Lotus!

"This wasn't arranged on purpose, was it?!" Long Hengxu was suspicious of the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear's appearance.

They had only just mentioned the guardian Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear, and now it had appeared before them.

This place was nowhere near the boundary between the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform and the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform.

The Spirit Pagoda staff hurriedly shook their heads in denial.

"We don't have the ability to control Soul Beasts. This Crystal Bear and Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear seem to know each other."

"A century-aged Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear! Even Thousand-year Soul Beasts wouldn't dare provoke it!"

The Ice Dragon Lizard and Human-Faced Demon Spider Su Yu had killed before would not have dared act rashly before a Century-Aged Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

This was a complete suppression of strength.

At that moment, Gu Yue wanted to manipulate space and evade the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear's fatal strike.

However, she simply did not have enough time. The Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear's attack had come too suddenly.

There was no way to guard against it.

The Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear's dreadclaws drew closer and closer to Gu Yue.

Just as the dreadclaws were about to strike Gu Yue, a figure appeared before her.

In an instant, gray-silver armor covered every part of Su Yu's body, and a shield appeared in his right hand.

Su Yu raised the King's Shield and stood before Gu Yue.

"We're done for!" That was what Long Hengxu, Wang Jinxi, and the others thought.

Or rather, any Soul Master who saw this scene would have believed Su Yu was doomed.

This was a Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear, possessed of ultimate offensive power.

Su Yu was only a one-ringed Soul Master. What could he use to fight a Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear?

It would already be impressive if he was not killed in one blow.

And Su Yu was trying to directly defend against the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear's strongest attack.

Like an egg striking a rock, or...?

Bang!

A thunderous boom rang out, and a Shadow was sent flying backward.

"You're courting death!" Gu Yue's eyes reddened.

Though all of this was an illusion, seeing someone stand resolutely before her—

It felt good.

But when she saw that figure get knocked away, she felt miserable again.

However, the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear's offensive had been interrupted. Gu Yue now had time.

She could have chosen to move away from the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear first, then find a way to defeat it.

But Gu Yue chose to go all out, leaving herself no way back.

In an instant, three elements appeared in her hand.

Fire, water, wind.

The three elements began to fuse. This was Gu Yue's limit, as well as her strongest strike.

Roar! The Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear roared and slapped at the bipedal creature before it.

Without further thought, the three elements finished condensing within a few breaths.

This was a strike that overdrew her Soul Power.

Under normal circumstances, this kind of elemental fusion required time to gather. To condense it so quickly required not only powerful Inner Focus, but also far more Soul Power.

A tricolored lotus bloomed, its red and blue petals reflecting one another while a green stem adorned them.

Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus?

The lotus slowly drifted toward the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

The tricolored lotus reflected in Gu Yue's pupils, yet she did not retreat.

Her Soul Power had already been drained dry. Even relying on her body alone, she would not be able to run far.

She knew that if the lotus exploded at such close range, she would die as well.

But none of that mattered. As long as she could avenge him, it would not be a loss. Dying together was fine too.

At that moment, the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear had yet to sense the danger posed by the tricolored lotus.

It changed the direction of its dreadclaw strike, grabbing first at the seemingly fragile lotus, then at the bipedal creature.

Two birds with one stone.

Boom!

This time, it was an explosion.

An incomparably shocking explosion.

"It's over," Gu Yue murmured softly. She closed her eyes and prepared to leave.

"It's not over yet!"

A familiar voice rang out, filled with determination.

Gu Yue froze. In the blink of an eye, an all-too-familiar figure appeared before her.

That figure had appeared many times. Every time, he had stood before her like a city wall.

A mushroom cloud of three colors rose into the sky as a fierce blast swept outward.

Su Yu turned and hugged Gu Yue, his entire body blazing with gray-silver light.

This time, it was still the King's Shield.

Fire was twice as effective against Steel Type.

Facing the explosion, the armor on Su Yu's body continuously emitted cracking sounds.

Just as the King's Shield was about to shatter, gray-silver light flashed from Su Yu's right hand.

That light instantly appeared on Su Yu's back. The King's Shield armor stopped cracking and even became brighter.

Su Yu and Gu Yue were blasted backward by the explosion's aftershock.

They rolled several times.

They crashed through several trees in succession.

In the end, they slammed heavily into a towering tree before falling to the ground.

"Gu Yue, you should lose some weight!" Su Yu could barely breathe under Gu Yue's weight. The armor on his body had already vanished.

However, the Battle Armor within his body had temporarily shifted position and appeared on his back, shielding him from the attack.

"You're the one who should lose weight!" Gu Yue got up and replied irritably.

"Are you hurt?" Su Yu asked directly.

Gu Yue froze and met Su Yu's eyes.

This time, Su Yu did not look away.

Gu Yue said softly, "I'm fine. I just used up a little too much Soul Power."

She paused, then continued.

"What about you? Are you hurt?!"

She looked at the dust covering Su Yu's body.

"I'm fine!" Su Yu patted his clothes.

And indeed, Su Yu was completely unharmed. The King's Shield had blocked most of the damage, while the remaining aftershock had been neutralized by the Battle Armor within his body.

Theoretically, Su Yu was still in peak condition.

At the same time, the mushroom cloud rose high before gradually dispersing into the air.

A charred figure was revealed where it had stood.

Its right hand still gleamed with golden light, looking exceptionally dazzling.

"It's not dead?" Su Yu was somewhat surprised. Gu Yue's tricolored lotus attack had dealt an impressively high amount of damage.

An ordinary four-ringed defensive Soul Master might not even have been able to withstand it.

This was only a century-aged Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear, yet both its defense and offense were beyond reproach.

Roar! Only then did the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear react, looking at its charred body.

It roared, its eyes glaring viciously at Gu Yue and Su Yu.

Gu Yue frowned and said gravely, "Let's leave first!"

"Why leave? Watch me work!" Su Yu rolled his neck and flexed his hands.

He looked at the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear's provocative gaze.

Roar! The Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear understood Su Yu's meaning. It charged furiously toward him, the dreadclaws on its right hand flashing with cold light.

"I'll give you one attribute!"

As he spoke, Su Yu extinguished his second Soul Ring, causing the Steel Type enhancement to disappear.

From a third-person perspective, however, it merely looked as though Su Yu's Soul Ring had dimmed somewhat.

"The Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear should count as Steel Type, right? Fighting Type is twice as effective."

At that moment, the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear's attack had arrived.

That claw was incredibly fast, giving the impression that it could strike him at any moment.

Detect!

Su Yu's eyes flashed, and he easily dodged it.

Then he raised his fist and punched the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear squarely in the face.

"You like sneak attacks that much, huh? Let's see if you dare try another one!"