The instant the Thousand-Year Crystal Bear crashed to the ground, Xie Xie almost jumped for joy.
But a moment later, Tang Wulin still did not relax.
He had not felt the full surge of energy coming back to him.
The pale yellow halo had barely appeared before something seemed to force it back into the Crystal Bear's body.
It was not completely dead yet.
"One more hit!"
Tang Wulin shouted in a low voice.
The Crystal Bear's enormous body lay sprawled on the ground. The Golden Dragon Claw had torn a horrifying gash in the back of its neck, and dark yellow crystal fragments kept crumbling away. Yet its paws still twitched, and low, agonized roars rose from deep in its throat.
This was no ordinary hundred-year soul beast.
This was a Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
Its vitality was astonishing.
An enormous fireball exploded on the other side of the Crystal Bear's head.
Gu Yue had attacked as well.
Flames burst outward. The Crystal Bear instinctively turned its head, and its body, which had just sunk down, began thrashing violently again.
Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue stood in three different directions.
At that moment, the Crystal Bear's fury reached its peak, yet it no longer knew whom to pursue first.
"Xie Xie, attack its belly!"
"Gu Yue, aim for its eyes!"
Tang Wulin shouted.
He did not recklessly charge straight at it again. Instead, he planted a foot hard against a nearby tree trunk and pushed off, swinging his body diagonally away. A single Star-Sinking Hammer dipped in his grip, its head scraping the bark and tearing loose a spray of wood chips.
This was no nimble footwork.
It was the simplest method he had learned under Wu Changkong's training.
Borrow momentum.
Change direction.
Avoid the front.
Find a