151: Chapter 151 Fierce Hand-to-Hand Combat

Its body was as tall as two people.

Its limbs were as thick as stone pillars, and its claws were deeply embedded in the rock, leaving several deep gashes.

With every breath, it let out a roar like a bellows, and the fluctuations of Mystic Power around its body were thick and violent.

Rank Three Late Stage — Iron-backed Azure Bear.

As if sensing the presence of a stranger, the Iron-backed Azure Bear snapped its eyes open.

Those crimson eyes were filled with tyranny and killing intent.

It slowly stood up, its massive body blocking most of the light, as a suffocating sense of pressure rushed toward him.

"Human..."

A low growl came from the Iron-backed Azure Bear's throat, and it actually spoke human words.

Though slurred, they were clear enough to understand.

"It's been a long time since I've eaten a human Martial Artist."

Wen Yulan's face was pale as she instinctively took half a step back.

A Rank Three Late Stage Yao Beast already possessed a certain degree of intelligence.

Logically, it shouldn't be able to speak human language.

One that could speak human words had combat power far exceeding that of a human Martial Artist of the same rank.

Ye Yun laughed, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.

"I've finally found you."

He turned to look at Wen Yulan, his tone calm but unquestionable.

"Back up, find a safe place to stay."

Wen Yulan bit her lip, wanting to say something, but meeting his steady eyes, she swallowed her words.

She nodded and backed up a dozen paces, hiding behind a rock, gripping her sword hilt tightly, ready to support him at any moment.

Ye Yun turned around to face the massive bear.

He rolled his wrists, his joints making a crisp cracking sound.

The Iron-backed Azure Bear stared at him, a trace of contempt flashing in its crimson eyes.

A tiny human dared to intrude upon its territory?

It let out a roar that shook the valley, its massive body lunging forward as both paws slammed down fiercely!

Ye Yun didn't retreat; he didn't even draw his sword.

He raised his right fist and threw a punch directly against the pair of giant bear paws!

"Bang!"

Fist and paw collided, an airwave exploding outward, blowing away fallen leaves and sending pebbles flying.

The Iron-backed Azure Bear's massive body was actually shaken back two steps, stumbling slightly.

Its eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

This tiny human could actually withstand its strength head-on?

Ye Yun also took half a step back, shaking his slightly numb fist as the smile on his face deepened.

"Interesting."

The Iron-backed Azure Bear was enraged and lunged again, its paws like two small mountains, striking wildly.

Ye Yun didn't dodge or evade, meeting the beast head-on with a barrage of punches.

Each punch he threw carried the force to shatter mountains and crack stones, striking the Iron-backed Azure Bear's body with a dull thud.

Ten moves, twenty moves, thirty moves...

The more the Iron-backed Azure Bear fought, the more alarmed it became.

This human's physical strength was actually greater than its own!

Its paws were numb from the impact, and bruises had formed in several places on its body from the force of the punches.

Meanwhile, the opponent grew bolder as the fight progressed, his punches becoming increasingly sharp.

Wen Yulan hid behind the rock.

Watching the black figure clashing head-on with the giant bear, her eyes were filled with shock and admiration.

She had seen many geniuses, but she had never seen anyone suppress a Rank Three Late Stage Yao Beast with pure physical strength.

[How many more trump cards is he hiding?]

Ye Yun threw another punch, hitting the Iron-backed Azure Bear in the chest and knocking it back several steps.

He shook his fist, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes—the warm-up was almost over; it was time to get serious.

The Iron-backed Azure Bear panted heavily, a trace of wariness finally flashing in its crimson eyes.

It realized that the human before it was not someone it could easily deal with.

But Ye Yun had no intention of giving it a chance to catch its breath.

He drew the burning snow sword, its fiery red blade exceptionally striking in the dim valley.

"Warm-up is over. Time to send you on your way."

The moment the burning snow sword was unsheathed, the aura around Ye Yun changed abruptly.

That restrained Mystic Power erupted like a dormant volcano.

Golden light exploded in the dim valley, illuminating the jagged rock walls.

His Great Martial Master Eighth Stage Late Stage cultivation was released without reservation, thick and violent.

The pressure caused the fallen leaves on the ground to curl outward.

The Iron-backed Azure Bear's crimson eyes suddenly constricted.

It felt it.

That aura was more than twice as strong as before.

This human had just been using it for a warm-up; he hadn't been serious at all.

"Roar—"

The Iron-backed Azure Bear let out a low growl, a hint of panic entering its tyrannical eyes.

It wanted to retreat, but Ye Yun had already moved.

Pushing the Flowing Cloud Steps to the limit, Ye Yun's figure turned into an afterimage, appearing before the Iron-backed Azure Bear in an instant.

The burning snow sword swept across, the fiery red sword light cutting through the air, carrying sharp Sword Qi as it slashed fiercely across the Iron-backed Azure Bear's chest!

"Puchi—"

Blood splattered as a gash deep enough to see bone was torn across the Iron-backed Azure Bear's chest, black blood gushing out.

It let out a scream, its massive body stumbling back, nearly falling.

Ye Yun didn't give it a chance to breathe, his sword momentum continuous as he alternately performed the first three forms of the Qingfeng Sword Art.

Qingfeng Brushing the Moon, Flowing Wind Returning Snow, Wind Sweeps Remaining Clouds.

Shadowy sword images layered as the fiery red sword light wove into an airtight net in the dim valley, enveloping the Iron-backed Azure Bear.

The Iron-backed Azure Bear resisted desperately, its paws striking wildly, but it couldn't even touch the hem of Ye Yun's clothes.

Wound after wound appeared on its body, blood staining the fallen leaves on the ground, as its aura grew weaker and weaker.

Wen Yulan hid behind the rock.

Watching the black figure fighting the giant bear, her eyes were filled with shock and admiration.

Her heart rose and fell with the sword light, her fingers tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning white.

[So strong, he's really so strong...]

Ye Yun delivered another sword strike, forcing the Iron-backed Azure Bear into a corner.

He stood with his sword, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his mouth, and said indifferently:

"I've had enough fun. Time to send you on your way."

The Iron-backed Azure Bear panted heavily, covered in blood, its crimson eyes filled with despair and unwillingness.

It knew it was no match for this human, but it didn't want to die.

Just as Ye Yun was about to deliver the final strike—

The Iron-backed Azure Bear's eyes suddenly turned blood-red, and the aura around its body surged violently!

A surge of Mystic Power, violent to the extreme, exploded from within its body, surging wildly like a bursting flood.

Its body expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye, muscles bulging and veins popping, its already massive size growing a whole circle larger.

The blood at its wounds stopped, replaced by a layer of dark red scabs, as if it were draped in blood-colored armor.

"Roar—!"

The Iron-backed Azure Bear roared to the heavens, the sound shaking the valley, sound waves carrying Mystic Power as they spread outward, causing pebbles on the rock walls to fall.

Wen Yulan's face was pale as she cried out:

"It... it's burning its life force!"

Ye Yun's brow furrowed slightly as he took half a step back, his gaze becoming a bit more solemn.

He could feel that this Yao Beast's aura had forcibly climbed from Rank Three Late Stage to Rank Three Peak.

It was only one step away from Rank Four.

Its combat power had increased by more than double.