Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Upon learning of the Iridescent Snake Beastmen's impending sneak attack, Wen Ran advised Chief Mao Ke to keep all female, sub-female, and young ones confined to their dens. Those with doors were instructed to lock them securely. Most dens in the tribe had doors, though not as robust as the large iron one in Wen Ran's dwelling; they were typically wooden. Dens without doors used scarecrows made of tumbleweeds placed at the entrance to deter the Iridescent Snake Beastmen.

Meanwhile, all adult male beastmen emerged from their dens, ready to fight a bloody battle to protect the tribe against the Iridescent Snake Beastmen!

Mao Run, perched atop the highest point of the tribe, suddenly pricked his cat ears. His amber pupils sharply contracted as he fixed his gaze on the ground nearby. The yellow sand churned in layers, like rolling waves. He suddenly let out a guttural roar, "They're here! The Iridescent Snake Beastmen are here!" Simultaneously, his sharp claws instantly extended, and he assumed an attack posture.

Startled by the sound, the sand fell silent for a moment before dozens of slender black figures burst forth from beneath it. The scales of the Iridescent Snake Beastmen shimmered with an eerie, almost sinister glow under the blood moon. Their sharp fangs and crimson forked tongues hissed menacingly, gleaming ominously. The air filled with the unique, putrid stench of the Snake Beastmen.

The instant the Iridescent Snakes emerged from the sand, Chief Mao Ke's furious roar echoed through the air: "Fire the arrows!"

Mao Ye's pure black cat ears twitched in the wind, his golden, round cat eyes narrowing into slits. Drawing his bow, he flicked his wrist, simultaneously releasing five oil-soaked flaming arrows. Under Mao Ye's leadership, the other Sand-cat and Sand-fox Beastmen archers, though not as accurate as Mao Ye nor capable of firing five arrows at once like Mao Ye and Lang Zhi, still inflicted significant damage on the Snake Beastmen.

As more and more flaming arrows flew, the ground—which Wen Ran had previously ordered to be doused with oil—instantly erupted into a sea of flames. This forced the Iridescent Snakes still lurking beneath the sand to emerge, hissing with forked tongues. The occasional smell of charred flesh wafted through the air, causing Wen Ran to instinctively frown, finding it somewhat nauseating.

Even with the raging fire and the tribe's formidable weapons like bows, arrows, fishing nets, and sedatives, when the Iridescent Snake Tribe finally breached the Sand-cat Tribe's defenses, even Mao Fei, who was still nursing, emerged with a serious expression, carrying her twin cubs.

Wen Ran: "..."

Can you imagine a large white cat standing on its hind legs, holding children in its front paws?

If this were ancient Earth, some busybody netizen would surely quip, "Sister-in-law doesn't look like she's from around here."

Wen Ran chuckled at his own thought. Iron Egg and An'an were very attached to him, reaching out with their little paws and hands for a hug as soon as they saw him. He quickly took the two little rascals, one in each arm, played with them for a while, and then urged Mao Fei to take the cubs back to the den.

Though reluctant, Mao Fei knew that staying with her two cubs would only hinder the efforts, requiring male beastmen to protect them—especially her mate, Mao Shi. When he saw her and the cubs emerge, he became distracted during the fight against the Iridescent Snakes. A snake tail wrapped around his neck, choking him until his face turned red. Fortunately, Mao Ya noticed, leaping swiftly onto the snake tail with sharp claws extended, and delivered a fierce slash. The snake tail split in two instantly, blood splattering across his face, and Mao Shi regained his breath.

Seeing this, Mao Fei, her eyes red with worry, hurriedly returned to the den with her cubs. Concerned that the white cat might become stressed, Wen Ran had Fox Jiao and Mao Zhi bring them several cups of sea buckthorn berry juice and sand dates as snacks.

......

Amid the chaos, the Snake Beastmen gradually found themselves at a disadvantage. Zi Yao knew that to turn the tide, they first needed to eliminate the archers continuously firing arrows at them. He pointed angrily toward Mao Ye's direction and roared, "You, you, and you—all of you, go swallow that black cat!"

Facing seven or eight Snake Beastmen slithering toward him simultaneously, each with gaping mouths, crimson forked tongues, and sharp fangs, Mao Ye felt his scalp tingle. No matter how skilled he was with a bow, he was just a newly adult young male who had never experienced such a scene. Though he knew he needed to evade, fear rendered his limbs unresponsive, leaving him frozen and dazed. His father, Mao Bu, anxiously shouted his name from afar and rushed toward him. Lang Zhi, who had noticed the situation—having taught Mao Ye archery himself and feeling a mentor's bond—also hurried to Mao Ye's aid.

