Defeated, Outmatched by a Hair!

Shi Jian remained silent for a moment before coming to his senses.

He wasn't a brainless fool. This decree from the Mountain Bear Lineage, seemingly a stroke of good fortune, was actually an exchange of interests.

Purple Firmament Golden Lightning Essence and Ten-Thousand-Year Lightning Marrow Liquid —these things are enough to propel his cultivation forward significantly; you can tell they're good items just by their names.

The price is simply to be incorporated into the Mountain Bear Lineage, gaining an extra layer of protection but also an extra layer of constraint; accepting it means joining the team.

From now on, he will be labeled as part of the Mountain Bear Lineage.

Shi Jian's gaze finally settled on Shan Li.

The mother bear exuded a calm and powerful aura, displaying a valiant and heroic bearing. Her Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivation was restrained yet unwavering, and her narrow eyes were fixed on him without flinching or avoiding him, even carrying a hint of provocation.

"Are you willing?" Shi Jian asked.

Shan Li his thin lips into a smile, displaying a rather magnanimous expression. "We juniors will naturally obey the Ancestor's decree, and besides..."

"Your origins are known to my Mountain Bear Lineage; moreover, few in the entire Giant Bear Clan possess the ability to kill the Blazing Fire Lion King."

"Don't underestimate that Blazing Fire; it is a true prodigy."

"Among the Nascent Soul the Frenzied Lion Clan, he was one of the top ten strongest beings; he was almost certain to achieve the Spirit Transformation stage in the future. You killed such a being, so what could I possibly object to?"

Shi Jian's lips twitched slightly.

He understood perfectly well that the Savage Sha Lineage had only given him a fiefdom and then disappeared without a trace; the Mountain Bear Lineage, on the other hand, had sent his eldest daughter, spirit medicine, and guards, clearly intending to seize him.

In this Beast Realm, being fought over by two major factions is better than being used as a pawn by one side.

With someone backing you up, you don't feel panicked.

"In that case, I'll accept."

Shi Jian bowed respectfully.

A glint of light flashed in Shan Li's eyes, which she quickly suppressed, reverting to her cold and aloof demeanor. She waved her hand behind her, and the old bear at the Nascent Soul Perfection immediately stepped forward, carrying a dark wooden box in both hands.

The wooden box was opened, and purple-gold lightning erupted forth.

One hundred catties of Purple Firmament Golden Lightning Essence were neatly stacked inside, each piece radiating an extremely yang energy that made even the Shi Jian skin open.

This thing is an excellent spiritual material for refining the Purple Pivot Lightning Immortal Foundation!

Shi Jian remained calm and collected the wooden box into his storage Law Treasure.

"The dowry is more than this."

Shan Li leaped from the bow of the ship, landing beside Shi Jian, and pointed to the bone ship. "Including this Giant Spirit Warship, and the two Nascent Soul vassals, Xiong Gang and Xiong Lei, are both collateral elders of the Mountain Bear Lineage."

"These are all part of my dowry; as for servants, treasures, and the like, there's much more."

Shi Jian raised an eyebrow; this was quite a grand gesture.

He was about to speak when Shan Li suddenly turned her head. She looked around, her gaze sweeping over the several wastelands that had been ravaged by lightning and fire, her tone quite disdainful:

"The territory is large enough, but the layout is a complete mess."

"The three Leifeng peaks are all piled up on the north side, the volcano stands alone at the south end, and the two abandoned mountains in the middle don't even have a decent protective barrier."

"You're a master of strategy, but as for business..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear.

Shi Jian's expression remained unchanged as he gripped the Thunder Spear.

"Now that I'm married, this is my territory; it seems this place needs some serious improvement, don't you think?"

Shan Li said "mine," not "ours."

Shi Jian's eyes turned slightly cold. The two demons stared at each other, and the energy in the air began to stir. Now he understood what the other meant: demons ultimately depend on strength!

To acknowledge your strength, you must truly experience it for yourself!

Shi Jian gripped the Thunder Spear tightly, purple-gold lightning leaping between his fingers; Shan Li also pulled out a Dark Gold short spear, its shaft thick and engraved with the totem of the Mountain Bear Lineage, clearly indicating its immense weight.

"Who decides the rules of Six Kings Mountain?" Shi Jian asked.

Shan Li slammed his pistol to the ground with a dull thud, and a ring of rock collapsed beneath his feet.

"We'll know once we fight!"

Before the words were even finished, the Shan Li started moving.

Her bones cracked and popped, her bright yellow robe fluttering in the wind; her short spear swept across, carrying an extremely dull Earth Dao aura.

That was the power of the Earth Dao Immortal Foundation, extremely thick and dense, like a mountain collapsing.

Shi Jian's pupils contracted slightly.

Clang!

