First Encounter With Sneak Beast
As the group dispersed to search for edible roots and fruits, the sun gradually set. Suddenly, a shrill scream pierced the air, drawing everyone's attention.
They saw an old beastman lying in a pool of blood, whose body separated from his head.
A scar-faced black bear beastman stood there, hands bloody, smiling maliciously at the females.
“Ahh!”
The females panicked, some fleeing in confusion, while others froze in fear, unable to move.
Wandering beasts!
They had actually encountered wandering beasts!!
“Roar!”
Hu Lie and Huya transformed into their beast forms and lunged at the attackers, but they were taken aback as the wandering beasts had backup.
An incredibly powerful brown lion, a third-tier Bloodline Warrior, emerged from the forest. The lion and Hu Lie were evenly matched in their struggle.
Meanwhile, Huya confronted the black bear, shouting for the females to run.
But before they could even take a couple of steps, two scorpion-like creatures and a snake-like creature burst out from the underbrush, blocking their path.
The two male beastmen who had followed them were too occupied to notice this situation, and the remaining elderly, sick, and young in the group had no means to defend themselves.
The wandering beasts bore a deep grudge against the tribes and were known for their brutality. They began to kill the elderly and children, leaving only the young females capable of bearing offspring.
Bai Yaoyao's face turned pale, and she was at a loss. She tried to run but was abruptly pulled into the arms of a tall and skinny scorpion-like creature. Its rough hand grasped her flesh, and it grinned sinisterly, “So beautiful, such a pretty little female. How about giving me some bug eggs?”
“Ah, Hu Lie, save me!”
Bai Yaoyao was on the verge of tears. She had expected to encounter wandering beasts this time, but he wasn't the wandering beast she was looking for!
Seeing this scene, Hu Lie's eyes reddened, filled with rage. He somehow summoned boundless strength, bit through the lion's forelimb, and tore off a chunk of flesh. Taking advantage of the lion's momentary weakness, he pounced on the black scorpion holding Bai Yaoyao.
“Let's go quickly. These wandering beasts are terrifying. There are too many of them, and we can't defeat them!”
Bai Yaoyao grabbed his arm, her face pale, tears streaming down her cheeks, evoking sympathy.
This was the first time she had witnessed death before her eyes. If she had known, she should have listened to Hu Lie and not wandered around.
Hu Lie's handsome face was icy, his expression grim. He realized that this group of wandering beasts was after Bai Yaoyao in his embrace. He needed to bring her back to the tribe quickly. But what about the other female beastmen?
“Take Yaoyao back first and save as many females as possible. Go back to the tribe, gather reinforcements, and come back to save the rest!”
Hu Lie led Bai Yao Yao away, leaving the scene. Meanwhile, Huya protected the remaining females who hadn't been captured, leading them deeper into the forest.
The two remaining lone females were left behind, with no one to help them. They could only wait for the tribe's rescue.
As for whether they would survive the clutches of the wandering beasts, it was up to fate.
Running along with the group, An Yao was panting heavily. The original host of this body had been lazy and inactive, so her body was truly out of shape. Unknowingly, she ended up at the tail of the group.
Suddenly, an ice-cold, corpse-like hand grabbed her. In an instant, her feet left the ground, and a crimson forked tongue of a snake-like creature licked her face. “I like this one. This one's scent is the best, hiss~”
Snakes, she was most afraid of snakes!
An Yao trembled in fear, her mouth agape, unable to breathe properly, and nearly fainting.
Although the wandering beast she had been searching for hadn't been caught, the haul was still fruitful. They had captured three females.
“Haha, it seems the Beast God is helping us. We can finally have a feast tonight! We'll make sure each one of you gets a taste!”
“We’ll have great fun tonight!”
The lead lion-beast lifted An Yao onto his back, disregarding her struggles.
A few of the stray beasts next to them exchanged words, their excitement impossible to hide.
The several loaded-up stray beasts hurriedly rushed toward their den.
However, halfway there, another tall and slender figure appeared in their path, blocking their way.
The lion-beast stepped forward and roared angrily, “Who dares to block our way? Don't you see we're in a hurry? Get lost—”
But before he finished his words, he suddenly bit his tongue and panicked, taking a few steps back, “It's... it's you...”
The man was very tall, almost two meters in height, with a slender and long figure. However, his well-proportioned muscles exuded great strength. What caught attention the most was his sickly pale skin, with visible veins and blood vessels, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness. His handsome appearance carried an eerie air.
He also had long ink-black hair that cascaded down like a waterfall, and at the tips, it was slightly messy and curled, partially covering his thick, vibrant eyebrows and eyes.
It seemed that his eye-catching long hair had never been trimmed since birth.
His narrow crimson eyes stared coldly at the stray beasts before him, sending shivers down their spines, causing them to step back several paces.
The fear-stricken stray beasts trembled, their teeth chattering.