Just as Mao Ye was about to be bitten on the hind leg by the besieging Snake Beastmen's venomous fangs, Mao Run kicked him at the critical moment, saving his life. Though it was a lifesaving act, the kick was brutally forceful, sending Mao Ye tumbling several times before he finally stopped and rubbed his sore bottom. "Mao Run, are you trying to kill me? I almost died from your kick instead of the Snake Beastmen's venom!" Mao Ye snapped irritably.

Mao Run rolled his eyes. "Get out of my way so you don't mess up my moves!"

"I won't!"

The two young males bickered while pressing their backs together tightly, gripping their stone knives and bows firmly as they faced the seven or eight Snake Beastmen surrounding them. With the arrival of Mao Bu, Lang Zhi, and other male beastmen, the situation instantly reversed. The seven or eight Snake Beastmen were quickly surrounded by Sand-cat and Sand-fox Beastmen, each holding bows or realgar wine. In no time, the Snake Beastmen were either dead or unconscious.

With the defeat of these Snake Beastmen, the remaining Iridescent Snakes panicked. A few even considered retreating but were glared at fiercely by Zi Yao, forcing them to reluctantly press forward.

"Don't panic! Don't cause chaos!" Zi Yao slithered swiftly, dodging a flaming arrow as he roared. His voice seemed to steady the Iridescent Snake Beastmen, who gathered around him. Many of their scales had been burned off by the fire, yet some still dared to slither through the flames toward Wen Ran, their fangs aimed at his neck.

Before Wen Ran could react, Big Black Wolf—who had rushed back after saving Mao Ye and had been guarding Wen Ran—leaped out and swatted the Snake Beastman away. Coincidentally, the beastman landed right in a patch of flames, and with a sizzling scream, a scene of snake roasting over fire unfolded. As the Snake Beastman screamed repeatedly, the aroma of cooked meat wafted through the air, making everyone swallow saliva.

Zi Yao's eyes turned bloodshot with rage. Watching his tribesmen die one after another in the flames and under arrow fire, powerless to stop it, drove him nearly mad!

He was about to charge out and fight Lang Zhi to the death when someone grabbed his arm tightly. Turning, he saw it was Bikui!

Covered in dust and coughing from the thick smoke, Bikui still held onto the chief's arm firmly. "Retreat, Chief!" he hissed urgently.

Ban Shao and Jian Huan also closed in around them, adding their pleas: "Yes, Chief! Listen to Priest Bikui and let's retreat quickly. The Sand-cat Tribe was clearly prepared!"

At that moment, beastmen led by Mao Shi arrived at the battlefield carrying turtle shells filled with mimosa tree sap, hurling them at the Iridescent Snake Beastmen trapped by the flames. The sticky sap spread rapidly. Some Snake Beastmen, unfamiliar with the sap and unaware of its potency, mistook the colorless, odorless liquid for water, thinking the "stinky foxes and cats" had finally surrendered and brought them water. They foolishly tried to catch it with their bare hands.

The moment the sap touched their palms, they couldn't shake it off no matter how hard they tried. Frantic, they used their other hands to wipe it, only to have both hands stuck together, inseparable despite their desperate pulling. Sweating profusely, they looked to their chief for help but were swiftly ambushed and eliminated by Cat Tooth's hunting team before they could even scream.

Other Snake Beastmen had their lower bodies or tails glued by the sap. Struggling, they accidentally tripped and became coated in thick sand. Weighed down, they could no longer slither quickly and could only inch along in panic. Before they could reach their chief, a Sand-cat beastman pierced their tail with a claw, causing them to scream in agony, tears streaming.

Jian Huan was also accidentally hit full in the face by a turtle shell of sap, his eyes glued shut no matter how hard he tried to open them. Desperate, he cried out to Ban Shao for help. Ban Shao reached to remove the sap, but the moment his hand touched Jian Huan's eyes, it became stuck. In the end, Ban Shao had to use great force, tearing off a large patch of skin from his palm to separate them. However, in the process, Jian Huan was blinded, and the unique scales near his temples—characteristic of Iridescent Snake Beastmen—were ripped off. He let out a piercing scream and instantly transformed into a striped Iridescent Snake with a slender tail.

The scales near the temples were crucial for Iridescent Snake Beastmen. Without them, he became an ordinary Iridescent Snake, no longer a Beastman, unable to assume his half-human, half-snake form!

Ban Shao's hands were left bloody, droplets of blood falling onto the sand and quickly dampening a small patch. He stared in horror at Jian Huan, lying motionless and lifeless on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. His mind reeled with one thought: What kind of existence had their Iridescent Snake Tribe just attacked?! With such terrifying strength, was this really a weak beastman tribe? Were these truly the Sand-cat Tribe, once driven to the barren desert due to their weakness?! Had they mistaken the tribe? Were they attacking some powerful, unknown tribe?! But only the Sand-cat Tribe and the Merfolk Tribe lived in this desert of the Beast World!

