Xu Xiaoyan was dragged along by her brother as they ran wildly.
From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the sky.
That dazzling vortex of Spiritual Qi and the tall, upright figure at its center.
It was as if he were the only figure in heaven and earth, deeply imprinted in her young heart.
So the World of Soul Masters was this terrifying.
Her family had protected her too well; this was the first time she had witnessed the dominance of a powerful Soul Master with her own eyes.
Arthur had noticed the two fleeing figures long ago but paid them no mind, focusing all his attention on the soul spirit's advancement.
As the last visible Thousand-Year Spirit Beast was slain, the woods in this area were nearly cleared of Spirit Beasts.
The rotation speed of the Spiritual Qi vortex reached its peak.
It was like a tornado.
The Sky-Rending Cry-Vulture let out a sharp screech.
Its wings suddenly unfurled, light bursting forth with a dazzling brilliance.
The Aura of a Thousand-Year Spirit Soul it originally emitted vanished completely.
In its place was the thick and majestic pressure of a Ten-Thousand-Year soul spirit! Its body size expanded continuously, the feathers on its wings grew sharper, and its eyes gained a touch more intelligence.
"It's done."
A glint flashed in Arthur's eyes as he carefully felt the power of the Ten-Thousand-Year soul spirit.
Killing during the Riot Period was truly satisfying; in the usual Spirit Ascension Platform, finding this many Spirit Beasts would have taken an unknown amount of time—it really wouldn't be as good as just going fishing to relax.
He put away the Excalibur and raised his hand to push aside the Spiritual Qi vortex, sending all the remaining Spiritual Qi toward Na'er.
Na'er didn't actually need this Spiritual Qi; she could increase the age of her spirit rings on her own.
However, she still absorbed all the Spiritual Qi Arthur pushed her way. She summoned her strength, making the purple spirit ring beside her grow a bit deeper in color. The swaying tail of the Dragon phantom revealed her joy. Arthur landed steadily on the ground. His fingertips lightly brushed the feathers of the soul spirit's wings, which were now even more beautiful than before: "Let's go, it's time to go back and find them."
Before his voice faded, Na'er had already skipped over excitedly and grabbed his hand. With light steps, her Martial Soul retracted, turning into a stream of light that returned to her body.
In the next moment, the Sky-Rending Cry-Vulture carried the two of them straight into the sky.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the dense forest.
Tang Wulin and the others were hunting a Wind Wolf that had just reached the thousand-year cultivation level. Blue Silver Grass was in a tight Binding around the wolf's body. Xie Xie's twin daggers flashed with a cold light as they accurately pierced the Wind Wolf's vital points.
Just as they were preparing to absorb the Spiritual Qi, hurried footsteps suddenly came from not far away.
Xu Xiaoyu rushed over in a panic, dragging Xu Xiaoyan, and happened to run into them.
"Who are you people?"
Xu Xiaoyu instantly shielded Xu Xiaoyan behind him, holding his Ice Staff across his chest. Two yellow and one purple spirit ring suddenly lit up as he stared warily at Tang Wulin and the others.
He hadn't yet recovered from the fear Arthur had instilled in him, and seeing strangers now made his nerves tighten instantly.
Xie Xie put away his twin daggers and raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we be asking that? Can't you see we're in the middle of hunting a Spirit Beast?"
Xu Xiaoyu's gaze swept over the spirit rings on Tang Wulin and the others. Seeing they were only at the one or two-ring cultivation level, he relaxed slightly.
Tang Wulin took a step forward and spoke calmly, "The Spirit Beast has already been slain. If there's nothing else, please take a detour and leave."
Xu Xiaoyan hid behind her brother, secretly sizing up the group. The intense running had made her cheeks slightly flushed. She tugged at Xu Xiaoyu's sleeve and whispered, "Brother, let's just leave quickly..."
Xu Xiaoyu had no intention of fighting anyway. Hearing this, he gave a cold snort and pulled Xu Xiaoyan to turn and leave.
But at that moment, the ground suddenly trembled violently, and a deafening roar echoed out. The terrifying Aura made everyone present freeze.
"What... what is that sound?" Zhang Yangzi's expression changed; this power far exceeded the Thousand-Year Wind Wolf they had just killed.
Tang Wulin's heart tightened, and he suddenly looked toward the source of the sound. "Everyone, be careful!"
Before he could finish, a massive black shadow crashed through several large trees and appeared before them. It was a giant bear the size of a small mountain, covered in dark gold fur. Most terrifying were the pair of dark gold claws on its forelimbs, which glinted with a heart-stopping cold light.
"Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear!"
Xu Xiaoyu cried out in shock, his face instantly turning as pale as paper. He had seen records of this Spirit Beast in books; it was nearly invincible among Spirit Beasts of the same rank. The one before them looked to have only a hundred-year cultivation.
But a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, even at a hundred years, could compete with Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts.
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear roared and charged toward them.
Gu Yue had the fastest reaction, but she didn't make a move. Instead, she sized up the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear with interest.
Seeing the giant bear about to crash into them, Tang Wulin unleashed all his Soul Power. Blue Silver Grass surged wildly, turning into vines that extended toward the giant bear, continuously attempting Binding on its body.
The bear's claws swung, and the vines were instantly severed without causing any hindrance.
Xie Xie's figure blurred as he turned into an afterimage, circling behind the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear. Cold light stabbed toward its hind legs.
But as soon as he touched the dark gold fur, he was repelled by a counter-shock, leaving only a faint white mark.
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear spun around suddenly, its massive claws sweeping across.
Xie Xie avoided it by a hair's breadth, but the large tree behind him was snapped in half.
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi attacked simultaneously, but their strikes against the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear were not only useless but also completely infuriated the giant beast.
Everyone grappled with it, trying their best to avoid a head-on collision.
Only Xu Xiaoyan hid to the side in fear, not daring to move.
This, instead, made her the only target the giant bear could reach.
The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear immediately charged at her.
Everyone was shocked but powerless; they could only struggle with the giant bear to slowly wear down its stamina, as they couldn't block it head-on.
"Sister!" Xu Xiaoyu's eyes nearly burst from their sockets as he couldn't make it in time to save her. "Run!"
Xu Xiaoyan had never encountered such a crisis and was already scared out of her wits. Tears welled up in her eyes.
At this critical moment, a terrifying wind pressure crashed down from high above like a torrential rain, firmly pinning down the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's offensive.
In the next instant.
With a shua, Arthur's figure instantly appeared between Xu Xiaoyan and the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.
Arthur was on one knee with one hand on the ground, in a posture as if he had just come to a sudden halt. His voice was calm and unhurried.
"Am I late?"
A hero's entrance!
Unfortunately, seeing this, Tang Wulin and the others felt their tense nerves suddenly relax, their voices trembling with excitement: "Brother Art!"
Xu Xiaoyan behind him didn't follow up with a "No, you're just in time" either.
Xu Xiaoyan's heart skipped a beat. She remembered this figure—it was the boy she had seen not long ago, standing in the sky like a deity.
Staring blankly at the back that had suddenly shielded her, she felt as much peace now as she had felt awe before.
"Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear..." Arthur looked at the giant bear and gave a cheerful greeting, "Long time no see, old friend."
They had encountered each other more than once in the Spirit Ascension Platform before; one could only say that the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was truly resilient.
"Woo..." After seeing Arthur's face clearly, a human-like terror flashed in the giant bear's eyes, and it let out a low whimper.
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