I'll never see my father again.

Lai Shiba stood there in a daze, and the defiant figure in his pupils disappeared in an instant.

A gasp escaped from his throat, as if a blunt knife had cut through his lungs, causing him pain.

After a long time, he was awakened by a rumbling sound from afar.

Lai Shiba's brows were tightly furrowed, his hands were clenched, his nails had scratched his palms at some point, and blood was seeping out from between his fingers.

His Adam's apple kept rolling up and down, as if trying to crush some choked sound. After a while, he grinned, a self-deprecating smile, and finally glanced in the direction of the Black Crocodile Swamp. He gritted his teeth, turned around and ran in the opposite direction.

Going in the opposite direction.

He also wanted to be like the snake and make enemies with all the tribes in Beishan for the sake of females.

But he is not a snake. He has neither the mark of a covenant nor the bond of an oath with the female, nor has he obtained what he wants. After all, he is a wandering orc, and seeking profit and avoiding harm is an instinct that has been flowing in his body for many years.

In the face of the beast tide, even a nine-star beastman could be crushed into meat paste.

He couldn't possibly sacrifice himself for a female.

Lai Shiba chuckled softly, and his handsome face showed a complicated expression, first bitter, then calm, and finally condensed into indifference.

What's wrong with being alive?

*

Teng didn't even look back to see if Lai Shiba was following him.

He rushed to the edge of the Black Crocodile Swamp, and his dark green pupils suddenly shrank.

The overwhelming tide of beasts was like a dark cloud pressing down on the land, with no end in sight. These tribal orcs who had been fighting each other endlessly in the past were now so united that they swarmed towards the Black Crocodile Swamp like crazy, and their roars shook the rotten mud of the swamp.

He had lived in Beishan for many years and had never seen such a grand scene.

Teng clenched his fists, and his dark green eyes swept over the orc through his messy black hair, gloomy and cold.

"hiss--"

The huge black snake suddenly jumped up, and its sturdy body crushed through the tide of beasts, and its scales made a sound of golden swords.

He held his triangular head high up, his vertical pupils gleaming with a venomous cold light, and with a flick of his giant tail, bones and blood splattered wherever it passed. He had already reached the peak strength of the Seven Star Pattern, breaking through the beast herd and clearing out a scarlet vacuum zone in an instant.

Behind the vines, the pressure on Luo Heng's body suddenly eased.

The flying orc's sharp eyes instantly locked onto the gap torn open by the Teng in the beast tide.

The dark black snake swung its tail and its scales reflected an icy luster in the blood mist.

"唳——"

A sharp cry pierced the sky, and the flying orc's wings stirred up a fishy wind as it swooped down!

Their sharp claws were like steel knives, scraping across the huge body of the Teng. With a "swish", inky scales splashed and blood dripped, leaving a warm mark in the muddy snow.

"hiss--!"

The severe pain hit it and the snake let out a scream.

He suddenly raised his upper body, and with his huge mouth like a guillotine, he bit the falcon that had no time to take off. His snake-like body was tightened layer by layer, and the feathers mixed with the broken bones exploded, making a teeth-grinding "crunching" sound.

By the time the snake's body loosened, the twisted falcon skeleton had lost its breath and fell into the bloody mud.

Dozens of shrill cries were heard from the sky again, and the flying orcs circled and attacked Teng.

They are naturally able to restrain snake orcs. Their sharp beaks draw silver light in the snow curtain. Every swoop can accurately scrape off a large piece of flesh and blood from the snake. In a blink of an eye, the scales on the snake's huge body are torn to pieces, and blood is splattered like heavy rain.

Behind the vine barrier, Luo Heng gasped in suppression, her lips whiter than the snow falling from the sky.

He tilted his head, clenched his slender fingers tightly, and vines sprang out from the ground, wrapped around the body of the snake and dragged it back.

Seeing this, the smaller jackal took the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, with its fangs only an inch away from the snake's tail.

