The bear struggled to its feet, its face a bloody mess. A bowl-sized hole in its abdomen bled ceaselessly.
The poison was clearly taking effect, and the beast had lost its former ferocity.
Seeing this, Zhao Lin and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhu Dachun's back was badly injured. He had likely broken a few ribs as well.
Zhao Lin and Zhou Pao helped him sit down, applied some Antiseptic Elixir, and had him rest against a rock.
Liang Song walked over and cupped his fist to Zhao Lin in a salute. "Thank you, brother. If you hadn't intervened just now, my cousin and I would've been goners."
Zhao Lin replied with a serious expression, "That bear was chasing me to begin with. You two drew it away, so I couldn't just stand by and watch."
Zhou Pao gave Zhu Dachun some water and asked, "How're you doing, Old Zhu?"
"I'll live," Zhu Dachun said weakly.
Zhou Pao chuckled. "You'd better not die. Otherwise, I'll get my chance with Widow Wang."
Zhu Dachun's lips twitched into a pained grin. "Get lost. It wouldn't be your turn even if I died."
The men joked around, but their eyes remained fixed on the bear.
The bear was a pathetic sight. It would stumble a few steps and fall, only to get up and fall again. Finally, it let out a despairing howl and collapsed onto its back, motionless.
Zhou Pao pumped his fist in excitement. "The poison's worked!" He started to rush forward.
Zhao Lin quickly pulled him back. "Don't go! It's not dead yet!"
He could see the Essence Souls of beasts. Since no Essence Soul was emerging from the bear's body, it was clearly still alive.
Zhou Pao froze for a second, then slapped his forehead. "Right, right! A Spirit Beast wouldn't die that easily. I almost fell for its trick!"
Zhao Lin suggested, "Whatever it's planning, once it bleeds out, playing dead will become being dead."
Zhou Pao laughed. "Makes sense. Let's get in the dugout to get out of the wind. We'll see how long it can hold on."
The three men helped Zhu Dachun down the slope and into the dugout. They ate, drank, and rested, taking turns keeping watch on the bear.
"It's been so long. It's gotta be dead by now, right?"
After an hour, seeing that the bear still hadn't moved, Zhou Pao couldn't help but speak up.
"It's still alive," Zhao Lin said with conviction.
No Essence Soul had risen, so the bear had to be alive. Still, Zhao Lin was puzzled.
'Is the bear really on its last breath and unable to move, or is it trying to lure us in for a counterattack?'
'If it's the latter, that's incredibly cunning. Is it really that smart?'
Zhou Pao and Liang Song didn't know why Zhao Lin was so certain, but they agreed it was better to be safe than sorry and waited patiently. Besides, Zhu Dachun was seriously injured, and the extra rest could only help.
However, to everyone's surprise, the heavy scent of blood attracted an uninvited guest.
A "wild boar" appeared in their line of sight.
This wild boar was absurdly large.
It stood nearly two meters tall at the shoulder, with muscles that bulged like hillocks. The steel-like bristles along its spine stood on end, and its bared tusks were like Long Swords.
Judging by its sheer bulk, it had to weigh over a thousand pounds.
"That's a massive boar!" Zhao Lin said in astonishment.
"That's no wild boar. It's a Zhihao."
Zhou Pao corrected him.
"A Zhihao is the king of boars, and it's a Spirit Beast."
"These two are the only Spirit Beasts for a hundred li around. I've long suspected that the wound on the bear's leg came from a territorial fight with this Zhihao."
"Looks like I was right. See? The Zhihao is injured too."
Zhao Lin peered closer and saw that a section of the Zhihao's left tusk was broken off, and several deep claw marks scarred its back.
Liang Song said with relief, "Good thing we didn't rush over there. The Zhihao is much faster than the bear. If we ran into it, we wouldn't even have a chance to escape!"
Zhao Lin asked with interest, "Which of the two is stronger?"
Liang Song paused, then laughed. "You've got me there. Both Spirit Beasts are known for their immense strength. It's really hard to say which is superior."
Zhou Pao chimed in, "The question's not that hard, really. Spirit Beasts evolve from regular animals. Comparing those two is basically asking what's stronger, a bear or a boar."
