a painful howl from its throat and bringing its charge to an abrupt halt.

Its massive frame was blasted backward repeatedly, carving deep furrows into the ground.

With multiple charred patches on its body and the stench of burning flesh filling the air, it looked utterly wretched.

However, the vitality and ferocity of the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear far exceeded imagination.

Under such a heavy blow, it had not lost its combat capability; instead, its near-death savagery was completely ignited!

Its scarlet eyes instantly locked onto Xia Ming, who was being tightly protected by Elder Song and Elder Zhuang at the edge of the battlefield.

A beast's instinct told it that this was the core weakness of the human team and its only chance to turn the tide!

"SWISH—!"

Without any warning, it endured the excruciating pain and poured its remaining soul power and ferocity into its right claw.

A beam of dark-gold claw energy, even more condensed and faster than before, was no longer aimed at Yan Shaozhe.

Instead, it carved a bizarre arc, bypassing the main battlefield to strike directly at the distant Xia Ming!

"How bold!" Elder Song, who had been on high alert, let out a sharp shout filled with fury.

She would never allow this beast to harm the future hope of the academy right under her nose!

An incredibly intense cyan radiance suddenly erupted from Elder Song's seemingly frail body!

The cyan light swirled, condensing behind her into a giant eagle shrouded in cyan light and shadow.

The eagle's eyes were as sharp as lightning, and as its wings spread, it seemed capable of slicing through the gale.

Azure Shadow Divine Eagle, a top-tier agility-type beast martial soul!

Although Elder Song did not excel in absolute strength, her terrifying level 97 soul power cultivation granted her martial soul a qualitative transformation.

Facing the incoming, tearing dark-gold claw energy, she did not choose to clash head-on with its sharpest point.

Instead, her figure flashed like a ghost, appearing at the flank of the claw energy.

The wings of the Azure Shadow Divine Eagle phantom, acting like blades and carrying highly compressed, razor-sharp wind blades, struck the side of the dark-gold claw energy with precision!

"SHING—!"

A sharp, tearing sound rang out.

The seemingly indestructible dark-gold claw energy was actually knocked off course by this clever and powerful strike.

It grazed past Xia Ming and the others by a dozen meters, slicing a dense forest behind them off at the roots!

Elder Song's aura fluctuated slightly, but she stood firm, her gaze locked coldly onto the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear.

She did not press the attack, for her duty was to protect Xia Ming and his companion, and she trusted Yan Shaozhe.