Palm Bone Evolution

The moment he saw the Crystal Bear shadow, the Dreadclaw Bear's charging momentum abruptly stalled, and the ferocious aura around it weakened considerably.

Clearly, the Crystal Bear's sudden appearance had exceeded the Dreadclaw Bear's understanding.

"Wooo—"

The Dreadclaw Bear let out a low growl, tinged with grievance and sorrow.

"Roar!"

The Crystal Bear responded as well. For a moment, Cheng Xiao thought he was seeing things. Beneath the darkness, the Dreadclaw Bear seemed to be... crying?

"Attack!"

Cheng Xiao showed no trace of sympathy. With a downward wave of his hand, he ordered all fourteen Soul Beasts to pounce on the Dreadclaw Bear.

The Crystal Bear seemed somewhat reluctant, but it could not disobey Cheng Xiao's command. It slapped a paw at the Dreadclaw Bear, instantly forming a layer of crystal over its body. The crystals immediately began spreading upward, but under the resistance of Soul Power, their advance gradually slowed.

The Dreadclaw Bear cried out mournfully, unable to understand why the Crystal Bear had suddenly attacked it. Yet as the other Soul Beasts swarmed forward, its ferocity surged once more. One claw at a time, it tore the Shadow Soul Beasts to pieces.

Even badly injured, the Dreadclaw Bear was not something ordinary Soul Beasts could provoke.

Fortunately, the Dreadclaw Bear was already at the end of its rope. Its attack speed had slowed drastically, and the Shadow Soul Beasts revived quickly enough to fill the gaps.

"Hmm?"

Cheng Xiao's gaze sharpened. He noticed that no matter how savage and brutal the Dreadclaw Bear was toward the other Shadow Soul Beasts, it had never attacked the Crystal Bear even once.

"Kill it!"

Cheng Xiao immediately gave the Crystal Bear an order.

Though reluctant, the Crystal Bear could only obey its master's command. It rushed forward and continuously bit and tore at the Dreadclaw Bear.

The Crystal Bear took the lead, while the other thirteen Soul Beasts kept attacking the Dreadclaw Bear's old wounds. Several venomous Soul Beasts even injected all their poison into the Dreadclaw Bear at once after each revival.

"Wooo—"

The Dreadclaw Bear let out a mournful howl. The strength of its final burst finally began to fade, and beneath the siege of fourteen Soul Beasts, it collapsed with a thunderous crash.

"Buzz!"

A purple Soul Ring then emerged from its body.

Cheng Xiao's expression remained unchanged as he slowly stepped forward. The Shadow Soul Beasts moved aside one after another, prostrating themselves on the ground as though welcoming the arrival of a king.

"Stand Up!"

With a low shout, the shadows began to stir, as though something were about to be born from within them.

"Roar!"

Shadows of Soul Beasts rose from the countless corpses torn apart by the Dreadclaw Bear, roaring one after another as if proclaiming their return.

However, the Dreadclaw Bear, which Cheng Xiao cared about most, showed no reaction at all.

Cheng Xiao frowned. There were only two chances left.

"Stand Up!"

Cheng Xiao's tone became harsher. Several more Soul Beast shadows killed by the Dreadclaw Bear rose to their feet, but the Dreadclaw Bear's shadow bubbled like boiling water, radiating intense resistance before ultimately rejecting Cheng Xiao's command.

Cheng Xiao's expression changed slightly. He had not expected the Dreadclaw Bear's resistance to be so fierce.

There was only one chance left!

Cheng Xiao opened his mouth, yet he did not dare give the final command. Whether it succeeded or failed, this would be his last gamble.

Failure was what he found hardest to accept, because it would mean that not only would he lose the Dreadclaw Bear's shadow, he would not even dare absorb its Soul Ring!

After a brief silence, the Crystal Bear's enormous body suddenly entered his view from the Dreadclaw Bear's nest. Cheng Xiao's eyes immediately flickered.

"Are you trying to protect it?" Cheng Xiao maliciously threatened the Dreadclaw Bear's corpse. "If you refuse to obey my command, I'll have it beaten by others. I'll even find a Doudou Bear to breed with it! You don't want it being bullied by another bear, do you?!"

