Chapter 53: The Bear’s Plight and a Strategic Capture

“Oh dear! How utterly tragic!”

Dragon Princess and a few others slowly drew closer to the Great Strength Bear. Among those locked in combat with the colossal beast was a green-haired youth from the Gudou family. Though his cultivation as a three-star demon artifact user was modest, upon consuming a Berserker Pill, his power surged, elevating him to the equivalent of a four-star practitioner.

Each strike from his Solitary Nine Swords was incredibly overbearing, carving deep, grievous wounds into the Great Strength Bear’s hide.

The Great Strength Bear appeared to be on its last legs, its vitality rapidly depleting.

Dragon Princess knew that if she could simply touch the Great Strength Bear, she would be able to draw it into the Mirage Dragon Pearl.

However, achieving this was far from a simple feat.

Setting aside the fact that the Great Strength Bear would never willingly allow anyone to touch it, one first had to contend with the relentless barrage of arrows loosed by the archers surrounding and attacking the beast.

With their indiscriminate firing, Dragon Princess would undoubtedly be riddled with arrows the moment she entered the Great Strength Bear’s attack radius.

She needed to devise a strategy to neutralize these archers first.

Most of them were three-star practitioners. ‘Could she stealthily throw them into the Mirage Dragon Pearl?’ she wondered.

‘No, that wouldn’t work. If they were inside, how could Dragon Princess and the other two follow?’

‘They would surely be hunted down and attacked!’

‘Moreover, the Pearl contained a wealth of treasures; those scoundrels would undoubtedly wreak havoc within!’

However, seeing the Great Strength Bear’s wounds deepen with each passing moment, Dragon Princess cast aside her reservations. Her immediate priority was to rescue the Great Strength Bear.

She decided to stealthily apprehend the archers.

‘After all, once Yao Yueli enters, won’t these ruffians be easily subdued?’ she mused.

With that thought, Dragon Princess approached two archers.

Heh heh!

In an instant, two figures vanished from their positions.

‘I wonder how these two will react, suddenly finding themselves in a place filled with demon beast corpses,’ she pondered.

Dragon Princess, being shrewd, swiftly relocated after capturing the two individuals.

The remaining archers, noticing the sudden disappearance of two comrades, grew agitated. Some speculated it was a colossal demon beast with cloaking abilities, one that had devoured the men whole.

In their panic, they unleashed a volley of arrows towards Dragon Princess’s general direction.

Fortunately, Dragon Princess was quick on her feet and remained undetected.

Dragon Princess now found herself in a much less precarious situation, but the archers were in utter disarray.

“Everyone, be careful! A powerful, *and* invisible, demon beast has appeared… it just… devoured two men… in an instant…”

Anyone would be terrified encountering such an event.

Without a sound, people were simply vanishing.

Gripped by fear, the archers aimed their bows haphazardly at their surroundings, dreading that something might suddenly spring forth and consume them too.

One individual, consumed by terror, even loosed an arrow blindly into the distance.

In a chain reaction, the others followed suit, firing their arrows in the same direction.

Naturally, such a chaotic volley would never strike Dragon Princess, who remained hidden in the shadows.

Just as she had done previously in the Great Strength Bear’s lair, she lifted the two captured archers and ascended into the air.

Perched atop her head was the weighty dragon bone. Had she not consumed the Great Strength Flower, Dragon Princess would have found this task truly arduous.

With the majority of the archers now preoccupied with defending against the perceived threat of an invisible demon beast, the green-haired youth battling the Great Strength Bear began to struggle.

His role was purely offensive, and without the archers providing suppressive fire, he found himself utterly unable to approach the Great Strength Bear.

The Great Strength Bear stomped the ground with immense force, causing the very earth to tremble.

Its power was truly terrifying!

“How terrifying, meow~”

Hovering directly above the Great Strength Bear, the three of them experienced an unparalleled thrill.

“I apologize, dear sisters. It is I who led you into this perilous situation…”

“Don’t be afraid! We’ll jump down directly in a moment, entering the Mirage Dragon Pearl alongside the Great Strength Bear. Hopefully, once inside, the Great Strength Bear will no longer be affected by the defense towers!”

