The black bear’s massive body charged forward with immense force.

As its fur whipped through the air, it released a thick, foul stench, so strong it was nearly impossible to breathe up close.

Bai Mo took a few steps back, retreating into the cave.

The wind howled as several figures exuding a fierce aura charged past Bai Mo.

BOOM!

A giant tree in front of the cave tilted, crushed by the black bear’s body.

Several iron chains shot out, glinting with a cold, dark light. Three of the Cultivators had made their move.

With a mere flick of their wrists, the hooks at the ends of the chains dug into the black bear’s flesh.

Their wrist strength was astonishing.

"Not good! This beast’s hide is too thick! The hooks aren’t in deep enough!"

The three pulled from different directions, stretching the black bear’s hide taut.

Beneath it, a dense layer of large, mottled green bees was revealed, a sight that made one’s skin crawl.

The black bear let out a deep, muffled roar, baring two sharp, yellowed canines.

Ma Bizi charged forward like the wind. He reached into his clothes and pulled out five slender darts.

With a sharp exhalation, a jet of white mist shot from his mouth like an arrow.

"HUP!!"

The slender darts shot from his hand and pierced through a giant tree on the opposite side. The thin iron chains connected to them instantly formed an iron net.

CLANG!!

The next moment, the black bear’s raised paw slammed down on the iron net.

Sparks flew, only to be instantly extinguished by the rain. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Ma Bizi’s feet lifted off the ground; he was nearly yanked into the air by the iron net.

With a series of soft thuds, the immense force pulled the darts back, sinking them deep into the tree trunk.

Lanshan charged forward, his presence radiating a wild energy, and grabbed the iron net to hold it steady.

"’Iron Locks Across the River,’ and it’s just a few bits of wire! Ma Bizi! This technique of yours doesn’t live up to its name!"

Lanshan let out a wry laugh.

The black bear gripped the net with its claws and pulled, sending a shower of sparks flying, but to no avail.

It simply reared up on its hind legs, and with a violent shake, the iron hooks flew from its body.

Then it lunged forward, pressing the weight of its upper body down on the iron net.

The expressions on Ma Bizi and Lanshan’s faces finally changed as the net was ripped from their grasp.

At that moment, the others finally reached it with their blades and spears.

Pushing off the tree trunk for momentum, they charged past, their long spears and broadswords dragging across the bear’s body.

Fur was severed and flesh torn open as blood began to seep out.

Roaring in pain, the black bear grabbed the iron net from beneath it and swung it in a circle, knocking everyone back.

The leader of the Giant Spear Demon Hunting Team was at the rear. He swung his long spear but failed to parry the net, getting himself entangled instead.

Alarmed, he retracted his long spear in the nick of time, holding it horizontally before his face.

BANG!

The bear’s paw struck, sending him flying like a rubber ball. He skidded across the slick ground, carving out a long trench.

Han Meng rushed over to help him get the iron net off.

The man got to his feet and let out a ragged breath.

His black robes were torn in several long gashes, revealing three deep dents in the bright, silver-white armor beneath.

If he hadn’t reacted so quickly, half his head would have been sliced off.

Ma Bizi drew in a sharp breath.

"Lanshan, this bear is something else. If we don’t use some real tricks, not everyone is going to walk away from this today!"

Lanshan’s expression was grim. He barked out a command.

"Attack!"

At the team leader’s command, the rest of them couldn’t hesitate.

Ma Bizi didn’t hesitate, gritting his teeth and charging forward.

"You’d better have a plan! When these things eat people, they tear your heart and lungs out. It’s a living hell!"

He was confident he had the strength to escape, but the same couldn’t be said for Lanshan’s men.

The leader of the Giant Spear Demon Hunting Team, however, was now fighting with real fury, charging forward with his long spear in hand.

His sweeps and thrusts were always overpowered by the immense strength of the bear’s paws.

Though he wasn’t bleeding, the trauma to his internal organs nearly made him vomit blood.

Seeing the man snatched up in the bear’s jaws, slammed to the ground, and nearly eviscerated by a claw, Lanshan no longer hesitated.

He took out a blood-red Pill, tossed it into his mouth, crushed it between his teeth, and swallowed.

His energy flared to life as strength surged through his limbs. The sensation was intoxicating!

Lanshan said in a deep voice, "Shopkeeper Bai, you’ll have to make a move soon. Otherwise, you’ll be carrying me back!"

