Chapter 45: Vajra Tiger

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The Bloodthirsty Demon Bear didn't understand why the blond man wanted it to eat grass, but it knew one thing for sure—it had to obey him.

After consuming the Blue Silver Grass, the plant transformed into a green stream of life energy. As the bear absorbed this energy, the pain throughout its body began to fade away.

The Bloodthirsty Demon Bear bared its gleaming white teeth in a terrifying grin, seemingly expressing its gratitude to Ye Lan.

Ye Lan reached out and rubbed the bear's large head—it was surprisingly pleasant to the touch.

"Want more?"

The Bloodthirsty Demon Bear instantly took on a husky-like demeanor, trying to nuzzle Ye Lan with its chin. Amused by the bear's attempt to curry favor, Ye Lan chuckled and decided to indulge it.

If there was one thing Ye Lan had in abundance, it was life energy.

This bear had decent intelligence, so Ye Lan planned to make it his beast turncoat, leading him to powerful soul beasts nearby.

"From now on, I'll call you Xiong Er (Bear Two)!" The Bloodthirsty Demon Bear widened its bloodshot eyes and nodded its massive head.

"Xiong Er, are there any soul beasts nearby that you can't defeat?"

Xiong Er nodded. Ye Lan had phrased the question cleverly—by "beasts it couldn't defeat," he meant those it had fought and lost to but managed to escape from. After all, if a soul beast had killed Xiong Er, it wouldn't be standing in front of him now—it would have already become fertilizer for the Star Luo Great Forest.

"Take me there, Xiong Er."

Xiong Er reluctantly glanced back at the tree hollow and let out a few low howls to indicate it was going out for a while. A gentle roar echoed back from inside the hollow.

Hearing the distinctly female bear voice coming from the hollow, Ye Lan covered his forehead with a sigh. He immediately understood the reason behind this bear's aggressive behavior. The Bloodthirsty Demon Bear was in heat. And when they were, they always appeared in pairs.

Ye Lan patted Xiong Er's thigh in a gesture of consolation.

Thinking about the Vajra Tiger that always bullied him, Xiong Er suddenly perked up. Excitedly, he led Ye Lan toward the old foe, hoping Ye Lan could help him settle the score.

Xiong Er walked ahead of Ye Lan and squatted down, signaling for him to hop on. Seeing the gesture, Ye Lan was impressed. This Bloodthirsty Demon Bear was quite intelligent—it even knew how to please its master.

Having never ridden a bear before, Ye Lan became curious. With a single leap, he landed neatly on Xiong Er's shoulders.

"Awooo!" Xiong Er howled with excitement and sprinted off into the forest.

As a mount, Xiong Er was surprisingly comfortable. Thanks to the soft paw pads and powerful thigh muscles, the ride was far smoother than a horse-drawn carriage. The bear's broad back also provided a great view, allowing Ye Lan to enjoy the scenery of the Star Luo Great Forest.

Before long, Xiong Er brought Ye Lan to a spot halfway up the mountain.

"Awooo! Awooooooo!" Xiong Er bellowed loudly, as if declaring to the world that he now had powerful backing.

Smack!

Ye Lan knocked the bear on the head, signaling it to quiet down.

Xiong Er looked aggrieved and put on a pitiful expression. I only roared that loudly to lure out the Vajra Tiger, he thought to himself.

He dared not voice his complaint aloud. His bloody mouth stayed meekly shut.

"Roar! Roar! Roaaaar!" Fierce tiger roars soon echoed from afar.

The rustling bushes grew louder as the source of the roar came closer. The trembling leaves indicated that something was fast approaching. This creature was clearly a master of stealth—Ye Lan could hear it, but couldn't see it.

He jumped down from Xiong Er's neck and immediately activated his Golden Eyes.

With the power of his Golden Eyes, Ye Lan quickly locked onto a Vajra Tiger that was weaving its way through the underbrush.

In just a few seconds, the distance between the man, the bear, and the tiger closed to about twenty meters.

At that range, the Vajra Tiger finally revealed its majestic form—its body stretched eight meters long, and with a tail over two meters, its total length neared eleven meters. Its earthy golden fur was patterned with jet-black claw marks.

The tiger's eyes gleamed with sharp intensity, and the black crown marking on its forehead only added to its commanding presence.

This particular Vajra Tiger was around 2,000 years old, far stronger than the Bloodthirsty Demon Bear.

As Ye Lan admired the tiger like he was watching a nature documentary, Xiong Er suddenly stood on his hind legs, thumping his chest and letting out a series of provocative roars.

The Vajra Tiger had no patience for Xiong Er's display and completely ignored the blond human standing beside it.

It lowered its body, the muscles on its back tensing, clearly preparing to lunge with explosive speed.

In the blink of an eye, the Vajra Tiger leapt more than ten meters.

Xiong Er saw the tiger's speed had increased dramatically and immediately panicked. He ducked low and tried to hide behind Ye Lan.

"So much for being a bear—what a coward!" Ye Lan teased with a laugh, though his movements remained swift and precise.

With a quick Instant Step, he launched himself into the air, aiming to intercept the tiger mid-flight. The Vajra Tiger, surprised by the sudden appearance of the blond human, froze for a split second—then ignored the bear entirely and focused on its new opponent.

The tiger's right paw slashed toward Ye Lan's head, and the five silver claws shot out like spring-loaded daggers.

Ye Lan had already seen through the tiger's attack. He raised his left arm, deflecting the tiger's strike with the back of his hand. At the same time, his right fist, charged with golden soul power, smashed into the tiger's fierce-looking face.

Unlike punching Xiong Er, which felt like hitting a sandbag, striking the Vajra Tiger was like slamming into solid diamond. The counterforce was immense.

Ye Lan felt a sharp, bone-deep pain in his arm. Twisting his body mid-air, he landed a powerful kick into the tiger's abdomen as it was flung sideways by the punch.

Even its abdomen was incredibly tough! As he landed smoothly, Ye Lan immediately analyzed the difference between the two beasts.

Xiong Er relied on his thick hide and muscle to absorb impact and reduce injury, while the Vajra Tiger's body was so hard that attacking it caused recoil damage—but also inflicted more direct harm to the tiger.

As expected, after Ye Lan's powerful blows, the Vajra Tiger staggered and shook its head repeatedly to recover from the dizziness.

It took a few moments for the tiger to regain its senses. Ye Lan, intrigued by how resilient the creature was, came up with an idea.

"Let's go again!" he shouted, full of fighting spirit.

With that, Ye Lan charged at the Vajra Tiger, launching a Meteor Kick. A black crescent shadow streaked through the air, its edge glowing with a golden blade of light.

Having already suffered once, the Vajra Tiger knew better than to clash head-on with the golden-haired youth. It swiftly switched tactics.

The tiger activated every muscle in its body and sidestepped with shocking agility, a feat even Ye Lan found hard to believe.

After moving several meters to the side, it finally had room to counter. It twisted its massive eight-meter-long frame and swung its long tail with full force.

Snap!

The whip-like tail sliced through the air, producing a loud sonic boom.

Unable to stop mid-air, Ye Lan took the full force of the blow.

His clothes were shredded into fluttering rags, revealing bright red muscles beneath.

But that exposed muscle wasn't from injury—it was Ye Lan's self-created soul skill: Blood Armor!

(End of Chapter)