"Everyone, be careful..."
Just as Lin Xiaomei finished speaking, a commotion broke out in the dense forest, and dozens of shadows leaped out abruptly.
"Roar!!"
The lion's roar instantly echoed across the wilderness, and a violent aura swept over the four, as if the surrounding air had frozen in place.
"Snap..."
Star Power surged in Lin Xiaomei's palm, and flames whipped out from the fox tail behind her, forming a fire circle to shield herself.
The shadows lunging from the dense forest met the fire circle and, without exception, let out low lion roars and were flung back violently.
Zhao Jing's eight ferocious spider legs flashed into action with an almost imperceptible speed, instantly skewering the shadows clean through.
"Ha!"
Yu Zhan roared, his enormous fists flinging out with force, and the approaching shadows were blasted away by Huge Strength.
As for Qin Shou, he had already activated his Transform Card, turning into Big Big Wolf and vanishing into the dense forest like a streak of gray smoke.
Lacking a target, the charging shadows paused in confusion, then collided against each other fiercely.
From the treetops, Qin Shou observed the sudden appearance of the Lion Group in secret.
These Sang Lions stood over three meters tall, humanoid in shape.
As Lin Xiaomei had said, their bodies were covered in wounds, their flesh torn open, yet not a single sign of rot could be seen.
Even the Sang Lions that Lin Xiaomei and the others had gravely injured—knocked back forcefully—remarkably got up in the blink of an eye and charged again as though nothing had happened.
Even with their internal organs pierced through by Zhao Jing's spider legs, they showed no fear of death. Their Combat Power remained unaffected, their savagery unrelenting.
"Roar!"
Dozens of Danger Level Six Sang Lions fearlessly besieged the trio, their reckless fighting style leaving the Newborn Eighth Stars exhausted.
"Damn it, where's Qin Shou?!"
Zhao Jing manipulated his spider legs, skewering three Sang Lions through their cores, his expression grim as he shouted.
Yu Zhan swung his massive fists, sending several Sang Lions flying ten meters outward under Huge Strength.
His face was heavy with worry. "Forget him! These things won't die no matter what—don't get distracted."
Lin Xiaomei was encased within the fire circle, her Star Power depleting rapidly.
"Their weak spot is the head. Unless you sever their heads or destroy their bodies entirely, they'll keep fighting endlessly."
At her words, Zhao Jing's eight ferocious spider legs moved swiftly, chopping off the heads of three Sang Lions in quick succession.
Beheaded, the Sang Lions' bodies froze and slowly collapsed to the ground.
Zhao Jing's face lit up with hope. He was about to repeat the attack when more Sang Lions lunged at him with sudden ferocity, snapping two of his spider legs clean off before he could react.
"Crunch..."
The two spider legs dissolved into Star Power on impact, diminishing Zhao Jing's Combat Power significantly.
"Zhao Jing, I'll help you!"
Yu Zhan shouted, leaping forward and swinging his furious fists, smashing the heads of the charging Sang Lions in rapid succession.
"Whip! Whip! Whip!"
Lin Xiaomei wielded her flaming whips, taking precise moments to twist and snap the necks of more Sang Lions.
Yet the sheer number of Sang Lions overwhelmed her; her Star Power was already insufficient to hold out until the battle's end.
Zhao Jing and Yu Zhan faced the same predicament.
"What now? That bastard Qin Shou ran off—there's no way we can defeat this Lion Group!" Zhao Jing's face grew pale as he spoke.
Yu Zhan, equally enraged, said, "Damn it, I'd heard rumors about Qin Shou's bad reputation before, but I never thought he'd actually pull this kind of stunt at a critical moment!"
Lin Xiaomei's mind replayed the scenes of Qin Shou's battle against the Pangolin Beast from that night, her teeth clenched tightly.
"No, I believe he's not that kind of person!"
"Lin Xiaomei, how can you still believe him at a time like this? Are you..."
Zhao Jing was about to curse when, not far away, the dense forest suddenly erupted with a thunderous dragon's roar.
"Roar!!"
The dragon's roar reverberated across the mountain forest, followed by an enraged bellow from a Sang Lion.
"What's that…?" The trio were stunned.
The Sang Lions attacking them abruptly stopped and quickly turned around, rushing toward the direction of the roar.
Lin Xiaomei's eyes widened in disbelief. "I understand now—that's the Sang Lion King!"
"Did Qin Shou vanish because he went after the Sang Lion King?" Yu Zhan exclaimed in surprise.
"Exactly. The Sang Lion King has always operated in secret, only directing the Lion Group from the shadows and never showing itself. At the time, Mr. Sun couldn't locate the Sang Lion King, and he exhausted his Star Power, meeting his end at the jaws of the Lion Group." Lin Xiaomei said grimly.
Yu Zhan stepped forward urgently. "If that's the case, Qin Shou is in grave danger—we need to help him."
"Agreed."
Lin Xiaomei and Yu Zhan burst forward, their Star Power propelling them toward where the Lions were headed.
Zhao Jing hesitated, then snorted. "Fine, if it's true… you might actually have some humanity left after all."
With that, he summoned his spider legs and sped after the pair.
...
Within the dense forest, the greedy snake hovered overhead, observing the massive, five-meter-tall Sang Lion King below.
Qin Shou stood beneath the greedy snake, sizing up the Sang Lion King before him.
The Sang Lion King's mangled flesh was exposed, its body clad in crude battle armor, its eyes burning with hatred as they locked onto Qin Shou.
"Human, how did you find me?"
The Sang Lion King spoke darkly, unaware that Big Big Wolf's keen sense of smell made finding any Lion an easy task.
Qin Shou raised an eyebrow. "You can talk?"
The Sang Lion King sneered cruelly. "Of course—your kind taught me!"
"Taught?"
Qin Shou zeroed in on the word, his instincts sharp.
The Sang Lion King's jagged teeth glinted angrily. "Indeed—I was once his Beast Cultivation project, ruined by his half-baked Beast Cultivation Technology, turning me into this abomination. Unable to heal, tormented by ceaseless pain. Can your humanity fathom my suffering?"
The Sang Lion King howled its resentment.
"So you turned on him?" Qin Shou asked.
"Exactly. When he unleashed me to fight his enemies, I devoured him instead!"
The Sang Lion King sneered viciously. "Don't you call that the 'karma' your humanity preaches?"
Qin Shou nodded with a faint sigh. "I suppose it is. Humanity always seems to tread the path to destruction, day after day, year after year, until civilization falls."
The Sang Lion King smirked coldly. "So you understand. That means…"
"Die now!"
The Sang Lion King roared furiously, the ground shattering beneath its feet as it charged at Qin Shou.
"Roar!"
The greedy snake dove down, its tail whipping the Sang Lion King and sending it flying. It crashed into the ground, creating a shallow crater.
It was clear that the Danger Level Seven Sang Lion King was no match for the greedy snake.
"Human… Damn it!"
The Sang Lion King leaped from the crater, glaring with clenched fangs at Qin Shou and the greedy snake above.
Qin Shou stepped forward, speaking firmly. "While humanity may constantly court disaster, it isn't beyond redemption. I believe humanity can create a brighter future and beautiful life. As long as we cherish what is important, I know it can be achieved."
"Because I am human too!"
Qin Shou's voice rang with passion, his eyes unwavering.
As he spoke, dozens of Sang Lions surrounded Qin Shou, encircling him tightly.
Lin Xiaomei and the others arrived close behind, their expressions odd as they overheard his declarations.