Bear Cave Front.
Le Feng and Ding Jiuhui, both Meridian Passage Stage disciples, looked expectantly at Chen Yu.
Ding Jiuhui sounded somewhat polite and pleading.
The two were quite helpless; despite being well-prepared, they still underestimated the Iron Brown Bear King's strength.
Especially the Bear King's robust physique. Even though it was poisoned with "Blood Transformation Poison," its combat power hadn't diminished much. This battle was incredibly difficult.
According to Ding Jiuhui's estimation, to poison the Bear King effectively, the dosage needed to be several times heavier!
Fortunately,
After a prolonged battle, the poison began to seep in. The Bear King's speed sharply decreased, and its life force slowly dwindled away.
But the two's stamina and even their injuries were becoming unsustainable.
At this moment, they only needed someone to hold the Bear King off for a little while. After a short recovery, slaying the Bear King shouldn't be too hard.
"Brother Chen, please lend a hand."
The slender girl pleaded pitifully; her heart was only filled with concern for Le Feng, wanting desperately to rush up and help.
"You guys,"
Chen Yu rolled his eyes, "You want a mere 'Body Refining Stage' to handle a Bear King that even the 'Meridian Passage Stage' struggles with? Isn't this request a bit excessive?"
Upon hearing this, Le Feng and Ding Jiuhui felt like they had fish bones stuck in their throats.
Yet, they couldn't argue back.
It was known that the difference between the Meridian Passage Stage and the Body Refining Stage was substantial, with refined internal energy and developed meridians.
Now, they wanted a Body Refining Stage to deal with a Bear King that two Meridian Passage Stage fighters couldn't match?
Was this to stall for time, or to send someone to their death?
"Hmph! You're not just a regular Body Refining Stage! I saw with my own eyes how you easily killed two Iron Brown Bears."
The slender girl retorted coldly.
Chen Yu only smirked silently.
This girl was completely captivated by Le Feng's charm, deeply entranced, completely forgetting who had come to her rescue earlier.
"Brother Chen,"
Le Feng said while maneuvering around the Bear King, "I know asking you to help delay the Bear King is indeed risky. I won't let you exert yourself for nothing."
Saying this, he took out a booklet from his bosom.
Chen Yu was slightly surprised. Le Feng's movement technique was quite exquisite; even in such a situation, he could still talk to him while dealing with the Bear King.
Of course, no matter how brilliant his movement technique was, the problems of stamina and injuries were unsolvable.
"My movement technique, as you have seen, is 'Cloud Stepping.' It is a martial art my family acquired at a great cost. Its intricacies are top-notch among mid-level martial arts, even approaching high-level martial arts."
Le Feng took a deep breath.
Next to him, Ding Jiuhui looked surprised, staring at the "Cloud Stepping" booklet, obviously tempted.
"Do you want to use this martial art to exchange for my help?"
Chen Yu asked in surprise.
In general, such exquisite martial arts were never taught to outsiders. Its value might not be less than the Bear King's Gallbladder.
"Of course, Brother Chen must ensure to help hold off the Bear King for 15 minutes."
Le Feng said gravely.
Hearing these words, a trace of a different color appeared on Ding Jiuhui's face.
Thinking carefully, Le Feng's plan was quite crafty.
Stalling for 15 minutes?
If it were someone at Le Feng's level, mid-Meridian Passage Stage, with skilled techniques, it might be doable.
But for a Body Refining Stage, it was almost impossible to achieve, and they might even lose their life.
In other words, this "Cloud Stepping" martial art was merely bait. If Chen Yu agreed, he might not last that long and naturally wouldn't get the martial art.
Moreover, regardless of whether Chen Yu succeeded or not, they would gain some respite time.
"Alright, I agree. But you must give me the manual first."
Chen Yu said straightforwardly.
Le Feng wasn't surprised. He knew Chen Yu, as a fringe Outer Disciple, was eager for high-level martial arts.
Snap!
Le Feng extended his hand, tossed the "Cloud Stepping" manual to Chen Yu.
Chen Yu took the manual, glanced through it, confirmed there were no major issues, and stored it safely.
Once the agreement was reached, Le Feng quickly retreated.
