Chapter 82: Joining Forces

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

“Big brother, are the inner core and essence blood of top-tier Beiling Realm demonic beasts still useful for your cultivation?” Su Ran turned her head and looked at Chen Fei.

“Not much use anymore,” Chen Fei shook his head.

“Then let’s try hunting True Spirit Realm demonic beasts!” Su Ran suggested immediately.

The two continued forward cautiously and soon reached the depths of the Falling Spiral Valley. This time, they did not dare to be reckless but proceeded carefully, searching for traces of ordinary Yuling Realm demonic beasts.

“Let’s change direction!” Chen Fei and Su Ran had already arrived near the pond where they once hunted the century-old Silver Flood Dragon.

The century-old Silver Flood Dragon was incredibly powerful. Back then, even Sun Qianyi and several other True Spirit Masters working together failed to slay it.

Chen Fei and the Silver Flood Dragon had a deep grudge. If the creature were to discover his presence, it would surely launch a relentless attack against him.

“Why?” Su Ran asked in confusion.

“This was once the lair of a century-old Silver Flood Dragon. Back then, Principal Sun Qianyi and Wei Tinghong from Qinghai Academy joined forces to hunt it down,” Chen Fei explained. “In the end, the Silver Flood Dragon was severely wounded and managed to escape.”

“This creature harbors extreme hatred for me. If it finds me, it will undoubtedly pursue us relentlessly.”

“A century-old Silver Flood Dragon?” Su Ran’s eyes gleamed with an indescribable light instead of showing hesitation or fear.

Her reaction startled Chen Fei. That was a century-old Silver Flood Dragon—a beast that even multiple True Spirit Masters couldn’t slay!

“Su Ran, don’t joke around. I may not know exactly how strong it is, but there’s no way we can rely on luck to take on a creature comparable to a Fourth-grade True Spirit Master,” Chen Fei warned, fearing she was being reckless.

“The Silver Flood Dragon is indeed powerful and likely possesses the strength of a Fourth-grade True Spirit Master,” Su Ran admitted. “But don’t worry, big brother. I wouldn’t blindly go after it unless I was certain of our chances.”

“How badly was it injured?” Su Ran asked again, clearly unwilling to let go of the idea.

If the Silver Flood Dragon was still gravely wounded, slaying it would yield greater rewards than hunting dozens of ordinary beasts.

Seeing her persistence, Chen Fei realized his concern was unnecessary—Su Ran likely understood the strength of demonic beasts better than he did.

Recalling the past battle, he said, “Its inner core was severely damaged, and it lost a great deal of essence blood. As for external wounds, they shouldn’t be much of an issue.”

“Its inner core was damaged?” Su Ran looked at Chen Fei in astonishment. “Sun Qianyi and the others were that strong? They actually managed to injure its core?”

A demonic beast’s inner core was akin to a spiritual master’s dantian or a magic master’s sea of consciousness—fundamental to their power.

For it to be damaged meant the beast must be in a truly dire state.

“It wasn’t Sun Qianyi and the others who injured its core,” Chen Fei clarified. “There were other circumstances.”

“I see,” Su Ran didn’t press further but instead seemed even more intrigued. “External injuries are minor, and essence blood loss can be replenished by hunting other beasts.”

“But an inner core injury… that’s not something that recovers overnight.”

“It’s been, what, ten days since it was wounded?” she asked.

Chen Fei swallowed nervously. “Su Ran, are you planning to target that Silver Flood Dragon?”

“If it was only injured ten days ago, its inner core is still weak, and it hasn’t replenished its essence blood,” Su Ran analyzed. “That means its combat power is at best comparable to a Third-grade True Spirit Master.”

“Big brother, can you hold it off for a while?” she asked, her eyes fixed on Chen Fei.

“For how long?” He felt immense pressure. While he was confident against a First-grade True Spirit Master-level beast, he had no certainty against a beast comparable to a Third-grade True Spirit Master.

“Ten moves should be enough!” Su Ran replied.

“You’re overestimating me! I’m just a Half-step True Spirit Master!” Chen Fei quickly shook his head. This wasn’t the time to play hero. A single mistake could cost both of their lives.

“Big brother, no need to be modest,” Su Ran chuckled. “Your aura is thick and powerful. Even though you’re only a Half-step True Spirit Master, your spiritual energy intensity is at least on par with a Second-grade True Spirit Master.”

Chen Fei was taken aback and curiously observed her.

“I saw it back when you fought against the Su family and Ye Chen,” Su Ran continued. “You also obtained two high-quality Third-grade pills. If you consumed them, your strength must have increased significantly.”

“Big brother, test your strength against me. Let me see if you can hold off the Silver Flood Dragon for ten moves,” she said.

“This… Su Ran, are you serious?” Chen Fei was surprised by how determined she was.

“It’s fine,” Su Ran smiled. “I just want to gauge your power so we can safely choose our targets.”

Her reasoning was solid—knowing their own strength would help them plan their hunt better.

“Alright,” Chen Fei agreed. He had also been curious about Su Ran’s abilities. A brief sparring session would help them prepare for the upcoming battle.

Su Ran had previously slain an Ironbone Black Bear in a single strike—her strength was formidable.

Chen Fei didn’t want to be underestimated, so he immediately activated his Beiling Dragon talent. The Void Heaven Cauldron trembled as his spiritual energy surged like a tidal wave.

He threw a punch toward Su Ran.

Su Ran’s expression turned serious. Instead of counterattacking, she swiftly formed hand seals, conjuring a fiery shield in front of her.

Boom!

The punch landed on the flaming shield, causing a loud explosion that sent nearby beasts scattering.

Chen Fei’s expression changed slightly. He realized that Su Ran’s technique was vastly different from the spiritual energy barriers he was familiar with.

He had assumed her shield was like a standard spiritual master’s barrier—simply a wall of spiritual energy whose strength depended on the user’s energy level.

However, Su Ran’s shield was different. It wasn’t just reinforced with mental energy like a magic master’s shield—it felt as if her spiritual energy had its own consciousness, optimizing its defensive capabilities.

“This… how is this possible?” Chen Fei’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Su Ran.