Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear

"Later, you'll feel your consciousness being pulled out of your body. That's normal, so don't be nervous."

The staff member's voice came from beside him.

"You'll remain in the Spirit Ascension Platform for a while. When you die in the Spirit Ascension Platform, your consciousness will automatically exit."

"If you're injured or die in the Spirit Ascension Platform, it won't have any effect on reality. Don't worry."

Han Li nodded slightly and closed his eyes.

The staff member pressed the activation button.

In an instant, Han Li's vision went dark.

Then the world spun around him, as if an invisible giant hand had violently yanked his entire body.

The sensation was strange, as though his soul had left its shell and drifted toward another world.

A moment later, the darkness faded and light returned.

Han Li opened his eyes.

He was no longer in that room within the Spirit Pagoda.

Soft earth lay beneath his feet, while dense canopies stretched overhead. Sunlight streamed through gaps in the leaves, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow across the ground.

Towering trees blocked out the sky all around him.

Vines coiled everywhere, and shrubs grew thickly.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of soil and vegetation, while the calls of unfamiliar birds drifted from afar.

Everything here was just like reality.

It was hard to tell what was real and what was not.

Han Li did not linger where he was. After getting his bearings, he headed deeper into the Spirit Ascension Platform.

His target was clear—

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

That thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear lived somewhere deep within the Spirit Ascension Platform.

He needed to find it, then kill it.

The forest deep within the Spirit Ascension Platform was even darker.

Along the way, Han Li encountered quite a few Soul Beasts.

Hundred-year Wind Wolves, thousand-year Iron-Back Crocodiles, hundred-year Flame Birds, and thousand-year Rock Turtles.

These Soul Beasts appeared one after another.

Some blocked his path, some ambushed him from behind, and some burst out from underground without warning.

Han Li's response was simple—

Kill.

No matter what kind of Soul Beast it was, no matter its age...

He killed his way through them all.

His fighting style was incredibly brutal. There were no flashy techniques, only direct clashes and trading injuries for injuries.

Whenever he was wounded in battle...

He summoned the Heavenly Bottle. A crystal-clear green droplet condensed at its mouth and fell.

His wounds healed at a visible speed, as though they had never existed.

So if he was injured, he healed.

If he was injured again, he healed again.

As long as his Soul Power was not exhausted...

His recovery ability was practically limitless.

There was only one word for it: reckless.

With the Heavenly Bottle healing his injuries, he could simply charge ahead recklessly.

He did not need to dodge or defend. He only needed to make sure every strike landed on his opponent.

To others, this fighting style was suicidal.

But to Han Li...

This was the most efficient way to fight.

He crushed his way forward and killed his way forward.

Just like that, Han Li traveled through the primeval forest of the Spirit Ascension Platform for an unknown length of time.

The trees around him began to thin out.

The light gradually grew brighter.

An unusual sense of pressure filled the air.

It was as though some powerful existence occupied this region, making all other Soul Beasts afraid to approach.

After walking for quite a while, he had not encountered a single Soul Beast. The surroundings were eerily quiet.

Han Li stopped and listened closely.

From deep within the forest...

Came a low sound of breathing. It was heavy and powerful, and every breath carried a tremor, as if even the ground was quivering faintly.

Then, a roar exploded through the forest.

It was filled with savagery and killing intent, carrying an innate pressure that inspired fear from the depths of one's heart.

A dark golden streak of light immediately flashed out from the depths of the forest, moving with astonishing speed.

A dragon roar rang out from Han Li's mouth.

It shook the surrounding wilderness.

Golden light burst from his right hand.

He did not dodge. Instead, he met that dark golden streak head-on and viciously slammed out with a claw.

Claw met claw.

A dull, thunderous crash rang out.

A vast shockwave spread outward from the point of collision, sweeping up fallen leaves and dust that filled the sky.

The immense recoil traveled through his entire body.

Han Li felt as though his right arm had been struck by a mountain. An intense pain shot from his fingertips all the way to his shoulder.

After only one exchange...

Han Li's right hand was instantly drenched in blood.

Blood gushed from the wounds, dripping down his fingers and staining the soil red.

But in the next second, the Heavenly Bottle appeared.

The Emerald Green Bottle floated out from Han Li's body and hovered over his head, its mouth facing downward.

A crystal-clear green droplet fell, landing precisely on Han Li's right hand.

First Soul Skill: Life Liquid.

The moment the green liquid seeped into the wounds, his flesh began to wriggle rapidly. Torn muscles rejoined, and sliced-open skin swiftly healed.

In no more than two or three seconds, the injuries on Han Li's right hand had completely recovered.

Han Li shook his right hand and flexed his fingers. After confirming there was nothing wrong...

He raised his head and looked ahead.

At that moment, a giant bear covered from head to toe in dark golden fur slowly emerged from the woods.

It stood over three meters tall.

Its arms were thick, and its shoulders broad and powerful.

At the ends of its arms were incomparably sharp giant claws, each of which was more than a meter long.

This was the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, hailed as one of the strongest beings in the world of Soul Beasts.

Han Li looked at the giant bear, the corners of his mouth rising.

Then Han Li charged forward.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's dark golden eyes locked tightly onto the approaching Han Li as it let out a low growl.

It did not retreat, because as the overlord of this region, it had never feared any opponent.

Man and bear collided head-on.

Han Li struck first. The Golden Dragon Claw gleamed with golden light as it viciously clawed toward the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's chest.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear neither dodged nor evaded. Its right claw swung out at the same time, its dark golden talons, over a meter long, slicing through the air with a piercing whistle.

"Clang—"

Claw met claw, sending sparks flying.

The metallic crash echoed through the forest, startling several birds from the distant treetops.

Han Li felt a crushing force surge from the Golden Dragon Claw. His entire right arm went numb from the impact, and his body staggered back two steps involuntarily.

He lowered his head and glanced at his right hand. Three deep claw marks had been left in the golden scales, blood seeping from them and dripping down his wrist.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's strength...

Was even greater than he had expected.

But Han Li did not pause. He charged forward again.

With a clang.

A long gash was carved across Han Li's left arm, and blood sprayed out.

At the same time...

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's right claw swept across. Han Li did not have time to dodge and could only raise his right arm to block.

The enormous force sent his entire body flying, slamming him heavily into a large tree.

The trunk shook violently.

Leaves rustled down, carpeting the ground.