A mont later, the group was back on the road.
"I didn’t expect Junior Brother Bai to know so much about wild creatures," Liu Tong said with approval.
Up ahead, Bi Ming walked with a steady gait, holding a cluster of smoking herbs.
"I co across them now and then while studying the properties of dicinal herbs."
A worried look flickered across Bai Mo’s face.
"Are you sure nothing bad will happen if we do this?"
The cluster of herbs in Bi Ming’s hand was used to treat lethargy and loss of appetite in livestock.
Ordinary beasts should beco quite excited upon slling it.
Waving it around in Celestial Barrier Mountain was no different from asking for death!
If a Demon Hunting Team were here, they’d probably stay at least a hundred feet away from this group of walking disasters!
Li Tong was unconcerned. He just waved his hand and said,
"Relax. This is just the outer edge of Celestial Barrier Mountain. It’s not the deathtrap you’re imagining, Junior Brother Bai."
After speaking, he clicked his tongue in amazent. "Tsk, tsk."
"We’ve been walking for more than fifteen minutes. Forget Demon Beasts, we haven’t even seen a single wild animal..."
"Those bees have really done a number on this area!"
Bi Ming, who was up ahead, interjected,
"Brother Liu, perhaps you should focus more on our route."
Liu Tong glanced at him and lifted his chin.
"We just took a small detour. Once we cross the stream ahead and follow it upriver, we should be almost there."
Bi Ming didn’t even turn his head.
"I certainly hope so."
As the group walked on, a flash of color appeared not far away.
They looked over and saw it was a roe deer. It bounded forward a few steps, then SHWOOP, jumped right back to where it started.
Its large, watery eyes sized up the group from a distance.
Liu Tong watched it, his pupils contracting.
He released a sliver of his aura, instantly scaring the roe deer into fleeing.
Behind him, Bai Mo only vaguely sensed a sharp, tallic intent that vanished in an instant. He felt nothing else.
They walked for a short while longer before seeing the stream Liu Tong had ntioned.
It was the remnant of a mountain flood, and the banks were strewn with stones of all sizes that had been washed down.
Bai Mo walked past a boulder taller than a man.
Seeing that even in the distance, pebbles were scattered in a fan shape from where the river valley had been carved out, he remarked with emotion,
"Natural disasters... when mud and rock co crashing down, destroying forests and shattering stone, it’s truly an unstoppable force."
Liu Tong looked around and judged,
"This was from a collapsed mountaintop, washed down by the force of the rain."
"Even for people like us, if we stood in its path, I’m afraid we’d be ground to dust."
Having reached this spot, they were not far from their destination.
Bi Ming and Li Dao stopped. The two of them wondered if the smoke wasn’t thick enough.
They fanned the fire at their side, and dense smoke imdiately rose ten feet high.
Liu Tong was talking with Bai Mo, about to step into the shallow, clear stream to wade past the giant boulder.
The roe deer was still following them from behind.
Liu Tong said softly, "If it follows us until tonight and still hasn’t left, we’ll make do and use it to fill our stomachs."
The roe deer seed to understand, fleeing the mont he finished speaking.
Bai Mo chuckled and turned his head, but then his eyes narrowed as he caught a sudden reflection in the water out of the corner of his eye!
"Brother!!"
Liu Tong had already taken a step forward when a vicious gust of wind shot at him from the side.
Liu Tong’s body swayed, and his bones let out a sharp ZHENNG.
The huge boulder beside him cracked as he retreated to Bai Mo’s side, pulling Bai Mo back with him.
BANG!!
A thick, golden bear paw slamd onto the ground, sending pebbles flying.
The adjacent boulder split in two and toppled to the sides, revealing the Demon Beast’s true form.
It was a giant bear, golden from head to toe, and it looked incredibly powerful.
As the breeze from the stream blew past, its gleaming golden fur rippled like waves.
Bai Mo stared at the smooth, mirror-like surface of the cut boulder, his face filled with unconcealable shock.
The Golden Bear also paused for a mont, but its ferocious nature was revealed in the next instant.
It bared its teeth and roared, exposing its blood-red gums.
It reared up, its fur quivering, and a dense swarm of large, colorful bees hidden beneath made its pure golden coat seem mottled.
