45: Chapter 45 Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear! Terrifying indeed… It seems it realized it had chosen the wrong opponent.

Early the next morning.

At the main gate of Shrek Academy.

Huo Yuhao, sporting two dark circles under his eyes, looked at the team in front of him—which could be called the "Strongest Shrek Girl-Escort Squad"—with a look of utter despair.

Ma Xiaotao was dressed in a fiery red outfit, excitedly doing stretches.

Ling Luochen still maintained that icy, unapproachable expression, standing to the side with her arms crossed.

Wang Donger, wearing the blue and white couple's outfit she had forced Huo Yuhao to buy yesterday, was strutting triumphantly around him.

Wang Qiuer was dressed in a golden warrior's uniform, carrying a small marching pack, her gaze wandering around.

Gu Yuena was the most exaggerated of them all; she was even wearing a sun hat and holding a cup of soy milk from who knows where, looking exactly like she was going on vacation.

"Is everyone here?" Ma Xiaotao clapped her hands.

"All here." Huo Yuhao yawned.

"Let's go! Destination: Star Dou Great Forest!" Ma Xiaotao waved her hand grandly.

After entering the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest, the team's formation naturally spread out.

Ma Xiaotao took the lead at the front.

She didn't need any technique at all; once her Evil Fire Phoenix Spirit was activated, she was like a human-shaped, self-propelled bulldozer.

Whenever they encountered low-level Spirit Beasts that didn't know better, she would just burn them away with a burst of fire, leaving not even ashes behind.

"Too brutal." Huo Yuhao shook his head from behind.

He activated Spiritual Detection Sharing, synchronizing the surrounding terrain and the distribution of Spirit Beasts for everyone.

With this god-tier support, the team's speed of advancement was ridiculously fast.

While marching, Huo Yuhao naturally slowed his pace and moved closer to Wang Qiuer.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Huo Yuhao asked in a low voice.

Wang Qiuer glanced at him.

"It was alright."

"How does it feel to be home?" Huo Yuhao teased.

Wang Qiuer glared at him and didn't speak, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but lift upward.

The two walked side by side, occasionally whispering a few words to each other.

That feeling was just like an old married couple who had known each other for over a decade.

There was no need for any extra movements; a single glance was enough to understand what the other meant.

This scene, falling into the eyes of Wang Donger up ahead, was even more uncomfortable than swallowing a fly.

She looked down at the couple's outfit she was wearing and suddenly felt that these clothes weren't appealing at all anymore.

Just as she was about to walk over and pull Huo Yuhao away, the team suddenly stopped.

"We've entered the Mixed Zone ahead, everyone stay alert." Ma Xiaotao put away her playful expression.

The Mixed Zone was a place where ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts frequently appeared.

Ling Luochen also quietly released her ice element, and the surrounding temperature plummeted.

Just at that moment, an extremely massive and violent life form suddenly appeared in Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection!

"On the right! Watch out!" Huo Yuhao shouted abruptly.

Before his words had even faded, the bushes to the side instantly exploded.

A terrifying giant beast over five meters tall, carrying a fishy stench, lunged straight at Ling Luochen, who was walking on the right edge.

Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear!

This thing was the honey badger of the Spirit Beast world, a monstrous existence capable of solo-killing a Titan Giant Ape above its own level!

This Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear clearly had ten-thousand-year cultivation, and that pair of giant claws shimmering with dark golden light seemed capable of tearing space itself apart.

Ling Luochen's pupils constricted violently.

Too fast!

The distance was too close; she had no time to release a defensive Spirit Ability.

Just at this critical moment, a golden figure instantly blocked the path in front of Ling Luochen.

It was Wang Qiuer.

She stomped her right foot forward, and the ground let out a dull roar.

Immediately after, six spirit rings rose up from beneath her feet.

Two yellow, two purple, two black!

Spirit Emperor!

A terrifying force of blood energy surged into the sky like a volcanic eruption.

A radiant Golden Dragon Spear appeared in her hand in an instant.

Facing the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's giant claws, which were capable of splitting mountains and cracking rocks, Wang Qiuer did not take a single step back.

She gripped the spear with both hands and thrust it directly at the giant claws!

"Clang!"

A piercing metallic screech echoed throughout the entire forest.

Sparks flew everywhere.

The sharpness of the Golden Dragon Spear actually managed to forcefully cut through the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's pride-and-joy defense.

The spear tip pierced deeply into its right claw, carving out a blood groove deep enough to expose the bone.

"Roar!"

The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear let out a miserable, shrill scream.

Wang Qiuer did not stop her movements.

With a flick of her wrist, she swept the Golden Dragon Spear horizontally.

The spear shaft, carrying the force of ten thousand tons, slammed heavily against the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's shoulder blade.

"Bang!"

This ten-thousand-year ferocious beast, weighing several tons, was actually sent flying by this single strike.

Its massive body rolled continuously across the ground, snapping over a dozen thick ancient trees before finally stopping.

Wang Qiuer stood holding her spear, her golden hair dancing wildly in the wind.

Her pair of golden dragon pupils emitted a cold, majestic light, staring fixedly at the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear as it struggled to climb back up.

That was the absolute suppression of a superior over an inferior, the pressure exclusive to the Emperor Auspicious Beast.

Just as the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear stood up and met Wang Qiuer's golden vertical pupils, its massive body trembled violently.

It seemed to feel some kind of extremely terrifying bloodline suppression, and its originally violent eyes instantly turned to fear.

It didn't even dare to utter a parting threat; it let out a low, tail-between-its-legs growl, turned its head, and plunged into the depths of the dense forest, running faster than a rabbit.

The entire battle process. From the moment the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear jumped out to the moment it was sent flying and fled. Less than a minute.

The whole scene was silent.

The grass blade in Ma Xiaotao's mouth fell to the ground.

"Holy f*ck..." She couldn't help but curse.

"This combat power... is even fiercer than those perverts in the Inner Court who use top-tier Beast Spirits!"

Ling Luochen let out a long breath, and the look in her eyes as she gazed at Wang Qiuer turned to one of gratitude.

If it hadn't been for Wang Qiuer just now, she would probably have been sliced into pieces by now.

Gu Yuena bit her straw and took a sip of soy milk.

She looked at Wang Qiuer's back, a hint of deep meaning flashing in her purple eyes.

"It seems the Spirit Beasts in this Star Dou Great Forest also know when they've picked the wrong opponent." Gu Yuena said with a soft laugh.

Huo Yuhao walked forward quickly.

He didn't show any shock, because he had long known how strong Wang Qiuer was.

He walked to Wang Qiuer's side and naturally took hold of the hand she had been using to hold the Golden Dragon Spear.

"Your hand is numb from the vibration, right? Don't go head-to-head like that next time." Huo Yuhao said in a low voice.

Wang Qiuer felt the warmth coming from his palm, and the coldness in her eyes instantly faded away.

She nodded slightly, and the Golden Dragon Spear in her hand dissolved into specks of golden light.

"It's nothing."

She turned her head, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over Wang Donger, who was standing not far away.

Wang Donger was staring fixedly at their joined hands.

Wang Qiuer's gaze was somewhat complex.

The team continued to move forward.

After that battle just now, everyone's gaze toward Wang Qiuer was different.

Gu Yuena walked at the very back of the team.

She quietly sped up by half a step, just enough to brush past Wang Qiuer.

A trace of an extremely faint voice entered directly into Wang Qiuer's ears.

"Qiuer, well done."

Wang Qiuer's footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

She didn't turn back, but just nodded ever so slightly.

Gu Yuena's lips curled up slightly as she slowed her pace, returning to her position at the end of the team.