Chapter 7

Outside the Hall of Sect Affairs.

Peng!

A finger and a fist clashed, the air trembled, and a cold wind swept across their faces. The impressive momentum startled many people.

Feng De, along with the other man and woman, were taken aback, involuntarily stepping back a few paces.

Zeng! Zeng!

The two figures, after a brief clash, quickly separated.

Among them, Chen Yu retreated over ten feet, lightly swaying in place. His blood and qi surged, and his face turned slightly red.

He himself wasn't injured, but he felt a sharp pain in his fist, as the opponent's soft and gentle internal energy invaded, causing his blood and qi to become somewhat stagnant and unsmooth.

However, a vigorous heat flow surged from his heart, quickly smoothing out his blood and qi.

Chen Yu realized that after the transformation by the mysterious heart, his body's resistance to internal energy attacks had increased to some extent.

On the other side.

Ding Jiuhui retreated a few steps, quickly stabilizing himself, his fingers slightly drooping.

It seemed he had a slight advantage.

However, Ding Jiuhui's expression grew increasingly serious, forcefully concealing a hint of surprise.

"I didn't expect that Junior Brother Chen is a person of hidden depth, not only with astonishing boxing skills but also possessing 'innate divine strength.'"

Ding Jiuhui forced a smile.

In the previous clash, he had already used seventy percent of his internal energy, yet his fingers were still tingling.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Ding, for holding back. That finger strike just now really put me at a disadvantage."

Chen Yu pretended to rub his hand, giving the other party a way to back down.

In the sect, it was necessary to appropriately display a certain level of strength and dominance.

Indeed, before and after the clash, Ding Jiuhui's attitude toward Chen Yu had completely changed.

"Ha ha, with this, our team is complete."

Ding Jiuhui let out a sigh of relief.

He was half-believing and half-doubting Chen Yu's words.

Logically, with his Pulse-Through cultivation, his intangible, soft internal energy should have caused some minor injuries.

But a thought flashed through his mind: If Chen Yu hadn't suffered any disadvantage in the clash, then this person was hiding his true strength too deeply...

Of course, this unrealistic thought was quickly dispelled.

"With Senior Brother Chen joining, our chances of success are even greater."

The pockmarked youth also smiled, greatly wary of Chen Yu's strength.

Only Feng De looked somewhat embarrassed and awkward.

"Everyone is here?"

At this moment, a gentle young voice came from beside Chen Yu.

Huh?

Chen Yu was startled, only noticing the other person's presence at the last moment.

He saw a handsome and gentle young man with flowing long hair, carrying a long, wrapped object, appear before them.

"Junior Brother Yue!"

Ding Jiuhui and the others greeted him respectfully.

"Senior Brother Yue, you've finally arrived."

The slender girl's eyes lit up, her voice soft and pleasant.

Yue Feng! He is Yue Feng?

Chen Yu was surprised and quickly greeted the handsome young man.

Speaking of "Yue Feng," he was one of the few geniuses in the outer sect.

Chen Yu remembered that Yue Feng had entered the sect half a year after him but had broken through to the Pulse-Through stage within a year!

It was said that Yue Feng's current cultivation was at least the middle Pulse-Through stage!

And in terms of age, he was even younger than Chen Yu!

Faced with such a genius, Chen Yu couldn't help but show deep respect.

"Oh, you are Senior Brother Chen Yu?"

Yue Feng's gaze lingered on Chen Yu's face for a moment, showing a hint of interest.

Chen Yu couldn't help but feel depressed; it seemed he couldn't shake off the label of "living off someone else" in the short term.

There was no way around it.

Mu Xueqing's reputation in the outer sect was too great. With her being the pride of heaven and the top beauty of the outer sect, being associated with her was quite a headache.

"Senior Brother Chen, don't misunderstand."

Yue Feng smiled slightly and then explained, "Mu Xueqing's beauty and talent are astonishing, and she was once my competitor. However, recently, due to certain reasons, she entered the inner sect ahead of time."

So that was it.

As one of the geniuses in the outer sect, Yue Feng had once competed with Mu Xueqing.

"Hmph! Mu Xueqing entered the sect half a year earlier than Senior Brother Yue. And who knows if she entered the inner sect due to some 'special' reasons."

The slender girl seemed to be a devoted admirer of Yue Feng.

"Alright, let's not talk about this. Let's discuss the mission details together..."

Yue Feng waved his hand, getting to the point.

With this, the team was complete.

The team leader was Yue Feng, and the deputy leader was Ding Jiuhui.

The four other members were Chen Yu, Feng De, the pockmarked youth, and the slender girl.

A total of six people.

Chen Yu was somewhat surprised that the mission to hunt the iron-brown bear had assembled such a formidable lineup.

In the team, both Yue Feng and Ding Jiuhui were at the Pulse-Through stage, especially the former, who was considered a top-tier genius in the outer sect.

The other four members, though not at the Pulse-Through stage, were all at the peak of the Body-Forging stage!

A short while later.

The six members of the team received their mission from the Hall of Sect Affairs and discussed some details.

Half a day later.

The group rode horses to the edge of a mountain range within the Yunyue Sect's territory.

"This is the 'Cloud Abyss Mountain Range,' spanning several nearby countries. Even a small part of it, under the jurisdiction of the Yunyue Sect, is actually a neutral and dangerous forbidden zone!"