"Wooo, woo—" The Crystal Bear seemed to understand Cheng Xiao's words. It whimpered resentfully, its eyes filled with pitiful pleading.

"Stand Up!"

Cheng Xiao shouted for the final time, his heart rising into his throat as he stared fixedly at the Dreadclaw Bear's corpse.

The shadow churned and hesitated for a moment. Yet to Cheng Xiao, that brief instant felt unbearably long. Finally, under his tense gaze, the shadow darted into the Dreadclaw Bear's corpse. A massive black bear claw then stretched out from the body and pressed against the ground, and a Shadow Dreadclaw Bear crawled out from the corpse.

"Whew..."

Cheng Xiao's taut muscles suddenly went slack. He sucked in a huge breath as though he had been deprived of oxygen. Then, indescribable ecstasy surged through his heart.

It worked!

He raised his head and looked at the Dreadclaw Bear, about to have it display its strength and see how powerful it had become as a shadow. But the sight before him made the corner of his mouth twitch.

The Dreadclaw Bear scampered eagerly over to the Crystal Bear, and the two bears immediately began acting all lovey-dovey.

"Did I turn it into some simp bear?" Cheng Xiao rubbed his forehead, feeling utterly absurd.

After a spell of speechlessness, Cheng Xiao lost interest. Seeing that the sky was already beginning to brighten, he waved his hand and had the shadows stand guard.

He could not delay any longer. He had to finish everything and leave before those people reacted!

Sitting cross-legged, Cheng Xiao adjusted his breathing before beginning to absorb the Soul Ring.

Under Cheng Xiao's guidance, the somewhat dim purple Soul Ring descended onto him.

Absorbing a Soul Ring was quite painful as well. It seemed to be nearing Cheng Xiao's limit. Time passed bit by bit, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead.

Pain even more intense than that of the Crystal Bear Left Palm Bone spread throughout his body.

"Ugh..."

Cheng Xiao gritted his teeth tightly, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. Under the torment of such pain, his mind began to grow hazy.

"Buzz..."

Just as the pain reached its peak, Cheng Xiao's left hand suddenly transformed into transparent crystal. Sharp, translucent bone claws extended from it—it was the Crystal Bear's Left Palm Bone!

The instant the Left Palm Bone appeared, Cheng Xiao felt his body relax. The pain vanished, and a vast amount of energy began gathering in his left hand as the translucent bone claws erupted with brilliant golden light.

The sun rose, and a beam of sunlight shone through the gaps between the leaves, scattering patches of light across the ground. Those patches gradually shifted, and just as one was about to reach Cheng Xiao's left hand, the golden light around it suddenly contracted.

"It's done!"

Cheng Xiao opened his eyes and looked at his left hand. The Left Palm Bone had undergone enormous changes. Compared with before, the translucent bone claws were much larger, the bones more savage, and the blade-like bone fingers even longer. They gave off a chilling gleam that made one's heart tremble.

"Huh?"

Cheng Xiao discovered in surprise that strange gilded patterns had appeared on the palm bone. The patterns resembled clouds and covered the entire crystalline palm bone. At the sharp tips of the claws, they became an opaque dark gold, giving off the impression of hardness far beyond metal or stone.

"Hiss..."

Cheng Xiao casually swung his hand, and the air immediately let out a mournful whine. The bone claws swept across a stone, instantly cutting it into several pieces. Even the Dreadclaw Bear's corpse before him could not withstand the Left Palm Bone's destructive power. Its hide, tougher than metal, was torn apart in an instant, exposing stark white bones.

"What terrifying attack power!"

Seeing the wounds caused by the Crystal Bear's palm bone, Cheng Xiao's pupils contracted, and he could not help but be moved.

I went to sleep too late yesterday. I did not fall asleep until after four in the morning, and I had to get up early again today.

I really can't hold on anymore. I'll post one chapter first. Tomorrow happens to be the weekend, so I'll write 6,000 words to make up for today's update. I hope everyone can understand and let me catch up on some sleep first.

I'm really too tired. It feels like my heart can barely take it and is about to stop beating.