In a flash, even Xiao Yan was surprised to see two long vines suddenly sprouting from the Blue Silver Grass Rings around the Vine Man's wrists. Like chains, they wrapped tightly around the Dark Underworld Bear's right arm.
Using the momentum, the Vine Man lightly tapped the dark head of the Dark Underworld Bear with his toes and leapt into the air, landing behind it.
The Dark Underworld Bear shook its head, its right arm suddenly surging with power as it spun fiercely, dragging the Vine Man back in front and throwing a powerful punch.
The Vine Man, nimble and agile, adjusted his stance and let the Dark Underworld Bear's punch land on the vines instead.
In that instant, the two chain-like vines shattered into a flurry of grass leaves, blocking the Dark Underworld Bear's vision.
From a distance, on a nearby tree, Xiao Yan could see it clearly. At this moment, the Vine Man's fingers began to weave intricate hand seals. The leaves scattered in the air seemed to be drawn by some unseen force, forming arrow-like projectiles that shot rapidly toward the Dark Underworld Bear.
Seeing the Vine Man's calculated and tactical attacks, Xiao Yan couldn't help but think to himself, "So clever!"
The Dark Underworld Bear stomped the ground, its arms swinging with a fierce wind.
Dozens of grass leaves danced around, trapping the bear in place. Yet, despite being confined, the bear was unharmed.
"ROAR!" The Dark Underworld Bear suddenly let out a furious howl, the powerful sonic wave tearing open a gap in the leafy cage.
Seizing the chance, the Dark Underworld Bear launched another full-force punch aimed at the Vine Man, who was still directing the annoying leaves.
The black energy punch came fast—too fast. The Vine Man barely dodged, his hand seals broken and control over the leaves lost.
With surprising intelligence, the Dark Underworld Bear dashed forward a few steps, leapt into the air, and unleashed two strikes from its glowing black arms.
Though the Vine Man wasn't as strong, his agility allowed him to safely land atop a leaf.
Once steady, the Vine Man waved his arms, his fingers glowing with a faint blue light, summoning countless blue leaves to flutter through the sky.
In a flash, thick Blue Silver Vines erupted from the ground, binding the Dark Underworld Bear tightly.
Xiao Yan looked over at the Vine Man and thought, "So the Vine Man's techniques consume my internal energy. Judging by the drain this time, he's aiming to finish the fight."
The swirling leaves gathered into the Vine Man's palms, drawn in by the blue glow and condensing into a sphere.
Suddenly, with a loud BOOM, the sphere exploded into several blue streaks of light that shot toward the Dark Underworld Bear.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Infused with internal energy, the razor-sharp leaves sliced through even the thick hide of the Dark Underworld Bear, leaving several gashes.
"Still not dead?" Seeing that the bear was only wounded, Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes. "Seems like the Vine Man's power has its limits. If I train for a few more years and upgrade that soul ring, his attacks could be devastating."
Blood pouring, the Dark Underworld Bear suddenly emitted a crimson glow, its aura doubling. The ground shook violently as the vines snapped apart.
With a furious roar, its right arm swelled to twice its size. A dark purple glow flickered across its black paw.
In an instant, time seemed to freeze. The Dark Underworld Bear hurled its paw forward, the dark purple light detaching and forming a massive bear claw that flew into the air.
The shockwave from the blow collapsed the ground beneath the bear by three inches.
This strike was leagues beyond its earlier attacks—both in power and speed.
Knowing it was impossible to dodge, the Vine Man quickly summoned Blue Silver Leaves, forming a shield in front of him.
The enormous bear claw struck instantly, slamming into the leafy shield with a thunderous impact.
BANG! Leaves flew everywhere as the force smashed the Vine Man off the tree, sending him skidding more than ten meters across the ground before he came to a halt.
"Looks like he's reached his limit!" thought Xiao Yan as he leapt from the tree and landed in front of the Vine Man.
Seeing Xiao Yan, the Dark Underworld Bear went berserk and charged.
Even though the red glow had boosted the bear's strength—perhaps even rivaling the Blue Silver King—Xiao Yan was confident he could kill it.
Internal energy surged through his meridians as Xiao Yan extended his right thumb toward the bear's forehead.
He used the Shao Shang Sword, a technique as fierce as a storm, carrying explosive force and immense power.
Invisible sword energy shot forth. Despite having gained some intelligence, the Dark Underworld Bear couldn't comprehend what was happening.
SPLURT! A mist of blood burst from the bear's head. It froze, staring blankly at Xiao Yan, never understanding how it died, then collapsed heavily to the ground.
Xiao Yan, his face pale, looked at the bear's corpse and exhaled deeply.
The Vine Man's attacks had drained his internal energy, and the Six Meridian Sword took even more. Without focused cultivation, he wouldn't have been able to sustain it.
Suddenly, countless black light particles rose from the bear's corpse, startling Xiao Yan, who instantly grew alert.
"Damn, this thing's body is dead but its ghost still wants trouble?"
But the light didn't attack. Instead, it condensed mid-air into a black ring.
"So this is how a soul ring is formed? That guy Su Yuntao said soul masters must absorb soul rings to cultivate. A sixty-thousand-year soul ring must be quite valuable. Too bad I don't know how to absorb it. Besides, the ring's skill consumes a ton of energy, so having it or not doesn't make much difference."
Xiao Yan let out a silly chuckle, realizing he might've been overly cautious, then stepped toward the Dark Underworld Bear.
With his Purple Demon Eye still active, Xiao Yan inspected the hole in the bear's forehead and was slightly surprised.
"That was my strongest move, and it didn't even go clean through the head. No wonder the Vine Man's fierce attacks only caused superficial injuries. And this was just a sixty-thousand-year soul beast. If it were older… things would get messy."
Xiao Yan recalled the Vine Man and walked toward the Blue Silver King.
Before he could speak, the Blue Silver King exclaimed, "My king, your strength is incredible! That Dark Underworld Bear had a cultivation of sixty thousand years. Even a Soul Saint-level soul master would struggle to take it down, but you killed it with ease!"
"Wait, have I already reached Soul Saint level?"Xiao Yan asked in surprise.
(End of Chapter)