The cry of an Eagle Beast from the sky drew the attention of Feiyan and his companions. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Feiyan looked up, watching the several Eagle Beasts streak past overhead. "Those are messenger Eagle Beasts from the Divine Leopard Tribe," he said.

He and Sunxiao had seen these very Eagle Beasts before, back when they were following the beastmen of the Divine Leopard Tribe.

"So the beastmen of the Divine Leopard Tribe haven’t even left yet."

Sunxiao glanced in the direction the Eagle Beasts were flying. "If something hadn’t gone wrong, they wouldn’t be heading back."

"Something must have happened here," Jin Ling urged. "We need to find Xixi faster."

Jin Ling stroked the partner bond mark on his body. He could sense that Xixi was safe for now. Otherwise, he couldn’t even imagine what he might do.

"We’re here. It’s just ahead."

Jin Ling ran to the spot where they had found Qiao Qiao.

"This is where we found Qiaoqiao. She said Xixi disappeared right here."

Someone’s crimson, serpentine eyes swept across the area before finally settling on a large, dead tree. He circled the tree several times before coming to a stop.

"It’s him."

Jin Ling was puzzled. "Who?"

The serpentine eyes narrowed. "That monster!"

「Meanwhile」

After Qiao Xixi calmed Sangze down, they returned to the ore vein that contained the holy crystals.

Qiao Xixi mentally opened her coordinate interface and noticed that many of the red dots were gone. She quickly summoned Xiao Yao to ask about it.

"What’s going on? Did all those red dots disappear because of the ruckus Sangze caused last night?"

"Host, Sangze nearly tore apart the Earth Escape Beasts’ lair last night. Of course they’re going to hide! When that one Earth Escape Beast got back, you think it didn’t tell all its buddies about its terrifying ordeal? So it’s perfectly normal for the red dots to disappear today. I mean, they were some of the tougher monsters to deal with, after all."

’I see.’

"Then hurry up and check where Jin Ling and the others are."

’She needed to get the holy crystals, but she couldn’t agree to Sangze’s conditions. The best solution was for her to go down with Jin Ling and the others to retrieve them herself.’

"Host, are you sure you don’t want to reconsider Sangze? He’s super strong, you know."

’And a total psycho, thanks for reminding me!’

"Oh! Jin Ling and the others are already heading toward the ore vein! Host, it shouldn’t be long before you’re all reunited!"

A joyful expression lit up Qiao Xixi’s face. "Which direction? I’ll go and wait for them."

"Uhm, Host, it won’t be that quick. The Hopeless Abyss is huge, you know. They took a wrong turn earlier, so it’ll still take them a while to get over here."

"Oh."

’Then there’s no point in waiting here. I might as well go back to the pit and dispose of those beastmen corpses. I can’t have the smell of blood attracting demonic beasts and Mutant Beasts.’

Before Qiao Xixi and Sangze could even make it back to the deep pit, the Eagle Beasts had already returned to the Divine Leopard Tribe.

Sangkun stood on a high observation platform, his amber eyes turning instantly cold as he watched the Eagle Beasts fly back.

’Based on the timing, it’s impossible for Tulun and his group to be back this soon. Something must have happened.’

Sure enough, the moment he returned to the main house, a beastman bearing the news hurried toward him.

"Young Clan Leader, this is terrible! Tulun and his men... they were all killed by Sangze!"

The corner of Sangkun’s eye twitched violently with rage.

"He killed all of them? Isn’t he afraid of..." Sangkun took a deep breath, swallowing the rest of his sentence.

"They’re all dead?"

"According to the Eagle Beast’s message, there were no survivors."

Sangkun’s fists clenched. "You are dismissed."

After the messenger departed, Sangkun strode out of the main house, heading for a well-hidden dwelling at the back of the tribe’s territory.

As soon as he arrived, the beastman guarding the door stopped him.

"Young Clan Leader. What brings you here?"

"I have urgent business with the Clan Leader."

"Please wait a moment, Young Clan Leader."

The beastman returned shortly. "The Clan Leader will see you. Please, enter."

Inside the most secluded stone house, a male black panther with graying hair sat on a wooden chair. Beside him was a wooden bed, upon which lay a female of the Fox Clan.

"Father."

Sanggu opened his eyes. They were a pair of green eyes that held a profound aura. After a brief, faint glance at Sangkun, he looked away.

"What is it?"

"Father, Sangze has killed Tulun and his men. I suspect the evil beast within him can no longer be suppressed by the Dark Origin Stone."

Hearing this, Sanggu closed his eyes again. "What do you propose?"

"Father, we can’t kill him, but we can cripple him. Just like we crippled Sangqi’s beast bone. Once he becomes a useless beast, he’ll no longer be a threat to the tribe."

Sangkun finished speaking, but for a long time, he received no reply from Sanggu.

Just as Sangkun’s patience was wearing thin, Sanggu opened his eyes again. He stared at him sharply. "And if I refuse?"

A vein throbbed on Sangkun’s forehead. He slowly lifted his head, his usual gentle demeanor completely gone.

"Father, you should be well aware that I am the only one who can obtain the Luosang Flower from the Priest of Beast King City to prolong Mother’s life. Are you really going to stand by and watch her die?"

Sanggu gazed at his mate on the bed, her eyes tightly closed. He gently caressed her face with his fingertips, his own eyes filled with profound love.

"What is it you want from me?" When he spoke again, his voice was thick with sorrow.

A glint flashed in Sangkun’s eyes. "I want the Three Great Beast Guards who protect the tribe. With them, we can certainly remove Sangze’s beast bone."

Sangkun produced a wooden box. "This is the Luosang Flower, just obtained from the Priest in Beast City. It can extend Mother’s life by at least three years."

He opened the box, revealing three brilliantly colored flowers inside.

At last, a flicker of emotion crossed Sanggu’s eyes. He stared at Sangkun with a heavy gaze. "Fine."

With that, he took out the bone token exclusive to the Clan Leader. "Take it. Your mother said that no matter what, she wants him to live."

Sangkun accepted the bone token with delight. ’He had no idea how long he’d waited for this day. If Mother weren’t on the verge of death, Father would never have given this to me!’

"Rest assured, Father. We’re blood brothers. How could I possibly bear to watch him die?"

After leaving, Sangkun impatiently took the bone token to find the Three Great Beast Guards. They were all top-tier masters of the Divine Leopard Tribe who had broken through to the 10th-rank beast soul, the very foundation of the tribe’s steady growth over the years.

However, the Three Great Beast Guards obeyed only the Clan Leader, and the bone token was sufficient proof of his authority.

"Go and gather thirty warriors with 5-star beast souls or higher," he commanded one of his subordinates. "This time, I will cripple him completely and eliminate this threat for good!"

"Yes, sir."

「At the edge of the deep pit」

Qiao Xixi and Sangze were huffing and puffing as they tossed the dead beastmen’s bodies into the chasm. There were so many corpses, and they had no other way to dispose of them.

’Besides, it’s Dark Sangze who comes out at night. With him around, the demonic beasts and Mutant Beasts in the area probably won’t dare to approach.’

Once all the bodies had been thrown in, Qiao Xixi lit a fire and burned them.

Sangze stared at the roaring flames, silent and unmoving.

Suddenly, he lifted his head and looked at Qiao Xixi. "Xixi," he said, "you have to leave this place. Immediately."