Guided by the system's flawless internal GPS, Chu Tianxiu quickly located the lair of the two Earth Demon Bears. Peering into the dark cave entrance, he circulated his soul power and unleashed his Eight Extraordinary Techniques—Spirit Binding and Commanding. Ten spectral beast spirits shot from his body and, at his mental command, unleashed a volley of different elemental energy projectiles directly into the cave mouth.
A series of explosions echoed from within, followed by enraged roars.
When the sounds subsided, two massive bears with charred fur came crawling out of the cave. Chu Tianxiu could now see them clearly. The Earth Demon Bears stood five meters tall. Despite their singed coats, most of their fur remained a thick, dark yellow. Their eyes glowed with a sinister, ghostly green light.
Looking at the two enraged bears before him, Chu Tianxiu stroked his chin. 'This is a bit tricky.' To be honest, he wasn't brimming with confidence for this fight. He could only helplessly call out, "Come out, all of you."
As soon as he finished speaking, ten shadowy figures instantly materialized behind him. They were the ten Soul King-level beast spirits he had previously enslaved. As one, they knelt on one knee. "Greetings, Master."
Chu Tianxiu instructed them, "All of you, work together to restrain one of them. I will deal with the other." With that, he and the ten spirits rushed toward one of the bears.
Upon hearing Chu Tianxiu's command, the ten beast spirits surrounded the remaining Earth Demon Bear. They formed hand seals, and with their combined power, erected a medium-sized barrier array, cleanly separating the two bears.
Seeing its companion trapped, the Earth Demon Bear on Chu Tianxiu's side immediately turned and charged toward the barrier. Its right paw, gleaming with an earthy-yellow light, slammed against the shimmering wall. The barrier shook violently upon impact, but stubbornly held under the combined might of the ten Soul Kings.
Seeing it was about to strike again, Chu Tianxiu wouldn't allow it. His Soul Imprint lit up, and two Nine Nether Demon Chains—one ice-blue, one deep red—shot out from behind him, binding the Earth Demon Bear's forelimbs. No matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't move an inch.
With a powerful heave, Chu Tianxiu managed to drag the massive bear away. The bear's ferocious head snapped around, and upon seeing the human who had stopped it, it immediately abandoned the barrier and charged directly at Chu Tianxiu.
Seeing this, Chu Tianxiu summoned his illusory form and instantly completed the Martial Soul Possession. The first black, ten-thousand-year soul ring spun out from beneath his feet. He shouted, "First Soul Skill: Soul Suppression!"
A terrifying pressure surged out from him, but instead of attacking the Earth Demon Bear directly, it formed a massive, invisible vortex centered on his body. Just as the Earth Demon Bear was about to crash into him, its foul breath washing over him, Chu Tianxiu unleashed his trump card.
"Derivative Skill: Emperor's Domination!"
A shockwave of pure, concussive force rippled out from Chu Tianxiu in a perfect circle, annihilating all life and crushing everything within a one-kilometer radius. When the attack subsided, the area where Chu Tianxiu stood was a scene of utter devastation, as if struck by a natural disaster.
The Earth Demon Bear, having taken the brunt of the attack, was blasted into a deep crater, its body covered in wounds. Half of its ear was gone, and many of its once-sharp teeth were now broken, blood seeping from its fur into the churned soil.
Looking at the disheveled bear, Chu Tianxiu laughed coldly. 'I created this move not long ago. As its first live target, you should feel honored.'
This move, "Emperor's Domination," was conceived after he fused with the 60,000-year-old Wisdom Skull. Its prototype was a technique he remembered from a previous life. Previously, it often failed, so he had never used it in front of others. However, after increasing the age of his first spirit ring, Chu Tianxiu found its success rate had greatly improved. After continuous refinement, he had finally executed it perfectly. Although it consumed one-seventh of his soul power, its power was undeniable. 'It's hard to imagine how terrifying this move will be when I reach the Title Douluo level,' he mused.
The wounded Earth Demon Bear's ferocity was fully unleashed. It roared at Chu Tianxiu, slamming its limbs heavily into the ground. A yellowish-brown light shone as its body began to draw earth-attribute energy from the very earth itself. Its injuries began to heal slowly. Simultaneously, earth-attribute elements gathered in its mouth, condensing into a dense, earthen energy blast.
Chu Tianxiu observed the bear. 'So you can draw power from the earth to heal and attack? No wonder you're called the Earth Demon Bear. I wonder what would happen if you were separated from your source of power?'
Seeing the bear gathering its attack, Chu Tianxiu stomped one foot on the ground, appearing in front of it in an instant. His right hand, empowered by his martial soul and tempered by countless clashes with the Titan Giant Ape, struck directly at the Earth Demon Bear's jaw. The blow was so powerful it flipped the massive bear onto its back. The earthen energy blast it had been gathering shot harmlessly into the air, resulting in another violent explosion in the distance.
