Ironclad Dragon Bear

The Venom Lizard Dragon pulled its head back into the canopy, not daring to show itself again.

Lu Mingfei watched in silent amazement.

After the two bypassed an enormous Dragonblood Tree, the valley ahead suddenly opened up.

It was a small circular basin. At its center lay a shallow pool, its crystal-clear water reflecting the sky and drifting clouds.

By the water's edge, a gigantic beast was bent over drinking.

The moment Lu Mingfei saw the beast, his steps involuntarily halted.

The beast's body was over fifty feet long, with a shoulder height nearing ten feet. It was solid and heavy-built, like a moving hill.

Its skin was covered in grayish-black keratinous armor plates, as thick as natural plate armor. Its four limbs were as thick as pillars, and every claw was larger than a human head.

Most eye-catching was the row of dark-gold bone spines along its back, stretching from its neck all the way to the tip of its tail. Each spine gleamed with a metallic chill.

Its head was somewhere between a dragon's and a bear's, with a broad snout that exposed two rows of pale fangs. Its dark yellow eyes held a lazy yet dangerous gleam.

Ironclad Dragon Bear.

Lu Mingfei's breathing quickened slightly as his gaze locked tightly onto the enormous beast.

He had learned in his spirit beast knowledge classes that the Ironclad Dragon Bear was a subdragon-type spirit beast.

It possessed both dragon blood and a bear's strength. Its attributes leaned toward earth and darkness, and it had extremely powerful defenses as well as fierce offensive capabilities. It was an exceptionally rare, high-quality hunting target in Dragon Valley.

The spirit skills granted by its spirit ring were generally related to defensive enhancement, annihilation, and long-range attacks.

Moreover, because it possessed the darkness attribute, it was quite compatible with the Black Dragon King.

Huang Fei stood beside Lu Mingfei and narrowed her eyes as she studied the Ironclad Dragon Bear for a moment, but her brow faintly creased.

"What a pity," she said softly.

"What's a pity?" Lu Mingfei asked in confusion.

"Its age."

Huang Fei shook her head. "This Ironclad Dragon Bear is around four hundred years old, no more than five hundred at most.

"For ordinary spirit masters, a five-hundred-year first spirit ring is already the limit. But your limit is far beyond that.

"The whale gel and spirit pills His Holiness the Pope gave you have raised your physical limit to over a thousand years.

"If you use this five-hundred-year Ironclad Dragon Bear as your first spirit ring, it would be such a waste."

Lu Mingfei opened his mouth, wanting to say that five hundred years seemed pretty good already, but swallowed the words before they came out.

He understood what Huang Fei meant.

A five-hundred-year spirit ring was indeed only barely passable for him, a Black Dragon King with innate twentieth-rank spirit power. It was nowhere near perfect.

Bibi Dong had paid such a great price, and Dragon Valley was filled with dragon beasts. If he settled here, he would be letting down the Pope's efforts in nurturing him.

"Then... should we keep searching farther ahead?" Lu Mingfei asked.

Huang Fei nodded. Just as she was about to lead Lu Mingfei deeper inside, a burst of footsteps and voices suddenly came from the valley path behind them.

The two turned around at the same time and saw several people approaching from the direction they had come.

At their head were that middle-aged man, Yu Tianheng, and the little girl wearing a pink qipao.

Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat.

The Yu Clan had actually come here too, and they had run into each other at just this moment.

The middle-aged man had clearly noticed Huang Fei and Lu Mingfei as well.

His gaze lingered on them for a moment. His expression did not change; he merely gave a slight nod in greeting before shifting his attention to the Ironclad Dragon Bear by the pool.

His eyes lit up slightly. He had clearly recognized the dragon beast's value as well.

"Ironclad Dragon Bear, dual darkness and earth attributes, nearly five hundred years old."

The middle-aged man spoke softly, with a trace of satisfaction in his voice. "It's the ideal choice for Tianjiao's first spirit ring."

Yu Tianheng stood beside him and nodded expressionlessly.

The little girl named Yu Tianjiao stared at the enormous beast with wide, curious eyes.

There was both excitement and a hint of nervousness in her gaze, but her little fists were clenched tightly, and she did not show any fear.

The middle-aged man glanced back at Lu Mingfei and Huang Fei, his gaze pausing briefly on Lu Mingfei.

He probably assumed that Lu Mingfei was a child brought along by this freelance spirit master, also here in Dragon Valley to find his first spirit ring.

The Ironclad Dragon Bear was right before them, yet the pair had not made a move. Most likely, the child's talent was average, and they did not dare risk absorbing a five-hundred-year spirit ring.

He said nothing more.

The hunting rules in Dragon Valley had always been first come, first served.

Since this pair did not dare make a move, he could not be blamed if the Yu Clan got there first.

The middle-aged man gave Yu Tianheng a look.

"Tianheng, wound it. Don't kill it. Leave it barely alive so Tianjiao can deliver the final blow. I'll stand guard nearby in case anything happens."

Yu Tianheng gave a slight nod and stepped forward.

A tyrannical blue spirit power erupted from his body. Two yellow spirit rings suddenly appeared around him, slowly pulsing as they emitted a steady, oppressive aura.

Though his body showed no obvious signs of dragon transformation, faint lightning flickered in his eyes. Fine blue arcs of electricity curled around him, giving off a constant crackling hiss.

"Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, possess."

Yu Tianheng's voice was cold and concise.

The Ironclad Dragon Bear by the pool abruptly raised its head. It had sensed the threatening aura of a fellow dragon.

As a subdragon species, its intelligence might have been low, but it possessed an innate sensitivity to differences in the rank of dragon bloodlines.

Yu Tianheng's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was a pure, top-tier dragon martial soul. That aura instinctively made it wary and hostile.

The Ironclad Dragon Bear let out a low growl, lowered itself on all fours, and slightly spread its heavy armor plates as it entered a combat stance.

Yu Tianheng moved.

His figure shot forward like a phantom. He raised his right arm and spread his fingers, blue lightning surging wildly in his palm.

The lightning condensed above his hand into the phantom of an enormous dragon claw. Blinding electricity flashed at its tips, carrying crackling thunderous force.

"First spirit skill, Thunderclap Dragon Claw."

The dragon claw phantom shot from his hand, streaking through the air in a blue arc. The air violently distorted in its path, emitting crackling explosions that made one's scalp tingle.

After flying more than thirty feet, the dragon claw phantom struck the Ironclad Dragon Bear squarely on the shoulder.

Boom!

With a dull explosion, the Ironclad Dragon Bear's massive body staggered one step sideways from the blow.

A charred crack appeared in the armor where the Thunderclap Dragon Claw had hit. Blue lightning seeped through the gaps in its shell and into its flesh, making the Ironclad Dragon Bear release an ear-splitting roar of pain.

It had been enraged. A savage light ignited in its dark yellow eyes as it drove forward with all four limbs, charging at Yu Tianheng like a boulder.

Yu Tianheng's expression remained unchanged. He nimbly darted aside, avoiding the Ironclad Dragon Bear's frontal charge.

The giant beast's claws swept past his shoulder, and the gust they kicked up sent his blue hair flying behind him.