The Spirit Beasts are known for their powerful physical bodies, and this black bear's cultivation was almost a whole level higher than the three cultivators combined.
Nie Zhengyu managed to block the attack without injury, which was no small feat.
Yuan Liang and Xiang Dun flanked the black bear from both sides.
The runes in the black bear's blood flashed and ignited, forming a blaze that rushed at the two men, slapping both away.
Yuan Liang controlled a thread to pull a rock in front of himself, while Xiang Dun shielded his chest with a book, half of which was torn apart by the black bear's claws.
In a flash, Nie Zhengyu was in front of the bear.
Unfortunately, the bear's hide was so thick that his bread weapon couldn't penetrate it at all.
The bear was about to laugh, mocking Nie Zhengyu for his futile efforts, unable to even scratch its defenses.
Unexpectedly, an explosion erupted inside the bear's body, causing it to cough up blood.
That was the sneaky trait of his bread weapon—it could explode.
This was where Spirit Beasts were inferior to Body Cultivators: their bodies were tough on the outside, but their organs and blood vessels were far more fragile.
The black bear backed away, unwilling to clash directly with Nie Zhengyu's explosive bread.
Out of nowhere, Yuan Liang pulled out a bamboo stick and quickly approached the bear, smashing it on the bear's head.
The bear was momentarily stunned.
That bamboo stick was unexpectedly sturdy.
Taking advantage of the bear's daze, Xiang Dun charged at its waist, making it stumble, then lifted his book and swung it toward the bear's eyes.
The black bear barely managed to turn its head, getting struck on the cheek instead, which left a patch of fur missing.
Nie Zhengyu and Yuan Liang pressed the black bear from the front, forcing it to retreat step by step.
After a round of fighting, the three cultivators had gained the upper hand.
The black bear realized that although its opponents were young and had low cultivation, they possessed profound skills and experience, prompting it to consider retreat.
Seeing the bear's intent to escape, the three blocked its path.
"We can't let it get away!" they shouted.
"Don't push me too far!" the black bear roared, its tone filled with fury.
The three sensed the bear's desperation and grew more cautious.
The black bear glared, bellowing toward the temple's entrance, "Mom! They're trying to kill me!"
Before the three could react, they heard trees crashing down and something large racing through the rain.
Boom!!
The massive creature didn't slow down, smashing through one of the temple walls.
The whole temple shook, almost collapsing.
A slightly smaller black bear appeared, standing protectively in front of the three cultivators.
Although this new bear was smaller, it exuded an even more menacing aura.
This was an unexpected turn of events for everyone.
"Mom, let's take them on together," the male black bear said.
The mother bear, only slightly weaker than her son, had late Bronze-level cultivation.
Together, they were confident they could take down the three humans.
"Useless," the mother bear muttered, making the male black bear hang his head in shame.
Faced with two black bears, the three cultivators felt the pressure mounting.
"Attack the bald one who looks handsome! He's the hardest to deal with," the male bear roared.
Yuan Liang scratched his head sheepishly at the compliment and smiled bashfully.
Nie Zhengyu was displeased, rushing forward to assert his presence. "Am I not handsome, too?"
"I thought you had better taste, but you can't even tell who's attractive or not," he retorted.
After a pause, the male black bear sneered, "Attack the bald monk! He's the most annoying!"
The two black bears attacked, slamming Nie Zhengyu into a wall.
Both bears frowned, realizing the strike felt unusual.
Nie Zhengyu had used his bread weapon to absorb the blow, though it cracked in the process.
In its current state, the bread was missing a quarter of its full size, as Nie Zhengyu had eaten that part himself.
Nie Zhengyu thought the bread tasted quite good.
Just as the bears were preparing to continue their assault, a young woman in green robes dashed into the temple.
The green-robed woman glanced at the standoff, spotting Nie Zhengyu embedded in the wall with slight surprise.
Upon seeing the bears and the three cultivators, she immediately deduced what had transpired.
