Chapter 150: Slaying the Bear

The colossal bear was blasted backward several meters by the sheer force of the blade light, crashing to the ground with a thunderous thud that kicked up a dense cloud of dust. Mu Ziyan finally let out a long sigh of relief. "This beast really has a thick hide. If I hadn't used that Blood Moon Crescent Blade technique, I'd probably be returning empty-handed this time. I need to rest for a moment; I'm completely exhausted."

As Mu Ziyan slowly sat down, Mo Bai, standing in the distance, offered a calm smile and turned to leave. Yet at that very moment, the giant bear let out a furious roar and struggled back to its feet. Although its entire body was covered in blood, its eyes were filled with murderous rage. Howling incessantly, the massive bear pounded its chest and charged fiercely toward Mu Ziyan.

This turn of events completely caught Mu Ziyan off guard. The fact that the Giant Bear King could still survive the attack of the Blood Moon Crescent Blade demonstrated just how swift and agile its previous shoulder-shattering defensive maneuver had been. In this instant, the lumbering beast transformed into a terrifying assassin, bringing its massive claws down directly toward Mu Ziyan.

With a deafening crash, the giant bear was driven back over a dozen steps, its eyes brimming with hatred and resentment. Mu Ziyan opened her bright, striking eyes and stared at the soft blue figure standing before her, looking at the man with a mixture of shock and disbelief.

The giant bear scraped the ground with its hind paw and charged at Mo Bai once more. Mo Bai raised a spiritual shield, which was instantly shattered by the bear's onslaught. Smiling faintly, Mo Bai thought to himself that there truly were quite a few monstrous beasts in the Yihua Sect. Following that, he released three more spiritual shields in rapid succession, tightly blocking the bear's charge. Trapped behind the third spiritual shield, the giant bear could no longer advance a single inch, no matter how furiously it thrashed.

"Shall you take it, or shall I?" Mo Bai asked the carefree young woman behind him.

"You take it. I need to rest," Mu Ziyan replied, clearly exhausted to her limits.

"Very well, I'll handle it then." Mo Bai flicked his wrist, and a tiny strand of spiritual energy shot from his little finger. This sliver of spiritual energy slipped silently out through the spiritual shield in front of him, piercing directly into the giant bear's body. The bear let out a mournful wail, staggered back and forth a few times in front of Mo Bai, and then collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, showing not a single trace of life remaining.

Mu Ziyan stared in astonishment at Mo Bai's effortless strike. Although she had fought a life-and-death battle with the giant bear, it had been defeated by Mo Bai with a single, seemingly effortless blow, demonstrating just how formidable he truly was.

"Your spiritual arts are incredible," Mu Ziyan said, catching her breath.

"It's nothing much, really. It's just that I was relatively close to the bear, making it easy to shoot the spiritual energy directly into its chest and shatter its heart. That made it a bit simpler," Mo Bai smiled.

Mu Ziyan inwardly praised Mo Bai's meticulous thinking. Instead of engaging in a reckless, brute-force clash with the beast like she had, he had targeted its vital weak spot directly. "This belongs to you now," Mu Ziyan said.

"Belongs to me? Why?" Mo Bai asked, perplexed, before looking at Mu Ziyan with a playful glint in his eyes.

Mu Ziyan slowly stood up and said, "This is the Giant Bear King, the overlord of the forest, and its entire body is a treasure. Since you killed it, naturally all its treasures belong to you."

Mo Bai replied, "Since Miss Mu is being so polite, I won't stand on ceremony then."

Mu Ziyan cast a cold glance at Mo Bai as she watched him skillfully begin to butcher the giant bear's carcass right where it lay. She tilted her head toward the depths of the forest, a look of disdain on her face, though she simply lacked the physical strength to turn and leave with that scornful attitude.

A moments later, Mo Bai slowly stood up and said with considerable excitement, "This really is fine loot. The fur and the gallbladder are both peerless supreme treasures."

With disdain, Mu Ziyan retorted, "As if I didn't know that."

Knowing that Mu Ziyan had misunderstood his intention, Mo Bai smiled faintly and said, "Miss Mu, what do you think of my butchering technique?"

Mu Ziyan shot him a cold glance. Though unwilling to admit it in her heart, seeing how quickly and methodically the massive bear had been dismantled by Mo Bai filled her with a trace of admiration. Without years of experience surviving in deep, ancient mountains, one could never master such craft. "Even if you're good at butchering, so what? Hmph."

"Then please select whatever you need and take it with you. It will save you some effort," Mo Bai smiled.

"What? You mean all of this is mine?" Mu Ziyan asked in surprise.

"Of course. I was merely passing through, and remembering the days I once spent in the forest, my hands simply itched to butcher this bear out of habit. If anything, I should thank you for giving me this chance to scratch that itch," Mo Bai replied. "So naturally these are yours. Or did you think they were mine?"

Mu Ziyan was stunned. She had never encountered a man quite like this—so magnanimous that he would brush aside his own contribution with such casual ease.

Seeing her frozen in surprise, Mo Bai flashed a mischievous smile and teased, "What? You don't want them? Then I'll just pack everything up and take the lot." As he spoke, he made a sweeping gesture toward the pile on the ground.

Ziyan was startled once more, but immediately hearing Mo Bai's hearty laughter, she realized he was deliberately teasing her. This odious man not only possessed a captivating smile, but also that kind of roguish charm that women found most 'infuriating'.

Watching Mu Ziyan's strength gradually return, Mo Bai smiled at her and said, "Since you've recovered, I'll take my leave first." With a flick of his body, he shot up into the air.

Mu Ziyan stamped her foot and angrily muttered, "Damn it, he didn't even help me carry any of it! With so much stuff, how is a mere girl supposed to carry it all?"

Before she could finish venting her frustration, however, Mo Bai turned right back around and returned. A smile tugged at the corner of Mu Ziyan's heart as she thought to herself that men really were all the same after all. Then she heard Mo Bai say, "Ah, well... I've lost my way. Are you heading back to Qionghua Hall? Care to give me a ride?"

Dark lines crossed Mu Ziyan's entire face. So he had actually gotten lost! Instead of staying put in the Yihua Sect, what was he doing wandering around out here stirring up trouble? "You can serve as my porter, and then I'll consider taking you back."

Mo Bai looked at the scattered remains of the giant bear all over the ground, helplessly rubbed the scar on his left eyebrow, and smiled pleadingly. "Miss Mu, surely you can't use all of this. Why don't you pick and choose, and we can select just the best parts."

"No, I want all of it!" Mu Ziyan declared tyrannically.