The two demonic chains still wrapped around the bear's forelimbs rose into the air, slowly lifting its colossal body off the ground. It struggled incessantly, but Chu Tianxiu's punch had left it dazed and disoriented, capable only of instinctive thrashing.
At the same time, Chu Tianxiu's ten beast spirits launched a coordinated assault on the suspended bear. Pulled from the ground, the Earth Demon Bear's strength was reduced by thirty percent, leaving it a vulnerable target for their relentless barrage of attacks.
Sensing the resistance at the other end of the chains weakening, and to prevent any last-ditch desperate struggle, Chu Tianxiu manipulated the chains, flinging the bear high into the air. The next moment, the pointed tips of the two chains joined together, unleashing a concentrated surge of opposing ice and fire power. They spun like a monstrous drill and shot downward, piercing through the bear's thick hide as if it were tofu, spearing its heart directly.
With a deafening thud, the Earth Demon Bear crashed to the ground. Chu Tianxiu approached and saw it was still alive, but barely clinging to life. After instructing his beast spirits to guard the dying bear, he rushed into the barrier array.
He opened the barrier with a soul seal and leaped inside. He found all ten of his Soul King spirits heavily injured, while the other Earth Demon Bear was bound by ten cold iron chains but still resisting fiercely.
Two black soul rings spun beneath Chu Tianxiu's feet, the second one lighting up. "Second Soul Skill: Spatial Tear Blade." Under these circumstances, he had no choice but to use his long-held second soul skill.
Chu Tianxiu's second soul skill had two forms. The first was a ranged attack where he condensed a soul-tearing blade with his hands. The second allowed him to lock onto a target, traverse space, and then unleash the soul-tearing blade in melee range—a perfect combination of close and long-range attack modes. He was now using the second form.
After his second soul ring lit up, a spatial rift appeared before him. He rushed into it, and a second later, another rift opened directly above the struggling Earth Demon Bear. Chu Tianxiu's figure emerged, landing squarely on the beast's head.
The Earth Demon Bear felt the weight on its head and resisted even more violently, but Chu Tianxiu's feet were planted firmly, his balance unshakable.
He brought his hands together, and a dark, eerie blade of light condensed between them. As he raised his hands above his head, the blade grew larger and more dazzling.
"Now!" he shouted, and brought the Tear Blade down upon the Earth Demon Bear's thick neck.
The bear let out a deafening, pained howl and thrashed with renewed, desperate strength. Seeing this, Chu Tianxiu knew he needed more power. "Transfer all your remaining soul power to me!" he commanded the ten spirits.
Upon hearing this, the ten Soul Kings immediately released their chains and began forming soul seals. As they did, all their remaining soul power surged into Chu Tianxiu's body in a torrential wave.
Feeling his soul power skyrocket, Chu Tianxiu's second soul ring lit up once more. An even larger, more terrifying Spatial Tear Blade materialized and slashed down upon the Earth Demon Bear's neck a second time.
With an even more agonized and final wail, the Earth Demon Bear's massive body finally collapsed to the ground with a ground-shaking thud, its life extinguished.
Chu Tianxiu also fell to one knee, his face pale from the immense expenditure. He was helped up by his loyal spirits. After having them dispel the barrier, he looked at the two deceased Earth Demon Bears. Two demonic chains appeared behind him, delivering the final, precise blows.
With the deaths of the two Earth Demon Bears, two deep black, intricately patterned ten-thousand-year soul rings slowly rose from their corpses. Looking at the two rings, Chu Tianxiu ordered, "Extract the torso bones for me."
"Yes, Master," the spirits replied.
Chu Tianxiu also summoned his two soul imprints, each guiding one of the sixty-thousand-year soul rings toward himself.
His soul and physical strength were already exceptionally powerful, making the fusion process remarkably smooth. Two hours passed, and Chu Tianxiu stood up once more. Three black soul rings now slowly rotated beneath his feet, the third one as dark and profound as midnight ink.
He looked at his new third soul ring and muttered to himself, 'It only reached just over 87,000 years after fusing two sixty-thousand-year soul rings. It seems the higher the base, the more energy required for each incremental increase.'
Seeing Chu Tianxiu stand, the ten Soul Kings beside him hurriedly presented two shimmering, sixty-thousand-year Earth Demon Bear torso bones, radiating a strong earth element. Chu Tianxiu waved his hand and stored them in his system space.
He then looked at the two corpses and activated the Spirit Binding Technique once more. Black mist enveloped the bears, and soon, two new beast spirits were pulled from their remains, standing quietly before him.
Adhering to his principle of waste-not, Chu Tianxiu also stored the two massive corpses in his system space, an action that he knew mildly displeased the system. In the system's own words, it was 'nearly becoming his personal storage box.'
After everything was completed, Chu Tianxiu returned to where Da Ming and Er Ming were, his power once again significantly elevated.