Bang!
Chen Yu picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at the Bear King's head.
If it were an ordinary person's strength, the stone would merely scratch the Bear King, failing to draw its attention.
Yet his stone made the Bear King howl in a low voice.
Roar!
The Bear King's roar, accompanied by a sonic attack, locked its blood-red, icy eyes onto Chen Yu.
A shiver ran through Chen Yu, his skin chilled.
The massive creature before him was indeed the greatest threat he had ever faced in his life.
The sonic wave made Chen Yu's blood and energy churn, his eardrums humming.
But he was prepared. He took a deep breath, his heart thumping forcefully, instantly calming his entire body's energy and blood.
Leap!
Chen Yu lightly leaped, maintaining a distance of about two zhang from the Bear King.
Howl-roar!
As the Bear King charged, dust flew, leaving a trench in the ground. Its mighty power was enough to sap ordinary Body Refining Stage fighters of their fighting spirit.
Chen Yu, however, remained unflustered, as agile as a leopard, leaping in the dust, at times using nearby trees for leverage.
Le Feng and his companions took the opportunity to retreat dozens of zhang away.
"This Chen Yu's speed and reactions are really something, not at all like a Body Refining Stage."
Ding Jiuhui commented.
"Let's see how long he can hold on." Le Feng watched with a look of interest.
They often had to use internal energy to seal their ears against the occasional sonic attacks when facing the Bear King.
Unknowingly, this consumed a lot of energy during the battle against the Bear King.
However, Chen Yu had no such concern.
Time slowly passed.
In the dusty battlefield, that agile figure constantly maneuvered and leaped, growing more and more composed.
Le Feng and Ding Jiuhui showed more astonishment on their faces.
It was utterly unexpected!
As time passed, Chen Yu seemed to handle the Bear King increasingly effortlessly.
During this time, the Bear King attempted to escape once, only to be intercepted by Chen Yu's reversed airborne punch, striking its hind brain.
Under normal circumstances, his punch would not cause the Bear King much harm.
But after the brutal battle, the Bear King's head was riddled with wounds and poisoned with Blood Transformation Poison. This punch made it stumble and roar in agony.
Le Feng and Ding Jiuhui changed color again.
Leap!
At a certain moment, a figure quickly flashed towards the two of them.
"15 minutes have passed. It's up to you now."
The figure was Chen Yu.
Le Feng and Ding Jiuhui exchanged glances, sighed, and stood up to face the Bear King.
The two had regained some physical strength, and their injuries had stabilized. At this moment, dealing with the Bear King, who was at the end of its strength, wasn't too difficult.
Slash-screech!
Especially Le Feng's treasured broken sword further enlarged the wounds on the Bear King, whose pained roars echoed in the woods.
Seeing it unfold,
The Bear King's life was finally nearing its end.
"Roar——"
In the final moment, the Bear King desperately lunged at Le Feng, seemingly aware of its impending doom.
The last counterattack was a bit faster than usual.
Le Feng shouted in alarm.
After battling for so long and severely injured, he was exhausted. It was impossible to escape unharmed.
"Brother Le, watch out——"
A slender figure rushed from behind, wielding a silver whip, striking the Bear King.
Crack!
The whip landed squarely on the Bear King's face, even hitting an eye.
The attacker was the slender girl, who by now understood how to target the Iron Brown Bear's vulnerable spots through the experience in battle.
The Bear King, hit on the face, opened its mouth and howled.
"Good opportunity."
Le Feng thrust his sword, piercing straight into the Bear King's mouth and through its throat in one swift motion.
Previously, he had tried to attack the Bear King's throat, but it was hard to penetrate. This close-range strike through its mouth went seamlessly.
The Bear King, dealt a fatal blow, let out a heart-wrenching scream, its paws flailing wildly.
Roll!
Le Feng reacted quickly, rolling on the ground. After all, now that this strike had been landed, the Bear King was doomed and there was no need to entangle further.
Yet,
While he dodged this strike, the slender girl who was helping from the side wasn't so fortunate.
"Ah..."
The slender girl screamed as her delicate body was pierced by the Bear King's massive paw.
