"Boom!" A thunderous roar erupted suddenly, like a celestial lightning strike, as a powerful energy storm took shape and surged violently, whipping through the mountain, causing it to tremble. Massive fissures, stretching several zhang in width, rapidly spread across the peak and extended all the way to the horizon. The sudden surge of energy had drawn the attention of numerous high-tier beast-wildlife on the mountain, but upon sensing the storm's overwhelming force, they were all startled and immediately rushed outward, eager to escape—this level of combat was far beyond their capacity to participate. The expanding energy ripples swept through and completely leveled nearly half of the mountain's forest, gradually revealing a deep, colossal crater, stretching over a hundred zhang in diameter, now clearly visible in Xiao Yan's line of sight. "Shh..." Gazing at the colossal chasm, nearly a hundred paces wide and deep enough to vanish into the horizon, even with Xiao Yan's steady composure, he couldn't help but draw a deep, cool breath. Such overwhelming destructive power truly warranted the battle of a Battle Sovereign rank. The yellow dust that had just risen was swiftly swept away by the fierce winds. Xiao Yan's eyes quickly scanned the area below, then settled on Master Mu, whose body hovered mid-air. At this moment, Master Mu's chest was slightly rising and falling, and his breathing was no longer as steady as before—clearly, the previous blow had taken a significant toll on him. "As soon as Ziyan's voice had finished, a thunderous roar suddenly burst forth from the deep crater, materializing into tangible sound waves that expanded outward with a resounding 'boom,' once again lifting a thick layer of earth from the ground. 'Boom!' The roar gradually subsided, and the entire mountain began to tremble, sending forth deep, rumbling sounds reminiscent of thunder from within the crater. Hearing these sounds, the Mu Gu elder's expression subtly changed, his cold gaze fixed intently on the deep, seemingly bottomless pit. 'Bang!' Then, yet another more terrifying roar erupted suddenly, followed by the emergence of an impossibly massive figure that leaped out of the crater like a colossal tower, crashing down with a thunderous impact—causing the mountain itself to shudder violently at the very moment his feet touched the ground. Gazing at the enormous creature that had emerged from the crater, Xiao Yan could not help but be struck by a sense of awe. The creature that appeared was a colossal bear, nearly a hundred meters tall, its entire body a deep, dark hue, with its fur standing upright like steel needles. On the bear's chest, there were eight silver fur patterns. What most astonished Xiao Yan was that behind the bear, there stretched a massive black tail, reaching twenty meters in length. As the tail swished, it created a rushing wind, resembling a dragon's tail. "This... an ancient dragon-bear?" Xiao Yan's gaze first passed over the silver fur patterns on the bear's chest, then settled on the trailing dragon-like tail behind it, his eyes flickering slightly as he murmured to himself. Longxiong—this fierce mythical beast—is now rarely seen, as it belongs to the ancient lineage of exotic creatures and harbors a hidden dragon bloodline within its body, making it exceptionally powerful. According to ancient texts, this Longxiong is known as the Nine-Emblem Dragon Longxiong. The silvery fur patterns on its chest are not merely decorative; they serve as a measure of its strength. It is said that when such a Longxiong develops nine dragon emblems, its dormant dragon bloodline will fully awaken, triggering a transformation. Upon successful transformation, it will evolve into a Supreme Dragon Longxiong, capable of shattering mountains and splitting lands with mere gestures. Hence, these fur patterns are also referred to as "dragon emblems." Currently, the Bear Warrior has eight such emblems. Should one more emerge, this magnificent creature will become the Supreme Mythical Longxiong—renowned even in antiquity for its fearsome reputation! "It's incredible that I'm actually seeing a dragon bear right here," Xiao Yan couldn't help but shake his head in amazement. "A dragon bear, really? It's only strong because of its dragon bloodline," replied Zi Yan, who was nestled in Xiao Yan's arms, slightly rolling her eyes. "Simply possessing dragon bloodline is enough to prove someone's strength—bloodline matters so much to the beasts. When I first arrived in the Central Plains, I nearly had my dragon phoenix blood essence discovered by the phoenix clan people, even though it was stored in my storage seal." Xiao Yan smiled, suddenly remembering the incident at Fenglei Pavilion, and chuckled. "The celestial phoenix clan? Did they harm you?" Upon hearing this, Zi Yan tightly gripped the hand resting on Xiao Yan's neck, a sharp purple glow flashing across her water-spirit eyes, and gently licked her small, crimson tongue. "Not exactly. I've already refined the wings of the celestial phoenix into a flight