Just as Xiong Wuji snared Yang Hao’s legs with a sweep of his sleeve, and the massive palm of the yellow great bear descended, Yang Hao flipped his own hand, and a slender soft sword materialized there.

A cold glint flashed across the soft sword, instantly slicing through the sleeve imbued with potent True Qi, cleaving it into two halves.

Yang Hao sprang away with explosive force from his feet, simultaneously unleashing several flamboyant sword flowers, creating what seemed like a massive rain of blades before him—a scattering of shimmering sword light that instantly reversed the disadvantaged situation.

Xiong Wuji paused slightly. Though his sleeve wasn't a true treasure, having been infused with True Qi, it should have at least ranked as a Minor Artifact. Yet, under the brilliance of the opposing sword light, it had snapped in an instant, revealing that the sword in Yang Hao’s hand must have a far greater pedigree.

“Hooosh...”

Two thick streams of breath erupted from the great bear’s mouth, tangible streams of earthy yellow exhalation that slammed into the sword rain.

Yang Hao’s body trembled slightly. He finally understood why Zhou Datian had retreated in haste upon first engaging this creature. The sheer power possessed by this giant bear far exceeded his estimations.

The pervasive sword rain instantly fragmented under the crushing force of the barrage.

At that precise moment, Xiong Wuji attacked. Even though two Three-Flower realm experts were wielding their weapons, he chose to strike only with his bare fists.

Two streams of yellow Qi surged from his fists, intertwining in mid-air like two ceaselessly wrestling yellow dragons, rolling menacingly toward Yang Hao.

The skill of manifesting the intangible into the tangible had been pushed to its zenith in his hands; even Yang Hao, witnessing it, felt a pang of inferiority.

In that moment, a flicker of doubt finally stirred within Yang Hao.

He had originally assumed that two Three-Flower experts fighting in tandem could, by any measure, overcome this human-beast duo. But only through engagement did he realize that not only had the plump, massive great bear reached a state nearing that of a Sacred Beast, but Xiong Wuji’s own cultivation seemed in no way inferior to his own.

If one factored in the years of synergy between man and beast, the power they could unleash should surely surpass that of the two of them combined.

A dark silhouette sliced across the void, a pair of round mace-heads seemingly returning from the netherworld, landing with the precision of the final dot on a painted dragon—exactly upon the crowns of the two yellow dragons.

“Crack...”

The tangible dragons could not withstand such a direct and forceful assault; they dissolved into a gust of fierce wind, vanishing into the air.

Zhou Datian appeared solemnly beside Yang Hao.

The yellow great bear shook its bulky frame, opening its cavernous maw as if mocking them. Xiong Wuji smiled coldly: “Indeed, you two possess fine skill, but it still falls just a little short.”

He shifted his stance, instantly moving behind the great bear. Obscured by the beast’s immense bulk, he seemed to vanish suddenly, imbued with startling immediacy.

Subsequently, the yellow great bear took up its pace, thundering forward.

Each step it took did not appear overly swift, yet it seemed to strike directly at the hearts of the onlookers, imposing a crushing, irresistible pressure.

Yang Hao and Zhou Datian exchanged a glance; they simultaneously retreated.

But this time, having learned their lesson, they did not separate again.

Yet, the moment they drew back, the bear’s steps abruptly accelerated. If its earlier movement was that of a mountain shifting, its current speed was that of a gale.

Its gigantic form suddenly seemed to transform into an incomparably agile fox, instantly closing the distance with the two men.

Ai Wenbin’s eyes narrowed sharply: “The Fox-Bear Spirit Beast...”

A murderous glint flickered across Li Mingxuan’s eyes, though it was quickly suppressed.

Everyone knew Xiong Wuji acted under the decree of the Holy Lord of the Totem Clan. If anything untoward happened to him here, even the main vein of Tianchi, despite having a thousand mouths, could not clear its name.

Spirit Beasts of the bear lineage were already the rarest category, and those emerging from the Fox-Bear lineage—the kings among bears—were even scarcer.

But seeing the current power and speed of the yellow great bear, the observers finally noticed that its ears were significantly smaller than those of common bears, which was, indeed, the definitive characteristic of a Fox-Bear.

Possessing the strength of a bear and the agility of a fox, the Fox-Bear was the monarch of fierce beasts, with few predators in the jungle capable of contending with it.

And once a Spirit Beast emerged from this race, it naturally stood at the apex of the entire Spirit Beast pyramid, wielding unmatched might.

At this point, even Ai Wenbin began to lose confidence in Yang Hao and his companion’s assured victory.

The Fox-Bear Spirit Beast’s rate of advance exceeded the expectations of Yang Hao and Zhou Datian. Though it had executed one burst of speed earlier, its current pace was a full notch faster.

In the blink of an eye, the Fox-Bear’s bulky form brutally wedged itself between the two men. Those bear paws, shimmering with yellow light, appeared above their heads, poised to smash down like Mount Tai pressing upon them.

