The lightning gradually subsided.
Crackling arcs of electricity continued to dance across the forest for several breaths before finally disappearing into the air, leaving behind the sharp smell of scorched earth and the faint smoke rising from the trees.
The Xuan Gang expert stood motionless.
His black robes were slightly torn around the shoulders, and several strands of his hair had been blown loose, but his body itself had suffered little damage. The lightning talisman had been powerful, yet the difference between a talisman forcibly activated by a Gathering Thoughts cultivator and one properly controlled by a Leaving Aperture or stronger Spirit Dao cultivator was enormous.
Still, the man's expression had changed.
He no longer looked at Su Yang and Tu Bing with the same contempt as before.
His eyes were cold and contemplative.
Another trump card.
The young man in front of him had already used an explosive orb in Anping County, and now the apparently ordinary escort beside him had produced a lightning talisman capable of threatening even a Xuan Gang expert.
This was no longer something he could casually dismiss.
"Interesting..."
The Xuan Gang expert wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth.
His gaze slowly moved between Su Yang and Tu Bing.
"Just who are you two?"
Su Yang's expression remained vigilant.
He didn't answer.
The expert's eyes narrowed.
He had initially believed that these two were merely lucky survivors who had somehow escaped the assassins in Anping County.
But that assumption was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.
First, the explosive orbs.
Then, the lightning talisman.
Neither item was something ordinary martial artists could casually possess.
Especially the explosive orbs.
The power of those five explosions had already exceeded what a martial artist at Su Yang's level should have been capable of producing.
And now there was a lightning talisman.
Even if its power was limited, the fact that they possessed it was enough to make him hesitate.
Could they be disciples of some powerful sect?
Or perhaps descendants of some influential family?
If so, killing them might create unnecessary trouble.
The Xuan Gang expert's expression darkened.
But after a moment, his eyes became cold again.
"Background?"
He quietly muttered.
"If you really had a powerful background, you wouldn't be running through a forest like stray dogs."
His killing intent gradually returned.
No matter what their backgrounds were, the package was too important.
He had already lost contact with the people in Anping County, and if he returned without recovering the package, the consequences would be severe.
His superiors would not care about the reason.
They would only care that he had failed.
The expert's gaze hardened.
"Even if you are disciples of some powerful faction..."
His Gang Qi slowly gathered around his body.
"...you will have to die here."
Su Yang's heart sank.
He had hoped the lightning talisman would buy them enough time to escape.
Instead, it had only made the expert more cautious.
The man's right hand slowly lifted.
A layer of dark-green Gang Qi wrapped around his palm, flowing like water while carrying a sharp, penetrating force.
Su Yang's muscles tightened.
He couldn't win.
That much was obvious.
The difference between True Essence and Xuan Gang wasn't something that could be overcome through courage alone.
Even if he exhausted everything he had, he might only be able to exchange a few moves.
But those few moves would be enough for the expert to kill him.
Tu Bing's breathing was somewhat hurried.
The forced activation of the lightning talisman had already drained a considerable amount of his spiritual energy.
His face was pale.
He had no second talisman capable of stopping this man.
The Xuan Gang expert stepped forward.
The ground cracked beneath his foot.
Su Yang's pupils contracted.
At that exact moment—
"Roar!"
A terrifying roar erupted behind the expert.
The man's expression changed.
He turned around.
The Earth Bear had returned.
Its enormous body was covered in dust and several shallow wounds from their previous clash, but its eyes were burning with fury.
It had completely ignored Su Yang and Tu Bing.
Its attention was fixed entirely upon the Xuan Gang expert.
More precisely...
Upon the cub lying behind him.
The cub was still alive.
But blood continued to flow from its body.
The Earth Bear's enormous chest heaved.
Its claws dug into the earth.
The Xuan Gang expert frowned.
"So you're still not finished?"
His patience was running thin.
He had already decided that Su Yang and Tu Bing needed to die, yet this beast kept interfering.
The Earth Bear lowered its head.
Its muscles tightened.
Then it charged.
Boom!
The earth shook.
The enormous creature moved like a mountain suddenly collapsing forward.
The Xuan Gang expert's expression became cold.
He thrust his palm outward.
"Get lost!"
Boom!
Gang Qi erupted.
A massive palm-shaped force slammed into the Earth Bear.
The beast's fur violently rippled from the impact, but instead of retreating, it roared and pushed forward.
Its enormous paw swung down.
The Xuan Gang expert's eyes narrowed.
He immediately stepped sideways.
The bear's paw struck the ground.
Boom!
A crater several meters wide appeared.
Fragments of stone and earth shot into the air.
The Xuan Gang expert took advantage of the opening and struck toward the bear's chest.
His palm carried Xuan Gang.
The Gang Qi penetrated through the thick fur and flesh.
The Earth Bear roared in pain.
Yet its enormous body merely staggered backward.
The Xuan Gang expert's expression changed.
"What a tough body."
A Rank Two fierce beast's physical body was indeed frightening.
The Xuan Gang expert's eyes became increasingly cold.
