Chapter 125: Chapter 124: Defenses Broken

Ji Liang’s explanation was slow and quite detailed, and he would offer a bit of analysis from time to time:

“There are also some tribes that excel at business or farming, like the White Wolf Clan, the Yellow Mouse Clan…

As for the eight major tribes, they are basically formed from several, or even over a dozen, large clans with considerable comprehensive strength, such as the Tongdong Tribe, the Fanjian Tribe…

The tribes have large populations and occupy vast territories, giving them strong overall power. But ultimately, they aren’t a single family, so their cohesiveness isn’t as strong as that of the various clans.

Clans are at a slight disadvantage in terms of Combat Power, but they develop well. They concentrate their resources and finances on supporting their most outstanding members, which actually makes it easier for them to produce High-level Beastmen…”

They would be living in Guangshou City from now on. The more the little female understood about these things, the more it would benefit her in her social interactions.

After all, young females needed their own social lives. If she were stuck to the males all day, they feared their own charm would fade and she would grow tired of them.

It had been nearly three months since Si Shuo was reborn, but she still didn’t feel a true sense of belonging in the Beast World Continent. It all still held a great deal of novelty for her.

It wasn’t so bad when they were traveling, but as soon as they settled down somewhere, she was fascinated by the Beastmen who would transform into their Beast Forms to talk and work. She had to restrain herself, though; if she stared for too long, they might mistake it as her being interested in them.

She could guess what kind of Beastmen a Tufted-Tail Rabbit, Gray Parrot, White Wolf, or Golden Lion were just by their names, but… “Ji Liang, what kind of Beast Forms do Mountain Demon Beastmen and Iron-eating Beastmen have?”

Ji Liang chuckled. “They’re the fiercest and largest type of monkey, with a thick, short tail, orange whiskers, and a red nose and mouth. Their heads are large and long, and their appearance is somewhat monstrous, which is how they got the name Mountain Demon.

Little Shushu probably wouldn’t like this type of Beastman.”

Just from his description, Si Shuo couldn’t help but nod. A long head and a red nose were definitely not her aesthetic. ’A definite no!’

Ji Liang changed the subject. “The Iron-eating Beasts are one of the few clans with a relatively pure Ancient Divine Beast bloodline. They look like bears, with black and white fur. They get their name because they like to eat raw iron; the more they eat, the stronger their Combat Power becomes.

However, as iron tools have become scarcer, they’ve switched to eating tough bamboo.

Their Combat Power is formidable. It’s said that their Combat Power Value ranks third among all Divine Beasts. They have no natural enemies. Not even the Golden Lion Clan, Saber-toothed Tigers, Brown Bear Clan, or the Winged Dragon Clan of Guangshou City would dare to provoke them lightly.

It’s just that the Iron-eating Beast Clan is very picky when choosing mates, and they have difficulty producing offspring. Coupled with their limited diet, their population is extremely small. While other tribes have tens of thousands of members and clans have thousands, there might not even be five hundred members in the entire Iron-eating Beast Clan.”

As Si Shuo listened to his description, her eyes widened. ’This… this… isn’t this our national treasure?’

No wonder the name “Iron-eating Beast” sounded so familiar; she just hadn’t made the connection.

She thought about the videos of adorable yet cool giant pandas she used to watch on a certain short-video app, and her eyes welled up with tears. She was completely overwhelmed!

HISS… Ji Liang didn’t need words to sense the little female’s excitement.

’So this is the difference a male’s Beast Form makes in courtship.’ He remembered how the little female had rejected him at first, and now, seeing her so intensely interested after just hearing a description of the Iron-eating Beast, Ji Liang felt a pang of jealousy.

He waved his hand, setting up a Protective Shield, and pulled Si Shuo into his arms for a deep, bruising kiss.

If it hadn’t been for his persistence, the two of them might have really missed their chance with each other.

“Little Shushu likes the Iron-eating Beasts?”

A blush flitted across Si Shuo’s face, but she nodded and admitted it openly. “Ji Liang, after we enter Guangshou City, can we choose the Iron-eating Beast Clan to ally with?”

Ji Liang raised an eyebrow. “You can, but the Iron-eating Beast Clan is small, and they don’t like to get involved in others’ affairs. The protection you’d get from them wouldn’t be as effective as with other tribes.

