The Mutant

It was only after Flender spoke to this point that he faintly sensed where that trace of unease he felt was coming from.

Thinking of this, Flender subconsciously looked up and turned his gaze back to the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear not far away, examining it closely.

Judging solely by its physical description, this bear perfectly matched the information Zhao Wuji had shared with him about Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears.

The only discrepancy was that the bear's fur did not appear to be a pure dark gold, yet those terrorclaws were undoubtedly the most powerful proof of its identity as a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.

Although the bear's fur possessed a metallic luster, the color leaned more toward a simple gray-black rather than dark gold.

However, those signature terrorclaws could not be faked; they were exactly as Zhao Wuji had described.

Could it be that this was a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear with an impure bloodline?

What Flender did not know was that the reason for this difference was that the bear was a rare mutated individual among the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears.

It was an extreme attack-type Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear that had sacrificed its defense to specialize in offense.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for it to directly injure the equally formidable ten-thousand-year Ghost Tiger during a single sneak attack.

Lin Mo had already begun to salivate the moment he heard the name Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear from Flender.

This was a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear!

It was already one of the top-ranked soul beasts on his shortlist for a soul ring.

However, such soul beasts were extremely rare, even within the Star Dou Great Forest, and possessed immense strength.

A ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's attack and defense were enough to rival an average Titled Douluo.

No wonder a thousand-year soul beast dared to battle the ten-thousand-year Ghost Tiger nearby for so long. It turned out to be a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, so that was not strange at all.

Moreover, unlike the long-extinct Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff, although Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears were rare, they could still be encountered in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Lin Mo had expectations, but he did not hold out too much hope.

With Flender's cultivation, dealing with a ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear would be a pipe dream, but dealing with one that had just entered the thousand-year level should be a simple task.

Lin Mo's breathing grew heavy.

He watched the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear fighting the Ghost Tiger in the distance, his eyes filled with longing.

Although the Ghost Tiger's cultivation was much higher, it had clearly been injured in the previous battle, while the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear grew more courageous the longer it fought.

Bang!

"Dean, I want that one!"

Lin Mo pointed at the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear not far away and said with great excitement.

If a soul beast of this caliber could become his second soul ring, his combat power would see a qualitative leap.

"Good lad, your luck is truly heaven-sent!"

Flender raised his hand again to pat Lin Mo on the shoulder and said, "But you must be careful; stay close to me and don't wander too far.

We have already ventured deep into the Star Dou Great Forest, and even I must act with extreme caution.

With your strength, you have enough to protect yourself against some thousand-year soul beasts, but if you run into a ten-thousand-year one, you won't even have a chance to run."

Flender's expression turned serious, and his tone became exceptionally solemn.

Although he was excited, he had not lost his reason.

They were already deep in the Star Dou Great Forest, where soul beasts over ten thousand years old could appear at any moment.

If they accidentally attracted some terrifying existence, even he might not be able to protect Lin Mo.

"Yes, Dean." Lin Mo nodded, not daring to be the least bit careless.

The Innate Life State was not enough, so Lin Mo directly activated his first soul skill, Body-Protecting Qi.

Lin Mo followed behind Flender, his footsteps very light.

The difficulty of absorbing a thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear soul ring would certainly not be low.

But with his physical constitution, there would be no problem bearing the power impact of such a soul ring; what was lacking now was for Flender to kill the two soul beasts nearby.

Soon, under Flender's lead, the two approached the still-clashing Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear and Ghost Tiger at a rapid speed.

However, to Lin Mo's surprise, before he and Flender could even reach the limit of their distance from the bear and the tiger, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear seemed to have sensed something.

It raised its long, narrow arm, and its massive dark gold terrorclaw swiped toward the direction where Lin Mo and Flender were located.

The movement was shockingly fast, and before Lin Mo could even figure out how he and Flender had been exposed, the attack had already whistled toward them.

A three-meter-long dark gold claw shadow suddenly swiped at Lin Mo and Flender, the shadow as solid as if it were real.

However, Flender had anticipated this. Before the Dark Gold Terrorclaw skill could land on them, Flender had already activated his sixth soul skill.

His Cat Eagle wings suddenly spread, and a layer of bright yellow light instantly emerged around his body, firmly blocking the dark gold claw.

Boom!

The claw shadows collided with the bright yellow light barrier, producing a deafening roar.

The ground beneath Flender's feet cracked, yet he remained motionless, his expression barely changing.

Although Lin Mo, standing behind Flender, had been grazed by the shockwave of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw, he was otherwise unharmed.

Under the enhancement of the Innate Life State, the slight lacerations on his skin had already begun to heal.

While blocking the Dark Gold Terrorclaw's strike, Flender's fourth soul ring lit up.

The Cat Eagle wings on his back gave a violent flap, launching dozens of sharp air blades that carved arcs through the air, heading straight for the Ghost Tiger.

The Ghost Tiger was already flustered by the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear; it had no way to account for Flender's attack.

Those air blades struck the Ghost Tiger's body with precision, piercing through its head and neck, running the momentarily distracted beast through.

The massive body of the ten-thousand-year Ghost Tiger stiffened in place before crashing to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Blood gushed from its wounds, quickly staining the earth beneath it red.

A black soul ring rose slowly from the Ghost Tiger's corpse, rotating in the air and emitting the distinct radiance of a ten-thousand-year soul ring.

Flender didn't even glance at the ten-thousand-year soul ring; his attention was entirely focused on the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.

After blocking that claw, his assessment of this soul beast had risen even further.

"Good grief, I'd say this fellow's cultivation is only around twelve or thirteen hundred years, yet the power of that claw strike has already touched the level of a five-ring Soul King!" Flender's tone was full of amazement.

He turned to look at Lin Mo, his eyes shining with an alarming intensity: "Lin Mo, you lucky brat, you've really hit the jackpot this time!"