Zhou Datian and Yang Hao’s pincer formation immediately broke, once more forcefully separated by the Fox-Bear.

Yang Hao flicked his long sword. This treasured blade held a profound history; it was once a supreme weapon integrated into the body of a certain Venerable, otherwise, it could not have severed an ordinary Minor Artifact with such ease.

Now, he poured all his True Qi into the blade, once again unleashing an inexhaustible rain of swords in the air.

However, this time the sword rain carried a sense of solemn density, starkly contrasting with the ethereal quality of before. Even if the great bear unleashed another breath attack, it absolutely could not shatter this expanse of swords.

Yet, Yang Hao suddenly perceived a massive object plunging into his sword rain—a yellow shield, forged from some unknown material, originating from nowhere, as if dropped from the heavens, smashing into his downpour of steel.

His sword rain was saturated with infinite True Qi, manifesting his absolute peak power. But this incoming shield descended like a colossal stone, carrying an utterly domineering and unreasonable aura.

The shield burst through the sword rain and slammed right before Yang Hao. His long sword could no longer be wielded with its signature grace and ease.

The infinite sword rain finally vanished. With its source utterly severed, the scattered remnants of sword energy stood no chance of harming the man-beast duo in the slightest.

Yang Hao withdrew his sword, his heart heavy with sorrow. In that lightning-fast exchange, he had seen clearly.

That yellow shield, nearly as tall as a man, was held firmly in Xiong Wuji’s grasp.

It was by means of this bizarre weapon, relying purely on brute, overwhelming strength, that Xiong Wuji had completely dismantled every technique Yang Hao employed.

As Yang Hao retreated, Zhou Datian grunted angrily. His triple-section staff moved unpredictably, having struck hundreds of times in an instant. Yet, this rain of blows against the Fox-Bear Spirit Beast felt like mere tickling; it failed to dislodge a single strand of fur.

Worse still, the beast’s enormous paw hovered over his head. Though it didn't actually strike, the pressure it exerted was immense.

He cried out inwardly: If he couldn't even wound the enemy, what meaning was left in this contest?

His mind spun, and he made a decision. With a loud cry, he shouted: “Brother Yang, strike now!”

Then, he opened his mouth, and three tangible flowers of different colors burst forth, spinning rapidly around his body.

At this sight, the expressions of the surrounding spectators grew tense; they knew Zhou Datian was preparing to stake everything on a desperate gamble.

The triple-section staff suddenly struck out, hitting the three differently colored tangible flowers with blinding speed. A deafening explosion erupted. The three flowers, infused with Zhou Datian’s complete power, detonated, and the resulting immense force seemed to lock down the entire space.

Through Zhou Datian’s all-out, near-suicidal effort, the power of confinement was pushed to its absolute limit.

However, a wave of powerlessness washed over him immediately afterward; he could barely manage to move his body.

Just moments before, he had made a resolute choice: succeed, or perish trying.

If he had acted alone, he naturally wouldn't have resorted to such an extreme path, but he had Yang Hao beside him. If he could completely immobilize the man and the beast, even for the duration of a single breath, Yang Hao could have slain them dozens of times over.

But as Zhou Datian unleashed the full force of his explosive power, his eyes widened in stark horror.

As he detonated the three tangible flowers condensed with his total strength, the yellow great bear abruptly pulled Xiong Wuji, and this massive bulk flashed away, burrowing into the earth with lightning speed.

It was only then that the onlookers suddenly recalled that the innate talents of Spirit Beasts differed from those of humans; they could activate their miraculous innate abilities preemptively. In confrontations below the Venerable realm, the Totem Clan leveraged their companion Spirit Beasts to create unimaginable threats and troubles for those from outside the mountains.

A figure flew over from behind, grabbing the struggling Zhou Datian and whisking him away from the spot with blinding swiftness.

And just as they cleared the area, a massive bear paw erupted from beneath the ground, sweeping precisely where Zhou Datian had been standing moments before.

The crowd collectively broke out in cold sweat. To have taken that blow, even if they survived, would require months of recuperation at the very least.

Then, the earth churned. The bulky form of the Fox-Bear Spirit Beast leaped from the soil.

Xiong Wuji and the Fox-Bear Spirit Beast regarded the two men before them with eyes still filled with mockery.

Yang Hao shielded Zhou Datian behind him, but by now, even a blind man could see that they were utterly defeated.

“What? Are you still fighting?” Xiong Wuji sneered dismissively.

A chilling killing intent burned in his eyes. If these two insisted on continuing the struggle, no one could object if they were beaten to death by him and the Fox-Bear Spirit Beast.

Yang Hao and Zhou Datian’s faces were ashen, contorted with humiliation, but they knew that pressing on would only invite further disgrace. They swallowed the bitter taste down hard.

However, at that exact moment, they heard a voice ringing out, filled with an intense confidence that brooked no doubt.

“I will!”