Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear

After dealing with the pack of Hell Wolves, the three pressed onward into the Star Dou Great Forest without stopping.

But Jing Hongchen had warned them beforehand to stay between the central and outer regions and never venture deep into the mixed region.

Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest lurked far too many Ferocious Beasts that even Titled Douluo had to think twice about facing. With their meager cultivation, if they barged in recklessly, not even a scrap of their bones would likely remain.

The three continued onward, driving off another two or three Soul Beasts that came looking for trouble along the way.

With Bao Liang's Ultimate Flame clearing the path, Xiao Hongchen's rays covering them, and Meng Hongchen's poison ring filling the gaps, they made it through some close calls without harm.

But as time passed, Bao Liang gradually noticed something was wrong.

Xiao Hongchen's face was growing paler, and his attacks had visibly slowed.

Bao Liang himself had no such worries-his Hot Core talent let him burn Soul Power quickly to replenish what he used. But that only replenished his Soul Power; after a full day of mental strain, his temples were beginning to throb.

Xiao Hongchen had no Hot Core talent. He relied entirely on his own Soul Power reserves and willpower.

After fighting all this way, his Soul Power was still manageable, but he was mentally at the end of his rope.

"Xiao, let's take a break," Bao Liang finally said. "If we keep this up, we'll wear ourselves out before we even find your Soul Beast."

Xiao Hongchen pressed his pale lips together and was about to put on a brave face when Bao Liang cut him off.

"Don't rush to act tough." Bao Liang's eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something. "I've got a wild idea. We can find you a Soul Beast and save ourselves from wandering around aimlessly."

"What is it?" Xiao Hongchen raised an eyebrow.

"The idea is-" Bao Liang stepped closer with a mischievous grin. "I'll inject the way Hot Core and Deflagration rapidly consume Soul Power into your body.

"That way, the scent of the metal element in your Martial Soul will spread quickly. I guarantee it'll lure out every Soul Beast around here that's suitable for you."

"Chovy!" Xiao Hongchen bristled on the spot. "You bastard, you want to use me as bait to fish for Soul Beasts?!"

"Maybe a little cake, too." Bao Liang kept a perfectly straight face as he added, "Hey! Since we're doing that anyway, why don't we smear some honey on you too? You'll smell even better and lure Soul Beasts faster!"

"Chovy!" Xiao Hongchen's face turned green with anger. "If you're going to come up with an idea, make it a good one! What kind of rotten ideas are these?!"

"A rotten idea is fine as long as it hooks a big fish." Bao Liang chuckled. "Don't worry. With me watching, nothing will go wrong."

As the two bickered, a figure drifted silently down from the trees-Jing Hongchen couldn't bear to listen any longer. Bao Liang's idea of "using his grandson to fish for Soul Beasts" had drawn him out.

After hearing Bao Liang's idea and seeing that his grandfather had come out, Xiao Hongchen fell silent for a moment, then agreed to give it a try.

He knew perfectly well that with his current physical constitution, he could easily absorb Soul Beasts with ordinary bloodlines of five to six thousand years; those with high-quality bloodlines of three to four thousand years; and those with top-tier bloodlines of twenty-five hundred years at most.

But who was he?

The young master of the Hongchen Clan, the brightest star in the Soul Tool world, and a genius among geniuses-Xiao Hongchen.

He, Xiao Hongchen, had never been inferior to anyone in his life.

If he didn't dare take even this little risk or endure even this little hardship, what right did he have to call himself a genius?

Hearing his grandson's determination, Jing Hongchen had nothing more to say.

After a long silence, he took a Soul Tool radiating red light from his Storage Soul Tool and solemnly placed it on his grandson's chest. It was Red Dust Protection, a Level 9 Soul Tool he had made himself. It was his most treasured protective item, capable of automatically activating at a critical moment to block a fatal blow.

"Grandpa," Xiao Hongchen said, his tone unusually gentle, "sorry for making you worry."

"Go on." Jing Hongchen patted his shoulder. "With Grandpa here, the sky won't fall."

The plan soon began.

Jing Hongchen took Meng Hongchen with him, concealed their presence, and silently hid in the canopy above Bao Liang and Xiao Hongchen, keeping watch from on high.

Bao Liang, meanwhile, stood very close to Xiao Hongchen, both hands pressed against his back as he steadily injected the two ultimate talents, Hot Core and Deflagration, into his body.

Xiao Hongchen wasn't idle either. He took out a Soul Tool and pointed its muzzle outward, keeping watch for any danger that might appear-if he was going to be bait, he would be bait that could bite.

But a long time passed without any response from the forest.

Shadows swayed, birds sang, and insects chirped. It was almost absurdly peaceful.

In the canopy, Jing Hongchen frowned slightly and began to wonder whether the plan would work. No matter how widely the scent of the metal element spread, it might not attract any decent Soul Beasts.

