C12 Escape!

Lin Chen quickly came to his senses and began to check his body from head to toe. Then, with great caution, he made his way toward the cave, moving at a snail's pace, careful not to rustle the bushes or leaves.

The air was filled with the fierce roars of beasts, punctuated by the pitiful squeals of pigs, while the shockwaves of their collisions sent clouds of dust billowing into the air.

As Lin Chen advanced, he remained vigilant of the chaos unfolding behind him. The clash between the Demonic Beasts had escalated in ferocity. He observed that even two Level 3 Demonic Beasts were no match for the Mountain Bear, which had already inflicted severe wounds on them in a brief encounter, exacerbating their previous injuries.

The wild boar and the giant tiger wouldn't last much longer.

With this in mind, Lin Chen quickened his pace, though he still moved with extreme caution. The short distance felt as exhausting as traversing several mountains, and he was ready to make a quick getaway at the slightest hint of danger.

Time was of the essence, but safety was paramount.

At last, he made it!

Lin Chen had finally reached the cave's entrance, where he found himself crawling on the ground, inching his body forward.

There it was—the Supreme Spirit Fruit, a mere two meters away! It was a vibrant red, about the size of an adult's fist, with mysterious patterns etched into its surface. The fruit exuded an invigorating scent that immediately lifted Lin Chen's spirits.

He couldn't resist touching it; it was cool to the touch, reminiscent of dipping into a pool of spring water.

Roar!

Suddenly, an enraged roar thundered through the air, causing Lin Chen's eardrums to throb with pain.

"Damn, we've been spotted! Run for it!" Chen Wuji bellowed.

Lin Chen's response was lightning-fast. He sprang to his feet, dashed forward, and snatched the fruit, tucking it into his chest. Without a backward glance at the Demonic Beasts, he turned on his heel and bolted.

The ground shook violently behind him, signaling the pursuit of the colossal beast.

"Don't chase me! I'm just relocating your item to give you more room to strut your stuff..." Lin Chen yelled over his shoulder as he sprinted, "Brother Pig! Brother Tiger! Give me a hand here!"

Chen Wuji said irritably, "Your two older brothers have already bitten the dust. You'd better run for your life instead of babbling on."

Lin Chen glanced back and indeed saw two large, tragic corpses lying in a pool of blood. The Mountain Bear, with only superficial scratches, was a testament to the vast gap in strength between them.

"The Mountain Bear's horror lies in its unstoppable strength and extreme defense. Its only weakness is its speed, but even so, it's still much faster than an ant like you at the Body Tempering Stage," Chen Wuji explained. "Keep running blindly, and you'll soon be dead."

"Weren't we supposed to be undetectable?" Lin Chen retorted, feeling like he might cough up blood.

"I underestimated its Spiritual Wisdom. It had already placed its Spiritual Sense on the Supreme Spirit Fruit. As soon as you touched the fruit, it noticed," Chen Wuji admitted.

Lin Chen let out a sardonic laugh, "I seem to recall someone recently warning me not to underestimate Demonic Beasts."

Chen Wuji's face turned grim, "And yet, you're the one who's paying the price! How can you still laugh at a time like this?"

"So, what's the plan?" Lin Chen asked.

"The only thing we can do now is head deeper into the mountains. You know the Qi Transformation and Breath Concealment Technique, something the Mountain Bear lacks. With its rampant charging, it's likely to attract the attention of other powerful Demonic Beasts," Chen Wuji advised.

Without another word, Lin Chen concentrated all his energy into his legs and sprinted like the wind. His smaller size allowed him to weave through the forest with ease. The Mountain Bear, relentless in pursuit, bulldozed through the trees, creating a path and gaining speed over Lin Chen.

A Level 2 Giant Wolf, roused from its slumber by a fleeting shadow, opened its bloodthirsty eyes, intent on pursuing the audacious human. But before it could act, it was flattened into a pulp by an enormous paw that fell from the heavens.

"Wow! What is so special about this Supreme Spirit Fruit that it warrants such a relentless chase?" Lin Chen grumbled.

Chen Wuji scoffed, "Would you let go of a treasure that could elevate someone from the Initial Level of Level 3 to the peak so easily?"

Lin Chen shuddered at the thought. This grudge was indeed enormous.

Time ticked by, second by second. Lin Chen had been on the run for what felt like an eternity, having lost count of the number of mountains he had traversed. His legs were growing weaker, and he was acutely aware that his physical strength was waning significantly. If he kept this up, the enraged Mountain Bear would soon catch up and kill him.

With a roar that seemed to strain its throat, the Mountain Bear persisted in its pursuit. Its eyes burned with a fiery red, as if it couldn't wait to devour Lin Chen whole.

"Lake!" Chen Wuji's voice boomed.

Bursting through a thicket, a modestly sized lake came into view, its surface shimmering with ripples in the sunlight.

Lin Chen didn't need any prompting; he made a split-second decision and dashed toward the lake, leaping in with all his might.

Splash!

The Mountain Bear's paw swiped at thin air, leaving behind a massive pit several feet deep. Had Lin Chen been even a second slower, he would have been reduced to a bloody pulp.

The Mountain Bear let out another roar but refrained from following Lin Chen into the water. Its name alone suggested that the Demonic Beast wasn't adept at swimming. Though capable of swimming, it certainly couldn't match Lin Chen's agility in the water.

Yet, the bear didn't abandon its pursuit. It prowled along the lake's edge, scanning the area and silently waiting for Lin Chen to surface.

As one of the top Level 3 Demonic Beasts, it was confident that if Lin Chen dared to come up for air, it could pounce and reduce the "little bug" to mush in a single breath!

Five minutes passed, then ten, and eventually, twenty minutes elapsed without the human showing his head. The Mountain Bear grew increasingly agitated.

Could he have drowned at the bottom of the lake?

Certainly not.

"Haha, kid, now do you realize the power of the Qi Transformation and Breath Concealment Technique?" Chen Wuji's voice echoed with pride from within the jade pendant.

Lin Chen, pinching his nose, nodded vigorously.

Upon diving into the water, Chen Wuji had instructed him to use the Secret Technique. To Lin Chen's astonishment, once he activated it, he could no longer feel his own breath, as if he had truly become a stone that didn't require air. Of course, that was impossible; he still needed to breathe, albeit only one percent as much as usual. This meant that, if he chose to, he could remain at the lake's bottom until nightfall.

The Mountain Bear on the shore seemed to have settled in with no intention of leaving, which spoke volumes about how deeply Lin Chen had managed to offend it.

Six hours had gone by, and that human still hadn't emerged.

Fuming with rage to the point where it felt like its lungs would burst, the bear couldn't bear the indignity any longer.

With a roar, it began to pound its chest and bellow across the desolate lake, each roar sending ripples dancing across the water's surface.

But it didn't stop there. The bear started hurling massive stones from the shore into the water, one after another in a frenzied display. Although it seemed improbable that it would accidentally crush the human with a stray rock, there was always a chance, right?

The strength of the Mountain Bear was immense. Each boulder it launched sent shockwaves through the air, and upon hitting the lake, they caused towering splashes, some reaching dozens of meters high.