Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear

The next day, dawn had barely broken, a fish-belly white just spreading across the eastern sky, when She Long and Zhang Fei left the Crown Prince's Residence.

They exited Heaven Dou City through the southern gate, then raced southwest toward the Sunset Forest.

In less than two hours, that familiar, boundless sea of trees came into view once more.

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

They landed deep within the forest, where the trees were taller and thicker than those on the outskirts, blotting out the sky and sun. Even the light was much dimmer.

She Long summoned his snake lance and turned to Zhang Fei. "Tell me, what do you have in mind this time?"

Zhang Fei answered seriously, "The same as last time. We'll prioritize strength-type dragonkin soul beasts. But dragonkin are rare, and the Sunset Forest's resources can't compare with the Star Dou Great Forest's. If we really can't find one, another top-tier strength-type soul beast will do."

She Long nodded, satisfaction showing in his eyes. "That's the right approach. And what about its age?"

Zhang Fei considered it. Ice-Fire Tempering had greatly strengthened his physique. On top of that, She Long and Pufferfish had spent more than two years taking turns putting him through brutal training, supplemented by nourishing medicinal baths. His physique should already have surpassed a Soul Elder's and approached a Soul Ancestor's level.

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

"I reckon... somewhere around four thousand years," Zhang Fei replied.

She Long glanced at him. Rather than answering directly, he reached out and pressed his palm against Zhang Fei's shoulder.

A gentle yet powerful stream of soul power flowed 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 right. Your muscles and bones are even stronger than I expected. Four thousand years is your limit, but it's best not to exceed that. It would still be a little risky."

Zhang Fei grinned. "All right, let's go."

Over the following days, the two plunged into the Sunset Forest's thousand-year soul beast territory, searching as they went.

They encountered quite a few thousand-year soul beasts during that time.

There was a Violet Lightning Eagle over two thousand years old, a three-thousand-year Earthsplitter Rhino, and a twenty-eight-hundred-year Iron-Boned Giant Ape. All were top-tier soul beasts, but Zhang Fei shook his head at every one.

They were all too young.

The soul beasts of the Sunset Forest still could not compare with those of the Star Dou Great Forest. Their bloodlines generally weren't of particularly high quality. It seemed he would have to go to the Star Dou Great Forest for his third soul ring.

But Zhang Fei was in no hurry. He knew this sort of thing 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, countless common-born soul masters died in the jaws of soul beasts while trying to obtain soul rings. Never mind high-tier soul beasts-even ordinary ones of a suitable age could be beyond their reach.

Then came the afternoon of the twelfth day.

The two crossed a low ridge, revealing a secluded valley surrounded by dense forest ahead.

At the valley's center lay a clearing trampled so thoroughly that not a blade of grass remained. Deep gouges crisscrossed the ground.

Several large trees at the clearing's edge bore enormous claw marks on their trunks. Each was nearly two feet long and cut a full inch into the wood, with splinters scattered across the ground.

She Long stopped in his tracks. His gaze fell on those claw marks, and his pupils narrowed slightly.

He strode over to one of the clawed trees and bent down to examine the tracks and lingering scent on the ground. Then he ran his hand along the smooth edges of the claw marks, a knowing smile appearing on his face.

"Judging by the width and depth of these claw marks, and how cleanly they cut, this should be one of the top bear-type soul beasts." He turned toward Zhang Fei, his eyes gleaming. "And this aura... it's extremely ferocious."

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

She Long nodded, and the two followed the tracks and lingering aura deeper into the valley.

The search did not take long.

After passing through a dense thicket, they emerged into an open clearing that had been violently devastated. Trees were snapped, rocks shattered, and deep claw marks covered the ground, as though countless bolts of black lightning had struck it.

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

The crunch of bones being chewed sounded especially clear in the quiet forest, and a thick stench of blood washed over them.

It was a bear.

But it was certainly no ordinary bear.

Dark gold fur covered its entire body, giving off a cold, hard metallic sheen in the dim forest, as though every hair had been forged from refined iron. It stood over two meters tall at the shoulder, its powerful body like a small mountain. Muscles rippled beneath its fur, brimming with explosive strength.

Its two forepaws were the most striking feature. The five sharp claws on each were a full half-foot long and black as ink, their edges gleaming with a chilling light. Even resting casually on the ground, they seemed capable of tearing the earth apart.

"A Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear..." She Long tightened his grip on his snake lance, a flash of delighted surprise crossing his eyes. "And an adult, too."

Zhang Fei's heartbeat abruptly quickened as well.

The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was one of the supreme beings of the Soul Beast Realm, hailed as the "king of destruction of the Soul Beast Realm."

Although it was not a pure-blooded member of the Dragon Clan, it was a descendant of the Behemoth, a terrifying ancient being that could rival and even hunt dragons. Its strength and offensive power ranked among the greatest of all soul beasts, and its terrorclaws could even tear through a giant dragon's armored scales.

With something this exceptional, who still needed a bicycle?

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

She Long narrowed his eyes and studied it for a moment. "Judging by its size and the length of its claws, it shouldn't be over four thousand years old. Just within what you can withstand."

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

She Long nodded and tightened his grip on his snake lance. "Wait here. I'll cripple it first. A Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's offensive power is terrifying. Even I need to be careful, or I might accidentally kill it."

Zhang Fei nodded. A thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear could match an ordinary ten-thousand-year soul beast. This one was over three thousand years old, so its strength was probably equivalent to an ordinary thirty-thousand-year soul beast.

An ordinary thirty-thousand-year soul beast was roughly as strong as a Soul Saint, while She Long had successfully broken through the rank ninety-four bottleneck over the past two years, even earning a bout of envy from Ci Xue.

Zhang Fei wasn't worried about She Long's safety. He only hoped his grandfather wouldn't accidentally kill the beast.

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

The next second, a streak of bluish-purple light sliced through the dim forest. His snake lance thrust straight at the back of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's neck with thunderous might!

"ROAR!!!"

The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear reacted with astonishing speed. Just as the snake lance was about to strike, it spun around and swept its enormous right paw sideways. Its five pitch-black claws trailed streaks of dark light as they slammed into the snake lance.

"CLANG!!!"

The deafening clash of metal rang out, sparks flying everywhere.

She Long swayed slightly, but the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was driven back several steps. Its massive body snapped two trees as thick as the mouth of a bowl with a tremendous crash.

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

He unleashed the full force of his rank ninety-four soul power. Arcs of lightning coiled around his bluish-purple snake lance, and every strike carried a piercing shriek as it tore through the air.