technique. Should anyone recognize it in the future, that would certainly become a bit of a problem." Xiao Yan's gaze remained fixed on the massive dragon-bear. He spoke casually. "Rest assured—they dare come, and then none of them will make it back." Zi Yan rested her small head against Xiao Yan's shoulder, speaking softly in a voice only she could hear. Xiao Yan didn't hear her words. His attention was entirely on the bear-warrior who had now fully manifested his true form. With his true form revealed, the bear-warrior's aura had grown more fierce than before, his pair of blood-red eyes locked intently upon the elderly figure floating in the sky, who appeared no larger than an ant. "Again!" Suddenly, the bear-warrior took a powerful step forward, his ugly face contorting into a fierce expression, and he drove his fist straight across at the elderly figure. As the fist struck, a surge of wind roared through the air, the rushing sound resembling deep, resonant drumbeats echoing across the hills and valleys. Faced with the bear's powerful strike that had solidified into a tangible form, even the venerable Mu Gu elder could not afford to look down on it. With a subtle shift of his hand seal, the space before him warped momentarily, then swiftly coalesced into a thick, solidified wall of distorted space. "Boom!" The massive fist, covered in dense black fur, struck the spatial wall with tremendous force, shattering it like dry reeds under pressure. As the bear's hand unfolded, black spines along his arms surged forth like arrows, sweeping across the battlefield in a vast, sweeping tide. These black spines moved with astonishing speed, appearing instantly before the elder's eyes. At their tips, faint traces of deep yellow energy shimmered, indicating that though unimpressive in appearance, they were anything but harmless—any being struck by them would surely suffer severe consequences. Yet with the keen eye and vast experience of Master Mu Gu, he by no means dismissed the opponent's assault. As he formed his hand seals, he exhaled deeply, and a deep blue flame erupted like a towering column, striking the sharp tufts of hair. The intense heat of the Sea-Heart Flame caused the hair to evaporate instantly, turning into scattered ashes that drifted down. "Shh!" As the flame surged forth, a dark figure suddenly darted across the sky, its powerful gust of wind causing Master Mu Gu to slightly stagger. Urgently adjusting his hand seals, the flame column coalesced into a colossal fire beast several dozen zhang in length, charging directly at the dark figure. "Screech!" The dark figure descended straight, then crashed forcefully onto the fire beast, its immense force splitting the creature in two. The residual energy surged through the air, leaving behind a deep furrow several dozen zhang long on the ground. The shadow cleaved through the fire beast and spun rapidly in the sky. Mu Guo, the elder, only then noticed that the shadow was actually the massive dragon tail of Xiong Zhan. "This creature possesses truly formidable strength," he murmured, his eyes narrowing as he watched the spatial rifts appearing with each sweep of the tail. His expression grew somewhat strained. Indeed, if one were to compare their combat prowess directly, even in his transformed state, Xiong Zhan might not have been able to defeat Mu Guo. Yet Xiong Zhan fought with full confidence and determination. Mu Guo, however, could not do so—he had to participate in the subsequent Dan Conclave, aiming to win the championship and then seize the three thousand flames of Yanyan Fire. If he were to engage Xiong Zhan in a decisive battle here, he would have little energy left to compete against others later. Under these concerns, he couldn't truly engage the bear in a hard-fought battle, yet if he didn't actually launch a full assault, he couldn't defeat the bear either. This predicament left him trapped in a deadlock—no matter what he did, he couldn't manage both ends effectively. Mubu the Elder's eyes flashed rapidly, and after a long pause, he gritted his teeth, fixing a cold, fierce gaze on the bear soaring above in the sky, and coldly declared, "Xiao Yan, this time you're lucky. Once the Dan Assembly concludes, I'll personally settle you!" "Then I'll be right here to see it through." Xiao Yan's eyes also gleamed with frost, and he chuckled coldly. Once he secured the Three Thousand Yan Fire and fully integrated it into his own, he would absolutely no longer fear this old man. "Hmph!" "Heard this, Master Mu's face slightly tightened, then his cold gaze turned sharply toward Xiong Zhan, who stood like a towering iron tower atop the mountain peak. His palms clenched tightly with growing reluctance. After a moment of futile effort, he finally let go, sweeping his sleeve outward. The space around him gradually warped, and as his form moved, he slipped into the twisting space and vanished. 'Xiao Yan, keep your life!' Though Master Mu's form was gone, the cold command echoed steadily through the space, resonating gently across the heavens."