The thunder spear and the short spear clashed with a thunderous roar, and a Dark Gold shockwave rippled outwards; Shi Jian's arms suddenly sank, his tiger's mouth burst open, and blood flowed down the shaft of the spear.

So heavy!

The Dao of Strength of this shot was in no way inferior to the full-force strike of the Blazing Fire Lion King!

Shan Li's feet never stopped, and he thrust his short spear seven times in quick succession, each thrust carrying immense force; with each strike, a layer of rock beneath Shi Jian's feet shattered, and the entire mountain trembled.

Her marksmanship was extremely simple, without any fancy moves; it was all about one word: heavy!

Shoot them relentlessly, every single shot counts.

Shi Jian was forced back dozens of feet, carving two deep trenches beneath his feet.

He thought to himself that this mother bear was probably cultivating a type of Earth Dao Immortal Foundation, which emphasized solidity and brute force...

"That's interesting."

Shi Jian refused to back down and activated his Immortal Foundation [Purple Pivot Lightning] with a roar. Purple-gold lightning exploded on his body, transforming into a layer of Lightning Gang armor.

He swung his spear, accompanied by a sharp, Lei Ming that seemed to tear through the void, and slammed it down on the Shan Li.

Shan Li neither dodged nor yielded, raising his short spear to meet the blow head-on.

Boom!

Two waves of air rippled out simultaneously, and half of the peak beneath their feet collapsed.

Shan Li swayed slightly, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, yet his laughter grew even more arrogant.

"That was great! Let's do it again!"

The two demons clashed on the mountaintop, their spears flashing, lightning and earth clashing and intertwining.

Although Shi Jian's Purple Pivot Lightning was fierce, Shan Li's Thick Earth Immortal Foundation made him naturally resilient; each time he took a hit with the short spear, he was able to deflect most of the Dao of Strength.

This great battle raged from day to night.

And the more they fought, the more ambiguous the atmosphere became...

That night.

The Six Kings Mountain was utterly silent, save for the occasional leaps of purple-gold lightning bolts atop Leifeng Peak, casting an ever-changing glow across the night sky.

The two demons fought, neither willing to concede defeat.

Shi Jian sat cross-legged in the cave abode, slowly circulating the Purple Pivot Lightning within his body; suddenly, a series of footsteps came from outside the cave abode, neither too loud nor too soft.

Shan Li pushed open the door and entered.

She changed into a plain white short robe, tied at the waist, with her black hair cascading over her shoulders; without the contrast of that bright yellow robe, her features appeared softer.

Shi Jian opened his eyes and watched her stride over and sit down opposite the stone bed.

What is it?

Shan Li rested his hands on his knees and said bluntly, "I'm seven hundred and twenty years old this year, which isn't considered old among bear demons."

Shi Jian did not respond.

"The Mountain Bear Lineage has given me a death sentence: I must leave behind a bloodline within three hundred years." Shan Li said calmly, "Now that we've become sworn brothers, this matter must be settled."

Shi Jian's lips twitched slightly.

"You're quite direct."

"You silly bear, your dawdling is really unacceptable." Shan Li stood up, took three steps in two, walked up to Shi Jian, and grabbed his collar.

She was incredibly strong; she almost pulled Shi Jian off the stone bed.

This mother bear's brute strength is truly unstoppable, not for a moment.

Shi Jian reached out and pressed down on her wrist. Their Qi and Blood clashed, and within the cave abode, faint flashes of lightning and earthy energy intertwined...

"What's the rush?" Shi Jian said in a hoarse voice.

Shan Li looked down at him, his narrow eyes gleaming in the darkness, his thin lips slightly upturned. "Are you scared?"

Shi Jian's expression darkened.

The mighty Purple Pivot Lightning Bear King, afraid of a female bear?

He suddenly flipped over and slammed the Shan Li onto the stone bed; purple-gold lightning danced in his palm, locking her wrists in place.

Shan Li didn't struggle; instead, it grinned.

The Earth Dao Immortal Foundation was activated with a roar.

Shi Jian felt a dense, immense force surge up from below, shattering the entire stone bed into pieces! He was thrown over by that Dao of Strength, his back slamming heavily against the cave wall, causing the rock strata to crack.

The Shan Li flipped over and pressed down on her, its hair falling down and obscuring her face.

"On this matter..." she gasped, her eyes gleaming with arrogant laughter, "You can't beat me!"

Inside the cave abode, lightning and earthy mist mingled for an entire night.

As dawn broke, the golden sunrise climbed over Six Kings Mountain; Shi Jian lay on the pile of rubble, his body aching all over, as if he had fought another fierce battle.

Shan Li was already dressed and standing at the cave entrance, her hair tied up, glancing back at him.

"You played well last night, you had a lot of energy."

"But next time, I hope it's you who pins me to the ground."

"If you can't catch up with me that day, I'll have to find someone else; you know, our Giant Bear Clan has always respected the strong."