Chapter 133: Killing the Bear

The three members of the Yu family left Lijing Mountain and flew over Wangyue Lake. Yu Mugao’s face was dark as he rode the wind, while the two behind him kept their heads bowed, not daring to speak. It wasn't until they were halfway through their journey that the tall, thin man spoke with a bitter smile:

“Big Brother, the Li family has made it clear they want nothing to do with this. They don’t seem to have high hopes for our family’s prospects!”

“Hmph.”

Yu Mugao snorted coldly and replied, “Li Tongya of the Li family is indeed cautious, clearly intending to remain uninvolved. We can do nothing about him. So be it then; we'll proceed as if the Li family doesn’t exist among the families of Wangyue Lake.

“It's just that…” The tall, thin man shook his head, appearing hesitant and uncertain. He murmured, “The Li family, however, looks vibrant and is improving daily. Li Xuanfeng and Li Tongya are not foolish; it’s hard to say what they might become in the future. If Li Chijing truly succeeds, I fear that even kneeling in submission would become an impossible dream, and Wangyue Lake would become the sole domain of the Li family.”

“That’s what worries me too.” Yu Mugao's expression remained grim. After pondering for a few moments, his expression relaxed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, “But then I thought, firstly, breaking through from Foundation Establishment to Purple Palace is fraught with difficulties; it’s not easily achieved. The casualty rate in the Southern Frontier is extremely high, so Li Chijing might not even survive until the end.

“Secondly, Li Chijing has only just established his Foundation. There are still at least a hundred years to prepare during this period. Whether it’s gaining the patronage of Qingchi Mountain or uniting with other families in the commandery, there’s still time.”

The tall, thin man nodded repeatedly as he listened to Yu Mugao. Then, Yu Mugao’s tone shifted, and he said, “Li Chijing is beyond our control, but the Li family itself is right under our noses. It would be best to find an opportunity to quietly kill Li Tongya and Li Xuanfeng, or secretly incite some disasters and cause trouble to break their lineage. If it’s done discreetly, they wouldn’t be able to pinpoint who was responsible. If these things are accomplished, we would feel more at ease.”

“Big Brother is right. We must go back and consult the family head to make the decision.”

As the three conversed, they rode the wind directly north.

Leaving aside the schemes and plots swirling in the minds of Yu Mugao and his companions, Li Tongya, along with Li Xuanfeng, was currently traversing Dali Mountain. Following the information provided by the fox, they traveled several hundred miles east from the foot of Dali Mountain and found a dark, gaping hole. White bones were strewn across the ground in front of the cave, and a foul, gusting wind blew constantly from within.

Li Tongya and Li Xuanfeng landed before the cave, and the deafening snores from within abruptly ceased. Li Tongya swept his spiritual sense over the area and chuckled, “What a formidable ursine beast.”

He nodded towards Li Xuanfeng, who then rose into the air and took position on the opposite mountaintop. Only then did Li Tongya draw his sword, and with a flick, several streaks of sword qi swiftly entered the cave.

“Awooooh!”

Li Tongya retreated. A colossal creature, over three meters tall, burst out of the cave, completely obscuring the sparse sunlight in the forest. Its body was covered in majestic black fur, and it stared with bloodshot eyes as it thudded a few steps before slamming a paw down towards Li Tongya.

This bear-like beast was at the fifth level of Qi Refining cultivation. Its massive paw was the size of two men's chests. Li Tongya's long sword seemed incredibly weak in front of it, like a glowing toothpick. Naturally, he dared not meet its attack head-on and quickly retreated.

“Boom!”

Just as Li Tongya retreated several steps, the spot where he had been standing was instantly struck by the paw, sinking several inches. The bear's second paw came sweeping towards him like the wind. If that strike landed, he would be severely injured even if not killed.

Li Tongya sent out several bursts of sword qi and retreated effortlessly, thinking to himself, "No wonder that fox told me to be extremely careful. This creature is so massive and exceptionally fierce. Capturing it alive would likely be difficult and might even injure me. It's better not to hold back; I'll just kill it and be done with it. Afterwards, it would be better to find some smaller, easier-to-capture Qi Refining demonic beasts."

While these thoughts raced through his mind, he had already defended and retreated over a dozen steps, launching over a dozen streaks of sword qi. All were scattered by the bear's iron-like paws. This bear possessed immense strength, yet unlike a mountain boar, it was not clumsy at all. It understood the sharpness of Li Tongya’s sword qi, so it either dispersed them with paws imbued with spiritual power or preferred to retreat a couple of steps rather than suffer injury.