He gathered even more Gang Qi into his arm.
This time, he intended to strike directly into the beast's internal organs.
But before he could attack—
The Earth Bear suddenly opened its mouth.
A violent earth-yellow energy gathered inside.
The Xuan Gang expert's expression changed.
"Earth attribute?"
The next moment—
Boom!
A gigantic earthen spear shot from the ground.
It was more than a meter thick and several meters long, erupting with such terrifying force that the surrounding soil exploded outward.
The Xuan Gang expert immediately moved.
His body flashed sideways.
The spear passed dangerously close to him.
He frowned.
But the Earth Bear didn't stop.
Another spear emerged.
Then another.
The ground beneath the expert seemed to come alive.
Sharp pillars of earth continuously erupted from below, forcing him to move constantly.
The Xuan Gang expert's figure flashed through the forest.
One spear.
Two.
Three.
Each time he dodged, the earth behind him exploded.
He finally became irritated.
"Enough!"
His body suddenly stopped.
Xuan Gang surged from his feet to his waist, then through his shoulders and into his palm.
He struck downward.
Boom!
A terrifying wave of Gang Qi spread across the ground.
The earth trembled.
The incoming earth spears shattered under the force.
Countless fragments flew through the air.
The Xuan Gang expert's robes fluttered violently.
He had finally gained a moment of breathing room.
But the Earth Bear was already there.
Its enormous paw swept toward him.
The expert raised his arm.
Bang!
The collision produced a thunderous sound.
The Xuan Gang expert's body was sent flying.
He twisted in midair and landed on one knee.
The earth beneath him cracked.
His eyes became completely cold.
This beast was far more troublesome than he had expected.
But then he noticed something.
The Earth Bear wasn't trying to kill him immediately.
It was constantly positioning itself between him and its cub.
The expert glanced toward the injured cub.
Understanding flashed through his eyes.
"So that's it."
He had finally understood why the beast was so furious.
His earlier attack had caused the tree to collapse.
He hadn't cared about what was underneath it.
He had merely wanted to eliminate Su Yang.
But that tree had struck the cub.
The Xuan Gang expert's expression became somewhat ugly.
He hadn't expected such a trivial action to provoke this much trouble.
Still...
That was irrelevant.
He looked toward Su Yang.
The young man was standing several dozen meters away, watching the battle carefully.
The expert's eyes narrowed.
He had become distracted.
Su Yang noticed the momentary hesitation.
He immediately grabbed Tu Bing's arm.
"Move."
The two began retreating.
The Xuan Gang expert noticed.
His expression changed.
"Stop!"
He pushed away from the ground.
His body transformed into a streak.
But the Earth Bear reacted even faster.
The moment the expert moved, it charged.
The Xuan Gang expert was forced to turn around.
"Damned beast!"
He gathered Gang Qi around his arm.
His palm struck the Earth Bear's head.
Boom!
The Earth Bear's enormous body shook.
Blood appeared around its mouth.
But its paw simultaneously slammed into the expert's chest.
Bang!
The Xuan Gang expert flew backward.
He crashed through several trees before finally stopping.
His face became dark.
He touched his chest.
His palm was stained with blood.
"You..."
His killing intent erupted.
At that moment, he no longer cared about conserving strength.
He was going to kill the beast first.
Then he would chase those two ants.
He stepped forward.
His entire body suddenly became surrounded by Xuan Gang.
The aura he released caused the surrounding vegetation to bend.
Even Su Yang, who was already retreating, felt his scalp grow numb.
This was the true strength of a Xuan Gang expert.
The earlier exchanges had only been probing.
Now...
He was serious.
Su Yang increased his speed.
"Faster."
Tu Bing gritted his teeth and followed.
They didn't dare look back for long.
The sounds of the battle behind them continued to shake the forest.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Every collision sounded like thunder.
Suddenly—
A massive shockwave swept across the forest.
Su Yang stumbled.
He immediately stabilized himself.
"What's happening?"
Tu Bing asked.
"That expert is fighting the Earth Bear seriously."
Su Yang glanced backward.
Then his expression suddenly changed.
The ground beneath his feet trembled.
Not from the battle.
Something else.
"Wait..."
A faint cracking sound came from beneath them.
Crack.
Su Yang's eyes widened.
He looked down.
Thin cracks were spreading across the earth.
"Move!"
He grabbed Tu Bing.
They both jumped.
But the ground was already collapsing.
The forest floor suddenly gave way.
Boom!
The earth beneath them disappeared.
Su Yang felt his body drop.
Tu Bing's eyes widened.
"Su Yang!"
Su Yang immediately reached for him.
He caught Tu Bing's wrist.
But there was nothing beneath their feet.
The earth continued collapsing around them.
Rocks and soil tumbled into darkness.
Su Yang desperately tried to find somewhere to anchor himself, but the collapsing ground had already taken away everything within reach.
The forest above rapidly grew distant.
The two figures fell deeper.
And deeper.
Until—
Boom!
They disappeared into the darkness beneath the earth.