Unless Little Shushu wants to find an Iron-eating Beastman to be her Beast Husband.

Their clan members have good relationships with each other and are very protective of their own—but that only applies to those they are close to.”

“I… let’s wait until we get to Guangshou City to decide. I do really like the Iron-eating Beast Clan, but whether or not I can find a suitable partner also depends on chemistry and feeling.”

Ji Liang chuckled softly, resting his forehead against Si Shuo’s. “Little Shushu, I’m so glad I met you this early. Otherwise, if you already had a Beast Husband protecting you, I probably wouldn’t have even had a chance to get close to you.”

Just like now. The little female was a homebody, for one thing, but with a Beast Husband at home, he would set up a Protective Shield—even if it consumed a lot of Spiritual Power—to keep other males from coveting his female.

Basically, the Beast Husbands a female had would have progressively higher and higher Combat Power Values.

Back then, he was only a Level 6, and he had been quite smug about it, thinking he could win a female’s affection with his formidable strength. Now, in the entire Dongye Middle Square, Sixth-Level Beastmen were a dime a dozen!

Si Shuo wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled his chin. “I’m also glad I met you, Ji Liang. This big, clever, thoughtful, and considerate snake… I like him more and more.”

Her big black snake was handsome and beautiful from every angle. She felt especially proud and smug when he lifted her up to get a better view of the goings-on.

Ji Liang kissed her, his voice hoarse and as if through gritted teeth. “I think Xu Chi was playing dumb. We all clearly said we’d wait until we were settled in Guangshou City before we slowly discussed having a cub with you.”

And now look. Just when they were all cherishing the little female with all their hearts, they had to be celibate for two months. It was torture.

Si Shuo felt guilty about this topic. The truth was, she had spoken without thinking, and Xu Chi was so earnest that he took her words seriously and acted on them immediately. On top of that, she happened to be in her Mating Period. Of course she hit the jackpot, right?

All they could say was, if the Horned Deer Cub wanted to come, there was no stopping it!

Spring was more than halfway over in the Dongye Forest. The Fierce Beasts, having hunkered down all winter, were now leading their broods to graze on the vegetation that had grown wildly in the spring breeze.

The herbivorous Fierce Beasts had astonishing reproductive rates and huge appetites, which in turn allowed the carnivorous Fierce Beasts to hunt to their hearts’ content.

In just half a month or a month’s time, the young had grown to half their adult size, and some had even left their mothers to live on their own.

The nearby Beastman Tribes didn’t conduct their spring hunts all at once. They would form alliances between several tribes, and only after the number of Beastmen and the distribution of their Combat Levels met the minimum requirements would they enter the forest to hunt.

Wave after wave of spring hunting parties arrived, gradually culling the surplus population of Fierce Beasts.

For the Fierce Beasts, this was also an extremely brutal process of elimination.

The weaker Fierce Beasts—those not vigilant enough against danger, or not skilled at hiding and fleeing—were harvested by the Beastmen. The stronger and more agile ones hid deep in the forest, their Combat Power Values rapidly increasing year after year as they fought to defend their territory from intruders.

The Fierce Beasts had low intelligence and limited cunning, but because of their harsh living environment, their Combat Power actually advanced relatively quickly, making them formidable.

It would take three to five Beastmen using tactics just to capture a single Fierce Beast of an equivalent Combat Level.

The highest Level for a Central Continent Beastman was Level 15, but in the Dongye Forest, a Flying Beast had once spotted a Level 18 Fierce Beast!

A shrill trumpet echoed as the massive body of a Long-Tusked Elephant Beast crashed to the ground. The battle, which had lasted a full day and night, was finally over.

The Fierce Beasts within a five-li radius trembled in fear. Even the birds seemed to have had their throats wrung, and an absolute silence fell.

Bathed in the dappled sunlight, a stern-faced youth with short, light-blue hair smirked and wiped a smear of blood from his face. With a horizontal slice of his hand, a golden light flashed, and the Level 13 Long-Tusked Elephant Beast’s trunk was severed. Its pair of long tusks were also dug out.

The youth then made a grasping motion. A brilliant golden light flared from the Fierce Beast’s abdomen, and the Crystal Stone inside was scooped out by a blade of gold…

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