Yue Feng dismounted.

Chen Yu had heard some legends about the "Cloud Abyss Mountain Range."

It was said that deep within the mountains, ancient beasts from ancient times still existed, possessing the terrifying power to level mountains and destroy nations.

Many years ago, super-strong individuals from nearby countries had joined forces to clear out the terrifying existence deep within the mountains, leading to a battle that shook the heavens and the earth.

The final outcome, however, was unknown.

Currently, as long as humans didn't venture too deep into the Cloud Abyss Mountain Range, they wouldn't encounter the legendary terrifying beings.

"According to the mission information, the iron-brown bear should be nearby, so we don't need to go deep."

Yue Feng reassured the group.

The Cloud Abyss Mountain Range was, after all, a well-known forbidden zone. If they were to go deep, these outer sect disciples would be no match.

Roar!

Just as they entered the mountain range, some tiger and leopard-like beasts appeared.

However, these were just ordinary beasts.

Ordinary tigers and leopards could be easily handled by those at the Body-Forging stage, posing no mortal danger.

Willow Shade Finger!

Ding Jiuhui lightly tapped a leopard's head with his finger, and the leopard let out a gasp and died instantly.

Beasts that terrified ordinary people could be killed in one move by those at the Pulse-Through stage.

After all, those at the Pulse-Through stage had cultivated "internal energy," which could invade the body, shattering vital organs and blood vessels. Ordinary flesh and blood could not resist.

In comparison,

Feng De, the pockmarked youth, and the slender girl needed two or three moves to deal with a tiger or leopard.

In such a situation, the gap between the Pulse-Through stage and the Body-Forging stage was evident.

"Scram!"

Chen Yu delivered a powerful punch to a wolf's head, causing it to burst and splatter blood.

Although he didn't have "internal energy," Chen Yu's strength was great, and his boxing skills were highly refined.

Ordinary beasts, even if not killed in one punch, would be severely injured and lose their fighting ability. This was even without him fully utilizing the advanced level of the "Iron Plow Fist."

Chen Yu's display of strength earned him a second glance from Yue Feng, who showed approval.

"We're almost there."

Yue Feng led the way, and the beasts in front of him were instantly killed and thrown aside, their movements too fast to see clearly.

After a short while,

The six people climbed over a mountain peak, and a forest appeared before them, with some caves visible among the trees.

Chen Yu's vision, after his physical transformation, far exceeded that of ordinary people. He could faintly see some large footprints in the forest, much larger than those of humans and ordinary beasts.

"It's around here. Everyone, get ready."

Yue Feng took out a small jar of honey and threw it on a hill upwind.

Since they didn't have tools, they couldn't set traps, so they set up a simple lure. Besides, against iron-brown bears, which could be classified as fierce beasts, ordinary traps and blades were useless.

Roar!

In less than a quarter of an hour, two tall brown bears, nearly ten feet high, emerged from the forest, almost as tall as a small house.

The two massive brown shadows roared and pounced, their fierce aura causing nearby insects and beasts to scatter in panic.

"This is the iron-brown bear, it's so big..."

The weaker Feng De and the slender girl felt their scalps tingle, their legs trembling slightly.

Facing a beast of this size was a first for them, after all, they were still junior outer sect disciples.

"Two of them, and they're larger than expected."

Yue Feng's expression changed slightly.

According to the mission description, the gallbladder of an iron-brown bear of this size could be exchanged for forty to fifty contribution points.

"Everyone, attack!"

Yue Feng and Ding Jiuhui exchanged glances and each faced one of the iron-brown bears.

Chen Yu and the other four Body-Forging stage members, according to the plan, split into two groups to support the two Pulse-Through stage leaders.

Ding Jiuhui, Chen Yu, and Feng De formed one group to deal with one of the iron-brown bears.

Yue Feng, the pockmarked youth, and the slender girl formed the other group.

However, the initial clash was not ideal, even disheartening.

"Willow Shade Finger!"

Ding Jiuhui moved to the side of the iron-brown bear and pointed at its back.

The back of the iron-brown bear was several feet above his head.

Puff!

The massive body of the iron-brown bear merely swayed, seemingly unharmed. It then swung its bear arms wildly, creating a strong wind.

"Be careful!"

Ding Jiuhui narrowly avoided the attack.

Ah!

But Feng De, who was nearby, couldn't dodge in time and had to face the iron-brown bear's attack head-on.

In the next moment,

Peng! Swoosh!

Feng De was sent flying several feet, crashing into a mountain wall and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

In one move, Feng De was knocked flying!

Chen Yu, however, rolled quickly on the ground, dodging the bear's thick, furry arm.

"Close call!"

Chen Yu wiped a cold sweat.

If not for the transformation of his body by the mysterious heart, which greatly increased his reaction speed and agility, he might have ended up like Feng De, forced to face the attack head-on.

On the other side, the situation for Yue Feng's group was not optimistic either.

Slap!

The slender girl swung a silver whip, wrapping it around the leg of the other iron-brown bear, a look of joy on her face.

The iron-brown bear, enraged, roared and grabbed the silver whip.

"Let go quickly!"

Yue Feng shouted, but it was too late.

In the next moment,

The slender girl was yanked into the air by the iron-brown bear, and its massive mouth, like a giant python's, bit down on the unbalanced girl.

"Ah..."

The girl's scream echoed through the mountains.