As soon as the bear was killed, Akata didn’t immediately rest but went to take on the other Lunar Bear. That one was at the Great Circle of the First Rank and although it had expended some energy dealing with Akata and was now facing a group of more than ten people it still held the upper hand. The most powerful people of the group were Sumting Wong and Basik Bufmann. Both were at the 8th Grade of the First Rank and were, like the rest of the disciples, considered monsters in their own right. They could challenge people above their levels and even win some. But what they were facing now was a Lunar Bear at the Great Circle of the First Rank. It surpassed the 10th Grade in might and was a force that the group of people couldn’t handle on their own.

Akata knew this as well and instantly went to help them out. But as he approached another though crossed his mind. ‘Why am I helping them out? They should use this opportunity to temper themselves against stronger opponents, only then will they grow stronger.’ Akata gradually slowed in speed until he fully stopped and watched from the sides. If things turned dire then he would intervene but until then he would have them handle it.

The Lunar Bear was obviously much more worried about Akata joining in the fight. It had paid attention when Akata had killed the leader and it was losing its fighting will. When it saw Akata heading over it felt as if all hope was lost, but then it saw Akata stop and look as if he had no intentions on joining in the fight. Joy overwhelmed the Lunar Bear and its fighting will rose along with the power of its strikes.

Bang! Bang!

Paw strikes were sent everywhere as the brawl raged on. Claw marks, fires, sword streaks, etc. all ravaged the land around. It was fierce to the extreme. Blood was thrown everywhere as injuries built up on the two opposing groups.

‘Why isn’t Akata helping out?’

‘Does he really have to rest at a time like this?’

“I don’t think I can hold on for much longer, help out please Akata!’

Cries for help rang out in the air while thoughts of abandonment suffused within the minds of others. The group was confused, helpless, angry, etc. They just didn’t understand why Akata wouldn’t help them face this powerful foe.

“Ahahaha!” I haven’t fought such a powerful opponent in my life before! You call yourselves cultivators but don’t even want to fight this thing on your own? Humph! For what reason do you train? If you don’t face stronger enemies then how will you yourself get stronger?” Basik Bufmann called out while fiercely attacking the Lunar Bear.

“This is our fight in order for us to raise our strengths. We won’t have Akata with us our whole lives so why should we call out to him to help us out. We are just as capable of fighting as he is. Let’s take this thing down on our own and bring glory to our sect and ourselves.” Sumting Wong also called out while he fought as well.

The group of people weren’t dumb in the slightest. From the words of Sumting Wong and Basik Bufmann, and from the actions Akata displayed, it was easy for them to understand the situation right now. Yes this was dangerous and they could get heavily injured, but when wouldn’t it be dangerous for them if they wanted to get stronger. The whole cultivation world was dangerous but out of those dangers was equal or greater fortune.

It might be suicidal to face this Lunar Bear alone but with all these people they stood somewhat of a chance. There also wasn’t any risk to their lives at all as this whole trip was meant to train and nurture themselves. So why were they asking for help then?

The few people fighting in close quarters took in a deep breath and then abandoned all of their negative thoughts. Their moods switched over to ones of thankfulness and the like. Their attacks got fiercer and they themselves fought wildly. They were going all out. And with the frontlines going all out how could the rest not do the same.

In truth, neither Sumting Wong nor Basik Bufmann understood why Akata was just standing there watching. It was only due to Basik Bufmann’s sudden enlightenment of Akata’s actions that he spoke out. The reason for this sudden enlightenment was because of the trace of energy that Akata had left behind when he broke that seal. There was a higher mental connection between the two now and they could understand each other more clearly.

Akata was worried that his sudden actions of stopping would be seen wrongly in the eyes of the others. But he wanted them to discover his intentions so he didn’t say a word. Secretly, however, he heaved a sigh of relief when Basik Bufmann and Sumting Wong spoke out on his behalf.

