The battle turned into a pure head-on clash. With Ning Rongrong's power boost and Oscar's Recovery Sausage support, Tai Long grappled head-on with the giant ape, while Tang Jian provided support from the side, using the "Shock" technique of the Clear Sky Hammer to disrupt its power.
Finally, Tai Long roared and crushed the giant ape with a powerful " Violent Bear Bombardment ".
After absorbing the Soul Ring, Tai Long's Soul Power reached level 42.
The Fourth Soul Skill, " Shock of Strength," not only enhances the user's strength but also generates a powerful shockwave during attacks, making it exceptionally effective for defense.
His already imposing physique appeared even more majestic, like a mobile fortress.
The series of successes boosted team morale, but also took a toll.
Tang Feng decided to rest for a day before officially heading towards the area of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. That was where the real test would begin.
Upon entering the area inhabited by Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, the atmosphere suddenly became oppressive. Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, dimming the light and filling the air with an even more ancient and dangerous aura.
Thousand-Year Soul Beast have become marginalized here, while the oppressive aura of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast occasionally sweeps by, causing fear. The team moves more cautiously, Bai Chenxiang's aerial reconnaissance range is reduced.
After five days of tracking and maneuvering, they finally located their target on the edge of a valley filled with exposed boulders and relatively sparse ancient trees.
That was a " Berserk Demon Bear " with an astonishing cultivation level of 21,000 years.
The Demon Bear was enormous, nearly eight meters tall when standing upright. Its muscles were like granite, its black and red fur was like steel needles, and its eyes always gleamed with a scarlet, predatory light.
The Berserk Demon Bear not only possesses terrifying pure strength and defense, but its innate "Berserk" characteristic is also deeply ingrained. It can instantly enter a destructive state after being injured, where it disregards the cost and its strength and speed increase dramatically. It is an extremely difficult opponent among Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
Tang Feng immediately gave the orders. " Brother Jian will lead the offensive, Zhu Zhuqing will wear them down, Tai Long and Little Ao will block their retreat, Sister Yan and I will protect the two supports and provide support as needed, and Chenxiang will be on guard against any other possible interference."
Everyone immediately nodded, preparing for battle.
The battle erupted the moment the Demon Bear was startled and let out a deafening roar.
This became the most difficult and brutal battle they had fought since entering the forest.
Tang Jian roared, and the Clear Sky Hammer, with its unstoppable momentum, met the giant paw of the Demon Bear head-on!
With a deafening roar, the air surged outwards, Tang Jian's body sank slightly, the rocks beneath his feet shattered, and his hand instantly split open, blood staining the hammer handle red. But his eyes burned fiercely, and he did not retreat an inch.
Zhu Zhuqing's claws gleamed with a cold light. Like the most deadly assassin, she made precise attacks on the Demon Bear's relatively vulnerable eyelids, behind its ears, and the joints with each flash.
However, this Demon Bear possessed astonishing fighting instincts; even its seemingly clumsy body reacted with unbelievable speed under the influence of its ferocious aura.
Its thick fur and muscles would often suddenly tense and move just before its sharp claws were about to strike, causing Zhu Zhuqing's attacks to repeatedly fail. On several occasions, she was even nearly hit by the gale-force wind generated by the bear's sudden sweeping paws, which was extremely dangerous.
Oscar and Tai Long circled around the perimeter, blocking any possible escape routes the Demon Bear might take. Oscar not only provided Flying Mushroom Sausage but also occasionally tossed Recovery Big Sausage, precisely targeting Tang Jian and Zhu Zhuqing, whose Soul Power was severely depleted.
Just as Tang Jian and Zhu Zhuqing were beginning to feel the strain,
" Nine Treasures Turn Into Glazed Glass!" Ning Rongrong shouted, Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda shone brightly. "First: Power! Second: Speed! Third: Soul!"
The three beams of amplifying colored light landed precisely on Tang Jian and Zhu Zhuqing.
With Ning Rongrong's full support, Tang Jian's Clear Sky Hammer gained even more power, and Zhu Zhuqing's speed also increased slightly.
The Nine Heart Begonia in Ye Lingling's hand shone with a soft yet resilient white light, its petals fluttering in the air. Whenever Tang Jian was knocked back by the Demon Bear and sustained new wounds, the warm healing light would descend in time to stabilize his injuries and maintain his fighting ability.
The battle descended into a terrifying stalemate and attrition. The dull thuds of impacts, the whooshing of claws cutting through the air, the bursts of Soul Skill, the roars of the Demon Bear, and the muffled growls of the wounded echoed through the valley.
After nearly half an hour, Tang Jian's Soul Power had been mostly depleted.
Although the Demon Bear was covered in wounds and bleeding profusely, its ferocity only increased, and it was about to enter its final and most dangerous "near-death rage."
