Though Sunset Forest was smaller than the Star Dou Great Forest and had a less diverse distribution of species, it still housed plenty of rare, top-grade Soul Beasts. For example, Dugu Bo's Ten-Thousand-Year Head Soul Bone had come from an eighty-thousand-year-old Medusa he'd hunted in Sunset Forest!
Soul Beasts such as the Earth King, Pink Lady, Scale Armor Beast, Man Faced Demon Spider, and Ghost Leopard could all be found in Sunset Forest.
Li Jingzhe carefully studied the Soul Beast markings on the map.
A three-thousand-year-old Crypt Demon Spider?
That wouldn't do... He wasn't Tu Xingsun, after all. The Soul Skill produced by this thing wouldn't be much use to him. Besides, his Martial Soul wasn't a rope or a vine, so the chances of it producing a group-control Soul Skill like Blue Silver Prison were slim.
A six-thousand-three-hundred-year-old Ghost Leopard?
That one was worth considering. Tsk, no, that wouldn't work either. Its age was too low. He mainly wanted a Soul Ring so the Scripture Depository would produce top-tier cultivation techniques and martial arts. With his current physical strength, he could easily withstand a Soul Ring of ten or twenty thousand years.
Still, considering how unusually congested his Soul Power was at the moment, there was no need to go after an older Soul Ring. After all, absorbing one would also increase his Soul Power!
It would be bad if he accidentally upset the balance of Soul Power within his body.
So, for his First Soul Ring, he should pick the best possible option within the limits of what he could withstand, not blindly chase a higher age.
A five-thousand-seven-hundred-year-old Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear... an eight-thousand-year-old Evergreen Vine... a fourteen-thousand-three-hundred-year-old Soldering Iron Poison Python... Hmm?
Wait!
Li Jingzhe's gaze abruptly swept back!
"A Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear?"
"They have those in Sunset Forest?"
He'd nearly skipped it just now because its age was too low. But looking again, he felt a wave of excitement and restless heat surge through him!
A Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear!
A top-tier Soul Beast with some Behemoth blood in its veins, combining immense strength with savage ferocity!
For one thing, it was rare and powerful. At a thousand years old, it could contend with Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts; at ten thousand years old, it dared challenge Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit might not withstand a single swipe from a ten-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. Absorbing this one's Soul Ring would definitely yield a high-grade cultivation technique or martial art.
For another, it was well-rounded, terrifyingly explosive, and possessed powerful vitality, sinewy muscles, and sturdy bones. Its Soul Skill would surely be formidable too. Not only would it greatly enhance a Soul Master, it might even produce a top-tier External Soul Bone—the Dark Gold Terrorclaw!
Most importantly, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear marked on the map was only five thousand seven hundred years old. It was still a juvenile, which meant it was well within what he could withstand, yet its Soul Ring quality could rival that of a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring. And judging by the area marked on the map, it seemed to be alone, without its bear parents looking after it!
"A gift from heaven... You're the one!"
Li Jingzhe immediately stood up and checked the map to determine his direction... Hmm, the beast wasn't far from where he was. At full speed, he could get there in a little over an hour.
One hour later!
"From here on, I should be entering the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's territory!"
Li Jingzhe took out the map and checked it, confirming he was in the right place. Then he plucked a leaf from the ground to test the wind direction and found a spot upwind... Soul Beasts had large territories, especially top predators like the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.
Slowly searching its territory?
That was the stupidest way to do it.
The best solution was to let the beast come to him!
As for how to draw it over, a flash of light glimmered from the Soul Tool on Li Jingzhe's finger, and several rabbit and fox carcasses dropped to the ground, along with a wolf and a deer. To avoid alerting anything, he'd been concealing his presence from the very start. After all, his Soul Power was currently at level fifty-nine and a half. If he didn't hide his aura, there was no guarantee the five-thousand-seven-hundred-year-old Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear would show itself.
Never underestimate the danger instincts of creatures other than humans!
But whenever he concealed his aura, all sorts of foolish Soul Beasts kept showing up. The wolf had been around three thousand years old, and the deer around five thousand. Not one of them had withstood a casual punch from him.
Li Jingzhe tossed out the rabbit and fox carcasses first, letting the stench of blood spread on the wind. Then he built a campfire where he stood and started roasting the wolf and deer meat. He couldn't be bothered to skin or prepare them; it wasn't as if he planned to eat them himself.
He wanted to spread the scent of himself and the meat around!
That way, whether it came out of territorial instinct or its hunting instincts, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear would eventually come to investigate!
Once he'd finished, Li Jingzhe simply leaned against a tree and pretended to doze.
His eyes were half-lidded, but he stayed on guard!
One minute...
Ten minutes...
Half an hour...
Li Jingzhe suddenly jolted awake from his feigned nap, his heart leaping with excitement.
"It's here!"
As a martial artist, his sense of danger was no worse than a Soul Beast's. It was instinctive, and in this area, the only thing that could pose a threat to him was the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.
He sensed a massive creature slowly approaching. It moved cautiously, stopping now and then to test the waters.
Li Jingzhe silently tracked their positions and the distance between them... five hundred meters... four hundred meters... a hundred meters... forty meters...
Whoosh—
Li Jingzhe's eyes snapped open. He activated the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Technique, and his blood surged like a raging river, unleashing immense force. His foot slammed into the ground with a bang, cracking the earth in layers as he shot forward like a cannonball.
His meridians were congested, making it difficult to circulate Soul Power, but his body was powerful!
On the journey here, even five-thousand-year Soul Beasts hadn't withstood a casual blow from him. Every movement carried the weight and strength of a mountain!
As his blood surged, he also activated the Perfect Seven Injuries Fist Intent, secretly building up power.
As he drew closer, he could make out the beast's mountain-sized body and dark golden fur. Its forelimbs were slightly longer than its hind legs, and its dark golden claws were longer still... It really was a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear!
Judging by its size, it was nowhere near ten thousand years old. It had to be the one marked on the map!
Seeing a human whose aura seemed weak not flee at the sight of it, but actually charge straight at it, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear—who had only come to inspect its territory—immediately felt provoked!
Roar—
It roared, dropped onto all fours, and charged forward with a rumble that shook the earth. Though it was enormous, it moved like thunder, a streak of dark gold lightning.
The distance between them was only forty meters. They met in the blink of an eye!
Roar—
It raised its paw, the long, blade-like dark golden claws glinting in the sunlight like metal. They came down on Li Jingzhe's head, sharp as a cold blade.
But how could Li Jingzhe possibly let a stupid bear hit him?
Lingbo Microsteps—
With one simple sidestep and turn, he shifted position, moving from in front of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear to its flank.
The Perfect Seven Injuries Fist Intent he'd been building up burst straight out!
"Bang!"
His fist landed solidly!
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear let out a pained howl. Its body lost balance and rolled onto its side, skidding in a tire-burning arc as it plowed a furrow through the earth.
Li Jingzhe frowned... Damn, he'd missed!
His congested meridians made it difficult to circulate Soul Power, and that had still affected him. His punch came a fraction of a moment too late. He'd aimed for the beast's flank, but hit its hind leg instead...
That was exactly why Li Jingzhe hadn't chosen to face the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear head-on. He wasn't in peak condition, and no amount of caution was too much.
But even a blow to its hind leg was more than enough to hurt the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.
Before you continue