"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear charged through the forest, its massive body smashing every towering tree in its path. Wood chips flew as it relentlessly pursued Gu Yue and the others.
"Boss, something's wrong. This Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear is more than a little wrong."
Na'er stood beside Jiang Xiu. A glint of silver flashed in her violet eyes as she watched the bear behind Gu Yue and the others, her delicate brows drawing together.
The aura radiating from this Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was completely different from that of other Soul Beasts formed from energy. It seemed to possess a foundation of its own.
"Of course it's different. This Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear is the guardian of the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform."
At that moment, Jiang Xiu's violet eyes abruptly turned into Blood Pupil. He swept his long hands forward, and cold, dark Soul Power surged forth. A pitch-black straight blade, its edge gleaming with a faint light, appeared in his hands. Two black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings slowly rose from beneath his feet.
The Primary, Intermediate, and Advanced Spirit Ascension Platforms were actually all part of a single whole, merely divided into three sections.
To keep Soul Masters from entering a higher-level Spirit Ascension Platform from a lower-level one, a force was needed to monitor and guard the platforms. In the world of the Spirit Ascension Platform, only Soul Beasts could serve as guardians.
"Run! That Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear is more than you can handle!"
Xie Xie had spotted Jiang Xiu and Na'er, too. As he passed them, he couldn't help calling out a warning.
He admitted that the two of them were powerful, but even a hundred-year-old Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear could fight an ordinary ten-thousand-year Soul Beast. Soul Ancestors and Soul Kings had no chance against one.
"Na'er, you don't need to step in this time. I'll handle it. It's the perfect chance to try out that combat technique."
Jiang Xiu spoke calmly. A surging tide of blood and dark Soul Power burst from within him, his soaring battle intent aimed straight at the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.
"All right. I'll back you up from here."
Na'er obediently nodded. With a leap, she landed on a nearby branch, the Silver Dragon Spear in her hand poised to strike.
"Roar!"
A furious roar rang out. Seeing Jiang Xiu walking toward it instead of fleeing, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear immediately felt its authority being challenged. A violent rage surged through it, and a vicious gleam flashed in its dark gold eyes.
Throughout the entire Primary Spirit Ascension Platform, it was the undisputed strongest. Who dared face it without lowering their head and begging for mercy?
"Scrape! Scrape!"
Its thick arms swung, and two one-meter-long Dark Gold Terrorclaws shot out, screeching through the air. As it charged, the razor-sharp claws slashed fiercely toward Jiang Xiu.
"Shadow Monarch, go!"
Jiang Xiu barked the command. The towering Shadow Monarch rushed out behind him. It flashed through the black mist, slipping into the shadows cast by the surrounding trees like a fish darting through water. In an instant, it was before the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, its crimson eyes locked with the bear's.
Its five fingers curled into a fist as dark Soul Power surged. Its right arm drew back like a taut bow, then its fist shot forward like an arrow loosed from the string, slamming into the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's chest.
"Boom!"
A sonic boom rang out. The dark gold fur around the bear's chest was instantly corroded by the cold, dark Soul Power, leaving a deep black fist mark. The blow shook its enormous body, bringing it to a dead stop in the middle of its charge. It even staggered backward a step.
Gu Yue and the other two, who had been fleeing, all slowed to a halt.
"Is... is that even right?"
Xie Xie gaped, his face full of disbelief.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was famed for its strength, yet a Soul Master with only two Soul Rings had stopped it with a single punch.
"Wulin, since we're already here, why don't we watch before we go?"
Xie Xie looked at Tang Wulin beside him. He'd originally doubted what Teacher Wu Changkong had said, but now he was starting to believe it.
"Well... all right. It'll give us a chance to see how far apart we are."
Tang Wulin thought it over briefly, then agreed. Gu Yue had already risen into the air, meeting Na'er's gaze from a distance.
"Roar!"
Confusion first flickered in the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's eyes. What was happening? It had actually been pushed back by a human.
Then the sharp pain in its chest kindled a bloodthirsty red glow in its eyes. Its savage Dark Gold Terrorclaws slashed toward the Shadow Monarch.
"Whoosh!"
The Dark Gold Terrorclaws sliced through the Shadow Monarch's head as easily as knives through tofu. But as the Shadow Monarch split apart, it flowed like water, merging into the shadow on the ground.
"Clang!"
A clear, ringing hum sounded. Somehow, Jiang Xiu had already appeared before the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. The blade of his black straight sword gleamed as he brought it crashing down toward the bear's head.
Sensing danger, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear raised both arms. Red-gold patterns spread across them, and its Dark Gold Terrorclaws blazed with brilliant red-gold light. Its Dark Gold Terrorclaw bloodline Soul Skill activated in an instant.
"Clang! Clang!"
Ten Dark Gold Terrorclaws tore through the air, their dark gold Soul Power leaving spiderweb-like cracks in its wake. They met the overlapping layers of Jiang Xiu's blade light, and their collision rang out like the clash of swords and spears on a battlefield.
"Vmmm!"
Claw shadows slashed out and blade light flashed in every direction, red gold and darkness intertwining. Trees all around them burst apart in the clash.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear roared furiously. It had discovered that this human could faintly overpower it in strength! Several deep gashes already marked its body, the pain constantly setting its nerves on edge.
It had to tear this human apart!
"Keep hollering until you're hoarse, it won't do you any good. You're still going to die!"
Red light drifted through Jiang Xiu's Blood Pupil. He watched the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's every move, swinging his blade while searching for a flaw in its Dark Gold Terrorclaws.
His master, Mu Ye, had once warned him: in a drawn-out fight, he had to seize his opponent's fleeting opening, then strike fast, accurately, and ruthlessly to kill in one blow.
By now, more than a dozen people had gathered nearby, all drawn by the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's roars. They stared at the scene in shock, their eyes also gleaming with a strange light.
"Is he even human? A two-ring Soul Master fighting a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. Savage—too savage!"
Xu Xiaoyu and Xu Xiaoyan had arrived as well. Watching Jiang Xiu battle the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, Xu Xiaoyu clicked his tongue in amazement.
Inside the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform, even that pack of Flame Demon Lions would be torn to pieces by this Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.
"The fight's about to be decided."
A glint of light flashed through Xu Xiaoyan's beautiful eyes as she murmured.
"What?"
"Clang!"
Jiang Xiu struck again with tremendous force. His hand jolted from the impact, while the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was shaken by the blow as well. As its left arm dropped, its right arm rose a fraction too late.
"Now!"
Jiang Xiu seized that tiny opening at once. He poured all the blood and dark Soul Power within him into his straight blade. Black-red bloodflame sprang up along its sharp edge, and his aura surged once more.
The Shadow Monarch appeared behind Jiang Xiu again. Its blade rose, and it brought it down with him in a savage slash!
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