Chapter Thirty-Four: The Demonic Beast Brown Bear

Chapter 34: The Demon Beast Brown Bear

A deafening roar thundered in his ears as Shen An saw the bear staring straight at him. In the next instant, it charged toward him.

A massive paw swung down, aiming to crush Shen An. Fortunately, he’d anticipated an attack; the moment the bear moved, Shen An dodged aside, evading the blow. The wind from the passing paw whipped his hair upward, and the force made his earlobes tremble.

The strength and speed of this bear were utterly terrifying.

With a deafening crash, the side wall of the cave was smashed to pieces, stones and rubble flying, clattering to the ground. Some chunks even bounced far away before settling.

Shen An drew his black iron blade, his gaze icy as he regarded the lumbering beast.

This was his first encounter with such a mutated wild animal. Before, he’d only seen those newly transformed creatures, but now Shen An could tell at a glance—this brown bear had been altered for a long time, perhaps mutated long ago.

With such speed and power, this bear was not something an ordinary awakened fighter could withstand.

This was the conclusion Shen An reached after absorbing Origin Oxygen a third time; had it been before, the bear’s strength would likely have sent him flying.

Shen An’s expression grew grim.

He didn’t know the bear’s purpose. As far as he could tell, he’d only disturbed its rest and posed no real threat.

Shen An believed that this bear had developed some degree of intelligence; perhaps it could even understand his words.

“I mean you no harm,” Shen An said, dodging another swipe from the great brown bear.

Yet the bear gave no sign of comprehension, continuing its relentless assault.

Shen An puzzled over the source of its hostility. Was it some innate enmity toward humans, or had he done something unforgivable?

But he had no time to dwell on that now; thinking would only slow his reactions.

Shen An forced himself to abandon all thought of why it attacked. He would simply have to defeat it, to make it yield.

The bear’s paw came crashing down toward his head once more.

Shen An’s steps shifted, power surging from the earth through his soles, up his legs, through his spine and waist, and finally into his arms.

In an instant, his arms bulged with explosive strength—he looked for a moment like some humanoid tyrannosaurus.

With a yell, his fist met the bear’s paw head-on.

Since this lumbering bear wanted a fight, he would only defeat it where it felt most confident.

With a roar, the great bear was taken aback by Shen An’s formidable strength. The human before it was no easy prey—far from it, this was a true master.

It had thought its opponent a weakling, only to discover a powerhouse.

Shen An’s mighty blow sent the brown bear tumbling far across the cave, crashing with a tremendous noise.

Then, the bear unleashed even greater strength.

Shen An met it blow for blow, his speed and power not only matching the bear but surpassing it.

After several exchanges, the brown bear crouched down, clutching its head, unwilling to move. Seeing Shen An raise his fist again, it tried to appease him by nuzzling his side with its body.

Shen An paused, withdrawing his hand and letting his strength fade, returning to normal.

At that moment, a voice sounded in his mind.

“Entrance to the Demon Realm.”

The voice was so familiar it startled him.

“You—Future? Why do I hear you speaking in my mind?” Shen An was taken aback.

“I’m not sure either. It seems my consciousness can now perceive what you see, and it feels as though I can communicate directly with your spirit,” Future replied.

Shen An found this revelation astonishing.

“Could it be that my ability has evolved?” he wondered, thinking of his power to connect with the future.

He hadn’t expected the harvest this time to be so great.

“Yes, I’d predicted this might happen, though I didn’t expect it to work so well. It could be because there’s enough energy now. We’re seeing the same things through the same eyes, and the connection remains open at all times.”

“Damn, does that mean everything I eat, drink, or do, you’ll witness as well?”

“Would I despise myself?” Future retorted.

Shen An considered and realized it was true.

Still, this had its advantages—two people sharing a perspective, with Future able to offer guidance whenever Shen An was uncertain.

He had to admit, without Future’s reminder, he wouldn’t have noticed the Demon Realm.

“You just mentioned the Demon Realm—what is it?” Shen An asked, curiosity piqued as he approached the brown bear.

“If I’m not mistaken, this area of Mount Wanyuan didn’t exist before. It appeared only recently. And haven’t you noticed? The mist ahead is growing ever thicker.”

“Now that you mention it—” Shen An looked ahead and found the distance shrouded in haze, visibility fading the farther he went. Even his senses could not penetrate it.

“Most likely, this is a relic of the demon tribes. Of course, calling it an entrance to the Demon Realm might not be entirely accurate. With the changes in the world, places like this will become more common. When that happens, humanity will face an unprecedented crisis.”

A weight settled on Shen An once more.

“What level is this brown bear, compared to me?” he asked.

“It’s just a common little demon, though with tremendous potential. It’s no match for you. As for your realm, you’re currently at the second tier. The current ranking system divides strength from first to ninth tier, with ninth being the highest—akin to transcending the tribulation. In addition, there’s talent. Yours is currently grade A, but I believe with this harvest, you’ll advance to grade S. That’s our advantage—no one expects our talent to improve.”

As they conversed, Shen An pointed and gestured at the brown bear.

Since being sent flying by Shen An’s punch, the bear had remained docile and compliant, showing no resistance at all. In fact, it seemed almost adorable—Shen An felt the urge to pat its head.

But the bear was simply too large, so he refrained.

After a moment’s thought, Shen An headed deeper into the cave.

At this, the brown bear suddenly let out a roar.

Shen An ignored it and kept walking.

The bear roared again, but Shen An turned back impatiently, fixing the beast with a cold stare.

The brown bear acted like a chastised child, not daring to meet his gaze. It seemed to have realized Shen An was simply too powerful to defy.

This bear was clearly the type to bully the weak and fear the strong.

Moments ago it had been full of bluster, but now it was much more subdued.

Yet the deeper Shen An ventured, the more reluctant the bear became.

Shen An paid its grumbling no mind, continuing his way forward.

After a few more plaintive roars, the bear realized the man before it was unmoved and could only follow obediently behind.

As they entered the depths of the cave, the bear’s body shrank to the size of an ordinary brown bear. The sudden change from a three-meter giant startled Shen An, but after Future explained, he understood.

Demon beasts typically cultivated their bodies, and enlarging themselves was a basic ability acquired through such training.

Of course, different demon beasts had different specialties and powers.

This brown bear specialized in strength, which was likely why it could grow so large—or so Shen An surmised as he pressed on.