Li Tongya had not yet used a sword art; he merely used sword qi to wear down the bear's strength. Their struggle caused a thunderous roar, felling trees across the ground. Startled birds circled in the air, hesitant to return to their nests.

On the opposite mountaintop, Li Xuanfeng had drawn his bowstring taut. A bright, shimmering golden light emanated from the dark longbow, with a special arrow, polished with qingwu, notched on the string. He observed with narrowed eyes, his aura continuously accumulating and becoming increasingly majestic.

The bear suddenly became wary, its limbs growing numb from the sharp arrow qi. It stood upright, simultaneously fending off Li Tongya’s attacks and looking around suspiciously. Just as it turned its head, a golden light drifted from a distance and buried itself completely into the bear’s chest.

“Awooooh! Awooooh!”

The bear immediately cried out in pain to the sky. Seeing this opportunity, Li Tongya quickly drew his sword, and a Moon Que Sword Arc slashed towards the bear’s neck.

However, the bear reacted incredibly fast, reaching out to cover the spot. Li Tongya’s sword qi was a spur-of-the-moment decision, not having accumulated much power, so its full might could not be unleashed. It only left a deep gash on the massive paw.

The bear pushed back Li Tongya with a single paw. The pain instantly jolted it out of its stupor and filled it with terror. It turned and fled, trampling the surrounding trees. But Li Xuanfeng’s second arrow arrived quickly, piercing into the bear’s back.

The bear knelt heavily to the ground with a thud. It paused for just a breath, then got back on all fours, lowering its body, and continued running. Li Tongya’s sword qi, however, clung to it like a persistent parasite, slicing off a piece of bloody bear flesh from its leg.

The bear let out a pained roar, finally realizing that escape was futile. It ferociously turned back to strike Li Tongya, but its movements were increasingly hindered by the qi, becoming slower and slower. Naturally, Li Tongya easily dodged it, and Li Xuanfeng’s arrows kept coming. After a brief struggle between the man and the bear, the bear's internal organs were completely ravaged by the qi, and it collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Li Tongya kept his distance, waiting for the bear’s life force to completely drain away. After waiting for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Li Xuanfeng emerged from the nearby woods. He did not approach but cautiously eyed the bear, saying in a deep voice, “Be extremely careful. Demonic beasts are skilled at feigning death. Don’t approach carelessly!”

“I know,” Li Tongya nodded, then looked at the bow in Li Xuanfeng’s hand and praised, “Your archery is truly formidable. Did you utilize the spiritual aperture in your palm?”

“Precisely!” Li Xuanfeng cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, then scratched his head with a look of guilt, murmuring, “Your nephew saw how fierce this demonic beast was and feared holding back would allow this creature to harm you. So every arrow was shot with full power, only wanting to quickly kill this creature. Now that it clearly won't survive, this sacrificial offering is impossible, and I am truly ashamed.”

It was only in front of Li Tongya that Li Xuanfeng was so well-behaved and uneasy. Looking at his senior, Li Tongya smiled and said softly, “No harm done. We can find another demonic beast in a few days. We thought alike.”

No sooner had he spoken than the bear suddenly sat up. With bloodshot eyes, it lunged with a paw towards them, but they easily dodged it. It collapsed back to the ground with effort, blood flowing out like a stream. It appeared to have breathed its last and was now silent.

Li Tongya, whose sword qi had long been accumulated, drew out a white ray and decapitated the demonic beast. Only then did the two approach. They quickly stopped the bleeding from the bear demon’s wound, busily cast a Spirit Sealing Art, carefully cut up the body, and put it into their storage bags. They even completely buried the blood on the ground before riding the wind and flying east.

“Feng’er, your archery is so formidable. Could you organize your insights and compile them into a book, so that future generations of our clan can also learn it and have a skill to rely on?” Li Tongya asked with a smile after flying for a while, continuing, “Although our family has a fair number of spell formulas, they are mostly commonplace techniques. It’s truly not easy to defeat enemies with these. The only truly outstanding one is the ‘Profound Water Sword Art,’ which is considered decent among other families. But not everyone has a talent for swordsmanship, so if we could add another legacy to the family, that would certainly be for the best.”