BOOM
Han Yu leapt backward, but the shockwave from the swipe still lifted him off his feet and sent him crashing into a tree. He coughed, tasting blood.
The bear roared and lunged again.
Han Yu darted between trees, leaping from trunk to trunk. The grizzly followed, smashing trees apart with casual swipes. Whenever Han Yu climbed high, the bear simply ramd the tree until it snapped. He was forced to jump again and again, barely avoiding its claws.
Another Soul Needle.
Another montary pause.
Again, the beast shook it off.
BOOM
Han Yu tried Bolt God Fist, punching with crackling force at the bear's snout when it lunged too close. The bear howled in pain and staggered back. Blood dripped from its nose.
ROARRR
It only grew angrier.
"Fucking tough!" Han Yu cursed under his breath while enduring the pain in his hand.
He used an explosive pill, tossing it behind him. The pill detonated in a puff of bright pink dust.
Sniff
RACHOOOOOO~
The grizzly sniffed it instinctively, then suddenly sneezed violently, shaking its whole body.
Han Yu seized the opening.
He dashed behind it and threw a Soul Stinging Needle directly into its spine. He didn't know where ridians were located in a beast's body so targeted the one spot that was bound to work.
But instead of just one Soul Stinging Needle, he unleashed ten in rapid succession, each imbued with an emotion.
Laziness.
Dread.
Laziness.
Laziness again.
Dread.
He alternated repeatedly. The spiritual shockwaves rippled through the beast's nerves.
The mighty grizzly shook, groaned, then stumbled.
Its movents slowed.
Its muscles no longer contracted smoothly. Its massive limbs grew sluggish.
Even so, its eyes showed no fear. Just fury.
Han Yu grimaced. "This thing really is close to evolving."
The bear roared again and lunged despite the slowing effects. Its paw swiped past Han Yu's chest, nicking his robe and sending him tumbling. The force alone cracked a few ribs.
Han Yu winced and forced spirit Qi into his limbs.
He could not keep this up.
He used the halberd now, channeling spirit qi into it. The blade flashed and carved a deep wound into the bear's flank.
SLICK
Blood gushed, steaming in the cold air.
The beast roared but still did not fall.
Han Yu exhaled slowly, then used another Soul Needle. This ti he aid lower. He struck the tendon in the hind leg.
The beast jerked violently.
SHLICK
Han Yu lunged forward and cleaved the halberd through the exposed tendon. The leg buckled.
The bear dropped to one knee.
Han Yu seized the mont.
He gathered pure intent into his palm. Emotion Severing Slash ignited with a thin white arc of killing force.
He sliced clean across the bear's thick neck.
The palm cut deep, cleaving through muscle and bone.
The Rumbling Mountain Grizzly Bear collapsed with a heavy thud, staining the earth beneath it with steaming blood. Its growls choked and finally faded. The valley fell silent once more.
Han Yu let out a long breath and wiped blood from his lips.
"That was too much trouble for a Core Condensation beast…"
He leaned on his halberd for a mont, letting his heartbeat slow. Then he scavenged so bear at for later, as well as the beast's core before wiping his blade and continued on his way.
The Inner Ring was cruel, but now he had seen enough to know that caution here was not optional.
It was survival.
Han Yu continued pushing forward until the exhaustion creeping into his bones finally reminded him that he was not made of iron.
After the battle with the Rumbling Mountain Grizzly Bear, every breath he took carried a sharp twinge in his ribs. He could grit his teeth and bear it, but he could not ignore the cold, logical fact. Cracked ribs were not just painful, they were dangerous. Another fight against even a weak spirit beast could worsen the fractures, and the next battle might be his last.
He needed a cave.
He searched the rocky slopes until he found one tucked beneath a large overhang. A few large stones partially concealed the entrance, and judging by the claw marks on the floor, so beast had used this place in the past.
Thankfully it was empty now.
He dragged several rocks to barricade the entrance and lit a small fire with a bundle of sticks from his pouch. Before he even sat down, he could feel his ribs grinding painfully beneath his flesh. The blood inside his chest felt thick and heavy, slow to circulate.
"This will not do," he muttered.
He sat cross-legged, removed the damaged robes, and took out one of the Slaughtered Moon Blood Sect's Flesh and Bone nding Pills. The pill exuded a thick, tallic scent mixed with a faint bitter aroma. Even holding it made his Moon Blood Qi stir sharply, almost hungrily.
GULP
He swallowed it in one go.
SHUA
A wave of numbing heat spread from his stomach, then spread out through his ridians.
Next ca the pull. His Moon Blood Qi surged forward automatically, drawn toward the pill as if devoured by a vortex. The bones in his chest crackled faintly like pebbles grinding together. His skin prickled. His muscles spasd.
"UGH!"
He gritted his teeth. Even with his pain resistance, the sensation was sharp. But after a while, warmth spread through him and the cracking sensation receded. The ribs were beginning to knit.
As expected, though, the price was steep.
His Moon Blood Qi reserves were drained almost to the bottom. His core shuddered like an empty vessel. He muttered a curse and reached for a small bag of Moon Blood Crystals. These were precious treasures mined deep within the sect's restricted zones, containing dense amounts of Moon Blood Qi.
He held two crystals between his fingers and inhaled. A cool violet red mist surged into his ridians, filling them with dense energy once more. Even then it was not enough. He used a third.
"Hateful dicine," Han Yu grumbled. "Wonderful effect. Terrible cost."
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