Boom! A thunderous roar, akin to a startling bolt from the blue, suddenly reverberated. An energy storm of terrifying power formed and raged across the entire mountain peak. The fierce tempest shook the mountain, and massive cracks spread rapidly, extending to the limits of sight… The sudden eruption of energy also caught the attention of many high-level magical beasts on the mountain. However, upon feeling the sheer might of the energy storm, they were all greatly alarmed and hurriedly dashed away from the mountain. A battle of this level was not something they could meddle with.
The surging energy shockwaves flattened nearly half of the forest on the mountain like a force of nature, revealing a gigantic pit over a hundred meters wide in front of Xiao Yan’s gaze.
“Whew…” Gazing at the vast and unfathomably deep pit, even Xiao Yan couldn’t help but gasp. Such devastating power was truly worthy of a Dou Zun class battle.
The billowing dust just rose to the sky before being swept away by a powerful gale. Xiao Yan’s eyes quickly swept below, then stopped on Mu Gu, whose body was suspended mid-air. At this moment, Mu Gu’s chest was slightly heaving, and his breathing had become irregular. It was clear that the previous attack had greatly drained him.
“Where is Xiong Zhan?” Xiao Yan’s gaze suddenly shifted, looking at the bottomless pit, his brows slightly furrowed.
“Down there,” Zi Yan pointed to the deep hole, her lively eyes flickering with a purple glow.
“Roar!”
As soon as Zi Yan spoke, a earth-shattering roar suddenly burst from the pit, transforming into a tangible sound wave that blasted outward, sending another layer of soil flying.
The roar gradually faded, and the entire mountain began to tremble. Stifling thunder-like sounds came from the pit. Hearing this, Mu Gu’s face changed, and his cold gaze tightly fixed on the abyss.
“Bang!”
Suddenly, an even more terrifying boom echoed, and a tremendously colossal figure emerged from the pit, leaping like a giant tower. As it landed with a resounding thud, the entire mountain shook violently under its feet.
Looking at the behemoth that leaped out of the pit, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but feel stunned.
The creature was a gigantic bear nearly a hundred meters tall. Its body was pitch-black, with fur standing tall and sharp like steel needles. In the center of its chest, there were eight silver furs, and most astonishingly, behind the giant bear was a 20-meter-long black tail, which whipped around, creating a whistling sound as if it were a dragon tail.
“Is this… an ancient dragon bear?” Xiao Yan’s gaze swept over the silver fur on the bear’s chest, then focused on the dragon tail behind it. His eyes flickered slightly as he muttered to himself.
Dragon bears, these formidable magical beasts, are rarely seen today, as they are ancient mystical creatures with some latent draconic blood within them. Their strength is immensely terrifying. Ancient records state that this type of dragon bear is also known as the Nine-Stripe Dragon Demon Bear. The silver patterns on their chests are not for display, but to measure their strength. It is said that when a dragon bear possesses nine stripes, its draconic bloodline will fully awaken, causing it to undergo a transformation. If successful, it would evolve into a supreme dragon bear, for which crumbling mountains and splitting earth would be but child’s play. Therefore, these patterns are called dragon stripes.
And now, this Xiong Zhan already possesses eight dragon stripes. If one more appears, this beast will become the legendary Supreme Magical Bear that even in ancient times, was notorious for its ferocity!
“I never expected to see a dragon bear here. Incredible!” Xiao Yan couldn’t help but shake his head in amazement.
“Dragon bear or not, it’s only strong because of its dragon blood,” Zi Yan, cradled in Xiao Yan’s arms, pouted.
“Having the blood of dragons is enough to prove its strength. Bloodlines are too important for magical beasts. When I first arrived in the Central Region, people from the Demon Phoenix Clan almost found the Demon Phoenix Blood Essence in my ring…”
Xiao Yan smiled, remembering the incident in the Wind Lightning Pavilion, and chuckled.
“Demon Phoenix? Did they hurt you?”
Hearing this, Zi Yan’s little hand clutched Xiao Yan’s neck tighter, and her sparkling eyes flashed with a glaring purple light. Her crimson little tongue licked her lips.
