Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear

The next day, before dawn had fully broken and the eastern sky had only begun to pale, She Long and Zhang Fei left the Crown Prince's Residence.

After leaving Heaven Dou City through its southern gate, they sped southwest toward Sunset Forest.

In less than an hour, the familiar endless sea of trees came into view once more.

Unlike last time, they did not linger around the outskirts. Instead, they headed straight for the area inhabited by thousand-year soul beasts.

Deep within the forest, the trees were taller and sturdier than those on the outskirts, blocking out the sky and sun until even the light had grown much dimmer.

She Long summoned his Serpent Spear and turned to Zhang Fei. "Tell me, what are you thinking this time?"

Zhang Fei replied seriously, "Same as last time. We should prioritize dragon-blooded strength-type soul beasts. But dragon-blooded beasts are rare, and Sunset Forest cannot compare to Star Dou Great Forest in terms of resources. If we truly cannot find one, other top-tier strength-type soul beasts will do."

She Long nodded, satisfaction showing in his eyes. "Your thinking is right. What about the age?"

Zhang Fei thought it over. After the Ice-Fire Body Tempering had greatly strengthened his physique, along with more than two years of being relentlessly trained by She Long and Porcupinefish, plus the nourishment of medicinal baths, his physical strength should have already surpassed that of a Soul Elder and approached the level of a Soul Ancestor.

For an ordinary soul master, the limit for a second soul ring was around seven hundred years, the third was roughly fifteen hundred years, and only the fourth could reach five thousand years.

"I estimate... around four thousand years," Zhang Fei answered.

She Long glanced at him but did not answer directly. Instead, he placed a palm on Zhang Fei's shoulder.

A gentle yet dense flow of soul power entered from his palm, carefully sweeping through Zhang Fei's meridians, muscles, bones, and internal organs.

A moment later, She Long withdrew his hand and nodded. "Your estimate is correct. The strength of your muscles and bones is even better than I expected. Four thousand years is the limit, but it would be best not to go beyond that. It would still be somewhat risky."

Zhang Fei grinned. "Alright, then let's go."

Over the following days, the two plunged into the thousand-year soul beast region of Sunset Forest and searched as they traveled.

During that time, they encountered quite a few thousand-year soul beasts.

There were Purple Lightning Eagles over two thousand years old, three-thousand-year Earth-Splitting Rhinos, and even twenty-eight-hundred-year Ironbone Giant Apes. All were top-tier soul beasts, yet Zhang Fei shook his head at every one.

Their ages were all too low.

The soul beasts in Sunset Forest truly could not compare with those in Star Dou Great Forest. Their bloodlines were generally not particularly strong. It seemed his third soul ring would have to come from Star Dou Great Forest in the future.

Still, Zhang Fei was not anxious. He knew such things could not be rushed. Having a Titled Douluo grandfather to help him was already a privilege countless soul masters could only dream of.

After all, how many commoner soul masters died in the jaws of soul beasts while seeking soul rings? Forget high-level soul beasts—even ordinary soul beasts of a suitable age were beyond their reach.

It was not until the afternoon of the twelfth day.

The two crossed a low ridge, and before them lay a deep valley surrounded by dense forest.

At the center of the valley was a bare clearing, trampled so thoroughly that not a blade of grass remained. The ground was covered in deep, crisscrossing marks.

Several trees at the edge of the clearing bore enormous claw marks on their trunks. Each was nearly two feet long and cut an inch deep into the wood, scattering splinters across the ground.

She Long halted, his gaze settling on those claw marks as his pupils narrowed slightly.

He quickly walked to the clawed tree, crouched to examine the lingering tracks and scent on the ground, then reached out to feel the smooth cuts at the edges of the claw marks. A meaningful smile appeared on his face.

"Judging by the width and depth of these claw marks, and how clean the cuts are, it should be a top-tier bear-type soul beast." He turned to Zhang Fei, his eyes gleaming. "And this aura... is exceptionally savage."

Zhang Fei's heart stirred. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's find it first."

She Long nodded. Following the tracks and lingering scent on the ground, the two headed deeper into the valley.

The search did not take long.

After passing through a dense thicket, the view suddenly opened up before them. Ahead was a clearing that had been violently destroyed. Trees had snapped, rocks had shattered, and the ground was covered with deep claw marks, as if countless bolts of black lightning had struck it.

At the center of the clearing, a massive creature stood with its back to them, its head lowered as it tore into the corpse of a thousand-year soul beast.

The crunch of bones being chewed was especially clear in the silent forest, while the thick stench of blood rushed toward them.

It was a bear.

But it was no ordinary bear.

Its entire body was covered in dark golden fur that gleamed with a cold, metallic luster in the dim woods, as though every strand had been forged from refined iron. It stood over two meters tall at the shoulder, its burly body like a small mountain. Muscles rolled beneath its fur, brimming with explosive power.

Most eye-catching were its two forepaws. Its five claws were each half a foot long, black as ink and edged with chilling glints of light. Even resting casually on the ground, they seemed capable of tearing the earth apart.

"Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear..." She Long gripped his Serpent Spear tighter, a trace of delight flashing through his eyes. "And it's an adult."

Zhang Fei's heartbeat abruptly quickened as well.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was a top-tier existence among soul beasts, hailed as the "King of Destruction among Soul Beasts."

Though it was not a pure-blooded dragon, it was descended from the Behemoth, a terrifying ancient existence capable of contending with and even hunting dragons. Its strength and attack power ranked among the best of all soul beasts, and its dreadclaws could even tear through a giant dragon's scales.

With such a top-tier creature right in front of him, what more could he ask for?

"Grandpa, about how old is this one?" Zhang Fei asked quietly, his voice full of anticipation.

She Long narrowed his eyes and observed it carefully for a moment. "Judging by its size and claw length, it should not be more than four thousand years old. It is just within the range you can endure."

Zhang Fei licked his lips, excitement flashing through his eyes. "This is the one."

She Long nodded, tightening his grip on the Serpent Spear. "Wait here. I'll cripple it first. The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's attack power is extremely terrifying. Even I have to be careful not to accidentally kill it."

Zhang Fei nodded. A thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear could rival an ordinary ten-thousand-year soul beast, and this one, over three thousand years old, was likely as strong as an ordinary thirty-thousand-year soul beast.

The strength of an ordinary thirty-thousand-year soul beast was roughly comparable to that of a Soul Sage. Over the past two years, She Long had successfully broken through the bottleneck to rank ninety-four, even drawing a bout of envy from Ci Xue.

Zhang Fei was not worried about She Long's safety. He only hoped She Long would not accidentally kill the creature.

Elsewhere, She Long's figure had already vanished from where he stood.

The next second, a stream of azure-purple light tore through the dim forest. With the force of thunder, the Serpent Spear stabbed straight toward the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's neck!

"ROAR!!!"

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear reacted with astonishing speed. Just as the Serpent Spear was about to strike, it abruptly turned around and swept out its enormous right paw. Five pitch-black claws dragged trails of dark light through the air as they collided fiercely with the Serpent Spear.

"CLANG!!!"

The deafening ring of metal striking metal echoed out, and sparks flew in every direction.

She Long's body swayed slightly, while the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was sent staggering back several steps. Its massive body smashed through two trees as thick as bowls, producing a thunderous crash.

"Beast, you've got quite some strength." She Long sneered as soul rings slowly rose beneath his feet.

His rank ninety-four soul power erupted in full. Arcs of electricity coiled around the azure-purple Serpent Spear, and every strike carried a shrill howl that tore through the air.