Chapter Ninety-Five: Transformation

Just then, the young man in front gathered his two preferred prey to whisper among themselves, alternating between deep frowns and bright smiles, though no one knew what they were saying.

It wasn’t long before the two people and the bird seemed to have finished their conversation.

Li Si Bai cupped his fists and said, “Come over. We’ve decided.”

“Hmm?” The Golden Bear sensed a shift in the tone of Li Si Bai’s voice and asked with some doubt, “Are you agreeing to my terms? I won’t cheat you….”

“Not at all!” Before the Golden Bear could finish, Li Si Bai interrupted, “Is that your condition? We’ve decided to fight you to the death!”

“You?” The Golden Bear laughed heartily, “I’m giving you a chance—consider it carefully. Don’t refuse the toast and then face the punishment.”

“Enough idle talk. Come at me with everything you have!”

Li Si Bai spoke as he raised his sword and slashed forward in the basic thirty styles of the Profound Heaven Sword Technique—“Qi flowing like a rainbow”—aimed straight at the Golden Bear’s head.

The Golden Bear, though somewhat dim-witted, reacted swiftly. The other party had been mocking it earlier; there was no mediation, only buying time.

At this realization, his nose stung with rage. “Good boy, daring to toy with Grandpa! Today you’ll taste Grandpa Bear’s power!”

“Clang!” A dull thud rang out as the Golden Bear’s claw collided with Li Si Bai’s Profound Heaven Sword.

Although Li Si Bai had prepared mentally, he still felt numbness in his palm and staggered back to fling the claw aside.

Seeing this, the Golden Bear grew even more furious. A mere whelp mocking him wasn’t enough; he had actually caught his palm. With this thought, his assault became fiercer, shifting from agile strikes to brute-force clashes, wishing he could crush Li Si Bai under one slap.

Li Si Bai did not dare to be careless, unfolding all thirty styles of the Profound Heaven Sword Technique and exerting full power to battle the Golden Bear.

He had suffered a setback earlier, so it was not a simple contest of strength against the Golden Bear, but a clever use of the sword arts to redirect force—meeting it head-on when necessary, evading when appropriate, and holding his own despite the disadvantage.

The Golden Bear grew even angrier. Both of them could not defeat it, yet now facing only one person, how could he hold on? Doubt crept into its mind.

In truth, facing this top-grade Golden Bear with Li Si Bai’s current strength was challenging. Earlier, the two had teamed up without proper coordination, resulting in 1+1<2, which is why Li Si Bai had called for a halt to rest.

The rest was meant to restore their strength, refine their coordination, and disrupt the bear’s rhythm. Unexpectedly, it fell for it. After getting angry, its once-agile attacks vanished, replaced by brute-force tactics aimed at a quick finish. This style suited Li Si Bai’s Profound Heaven Sword perfectly, allowing him to hold his own against a single opponent.

Li Si Bai suddenly changed his stance and unleashed the final six styles of the Profound Heaven Sword Technique. There was a “puff” sound, and the Golden Bear’s left thigh was pierced, fresh blood immediately welling up.

Although the Profound Heaven Sword lacked a blade, Li Si Bai’s strike was heavy, his pure Profound Heaven Skill true qi piercing straight through the flesh.

The Golden Bear let out a miserable howl, even with its tough hide and thick flesh, the pain was unbearable.

Enduring the agony, the Golden Bear attacked with renewed frenzy, but the injured leg hampered its speed. It had forgotten its agile style, and now injury sapped its power.

Li Si Bai seized the opening for a counterstrike. “Bang, bang!” The sword’s flat struck the Golden Bear’s shoulders and waist. Though no blood this time, it only made the bear more frantic.

“Good boy, you actually managed to injure me. Let me show you my true might!”

With that, the Golden Bear’s eyes turned blood-red, its bones cracking and popping, muscles swelling visibly beneath the skin, wounds healing at a rapid pace, even sealing the bleeding areas instantly. Waves of icy chill emanated from its body as its blood-red eyes locked onto Li Si Bai.

“Forcing me to transform, you’re not ordinary. I underestimated you earlier. Now witness my real power!”

Li Si Bai observed the transformation with furrowed brows. This level of spirit beast possessed attributes, allowing it to use magic, but he hadn’t anticipated transformation as the spell. After shifting, this Golden Bear’s strength would be even greater, and he doubted he could match it—though he wasn’t sure if the transformation had a time limit.

He glanced toward the Zhang clan leader, intending to inquire whether, being the same elemental type, he knew anything about this transformation.

However, seeing the Zhang clan leader in complete disarray, it appeared he was equally ignorant of the bear’s true strength. Helplessly, he could only offer a bitter smile.

The Zhang clan leader didn’t fully understand the bear’s spell either. The opponents he had faced before were his ancestors; even with records, there was no mention of this. Perhaps because the Golden Bear wasn’t this formidable in those days, and after decades of cultivation, its power had advanced significantly.

In the blink of an eye, the Golden Bear arrived at Li Si Bai’s side, raising its right paw high and bringing it down.

Li Si Bai cried out, “Dangerous!” Unexpectedly, after transforming, the Golden Bear’s speed was monstrous. With no time to prepare, he could only clash his Profound Heaven Sword against it.

“Bang!” Golden light erupted, the metal claw of the Golden Bear clashing against the Profound Heaven Sword with a metallic ring, much like colliding with red-gold. Li Si Bai’s sword was merely a reflexive defense, and combined with his exhaustion from full-power fighting, his true qi depleted, his strike lacked speed and power, unable to stop the palm.

Then, “Slap!” Li Si Bai’s shoulder was struck, his body flying backward, knocked away in a single blow!

The Zhang clan leader rushed to catch the airborne Li Si Bai. His face was deathly pale, bloodstains covering his shoulder. Fortunately, the Profound Heaven Sword had blocked the blow, protecting the vital areas; otherwise, he would have been slain instantly.

Li Si Bai quickly swallowed a hemostatic pill, his color improving slightly.

“How do you feel? Does it taste good?” The Golden Bear had regained the advantage but wasn’t rushing to press the attack. Instead, it looked at the two of them with smug satisfaction, as if eyeing a delicacy, determined to claim them.

“This fellow isn’t in a hurry. Probably the transformation skill has a long duration. It has the upper hand, and we’re no match for it. We need to think of a way to escape.” Li Si Bai said.