Seeing that Tang Jian and Zhu Zhuqing were unable to break through the Demon Bear's defenses and that it was about to descend into its final and most terrifying frenzy, Tang Feng's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he shouted to Tang Jian, " Brother Jian, its fatal weakness is its heart after it goes berserk! Provoke its Fury, then attack its heart!"
Upon hearing this, Tang Jian took a deep breath and suppressed his surging blood and qi.
He no longer clashed strength with the Demon Bear, dodging its sweeping Demon Bear, and suddenly charged forward to its Demon Bear.
" The Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, penetrate!"
Tang Jian let out a low shout, and the dark light of the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand was contained. He did not strike with overwhelming force, but instead concentrated his Soul Power and will into a single point and pointed it with perfect precision at the upper jaw of the Demon Bear's huge mouth that was wide open in rage!
This strike wasn't aimed at destruction, but rather at ultimate penetration and disruption! The condensed hammer force, like a steel needle, pierced through the relatively weak palate of the mouth, heading straight for the Demon Bear's brain!
"Awooo!!!"
The Demon Bear let out an unprecedented roar, a mixture of pain and Fury. Its massive body trembled violently, momentarily losing its balance and becoming dizzy. The bear paws that were protecting its chest instinctively swung towards the hateful human in front of it in a fit of fury.
Now!
With bloodshot eyes, Tang Jian poured all the remaining Soul Power in his body, along with the amplification given by Ning Rongrong, into the Clear Sky Hammer without reservation.
The hammer hummed, and its dark gold head gleamed with a blinding light.
"Die!"
With a roar that seemed to come from the depths of his soul, Tang Jian gripped the hammer with both hands and, with the force to shake mountains and shatter the sky, smashed it into the heart of the Demon Bear, whose defenses had been reduced to their lowest point due to its rampant Fury!
"BOOM!!!"
A deafening roar accompanied by the terrifying sound of bones shattering followed as the Berserk Demon Bear let out a final, earth-shattering howl before its massive body crashed to the ground.
The battle is over.
For a moment, only heavy, labored breathing could be heard in the valley.
Tang Jian knelt on one knee, using the Clear Sky Hammer to firmly grip the ground to keep from falling. His arms trembled uncontrollably, and blood dripped down the handle of the hammer.
But when he looked up, a joyful and radiant smile appeared on his face.
Oscar rushed over immediately, handing over two Recovery Big Sausage. Ye Lingling also came over, the light of the Nine Heart Begonia gently enveloping Tang Jian's battered body.
Two quarters of an hour later, with everyone protecting him, Tang Jian recovered to about 70-80% of his strength. He looked firmly at the deep black Soul Ring that had appeared on the Demon Bear's corpse.
Absorbing Soul Ring that is 11,000 years old is a life-or-death test for Tang Jian.
The Soul Ring not only contains a massive amount of energy, but also the unruly and destructive will of the Berserk Demon Bear.
During the absorption process, Tang Jian felt as if he were in a purgatory of boundless rage, directly confronting the remaining will of the Demon Bear.
If it weren't for his unwavering will, the overwhelming power of his Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul, and the suppression of his malevolent aura by Tang Feng's Divine Slaughter's Domain, he might have truly faced the risk of being devoured by the backlash.
Six whole hours of torment and struggle.
As the first light of dawn appeared in the east, the violently fluctuating Soul Power around Tang Jian finally subsided.
He opened his eyes, his gaze gleaming with a sharp light, and an aura of power, even more profound and powerful than before, emanated from them.
Level 52! And the foundation is incredibly solid.
The Fifth Soul Skill, " Furious Bear Strike," briefly activates the user's blood energy, entering a "controllable berserk" state. This greatly increases attack power, attack speed, and pain reduction, and each strike is accompanied by a strong "shock" and "armor-piercing" effect, enough to shake the defenses of most users of the same level.
This perfectly complements the domineering nature of the Clear Sky Hammer, taking its destructive attacks to new heights.
Even more surprisingly, this rare Berserk Demon Bear also dropped a Soul Bone —a Right Arm Bone that shimmered with a dark red power light, and its quality was also excellent.
However, Tang Jian had already absorbed a Right Arm Bone that was over 40,000 years old, given to him by Tang Feng. Without hesitation, he handed this newly emerged Soul Bone to Tang Feng to dispose of.
Tang Feng pondered for a moment, then looked at the diligent Tai Long and said, " Tai Long, this Soul Bone's attributes are extremely compatible with yours. You should absorb it."
Tai Long was stunned, staring at the precious Soul Bone shimmering with light before him, his breathing quickening.
Soul Bone! And a strength-type Right Arm Bone at that! This is incredibly tempting for a pure strength-based Soul Master like Tai Long!
Knowing its value, Tai Long quickly waved his hand, "Young Sect Master, this is too precious! I..."