Dragon Princess gazed at the two, gently soothing their fearful hearts.

Then, she began to outline her battle plan.

Below, seeing that it was no longer being assailed by numerous attackers, the Great Strength Bear began its counterattack.

With a resounding “Awoo~oo~!” it pounded its chest and stomped its feet, then charged at the Gudou family youth like an unstoppable mountain.

Its momentum was overwhelming.

Dragon Princess felt a wave of exasperation. Just as ‘Paratrooper One’ was about to deploy, ‘The Great Strength Bear moved away from the landing zone? Is it playing games?’ she thought, annoyed.

Helpless, she could only follow the mischievous beast, hoping to swiftly bring it into the Mirage Dragon Pearl.

“Awoo~! Hooo~!”

The Great Strength Bear was incredibly fierce. Although the Gudou family youth managed to evade its charge, he had forgotten about the archers behind him!

Two archers met a gruesome end, each caught by a single claw from the Great Strength Bear and hurled to the ground like ripe watermelons.

Flesh and blood splattered, and the sickening crunch of breaking bones resonated with chilling clarity.

The two men barely uttered a sound before their lives were extinguished.

The Great Strength Bear then turned back, intent on resuming its battle with the Gudou family youth.

Dragon Princess had been fretting that the beast was too swift to catch.

But now, with its return, it was perfectly positioned for their convergence.

Thus, Dragon Princess disregarded the Gudou family youth below and descended directly.

The Gudou family youth, still attempting to flee, suddenly collided with something unyielding, akin to walking headfirst into a pane of glass.

He recoiled, clutching his nose in agony, a momentary lapse that cost him his chance to escape.

Just then, the Great Strength Bear charged violently towards him. He braced himself, convinced his end was nigh.

Yet, in the very next instant, he found himself standing amidst a field of demon beast corpses.

Highly wary, he then spotted the Great Strength Bear not far away.

His vigilance intensified. If he failed to defeat this Great Strength Bear, he would surely perish sooner or later!

“Young Master Gudou!” Gudou Shaotian suddenly heard a faintly familiar voice.

Turning, he saw two figures. Were these not the two archers who had vanished earlier?

And why? The Great Strength Bear, upon arriving here, seemed far less frenzied!

Then, before the three of them, a pure and adorable half-elf loli appeared.

She gently stroked the Great Strength Bear’s head, and the beast responded with astonishing docility.

“Excellent! Now that it’s here, the Great Strength Bear is no longer controlled.”

Dragon Princess rejoiced. She and Mao Yuxia had not yet revealed themselves, fearing that some of the captured individuals might recognize her and attempt to kill her.

Now, she needed to pacify the captured archers. All they had to do was behave and cause no trouble.

“You three, will you submit, or will you die?”

Luo Tiantian, following Dragon Princess’s instructions, settled onto the Great Strength Bear’s shoulder and gazed down at the three captured individuals with an expression of utter disdain, as if they were mere refuse.

“Who are you?! And where is this place?!”

Gudou Shaotian gripped his sword, scrutinizing the loli before him with intense vigilance.

‘To demand submission with a mere sentence? Impossible!’ he thought.

“Our Master is the sovereign of this realm. Since you have arrived here, you must submit to her. Should our Master unleash her wrath, none shall be spared!”

Luo Tiantian declared dispassionately, her demeanor suggesting she regarded these individuals as utterly insignificant.

“Young Master Gudou, this place is truly uncanny! Look at these deceased demon beasts—they appear to be the very ones we slew earlier!”

The two archers who had just arrived, each grasping one of Gudou Shaotian’s arms, earnestly urged him:

“Though we don’t understand what has transpired, whoever possesses the ability to silently transport these creatures here, capture us, and even effortlessly tame the ferociously powerful Great Strength Bear…”

“…I believe it would be prudent to agree for now. Such power is likely beyond our capacity to resist.”

“Furthermore, with so many resources available here, we might even cultivate at a faster pace.”

“Look, there are even pineapple buns to eat?!”