“Not really, but I refined the wings of the Demon Phoenix into a flight-type Dou Technique. If it’s recognized, it could be troublesome.”
Xiao Yan’s gaze remained fixed on the enormous dragon bear, speaking casually.
“Don’t worry, if they dare to come, not a single one will return,” Zi Yan whispered softly, her little head resting on Xiao Yan’s shoulder.
Xiao Yan didn’t hear what Zi Yan said, his attention entirely on Xiong Zhan, who had transformed into his true form. Perhaps because of his transformation, Xiong Zhan’s aura was even more ferocious. His pair of blood-red, huge eyes stared intently at Mu Gu, who appeared like an ant in midair.
“Again!”
Xiong Zhan stomped forward, his ugly face twisted with savagery, and his fists swung directly at Mu Gu.
With each punch, a hurricane-like wind roared, and the sound of the wind howling like distant drumbeats filled the mountain.
Facing the full-bodied Xiong Zhan’s fist, even Mu Gu dared not underestimate it. He changed his hand seal, and the space in front of him distorted, quickly forming a thick, twisted space barrier.
“Bang!”
The giant, black-haired fist landed heavily on the spatial barrier, shattering it instantly. Then his hand spread open, and the black, sharp hairs on his arm shot out like a barrage of arrows.
These black, sharp hairs moved with incredible speed, appearing directly in front of Mu Gu. At the tip of the fur, a faint deep yellow energy trace could be seen. Clearly, although they did not seem particularly impressive, being hit by them would not be pleasant.
However, with Mu Gu’s experience and insight, he certainly wouldn’t dismiss the attack. He quickly changed his hand seals, opened his mouth, and spat out a pillar of deep blue flames, which collided with the incoming sharp hairs. The terrifying temperature of the Heart Flame instantly vaporized the fur, turning them into clusters of ashes.
“Whoosh!”
Just as the flame was expelled, a black shadow suddenly darted from the sky. The terrifying wind caused Mu Gu’s face to change slightly, and he hurriedly changed his hand seals. The spout of fire condensed into a giant, ten-meters-tall fiery beast, slamming into the black shadow.
“Chi!”
The black shadow descended straight down, smashing heavily onto the fiery beast. The terrifying force split the beast in two, and the remaining energy plunged downward, leaving a deep, tens-of-meters-long mark on the ground.
The black shadow broke through the fiery beast, whirling in the air. Mu Gu’s gaze fell upon it, and he realized the black shadow was Xiong Zhan’s giant dragon tail.
“This beast has such brute strength…”
Seeing the space tear apart as the dragon tail swayed, Mu Gu’s eyes narrowed, his expression grim.
In truth, even after transforming, Xiong Zhan might not defeat Mu Gu. But Xiong Zhan fought without restraint, while Mu Gu needed to hold back. He still had to participate in the Pill Gathering and win the championship to seize the Heavenly Flame of the Three Thousand Fiery Flames. If he exhausted himself here, how could he compete later?
Considering this, he couldn’t afford a life-or-death battle with Xiong Zhan, but if he didn’t fight, he couldn’t defeat Xiong Zhan. This situation left him in a dilemma, unable to balance both ends.
Mu Gu’s eyes flashed, and after a long moment, he gnashed his teeth, his gaze turning sharply towards Xiao Yan in the sky, snarling, “Xiao Yan, consider yourself lucky. After the Pill Gathering, I will personally deal with you!”
“Glad to oblige,” Xiao Yan’s eyes flashed with cold intent, smiling coldly. If he obtained the Heavenly Flame of the Three Thousand Fiery Flames and refined it, he would no longer fear this old man!
“Humph!” Hearing this, Mu Gu’s face twitched, and he turned his icy gaze towards Xiong Zhan, standing like a tower on the mountain peak. He clenched his fists tightly, finally giving up on futile efforts. With a wave of his sleeve, the space around him distorted, and he vanished into the warping void.
“Xiao Yan, keep your life for me!” Though Mu Gu vanished, his icy voice echoed through the air, resonating in the sky.
Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed, a fierce light flickering in his dark pupils.
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