441: Chapter 441 A Thousand Miles to Find the Bend

Their bodies were covered in whip marks and branding scars, their bones likely broken countless times, only faint moans proving they were still alive.

Qiu Rong sat coldly on the stone chair above, personally overseeing the interrogation.

"Who ordered you? Where is the Female Bai Wanwan?" A Beastman fiercely whipped their Beast Forms.

The only response was agonizing groans and intermittent, disjointed ramblings:

"So bright... obey..."

"Master... forever..."

"Female, take away... must."

The eyes of these Beastmen were vacant and unfocused; even enduring immense pain, they could not express themselves clearly.

Their answers were chaotic, like puppets controlled by invisible strings, completely lacking the fear and logic a normal Beastman should possess.

The interrogating Beastman was quite helpless, turning to look at Qiu Rong, "Chieftain, we’ve questioned them for so many days, but they only keep muttering these incoherent things."

Qiu Rong’s eyes were filled with icy killing intent, carrying a suffocating pressure.

"If they don't speak by the end of today... kill them all."

Just then, the heavy iron door of the stone prison was violently shoved open, and a guard rushed in anxiously: "Chieftain! Male Zhu Xiu and the others are back!"

Light instantly flooded Qiu Rong's dim and weary eyes; he quickly stood up and strode out of the stone prison.

Outside the meeting hall, Zhu Xiu, Yan Lie, Jin Yi, Xin Feng, and Yin Ze stood there, covered in dust and travel fatigue, their faces showing unconcealed exhaustion and... gravity.

Qiu Rong’s gaze swept behind them, searching for the figure that had kept him sleepless recently.

However, there was no one.

His crimson-gold eyes instantly dimmed, and his heart sank to the bottom.

"Qiu Rong," Zhu Xiu spoke first, his voice hoarse from the long journey and carrying a barely perceptible fatigue, "We... didn't find Wan Wan."

In his narrow snake eyes, a sinister, fierce aura was almost overflowing.

Yan Lie’s usually sunny face was now covered in gloom and deep disgust. He fiercely punched a nearby stone pillar, causing a dull thud: "Damn it! We searched every possible route and area; Wan Wan vanished as if into thin air!"

Qiu Rong suppressed the disappointment and anxiety in his heart, his crimson-gold eyes turning to Zhu Xiu, his voice tight: "Did you find any clues related to Wan Wan? Any sliver of trace will do!"

Zhu Xiu slowly shook his head, his gaze icy cold: "None. The enemy is extremely cunning, their methods are exceptionally brilliant, eliminating all traces. Even... the scent was masked by something special."

Qiu Rong’s heart sank bit by bit, but he had no time to wallow in disappointment.

He took a deep breath, his eyes sharpening again: "Follow me."

He led the few Males back into the dark and bloody stone prison.

He brought Zhu Xiu and the others before those dying, delirious traitors. "I have been interrogating them this whole time. But... their minds don't seem clear at all. Their answers are disjointed; they don't seem like normal Beastmen at all."

Qiu Rong pointed at one Beastman with vacant eyes muttering to himself, "Have you ever seen a situation like this?"

Zhu Xiu’s narrow snake eyes narrowed slightly. He stepped forward, bent down, and gently placed his long, cold fingers on the Beastman's forehead.

An extremely faint, cold ripple of Dark Energy, carrying a scent of decay, was keenly captured by him like a venomous snake.

"Dark Energy..." Zhu Xiu’s voice carried a bone-chilling coldness. "They really have been controlled. This energy has eroded their sanity, turning them into puppets who only know how to obey orders."

He stood up and looked at Qiu Rong, his expression extremely solemn. "This time, their taking Wan Wan exposed these controlled pawns, but it also served as a warning. Qiu Rong, you must immediately have the Clan Members supervise each other and carefully examine the people around you! If someone can control the majority of your Tribe’s powerful Beastmen without anyone noticing..."

Zhu Xiu did not finish, but the chilling coldness that flashed in his snake eyes sent a shiver down the spines of all the Males present.

Qiu Rong’s face turned extremely ugly; he instantly understood the key point. "I know! I will personally investigate the follow-up to this matter; I will dig three feet deep to drag out the mastermind! But right now, the most crucial thing is to find Wan Wan back as quickly as possible!"

Jin Yi stepped forward, his golden pupils flashing with a sharp light in the dimness: "Almost all of us are Land Beastmen, and our tracking methods are mostly effective on Land. If someone deliberately wants to completely erase Wan Wan's tracks, avoiding our tracking..." He paused and pointed south, "Could they have taken her to... the Sea Domain? That is a place where our power can hardly reach."

Xin Feng pondered for a moment, then nodded, his handsome face full of gravity: "Jin Yi is right. The Sea Domain is vast, with countless islands, and powerful Sea Races like the Merfolk and Bay Crocodiles reside there, making it difficult for Land Beastmen to investigate deeply. Moreover, erasing scent and tracks, using ocean currents to conceal their whereabouts, is not difficult for the Sea Races. The possibility of Wan Wan being taken to the Sea Domain... is very high."

The few Males exchanged glances and quickly reached a consensus.

As the Chieftain, Qiu Rong had to stay behind to guard the Tiger Clan, clear out internal betrayers and hidden dangers, and serve as the base camp for support.

The heavy responsibility of searching for Bai Wanwan fell upon the five Males: Zhu Xiu, Yan Lie, Jin Yi, Xin Feng, and Yin Ze.

More than twenty days later, after a long journey, they arrived from the cold snowy plains to the warm and humid edge of the Sea Domain.

The five Males stood on the jagged coastal reefs as the salty sea breeze hit their faces.

Before them was the vast, boundless, surging blue ocean, completely different from the landscape of the Land.

"There is no trace of Wan Wan here either." Zhu Xiu closed his eyes to sense for a moment, his face growing even gloomier.

The scent of the Sea Domain was complex and powerful, completely masking any faint Land scent.

"We need to find a way to ask the Sea Races for information," Xin Feng frowned.

Just as they were preparing to look for a nearby fishing village or a Sea Tribe Tribe, the sea surface not far away suddenly began to churn violently!

"Splash!"

Several monstrous Beastmen, massive in size, covered in thick dark green scales, with long snouts and sharp teeth, burst out of the water!

They were precisely the notorious overlords of this sea area—the Wane Clan!

The leading Bay Crocodile Beastman had fierce eyes, his voice grating like sandpaper, carrying undisguised expulsion and threat: "Land Beastmen! Get out of this Sea Domain! The Sea Domain is sealed off, entry is forbidden! Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite!"

Their attitude was extremely arrogant and unreasonable.

Xin Feng stepped forward, trying his best to keep his tone peaceful and polite: "Brave warriors of the Wane Tribe, we have no intention of offending. We are searching for a missing Female mate; she might have been brought near the Sea Domain. Have you recently seen a strange Female, or has any unusual situation occurred? If you can provide any clues, we will certainly reward you handsomely!"