But Bao Liang noticed that Xiao Hongchen's expression was visibly darkening.

It wasn't fatigue, but gravity.

"Xiao?" Bao Liang lowered his voice.

Xiao Hongchen didn't answer. He only tightened his grip on the Soul Guidance Ray Gun, his palm beginning to sweat.

Something had its eye on him.

And its presence was far more savage than he had imagined.

That gaze from the shadows was cold and violent, like a sharp blade hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment.

Before long, a thick, musky stench mingled with an overpowering smell of blood rushed straight into their nostrils.

The next instant, a huge, dark gold figure appeared before Bao Liang and Xiao Hongchen.

It was a giant bear, dark gold from head to toe, with limbs as thick as pillars. Its shoulders stood more than three men high, and its sharp claws gleamed with a cold metallic light. Just standing there, it exuded a suffocating pressure.

"Th-this is a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear?!" Xiao Hongchen's pupils shrank, and he froze, crying out, "You've got to be kidding!"

The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear didn't care whether they were stunned. Without the slightest hesitation, it lashed down at their heads with a Dark Gold Dreadclaw, accompanied by a fierce wind that tore through the air!

"Xiao! What are you spacing out for?!" Bao Liang shouted. He reached back, pulled a Level 3 magnetic bomb from his Storage Soul Tool, infused it with the destruction attribute of his First Soul Skill, Destruction Bomb, and hurled it at the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. "Killer Queen First Bomb: Destruction Bomb!"

"Boom-!"

The magnetic bomb struck true, sticking to the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's chest before exploding with a thunderous blast!

Only then did Xiao Hongchen snap to his senses. He grabbed Bao Liang and pushed off, pulling him backward just in time to avoid the Dark Gold Dreadclaw that had nearly struck their heads.

In the canopy, Jing Hongchen had almost failed to react. Seeing the two children in grave danger, his heart clenched. His figure flickered, and he dropped in front of Bao Liang and Xiao Hongchen almost as if he had teleported, placing himself between them and the giant bear.

"Boom!" Another muffled boom rang out, the echo of the magnetic bomb's explosion.

The destruction magnetic bomb had hit, but Bao Liang looked troubled, staring fixedly at the dark gold figure in the smoke. "It only blew apart half its body? You've got to be kidding!"

The smoke cleared, revealing the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear with half its body blasted apart before Bao Liang and the others.

It was drenched in blood, its left arm severed at the shoulder. Yet the vicious gleam in its dark gold eyes had not faded; if anything, it had grown stronger.

It sensed Jing Hongchen's vast presence at once, and its pupils contracted sharply. It instinctively wanted to turn and flee-but how could Jing Hongchen give it the chance?

"Hmph!" Jing Hongchen snorted coldly and pressed down with one hand. His vast Soul Power descended like Mount Tai, forcing the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear to the ground and pinning it there, unable to move.

"Damn beast!" Jing Hongchen was beside himself with rage, his voice filled with chilling killing intent. "You attacked so decisively, without even sniffing out whether anyone else was nearby! You almost made me lose both my grandchildren! You truly deserve to die!"

Soul Power gathered in his palm, and he was about to finish the beast with a strike-when a voice suddenly called for him to stop.

"Grandpa, wait!" Xiao Hongchen said urgently. "It's the Third Soul Ring I'm looking for!"

Jing Hongchen's hand stopped in midair.

"Xiao, are you serious?" Jing Hongchen frowned deeply. "This beast is a full two thousand years old, and it's a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear at that. You know perfectly well how difficult its Soul Ring will be to absorb!"

"Grandpa." Xiao Hongchen raised his head, his gaze more serious than ever. "I'd rather die than be mediocre."

His words hung in the forest, leaving Jing Hongchen silent for a long time.

He looked at the unquestionable resolve in his grandson's eyes and had nothing more to say.

After a while, he walked slowly forward. The Soul Power in his palm became streams of invisible force, breaking every bone in the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's body one by one-completely robbing it of the ability to resist.

Then he stepped aside.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Hongchen walked forward and raised his hand, ending the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's life.

A deep, dark gold Soul Ring slowly emerged above the corpse, radiating a heavy pressure-a two-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.

Xiao Hongchen took a deep breath and sat cross-legged on the spot. After regulating his breathing, he began absorbing the Soul Ring.

The moment the Soul Ring passed over his head and its Soul Power entered his body-

Veins bulged across Xiao Hongchen's body, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his temples. The color drained from his face in an instant, replaced by an indescribable look of pain and anguish.

Jing Hongchen and Meng Hongchen stood to one side, their faces full of worry, but neither dared make a sound and disturb him.

Meanwhile, Bao Liang lowered his eyes and looked at his right hand.

He recalled the feedback he had felt when his First Soul Skill struck the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. No one knew what he was thinking, and he remained silent for a long time.