Although the group had much more motivation and fighting will, that didn’t put them in any sort of advantage. At the same time, they weren’t at any disadvantage either. The two sides were locked in a fierce struggle for supremacy but were evenly matched.

The Lunar Bear was surprised at the sudden burst of energy the group displayed and let out a roar filled with ruthlessness. Bang! The ground suddenly burst apart and the group was thrown back. Blood streamed out of their mouths as they flew backwards through the air. The closer members were directly knocked unconscious and were on the verge of death. Before they landed on the ground however, a gray light enveloped them and teleported them out.

Akata was immediately surprised at the sudden turn of events. He rushed forward to hold back the bear while the group situated themselves and got to their feet. But once he got to the front he noticed something strange about the bear.

It had become a bit more slender and wasn’t as big and fluffy as it had once been. Its claws grew longer by half a foot. Its fangs turned into half a meter long saber-toothed shaped canines. The blue fur became sleeker and shinier. Its snake-thin tail became longer and wrapped around its abdomen as spikes protruded out of it.

Akata’s eyes instantly went wide with terror. This was… a sudden mutation! Ming Lu was born and raised in the Holy Beast Kingdom and therefore knew a lot about beasts. Therefore, when Akata was her disciple she taught him a great deal regarding beasts. Even with all that information, she only briefly mentioned the phenomenon of mutating. It was so rare that it was considered a legend. But, Akata had actually seen it take place before his very eyes.

The now mutated Lunar Bear charged at the first person it saw which happened to be a youth to the left of Akata. It raised its body up and slammed its front paws down on the ground. Boom! The ground trembled as the gravity in the area went out of control. Sometimes it was heavy other times it was light enough to make you float. This made it very hard for anything to move in this area. After its gravity attack, it instantly appeared in front of the youth and struck out with its claws. Swish. The claws hit nothing but air as the youth was teleported out with a gray light. The whole time he didn’t even know he was being attacked.

It all happened too fast. Akata had watched the whole thing happen but was too slow to react. The bear was still at the Great Circle of the First Rank but it’s strength, speed, intelligence… everything about it had been improved on fundamental level. It was completely like a new existence that couldn’t be compared to its old self. It was about on the same level of the Winged Skyfrog Akata had previously fought.

Akata was dumbstruck. The level of skill and the disparity of strength from the previous Lunar Bear and the now mutated one was greater than the difference between Heaven and Earth. It just couldn’t be compared. If Akata hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed that this was just a Lunar Bear. This was just a fearsome foe.

Akata couldn’t remain slack jawed and awestruck for long because as soon as the bear noticed that its previous target disappeared, it set its sights on Akata which was the closest one to it now. As soon as it did, it let out another wave of gravity to disrupt the movement of its target. As soon as it finished it rushed over with its utter speed, defying gravity along the way.

But… Akata wasn’t a regular youth. He was instantly prepared as soon as the Lunar Bear eyes him. He held out his hand as the First Rank Bludhaven Scythe appeared. Akata had a better scythe, the Third Rank Blacksoul Scythe, but it was just too strong for him at the moment. He couldn’t wield it at all. Any attack he tried to use would be monstrously stronger than when he used his Bludhaven Scythe but it would sap him of all of his energy, even if he wasn’t even trying to use energy. What good was a weapon if it would leave you immobile after just one attack?

Therefore, Akata’s scythe of choice was obviously the Bludhaven Scythe that he could wield easily and bring the most use out of. As soon as the scythe appeared in his hands he executed the third stance of the World Omen scythe techniques, Clear Passage. Normally this was a skill used to safely withstand a group attack but this time Akata used it to get through the disruption of gravity. The scythe cut through everything and made a path that Akata could safely be in. Gravity wasn’t even able to seep through to hinder Akata. Once again he was amazed and enlightened to the potential of the scythe. But this wasn’t the time to comprehend some of the abilities the scythe was capable of.

The Lunar Bear charged quickly and arrived in front of the Clear Passage. With a wave of its claws it instantly shattered the Clear Passage technique and went to face off against Akata head on.