The green hills remain unchanged, and the clear waters flow on forever.

With a sharp crack, the blade sliced through her outer coat, but inside, the white snakeskin blocked the strike head-on. The man in black had attacked with murderous intent, his strength so great it was frightening—the steel blade was flung away as if it had struck solid rock.

"You really are covered in treasures..." he sneered, the killing intent in his eyes growing ever darker.

His attacks grew even swifter and more forceful, clearly intending to finish things quickly.

"Not only are your animals sleek and well-fed, but your own skin is quite something too."

The familiar cadence of his voice dredged up the most painful memories buried in Liu Yi's heart.

She narrowed her crimson, slit-pupiled eyes, a furious roar erupting from her throat.

"What did you do to them?!"

The man in black was tall and slender, towering a head and a half above her—his physique gave him an absolute advantage, yet he could feel her power intensifying with each passing moment.

For the first time in his undefeated life, he found himself struggling, sweat pouring down his brow as he frowned.

Liu Yi truly cared for her little ones.

The thought that, somewhere unknown to her, they might have suffered, flayed and butchered for soup or skewered for roasting, made the beast within her blood surge uncontrollably.

Her heart pounded so hard it seemed as if something might burst from her chest.

The man in black summoned every ounce of strength to resist her sudden onslaught.

At that instant, his grip faltered; his head lurched to the side, and the sharp blade grazed his neck, plunging deep into the stone beneath him.

His windproof face scarf split open in an instant, a gash oozing blood freely.

The unexpected pain made him focus in earnest.

Liu Yi, relentless and wild, missed her mark but immediately launched a second attack. Her firearm having been knocked aside, she snatched up a military spike from the ground.

When he pinned her hand, she simply opened her mouth and bit down.

She had to be faster, faster still—only then could she spare the cubs some pain, some torment.

Images of her past life flashed ceaselessly in her mind: trapped in a laboratory, powerless as she watched the scalpel slice her own skin to be grafted onto Lu Yunshu.

She could not let them suffer her pain again.

"Take this!" the man in black feinted and seized the moment to leap up and retreat.

Never in his life had he met a woman who could push him to the brink.

"Little beauty, I won't forget you! As the mountains endure and rivers flow, we shall meet again!"

A fierce light flashed in Liu Yi's slit pupils as she sprang after him.

The man in black lengthened his stride, fleeing even faster. Before Liu Yi could catch him, he had vanished into the night, not even a footstep left behind.

Her every breath burned with unbearable heat, a cry of pain nearly spilling from her lips.

A low roar—was that Great-Grandma?

Qisha rose on two legs, flexing his hind limbs, massive tiger paws clenched into fists, instinctively poised to strike at any threat.

"It's me," Liu Yi said, breathing deeply.

Qisha shrank back uneasily, intimidated by her current state, but this was his great-grandmother—she would never harm him.

He bounded over, nestling his great furry head into her palm, blue tiger eyes filled with concern.

Liu Yi forced her slit pupils wide, fighting to suppress the bloodthirsty urge in her bones, struggling to steady her emotions.

Gradually, she calmed herself, reaching out to pull Qisha's warm body into her arms.

The familiar scent, the warmth, restored her clarity.

A twitch of her nose caught the scent of fresh cub blood on Qisha.

"Are they in danger? Quickly, take me to them!"

Qisha gave a low rumble, swung her onto his back, and dashed off on all fours.

Elsewhere, Liang Zuan, guided by his connection to plants, arrived at the ruins of the small town. Before he entered, voices drifted out from within.

"With all this lush vegetation shielding us, the outside radiation can't get in. It's like a hidden paradise. Once the top brass from the Di Refuge move in, we'll really have made it."

"When that happens, not only will we be lords among men, with beauties in our arms, we might even be favored by the prince himself and rise to the top!"

"In the end, it's all thanks to this infiltration. Otherwise, we'd never have gotten the prince to come here himself."

"Heh, that's all thanks to Brother Wang's guidance!" a man grinned, his fat face creasing into oily folds.

Their voices carried without restraint. Even at a distance, Liang Zuan heard every word clearly.

Suddenly, someone inside spoke with emotion.

"This little tiger is so dopey—it doesn't even attack people. I pretended to be hurt and it came right over. It's basically delivering itself to us!"

"Exactly. So stupid! Otherwise, with those two cunning pups, we'd never have caught them!"

"Mutant beast meat can enhance abilities. Let's slaughter them now and get everything prepared—when the prince arrives, we'll have a feast ready."

"Alright, boil the water!"

"Get the buckets ready for the blood. There are over a hundred brothers this time. We have to see to the prince first, or there won't be much left for the rest of us."

In the specially designed cage, Bing Tuo's dopey tiger face was twisted with pain, his paw pads turned outward, blood seeping from his wounds.

"Woowoo~ Grandpa Dog, Grandma Dog, it's all my fault you got caught!"

A faint bark replied, "That's the way of the world, not your fault—we just weren't skilled enough."

Usually quiet and reserved, Shanshan spoke with surprising clarity, though her powers were spent and she was weak as a dying ember.

"That's right, don't blame Little Tiger—it's our fault for not being good enough." Shui Pao's eyes brimmed with tears, a large patch of her once-sleek fur singed away, her whole body shivering uncontrollably, yet she still tried to comfort Bing Tuo.

"My mom escaped the trap. She'll definitely find Great-Grandma and come rescue us." Bing Tuo, comforted, only felt worse inside.

He wanted to cry, but couldn't bring himself to.

"These bad people will use foul things to strip us of our powers. If Mom and the others come, they'll be in danger," Shanshan said, yearning for her mother, yet afraid she would fall into the same trap.

Listening from not far away, Liang Zuan thought Liu Yi had not spoiled them in vain—they still had some conscience left.

For the sake of that, he would spare them further suffering.

Beneath the dazzling aurora, he landed on a jutting piece of wreckage, wings spread as a vibrant green vine appeared.

The vine shot inside, rapidly branching into countless thick, powerful tendrils.

Before anyone inside could react, the vines wound around them like giant pythons.

"What the hell is this?"

"Help!"

With overwhelming power, all resistance was laughable.

Those who had just toyed with Bing Tuo and the others, wantonly holding their lives in their hands, now fled in terror.

It was as if the very life was being drained from their bodies—they shriveled in an instant, while the vines grew ever lusher, sending out countless new shoots that quickly enveloped and absorbed everyone inside.

"Please... just kill me," gasped Brother Wang, the leader, barely clinging to life as he crawled out of the ruins, only to be dragged back by the vines.

He could feel his flesh and blood slowly merging into the vine.

It was a torment worse than death, like being flayed alive, and he could only beg for a swift end.