Her impaled body dangled in the air, barely struggling, as blood quickly stained her entirely.
"Le Bi..."
She looked at Le Feng in disbelief, full of unwillingness, before closing her eyes.
Silence engulfed the scene.
The Bear King's last counterattack took the life of a young girl.
Chen Yu and Ding Jiuhui showed a hint of pity; Le Feng gritted his teeth, breathing heavily, not sparing a glance at the girl's body.
After a moment,
With a thunderous crash, the Bear King's bloodied, massive body fell to the ground with a boom.
"Finally slain..."
Le Feng and Ding Jiuhui let out a long sigh of relief, a hint of joy in their eyes.
Once they obtained the "Bear Gallbladder Heart," their chances of breaking through their current realm would significantly increase.
But just then,
A distant roar resonated from deeper in the woods, no less intimidating than the Iron Brown Bear King.
"Not good! It's another beast, perhaps on par with the Bear King,"
Le Feng's expression darkened.
Ordinarily, beasts have territorial instincts. This area belonged to the Bear King, and other beasts wouldn't intrude unless they were of equal or superior rank.
"Perhaps the heavy scent of blood here attracted another beast of the same level."
Chen Yu surmised.
Hurry!
Le Feng and Ding Jiuhui quickly sliced into the Bear King's body to extract its gallbladder.
In their current condition, facing another beast of the Bear King's caliber would be doomed.
"Go!"
After extracting the gallbladder and slicing off the Bear's paw, they swiftly evacuated the bear cave area, dashing toward the forest's edge.
Moments after they left,
Swish! Swish!
Two figures appeared on the mountainside above the bear cave.
One was a scarred young man with a sword on his back; the other was a glamorous woman in a floral dress.
"Hehe, what a good show we just witnessed."
The woman in the floral dress spoke with an amused look, gazing in the direction Le Feng and the others had left, "That boy is truly heartless; to seize the best opportunity to kill the Bear King, he let the girl ready to assist him die at the Bear King's hands."
"What's so strange about it? To become strong, one inevitably steps on countless bones."
The scarred young man with the sword said indifferently.
"However,"
The young man murmured, "These few novice fellows showed some decent prowess. And they're probably just low-ranked Outer Disciples; the foundation of the Yunyue Sect is not to be underestimated."
"What? Are you considering changing our original plan? The two of us, the 'Flower Sword Double Evil,' shouldn't fear a mere Yunyue Sect."
The woman in the floral dress was unconcerned.
"I intended to pressure the upper echelons of the Yunyue Sect to trade a certain amount of 'Heavenly Meteorite Iron' to repair my 'Cloud Evil Sword.' But watching these juniors, I suspect the Yunyue Sect isn't as simple as it appears. There might indeed be an old master of that level."
The scarred young man explained.
Just as the woman was about to speak, a terrifying roar echoed not far away.
A "Flower Pattern Giant Leopard," its size nearing that of the Bear King, leapt forth, eyeing the two on the mountainside menacingly.
Judging by its prowess, this Flower Pattern Giant Leopard was not inferior to the Bear King and was even faster. If Le Feng and his companions faced this speedy leopard-like beast, they would likely struggle to escape.
However, the woman remained unfazed, gently pointing with her delicate fingers.
In an instant,
A bizarre, dazzling aura emanated from her fingertips, striking the Flower Pattern Giant Leopard with a "poof."
A horrifying scene unfolded.
Buzz-swish!
An array of radiant spots blossomed on the giant leopard, instantly piercing its body with countless blood holes.
Before the leopard could even wail, its body transformed into a pool of blood.
This little episode didn't affect their conversation.
"More importantly, my 'Spirit Rat' sensed a terrifying presence nearby that filled it with dread..."
In the palm of the scarred young man was a quivering purple-haired rat.
"My Spirit Rat is a mutant, its sense of smell extremely keen. It has helped me evade disasters several times. But this time, it's more frightened than ever before."
The scarred young man's words alarmed the woman.
She knew very well the special ability of this mutant Spirit Rat,
"What exactly does it sense that terrifies the Spirit Rat, especially when those few youngsters were around? We need to be cautious on this Yunyue Sect trip..."