As the Serpent Dragon Joint Assault was unleashed, a violent wave of power radiated outward.
The distant dark gold giant bear, looking up at the dragon in the sky, showed no trace of fear.
Instead, it let out a series of thunderous roars. As its two dark gold giant claws swung, they left several pitch-black, narrow fissures in the air; the very space was being casually torn asunder, leaking the chaotic aura of spatial turbulence.
This alone testified to the bear's terrifying strength and the sharpness of its claws.
The dragon formed by the Martial Soul Fusion Skill halted in mid-air. Amidst the echoes of dragon roars, an aged voice rang out:
"Poisonous Dragon Flame!"
The giant dragon opened its maw, and a torrent of emerald-green energy erupted instantly.
Like a flood sweeping down from the heavens, it surged directly toward the giant bear.
"ROAR!"
On the ground, the dark gold giant bear bellowed.
It crossed its thick arms before its chest as its entire body exploded with dark gold soul power, meeting the dragon's attack head-on.
Whoosh!
The emerald-green torrent quickly submerged the giant bear, and even that dark gold light seemed to be diminishing inch by inch.
However, inside the dragon, Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang did not dare to relax.
Although the "Poisonous Dragon Flame" was their ultimate move—containing a massive soul power impact laced with lethal serpent venom—the beast king before them possessed an extremely high cultivation and a powerful bloodline.
It was not an opponent that could be settled with a single strike. Sure enough, from within the emerald torrent, a majestic beastly roar rang out once more.
A burst of dark gold light instantly erupted, pushing back the Poisonous Dragon Flame.
Immediately following were two massive dark gold claw shadows that sliced the emerald torrent apart. The giant bear's silhouette reappeared; under the assault of the Poisonous Dragon Flame, it was nearly unscathed. Its defensive power was truly staggering.
"ROAR!"
As if in a show of dominance, the giant bear roared at the dragon in the sky.
The dragon spiraled and soared, suddenly releasing a breathtaking surge of soul power. Its entire body was coated in a layer of intense golden light as it dove toward the bear.
A violent sandstorm formed instantly, enveloping the surrounding area for thousands of meters. The dark gold giant bear roared at the sky, erupting with its full soul power. It spread its thick arms and slammed them toward the dragon.
In an instant, the dragon and the bear collided.
A massive shockwave of physical force scattered in all directions. Coupled with the sandstorm, the impact was devastating; the surrounding flora was decimated once more, and muffled, thunderous booms echoed continuously.
Dragon roars and bear howls intertwined.
In this contest of pure strength, the giant dragon—despite its larger size—gradually fell into a disadvantage. Even the serpent venom on the dragon's head proved completely ineffective against the bear's dark gold fur.
The dark gold light on the bear's body brightened several-fold. Its already thick arms swelled further, and with a powerful heave—
BANG!
The forty-meter-long body of the giant dragon was sent flying. It smashed through countless trees and crushed massive boulders before finally crashing to the ground with a heavy thud.
A glint of cruelty flashed in the bear's dark gold eyes.
Its intelligence was no inferior to a human's.
Instead of pursuing the dragon, it suddenly lunged toward the nearby Meng Yiran. With Meng Yiran's current cultivation—having just obtained her first soul ring at Rank 11, a Soul Master—even a casual swipe from this bear would be enough to kill her.
"Ah!"
Seeing the giant bear charging at her, Meng Yiran's face paled.
She cried out in terror, backing away frantically. In her panic, she couldn't even think of how to escape, only able to watch as death closed in.
"No! Yiran!"
In the distance, the giant dragon shook its head and forced itself upright just in time to see this scene.
The Unrivaled Dragon Serpent were horrified. Their son and daughter-in-law had passed away early; this granddaughter was the person they cherished most in the world. How could they let her die at the paws of a Soul Beast?
Without time to stabilize their turbulent soul power, the dragon dug its claws into the earth and flew low to the ground, charging toward the bear while letting out roar after roar, hoping to draw its attention.
However, the giant bear turned a deaf ear. It arrived directly in front of Meng Yiran. Looking up at the mountain-like creature, Meng Yiran lost all strength and slumped to the ground, while the dragon was still some distance away.
"Don't!"
The dragon-snake couple was heartbroken.
Yet, right at that moment, the dark gold giant bear suddenly spun around with a violent roar.
Its soul power surged to its limit, and an intense dark gold light radiated from its claws. The dark gold giant claws suddenly expanded several times in size. With a cross-swing, the two claws slammed heavily into the dragon's body.
The Unrivaled Dragon Serpent never expected the bear to use such a deceptive tactic.
Caught off guard, they were struck directly by the dark gold claws.
"AH!"
The giant claws instantly tore through the dragon's scales.
A pained roar erupted as dark green energy began to leak from the wounds. The dragon's body coiled up as it was sent flying once more, crashing into the dirt. The giant bear had already rushed forward, grabbing the dragon's tail in its arms and biting down.
Crunch! Crunch!
Already heavily injured, the dragon suffered new wounds.
Its body coiled around the bear as dragon maw and claws joined the fray, engaging the giant bear in a desperate struggle. However, in terms of close-quarters combat, though the dragon was large, it was far inferior to this bear.
BANG!
A massive bear palm struck out, and the forty-meter dragon was swatted away, landing right near Meng Yiran. By now, the dragon's body was covered in wounds, its golden light had dimmed, and a large number of scales were damaged.
Dark green wisps of energy—the dragon's very essence—were leaking from its body. If this exhaustion continued, the Martial Soul Fusion would be forcibly broken, their martial souls would be damaged, and they wouldn't be able to use them again for a long time.
"Grandpa, Grandma, are you okay?"
Seeing the dragon's injuries, Meng Yiran rushed to its side, her voice trembling with tears of fear and worry.
The giant dragon let out a low groan and forced itself to stand.
It opened its claws slightly, intending to grab Meng Yiran and use its last bit of strength to fly away, hoping for a safe escape. As for the "fortuitous encounter" they had found, they could no longer claim it; it was better to give up now than to lose their lives.
Just then, an effeminate voice drifted down from the sky.
"So, it is the esteemed Unrivaled Dragon Serpent couple!"
"It seems I've missed quite a show, though I suppose I'm not too late."
A figure dressed in magnificent gold descended slowly from the heights. He held one hand behind his back while the other cradled a golden flower radiating soul power. Nine soul rings were arranged in order around him, emitting an unparalleled pressure.
This was Chrysanthemum Douluo, who had rushed over from dozens of kilometers away.
The Unrivaled Dragon Serpent had long been famous in the soul-master world.
Although he had never personally sparred with their Serpent Dragon Joint Assault, he had seen it before. He certainly hadn't expected it to be them—nor that they would be defeated.
"Is Chrysanthemum Douluo here to laugh at our misfortune?" Meng Shu's voice echoed from within the dragon.
Although injured and defeated, his voice remained firm, showing no signs of frailty.
"Hehe, how could I?"
"This seat merely wished to see what kind of Soul Beast could be so formidable," Chrysanthemum Douluo said with his signature flamboyant air.
He turned his gaze toward the beast.
By now, the dark gold giant bear was staring solemnly at Chrysanthemum Douluo. The appearance of this new human Soul Master gave it an immense sense of pressure. After taking a clear look at the bear, a trace of disbelief crept into Chrysanthemum Douluo's feminine voice.
"This... could this be a Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear?"