Chapter 9: A Chase Across Life and Death.
Without hesitation, sensing something was amiss, the fan-shaped magatama in Uchiha Uranium's eyes swirled wildly. He raised his arm, clasping it to his ear as fast as he could, and then rolled to the left.
The stone lodged in his waist, rubbing against his spine, numbed him, but in this moment of crisis, he couldn't afford to worry about anything else. Even if there were sharp rocks nearby, he had to roll over!
But he was still a beat too late.
A terrifying force passed by him, as if time had slowed down. Uchiha Uranium turned his head and could clearly see the fine hairs on the massive bear's arm swaying in the wind.
The immense force flowed down through the bear's paw, and then, like an earthquake, it crashed into the ground, sending up rubble that rained down on Uchiha Uranium's head!
In less than a second, the Star Dou Great Forest, which had been seemingly safe and sound like a picnic, and the human-shaped natural disaster Uchiha Uranium reversed course.
The terrifying attack came in an instant, and he hadn't even realized what was happening.
After rolling twice, Uchiha Uranium, taking advantage of the force, pushed himself up with his right hand and rolled over, landing in a half-crouch. He didn't look back, nor did he bother to investigate.
He only saw the arm of a spirit beast, but that was enough. He knew what was happening: a spirit beast was targeting him. Sure enough, after failing to smite the tiny insect, the Exploding Owlbear turned and fixed its sights on Uchiha Uranium.
Without a roar or any other sound, it lunged at him without warning. Its claws flashed with a cold light as it swung fiercely at him!
Bang!
With a muffled thud, the solid rock shattered, sending shards flying in all directions with a sharp whirlwind. Untouched, Uchiha Uranium half-crouched and found the next stone cover. After the spirit beast pounced on the rock, he continued running.
He couldn't stop. A soul beast of this extreme strength would injure him if touched, and kill him if touched. He could only hope it wasn't fast enough so he could safely shake it off. Otherwise, it would be very troublesome.
While pondering, Uchiha Uran leaped from a flat rock to a further one. Using his feet, he climbed up with his hands, grasping a protruding object and scrambling upwards. He flipped over and continued his charge.
The crackling sound of the rocks had already warned him, and the dull, earthquake-like footsteps that followed made his face change. It was chasing him.
Realizing this, Uchiha Uran slowed down and surveyed his surroundings. He couldn't outrun the soul beast in the forest.
He had to find a way to exploit the terrain, preferably a rainforest environment, where he could use vines and mud to outrun it!
But unfortunately, this place was a stable and pleasant, orthodox forest landscape.
The soul beast behind him didn't give him time to find it. With its large size and long strides, Uchiha Uranium soon heard footsteps from behind. His heart tightened, knowing that if he didn't make some moves, he would be outrun by the soul beast and would be torn apart in no time!
"Huh... Looks like I need to use my soul power. Shake it off!"
The young man didn't hesitate. Realizing that his normal speed wouldn't be enough to shake off the soul beast behind him, he immediately mobilized his soul power.
A faint white light appeared on his skin. Then, black fan-shaped jade began to slowly rotate in his pupils. Clear yellow soul rings rose from his feet, circling his body.
In the next moment, the young man broke away from the Exploding Owlbear at a speed far exceeding his original speed. However, his already limited soul power began to deplete rapidly.
After all, he had set four traps that day, and even with the natural recovery, his current soul power could only sustain him for less than a minute of rapid progress!
Roar!
Suddenly, a thunderous shriek echoed beside Uchiha Uranium's ears. The young man, leaping in midair, abruptly paused, and before he could regain consciousness, he fell heavily to the ground. A mouthful of blood spurted out, and his eyes went black.
The shriek, in his heightened state, dealt an unimaginable blow, like a drum beating in his heart. Incessant tinnitus and black spots in his vision tore through his senses until he fell to the ground, his ears still ringing.
"Puff!"
Another mouthful of blood spat onto the ground, and now he was somewhat lucid. Blurred, he saw the spirit beast charging towards him from a distance. His eyes widened.
His mind tried to move his body, but it felt weak. That roar was more than just loud; it was laced with the soul power and murderous intent of the Exploding Owlbear!
"Uh-aaaaa!"
As if seeing the Exploding Owlbear approaching, Uchiha Uran suddenly felt a strong sense of death. It was approaching! After a short roar, he felt his body regain consciousness.
"Move! Move!"
He grew increasingly anxious. His body, battered by the screaming blow, slowly began to regain consciousness, but it was too late. The Exploding Owlbear was right before his eyes!
Roar!
The Exploding Owlbear, over five meters tall, swung its claws with unparalleled force. Before Uchiha Uran's horrified eyes, it suddenly slammed down on the boy within reach!
BANG!
Gravel shattered, dust billowed high, and the next moment, a thin figure leaped out. It was Uchiha Uran.
The experience was so horrifying that even he wondered if he would have died a second later. Fortunately, he rolled at the last moment to avoid the critical point. Unfortunately, the sharp wind still caught his arm, tearing his clothes apart and leaving several bloody streaks on his arm.
Without stopping, he began to burn his soul energy to fuel his speed, accelerating. He climbed over boulders and stepped over tree roots, the wind whistling in his ears.
He seemed to have surpassed the limits of his body's speed. The pain from the intense exercise intensified, only spurring him on even faster.
Having just experienced the brink of death, the terror between life and death was as horrifying as if his heart were being grasped in his hand. He had never been so close to death, and he didn't want to approach it again. Indeed, he was terrified! Terrified!
Roar!
Exploding Owl Bear repeated its old trick, roaring its thunderous roar once more, but this time it failed. Uchiha Uranium had already escaped its range.
"Roar!"
Exploding Owl Bear's tiny eyes shone with madness. It gazed at the empty surroundings and growled softly. Then, leaning down, it licked up all the blood Uchiha Uranium had spat out. Then, sniffing, it turned and immediately pursued the boy in his direction.
It didn't notice that after Uchiha Uranium spat out the blood, the surrounding trees began to decay at a visible rate. The soil gradually turned black, carrying a sickening smell. As the blood began to stagnate, heavy radiation began to spread around the blood.
Soon, the towering tree closest to the bloodline completely died. The bark began to "bleed" like blood, the roots began to rot, and the leaves began to turn yellow and gray, then withered and fell to the ground, gradually turning black from the tips.
This rate of contamination far exceeded that of the trees in the camp before.
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(End of this chapter)