27: Chapter 27 Pseudo-King-Level Beast, Teamwork

The crimson halo of the blazing sun sniper bow had not yet dissipated when a world-shaking roar echoed from deep within the dense forest, causing the entire valley to tremble and decayed leaves to flutter.

Lin Zhou's expression shifted slightly as he abruptly looked up. He saw distant ancient trees snapping like reeds in a gale, and a mountain-like dark shadow, shrouded in clouds of dust, came charging toward them. The shadow was nearly thirty feet tall, covered in thick brownish-black scales, with limbs as thick as pillars supporting the sky. Its bronze-bell-sized eyes were bloodshot and shimmering with violent light—it was the Pseudo-King Rank exotic beast, the Earth-Splitting Giant Bear.

"Not good! It's the Earth-Splitting Giant Bear!" Su Ye's face turned pale as he gripped his giant axe, his voice trembling slightly. "This guy's hide is ridiculously thick, and it can shatter a small mountain with a single swipe. Let's run!"

Qin Yue also furrowed her delicate brows, her long sword unsheathed, radiating a chilling Sword Intent: "We can't run; it has already locked onto us."

Before she could finish her sentence, the Earth-Splitting Giant Bear roared again, abruptly raising its right claw and slamming it down toward the densest part of the crowd.

"Boom!"

With a deafening crash, a crater several meters deep was instantly slammed into the ground. Debris flew everywhere, and shockwaves rolled out. Several Geniuses with slower reactions were directly blown away by the blast, coughing up blood, their fates unknown.

"Damn it!" Wang Chen's face was grim. He hadn't expected to run into this god of slaughter just as he was about to cause trouble for Lin Zhou. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Everyone! This Earth-Splitting Giant Bear is a Pseudo-King Rank exotic beast. No one can survive it alone! If you want to live, we must join forces against the enemy!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Geniuses present snapped out of it. Indeed, the Earth-Splitting Giant Bear's strength was too formidable; relying on one's own power was like an ant trying to stop a carriage. Rather than being picked off one by one, it was better to fight together for a slim chance at survival.

"Wang Chen is right! Join forces!"

"Attack together! Kill this beast!"

A roar erupted from the crowd as over a dozen teams instantly formed an Alliance. Various skills rained down on the Earth-Splitting Giant Bear like a downpour. Sword light, Saber Qi, fireballs, and ice spikes intertwined, converging into a brilliant torrent of energy.

However, the Earth-Splitting Giant Bear only gave a contemptuous low growl as its scales erupted with a layer of earthy yellow halo. When those skills hit its body, it was like an itch being scratched, leaving not even a mark.

"It's useless! Its scale armor defense is too strong!" a Genius cried out in despair.

The Earth-Splitting Giant Bear roared to the sky and violently swung its massive claws, causing another round of screams. Several Geniuses couldn't dodge in time and were directly flattened into meat paste, a sight too gruesome to behold.

Wang Chen was anxious. His sword Concept erupted with full force as he slashed at the Earth-Splitting Giant Bear's neck, but only a crisp "clang" was heard. The long sword was knocked out of his hand, and he was sent stumbling back by the counter-shock, his Qi and blood churning.

"What do we do? We can't break through its defense at all!" Zhang Hao hid behind the crowd, shivering with fear, not even daring to breathe loudly.

At this critical moment, Lin Zhou's voice suddenly rang out, clearly reaching everyone: "Everyone, scatter! Attack its eyes! That's its weakness!"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then realized. Indeed, an exotic beast's eyes were always its weakest point of defense!

"Alright! Listen to Lin Zhou!" Wang Chen made a decisive call and shouted, "Everyone, concentrate your fire on the giant bear's eyes! I'll distract it!"

With those words, Wang Chen picked up his fallen sword and charged at the Earth-Splitting Giant Bear again. His sword Concept was fully deployed as sharp sword lights slashed at the bear's limbs, attempting to hinder its movements.

Other Geniuses followed suit, raining down various long-range skills toward the Earth-Splitting Giant Bear's eyes.

The Earth-Splitting Giant Bear was enraged. It swung its massive claws frantically, trying to swat these annoying ants to death. But everyone was prepared, scattering and using their movement techniques to circle it.

"Lin Zhou! It's your turn!" Wang Chen shouted. His shoulder had been grazed by the wind from the bear's claw, instantly tearing his flesh and leaving it bloodied.

Lin Zhou took a deep breath and slowly raised the blazing sun sniper bow in his hand. His eyes were incredibly focused, his Spiritual Qi surged wildly, and the 30% Awakening level of his Celestial Fox Physique was fully activated, heightening his senses to the extreme. He could clearly capture every minute movement of the Earth-Splitting Giant Bear, even hearing the sound of its heartbeat.