"A boar has a powerful charge and a ferocious temperament, but in terms of raw strength, I think the bear is stronger."
Zhao Lin and Liang Song both thought that made a lot of sense and nodded in agreement.
Seeing the bear lying in a pool of its own blood, the Zhihao let out a low, excited growl. It seemed to be part celebration, part test, as it began to circle the bear.
The bear remained motionless for a long time. The Zhihao grew bolder, its circles tightening as it gradually approached its foe.
When the Zhihao was less than ten feet from the bear, it lunged, lowering its head to aim its tusks at the bear's neck.
The bear's eyes snapped open. It raised both paws and clamped them vise-like around the Zhihao's neck.
Attacked so suddenly, the Zhihao instinctively tried to flee, but it was completely pinned by the bear's immense strength.
With its enemy's neck right there, the bear bit down viciously.
Zhao Lin and the others were stunned by the scene unfolding before them.
'That bear's patience is unbelievable!'
The bear was old, weak, and wounded, yet it was still this ferocious. One could only imagine how powerful it must have been in its prime.
A chill of lingering fear went down Zhou Pao's spine. If Zhao Lin hadn't stopped him, he would have been the one to suffer that final, desperate attack.
The Zhihao kept its jaws clamped on the bear's neck, refusing to let go, while the bear's sharp claws dug deep into the Zhihao's throat.
Blood sprayed from both Spirit Beasts, drenching each other's faces, yet both stubbornly refused to let go, locked in a stalemate.
After what felt like an eternity, Zhao Lin saw specks of silver light begin to rise from both Spirit Beasts at almost the same moment.
"The Essence Souls!"
Zhao Lin shot out of the dugout and broke into a mad dash.
"Have you lost your mind?!" Zhou Pao and Liang Song shouted simultaneously.
"They're both dead!"
Zhao Lin shouted back, already a good distance away.
"Really dead?"
Dubious, Zhou Pao and Liang Song cautiously emerged from the dugout.
By the time Zhao Lin reached the two Spirit Beasts, their Essence Souls had just finished coalescing.
The silver light of an ordinary beast's Essence Soul was faint, only sketching a rough outline. A Spirit Beast's Essence Soul, however, was much more solid, its form and features clearly defined.
To use an artistic analogy, the former was a stick figure drawing, while the latter was a detailed, realistic sketch.
'Spirit Beasts really are something else!' Zhao Lin thought with awe as he admired the two Essence Souls.
In his mind, the Spirit Beast Scroll trembled violently, seemingly eager to absorb the two Essence Souls.
"I've already absorbed the old ox's Essence Soul," he muttered to himself. "I can't waste a slot on another of the same type."
Zhao Lin muttered this to himself, as if speaking to the Spirit Beast Scroll.
But the Spirit Beast Scroll didn't quiet down. Instead, it began to tremble even more violently.
The image of the old ox in the first slot began to flicker, flashing in and out of existence!
It was as if it were telling Zhao Lin that the Essence Souls of both the bear and the Zhihao could occupy that first slot.
'What? Does this mean... for the same type of ability, a higher-level Essence Soul can replace a lower-level one?'
Zhao Lin was deeply shaken. A completely unrelated phrase popped into his head: 'Combine like terms.'
From the feeling the Spirit Beast Scroll was conveying, it seemed he really could do it.
Seeing the two Essence Souls floating higher and showing signs of dissipating, Zhao Lin gritted his teeth. He walked beneath the Bear Essence Soul and, with a powerful inhale, drew it into his body.
As the Essence Soul entered him, silver light exploded through his body. Zhao Lin once again felt the same sensation he had when he absorbed the old ox's Essence Soul.
This time, however, it was far more savage. It felt like a bear was rampaging inside of him.
Particularly in his shoulders, back, limbs, and palms, it felt as if an iron claw were stabbing and churning beneath his skin.
Zhao Lin's face turned deathly pale as a hoarse growl escaped his lips.
"Brother Zhao, what's wrong?"
Zhou Pao and Liang Song, who had been watching from a distance, saw this and forgot their fear, rushing forward to help him up.
"I'm fine... Just exhausted, probably."
Zhao Lin gasped for breath, drenched in sweat, as the pain slowly receded like an ebbing tide.