335: Swallow it back

"Kree～！！"

Suddenly, a high-pitched cry rang through the sky. The extremely penetrating sound pierced the eardrums, making one's heart tremble involuntarily.

The venomous snakes in the forest began to flee frantically as if they had encountered a natural predator. The rustling sounds made one's skin crawl; who knew how many snakes were hidden in the dark.

Xun An Cai's expression changed drastically immediately. "Not good, it's Cloud Hawks!"

Cloud Tassel?

Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow lightly. The name sounded so familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had heard it for a moment.

Seeing his bewildered look, Xun An Cai explained in a hurried tone, "A type of extremely fierce bird. One Cloud Hawk might not be powerful, perhaps just on par with you, but they are gregarious; they always move in groups of at least a hundred."

Xu Sanyan twitched the corner of his mouth. What did she mean by "on par with him"?

He felt like he had been offended.

"They must have been attracted by the Tuo Beast," Xun An Cai said with certainty.

At this moment, the Clan Chief spoke loudly, "Quickly hide under the trees, and be careful to protect the prey!"

Everyone hurriedly looked for lush, leafy trees to hide under, shielding the prey behind them, their eyes gazing vigilantly at the sky.

In their view, the importance of the prey was second only to the dog god's blessing.

The dog god's blessing was to allow them to survive in this world,

while the prey represented survival itself!

Xu Sanyan looked up at the sky. The dense branches blocked most of the sunlight, with only scattered gaps allowing his gaze to penetrate.

"Kree！！"

The cry rang out again, much closer this time, and it was not just one.

"They're here, be careful!"

Xu Sanyan's eyes darted around, and he silently retreated behind the others, fixing his gaze on Xun Yang.

At this moment, seventy percent of the Soul Power in his body had been depleted. Forcibly using the "Lu Family Refining Spirit Strength" again would easily lead to a backlash, but if there was an opportunity, he was willing to pay the price.

Swoosh—

A shadow swept across the mottled sunlight on the ground. Xu Sanyan looked up to see hundreds of densely packed Cloud Hawks circling endlessly in the sky.

From his angle, he could only see black specks; he couldn't see the full appearance of the Cloud Hawks.

"Kree—"

A loud, clear cry rang out, seemingly the order from the Cloud Hawk leader. In an instant, hundreds of Cloud Hawks dove straight down, their target being the Tuo Beast carcass that they were tightly protecting.

As the distance closed, Xu Sanyan could gradually see the full appearance of these things. They were shaped like hawks but were much larger, with wingspans of at least four paces.

Their bodies were pitch black, without a single speck of other color. The smooth, layered feathers looked as if they were wearing a suit of black armor.

Their sharp beaks glinted in the direct sunlight, appearing even sharper, and the pair of iron claws beneath their feet were spread open, swooping down like iron hooks.

"Stay close to me!" Xun An Cai kept a constant watch on Xu Sanyan's position; when he had retreated just now, she had followed him.

"Screech—"

Hundreds of Cloud Hawks dove, their speed extremely fast, rushing toward them with unparalleled momentum. The scene immediately descended into chaos.

Xu Sanyan watched helplessly as someone had their skull vertically sliced open by sharp claws. Red and white matter spilled all over the ground; even the hard skull could not withstand the sharpness of those claws.

"Kree！"

"Quickly, kill it!"

Seeing that the Cloud Hawk was about to succeed, hooking the massive Tuo Beast and preparing to fly away, the Clan Chief's expression turned anxious, and he could no longer care about anything else.

His figure flashed, and he reappeared above the Cloud Hawk, his massive fist smashing down from the air. The strength of someone who had received six blessings was fully revealed; the Cloud Hawk's skull burst instantly, and it died.

"Protect the prey!"

"Slaughter them!"

In the chaotic battle, in a corner no one noticed, a small, pitch-black snake suddenly shot out and bit someone on the arm, and the black toxin immediately spread.

Xu Sanyan was hiding in the back, overseeing the whole situation, and immediately noticed this abnormal scene. His heart instantly tightened.

Oh no, he had forgotten about those Snake Clan members!

The Snake Clan members hadn't run away at all; they were still trailing behind. Seeing the Dog Clan in trouble, they immediately came up to stir up more chaos.

As these thoughts whirled through his mind, Xu Sanyan gritted his teeth hard, grabbed Xun An Cai, and ran. The Four-Headed Dog followed immediately upon seeing this.

Xun An Cai didn't understand; her clansmen were currently fighting hard, how could she be a deserter?

Turning her head to ask, she only heard Xu Sanyan whisper, "Come with me first!"

Xun An Cai hesitated slightly but still left with him first. If Xu Sanyan didn't have a reason, she would still return to fight.

Abandoning one's clansmen would incur the hatred of the dog god. The dog god would not protect deserters; even in death, they could not return to His embrace.

The two people and one dog moved away from the battlefield. Before Xu Sanyan could explain, Xun An Cai asked in a hurried tone, "What's wrong?"

"We must hurry back to the Dog Clan to seek reinforcements!"

"Hmm?"

Listening to the faint sounds of fighting, Xun An Cai explained, "No need. With the Clan Chief there, those Cloud Hawks won't get the better of us."

Xu Sanyan shook his head and asked in return, "How far is the Snake Clan from here?"

"About a day's journey."

"Some Snake Clan members went back to report the news last night."

"So what?" Xun An Cai didn't understand.

"At the speed of the Snake Clan members, they can return to their tribe before dark. Once the Snake Clan Leader learns the news, he will certainly spare no effort to rush over immediately and can arrive before daybreak tomorrow,"

and as for them, given the current situation, they likely won't be able to return to the Dog Clan before daybreak.

The Snake Clan Leader is a powerhouse who has received seven blessings; no one knows how fast he is. This is just his most conservative estimate.

Furthermore, the Dog Clan members have been traveling and fighting for days without a moment's rest. Once the Snake Clan Leader brings people here, attacking their exhausted army with fresh troops, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Xu Sanyan absolutely did not want to see the Dog Clan crushed by the Snake Clan; he had long regarded the Dog Clan as his own property.

Seeing that she still didn't understand, Xu Sanyan wished he could pry open her head to see what else was inside besides 'mm-hmm, ah-ah'.

"We are entangled by the Cloud Hawks and also have the Snake Clan members sneak-attacking in the dark; it will be very difficult to shake them off in the short term, so—"

"Ah！！"

Xun An Cai finally reacted, her face instantly turning pale. She dared not imagine the consequences if all of them were to perish here!

They were the most elite batch of the Dog Clan; if they died here, the Dog Clan would be finished!

This operation was a gamble from the start, betting that the Snake Clan wouldn't be able to react in time. They sent out all their elites to settle the matter quickly and decisively so that even if the Snake Clan reacted later, it would be too late.

Xu Sanyan sighed inwardly. If the Old Clan Leader were still alive, she would never have done something so risky.

It's just a pity...

She was killed by him.

"I'll go back and bring reinforcements right now!"

Xun An Cai turned around and was about to run, but Xu Sanyan was quick-witted and grabbed her, "Take me with you!"

A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. No matter what, this place is just a Secret Realm; he couldn't risk his life here, so it was best to get out as soon as possible.

"Oh, oh, bear with it."

"Hmm?"

Before Xu Sanyan understood the meaning of this sentence, Xun An Cai scooped him up and carried him on her shoulder, running toward the Dog Clan at an extremely fast speed. The violent jolting made his stomach churn.

"Slow down... ugh..."

"Swallow it back, don't waste it," Xun An Cai instructed while she had the chance.

Xu Sanyan was speechless for a moment, secretly deciding that he would absolutely never kiss her in the future.