Chapter 135: Can You Not Be Shameless?
"It's not here. It's really not here… How can it not be here?!"
The Crimson Flame Bird was in a panic. And not just flustered—truly terrified. If there were no more savage beasts for this brutal band of Human Clan warriors to consume, it knew exactly what would happen next.
It would become the emergency rations.
"Clean-picked bones and no meat left. Something's not right."
Shi Yi's brow remained tightly furrowed.
And with good reason.
Fierce Beasts weren't delicate eaters. They didn't strip flesh from bone with precision like humans might. They devoured entire bodies or shredded them to pieces—there was no careful eating, no surgical precision. So for the remains to be this clean?
There was only one explanation.
Torture.
Just like those black bears that eat people alive—they don't kill outright. They rip into their victims, savoring the organs while the prey is still breathing.
"Brother, the blood on these remains is fresh. I think the creature only just left," said Xiao Shi, stepping closer.
"It was probably the Nine-Headed Golden Lion that scared it off," Shi Yi replied, glancing down at the Crimson Flame Bird under his foot. "Not this bird."
Between the two, only one had the raw dominance to make a predator flee.
"I didn't betray you, Holy Child," the Crimson Flame Bird protested pitifully.
"I know. That's why I haven't eaten you."
Shi Yi gave the bird a light tap with his foot.
The force was nothing special.
But to the trembling bird beneath him, it was like a reprieve from the heavens. It understood—it wasn't going to be today's meal. At least, not yet.
"Cousin, come check where this creature ran off to."
He called out without turning.
A moment later, Yu Zimo descended gracefully from her artifact—the Worldscroll. She landed beside Shi Yi without a sound, calm and composed.
She wasn't known for frontline combat.
But when it came to support, few could match her.
Her cultivation art, the Worldscroll Technique, allowed her to observe the fabric of time itself—this life, the past life, anything she sought to witness. As long as her target didn't possess a special fate like Shi Yi or Xiao Shi, and the power gap wasn't too vast, no one could hide from her eyes.
"Cousin, give me a moment," she said.
She looked toward the mangled bones in the Fierce Beast's den, a flicker of sorrow passing through her eyes—but it hardened quickly. Her fingers moved, and ripples of mystic energy filled the air.
She pressed her palms together, and a scroll materialized in the void—worn, ancient, drenched in the scent of time. Its runes constantly decayed and rewove themselves, birthing a cycle of destruction and renewal. The patterns stretched out in every direction like divine curses raining from the heavens.
The Worldscroll floated above them like a celestial projection, flickering with vivid images.
It played back the past.
"No! Please, don't kill me!"
"Kill me—please! Just end it!"
"Someone kill me! Why is it so hard to die?!"
"If killing is just a nod of the head, why the torture? Humans eat beasts, beasts eat humans. That's nature's way. But you—twisted beast—you torment for pleasure. Retribution will find you!"
"Senior Brother… I can't feel my legs anymore. It's eating my liver. Why... why am I still conscious?"
The images were savage and raw.
A pitch-black beast devoured a woman, slowly and deliberately. Around her were heaps of white bones, stripped and cracked. As the creature tore into its final victim, it paused.
Its blood-red eyes snapped toward the horizon.
In the distance: a deafening roar. A lion's cry shook the air.
The black beast tensed, its killing halted. Though its eyes still burned with bloodlust, the growing thunder of the approaching predator made it hesitate.
Then—one flicker of dark light—and it vanished.
The scene dimmed.
The scroll closed.
"East. Less than half an hour away." Shi Yi's tone was calm, but his fury pulsed beneath the surface. "Pi Houzi, bring that Ancient Relict back to me."
He understood the way of the wild.
Humans eat Fierce Beasts. Fierce Beasts eat humans. That was the law.
But there were lines. And this thing—this Ancient Relict—had crossed them.
Even when hunting powerful beasts like the Bi'an or grown Pixiu, Shi Yi had never once tortured his enemies. This wasn't war. This was sadism.
"Yes, Yi Ge'er. I'll bring it back."
One of the youths from Shi Village stepped forward. Slender, monkey-like in build, with fury in his eyes. Sixteen or seventeen years old.
Everyone from Shi Village was from the Great Wilderness.
They didn't flinch at the idea of beasts eating men. But eating them alive?
That was the one line they'd never cross.
They'd rather die than become that kind of monster.
"Form and Intent Technique: Swift Hawk Form!"
With a unified cry, the boys and girls of Shi Village activated their cultivation technique. Their bodies blurred, transforming into hawk-like shadows, and soared eastward toward the rising sun.
"Holy Child, we're going too!" came a voice from the Heaven-Mending Pavilion.
"Go."
Shi Yi waved them off.
He didn't bother asking why Pavilion disciples sought his permission. He had no time for such nonsense right now.
"Brother, I…"
Xiao Shi stepped forward, fists clenched.
"Let them go," Shi Yi said simply.
"You can't carry everyone forever, Brother. They need to grow up. If they don't brave the storm, how will they ever see a rainbow? This is their path to walk."
He looked down at Xiao Shi, his voice softening.
"Believe in them. Don't treat them like children. You want to prove yourself to me—well, they want to prove themselves to us, too."
He didn't send Huo Ling'er. He didn't send Yu Zimo or even Hu Niu.
And Yun Xi?
She was a beast herself—though one who refused to eat humans. There was no need to send her, either.
Even though the enemy was an Ancient Relict, everyone from Shi Village had mastery over the Form and Intent Technique. And those Heaven-Mending disciples? They were the cream of the current generation.
This wouldn't be a problem.
"I'm just afraid something might…"
Xiao Shi faltered, unsure.
Shi Yi cut him off. "Afraid? When you ran off from home, did you think about how much Aunt worried about you?"
That hit hard.
Xiao Shi opened his mouth, but the words wouldn't come out.
"You've always watched over your brothers and sisters," said Huo Ling'er gently. "But they have pride too. You can't do everything for them."
She scratched Little Wolf God behind the ears.
The giant wolf groaned in pleasure, tail wagging. He was still a beast at heart—and wolves were just big dogs.
"Your brother's right. If they're always sheltered, they'll grow up soft. Sheep," Yu Zimo added.
"You don't trust your senior brothers and sisters?" Hu Niu scoffed. "I do. They're from Shi Village. An Ancient Relict? We'll crush it."
"Holy Child, I just want to say—" the Crimson Flame Bird began to flatter again.
But a deep voice rumbled in before it could finish.
"Enough flattery. Can you not be so shameless?"
The Nine-Headed Golden Lion rolled its eyes in disdain.