The demon beast was enormous, its body radiating dense demonic energy and its eyes gleaming with ferocity. Judging by the dangerous aura it gave off, this Ironback Azure Bear possessed strength at least equivalent to the Nascent Soul Realm.
Huge demon beasts like this all had their own territories. Perhaps they had strayed into the Ironback Azure Bear's territory today and disturbed it. Not only did the bear possess boundless strength, but its defenses were also astonishing. Ordinary attacks could not penetrate its hide.
At that moment, the Ironback Azure Bear let out a low growl and slowly approached the disciples of the Righteous Qi Sect. A thick, foul stench washed over them, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of danger.
The Ironback Azure Bear was an overlord among high-level demon beasts. Unless a cultivator's strength far surpassed its own, they generally avoided provoking it. Its defenses and offensive power were simply too formidable. Against someone at the same cultivation realm, it could wear them down to death. But now that they had encountered one, they could only fight and do their best to drive it back.
"Form up!" Zhou Xue promptly gave the order. The Righteous Qi Sect disciples immediately assumed a defensive formation, preparing for the Ironback Azure Bear's attack.
"Senior Sister, this time we..." One disciple looked at the Ironback Azure Bear before them, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes.
"Don't be afraid, Junior Brother Yang. The Ironback Azure Bear may be powerful, but as long as we work together with one heart, we can definitely drive it back," Zhou Xue reassured him.
She had the highest cultivation among them and had led them out for training. A demon beast like the Ironback Azure Bear was already beyond what disciples at their level could handle. Had she discovered it sooner, she would have taken her junior brothers and sisters around it long ago.
But since they had encountered it, they could only drive it back.
"Junior Brothers, listen for my command and attack with all your strength. We have to drive the Ironback Azure Bear back, or we'll all meet our end here today!"
"If we still can't force it back, I'll hold it off. All of you must hurry toward the outskirts. Don't stop. Return to the sect and ask for reinforcements," Zhou Xue ordered her junior brothers and sisters.
"Senior Sister!" several of them cried out.
"Enough chatter. Attack!" Zhou Xue snapped impatiently. There was no time to let her junior brothers and sisters agonize over this.
As soon as she finished speaking, a flash of silver shimmered in her palm, then blasted toward the Ironback Azure Bear without hesitation.
It was Zhou Xue's strongest attack, unleashed through the supreme-grade spirit sword her martial uncle had given her-the Jade Phoenix Sword. This was one of the trump cards her martial uncle, Li Dalong, had left her, and this was the first time she had revealed it before her fellow disciples.
Boom! Zhou Xue's attack and those of the other disciples struck the Ironback Azure Bear's massive body almost simultaneously.
Silver light, saber light, and attacks imbued with fist intent exploded against the bear's body with a thunderous crash.
Though their attacks were immensely powerful, their cultivation realms were not far removed from the Ironback Azure Bear's. That combined strike merely knocked it one step backward.
"This is bad!" Zhou Xue shouted at the sight. "It's barely hurt! Run!"
She knew that if their combined strike could not kill the Ironback Azure Bear, forcing it back at all was already a great stroke of luck. Without further hesitation, she immediately ordered a retreat.
But it was already too late!
The Ironback Azure Bear unleashed a heaven-shaking roar, then lunged straight at them.
"Defend with everything you have!" Zhou Xue shouted again.
All the disciples poured spiritual power into the defensive formation, creating a protective barrier. But it withstood only one blow from the Ironback Azure Bear before shattering.
Bang! Bang! ...
The sound of the barrier shattering rang out. In mere moments, before most of the disciples could react, the Ironback Azure Bear had already knocked them down.
"Form up!" Zhou Xue shouted.
Several Golden Core Realm disciples instantly assembled a new defensive formation, sheltering the injured disciples within it.
Meanwhile, Zhou Xue repeatedly swung the Jade Phoenix Sword, bombarding the Ironback Azure Bear with attacks.
Her cultivation was on par with the bear's, but even an all-out strike could only blast it back a few steps. Though her repeated attacks consumed an enormous amount of energy, she did not back down.
Zhou Xue's face grew pale, but she kept holding on.
By then, some disciples had already been smashed into bloody pulp.
"Retreat!" Seeing that her junior brothers could no longer hold out, Zhou Xue knew that if they did not retreat now, it would be too late.
At her command, all the disciples immediately fled backward at full speed.
How could the Ironback Azure Bear let them withdraw unhurriedly? Drawn by Zhou Xue and the others, it swiftly gave chase.
In mere moments, it had closed the distance.
Zhou Xue's face grew even paler, but there was no time left to hesitate. She had no choice but to unleash the trump card her martial uncle, Li Dalong, had left her-a spirit sword condensed from Sword Qi-at the Ironback Azure Bear, killing it instantly. Her martial uncle had given it to her to save her life at a critical moment. Unable to escape the bear today, she had been forced to use it.
With the danger over, Zhou Xue hurriedly called out to the disciples fleeing at full speed. Hearing her call, her junior brothers returned and gathered around her.
"Take a moment to rest, treat your wounds, and then restore your spiritual power," Zhou Xue told them wearily.
Then she put the Ironback Azure Bear into her Storage Ring. Li Dalong had given her that ring as well, and its capacity could only be described as extraordinarily vast. It was several times larger than even those used by the sect masters of the Cultivation World's other great powers. It truly lived up to its status as a system reward-anything produced by the system was bound to be top quality.
However, just as they were taking pills to recover their cultivation, a member of the Demon Race suddenly appeared before Zhou Xue, his gaze brimming with greed and malice.
It was Yan Zhan, the young master of the Crimson Flame Tiger Tribe. Bored that day, he had been wandering through the Demon Beast Forest and happened to reach an area near its outskirts, where the fluctuations from Zhou Xue's battle with the Ironback Azure Bear had drawn him over.
Yan Zhan was the Crimson Flame Tigers' young master. His grandfather was Demon Sage Yan Huang, chief of the Crimson Flame Tiger Tribe, so he had grown up pampered from childhood. With his fine talent and knack for winning his grandfather Yan Huang's favor, no one in the tribe dared provoke him. This had shaped his cruel, selfish, and lustful nature.
The moment he saw Zhou Xue's beautiful face and graceful figure, he set his sights on her. Without hesitation, he lunged toward her, intent on seizing her by force.
Zhou Xue immediately fought back. She brandished the longsword in her hand and unleashed her sword techniques. Sword light flashed, and Sword Qi swept in every direction. Her figure flickered like a phantom as she engaged Yan Zhan in a fierce battle.
However, Yan Zhan's strength far exceeded Zhou Xue's expectations. His attacks were fierce and vicious, forcing her to retreat again and again as danger closed in from all sides. The Righteous Qi Sect disciples were also tied down by other demon beasts and could not come to her aid in time.
In truth, it would have been fairly easy for Yan Zhan to subdue Zhou Xue, but he still wanted to toy with her. He enjoyed seeing his prey panic and sink into despair.
During the fierce battle, the Righteous Qi Sect disciples suffered grievously. Some were killed by demon beasts, while others were badly wounded. A glint of resolve flashed in Zhou Xue's eyes. She understood that she had to escape this place as quickly as possible and seek reinforcements.
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