Of course, they knew this man—in this realm of stray beasts, there was no one who didn't know him.
In the Padi Forest, he was the most powerful of the stray snake-beasts, Gu Di'er.
Any stray beast who provoked him couldn't escape death.
The lion-beast's face contorted into a servile smile, instinctively shielding the female on his back, hiding her face, “I... I didn't know that Gu Di'er would suddenly come here. Is there something you need to instruct us?”
“We brothers have been providing tribute every month, and we've never encroached on your territory.”
“Give her to me, and I'll let you go,” the snake-beast man said as he slowly approached the group, his low voice even colder and more ruthless than imagined. His thin lips were like those of a venomous snake, exuding a dangerous aura.
He pointed at the female on the lion-beast's back.
Damn it, he's really here to snatch the female! The stray beasts inwardly cursed.
Anything else might be negotiable, but not the females. This was a precious opportunity they had been waiting for so long!
A black bear roared angrily, his eyes bloodshot, and transformed into his beast form. He charged at the man who was approaching them aggressively.
However, Gu Di'er didn't budge an inch. His crimson snake-like pupils suddenly contracted into blade-like shapes, and his lower body transformed into a nearly ten-meter-long black snake tail.
No one could see how he attacked, but they heard a deafening roar. The black bear was sent flying dozens of meters away, and two trees collapsed along with it. The scene was chaotic, with rocks and blood flying everywhere. The bear struggled to get up from the ground.
If they attempted to escape, Gu Di'er's figure shot toward them like lightning. An ominous and dangerous aura instantly enveloped them, and soon after, they all fell into a pool of blood, silenced forever.
The two females screamed and fainted in terror.
Gu Di'er didn't spare them a glance. His narrow crimson eyes were fixed on An Yao, radiating a chilling and dangerous vibe.
Especially when An Yao's gaze swept down, she caught sight of the several-meter-long black snake tail beneath him, swaying slowly, resembling a venomous black mamba...
Her scalp tingled, and her breathing tightened. She had never been more terrified of snakes in her life!
This snake-beast's aura was even more overwhelming than the previous one's.
No, they weren't even in the same league.
Just a moment ago, when the blue serpent held her, An Yao still felt a possibility of escaping. But now, she felt she was doomed.
“Stray... stray beast, get away from me, don't touch me...” Her face turned pale, she shuffled her rear end backward, her slender and delicate body trembling uncontrollably.
Tears streamed down her eyes in large drops.
Stray beasts were an outcast and vile species, and the females harbored deep hatred towards them.
Gu Di'er's eyes remained locked onto her without blinking, the depths of his gaze radiating a cold and dangerous vibe that sent chills down people's spines.
His unconsciously moving black snake tail resembled an ancient version of an extra-long venomous black mamba.
He leaned down, his cold breath brushing against her ear and the vulnerable nape of her neck, sending a shiver down her spine, making her skin crawl.
“Are you afraid of me?” Observing the panic on her face, he seemed somewhat puzzled.
“You often... feed me.” He touched his own slender abdomen, as if to illustrate his point. Having lived in the wild alone since birth, with very little interaction with other beastmen, the man's deep and melodious beast language carried a hint of unfamiliarity.
“From the moment I first saw you, I've been quite interested in you.” There wasn't much expression on his face; he opened his thin crimson lips slightly, seeming a bit disappointed.
“... I thought you weren't afraid of me, that's why you often came to feed me.”
An Yao stared at him in bewilderment.
What was this snake-beast talking about? Feeding him?
But before she could ponder it, a pair of icy-cold hands pulled her into his embrace.
Then those hands gently lowered, patting her head.
An Yao was startled and shivered uncontrollably. She instinctively shouted, “What... what are you doing? Let go of me!”
The rescue team from the tribe was probably on their way; if she was taken away by this snake-beast now, it would be over!
The man's bone-chillingly cold hand gripped her tightly, leaving her almost immobile. He was quite tall, and An Yao, who was around one meter sixty, could only reach his chest. She widened her eyes and strained her neck to look at him.
He lowered his head, and his cold ink-black hair fell onto her face, brushing against it like soft silk.
His other hand gently wiped the moisture in her eyes caused by fear. His tone was cool and tender, very appealing, “I saved you. You're my female.”
“So, don't be afraid of me.”
It was easy to say! The fear of snakes engraved in her genes made her tremble and shed tears uncontrollably.
“Host, don't be afraid. Th-th-this, this is one of the antagonists. Look carefully at the little symbol on his forehead, he's one of your reformation targets!”
007 spat out and swallowed, its voice trembling as it spoke softly. It was the first time it had seen such a huge and terrifying python.
What?
Another antagonist?
An Yao forced herself to open her eyes wider, and sure enough, she saw the five gray little hearts on the man's forehead.
Could it be that this was the infamous antagonist snake-beast from the original story?