Even though it had perished countless millennia ago, the demonic bear's body showed no signs of decay.
A faint aura of malevolence and an indomitable fighting spirit emanated from him, inspiring awe in those who approached him.
It's as if you can see its tragic appearance back then, fighting bloody battles and contending with powerful enemies.
"This...this is the progenitor of the Demon Bear?" Stone murmured to himself, his eyes filled with shock and reverence.
He recalled the words of the village chief, Xiong Yue: the Demon Bear Clan were the most loyal subordinates of the Nine Nether Demon God.
In every battle, it always takes the lead and charges ahead. This progenitor of the demonic bear was the first fierce general who followed the demon god in his conquests!
An indescribable emotion welled up inside me: admiration, grief, and a strong sense of responsibility to carry on the legacy.
As Stone gazed at the towering figure of the Demon Bear Ancestor, the childishness on his once honest face vanished, replaced by a resolute look that belied his age.
He clenched his fists and muttered to himself, his tone steady and firm: "Rest assured, from this day forward, I will protect the Demon Bear Clan and ensure their safety, and their status will never fall!"
The moment the words fell, the corpse of the Demon Bear Ancestor suddenly trembled violently.
A dazzling golden light shone from between his brows, like a star at dawn, slowly breaking free from the corpse's restraints and floating to the stone.
The stream of light circled three times in the air, gradually coalescing into a phantom soul form.
It looks exactly like the progenitor of the demonic bear, only several times smaller, about half the height of a human.
He was surrounded by a faint golden halo, but his eyes were full of fervor and excitement.
"The progenitor of the Demon Bear Clan, the Bear Saint, pays respects to the Demon God!"
The spirit knelt on one knee, its voice trembling uncontrollably, and respectfully bowed to the stone.
That is loyalty that transcends eternity, and the ecstatic joy of finally seeing one's lord after enduring life-and-death ordeals.
Stone nodded slightly, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority: "Get up."
He had already realized that this was merely a wisp of Xiong Sheng's remaining will, supporting him through countless ages, all in the hope of waiting for the reincarnation of the Demon God.
"Thank you, Lord Demon God!"
Xiong Sheng quickly stood up, his eyes burning as he examined the stone, his excitement almost overflowing. "That's wonderful! Lord Demon God, you're really alright!"
"When the news of your fall came, my Demon Bear Clan was nearly wiped out. If it weren't for the desperate protection of my clansmen, we would probably no longer exist!"
Shi Tou nodded slightly, a strange bitterness welling up in his heart, and asked in a deep voice, "What exactly happened back then?"
"Why did I perish? And why has the Demon Bear Clan fallen to this state?"
Mentioning the past, Xiong Sheng's eyes instantly turned incredibly angry.
His murderous aura surged, then transformed into deep helplessness: "Lord Demon God, this matter has far-reaching implications, and the enemy behind it is more powerful than we can imagine."
"Your cultivation is still shallow and your foundation is not yet stable. If I were to tell you the details, it would not only be of no benefit to you, but might even lead to your death."
He paused, his tone grave: "When you truly become powerful and regain your full memories, you will naturally know the whole truth."
"Now, you only need to focus on improving your strength and protecting the people around you."
Shi Tou remained silent for a moment, then nodded knowingly. He knew that what Xiong Sheng said was true. With his current strength, even if he knew the truth, he was powerless to change anything.
Xiong Sheng gazed at the stone, his eyes filled with longing and regret, his voice choked with emotion: "I really want to follow the Demon God again, to conquer the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, and sweep across the universe!"
"Unfortunately, time is not on my side, and this last vestige of my will will not last much longer."
"If there is an afterlife, I, Xiong Sheng, will still follow the Demon God and be willing to go through fire and water for you!"
Stone sighed inwardly, watching Xiong Sheng's soul gradually become transparent, and solemnly said, "Rest assured, as long as I, Stone, live, I will protect the Demon Bear Clan and ensure its peace. I will remember your loyalty."
A relieved smile appeared on Xiong Sheng's face, but the light in his eyes gradually dimmed: "With these words from the Demon God, I... have no regrets in dying. In the next... life..."
Before he finished speaking, Xiong Sheng's soul, like shattered starlight, turned into specks of golden light and dissipated in the valley.
As the lingering resentment of the Bear Saint dissipated, the eternally incorruptible corpse of the Demon Bear Ancestor...
It also began to slowly weather away, turning into countless points of light that merged with the spiritual energy in the valley.
Only a wisp of pure golden energy, as if it possessed sentience, flew straight towards the stone and merged into his body.
Shi Tou shuddered, feeling a surge of immense power flowing into his meridians. His physical strength was rapidly increasing, and the awakening of his bear bloodline also skyrocketed!
He could clearly feel that his connection with the Demon Bear Clan was becoming increasingly close, and he also had some ancient methods for physical training in his mind.
"This is... a physical inheritance?"
Stone clenched his fist, feeling the power surging within him, a resolute glint in his eyes.
He bowed deeply once more in the direction where Xiong Sheng had vanished: "Rest in peace, I will surely fulfill your last wish!"
After saying that, he turned and left the valley, heading in the direction where Xiao Chen was cultivating.
He knew that now was not the time to dwell on the legacy; the life-or-death battle two months from now was the most important thing right now.
He needs to improve his strength as soon as possible so that he can fight alongside his senior brother and face the threat of Mo Zezong together!
...
Two months is a long time for ordinary people, but it is just a blink of an eye for cultivators.
Many highly skilled experts may spend years meditating with their eyes closed.
These two short months are but a fleeting moment on the path of spiritual cultivation.
But for Xiao Chen in the secluded valley of the immortal mountain, these two months were a transformative experience.
Above the valley, a massive vortex of spiritual energy, obscuring the sky, spun wildly, its purplish-gold energy flowing like a raging river.
The spiritual energy converging from all directions was so dense at the center of the vortex that it was almost liquefied.
It transformed into specks of light and rain, surging wildly into Xiao Chen's body, who was sitting cross-legged below.
Xiao Chen was surrounded by lightning, his white robes moved without wind, and his hair was blown about by the spiritual energy.
His eyes were closed, lightning patterns flickered between his brows, and the spiritual power in his dantian accumulated like a snowball, constantly impacting the barrier of his cultivation realm.
"boom--!"
A deep, rumbling thunderclap erupted from Xiao Chen's body, like a thunderclap from the heavens, causing the entire valley to tremble slightly.
The lightning around him suddenly surged, and arcs of purple-gold lightning shot into the sky.
Intertwined with the spiritual energy vortex above, it formed a spectacular pillar of lightning spiritual energy.
At this moment, Xiao Chen's cultivation has steadily entered the fifth stage of Nirvana!
With each advancement in the Nirvana Realm, the gap in strength increases exponentially. From the third Nirvana Realm to the fifth Nirvana Realm, it may seem like only two realms have been crossed, but in reality, the difference in combat power is enormous.
Over the past two months, with the help of top-grade pills given to him by his master Lin Zhou, and supplemented by the extremely rich spiritual energy of the immortal mountain secret realm, he has been able to achieve his goal.
In addition to his previous comprehension of the Great Dao while studying the Immortal Mountain Seal, he not only narrowed the gap in cultivation level between himself and Mo Shuo.
This further strengthens the foundation, and the level of spiritual energy condensation far surpasses that of other cultivators of the same level.
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