"Hah!"
Li Dao tossed the herbs from his hand. The fla he had just fanned was extinguished with a HISS as it hit the stream.
"It’s a Golden Bear!"
Li Dao’s eyes were filled with delight.
"There’s this kind of Demon Beast in Celestial Barrier Mountain?! They’re almost never seen in the outside world!"
"Brother, don’t damage the pelt! That’s a full two months’ worth of cultivation resources!"
The mont he finished speaking, the Golden Bear had finished gathering its strength. Its massive body crashed down, its two paws slamming onto one half of the split boulder.
BOOM!
The massive rock was sent flying straight at Liu Tong.
Its cut edge was razor-sharp. If he were hit head-on, Liu Tong would be sliced in two.
Liu Tong’s expression didn’t change. He made no visible move, but a piercing sword-sound suddenly erupted from within his body!
ZHENNG!
Bai Mo felt a piercing pain in his ears, followed by a continuous ringing.
The flying boulder was split apart, passing by the two of them and continuing onward.
ZHENNG! ZHENNG! ZHENNG!
Bai Mo’s eyes widened as he watched several white streaks inexplicably appear on the surface of the stream and shoot into the distance.
From behind the boulder, the Golden Bear’s paws shot out, followed by several sharp claws that extended to a length of ten feet—a shocking proportion.
A foul wind assaulted their noses as the claws struck like lightning.
In the blink of an eye, the claws stopped right before Liu Tong’s face.
A spray of blood burst from the center of the Golden Bear’s head.
Li Dao leaped up and rushed in front of the Golden Bear.
He pulled a black silk cloth from his sleeve.
"Brother Liu’s Geng tal Sword Skill has improved again!"
"I’m afraid you’ve been deeply studying the art of the sword-sound for a long ti, haven’t you?"
As Li Dao spoke, he kicked the Golden Bear’s enormous corpse, which crashed to the ground with a trendous thud.
Shaken by the force of the impact, the colorful bees were startled and imdiately shot into the sky, forming an extrely frightening, dark cloud.
The silk cloth in Li Dao’s hand was the first to move, whipping out.
With just a single twirl, a section of the colorful bees vanished.
"What a great harvest today!"
Bi Ming didn’t go to help. Instead, he strode over to Liu Tong’s side and said,
"How is your sword’s form coming along, Brother Liu?"
He had never heard any news about Liu Tong collecting Geng tal spirit materials to forge a sword.
Liu Tong sighed.
"A Geng tal Sword? How could I possibly afford to forge one in my current tight circumstances?"
"Don’t tease , Junior Brother Bi!"
Bi Ming imdiately said,
"To master the sword-sound before the sword’s form is even forged!"
"Brother Liu, you are truly a great talent!"
He looked at the Golden Bear’s corpse. Its sharp claws were still pointing rigidly toward the sky.
’I wonder how it usually retracts those things into its paws.’
"Don’t worry, Brother Liu. With this Golden Bear, you can take another step forward with your sword’s form."
Bai Mo, who was patting his head to clear the ringing in his ears, overheard them and quickly reminded them,
"Brothers, don’t be too optimistic."
"These bees may have a symbiotic relationship with their host, but it isn’t a very friendly one..."
Liu Tong nodded in agreent. "The most valuable part of a Golden Bear is its pelt."
"But based on what Junior Brother Bai said, this creature’s pelt might not be perfectly preserved."
Bi Ming hurried off.
"I’ll go take a look."
Bai Mo then asked, "Brother Liu, what’s the story behind this Golden Bear?"
Liu Tong explained,
"Don’t think it was an easy fight. It just so happens that my sword-sound is its perfect counter."
"Legend says the Golden Bear has long claws and is extrely skilled at hiding in high places, extending its claws to kill its prey."
"Their pelts are incredibly tough, able to withstand blades and hamrs without being damaged."
According to Liu Tong, the Golden Bear was sought after precisely because of its beautiful, high-quality pelt.
In the right market, that pelt alone could fetch a sky-high price!
If it were processed and refined into sothing like armor or a Daoist robe, the price would be even higher.
These creatures were already quite rare, so it was no wonder Li Dao was so excited.
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