C13 The Eccentric Lin Wushuang!!

The Wolf King emerged suddenly, clamping its jaws around the throat of the little black bear, Tebieruth. It was a raw, primal attack, yet undeniably effective. The sharp teeth of the wolf punctured the unsuspecting Tebieruth's throat in an instant.

Tebieruth fought back desperately, but its hands and upper body were already tightly ensnared by the thick coils of the giant snake. Now, with its vital throat under attack, it could only twist its neck weakly, hoping in vain to dislodge the Wolf King. But the Wolf King's grip was unyielding, its fangs—now imbued with attribute power—easily penetrating Tebieruth's rock-like skin and the dense muscle beneath, severing the windpipe and arteries...

Death was certain, yet Tebieruth had not succumbed instantly. As half its neck was lost, scalding blood spurted out, soaking the earth beneath in a crimson hue. Driven by a fierce will to survive, Tebieruth continued to struggle. But as strength ebbed away, it could only shiver feebly, its body growing colder, vision dimming, overwhelmed by an irresistible urge to sleep...

In the end, Tebieruth perished, a victim of the relentless assault by the Wolf King and the giant snake.

"Roar! Roar!" Hugo, witnessing the demise of the small black bear in a bloodbath, let out a hysterical roar. Forsaking the flame tiger before him, he staggered toward the Wolf King in a vengeful charge. Yet, with a swift sidestep, the Wolf King evaded the big black bear's onslaught.

The giant snake, having escaped Tebieruth's grasp, sensed danger and swiftly retreated. In the end, Hugo ceased the pursuit, collapsing to his knees before Tebieruth. He bowed his head and tenderly licked Tebieruth's cheek, mourning with soft, sorrowful whimpers, "Wuwu~ Wuwu~"

Nearby, a diminutive man spat out blood weakly. The backlash from his Familiar's death compounded the frailty of his already weakened state. Despite the peril of being encircled by a host of beasts, he refused to surrender. Leaning on a tree trunk for support, he stood and called out with what strength he had left, "Please wait! Honored Beast King!"

The flame tiger roared at the short man, "Roar! Humans! You all deserve to die!"

"Bang!"

The short man suddenly stumbled and fell to his knees, his former arrogance completely stripped away.

"Thud thud!"

His head knocked heavily against the ground, and two trails of tears streaked down his dark face. "Please, spare Hugo... I'll do anything for you!"

"Roar! You will pay for the lives of my young cubs!"

The short man's heartfelt plea failed to move any of the surrounding spirit animals, and the flame tiger had no intention of showing mercy, especially not to the other spirit animals that harbored grudges against humans.

"Swish! Tiger king, your offspring might still be alive!"

Out of nowhere, crew cut, who had been spectating the entire time, spoke up to save the short man.

"Roar!" At this, the beast king flame tiger turned and fixed a piercing gaze on the ratel.

This guy! He had been watching the whole time, and now he was trying to save this despicable human! What was he really up to?

After a moment, the flame tiger ceased its movements, curious to hear what the ratel had to say...

With a toothy grin, the ratel looked at the flame tiger and continued, "Squeak... Tiger king, with your exceptional talents, I'm sure your cubs are extraordinary as well..."

"In that case, those feeble and incompetent humans will likely vie for it. They'll take good care of it, ensuring it wants for nothing and keeping it safe from harm..."

"Roar! What are you trying to say? Do you want me to let him go?"

"Swish! No, not exactly. We can actually put him to good use!"

"Roar! I have no need for anything human!"

"Swish! This is different. He can help us with many things, like enhancing our strength..."

...

"Roar!"

...

"Ahaha!"

Lin Yi rubbed his eyes, still feeling incredibly sleepy.

He had spent the previous night at the auction house, causing a stir but ending up with nothing more than two weapons. To top it off, he hadn't even managed a decent sleep.

With no other choice, Lin Yi washed up quickly and half-awake, made his way to the living room.

"Hey! The sun's high in the sky, and you're just getting up?" Lin Wushuang, lounging on the sofa watching TV, eyed Lin Yi with evident annoyance as he sported dark circles under his eyes.

"Scram! You little squirt, shouldn't you be doing your homework?"

"Homework? What's that? Why would I have homework? And hey, brother! Where did you sneak off to last night? Don't bother denying it; I saw you with my own two eyes." Lin Wushuang leaned in close to Lin Yi, her question tinged with mischief.

Lin Yi, with Lin Wushuang's face nearly touching his, shifted uncomfortably to the other end of the sofa, his expression one of distaste.

"That's impossible. I've been in my room since dinner. You must be seeing things from staying up all night watching dramas!" Lin Yi feigned surprise, his face suggesting she was joking.

But internally, Lin Yi was ranting to himself.

Wushuang, always up late watching those dramas? Not getting any rest in the dead of night! What's so interesting about them? Are those cardboard characters on screen anywhere near as good-looking as me? And she must have been lured here by Tiny's whining last night. At that thought, Lin Yi shot a glance at Tiny, who was sound asleep by the door.

You've brought trouble on me, and you have the nerve to sleep? I'll take care of you later...

Lin Wushuang looked puzzled. "Is that so?"

"Absolutely!" Lin Yi affirmed, his face the picture of righteousness.

"Oh? Then what's this?" Lin Wushuang suddenly opened her clenched right hand, her previously puzzled look turning sly. "I don't recall us owning anything like this~"

What?

Lin Yi's gaze fell on Lin Wushuang's delicate, pale hand... Ah! That wasn't the point!

The point was the yellowish, transparent earth essence stone in her palm.

"Earth essence stone!"

The moment he recognized it, Lin Yi broke out in a cold sweat, his inner turmoil reaching a fever pitch.

Tiny!

"Woof! Woof!"

Seemingly sensing something amiss, Tiny, previously deep in slumber, suddenly woke up, shaking its head in bewilderment.

After a moment's pause, it bounded over to Lin Yi, tail wagging with excitement. But Lin Yi was not in the mood for its antics. He shook Tiny off his leg, muttering incessantly, "Get lost! You can't even guard your own treasures! How can I expect a dog that doesn't protect its food to protect me? Off with you..."

"Wow," Tiny cocked its head, puzzled.

Is my master being silly again? Poor thing! I must strive to grow stronger! That way, I can protect you in the future.

"Don't bully Tiny!"

Lin Wushuang lifted the bag of special dog food and gently set it down in Tiny's bowl, alongside the earth essence stone.

"Tiny, it's time for dinner!"

"Woof! Woof!"