The Snipe and the Clam

"Was that the roar of a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear?"

Xie Xie froze for a moment, then his face turned pale.

"A thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear is charging at us?"

"Don't panic. From the sound of that roar, it doesn't seem to be coming our way."

Tang Wulin carefully communicated with the plants in the direction of the roar and finally obtained a crucial piece of information.

"They're fighting!"

"They?"

Everyone looked curiously at Tang Wulin.

"The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear and the Human-Faced Demon Spider we mentioned before are fighting!"

"Really?"

"The plants told me themselves. The plants have no reason to lie to me—and won't we know if we go take a look?"

Tang Wulin pointed in the direction the roar had come from.

"True. If we can take down those two, we'll definitely make a huge haul this time."

Luo Qing recalled the events of the Ascension Platform. According to the original timeline, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear in the Ascension Platform should have only been around a hundred years old.

If a hundred-year one could drop a soul bone, there was no reason a thousand-year one couldn't, right?

Besides, wasn't there also a thousand-year Human-Faced Demon Spider nearby?

As long as either one dropped a soul bone, they would profit!

He shared this information with everyone.

"You're saying these two might be guardians of the Ascension Platform and are very likely to have soul bones?"

Xie Xie instantly lost his composure.

In this era, when soul beasts were nearly extinct, soul bones were always tightly held in the hands of major powers. They simply did not dare let such precious resources circulate freely.

As a result, soul bones were virtually impossible to buy, no matter how much money one had. Forget hundred-thousand-year soul bones—even some Title Douluo did not possess ten-thousand-year soul bones.

"Luo Qing is right. I have some connections in the Spirit Pagoda, so I know a little about the inside story."

"The guardians of the Ascension Platform are created by extracting the power of soul bones. Defeating them really can yield soul bones."

"The question is, which one is the guardian, and what kind of soul bone will it have?"

Gu Yue looked in that direction and calmly said something that shocked everyone.

"Are soul bones worth a lot of money?"

Tang Wulin scratched her head. She had no real concept of such things, but judging from everyone's reactions, they seemed incredibly rare.

"They're priceless. The kind you can't buy even if you have money."

As Luo Qing spoke, he led everyone onward.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Tang Wulin had always been a little money-minded by nature. Although that trait had eased somewhat after her parents officially regained their identities,

it had turned into a peculiar habit. She would instinctively hoard anything she considered valuable.

"Keep it down. The area where they're fighting should be just ahead."

Soul Masters moved quickly, and they could already faintly hear the sounds of two ferocious beasts battling.

The Human-Faced Demon Spider was around six thousand years old, something they judged from the patterns on its carapace.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was somewhat weaker in age, but it was still around two thousand years old.

Yet even so, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was still overwhelmingly suppressing the Human-Faced Demon Spider.

If not for the obvious signs of poisoning on the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's body, the Human-Faced Demon Spider probably would have been unable to hold on long ago.

"As expected of a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear. Is it really this powerful?"

Xie Xie could not help sighing at the spectacular sight.

"Is this really the time to watch? Shouldn't we figure out how to ambush them?"

Tang Wulin's thoughts were clear. Ever since awakening the Breath of Nature, her perception of living creatures had become increasingly precise.

The life force of the two massive beasts before them was slowly declining. The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's was dropping at a slow but lethal rate.

It seemed to be caused by the Human-Faced Demon Spider's venom, which was gradually destroying its life.

The Human-Faced Demon Spider's life force, on the other hand, fell in sharp drops, each decline accompanied by another claw strike from the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

Its sharp claws soon tore through the savage carapace, revealing green fluid within.

"Hiss—"

"Clack, clack—"

The Human-Faced Demon Spider abruptly leaped backward, its eight legs digging into the crown of a towering tree.

It was waiting, waiting for its deadly venom to take effect. It had injected a lethal dose of poison.

Even a physically powerful Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear would die miserably under this unceasing venom.

All it needed now was time.

But how could the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear not know what the spider was planning?

The venom could indeed ravage it, but its instincts as a bear told it that the Human-Faced Demon Spider should possess glands capable of curing this poison.

Even if it did not, it would drag this insect down to hell with it before it died.

As the two beasts fought to the death, the few people hiding in the distance were delighted.

"Who do you think will win?"

Xie Xie asked curiously.

"I think the Human-Faced Demon Spider will survive—"

Luo Qing said confidently.

"Why?" Xie Xie was deeply puzzled. The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear had clearly already destroyed the tree the spider had been hiding in.

The Human-Faced Demon Spider no longer had room to maneuver. In close combat, how could it possibly defeat the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear?

"Because I'm making my move!"

"Soul bones only appear when challengers make the kill. We can't be sure which of these two soul beasts is the guardian, so killing both is the safest choice."

"And the best first target is the heavily wounded Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear!"

A greatsword appeared in Luo Qing's hand once more. He did not have absolute confidence when facing a thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear alone, but that was assuming it was in peak condition.

Now, both soul beasts were half-dead. Relying on his speed, he should be able to deal with one before they could react!

"Big brother, are you sure?"

Tang Wulin did not question the feasibility of the plan. She was merely worried about Luo Qing's safety.

"Yeah! I heard the tearing wounds from a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear and the venom of a Human-Faced Demon Spider are both incredibly painful!

If it hurts so much that you start screaming and roll out of the immersion pod in a sorry state, don't blame me for not warning you!"

Gu Yue was worried inside, but she still could not bring herself to be more straightforward.

"Don't worry. I should be able to take care of one before they react. Then we can join forces to deal with the remaining one!"

There was no further discussion, because both of them seemed to have reached the end of their strength.

The two enormous beasts still faced each other. Though wounds and venom covered its body, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear remained standing.

The pride of a bear at the pinnacle would not allow it to fall. Even in death—it would die standing!

The Human-Faced Demon Spider, meanwhile, was utterly terrified. As a hunter skilled in ambushes, it did not possess the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's lofty pride.

It wanted to live, but with several of its legs already broken, there was no way it could outrun the bear before it.

Just as they reached the point where one side was about to die, a change occurred!

Luo Qing gripped his greatsword and shot in from the distance.

The light wings behind him erupted with blazing radiance, and his soul power was consumed without regard for the cost.

It became the force propelling his acceleration forward—

There was a saying in physics: speed was power.

This high-speed assault also left the two massive beasts with no time to react.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear saw the greatsword close at hand. Just as it raised a claw to block it, it discovered that the blade had already pierced its throat.

The light demons attached to the greatsword transformed into serrated teeth that began spinning along the blade, sawing through the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's windpipe.

Blood spurted endlessly as the giant bear that had dominated the lower-level Ascension Platform fell with unwillingness in its eyes.

But the battle was not over yet.

The Human-Faced Demon Spider was still alive—