C76 Iron Eating Beast

"Ugh."

Wang Yan let out a sigh, realizing he should have seen it coming.

Chimpanzees, by nature, were base creatures. Every vile trait found in the animal kingdom was embodied in them.

Sure, there were the occasional exceptions—good chimpanzees—but it would be a grave mistake to assume the entire species was benevolent, especially when such individuals were nearly nonexistent.

After dispatching the unconscious chimp, he casually sold it to the system.

Wang Yan had Goldie dig a hole on the side, and once inside, he sealed the entrance with a rock before settling down to sleep.

The Vajra Realm was fraught with danger, far surpassing that of the Mystic Ice Realm.

Forget the formidable giant for a moment; the black gorilla they had just encountered was a Rank 8 leader.

The thought of these creatures swarming was nothing short of nightmarish.

The darkness teemed with the murmurs of mosquitoes and the occasional muffled roar of a beast. Wang Yan even heard the thunderous rush of a horde of ferocious beasts stampeding over a nearby hill.

By his estimate, there were easily over a thousand.

Encountering a Rank 8 leader in the form of a lone black gorilla was daunting enough. The rampaging beasts likely weren't far behind in terms of threat.

"No wonder the empire abandoned the idea of conquest by force. The Vajra Realm is indeed a tough nut to crack."

Wang Yan murmured to himself, drawing Moon closer for comfort.

The military's intelligence was scant, merely highlighting a few spots where Vajra Bodhi trees grew.

These locations were highly productive. Once secured, they would yield thousands of Vajra Bodhis.

But then again, if the military had discovered these sites, the indigenous tribes of the Vajra Realm surely knew of them too.

The struggle for control was fierce, involving numerous and sizable tribes.

Each clash saw tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of combatants, with the least of the ferocious beasts being of Rank 5 or higher.

Such an immense force, if united, could pose a direct challenge to the military region of M Province.

The military's forces simply couldn't sustain such attrition and had no choice but to deploy their most formidable warriors.

So, a dilemma emerged: the military region had its share of powerhouses, as did the Vajra Realm.

But with an overwhelming number of spatial rifts requiring containment, the military was stretched too thin to intervene.

Once Wang Yan got his hands on the information, he skimmed through it and promptly discarded it.

He was no fool; he wouldn't venture into such perilous places.

Playing with the lives of others was one thing, but risking his own was out of the question.

The night dragged on, fraught with hidden dangers.

As dawn broke, the threat didn't subside; it intensified.

In under two hours, Wang Yan endured six assaults.

In four one-on-one fights, he met his end at the hands of Goldie.

In two group attacks, he was incinerated by the stick.

A massive blaze erupted amidst the combat, earning Wang Yan a stern reprimand.

Fire prevention is everyone's duty!

"Master, let me try some, let me try some," the stick pleaded, unable to contain its craving as Wang Yan savored the bone marrow. It buzzed incessantly around him.

"Why do you want a taste of everything? I've got some fresh foot skin; want to try that too?"

"Well, I wouldn't say no!"

Wang Yan: "..."

"Just stick to the meat and bone marrow. I've got the foot skin covered."

Wang Yan gave his dog a pat on the head and pushed the bone into its eager mouth.

In the Vajra Realm, no humans could be found—only a myriad of ferocious beasts roamed.

Hours later, Rice Bucket came to an abrupt halt.

A kilometer ahead, two factions of ferocious beasts were locked in a fierce battle.

Their black and white fur, robust and stout, they cried out with "Ying Ying Ying" sounds.

These were Iron Eating Beasts, also known as giant pandas!

Completely white with arms hanging to its knees, its fangs exposed, and eyes a bloodthirsty red, these were White Apes!

The clash between the Iron Eating Beasts and the white apes was brutal; the beasts hammered and gnawed, while the apes raged wildly.

"Awoo! Awoo!"

A towering white ape, over two meters tall, sprang into the air, lunging at the nearest Iron Eating Beast.

The pressure was immense, like Mount Tai bearing down, and stars plummeting from the heavens.

The white ape's attack was terrifying beyond measure; even a leader of Rank 9 would crumble under its strike.

Yet, the Iron Eating Beast proved superior. With a deft twist of its hefty black and white body, it effortlessly deflected the white ape's assault.

Next, its plump paw pierced the white ape's skull as easily as crushing a block of tofu.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"

The Iron Eating Beast let out two cries before setting its sights on an even larger white ape.

"Wow, this creature's fighting power is off the charts!"

Wang Yan was astounded. The creature, resembling a clumsy panda, was handling the white apes as if they were mere playthings.

With each swipe of a claw, punch of a fist, or slam of a rump, another ape was downed.

Despite being outnumbered, less than two hundred Iron Eating Beasts were giving a thrashing to a horde of a thousand white apes.

"Boss, we should make a run for it..."

Goldie gulped, its claws tightly gripping Wang Yan's hair.

Facing over a hundred Iron Eating Beasts, each a formidable suzerain, how could they possibly engage?

A headlong charge would likely leave them in a worse state than the white apes.

"Yes, yes, yes. Time to beat a hasty retreat!"

Stick nodded vigorously, not ready to meet its end just yet.

"These white apes and giant pandas must be fighting to the death for a reason. Let's circle around; we might just stumble upon some advantages."

A glint of 'greed' sparkled in Wang Yan's eyes. Even if there were no treasures to be found, capturing a young one would suffice. If not for battle, then for a savory stew.

"Move out, move out!"

Goldie gave Rice Bucket's head a peck, and off he bolted, swift as the wind, quick as lightning.

Rice Bucket charged ahead and soon came upon a massive nest.

A few stones stood at the entrance, shielding it from the snow. Inside, the floor was carpeted with dry, soft grass.

The white ape's dwelling was far tidier than that of chimpanzees, with a faint musk of wild beasts mingled with the sweet scent of fruit.

Given the combat prowess of those giant pandas, only a handful of white apes could make it back alive.

Wang Yan, therefore, entered the cave with confidence, unconcerned about any returning white apes blocking his path.

The deeper he ventured, the more pungent the fishy odor grew, and the humidity intensified.

He came across numerous withered branches and the bones of some unidentified ferocious beast.

After moving forward for more than a hundred meters, just as Wang Yan had anticipated, he indeed found a group of white ape cubs.

He counted thirty-three in total, virtually devoid of any combat ability.

Upon seeing Wang Yan, the cubs huddled together in terror, emitting sharp cries.

"Boss, what's our move?"

Goldie looked visibly torn. These little creatures appeared so pitiable that it hesitated to act against them.

Yet, if Wang Yan commanded, Goldie would execute them without a second thought, shifting any sliver of remorse onto Wang Yan's shoulders.

"The best course of action is to take them all and sell them to the Beast Tamer Association. They may be leaders now, but even a life of servitude is preferable to death."

Wang Yan let out a sigh, acknowledging the harsh reality of survival. It was a constant battle against nature, against one's peers, and sometimes, against one's own kind.

A single misstep could spell the end for an entire species.

This brutal truth applied to both ferocious beasts and humans alike.