The encirclement continued. Three men and one bear fought from the mountaintop to the mountainside, then from the mountainside to the valley.
As for the other martial artists, they had long since retreated far away. A battle of this level was simply beyond their ability to interfere in.
Even among them were some outstanding Third Tier martial artists, but they would struggle to leave so much as a wound on a Fourth-Tier Savage Beast. Meanwhile, a casual swipe of the beast's paw could very well make them perish on the spot.
Three figures stood firmly in the open ground of the valley, Qi and Blood surging around them, their auras as steady and imposing as mountains as they trapped the bear-shaped savage beast in the center.
One wore plain green robes, his long sword angled toward the ground. His face was lean and refined. He was Su Xuan, an elder of the Azure Profound Sect. His swordsmanship had reached the pinnacle of perfection, and his sword intent was incomparably fierce.
A burly man stood bare-chested, his muscles knotted like twisted roots. He held a broad-backed nine-ring saber as tall as a man. The saber was thick and heavy, its nine iron rings trembling softly with his breathing and giving off a low hum. He was Zhou Lie, an elder of Blazing Flame Valley. His fierce body-tempering arts, combined with his domineering saber techniques, gave him the strength to split mountains.
Qin Cang, a Thousand-Household Officer of the Martial Suppression Office, wore a dark Martial Suppression Office uniform and carried an Embroidered Spring Saber at his waist, its cold gleam razor-sharp. He stood straight as a pine, his gaze keen as an eagle's. His saber techniques were swift, precise, and ruthless, balanced in both offense and defense, and decisive in slaughter.
The three men locked their gazes tightly onto the bear-shaped savage beast. The beast let out a deafening roar.
"This bear is probably nearing the Mid-Fourth Tier. Its hide is thick and its flesh is tough. You two should stop holding back."
After speaking, Zhou Lie did not wait for Su Xuan and Qin Cang to reply. Gripping his nine-ring saber tightly, he gave a low shout and struck first. He stomped hard against the ground and leaped high into the air, immediately unleashing a Mount-Splitting Cleave. Powerful Qi and Blood erupted from him, making the temperature around them seem to rise by several degrees.
The giant bear roared furiously, its enormous body abruptly twisting aside as its heavy paw smashed fiercely into the side of the saber. Paw and blade collided with an ear-piercing clang of metal. Zhou Lie felt an immense force travel up the saber, forcing him to stagger several steps sideways, his feet crushing deep pits into the ground.
Seeing this, Qin Cang roared angrily. His Tang saber left its sheath, and its target was actually the bear-shaped savage beast's rear. The beast had no choice but to abandon its pursuit of Zhou Lie and turn around to block in panic.
At that moment, Su Xuan also closed in. With exquisite footwork beneath him, his figure flickered unpredictably. Sword light flowed like a ribbon, and fierce sword shadows blanketed every vital point around the giant bear.
Besieged by the three men, the giant bear flew into a furious rage. Roaring, it charged wildly about, its bear paws striking madly. Every blow carried the force to split mountains and shatter stone, sending shattered rocks flying from the ground.
As it rampaged about, its momentum was terrifying. Zhou Lie swung his saber and met it head-on, only to be shaken until his Qi and Blood churned. Qin Cang relied on his agile movement techniques to evade, his Tang saber constantly seeking openings to counterattack. Su Xuan circled from the side, repeatedly wearing down the beast's strength with his exquisite swordsmanship. The three worked together seamlessly—one attacking, one defending, one circling—firmly restraining the ferocious giant bear.
The fierce battle lasted a full half hour. The three men's clothes had long been soaked with sweat, their arms sore and swollen, their Qi and Blood heavily depleted. The savage beast had also gained many wounds, blood gushing from them. Its movements gradually slowed, and its berserk aura weakened.
"Now!" A cold gleam flashed through Qin Cang's eyes. His figure suddenly shot forward, his Tang saber sweeping toward the giant bear's throat with the force of thunder. Zhou Lie followed close behind, his broad-backed nine-ring saber chopping down with all his strength at the giant bear's foreleg to restrict its movement. Su Xuan's sword stance shifted, and the Azure Profound Sword stabbed straight toward the giant bear's right eye.
Attacked from three sides, every move was lethal! The giant bear had nowhere to evade. It roared as it struggled desperately, its paws blocking frantically, but it was ultimately one step too slow. The Tang saber sliced viciously across its throat, the broadsaber severed its leg bone, and the longsword pierced through its eyeball. Three crushing strikes landed at once.
The giant bear released one final miserable roar before its enormous body crashed to the ground. The earth shook violently. It had completely lost its breath. The Fourth-Tier bear-shaped savage beast had finally been slain by the three men after great difficulty.
The three men collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. Their entire bodies ached, limp and powerless. Looking at the fallen giant bear, all of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Fourth-Tier Savage Beasts were already immensely powerful in battle, and this giant bear's defense and strength were among the best of its tier. Had the three not joined forces, none of them could have slain it alone. This battle had truly been fraught with peril at every turn.
The three ordered their subordinates to divide the giant bear's corpse. After resting briefly and recovering some strength, Qin Cang rose to his feet, wiped the sweat from his face, and said:
"Bear-type savage beasts live in dens. Its lair must be nearby. From here on, each of us will rely on his own abilities!"
Hearing this, Zhou Lie and Su Xuan rose as well. Following the trail left behind by the giant bear, the three headed deep into the dense forest. Before long, a concealed mountain cave appeared before them, with a faint stench lingering at its entrance.
The three gripped their weapons and cautiously approached the cave entrance. Just as they were about to inspect the cave, a white figure suddenly shot out from within!
That figure moved with eerie speed, its steps light and nimble, like a ghost. Its form flickered unpredictably, utterly unlike the movement technique of an ordinary martial artist. It seemed slow, yet in an instant had darted several zhang away.
"Who goes there?!" Qin Cang shouted sharply, taking the lead in chasing after him. Zhou Lie and Su Xuan immediately reacted and followed close behind.
But the white figure's movement technique was far too strange. At times he darted left, at times he swerved right, weaving freely through the dense forest. The three Fourth-Tier experts gave chase with all their strength, yet they could never encircle him. Instead, the distance between them only grew wider.
After rushing out of the forest, the white figure sprinted madly in the direction of Azure Sun County Town. The martial artists along the road merely marveled at his impressive speed. Only after the three men gave chase did they realize that he likely carried some precious treasure, and immediately lifted their legs to join the pursuit.
By the time everyone chased into Azure Sun County Town, that man had already vanished into the county town's maze of streets and alleys. However, night had not yet fallen, and pedestrians thronged the streets. With some inquiries, they would surely find some trace of him.
Sun Shaoping knew he definitely could not stay at inns or similar places, so he headed straight into secluded alleys. Before long, he found an empty little courtyard and vaulted over its wall.