Watching the Millennium Crystal Bear charge at Tang Wulin, Nan Fusheng activated his soul skill:
Consciousness Theft.
The bear's body froze for a moment, but its massive momentum still carried it forward. Fortunately, this kind of straightforward charge was easy to read. Tang Wulin simply leapt to the side and dodged cleanly.
At the same time, Blue Silver Grass vines surged out from the ground, entangling the bear's legs. In its dazed state, the beast tripped instantly.
"Pfft!"
An invisible blade slashed across the Crystal Bear's neck. The beast roared in pain, snapping out of its daze and turning its furious gaze toward Xie Xie.
"Stupid bear! Come get me if you've got the guts!"
Xie Xie shouted as he launched another Light Blade from his Light Dragon Dagger.
The Crystal Bear instinctively tried to break free of the vines, but just as it exerted force, a faint golden glow flickered across Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass. It only lasted a moment, but it was enough.
Though the vines still broke in the next second, that one-second delay gave them an edge.
Xie Xie, now fully alert, turned and sprinted away. His speed, boosted by explosive movement, was even faster than Gu Yue's with her wind-element acceleration.
At the same time, a massive fireball exploded near the Crystal Bear's head—Gu Yue's attack from another angle.
With three people attacking from three different directions, the beast flew into a rage, momentarily unsure of whom to chase.
"Xie Xie, target its abdomen! Gu Yue, aim for the eyes! Wulin, get ready—we're ending this now!"
Nan Fusheng shouted from afar. He wasn't worried about the bear overhearing; most thousand-year soul beasts still had beast-level intelligence.
Xie Xie moved fluidly, unleashing simultaneous strikes with his Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger. One strike visible, the other hidden—both aimed at the bear's exposed belly.
"Pfft! Pfft!"
The Crystal Bear roared with fury—now it had a target. It stomped toward Xie Xie in a rage.
Just then, a barrage of smaller but faster fireballs came flying at its face. The bear raised its massive paw to shield its eyes and instinctively ducked its head lower.
This was exactly what they'd been waiting for.
Using his Blue Silver Grass like a grappling hook, Tang Wulin swung around to the bear's back. His left hammer guarded his chest, while his right arm shimmered with golden light, transforming into a Golden Dragon Claw aimed straight for the bear's nape.
At that moment, Nan Fusheng unleashed another Consciousness Theft.
The bear's body suddenly collapsed forward, its neck fully exposed.
Got it!
Tang Wulin's eyes gleamed. With no hesitation, his golden claw came down hard on the exposed nape.
Crack!
The claw dug deep into the bear's neck. The shattering effect was triggered, and the cervical spine was instantly crushed.
Is it over?
Xie Xie watched as the Crystal Bear's massive head slammed into the ground. The crack of bone echoed in his ears, and he leapt into the air with excitement.
For a group of four two-ring soul masters, taking down a soul beast this powerful was a major achievement.
But then—
A bright yellow light erupted from the Crystal Bear's body.
The glow extended only about a meter, but that was enough to completely envelop Tang Wulin.
"NO!"
Gu Yue screamed.
Tang Wulin's body was instantly coated in a layer of dark yellow crystal, frozen mid-movement, and then fell toward the ground like a statue.
A flash of silver light—Gu Yue teleported beneath him. She raised her arms to catch him.
But with his crystalized body weighing far more—plus the weight of the Thousand-Refined Heavy Silver Hammer—Gu Yue was crushed under the impact. She let out a pained grunt and lost consciousness.
Still, her intervention saved Tang Wulin's life—as long as his crystallized body didn't shatter, the crystal would gradually fade over time.
The Crystal Bear's true terror lay not in the crystallization, but in what came after.
"Wulin! Gu Yue!"
Xie Xie and Nan Fusheng rushed over.
The two of them worked together to lift Tang Wulin's heavy, crystal-coated body and pull Gu Yue out from underneath. Her face was deathly pale, her breath shallow—she had taken a serious hit.
