The Horse-Faced Bear suddenly burst into a run, moving at incredible speed like a shifting mountain of flesh.
A violent friction sound of ropes rubbing echoed around the tree trunks and the cliff's edge.
Heavy thuds of the bear's paws stomping on the ground shook the forest clearing.
The massive boulder that had fallen down the cliff was dragged up, rising rapidly.
Thump! Thump! Thump! The rapid thuds of bear paws pounding the earth shook the mountainous terrain.
Yan Shou and the hunters suddenly snapped out of it.
Looking toward the direction of the Horse-Faced Bear's charge, they shouted as they gave chase, “Protect the Chieftainess! Protect the Chieftainess!”
Everyone's heart leapt into their throat.
A sudden loud crash echoed from the edge of the cliff as the ropes snapped taut; the boulder had gotten stuck!
Delight flickered in their eyes, and they hurriedly chased after it.
Just as they caught up to the Horse-Faced Bear, a sharp snap rang out. The taut ropes suddenly severed, and the Horse-Faced Bear lunged forward with an even greater burst of speed than before.
“Chieftainess, run!!” the hunters roared.
With muscles rippling all over its body like an unstoppable juggernaut of flesh, the Horse-Faced Bear crashed through the camp and thundered up the hillside.
Si He's thigh muscles throbbed with cramp-like pain, and her arms shook with agony, completely beyond her control. She could only stand frozen in place, not daring to move blindly, her eyes wide as the Horse-Faced Bear thundered toward her.
“Chieftainess!” her handmaiden, Si Yun, screamed.
Reaching the bottom of the hillside, the Horse-Faced Bear reared up its massive body, which cast a shadow over the forest, and raised a giant paw large enough to cover her entire body, slamming it down with immense force.
A howling gale whipped past her cheeks, the powerful pressure of the wind pressing against her entire body as the giant paw, carrying a ferocious aura, rapidly expanded in her vision.
At the critical moment, she felt the flexible and strong body of Si Yun wrapping around her waist.
Boom! The massive bear paw swept past, carrying a gust of powerful wind. The forest spun before Si He's eyes as she crashed into a pile of decaying dead leaves, landing on Si Yun's soft body. As they tumbled, she caught a glimpse of the Horse-Faced Bear swiping its claws twice in succession, letting out a furious roar at her.
Then, the moment they rolled to a stop, she saw a dark figure leaping down from above, holding a spear, and driving it fiercely into the back of the Horse-Faced Bear's neck.
As Si Yun's body settled and her heavy chest pressed against her, the spear pierced deep into the back of the Horse-Faced Bear's neck with a sharp squelch.
Blood gushed out as the Horse-Faced Bear shrieked in agony, its massive body slumping heavily onto the hillside.
The dust finally settled.
Si He took a deep breath. Sensing the rise and fall of her chest, Si Yun tore her gaze away from the battle, hurriedly scrambled off her, and nimbly checked her limbs before beginning her skilled massage.
“The Horse-Faced Bear! The Horse-Faced Bear is dead!” the hunters cheered, gathering around.
The tribespeople wept with joy.
Si He raised her head and sat up with Si Yun's assistance.
“You did well, Hunting Chief Yan Shou,” she said with a smile to the man standing on the Horse-Faced Bear's neck.
Seeing that she was safe, Yan Shou let out a long sigh of relief, joy shining in his eyes.
“It is good that you are safe, Chieftainess.”
Before his voice could fade, a surging force suddenly erupted from beneath his feet.
Yan Shou's heart seized, while Si He and Si Yun both showed looks of utter disbelief.
Boom! The Horse-Faced Bear, which everyone had thought dead, suddenly opened its eyes. Its powerful, robust body reared up, tossing Yan Shou high into the air. The beast's elongated muzzle whipped back as it snapped its bloody jaws open, lunging toward the falling Yan Shou.
A stench of blood rushed toward his face, and with nowhere to redirect his momentum in mid-air, Yan Shou could only watch helplessly as the massive maw fell toward him.
Swoosh! A spear shot across the air!
