Zhu Fan shook his head, but his brows remained tightly knit, and his expression was uneasy. "I haven't noticed anything specific, but I have this… unsettling feeling."
"Therefore, you must be extremely cautious."
"I understand."
Dai Chengfeng was well aware of the effects of his uncle's second soul skill, the Spirit Cat's Intuition. If his uncle said he had a bad premonition, then it was highly likely that their group was being watched by someone—or some soul beast.
Thinking this, Dai Chengfeng allowed his soul power to flow subtly around him, activating his Microcosm state to its maximum potential.
With that, the four of them continued toward the valley.
As they left, the entrance to the valley returned to its previous calm.
Time passed second by second. First came the roar of the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear, followed by an earth-shattering explosion. Only then—
A black shadow silently appeared at the valley's entrance, pausing briefly to sense its surroundings before vanishing in a flash.
The direction it departed in was none other than the valley ahead.
---
Dai Chengfeng had already fought several Dark Golden Terror Claw Bears, so by now, he considered himself quite experienced in battling them.
Not to mention, he now possessed the powerful external soul bone—the Dark Golden Terror Claw Armguard.
Thus, even without using his second soul skill, the White Tiger Domain, to enhance himself, he could easily tear through the bear's incredibly strong defenses with the combined power boosts from the armguard and his Heaven-Splitting Halberd, along with the razor-sharpness of Innate Origin Metal Qi.
Therefore, this battle was, as expected, completely one-sided.
At this moment, Dai Chengfeng gazed at the Heaven-Splitting Halberd embedded in the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear's heart, feeling the blood flowing into it as he waited silently.
Only when the red glow on the halberd faded did he retrieve the weapon, examining it closely.
Now, the crescent blade of the Heaven-Splitting Halberd in his hands, while still damaged, had begun to take shape—it no longer looked as unrecognizable as it had at first.
As for the other slightly damaged parts of the halberd, they were nearly fully repaired.
It seemed that activating the third core was just around the corner.
For a moment, Dai Chengfeng nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad, it's a good trend."
He lowered his head, looking at the spot where the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear's corpse had turned to ash in the wind, a flicker of disappointment crossing his eyes.
There, only a pale purple soul ring remained—nothing else.
"No external soul bone again?"
"So, the first Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear dropping an external soul bone was just luck after all."
Dai Chengfeng shook his head helplessly and turned to Ye Renxin.
"Elder Ye, this Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear also didn't drop an external soul bone. Now there's only one left…"
Saying this, Dai Chengfeng grew puzzled. "Earlier, I saw your map, which seemed to have only four red markers. I thought perhaps one marker represented two Dark Golden Terror Claw Bears."
"But now it seems that's not the case?"
Hearing this, Ye Renxin explained, "This last Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear isn't in the Great Star Dou Forest."
"That's why my map only has four red markers."
"Not in the Great Star Dou Forest?" Dai Chengfeng was surprised.
Ye Renxin nodded. "This final Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear is alone in the Sunset Forest."
"Although the Sunset Forest is closer to Tian Dou City, I initially considered that there were four bears in the Great Star Dou Forest. If killing those four yielded enough rewards, there would be no need to make an additional trip to the Sunset Forest for unnecessary slaughter."
"But now, it seems we have no choice but to go to the Sunset Forest."
When Dai Chengfeng heard "Sunset Forest," his eyes narrowed slightly. 'That place… the location of the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well!'
Dai Chengfeng hadn't forgotten that the fundamental reason he came to the Tian Dou Empire was for the immortal herbs in the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well, which he planned to consume to compensate for the deficiency in his White Tiger martial soul's essence.
'And now, this final Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear is in the Sunset Forest…'
'Could I resolve both the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear and the immortal herb issues in one trip?'
'It would save me from making another journey.'
Thinking this, Dai Chengfeng felt it was worth considering.
"Since the last Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear isn't in the Great Star Dou Forest, shall we leave now?"
"I've had this strange, spine-chilling feeling all day…"
At this moment, Zhu Fan rubbed the goosebumps on his arms and suggested to both Dai Chengfeng and Ye Renxin.
"Mm."
Neither Dai Chengfeng nor Ye Renxin objected, as there was no point in staying any longer.
Soon, the four set off on their return journey.
In the valley, the surroundings were eerily silent, with only the rustling of fallen leaves beneath their feet breaking the quiet.
However, halfway through, Dai Chengfeng suddenly stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing.
With his enhanced perception in the Microcosm state, his observation skills had increased manifold. Since Zhu Fan's warning, he had been particularly attentive to the details around them, including the footprints they had left behind earlier.
But now!
He noticed that the grass they had bent upon entering was now bent at a completely different angle, clearly having been stepped on again by 'someone.'
"Something has been here!"
Dai Chengfeng whispered, alerting the others.
Zhu Fan reacted instantly, extending his sharp claws and vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
He trusted Dai Chengfeng unconditionally—if Dai Chengfeng said something had been here, then there definitely was.
Seeing Zhu Fan's reaction, Ye Renxin and Ye Lengleng quickly became alert as well, summoning their Nine-Heart Begonia martial souls.
For a moment, the four stood back-to-back, forming a circle.
Their eyes were fixed intently on their surroundings, not missing the slightest movement.
Not far away, in the shadows of the forest, a black tiger lay hidden.
Its head was ferocious, with the character "王" (king) resembling swirling black mist. Its massive body, over eight meters long, was covered in pure black fur, and its crimson eyes glowed with a chilling light.
What made it even more unique…
Its tail seemed to be composed of countless bone segments, with a large hook at the tip, resembling a scorpion's tail.
When it saw the cautious movements of Dai Chengfeng and the others, a flicker of human-like disappointment flashed in its eyes, as if its original plan had been disrupted.
However, it quickly dismissed these thoughts.
Roar—
Its massive maw opened, emitting a deep, low growl.
In an instant, boundless black energy surged violently from its body, like a torrent of dark water rushing toward the sky.
From afar,
Dai Chengfeng immediately detected this strange surge of energy and urgently warned the group again, "Be careful—it's coming!"
The next second—
The once-clear noon sky suddenly darkened. The blinding sun was slowly devoured by darkness, like during an eclipse, and all surrounding light vanished.
Seeing this eerie phenomenon, Dai Chengfeng's pupils contracted sharply. "Darkness… Domain?"
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