"Go!"
As soon as Chrysanthemum Douluo spoke, he flicked his right index finger.
The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum martial soul, which had just manifested, trembled slightly. This exquisitely magnificent martial soul suddenly erupted with a profusion of golden light.
In an instant, the radiance transformed into a barrage of gold and purple throwing knives that whistled through the air, aimed directly at the juvenile Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear. On the ground, the fleeing cub suddenly sensed a dangerous aura from behind.
It was forced to skitter to a halt and spin around. Facing the oncoming swarm of petal-knives, it let out a roar and erupted with a surge of golden soul power. Its two massive dark gold claws suddenly extended to twice their length.
As it swung them in a cross-pattern, a series of crisp metallic clangs rang out.
Every single throwing knife formed by the light of Chrysanthemum Douluo's martial soul was batted away by those dark gold claws. Only two knives managed to graze past the sides of its body, but they merely broke the skin.
As the blades swirled away, a few tufts of dark gold fur fell, accompanied by droplets of blood.
"As expected of a Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear. To have such defensive power with only a few hundred years of cultivation is remarkable."
"Though these knives are but a sliver of my martial soul's origin power, an ordinary hundred-year Soul Beast would have been disemboweled when facing my full strength. Yet, he only suffered a few surface wounds."
Chrysanthemum Douluo spoke with a hint of surprise, though it was quickly replaced by a sense of inevitability.
"Aura Binding Realm."
Seeing the beast finally stop, and with the distance now less than a few dozen meters, Chrysanthemum Douluo dove down from the sky and pointed a finger.
A golden dome of soul power instantly enveloped the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear.
A crushing pressure slammed into it.
At this moment, the cub experienced the exact same sensation the Savage Sabertooth Tiger had felt earlier—its body felt as though it were being pinned by a giant boulder, and breathing became a struggle, as if it might suffocate at any second.
"Roar... Roar..."
Under the immense pressure, the young bear let out low growls.
It braced all four limbs against the ground, relying on its formidable physical constitution and soul power cultivation to resist the weight of the Aura Binding Realm. One had to admit, compared to others facing the same skill, its performance was quite impressive.
Nonetheless, it remained trapped, unable to move from the spot.
"Haha, I've caught you! Even Her Majesty the Pope will be astonished this time!"
In his delight, Chrysanthemum Douluo reached out toward the trapped cub, intending to capture it alive. In his excitement, he had momentarily forgotten that the adult Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear was fast approaching.
"ROAR!"
A massive roar that seemed capable of shattering the void erupted from behind.
Chrysanthemum Douluo was startled as a sudden, intense sense of oppression surged from the rear. He spun around only to see the adult bear charging at an incredible speed. With its soul power surging, a colossal dark gold claw shimmering with golden light lunged toward him.
His entire field of vision was filled by this claw. The surrounding space was being warped, with cracks in the void continuously appearing. This was the most powerful weapon of their race: the Dark Gold Terrorclaw.
"Not good!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo's face paled in alarm.
He had been so caught up in his success that he had slipped up.
"Vajra Strength Body."
The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum immediately manifested before him.
A burst of golden light radiated from the center, and a spherical golden barrier appeared around Chrysanthemum Douluo, completely shielding him to block the attack.
BANG!
A violent explosion of soul power erupted.
Under the devastating attack power of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw, the defensive barrier formed by the soul skill shattered instantly.
The full power of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw exploded.
The space at the point of impact was torn asunder, revealing a massive, pitch-black void over ten meters in diameter, which unleashed a powerful devouring force from the vacuum.
"Ah!"
With his Vajra Strength Body broken so quickly, Chrysanthemum Douluo only had enough time to pour his entire soul power into the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, using the martial soul itself to forcibly block the blow.
The impact sent him spiraling through the air like a meteor.
He flew for several hundred meters, snapping an untold number of trees before smashing into the trunk of a gargantuan tree.
"Dammit."
Under the sheer force of the blow, Chrysanthemum Douluo was nearly embedded in the wood.
He struggled to pull his arms free from the tree trunk, unable to stop himself from cursing.
Seeing the adult bear easily shatter the Aura Binding Realm that had trapped his target, Chrysanthemum Douluo let out a cold snort. Golden soul power erupted from beneath him, and with a Bang, he shot back into the sky.
Reaching a height of several dozen meters, Chrysanthemum Douluo pulled a small, rod-shaped object from his storage Soul Tool.
He pressed a button, and with a Whoosh, a spherical object was launched. After traveling over a hundred meters, it exploded, and a wave of soul power condensed into a massive hexagonal light-shadow in the sky.
With a wave of his right hand, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum appeared. Its petals unfurled with the clacking sounds of shifting metal.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Frosty Gather!"
As Chrysanthemum Douluo channeled his martial soul and activated the power of his soul ring, the chrysanthemum emitted a dazzling light and began to spin.
Petal-knives after petal-knives were condensed from the martial soul and shot toward the bear on the ground. The sheer number was so great that they completely blanketed the bear's massive frame.
On the ground, the adult bear roared.
Its massive body shielded its child as its twin claws swung.
It erupted with dark gold soul power fluctuations to counter the soul skill. In the clash between these two powerful offensives, the knives from the Frosty Gather locked in a fierce battle with the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear.
Metallic screeches filled the air as shockwaves rippled outward, stirring the atmosphere into waves of distortion. The mere aftershocks ground the surrounding fallen timber and boulders into dust, sending up a massive cloud of smoke.
In the distance, the Dragon Duke, Meng Shu, and the Serpent Woman, Chao Tianxiang, had already deactivated their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
They bore no obvious external wounds, but their auras were significantly weakened. They stood at a distance, watching the confrontation between Chrysanthemum Douluo and the bear. The Serpent Woman couldn't help but shake her head and sigh.
"He has fired a Spirit Hall signal flare. There must be more of their people nearby. This juvenile Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear is likely going to be taken by Spirit Hall."
"Forget it. Though we were lucky enough to discover such a precious beast on our way back from getting Yiran's first soul ring, we never expected its parents to have such high cultivation. Even our Serpent Dragon Joint Assault couldn't hold them back."
The Dragon Duke leaned on his dragon staff as he spoke, though his eyes still betrayed a sense of deep regret.
"Even if the people from Spirit Hall hadn't come, we wouldn't have been able to capture that cub. If Spirit Hall takes it, let them. We won't interfere; consider it a favor to them."
Changing the subject, Meng Shu added, "However, even if he is a Titled Douluo, defeating that adult bear will be extremely difficult. This old man wants to see if he can actually pull it off."
Looking down at their granddaughter beside them, the Serpent Woman asked caringly, "Yiran, are you alright? Did that bear hurt you just now?"
The young girl shook her head, her large eyes wide.
"I'm fine, Grandma. If we can't catch that beast, then we can't. I won't need my second soul ring for a while anyway, we can find another later. But what about your injuries?"
Hearing their granddaughter's words, the couple looked at each other and shared a bitter smile.
"Yiran is so well-behaved. Grandpa and Grandma are fine, it's nothing serious."
Inwardly, however, they still felt the sting of regret.
A Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear was no ordinary beast. Even if it wasn't a perfect match for a snake staff martial soul, the raw power of such a species would more than make up for it.
If they could have captured it and saved it for their granddaughter's second soul ring, the benefits would have been immense, providing a massive boost to her future development.