Arthur felt the backlash from the beast mark on his body slowly subside, and he was surprised to find that his abilities seemed to have returned, his energy abundant and coursing through his body.

He tentatively mobilized the power within his body, and his injuries gradually healed, restoring his physical strength to the same level as before he broke free from the bond.

Shocked by the unbelievable sight, Arthur lifted the animal hide and looked at his arm. The three-star ring had risen back to become the reverse-star ring.

The power has returned?! Arthur's heart pounded. He tried again, uncertain, and sure enough, the Reverse Star Ring had returned to its original state.

It's true, it's true! Arthur stood up excitedly.

"My body seems to have been repaired."

Mickelson looked up at him: "What?"

"kindness"

Arthur: "I've moved back to the Reverse Star Ring."

Cang Jue and Miksen both showed surprised expressions and got up to check Arthur's arm. Indeed, it was no longer the three-star ring, but had reverted to the reverse star ring!

"This is hope!" Mickson asked quickly.

How did you do that?

Arthur held the empty gourd in his hand and said

I drank the potion that Xiaoxiao made.

Cang Jue snatched it away and examined it closely: "Impossible, I drank it too, so why didn't I regain my strength?"

Miksen spotted the blind spot. He pointed to the pile of gourd-shaped liquid in the corner. Guo Xiaoxiao had made two kinds: one was "Nine-Nine Rejuvenating Water," and the other was "Mighty Vajra Water." She gave a lot to Monet and Alo, and kept these two piles for herself.

Guo Xiaoxiao divided them into two groups, very close together, with the left and right sides serving different functions.

Which type are you taking? The pile of gourds on the left, or the pile on the right?

Arthur was in a lot of pain, so he grabbed a bottle and drank it.

"I don't know, I just grabbed a bottle randomly."

Mickson knew exactly what he was looking for. He picked up the bottle of Mighty Vajra Water on the right, took a sip, and felt a warm sensation wash over him, making him feel incredibly comfortable.

Cang Jue also took the medicine according to his method.

At the same time, their star rings were restored to normal, and their weak and powerless bodies returned to their strong and powerful physiques.

The effect is astonishing, it's amazing! How did they manage to suppress the backlash from the beast seal that has existed for ten thousand years?

Restoring his strength was certainly a relief, but just to be on the safe side, Arthur decided to stay put and observe for a while.

Guo Xiaoxiao had said that the potion had a time limit; after half an hour, the potion's effects would wear off. If it wore off, would their star rings still drop?

After waiting for half an hour, just as expected, the potion's effects wore off, and their star rings reverted to three-star and two-star rings.

The recent rebound seemed nonexistent, even accompanied by a series of side effects; they couldn't even lift their hands, and felt completely dizzy.

The backlash has left me weak, powerless, and in excruciating pain. Currently, I'm completely out of sorts and in so much pain that even speaking is difficult, let alone getting up and walking.

Arthur forced a smile: "The effect is clear; it temporarily restores us to our previous star level, but it can't last."

Mickson: "We can always suppress the beast mark. If they come looking for trouble or leak information, we'll use the Mighty Vajra Water to go out and hold them off for a while."

Cang Jue: "Having anything at all is good enough; it's better than being half-dead forever."

Arthur: "Let's wait quietly. When those outside realize our level has dropped and cause trouble, then we'll use it."

Their spirits lifted; the brief respite was a rekindling of hope.

…

The eagle sent by Carlos informed the Beast Kings that Arthur and his companions' union had been broken.

Just as he had planned, knowing they were sick meant he was determined to kill them.

The Yushan tribe is a huge piece of meat. If Arthur and his group are all sickly and suffer from the backlash of the beast mark, wouldn't that give them an opportunity to seize that territory?

The various beast kings were restless; they had received news that Randy was going to assassinate Yili that night.

I really don't know if they were lucky or Randy was unlucky?

After parting ways with Lin Zhi, Randy specifically sent two or three orcs to guard the entrance to his cave to prevent them from being spies sent from outside.

He still couldn't understand how Lin Zhi knew about breaking the bondage. Who told him, Monet or Alo?

This matter is of utmost importance and must never be told to a newly joined female.

Just to be on the safe side, it's best to have someone oversee things. Randy arranged everything that afternoon and even brought in Arthur's old subordinate, Batul.

He told them his plan: he'd been constantly on the defensive and getting beaten, and he'd long wanted to make a big move. The orcs were eager to join him and expressed their willingness to follow Randy to kill the Beast King, Yili.

But fate is unpredictable; the orc Carlos arrived and spread the news.

What was originally kept well-hidden suddenly became common knowledge.

Some smaller groups were still wary of Randy and dared not come, but the Beastmaster was different; relying on his superior numbers, they were all coming to cause trouble.

Before Randy could take action, many orcs surrounded him and asked him if Arthur and the others had been affected by the Beast Mark.

Randy asked, exasperated, "Who told you that? Who told you that?"

"The news of their patrols and reconnaissance is all over the place. It's said that the three former chieftains of the tribe—Arthur, Mike, and Cangjue—were corrupted by the beast marks and abandoned by the females. It's said that the tribe is completely finished."

Randy vehemently denied it, but the facts were undeniable: many orcs weren't fleeing because they heard Arthur's star level had dropped; they simply wanted to confirm.

If things really get tough for the tribe in the future, then we can change our strategy.

Randy was in a real bind; knowing his current situation meant there was no point in assassinating Yili that night.

Once those beast kings receive the news, they will definitely launch a counterattack. If he's not there, they'll lose their last territory.

Randy: "Plan canceled. Focus on defense and hold the territory."

Abil: "I'll immediately have all the wolf-clan orcs surround the tribe's perimeter, preventing any orcs who have defected from entering."

Batur hesitated: "I want to see Arthur."

Randy objected: "What are you going to do with him? Get involved in the war first, we'll explain everything to you later."

Batur idolized Arthur and was genuinely worried about him. Arthur had raised him up from the bottom; he was Arthur's mentor and leader. Batur couldn't imagine Arthur becoming useless.

Aze: "Stop overthinking. Our primary objective is to defend our territory. The Beast King has long disliked us; if we can't hold it, we're dead."

Randy: "Aze, Simon, you and Batur go to the east and guard the breach. We absolutely cannot let them in."

"good"

...

Guo Xiaoxiao lived a life of constant uncertainty, which was the opposite of Carlos's mood; Carlos was extremely happy every day.

Guo Xiaoxiao was extremely depressed every day.

Getting angry with him is like punching cotton; the anger just gets stuck in your chest, unable to escape.

She gave Carlos a nickname: bitch.

Carlos wasn't angry at all despite her constant antics. He didn't know what "bitch" meant, so he just let her call him that.

"You wretched woman, sweep the inside clean, boil some water, and pick some fruit to put on the table; it'll smell nice and have a fruity aroma."

"Okay, I'll get right on it."