Bai Mo had just said, "Alright," when Lanshan charged forward.

With powerful, deliberate strides, Lanshan swept past Ma Bizi.

His tall body twisted, and with steady, powerful hands, he slammed an open palm into the black bear’s lower jaw.

The immense force sent ripples through the flesh of the bear’s neck.

Then, he clenched his fingers into a fist, knuckles protruding, and punched through the curtain of rain, his blows landing again and again.

Ma Bizi watched in shock as Lanshan punched and kicked the momentarily unconscious black bear, knocking it to its feet only to send it crashing down again.

At the mouth of the cave, Bai Mo kicked away a panicked water snake that had slithered in.

’So this is a Demon Beast.’

’Its energy is chaotic, and it mobilizes its Spiritual Power with no discipline whatsoever. It seems to have used it all to temper its physical body.’

’This black bear is quite intelligent. That’s probably due to its species.’

The black bear regained consciousness and swiped with both paws, knocking Lanshan back and tearing a chunk of flesh from Wang Hu, who had gotten too close.

Bai Mo raised his hand, a point of light gathering at his fingertip.

Meanwhile, Ma Bizi watched Lanshan charge like a man possessed, his eyes darting back and forth.

’A Pill? A Secret Technique?’

’I wonder how long it will last.’

With that thought, he didn’t hesitate. He retrieved his iron net and, with a flick of his wrist, cast it out and charged forward.

Amidst the group’s assault, a point of starlight shot out.

PFFT!

A spray of blood burst from the black bear’s right eye.

Lanshan’s eyes lit up.

"You damned beast, let’s see how long you can keep this up!"

"ROAR!"

Letting out a muffled roar, the black bear flew into a rage.

Claws as long as daggers extended from its paws. The immense force of its swats, combined with the sharp cuts from its claws, temporarily forced everyone to keep their distance.

But Shen Yang noticed that its footwork was measured.

"The beast is trying to run!"

He had just finished speaking when the black bear whipped its head around to look at him, its single eye flashing with a vicious glint. It then hoisted a boulder the size of two men and started smashing it down.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Muddy water splashed everywhere. In its paws, the boulder was like a heavy weapon.

Even in his berserk state, Lanshan couldn’t get near it.

"Such incredible strength!"

Catching its breath, the black bear hurled the boulder down like a cannonball.

Lanshan was directly in its path. Unable to dodge, he let out a furious roar and met it with both arms.

His muscles bulged, and the heat radiating from his body vaporized the rain.

CRACK! POP!

Every bone in his body groaned, and his spine nearly shattered. At last, the boulder stopped with a heavy thud.

When he leaped up from behind the boulder, he saw the others staring at him as if he were a monster.

The black bear had already turned to run, its speed astonishing.

"Get after it!"

Han Meng reacted in a flash, taking off in pursuit, but the black bear’s figure up ahead flickered and vanished.

The leader of the Giant Spear Demon Hunting Team let out a cold snort and rushed to the very front.

"I’ll scout ahead."

He charged a few steps forward, and just as he passed Han Meng, his scalp went numb with a sense of dread.

A long, sharp claw shot out from the side, stopping right before his neck.

He dug his heels into the ground and, with Han Meng yanking him back, managed to escape the danger.

When they turned to look again, they saw the black bear had somehow circled around and was standing upright, hidden in a blind spot right beside a tree.

Seeing its ambush fail, the black bear took off running again.

The others caught up from behind and charged as well.

At this point, the black bear was out of tricks. With its vision impaired, Lanshan led the charge, and over the course of an hour, they managed to wear it down and kill it.

Its massive corpse collapsed limply. Bai Mo, who had been hanging back in the distance, rushed forward.

Before Lanshan could let out a triumphant laugh, Bai Mo stuffed a freshly prepared remedy into his mouth.

"Clear your mind and focus! Relax! Don’t exert any energy!"

Bai Mo said urgently.

Lanshan had expended a tremendous amount of energy in this battle, far more than anticipated. The Pill’s power had burned through his reserves and was now consuming his own vitality.

His eye sockets were already visibly sinking.

Lanshan did as he was told, not forgetting to give a command:

"Drag it back! Drag the whole thing back!"

It was now nearly impossible to see in the forest, and there was no telling what else they might encounter.

Returning to camp was the best choice, taking advantage of the black bear’s lingering demonic aura, which would keep other creatures from approaching.