Confrontation

The smell of blood drifted out from deep within the forest, carried on the wind.

The wind arrived first, followed by the trembling of the earth. One step, then another—steady and heavy, as if some massive body was slowly approaching them. The scent of blood in the air grew stronger and stronger. It did not feel like a lingering trace, but something that was still being produced.

"Not good!" The person in charge of the Spirit Pagoda monitoring room abruptly stood up, bracing both hands on the console as he stared at the dark-gold silhouette approaching from the edge of the forest on the massive screen. "That's... the guardian of the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform! Why aren't they running?"

Another person beside him rose as well, his tone even more urgent. "No, this has already exceeded what we can handle. We need to report this to the higher-ups immediately."

Hurried footsteps shifted toward the door. A keyboard was knocked several inches out of place, and an overturned cup rolled across the tabletop, nearly falling off.

An ice-blue barrier rose across the doorway. Transparent, glasslike ice sealed the edges of the entire door, blocking the two men's path. Wu Changkong stood at the entrance, his fingers still held in the pose of releasing Soul Power, the remaining frost at his fingertips slowly fading. "They are my students. I believe in them."

"But, we—" The person in charge wanted to say more, but an invisible pressure bore down from the direction of the door and forcibly choked the words back.

"If anything happens to them," Wu Changkong said. His voice was not loud, yet it was clear as though it had been amplified for everyone to hear. "We will assume full responsibility ourselves. It has nothing to do with you."

Long Bing stood beside him, her hands hanging at her sides, though her fingertips clutched tightly at her sleeves. "But, Changkong... they..."

Wu Changkong turned to look at her and caught the words she had not finished. "It'll be fine, Bing'er. Trust me." He took her hand. "I believe they must have a reason for doing this."

Long Bing's hand trembled faintly. Her gaze swept quickly across the screen before returning to Wu Changkong's face, then finally settling on the small figure at the center of the display. She looked into those eyes. After a moment, she spoke, her voice somewhat steadier. "All right. But if anything seems wrong, we must cut the connection immediately to avoid unnecessary harm."

"Mm." Wu Changkong answered, his gaze returning to the massive screen.

Within the forest, the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear finally revealed its full form.

It was even larger than they had anticipated. Dark-gold fur covered its entire body, while its broad back rose and fell faintly with each breath, as if something within it was slowly flowing. Its paws hung at its sides, the claws at their tips gleaming with a heavy metallic luster in the dim light. Each one was half a foot long, their edges bearing the rounded bluntness of something repeatedly polished. It stood at the edge of the forest without rushing forward, merely watching them.

"Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear." Wang Jinxi's voice was low, but every word was clear. "Extremely high defense, long attack range, fast movement speed. Ten-thousand-year cultivation. Extremely difficult to take down. Watch its golden claws."

The Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear opened its mouth, and a deep roar rolled up from the depths of its throat, carrying the scent of blood.

Before the roar had faded, Tang Wulin moved. As he raised his left hand, golden light burst from his palm, and an entirely dark-gold hammer condensed in his grip. The dragon-scale patterns coiled around its handle were clearly visible. The instant the hammer appeared, a deep dragon's roar shook from its surface, as though something were awakening from slumber. Gripping the handle, he charged forward.

The Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear reacted with incredible speed. The moment Tang Wulin moved, its right claw had already swept out. Dark-gold talons tore through the air, wrapped in a heavy pressure. Tang Wulin did not dodge. He met it with the hammerhead. The sound of their collision was dull and deep, like two mountains crashing together in the deepest reaches of the earth. A shockwave exploded from the point of impact, flattening a patch of nearby brush. Tang Wulin was sent flying backward by the force. Wang Jinxi caught him, his feet dragging a short trail through the ground before he came to a stop.

Tang Wulin pressed his left hand against his chest. The hammer had already dissipated from his hand. He was uninjured.

Zhang Yangzi's eyes remained fixed on the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear. His voice was tight, but his words were steady. "He wasn't hurt."

Gu Yue's ice spikes were already in place. Several savage stone spikes thrust out from the earth, their pointed tips biting into the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear's limbs and torso like fangs. Xie Xie's Light Dragon Storm erupted from the side and struck its head, golden light bursting into scattered fragments at the point of contact. The Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear merely tilted its head, as if something irritating had disturbed it, then casually flung Xie Xie away. At the same time, it shattered the stone spikes entwined around its feet, sending fragments flying in every direction.

Tang Wulin rose from Wang Jinxi's arms, palm facing upward as golden light condensed in his hand once more. In that instant, he seemed to think of something. Then he turned his head, his gaze passing over Gu Yue as he looked into her eyes.

"Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi, prepare your Martial Soul Fusion Skill in the back." After saying that, he looked at Gu Yue with an expression that seemed to be seeking confirmation.

Gu Yue did not avoid his gaze. She gave a slight nod without speaking.

Tang Wulin's palm lit up again. The Clear Sky Hammer reformed in his hand, dark-gold patterns spreading upward along the handle. The hammerhead was a full size larger than before. He did not grip it, instead loosening his hand. The hammer spun above his palm, as though it were rearranging its own structure.

The moment he gripped it again, the hammer had become a gigantic battle-axe, its blade edged with a layer of dim, dark light.

"Come!" He charged forward again. "Let me see just how thick your hide is!"

He rushed forward. The axe blade collided with the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear's claws once more. This time, the shockwave was even greater. The ground collapsed in a ring around them, while shattered stones sprang out from the cracks before dropping back down.

He had already reached the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear's forearm. Under the suppression of the Golden Dragon King's power, the giant bear's fur was slowly denting inward, and its temperature was rising. He believed Gu Yue would definitely be able to teleport the fully charged Ancient Dragon King over.

A warped ripple of light appeared behind and to the side of the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear. The Ancient Dragon King stepped out from the ripple.

Just as the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear's attention was restrained by both the giant axe and the Ancient Dragon King's bone wings, a streak of black light silently cut in from the flank of the battlefield, accurately piercing the point where the Ancient Dragon King's shoulder blade connected.

The Ancient Dragon King's body stiffened for an instant, and the light on its bone wings rapidly faded. That dark-gold silhouette broke apart in midair. Two figures fell separately from the sky and crashed into the ground, unable to rise again.

Tang Wulin's gaze passed over the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear's shoulder and landed on the slender black silhouette behind it. Eight thin legs supported it on the ground, dark-purple patterns of light slowly crawling along its joints. The black carapace over its chest glinted coldly.

That face was gloomy, as though mocking them, yet also radiating the delight of being able to kill both them and the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear at once.

Man Faced Demon Spider. Ten-thousand-year cultivation.

His pupils abruptly contracted.

The Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear had not retreated. It was confronting the Man Faced Demon Spider.

Tang Wulin was the same. He did not loosen his grip on the giant axe, though his knuckles slowly tightened. Gu Yue stood behind and to his side, still unmoving. Wind passed through the gaps in the canopy, carrying the scent of blood as it poured in from every direction.

"Enough." A deep, resonant voice rang through his mind. "I knew you would not return. Now, leave the rest to me."