The two days of rest passed quickly, and Chu Liangyu’s group set out on their journey to the Beast World Center.
Unlike modern people who needed to prepare many things before a trip, they took the sky as their blanket and the earth as their bed.
When thirsty, they drank from streams; when hungry, they hunted in the forest. The journey was carefree and relaxed.
Of course, Chu Liangyu and Xiong Jiaojiao still remembered to work on improving their strength.
"Sister Liangyu, haven’t I improved a lot these past few days?"
"You have."
Xiong Jiaojiao was in high spirits. "Hehe, it’s mainly because Sister Liangyu is a good teacher."
When their midday break ended, they continued on their way.
They were about to pass through the borderlands between the territories of the Elephant Clan and the Lion Clan, where conflicts often erupted.
To pass through safely, they had to remain quiet to avoid being mistaken for scouts from the opposing tribe.
Something occurred to Hu Qiumu, and he said, "Female Master, it’s possible that Xiang Qiancheng and Jinling have returned to their clans."
"Should we... try to call them out?"
Xiang Qiancheng was an Elephant Clan Beastman, Chu Liangyu’s seventh Beast Husband.
Jinling was her eighth Beast Husband, a Lion Beastman.
To be honest, now that she had lost the fertility that male Beastmen valued most, she couldn’t guarantee that these two would be willing to follow her.
Especially since there wasn’t much of an emotional bond between them.
Other than having a few litters of cubs, they had barely interacted afterward.
"Let’s wait until we find a new tribe to settle in."
Hu Qiumu’s fox-like eyes narrowed. He knew what Chu Liangyu was worried about.
"I can go and try. What if they’re willing to follow you?"
"Oh?" Chu Liangyu was a little tempted. After a moment of silence, she said, "Then go give it a try."
"Alright."
Chu Liangyu and the others watched him leave, then found a place to sit down and rest.
"Sister Liangyu, can he really do it with just words?"
"I don’t know. Maybe."
At most, it would only delay their journey by half a day, a wait they could afford.
Growing bored during the wait, Xiong Jiaojiao announced she was going for a walk and wandered off.
Chu Liangyu simply reminded her to be careful and didn’t pay her any more mind.
She leaned lazily against a tree, enjoying the rare moment of leisure.
The little Mermaid, whom Chu Liangyu had scared the daylights out of last time, would always stare at her relentlessly during moments like these.
She clearly wanted to say something but never made a move.
At first, Chu Liangyu wasn’t used to being stared at, but now she could ignore it perfectly.
Closing her eyes for a moment, Chu Liangyu started to feel a little drowsy.
A small stone suddenly hit her, jolting Chu Liangyu awake.
"You?"
The little Mermaid, whose name was apparently Yu Youwei, still held another stone in her hand that she hadn’t had time to throw.
’Is there something seriously wrong with this little brat?’
She stood up and walked over, her expression dark.
"If you have something to say, spit it out!"
"If you can’t, don’t blame me for giving you a spanking."
Yu Youwei huffed softly and swam away down the river.
After swimming a short distance, she would stop to see if Chu Liangyu was following.
’What is she trying to do?’
Chu Liangyu wondered, but she didn’t move from her spot.
After a while, with no sound of movement behind her, Yu Youwei realized she wasn’t being followed and swam back again.
"Why aren’t you following me?"
"What are you trying to do?"
Chu Liangyu mimicked her earlier posture, crossing her arms and looking at her as she threw the question back.
The little brat’s eyes flickered for a moment, but she quickly hid it.
"I found a strange place. It looks like there’s treasure inside."
"Then why don’t you get your Beast Father to go?"
The little brat stammered, "B-Because my Beast Father isn’t as powerful as you."
Alright, Chu Liangyu could see it now. The place this kid wanted to take her was definitely no good.
’So, should I still go?’
’Of course... I have to.’
"Fine. Let’s go."
"Sister Liangyu, while I was walking around just now, I discovered something interesting."
Xiong Jiaojiao’s face was filled with the desperate need to share gossip, but seeing Chu Liangyu’s posture, she paused and asked, "Where are we going?"
Chu Liangyu didn’t answer, instead asking about what she’d just said. "What was that interesting thing you mentioned?"
Xiong Jiaojiao glanced at Yu Youwei. It seemed the topic wasn’t suitable for the little brat’s ears.
Chu Liangyu instantly understood her meaning, and the two of them walked a little further away.
"I just saw a pair of Beastmen mating in the wild. The crucial thing is, one was from the Elephant Clan, and the other was a Lion Clan Beastman."
"The relationship between their two clans is so tense. Who would have thought something like this was happening in private?"
Raising an eyebrow, Chu Liangyu also found it a bit surprising.
However, she just heard it and forgot it, not taking it to heart.
"The little brat wants to take me somewhere. Are you coming?"
"I’m in. It’s not like there’s anything else to do just sitting here."
Seeing Chu Liangyu return after leaving, Yu Youwei’s eyes lit up.
"Let’s go."
When she saw that Xiong Jiaojiao was also coming along, her mouth fell into a pout.
Following the river downstream, the surrounding trees grew increasingly sparse.
It was strange. This was clearly a forest, yet it was filled with odd-looking stones.
At first, they were just small pebbles underfoot. As they went deeper, the pebbles turned into knee-high rocks, and then into large boulders half a person’s height.
The scenery kept changing, but the stream continued to wind its way forward, seemingly without end.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, they stopped.
For one simple reason: the path ahead was gone.
Blocking their way was a massive black stone, carved with incomprehensible runes in its center.
It looked a bit familiar, like...
...the runes on the man in black’s sword. Staring at them for too long felt like falling into an endless abyss.
A sense of alarm rose in Chu Liangyu’s heart. She shook her head hard, trying to stay clear-headed.
But when her eyes inadvertently glanced at the runes again, she began to lose her senses once more.
She could still recognize her own abnormal state, but Xiong Jiaojiao beside her had long since fallen under its spell at some point.
Her expression was blank, her eyes fixed vacantly on the stone.
The little brat who had led them there revealed a strange smile.
’Was it the relief of completing a mission?’
’Or something else?’ Chu Liangyu hadn’t figured it out yet.
Just then, Yu Youwei dove into the water and disappeared.
At the same time, Chu Liangyu lost consciousness. Symmetrical patterns began to appear on her face, emitting a soft, white glow.
The light from the patterns flickered, echoing the runes on the massive black stone.
If Yin Muli were still alive, he would definitely be as excited as a monkey.
Because what had appeared on Chu Liangyu’s face was the very thing from the Golden Eagle Tribe: the King’s Mask.
The two of them stood there blankly. A moment later, the look in Chu Liangyu’s eyes changed.
It was as if she had become a different person.
Just like that day in the Golden Eagle Tribe when she had displayed her immense power—cold, confident, and proud.
"Oh?"
Placing a hand on the stone and sensing it for a moment, she said, "To think it’s your heart."
Before anyone could process the meaning of her words, the massive black stone turned to dust under her fist.
The black stone revealed its true form: a bright red, beating heart.
No one would have thought she meant it literally. But whose heart was this?
The beating heart saw her and, like a mouse seeing a cat, tried to flee.
Chu Liangyu caught it with ease. "Tell your master this is the interest."
Then, Chu Liangyu tore it in half, stuffing one piece into Xiong Jiaojiao’s mouth.
She ate the other half herself. In that instant, a dazzling red light erupted from both of them.
The red light lingered for a long time before finally dissipating.
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