"Cloud-Piercing Arrow Technique!"

Lin Zhou shouted softly, continuously channeling the Spiritual Qi within his body into the blazing sun sniper bow. The crimson patterns on the bow's body instantly lit up, and a terrifying energy fluctuation spread out. An arrow was notched on the string, shimmering with intertwined gold and red light, and wrapped in a strand of sharp Sword Intent. This was his strongest strike, fusing the power of the Sky-Splitting Combustion Armor-Piercing Arrow, Sword Intent Arrow Infusion, and the sun-shooting bow fragment!

"Buzz—"

The bowstring vibrated, emitting a low dragon's roar.

Lin Zhou suddenly released his fingers!

"Whoosh!"

The arrow pierced through the air, reaching an extreme speed. It turned into a streak of light in the sky, tearing through the air and creating a piercing sonic boom.

Sensing danger, the Earth-Splitting Giant Bear abruptly looked up, a flash of terror appearing in its bronze-bell-sized eyes. It tried to close its eyes, but it was too late.

"Puchi!"

The arrow accurately struck the Earth-Splitting Giant Bear's left eye, instantly piercing through the eyeball and boring into its skull.

"Roar—!"

The Earth-Splitting Giant Bear let out a scream of extreme agony, filled with pain and rage. It frantically beat its own head, its massive body rolling wildly on the ground, snapping countless ancient trees and kicking up clouds of dust.

"Now is the time!" Lin Zhou shouted.

Seeing this, no one hesitated. Wang Chen was the first to charge, stabbing his sword into the Earth-Splitting Giant Bear's right eye. Su Ye was not to be outdone; his Berserker Bloodline Power erupted, and his giant axe, carrying immense force, slammed into the bear's neck. Qin Yue's sword light was as chilling as autumn water, stabbing into the bear's wounds one after another.

Other Geniuses also followed, with various skills surging in like a tide.

The Earth-Splitting Giant Bear's struggles grew weaker and weaker as its life force rapidly drained away. Finally, it let out an unwilling low growl, its massive body crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust as it fell silent forever.

The entire area fell into a dead silence.

Everyone was panting heavily, looking at the Earth-Splitting Giant Bear's corpse with expressions of relief and exhaustion after surviving a disaster.

Lin Zhou slowly lowered the blazing sun sniper bow and let out a long sigh of relief. That single arrow had almost drained all the Spiritual Qi in his body. But at the same time, his mind was remarkably clear.

When he shot that arrow just now, he felt as if he had merged with the world, clearly feeling the flow of the wind, accurately capturing the target's weakness, and even predicting the arrow's trajectory after it was fired. That feeling was mysterious and indescribable.

[System Notification: Host has slain the Pseudo-King Rank exotic beast, Earth-Splitting Giant Bear, comprehended the Archery Concept, and touched the threshold of the legendary rank!]

[System Notification: Reward: 10,000 points, Spiritual Qi limit increased by 20%!]

Lin Zhou was overjoyed. He could clearly feel his Realm slowly rising, only one step away from the legendary rank.

At that moment, Wang Chen walked slowly to Lin Zhou's side, looking at the blazing sun sniper bow in his hand with a complex expression. There was wariness and envy, but more so a sense of mutual respect.

"Thanks for just now," Wang Chen said deeply, his tone carrying a hint of sincerity.

If not for Lin Zhou's arrow, everyone would likely have died here.

Lin Zhou smiled faintly. "It was nothing. Our goal is the Legacy deep within the Secret Realm; there's no need for internal strife here."

Wang Chen was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. The depths of the Secret Realm are fraught with danger. We'll call a truce for now and settle things after we get the Legacy."

"I'll be ready anytime," Lin Zhou said calmly.

Seeing the two of them chatting amiably, Zhang Hao's face turned green with anger, but he didn't dare say anything. The power of Lin Zhou's arrow had deeply intimidated him.

Qin Yue and Su Ye walked over to Lin Zhou. Su Ye patted him on the shoulder and laughed loudly. "Lin Zhou, you're amazing! That arrow just now was simply too cool!"

Qin Yue's beautiful eyes also sparkled as she said softly, "Congratulations on comprehending the Archery Concept."

Lin Zhou smiled and turned his gaze toward the depths of the Secret Realm. The Spiritual Qi there was even denser, with faint rays of light shimmering, clearly hiding even more precious Legacies.

"Let's go," Lin Zhou said in a low voice. "The real challenge is still ahead."

Everyone packed up and set off once more. This time, the previous tension was gone, replaced by a hint of unspoken understanding. After all, in the face of absolute strength, all grudges had to take a backseat for now!