Wen Ran watched the one-sided slaughter, thinking that the mimosa tree sap was practically cheating in the Beast World. The Iridescent Snake Beastmen stuck by the sap were immobilized, allowing the Sand-cat and Sand-fox Beastmen to slaughter them at will. They didn't even need to lift a finger—the Snake Beastmen ended up taking each other out. After all, anyone trying to help a stuck tribesman would also become glued, resulting in both losing combat effectiveness!

Wen Ran clicked his tongue in amazement. The so-called strong beastmen of the Beast World were nothing special. Dealing with them was as easy as slicing vegetables.

Zi Yao, watching his tribesmen fall one after another, went berserk. He shifted from his half-human, half-snake form into his full beast form: a three-meter-long, thick, purplish-red giant snake. Raising his massive head, he let out a furious, sharp hiss that pierced the night sky. The remaining snakes suddenly changed formation, transforming into full snake forms, nimbly evading the turtle shells and mimosa sap while cautiously dodging arrows suddenly shot from the darkness.

They had thought the Sand-cat Tribe's powerful attacks were limited to these, but then enormous fishing nets suddenly sprang from the sand, ensnaring the panicked Snake Beastmen on the ground. The Snake Beastmen struggled in the nets, battering them with their tails and biting with their fangs, but soon realized something was wrong. Not only were the nets undamaged, but they also began to feel increasingly unwell, their bodies aching terribly.

Wen Ran smiled. "Uncomfortable? That's expected. These nets were soaked in realgar wine. Biting them is like drinking realgar wine. For snakes, drinking realgar wine is no different from seeking death."

Ever since the Iridescent Snake Beastmen's first sneak attack, Wen Ran had ordered the tribe to soak the fishing nets in realgar wine. These Snake Beastmen were quite amusing—did they really think he would do nothing and wait passively for their attack?!

......

As the sun gradually rose, Zi Yao led the few surviving Snake Beastmen, dragging their injured bodies back to their temporary den. They intended to retrieve their meat and water supplies and return overnight to the Iridescent Snake territory, Snake Marsh, to seek help from the Snake Tribe's High Priest. However, before they even reached the den, they discovered their temporary base was engulfed in a massive fire, the flames soaring skyward!

Enraged, Zi Yao's face flushed crimson. "Those despicable stinky cats and foxes! The beastmen who burned our den must still be nearby! They can't have gone far! Everyone, search for them and kill them on sight!"

"Yes!" Several Snake Beastmen, dragging their injured tails, went off to search.

Bikui merely glanced at Zi Yao, too exhausted to speak, and sat down heavily on the ground, panting. The sneak attack had resulted in heavy losses. Even he had been grazed by an arrow on the face. He touched the wound, now scabbed over but still painfully stinging, leaving his face pale.

Bikui had a high tolerance for pain—losing a large patch of scales on his green snake tail hadn't bothered him much—but this shallow cut on his face hurt so much he found it hard to even breathe. He suspected the arrow that wounded him had been tipped with realgar wine, filling him with anger and resentment.

Zi Yao was indeed powerful, especially in hunting, but in terms of intelligence, he was clearly no match for the Sand-cat Tribe's wise Wen Ran. Clearly, Wen Ran had been prepared for their sneak attack! Their Chief Zi Yao, however, had made no preparations, relying solely on the Iridescent Snake Beastmen's innate strength, resulting in a crushing defeat!

Bikui sighed softly. If only he had known earlier, he would have forced the chief to retreat. Now it was too late. With so many tribesmen lost, the High Priest would not spare them.

......

Mao Yuan and his two siblings, along with Mao Huang, led the cubs to hide behind a sand dune. Surrounded by Iridescent Snake Beastmen on all sides, Zi Yao was clearly enraged. He first sent out several Snake Beastmen, and when they hadn't returned after half an hour, he sent others to search for them, only to find them unconscious. Infuriated by the dense, tender claw marks on their bodies—clearly not from adult beastmen—he ordered all Iridescent Snake Beastmen to seal off the area around the temporary den and capture the beastmen who had ambushed them!

The cubs, afraid of being caught, dared not reveal themselves and hid motionless behind a sand dune. Though terrified, this was their first mission, and they had completed it successfully. The angrier and more frantic the Iridescent Snake Beastmen became, the more it proved how well they had done! Their little faces beamed with pride.

Mao Huang cautiously peeked out, carefully observing the movements of the surrounding Iridescent Snake Beastmen, then ducked back down. Seeing that more Snake Beastmen had joined the search, he hurriedly helped Mao Yuan and his siblings cover the cubs with a layer of sand, leaving only two eyes and one nostril exposed. In the darkness, they blended seamlessly with the sand. He raised a finger to his lips, signaling silence, then buried himself in the sand as well.

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Author's Note: Went to Wuyue Mall today and saw 520 festival events, only then realizing 520 can be celebrated early haha. So I'll wish you all a happy 520 in advance! May all lovers find their happily ever after [Heart][Heart][Shy][Shy]