As Yang Qianrou was about to persuade them further, she saw the Bear King charging towards her.
The Bear King's power was far beyond that of ordinary White-Headed Giant Bears. With a single claw strike, it created a large hole in the ice glacier within a ten-meter radius.
Yuan Cheng, an archer from the Savage Hunting Group, pulled his bowstring, sending ten arrows soaring into the sky. They then descended like missiles, attacking the Bear King below.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The arrows exploded upon impact, creating blue shockwaves. Though seemingly powerful, they couldn't even scratch the Bear King's fur.
At this moment, a long whip appeared in Yang Qianrou's hand. She swung it towards the Bear King.
The whip extended in the air, transforming into a blazing sun that struck the Bear King.
Yang Qianrou yanked her arm, and the rope bound the Bear King. Fierce flames erupted, revealing her whip to be no ordinary weapon.
Bound by the whip, the Bear King was engulfed in flames. Yet, its contemptuous gaze towards Yang Qianrou instilled a sense of unease in her.
However, her whip was a high-grade magical artifact, difficult even for the strong to break free from once ensnared. This somewhat calmed Yang Qianrou.
"Everyone, attack quickly! The Bear King is trapped by me," Yang Qianrou shouted.
"Coming!"
Jiang Xiao leaped over ten meters high, axe in hand, and swung it down towards the Bear King's head. The others also unleashed their attacks, surrounding the Bear King. Only Ning Beichen remained still.
The Bear King, scoffing at everyone, rose to its feet and let out a roar.
*Boom!*
A deafening roar, no less potent than a shockwave, cracked the ice glacier beneath them.
"Phoenix Returns Home!"
Yang Qianrou's lips bled from the impact. She knew that if she didn't fight with all her might, they would all perish here today.
Thus, she pulled the whip backward with all her strength, channeling her power into it. A colossal golden phoenix descended from the heavens, spewing a torrent of terrifying crimson flames upon the Bear King.
The appearance of the golden phoenix generated intense heat, creating layers of heatwaves. These waves, carrying immense temperatures, melted the ice glacier wherever they passed.
The members of the Savage Hunting Group, seeing the golden phoenix, displayed joy on their faces and quickly retreated. They knew this was their leader Yang Qianrou's signature move, Phoenix Returns Home.
Once Phoenix Returns Home appeared, the area within a hundred-meter radius became a forbidden zone. Few could withstand its attack, and this was a primary reason for the Savage Hunting Group's third-place ranking.
However, Ning Beichen could see that the Bear King didn't take Phoenix Returns Home seriously at all.
As Ning Beichen had expected, the Bear King swiped its claw towards the golden phoenix in the sky. A massive claw struck the golden phoenix.
The golden phoenix could not withstand the blow of the bear's claw. With a snap, the phoenix phantom vanished, scattering into a myriad of flames that drifted down.
The Bear King's other claw then struck towards Yang Qianrou. Despite being five to six meters apart, Yang Qianrou was inexplicably hit by the bear's claw.
Yang Qianrou cried out in pain as she was slammed into the ice lake by the bear's claw, leaving a trail of blood on the water's surface.
Fortunately, Yang Qianrou was not weak. Although she was knocked into the ice lake, she quickly flew out, though she appeared to be severely injured.
However, a grim situation unfolded. Apart from the Bear King, over a dozen other White-Headed Giant Bears appeared, blocking the Savage Hunting Group's escape route.
"Roar!"
"Roar! Roar!"
The dozen White-Headed Giant Bears roared, their intentions clear: to tear the members of the Savage Hunting Group to shreds.
"Let's flee, save who we can," Yang Qianrou said desperately to her subordinates upon seeing this.
If it were only one Bear King, escaping would not have been difficult. But with these over a dozen White-Headed Giant Bears, escape in this icy wilderness was almost impossible.
Therefore, Yang Qianrou's order for her subordinates to flee was merely a gamble in their desperate situation.
"Let me deal with them," Ning Beichen stepped forward and said softly to Yang Qianrou.
"You?"
"Ning Beichen, I know you're not weak, but unfortunately, we've encountered the Bear King. You're no match for it. Hurry and escape; perhaps there's still a glimmer of hope for survival," Yang Qianrou told Ning Beichen.
It wasn't that she underestimated Ning Beichen, but the Bear King was too formidable. Perhaps only the top-ranked Holy Hunter could contend with it, let alone with over a dozen White-Headed Giant Bears by its side.
Such a terrifying scenario might even make the top-ranked Holy Hunter retreat.
"Don't worry, I haven't contributed much since joining the Savage Hunting Group. So, I'll start now."
Ning Beichen knew Yang Qianrou didn't believe in his strength, but he would prove to her how correct her decision was in accepting him into her hunting group.
Since he intended to show his strength, Ning Beichen saw no reason to hold back. He drew the bronze ancient sword from his back, ignored the surrounding White-Headed Giant Bears, and walked towards the Bear King ahead.
"Ning Beichen, don't go..." Yang Qianrou urgently shouted at him.
But Ning Beichen didn't look back. His expressionless gaze fixed on the Bear King, giving it a bad premonition.
Yet, the Bear King couldn't understand the source of this unease, nor could it believe that this young human before it could do anything to it.
"One Sword Shocks the Heavens!"
Ning Beichen wasted no words. With a swing of his bronze ancient sword, a terrifying sword aura shot skyward. Countless sword rain then pattered down onto the Bear King and the dozen White-Headed Giant Bears, with no fanfare.
The Bear King and the dozen White-Headed Giant Bears were already considered Ning Beichen's prey. Therefore, he showed no mercy from the outset.
Because, in Ning Beichen's eyes, these bears were all money.
"Roar!"
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The first to suffer were the dozen White-Headed Giant Bears. Faced with Ning Beichen's sword rain, they couldn't withstand it. Their bodies were pierced by the sword rain, turning them into a honeycomb.
The Bear King, however, was much stronger. It could block some of the sword rain with its claws.
But it was futile. Faced with the sky-filled sword rain, the portion it managed to block was insignificant.
Soon, the Bear King became terrified. It immediately dropped to all fours and, without hesitation, fled into the distance as fast as it could.
All thoughts of revenge vanished. All it wanted was to escape this terrifying human and the dreadful sword rain from the sky.