Nan Fusheng looked around, hesitated for a moment, then pressed the emergency signal device on her hand. Gu Yue's body instantly turned into a stream of light and vanished.
But Tang Wulin's crystallization wasn't yet gone—they couldn't send him out even if they wanted to.
Just then, rustling sounds echoed from the surrounding woods.
Something's coming. A lot of somethings.
What now? Wulin's crystallized—we can't retreat. What should I do?
Xie Xie tightened his grip on his daggers and looked instinctively at Nan Fusheng.
"Xie Xie, you're nearly out of soul power. You go—I'll stay with Wulin,"
Nan Fusheng said calmly.
"Hell no! What kind of man do you think I am? Leave you here to be a hero while I run? No way. If we die, we die together!"
Xie Xie's panic faded, replaced by stubborn resolve.
"Fine. Then let's hold out. Once Wulin recovers, we retreat immediately."
Nan Fusheng nodded.
Xie Xie dropped to one knee in front of Tang Wulin, conserving his energy.
Meanwhile, Nan Fusheng used the vision of the green bird he had parasitized earlier to scout ahead, and finally saw what was coming.
A pack of wolves—dozens of them—emerged from all directions.
These were green-furred wolves, their backs dark and their yellow eyes cold and merciless. They approached slowly and silently.
Interestingly, they didn't attack right away. About a dozen of them dragged off the Unihorned Dragon's corpse, while the rest started surrounding Xie Xie and Nan Fusheng.
Green Wolves. Ten-year soul beasts. Strong for their level. Vicious. Pack hunters.
They scavenge. If left unchecked, they can evolve to hundred-year soul beasts.
Xie Xie stood ready, daggers raised.
"You can take that bear's corpse—but if you touch us, don't blame me for fighting back!"
He didn't care whether they understood. Buying time was all that mattered—just enough for Tang Wulin to recover.
But it was clear the wolves were more interested in them than the Crystal Bear. Maybe they didn't understand. Maybe they just didn't care.
The circle grew tighter.
No time. Gotta strike first.
His Light Dragon Dagger slashed forward—a Light Blade flew toward a wolf.
At the same time, Xie Xie launched himself at the nearest wolf.
Pfft!
The first wolf's throat was torn open. Blood sprayed everywhere.
Xie Xie twisted mid-air, dodging a wind blade from another wolf, flipped backward, and struck with both daggers. Another wolf fell, its stomach split open.
A third wolf lunged—Xie Xie ducked and slashed its throat in a smooth, practiced motion.
Three wolves down in seconds.
But now, a dozen more wolves surged forward. Their wind blades were charged and ready to fire.
Wide-Area Consciousness Theft!
A wave of psychic energy burst forth. The wolves, releasing wind blades, suddenly froze—their attacks went wild.
Some wind blades even hit their allies, throwing the wolf pack into chaos.
Xie Xie seized the opportunity, darting through the confusion and slaughtering every wolf that got too close.
With Nan Fusheng's support, each time Xie Xie approached a wolf, that wolf would freeze for a heartbeat, long enough for Xie Xie to strike with precision.
The wolves couldn't coordinate, and even though Nan Fusheng could only use one ability, it made a world of difference.
Still, time wore on, and Xie Xie was starting to fade. His whole body was now stained with blood, mostly the wolves', but not entirely.
Even Nan Fusheng was panting now.
Well… acting exhausted, at least.
He had to keep up appearances. A one-ring soul master shouldn't be this calm after such a battle.
Thankfully, he noticed the crystals on Tang Wulin's body were finally fading.
When Tang Wulin's senses returned, the first thing he smelled was blood.
And the first thing he saw was a blood-soaked silhouette, still standing, still fighting.
"Alright—time to go!"
Nan Fusheng called out.
Xie Xie didn't hesitate. He slammed his hand down on his emergency signal device, and everything went dark.
Before Tang Wulin could even react, Nan Fusheng pressed his signal too.
With a flash, he vanished—just as a volley of green wind blades tore through the space he'd occupied moments ago.