Chapter 124

Chapter 124: We’re Both Amazing

A Black Bear with Nascent Soul early stage strength was not something you could kill easily. Worse, it knew teleportation, which made Shen Sang Ruo feel it was especially hard to handle.

Because she had just attacked, the Black Bear’s eyes locked onto her. Its hatred focused on her alone. It panted heavily, as if it would crush her the next second.

Shen Sang Ruo gripped her Luan Feather Fan and struck first.

Without the cave’s limits, the Black Bear showed its true power. Faced with her sea of fire, it kept dodging and even charged straight through the flames as if it felt no pain, its eyes filled only with bloodthirsty killing intent.

The Black Bear rushed up and reared on its hind legs like a tall wall, then brought both fists down with earth-shaking force. Shen Sang Ruo reacted at once and swept her Luan Feather Fan to soar up; the bear’s paw skimmed past her, and the wind it stirred made her face sting.

The heavy paw smashed into the ground and blasted out a crater a hundred meters wide. Countless trees snapped in half under the shock.

Perhaps because of the eerie aura, the Black Bear’s power was even higher than Nascent Soul early stage. Shen Sang Ruo’s gaze cooled as she flipped her wrist in midair and fanned three times in a row; layered flames burned its fur to ash.

Without that tough fur, the fire scorched its flesh directly, and she could even hear the flames crackling on it.

Even though she was only late Golden Core clashing with an enemy at Nascent Soul early stage or above, Shen Sang Ruo wasn’t completely at a disadvantage. However, the Black Bear still acted like it felt no pain. Clawing and roaring, it went fully mad.

Just as Shen Sang Ruo was startled by this, the Black Bear teleported again and appeared right in front of her. It was so close she could feel its hot breath, and the eerie aura was several times thicker than in the cave.

The beast roared, and its paw swung down to cover her in a dark shadow. This was what made things so hard: the Black Bear could teleport past her sea of fire and appear right beside her, and it excelled at close combat. If it got close, all she could do was dodge.

She pushed her palm out like a fan and struck the Black Bear’s chest. As everyone knows, force acts both ways, so she used the recoil to slip out from under its strike and escape again.

Once she opened up distance, she let out a breath, grateful for the training under Immortal Maiden Azure Luan that had made her so light on her feet. [If this drags on, I’ll run dry on spiritual power. If it hits me even once, I’m dead.]

Her face grew solemn.

The Black Bear seemed to notice her weakness. It stopped charging around and teleported to her side again. It raised both paws to either side of her, as if ready to clap and squash her flat.

Struggling free, Shen Sang Ruo shouted: “Fang Yu!”

Fang Yu had been watching her fight alone, anxious and circling. Hearing his name at last, he could act. He formed hand seals and urged his spiritual power; thin threads of power streamed from him and shot into the Black Bear’s body.

The red faded from the beast’s eyes. In the gray haze of its gaze, a pair of hearts popped up. Fang Yu gritted his teeth and ordered: “Stop!”

The Black Bear really stopped. Shen Sang Ruo took the chance to retreat and, opening distance again, kept waving her Luan Feather Fan.

On the way here, she had asked about Fang Yu’s technique and learned he cultivated the control-focused Charmheart Art, so they had planned this tactic. But only ten seconds later, the Black Bear broke free of the Charmheart Art.

A Nascent Soul early stage Black Bear against a mid Golden Core cultivator—those ten seconds already took everything Fang Yu had. Luckily, the ten seconds were enough for Shen Sang Ruo to inflict heavy damage.

She had now figured out the Black Bear’s attack pattern. All that remained was to cooperate with Fang Yu.

They repeated the combo several times. The Black Bear’s movements grew weaker, and most of its flesh was charred black.

Sensing Fang Yu’s spiritual power flagging while the beast also slowed, Shen Sang Ruo told him to match her for a final strike. Fang Yu poured out everything and roared: “Stop right there!”

The instant the Black Bear froze, Shen Sang Ruo ran the Sunset Glassfire Art. Her Luan Feather Fan moved with the wind, and she also gave her all, wringing out the last drop of spiritual power. She broke her limit and fanned six times in a row.

The Glazed Flame rolled in with a terrible heat and wrapped the Black Bear completely. It writhed and twisted, but under the extreme temperature it soon went stiff.

When the Black Bear crashed to the ground, the two of them finally let out a long breath.

Working together, they had killed the Black Bear. It was dangerous, but they got through it. A rusty taste rose in Shen Sang Ruo’s throat; she swallowed a few Spirit-Replenishing Pills and pressed it down. Fang Yu was worse off. He spat a mouthful of blood and sagged to his knees.

She walked over and handed him a few Spirit-Replenishing Pills too. He didn’t even have the strength to be polite. After taking them and easing a bit, he stood up.

There was no pain on his face, only the thrill of battle. The first thing he said was: “Sister Sang Ruo! Sis! You’re my one and only sis!”

He waved his arms and babbled: “Those fan strikes were so cool!”

Still breathless, he messed up his words and declared: “Sis, I’m your idol—no, you’re my fan!”

Tongue-tied with excitement, he looked at Shen Sang Ruo like a goddess descending from the sky. He stared at the fallen Black Bear. That was a Nascent Soul early stage demonic beast, and the two of them—both Golden Core cultivators—had really killed it across a realm. Though Shen Sang Ruo did most of the work, he couldn’t help crowing: “Total wipeout, we’re both amazing!”

Shen Sang Ruo felt excited too, but she stayed calmer than Fang Yu. She raised her hand and pulled the flames back from the trees around them; after all, a forest fire on the mountain would be disastrous.

She didn’t forget why they had come for the Black Bear. She called Fang Yu over to the corpse. When she reached out to examine it, the Black Bear turned into countless strands of black mist at her touch and drifted into the air.

Only a palm-sized beast core thumped to the ground.

After a demonic beast breaks through to Nascent Soul, a beast core forms in its body. Ordinary ones are pure, clear white. This Black Bear’s was a murky black—in truth, so crimson it looked black.

A strong eerie aura poured off it. This was the source of the Bear’s corruption, and maybe even the source of all the eerie aura nearby. Shen Sang Ruo wrapped the beast core in spiritual power, picked it up, and studied it closely. [I think I know what this is.]