Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Scapegoat

"Ah! You're back! What took you so long?"

"Sister Ling, I've turned over every single beast lair in the area. Take a guess at what I managed to haul in?"

"Every single one?"

...

Though these were only lairs of third-rank beasts at best—equivalent to human cultivators at the Golden Core stage—their wealth rivaled that of ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators. In other words, within just over an hour, Fatty Gu had managed to ransack the treasures of more than eighty Nascent Soul cultivators.

His harvest was nothing short of astonishing.

Fatty Gu, still flushed with excitement, had originally meant to share his spoils with Bai Ling'er, but Bai Ling'er righteously refused.

...

What Fatty Gu and Bai Ling'er did not know was that the two hundred young human cultivators who had been fleeing earlier—apart from the fifty who were killed by the beasts in a fit of rage—were all, without exception, sealed of their cultivation by the third-rank beasts and herded off like cattle toward a place blanketed in overwhelming pressure.

Not long after Fatty Gu had managed to calm his pounding heart and set off again with the beautiful Bai Ling'er, the many low- and mid-rank beasts, having received rewards from their higher-ranked kin, completed their task and returned to their respective territories in high spirits.

"Roar!"

"Howl!"

"Screech!"

...

Today, the Endless Forest of the Southern Domain was more boisterous than ever. First, massive hordes of spirit beasts mobilized as one, capturing two hundred human cultivators who had, for reasons unknown, violated some taboo; then, just as the forest finally quieted for a moment, chaos erupted anew.

The third-rank beasts, who had long since mastered human speech, still preferred their own language when not dealing with humans.

Returning to their domains, they simultaneously discovered that their most treasured vaults had been completely cleaned out. Their eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and their furious roars shook the heavens.

Soon enough, countless beasts of all tribes poured out of their lairs once more, rampaging wildly throughout the Endless Forest.

This disturbance was several times greater than the first.

...

"Good thing we made our escape early."

"Sister Ling, let's hurry up even more."

"Serves you right! And here I thought you were never afraid of anything!"

Even though Fatty Gu and Bai Ling'er had already fled far away, the furious roars echoing from behind still sent chills down their spines.

With no hesitation, the two quickened their pace and slipped away even faster.

...

Outside the Endless Forest, countless human cultivators living nearby or passing through couldn’t help but turn their gazes toward the turmoil within.

"What do you think has gotten into those spirit beasts today? They just won’t quiet down."

"No idea, but from the sound of those roars, something huge must have happened."

"Do you think they’ll come out of the forest?"

"Probably not, right?"

"Who can say? The odds are low, but who can guess what goes through those primitive beasts’ minds?"

...

"Oh no! Look—huge numbers of beasts really are charging straight out of the forest toward us!"

"Damn it, whose cursed mouth jinxed us just now?"

"Run!"

"We have to make it back to Dragon Guard City in time, or else..."

...

After their furious search within a hundred-kilometer radius of their respective territories yielded nothing, the beasts, without any need for discussion, once again formed a united front. All eyes turned to the human cultivators outside the forest.

To them, the high-ranking beasts had never cared for the meager treasures they possessed—in the rare cases they did, they would simply take them by force or extort them directly.

As for beasts of the same rank, it was nearly impossible to break through each other's defenses and make off with precious items without leaving the slightest trace.

Lower-ranked beasts? They didn't even bother to consider it. In their rigid hierarchy, which lesser beast would dare risk the wrath of so many?

That left only one possibility: humans.

And since all the humans within a thousand kilometers of their domains inside the forest had already been captured or slaughtered, it was only natural for them to conclude that the culprits must be the humans outside the forest.

...

"Hurry! Report to Lord Chen Nanshan at once!"

"A beast tide is upon us!"