216: Chapter 216 Targeted by Mutant Beasts

Yan Lie looked around vigilantly, his snow-white ears twitching slightly to catch the faintest sounds in the forest.

He lowered his voice and said to Bai Wanwan behind him, "Returning to that Cave along the same path is the safest option. We should go back there and wait for the beast tide to completely disperse before returning to the Golden Lion Tribe."

"Okay." Bai Wanwan also understood; right now, this was the only safe course of action.

As they started to jolt, her hands tightly gripped the Snow Leopard's neck.

They carefully moved forward along the path they had come from.

Suddenly, three frenzied wildcats with bared fangs darted out from the bushes. After letting out a shrill "meow" at them, they lunged forward to attack.

Yan Lie reacted extremely quickly, instantly swiping his sharp claws, slicing toward the wildcats' throats like blades.

In just a few bounds, he had dealt with all the wildcats.

Fresh blood splattered onto his snow-white fur, looking like scattered red plum blossoms.

"It's okay now."

Yan Lie was panting heavily and about to continue speaking to Bai Wanwan when he suddenly froze.

Beast roars echoed from the distance, one after another; he listened carefully for a moment.

"Oh no," his amber pupils constricted, "A large group of beasts is coming this way."

Bai Wanwan saw cold sweat seeping from Yan Lie's forehead. Following his grave gaze, she saw the trees in the distance shaking unnaturally.

She forced herself to stay calm: "Let's take another path. The forest is so big, we will definitely find another hiding place."

Yan Lie hesitated for a moment, but the increasingly closer roars forced him to make a decision.

"Okay, let's head east. There are more rocks there, making it easier to find a Cave!"

Yan Lie carried Bai Wanwan and ran wildly through the Dense Forest.

Bai Wanwan was battered by the fierce wind and scraping leaves; it was uncomfortable, but she couldn't worry about that now—staying alive was the most important thing.

They encountered several more waves of scattered beasts along the way. Each time, Yan Lie had to protect her while restrained in his movements, and the wounds on his body multiplied.

When Yan Lie repelled two more frenzied foxes, Bai Wanwan noticed a wound on his left arm that was deep enough to see the bone, and it was bleeding profusely.

The smell of blood permeated the air.

"Stop!" She suddenly pulled on Yan Lie, her voice urgent, "Your blood will attract more beasts. We can't keep running; we need to find a place to hide nearby!"

Yan Lie wanted to respond, but he stumbled due to blood loss.

After looking around, Bai Wanwan pointed in a certain direction, "There is a Cliff over there; let's go check that area."

Yan Lie looked up, confirmed it was temporarily safe nearby, and then quickly moved toward it.

He was just about to search for a hiding spot near the Cliff when he heard the sound of dry branches snapping underfoot.

Yan Lie's muscles tensed instantly. His snow-white body pressed against the Cliff like a fully drawn bow, his sharp claws embedded deep into the rock crevices.

He bared his stark white fangs, a low, threatening growl rolling in his throat.

At the corner, several golden figures suddenly appeared.

Yan Lie had already raised his front paws, but he forcibly halted his attack after seeing who they were.

"Beastmen from the Golden Lion Tribe?"

Jin Yi's golden pupils constricted the moment he saw Bai Wanwan, and the nerves that had been taut for two days finally relaxed slightly.

He quickly transformed into human form. His handsome, refined face was stained with exhaustion, "It's good that you are okay."

His gaze swept over their disheveled appearances, "Can you walk? Let's return to the Tribe."

He had been searching in the forest with the Yellow-Tier Beastmen for two full days, dealing with dozens of battles of various sizes, and they were all extremely exhausted.

Yan Lie's leopard ears twitched slightly, and he puffed out a cloud of white mist from his nostrils, "We can't go back; the outskirts of the Tribe are already surrounded by the beast tide."

In just this short amount of time, the blood flowing from him had stained a patch of the ground red.

Bai Wanwan said to him with concern, "Put me down first; I'll bandage you up."

Yan Lie didn't move, "Wan Wan, it's fine. We need to leave immediately."

Bai Wanwan turned her head and saw that almost all of the Golden Lion Males were injured.

She had to pause her actions. With her pale face stained with mud, she said to Jin Yi, "We saw it with our own eyes... I'm afraid we can't go back now."

A deep shadow was cast over Jin Yi's brow bone.

They couldn't go back now even if they wanted to. Fortunately, before he left, he had considered the Tribe's safety and only brought twenty Males with him.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned and gestured to the beastmen behind him, "Change of plans. Let's find a place to spend the night."

The twenty Golden Lion Males lined up silently. Although everyone was injured, the fighting spirit in their eyes had not diminished.

Jin Yi briefly assigned tasks, and the Males immediately formed a defensive formation, tightly protecting Bai Wanwan in the center.

At this moment, on the mountain ridge in the distance, towering ancient trees fell in swathes like stalks of wheat, the rumbling sound like thunder.

"Go!" At Jin Yi's command, the team shot into the Dense Forest like a sharp arrow.

They wove through the dark forest. Jin Yi led the vanguard team like a golden sickle, tearing open gaps in the scattered beast herds.

Bai Wanwan saw blood constantly seeping from the Golden Lions' wounds, congealing into dark red scabs on their golden fur.

She felt a bit guilty inside: these wounds were all left because of her.

Crack!

Clatter!

Eerie sounds surged from all directions.

Jin Yi kept changing routes, but the beast herd's encirclement was getting smaller and smaller.

When they encountered beast herds even after the third change of direction, the Males' breathing became noticeably heavier.

They couldn't escape...

There were beasts on all sides, each with scarlet eyes, staring fixedly at them like trapped animals starving to the extreme.

"Young Clan Leader..." A young Golden Lion Male's voice carried suppressed panic.

"Don't be afraid!"

Jin Yi finished speaking and turned his head to look at Yan Lie, "Later, you just need to be responsible for taking care of your Female and keep close to us."

Yan Lie quickly responded, "Understood, Wan Wan and I will follow you closely."

"First team, clear the path! Second team, cover the rear!"

Before Jin Yi's roar had faded, the Golden Lions had already transformed into streaks of golden light and lunged at the beast herd.

He bit into a hyena's throat, shaking his head and tearing it in two.

The smell of blood stimulated the beast herd, making them even more frenzied, but the protective circle formed by the lion pride remained unmoved.

Bai Wanwan watched, dumbfounded. It was her first time facing the strength of Yellow-Tier Males directly; it was truly formidable.

Very soon, they were about to break through the encirclement.

But just at this moment, a deafening roar shook the Mountains and Forests.

A Black Bear that stood three people tall rose up on its hind legs, its crimson eyes like two blood-red lamps.

"Red Tier Mutated Beast!"

Jin Yi's pupils constricted, "Dodge quickly!"

The Black Bear charged over ferociously.

In the chaos, the protective circle was forcibly torn apart.

Five Golden Lions fought desperately to entangle the Black Bear, but two were swiped away by a single paw.

"Disperse and retreat!" Jin Yi quickly made the decision.

After swatting the Golden Lions away, the Black Bear did not linger. It turned its head, its crimson bear eyes locking firmly onto the direction of Bai Wanwan.

"Run!"

Jin Yi and Yan Lie leaped up simultaneously. The Black Bear's sharp claws grazed past Yan Lie's tail, plowing three deep furrows into the ground...