Chapter 128: Clash in the Dark Forest

Anqiluo’s light-colored eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, and a rosy hue washed over his pale cheeks. “…Alright.”
He signaled Shuichang to lower his head.
Shuichang complied, leaning his face closer to Anqiluo.
A soft sensation spread between their lips, and Anqiluo carefully extended his tongue, pressing it against Shuichang’s palate. A faint blue light began to swirl around the two of them.
Shuichang felt his consumed energy rapidly recovering, soon reaching fullness. Anqiluo, knowing the moment was right, pulled away.
Female beastmen could help male beastmen restore energy at the cost of their own. Anqiluo had expended most of his energy, causing his complexion to pale, his lips losing their color and luster.
Anqiluo took out two green pills from his backpack, placing one in Shuichang’s palm and keeping one for himself.
“This is a new herb I’ve developed. It can accelerate energy recovery. I can’t help you in the Dark Forest, but this herb can completely substitute for me.”
Shuichang solemnly stored the green pill away, lowering his head to kiss Anqiluo’s forehead lightly. “I will protect you with my life, my love Anqiluo.”
“So will I,” Anqiluo said, stars reflecting in his eyes. “I will be your strongest support.”
Shuichang stepped back a few paces, a flash of white light passed over him, and he transformed into his white tiger form, letting out a low growl towards Anqiluo before swiftly leaving.
This is the world of beastmen, where they are divided into three types: male beastmen who excel in combat and can transform, female beastmen who help restore energy to males and bear offspring, and fallen beastmen who live in the Dark Forest and love destruction.
Legend has it that after a great catastrophe, humans, weakened in body, found it difficult to survive in harsh environments. Scientists attempted to hybridize humans with various beasts, achieving great success with males. However, females, being physically fragile, faced natural selection, and those unsuitable perished, leading to the disappearance of women. They were replaced by seemingly weak males who evolved reproductive organs.
Fallen beastmen inhabit the Dark Forest, a breed that survived failed human-beast hybrids. They possess extraordinary combat prowess, fiery tempers, and are drawn to destruction. They cannot control themselves and have a short lifespan, but they can conceive and give birth rapidly. Almost everyone among the fallen beastmen can become pregnant, delivering cubs just three months after conception, and the maturity period for cubs is only thirty days.
Each year, at the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, the fallen beastmen unleash a violent surge, invading the beastmen’s barrier to seize food. The male beastmen trained in the beastman academy exist to combat these surges.
After several forced defenses, the male beastmen suffered heavy casualties. Consequently, the academy called for them to take the initiative and hunt down fallen beastmen in the Dark Forest. Males can exchange the sharpest teeth from fallen beastmen for needed combat potions. The more potions they possess, the greater their chances of survival during the annual surge.
Unlike Anqiluo, who was very popular, Yadunis lost his parents in the surge and grew up in an orphanage. His unpredictable personality makes others wary of him. Although he is a male beastman with the form of a white tiger, his physical ability is very poor, leading him to be an outcast in the academy.
Yadunis believes that money is the only thing that won’t betray him. He is willing to do anything for it, including trading with fallen beastmen.
Shuichang, in control of his white tiger form, leaped into the Dark Forest, where no one awaited him. Yadunis had no friends at all.
The Dark Forest is filled with plants essential for female beastmen’s potions, such as the starlight fruit Shuichang just gave to Anqiluo.
However, the environment is perilous, and going alone can lead to encounters with packs of fallen beastmen. Thus, male beastmen with good relationships in the academy usually team up to search for medicinal plants for their favored female beasts.
Shuichang had no such worries. Yadunis was physically capable; after being tested by the spirit group, his condition surprisingly reached the top limit of nine stars.
It’s unclear if Yadunis had previously hidden his strength or was simply unable to utilize his instincts, as he seemingly transformed a nine-star condition into a one-star reality.
Shuichang walked freely in the Dark Forest, exuding a remarkable aura that sent nearby fallen beastmen fleeing in terror.
“Weigui grass, long whiskers, rain bellflower, green fruit, Tianling dew…” Shuichang tossed every medicinal plant he found into his backpack behind him.
Beastmen scientists had developed the Xumi Ring, a small ring containing ten square meters of space, making treasure hunting in the Dark Forest incredibly convenient.
However, Shuichang was still quite poor and couldn’t afford one. His only means of obtaining a Xumi Ring was through hunting fallen beastmen and exchanging their teeth.
His backpack quickly filled up, yet he still hadn’t encountered a single fallen beastman yet, leading Shuichang to doubt the veracity of the rumors about their overwhelming numbers lurking in every corner of the Dark Forest.
With his backpack full, he planned to take the initiative to seek out fallen beastmen. After walking another hundred meters, he suddenly heard the furious roar of beasts from the left. Shuichang’s heart raced, and he immediately ran over. Upon getting closer, he found two dozen fallen beastmen surrounding five male beastmen, ready to fight.
The five male beastmen looked pale; their energy was depleted, and they couldn’t transform to fight the fallen beastmen. They could only sit together, gritting their teeth as they awaited death.
Suddenly, a white tiger leaped from the depths of the forest, pouncing directly at two fallen beastmen. They were unable to resist and were instantly slain by the tiger’s claws.
A commotion followed as the remaining fallen beastmen watched the white tiger warily, which had dark green eyes fixed on them. A fallen beastman attempted a sneak attack but was immediately spotted by the white tiger, which swiftly dispatched another fallen beastman with its claws.
The trapped five male beastmen had already seized the chance and hidden away.
Shuichang let out a long roar and launched an attack on the fallen beastmen’s pack.
Known for their aggressive and combative nature, fallen beastmen would never flee until the battle reached the last moment.
This characteristic matched perfectly with Shuichang’s intent. He swiped his claws left and right, toppling three with one stroke and dispatching five with the other, and soon, over twenty fallen beastmen lay dead around him.