In the clearing, perhaps the only one who remained relatively calm was Ling Xiao. He looked at the giant bear soul beast in the distance, feeling a surge of doubt. Is that really a Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear? They're the apex of all bear-type species.
After all, with that overwhelming power, dark-gold appearance, and bear physiology, the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear was the only creature in Ling Xiao's knowledge that fit the description.
It made him think of the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear King from ten thousand years in the future—the true King of Ten Thousand Bears, Bear Lord (Xiong Jun).
Although the giant bear before him possessed staggering power, it didn't seem to hold a massive advantage in its fierce battle against Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Based on what Chrysanthemum Douluo had told him earlier, this giant bear likely hadn't reached a hundred-thousand-year cultivation level yet.
It couldn't compare to Bear Lord.
Even so, why fight such a formidable enemy?
Ling Xiao turned his head, looking at the trio of Meng Yiran and her grandparents.
He wondered, Is it to save them?
In the center of the fray, feeling the terrifying strength of the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear, Chrysanthemum Douluo's brow furrowed deeply. He had underestimated the horror of this soul beast.
After activating his Martial Soul Avatar, the origin power of his martial soul was fully unleashed, drastically increasing its lethality. Yet even so, this beast refused to retreat a single inch.
"Ha!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo let out a sharp cry, his five fingers spreading slightly.
The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum instantly erupted with a surge of soul power even more brilliant than before. The Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear roared, a golden light exploding in its eyes. Golden light swirled over its Dark Gold Terror Claws, and its aura of sharpness surged.
The bear slammed its arms together and then tore them apart.
With a thunderous bang, the soul power gathered between the man and the beast was shredded and split apart, sending a massive torrent of soul power scattering in every direction. Under the force of the shockwaves, gale-force winds rose, sending sand and stones flying.
At the heart of the battlefield, the void shattered repeatedly, and spatial cracks spread out like a growing spiderweb. Streaks of golden soul power energy flew everywhere, affecting even Meng Yiran and Ling Xiao, who had intentionally moved far away.
The large man beside Ling Xiao saw this and immediately stepped forward, shouting, "Sixth Soul Skill: Tortoise Back Shield!"
Brown soul power erupted instantly, and his martial soul possession was completed in a flash.
In an instant, a blur of light passed, and the phantom of a giant, upright tortoise merged with Hu Feng. With the martial soul materialized, the head of this tortoise appeared incredibly savage and fierce.
Unlike most tortoise types, its chest wasn't a weak point; instead, it featured brown tortoise plates, while the shell on its back was exceptionally thick and covered in numerous protruding spikes.
Hu Feng crouched, his right hand slamming into the ground. Amidst the violent vibrations, the shell on the back of his martial soul suddenly radiated an intense brown light.
A phantom emerged from it, flying upward and expanding rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, a massive tortoise shell phantom fell from the sky, shielding Ling Xiao and the others.
The shell was identical to the back of Hu Feng's martial soul—thick and menacing, displaying formidable defensive power. Furthermore, a light brown protective barrier manifested outside this shell phantom to serve as the first layer of defense.
The streaks of golden soul power energy from the distance collided with it. They easily shattered the first layer of the brown barrier but then slammed into the tortoise shell phantom, producing a series of muffled, thunderous booms.
However, despite the terrifying momentum of the aftershocks, Ling Xiao, under the protection, felt very little vibration from the impact.
The defense of this shell was truly extraordinary.
On the other side, Dragon Duke Meng Shu saw the shockwaves of golden soul power approaching. Without a word, he slammed his Dragon Staff into the ground.
With a dragon's roar, a dark cyan giant dragon suddenly manifested. The long, massive dragon body coiled around the family of three, and majestic dark cyan soul power rose from its body, blocking all the golden aftershocks.
"Hmph. The Dire Crocodile Tortoise. I didn't expect a nameless Soul Saint from Spirit Hall to possess such remarkable strength. Spirit Hall has truly claimed far too many of the world's soul masters."
Dragon Duke Meng Shu spoke while looking at Hu Feng, who was also resisting the shockwaves in the distance.
He sighed inwardly, Spirit Hall truly is the hegemon of the continent's soul master world. If any other sect or academy had someone with this strength, they would have made a name for themselves long ago. There's no way I wouldn't recognize them. Only in Spirit Hall is a Soul Saint considered a mere little figure.
At that moment, Chrysanthemum Douluo soared through the air as the surging soul power dissipated, hovering above the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear.
Looking down at the giant bear, he raised his right hand diagonally and shouted, "Get lost! Spirit Hall is claiming this cub."
"Solitary Fragrance Self-Appreciation!"
The sound of clashing metal rang out as the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum in his right hand erupted with golden light. Building upon the Martial Soul Avatar, it expanded several times over, its petals closing tightly until it resembled a giant, sharp-edged hammer.
"Hah!"
With a forceful swing of his right hand, the giant hammer formed by the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum smashed into the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear from the side.
Boom!
Facing this golden hammer that was nearly as large as itself, the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear crossed its arms and circulated its golden soul power.
However, to its surprise, this attack from the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum didn't carry much piercing sharpness; instead, it held a terrifying physical force that knocked the bear back several steps.
Seeing the troublesome giant bear finally moved aside, Chrysanthemum Douluo showed a look of joy. Ignoring the consumption of his soul power, a black soul ring manifested once more.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Golden Pistil Cloud!"
The petals of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum bloomed.
As it rotated slowly, a massive amount of golden light shot out from the center of the stamens as if it were alive. This time, the light didn't scatter completely; instead, it curved and converged at a central point in front of the flowers.
A massive pillar of golden light formed instantly, blasting out like a laser beam aimed directly at the off-balance giant bear.
Boom!
This time, the sequence of attacks was too fast.
The adult Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear had no time to defend and was struck directly in the chest. The golden pillar of light pushed it back a full several dozen meters.
"Now!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo shouted.
He pointed at the cub on the ground, once again using a spirit power barrier to trap it. He flew down and delivered a kick, sending the trapped little Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear flying.
The kick was so forceful that the young bear only had time to let out a mournful howl before it was launched high into the sky.
"Seventh Soul Skill: Martial Soul Avatar!"
Lor Diarra had been waiting for this moment.
Having been tempered in the Judgment Team for years, he naturally had the necessary insight. Without needing a word, he instantly activated his Martial Soul Avatar.
A burst of golden light erupted from his body, and after the blinding radiance faded, only an eagle's cry remained. A giant golden eagle radiating immense soul power fluctuations appeared where he had been standing.
With a flap of its wings, it soared toward the small Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear like a streak of golden light, reaching its target in just a few breaths.
A pair of massive, powerful eagle claws gripped the small bear tightly.
The grip was so strong that even though the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear's fur had incredible defensive properties, the cub's cultivation was simply too low. Its flesh was torn open, and it couldn't help but let out series of roars.
Unfortunately, under the massive suppression of soul power, it couldn't even manage a struggle. Furthermore, the power behind Chrysanthemum Douluo's previous kick was not weak; its internal organs had already sustained significant injuries.