"Great Love Sect, Yuan Liang." Yuan Liang quickly identified himself.
"Frost Palace, Dong Meng." The green-clad girl and Yuan Liang exchanged glances.
After introducing herself, she quickly adjusted her stance and joined the fight.
As disciples of the five major sects, they were duty-bound to assist each other.
Dong Meng formed hand seals, summoning talismans that floated around her.
She moved gracefully, and the talismans danced with her every step.
The mother bear scoffed at Dong Meng's flashy moves, charging forward with a bloodthirsty glare.
Dong Meng said nothing, her toes lightly tapping the ground as she directed two fingers toward the bear.
The talismans transformed into a sword, aiming directly for the bear's forehead.
The mother bear took a heavy hit but showed no fear, sneering, "A mere early Bronze."
Despite her bravado, the mother bear remained cautious, knowing that underestimating human cultivators often led to fatal consequences.
While Dong Meng couldn't overpower the mother bear, she could at least hold her at bay.
Meanwhile, the other side resumed the three-on-one battle against the male black bear.
Yuan Liang's control over his threads was impeccable, leaving the bear struggling to defend.
Xiang Dun grabbed Nie Zhengyu, who had been flung into the wall, using him as a weapon against the black bear, pushing it back.
Nie Zhengyu had no particular thoughts about being wielded as a weapon.
The black bear, feeling cornered, awakened its latent fierce beast bloodline. Its fangs and claws grew longer, its aura becoming even more ferocious.
"What luck, it has a legendary bloodline?" Yuan Liang muttered, baffled by the bear's hidden trump cards.
He recalled Elder Huo's warning of an approaching era of chaos.
In chaotic times, all manner of demons, monsters, and spirits would emerge, seeking to feast on the Myriad Spirits Continent.
With its legendary bloodline awakened, the black bear lost all reason, fighting instinctively with a savage ferocity and heightened battle skills.
The giant's blood within Xiang Dun seemed to be similarly stimulated, his swings of Nie Zhengyu growing more powerful.
"We need to end this quickly," Yuan Liang thought, fearing the black bear might unleash another hidden power.
Determined, Yuan Liang flipped his hand and retrieved a golden pill.
It was none other than the Three Ox Strength Pill that Nie Zhengyu had given him.
Swallowing this pill would grant him the strength of three oxen!
Seizing the moment while Xiang Dun and Nie Zhengyu held off the black bear, Yuan Liang swallowed the pill without further hesitation.
"So hot, so fiery!"
As the pill entered his stomach, it felt like swallowing a flame, burning intensely.
Yuan Liang closed his eyes, sensing a surge of power filling his body and forming lines that appeared on his skin.
Everyone noticed Yuan Liang's transformation, with red lines now running along his body.
"So powerful!" Even the mother bear could feel the energy pouring out of him.
This power was undoubtedly unrivaled within the Bronze rank.
The male black bear tried to interrupt Yuan Liang's transformation, but Xiang Dun and Nie Zhengyu held it back.
Yuan Liang opened his eyes, noticing a trace of confusion.
The energy was indeed overflowing, but it seemed to be flowing outside his body rather than remaining within.
The red lines spread from his body to the ground, forming a strange circular pattern.
Thick smoke rose, obscuring the scene.
The smoke dissipated as quickly as it had come, revealing three water buffalo standing before everyone.
Shockingly, two of these buffaloes were at the peak of Silver rank, and one had even reached the Gold rank!
Everyone was taken aback, unsure what had just happened.
"What's going on?! Why did I just summon the Water Buffalo Elders?" Yuan Liang's jaw dropped, questioning if he was seeing things.
This pill wasn't meant to enhance his own strength at all—it was actually a summoning pill!
The three buffaloes seemed to understand what Yuan Liang had called them for.
They snorted, scraping their hooves against the ground, and with a loud moo, charged toward the black bears with full force.