Luo Heng's pupils suddenly shrank, and he exerted force to deal with the jackal orc, and pulled Teng back. The moment the vine barrier exploded, the snake orc fell heavily at his feet. He also staggered and hit the wooden stake behind him, and a trace of bloody smell came out of his throat.

The dark green vertical pupils of the snake were full of ferocity. It was breathing heavily, and there was not a single spot of good skin on its huge snake body.

Luo Heng stared at the vine barrier, veins snaking across the back of his pale hands. His voice was hoarse, as if squeezed from his lungs. He said solemnly to Teng, "Take Fu Ying away! I can't hold on much longer!"

The vertical pupils of the snake suddenly shrank, and its snake body twisted into a human form in a pool of blood.

He looked at the blood on Luo Heng's lips, his fists clenched until his joints cracked. Although he hated this orc who had hurt A Ying, he couldn't help but feel sad at this moment. He uttered a word through his teeth: "...Okay."

Teng didn't say any more words and rushed towards the depths of the Black Crocodile Swamp like a sharp arrow.

Luo Heng breathed a sigh of relief and poured all the remaining strength in his body into the vines.

“Puff—”

He spat out a mouthful of blood and was exhausted, but the blood-stained vines grew a few more inches.

Luo Heng's consciousness was a little scattered, and her memories were like heavy snow in the sky, fluttering down.

The transformation process from a moonflower to an orc has long been blurred, and I only vaguely remember the excruciating pain of the roots being torn into bones.

But his memories of becoming an orc were extremely clear. He had become a man who always huddled in the shadows and shivered.

Block the beast tide outside and give Fu Ying and the cubs time to leave.

This was probably his bravest time, right?

Luo Heng pulled the corners of her lips, and there was a hint of sadness in her purple eyes.

At this moment, Teng's voice came from far away. It was a roar, but it also carried his usual arrogance: "Luo Heng! Live! If you die, A Ying will be sad!"

Luo Heng was startled for a moment, and suddenly a ray of light appeared in her purple pupils.

*

Teng hurried back to the bamboo house, but there was no sign of Fu Ying. Danyue's residence was empty.

Fine beads of cold sweat oozed from his forehead and his face was terribly gloomy.

"Teng!" Bai Cang's voice came.

Teng suddenly turned around, his eyes moved away from Bai Cang and fixed on the pale-faced and timid Tuanzi.

He strode forward, picked up Tuanzi, and said in a low, tense voice, "Where's Aying?"

Teng knew very well that Aying was never the kind of person who would run away. She couldn't have left on her own. Something must have happened.

"Aying gave birth, and Danyue took her away." Bai Cang said concisely.

Hearing this, Teng frowned, not knowing whether he should breathe a sigh of relief or become more worried.

Bai Cang glanced at Tuanzi. The little girl's eyes were red and tears were welling up in her eyes.

He entered the house, carried Changsheng out, and gently placed him in Teng's arms. His voice was soft, but undeniable: "Take them to the beach and wait for Aying."

Teng's eyes moved slightly, and his arms holding Tuanzi and Changsheng subconsciously tightened, holding the two cubs tightly in his arms. He looked up at Bai Cang with a calm face, his Adam's apple rolled, but he didn't know what to say.

"I believe you." Bai Cang raised his hand and pressed it hard on his shoulder, and a faint arc appeared at the corners of his narrow eyes.

There was a hint of anger between his brows, and his voice was hoarse: "You'd better come back alive."

Bai Cang chuckled softly, and with his slender fingers he pulled off the black and gold forehead band, revealing a star pattern as dark as the night.

He gently tied the bracelet in front of Tuanzi's forehead, covering the faint dark star pattern on her forehead.

"A Fei, listen to your father Teng and wait for him to find you." Bai Cang's fingertips brushed across Tuanzi's moist eyelashes, his voice was very soft, the sunlight fell on his gorgeous face, revealing tiny spots of light, beautiful to the point of being hazy.