It hit the Horse-Faced Bear's remaining right eye with pinpoint accuracy!
Blood burst from the dark brown eye.
The Horse-Faced Bear shrieked in agony, its open jaws brushing past Yan Shou.
The moment Yan Shou slammed onto the ground, he rolled to disperse the impact and immediately scrambled back up.
Glancing at the Horse-Faced Bear, his gaze quickly swept toward the person who had thrown the spear.
Not far away, Si Cang stood panting heavily, seemingly exhausted from his desperate charge.
Seeing him look over, the two of them met eyes, panting in silence—everything understood without words.
When the Horse-Faced Bear had collapsed onto the hillside earlier, the spears in its belly had driven even deeper into its vitals under its own massive weight. Now, after faking death and making a final counterattack, only to lose its other eye, its life force was largely depleted.
It stood precariously on the slope before finally tumbling backward.
Its massive body collapsed like a falling mountain.
A group of hunters happened to be gathered nearby, and their expressions instantly turned to pure horror.
“Run! Get out of the way!” they shouted loudly, diving and rolling away.
However, as the giant bear fell, the direction of its rolling was unpredictable. It bounced off the ground and tumbled down another slope to the right.
Those who had scrambled to avoid it initially but had no time to dodge again could only look on with despair under that mountain-like weight.
Thud! This time, the dust had truly settled.
The giant bear had crushed two people to death.
One hunter and one ordinary person.
The hunter, injured in the battle, could not dodge in time, while the ordinary person had nowhere to run.
Si He stared blankly at the scene, an indescribable wave of grief washing over her heart.
They had spared no effort in preparing for this hunt.
Yet with their insufficient numbers, many elements could not be perfected. Combined with the fact that the Horse-Faced Bear's strength was greater and its body sturdier than anticipated, they had still suffered casualties despite giving it their all.
If a single Horse-Faced Bear was already this terrifying, surviving in the perilous and unpredictable Great Wilderness was out of the question.
Seeking protection was a matter of utmost urgency.
Morale in the tribe was low. Every single hunter was injured. Because the ordinary people could not help, only the one who was crushed had died, whereas two hunters had been sacrificed in this hunt.
Three others were severely injured.
Fortunately, the hunters' power had not fully degenerated, allowing their wounds to heal faster; otherwise, it would have been extremely troublesome.
The tribespeople buried the dead, then began to skin the bear and harvest its paws, continuing their numb and heavy life.
They had experienced far too much of this since fleeing. The tribe, once numbering over a hundred, was now down to just twelve.
One ordinary man.
One mother and child.
Three women.
Six hunters.
With such numbers, if they were to face any more major disasters, the tribe would likely perish.
Such was the hardship of having no protection.
Si He stared at the dirt graves before her, grief weighing heavily in her heart.
She watched in silence for a while, lost in thought, before finally turning to leave.
Over the next few days, the tribespeople spent their time consuming the massive mountain of bear meat.
Prey was hard to come by, let alone a mutated beast like this.
Its flesh was beneficial for maintaining strength and strengthening the physique, making it a rare and valuable resource.
It also allowed the hunters to recover from their injuries and regain their physical strength as quickly as possible.
After a period of rest and recuperation, Si He finally set down the stone in her hand.
Glancing at the map before her, she told the tribespeople, “Let us go.”
Having rested sufficiently, the tribespeople followed the direction Si He pointed out, gradually discovering footprints and massive, winding tracks.
Their excitement grew with every step.
Guided by the tracks, they reached the edge of a cliff. Before they could even look out into the distance, a massive red dragon suddenly soared up from the bottom of the abyss.
Its body was winding and majestic, its red-jade scales sleek and glossy, and the mane along its spine whipped in the wind.
It glided extensively past their eyes, and with a single flick of its tail, it surged straight into the heavens.
It was none other than the Red Dragon they had been searching for for half a year!
“We finally found it!”
“Quick, after it!”
With hearts pounding in excitement, the tribespeople rushed in the direction the Red Dragon had flown.
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