Xu Ming and the others could never have imagined that there would be a man standing beside a Thunderstorm Bear.
What was the relationship between this man and the bear?
Just as the man's words fell, the Thunderstorm Bear opened its eyes.
"Roar!"
Seeing Xu Ming's group of four, the bear raised its massive paw and swiped at them, as if swatting flies.
The four flipped mid-air, narrowly avoiding the Thunderstorm Bear's attack.
"Something's wrong—retreat!"
As soon as their feet hit the ground, they sprinted out of the cave.
In such a cramped environment, their movements were restricted. Out in the open, they'd have a better chance of victory.
Outside the cave, Guang Yin shivered as he heard the bear's roar from within. His face turned pale.
Moments later, he saw Xu Ming and the others rushing out of the cave.
"Roar!"
The Thunderstorm Bear charged out after them, standing upright and letting out a deafening roar.
Behind it, the man stepped out, calm and composed.
"Cough, cough," the man chuckled softly, looking at the group of five with a smile. "Since you're here, you might as well stay."
He patted the Thunderstorm Bear's heel. "Go."
"Roar!"
The bear dropped to all fours and charged straight at the five of them.
Xu Ming stepped forward, his fist radiating an intense aura as his energy condensed around it.
Heaven-Cleaving Fist, Second Style—Shake the Mountain!
"Boom!"
Xu Ming's small fist collided with the bear's massive paw—a stark contrast in size. Yet, the force of the impact sent the Thunderstorm Bear stumbling back three meters.
Xu Ming didn't come out unscathed, though. He was forced back five meters, his right fist trembling uncontrollably.
The man's expression shifted to one of surprise as he stared at Xu Ming.
How could this guy have such immense strength?
It wasn't just the man who was shocked—even Wu Yanhan and the others were astonished.
Xu Ming's strength seemed… abnormal. Was he really just at the Mercury stage?
"Retreat!"
Xu Ming realized that the five of them taking down this magical beast was already a long shot. Missions like these were typical of Blood Asura Battalion, always pushing them to their limits.
But now, with an additional cultivator whose level was unknown, the wisest choice was to withdraw and report back to Wudu.
The magical beast attacks on Xinping County didn't add up. Something was wrong.
Xu Ming led the retreat, with the others following closely behind.
But there was no way the man would let them leave so easily.
Having been pushed back by such a small opponent, the Thunderstorm Bear felt humiliated and charged forward in pursuit.
The man clasped his hands together, chanting an incantation, and five ice serpents emerged, snapping at the group.
Xu Ming punched one to pieces and kicked another away, saving Guang Yin.
"Boom!"
The Thunderstorm Bear leapt into the air and landed directly in front of them, cutting off their escape.
Guang Yin, trembling and falling to the ground in fear, could only sit there helplessly.
The other four, however, surged forward. Their martial energy transformed into a blood-red aura that coiled around their arms.
Every punch they landed on the Thunderstorm Bear elicited a pained roar from the beast.
The bear's scorpion-like tail lashed out at Xu Ming. He jumped and delivered a flying kick to its jaw, causing the bear to spit out a mouthful of froth, one of its teeth knocked loose.
Wu Yanhan followed up, swinging her long leg in a whip-like motion that struck the bear's ankle, sending it crashing to the ground with a heavy thud.
Then Xiong Haizhi and Li Han moved in from either side, their fists imbued with energy that formed blood-red tigers, which lunged and bit at the bear.
"Roar!"
The Thunderstorm Bear let out a deafening roar, releasing arcs of lightning that spread outward from its body.
The crimson tigers formed from true energy were instantly dispersed, and Xu Ming and the others had no time to evade. They could only gather their martial energy in front of them to block the lightning head-on.
Li Han, Xiong Haizhi, and Guang Yin were sent flying five meters back.
Xu Ming and Wu Yanhan, however, braced themselves and pushed forward through the storm of lightning. The two leaped into the air, Xu Ming attacking from the left and Wu Yanhan from the right, both landing powerful kicks to the Thunderstorm Bear's face.
The bear's head buzzed from the impact, and its eyes spun as if seeing stars.
Xu Ming spun in the air and landed on the Thunderstorm Bear's shoulder, unleashing a devastating punch imbued with the Shake the Mountain technique.
"Boom!"
The bear was slammed to the ground with a thunderous crash.
Wu Yanhan joined Xu Ming, and the two began raining punches on the bear's head with relentless fury.
"Such formidable martial artists," the man murmured, coughing a few times. "The martial artists of Wu Kingdom truly aren't simple… cough, cough."
With a wave of his hand, he sent a barrage of ice spikes shooting toward Xu Ming and Wu Yanhan.
The two turned simultaneously, each throwing a punch that shattered the incoming ice spikes into pieces.
"Don't be afraid," Wu Yanhan said to Xu Ming. "He's just a cultivator at the Observing Sea realm."
Although Xu Ming didn't know how Wu Yanhan could tell, a cultivator at the Observing Sea realm wasn't enough to faze him.
"I'll take him down. You hold the bear off," Wu Yanhan said. Without waiting for a response, she charged forward.
For a martial artist at the Mercury level, the advantage lay in close combat. If she could close the ten-meter gap between her and the cultivator, his defeat would be inevitable.
The man clearly understood this as well.
Chanting rapidly, he cast spell after spell at Wu Yanhan. She pressed on, enduring the onslaught with her martial energy.
Meanwhile, Xu Ming was keeping the enraged Thunderstorm Bear at bay, dodging its furious swipes while keeping an eye on Wu Yanhan's progress.
Fifteen meters.
Fourteen meters.
Eleven meters.
Ten meters!
"Wu Yanhan! Stop!" Xu Ming suddenly shouted.
Just as Wu Yanhan reached the ten-meter mark, her fist poised to strike and obliterate the man's head, hundreds of razor-sharp ice threads materialized in front of her.
The threads shimmered like deadly blades, so fine yet so lethal that even the slightest touch could slice her to pieces.
Wu Yanhan immediately pulled back her strike and planted her heel into the ground, halting just in time.
But as she paused, even for a moment, the man pulled out a sword hilt and pointed it at her chest.
"You're both incredibly talented," he said with a smile, "but I'm afraid this is the end."
The sword hilt glowed with a blinding white light, and a blade of ice extended from it, shooting straight for Wu Yanhan's heart.
The ice sword grew larger and larger in Wu Yanhan's eyes. She could feel death approaching.
Just as the blade was about to pierce her, she felt herself jerk to the side and was thrown away.
Stunned, Wu Yanhan turned her head and saw Xu Ming had appeared out of nowhere, tackling her to the ground.
Wu Yanhan's heart sank as she noticed the spreading wetness on her clothes—it was blood. Xu Ming's shoulder had been pierced clean through, leaving a gaping wound.
"Roar!"
The Thunderstorm Bear, enraged beyond reason, charged toward the two of them, determined to crush these pesky insects.
Xiong Haizhi and Li Han struggled to their feet, trying desperately to block the bear, but they were swatted away like flies. Both slammed into nearby trees and slumped to the ground, their fates uncertain.
"What do I do… what do I do…" Guang Yin, who had been trembling on the ground and largely ignored, muttered to himself as tears welled up in his eyes.
His legs shook uncontrollably as his gaze darted between his fallen comrades and the approaching bear.
"Move!" he screamed at himself internally. "They're going to die! Move already!"