By evening, the four stood on the riverbank, surveying the Siguo River before them.

The wind was strong—Hu Sheng instinctively tightened the animal hide around his shoulders.

Before them stretched an immensely wide river.

This was the legendary Siguo River.

The currents were swift, and the distance between the two shores was vast. For an ordinary beastman to swim across to the Central Continent would be extremely difficult.

But—where was the bridge?

The river’s surface lay empty.

“I really can’t see the Siguo Bridge!”

Ying Xiao’s red head feathers were tousled by the wind as he perched on Hu Sheng’s shoulder, craning his neck for a better look.

But aside from the churning waters, he saw nothing.

“The Siguo Bridge is usually hidden beneath the river. It only rises when a beastman is exiled from the Central Continent.”

“But that’s not absolute. If a high-ranking beastman wishes to witness the Beast God’s miracle, the guards can activate the mechanism to raise the bridge.”

“The mechanism is inside a stone house on the opposite shore, guarded by a squad of ten beastmen.”

Feng Xun explained.

“So miraculous! Truly worthy of the Beast God’s divine creation!” Ying Xiao gasped in awe.

Hu Sheng nodded vigorously, his face filled with reverence. His past self had been so ignorant—who knew that beyond the Axe and Waterfall Tribes, such wonders existed?

Bao Cheng had seen the Siguo Bridge before—though only once—but his reverence was no less than Hu Sheng’s.

Any beastman who laid eyes on the bridge would instinctively submit to the Beast God.

Feng Xun studied the Siguo River silently.

In the past, he’d only thought of the river as wide and the bridge as long—vague concepts with no precise measurements. But now, facing it directly, he could estimate:

Probably two kilometers.

At that distance, even with his sharp eyesight, he couldn’t make out details on the opposite shore.

He turned to Hu Sheng, Ying Xiao, and Bao Cheng. “We’ll rest here tonight and cross tomorrow.”

The three immediately agreed.

Days of relentless travel had exhausted them. While Feng Xun had the leisure to sketch and jot notes, they had pushed themselves to the limit, terrified of slowing him down.

If Feng Xun grew impatient to save people and decided they were moving too slowly, ordering them back to Waterfall Tribe, that would be an absolute disaster.

Ten blooming Beast Spirit Flowers!

So even if their paws were rubbed raw and bleeding, they gritted their teeth and endured, not daring to delay Feng Xun’s journey.

Now, hearing Feng Xun’s words, they all sighed in relief. Great! It wasn’t even dark yet—after dinner, they could finally get a proper night’s rest.

Hu Sheng said, “I’ll start the fire.”

“I’ll gather firewood.” Bao Cheng turned and headed toward the forest behind them.

“I’ll help gather firewood too!”

Ying Xiao shifted into human form as he spoke. On the very first night of their journey, he hadn’t been able to resist eating those two Beast Spirit Flowers.

Dried Beast Spirit Flowers weren’t as potent, but two together were enough to let him take human form.

His human body was scrawny—so frail it looked like a strong wind could knock him over—and short, barely taller than Song Li, who was still a young teen.

But he wasn’t the least bit dissatisfied. Back in beast form, he couldn’t even manage basic tasks like lighting fires or roasting meat. Now, at the very least, he could cook! He wasn’t the useless waste he used to be!

With the three beastmen dividing the tasks, Feng Xun gave a hum of acknowledgment, tossed out a “I’ll go hunt,” and disappeared into the forest.

Before long, he returned carrying a mud-beast.

Hu Sheng took the mud-beast, marveling inwardly once again at Feng Xun’s speed. If not for the three of them slowing him down, Feng Xun would’ve long reached the Holy Temple by now.

Hu Sheng went to the riverbank to skin and gut the mud-beast, while Feng Xun casually carved a fishing spear and joined him by the water.

Evening approached, the sun nearly set, and the light dimmed.

The river was murky. After watching for a while, he saw no fish passing by.

Just as he was about to give up, movement flickered on the distant opposite shore.

He narrowed his eyes, but the distance was too great, and the fading light made it impossible to tell if it was just his imagination or real figures moving.

Then—

Suddenly, the river before him churned, and a deep, rumbling sound echoed. He froze. This was unmistakable—the mechanism was activating, raising the Siguo Bridge from the riverbed!

Squinting, he realized he hadn’t been imagining things. There were beastmen on the other side.

He didn’t know whether they were exiling someone from the Central Continent or if some high-ranking beastman had come to admire the divine miracle. But either way, it was good news for him.

He could take this chance to deal with the bridge guards, saving himself the trouble of building a boat.

He had never built a boat before—he’d only brought the rough sketches Fan Zhou had drawn. He had promised Fan Zhou he’d construct one to cross the river, but in truth, that was a lie. It would’ve wasted too much time.

He had no time to waste. His original plan had been to swim across.

But now, with the bridge rising—perfect. Now he wouldn’t have to lie to the rabbit.

Hu Sheng, startled by the river’s sudden turmoil, stood frozen, staring dumbfounded at the churning waves.

After a dozen seconds, the rumbling stopped.

The turbulent waters calmed.

Feng Xun frowned. What was going on?

Normally, the rumbling would only grow louder until the bridge surfaced. But now, it had just… stopped?

Neither of the two scenarios he’d guessed should have ended so abruptly…

“Start roasting the meat. I’m going to check the other shore,” he told Hu Sheng.

“Now?” Hu Sheng paled. “If you swim across, how long will that take? It’s almost dark—the river at night is terrifying!”

Even if Feng Xun was insanely strong, this raging river wasn’t to be underestimated. Who knew how deep it was? Or if there were man-eating monsters lurking beneath? If it were him, he wouldn’t dare enter the water even in broad daylight.

“Don’t go now. I can’t swim—I can’t follow you. If something happens to you, I might as well not return to the tribe. Tu Zhou would kill me.” Hu Sheng pleaded pitifully.

Feng Xun: “…”

He scowled at the river, thinking for a few seconds, then turned and strode back into the forest.

Stopping before a tree as thick as a barrel, he slammed his palm against the trunk—snap!—the tree split in two. Shifting into beast form, his claws flashed, hollowing out the core in under two minutes.

Then, just as swiftly, he fashioned a paddle.

He carried the bark canoe and paddle to the riverside.

Hu Sheng stared in stunned silence. So impressive…

“I’ll cross using this. You can rest easy now.”

As he spoke, Feng Xun tossed the canoe into the river, leaped aboard, and pushed off with the paddle. The canoe moved smoothly, cutting through the water toward the opposite shore without being swept away by the rapid currents.

“I’m coming too!” Hu Sheng snapped out of his daze and immediately jumped into the river, scrambling to grab the canoe. He couldn’t let Feng Xun cross alone—that bark boat didn’t look very reliable…

“Go back and wait.” Feng Xun’s rowing suddenly accelerated, the paddle becoming a blur in his hands. The canoe shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Hu Sheng watched helplessly as the canoe, just two meters away from him moments ago, instantly widened the gap to over ten meters. In the blink of an eye, it was already dozens of meters away.

“……”

He wiped the river water from his face, feeling the current’s relentless pull and the icy chill seeping into his bones. Shivering, he quickly turned and swam back.

With Feng Xun already far ahead, leaving him alone in the river was out of the question.

Once ashore, he rushed to the fire to dry off, but his eyes remained fixed on the opposite bank, his heart in his throat as he silently prayed to the Beast God.

Stop focusing so much on Tu Zhou—look after Feng Xun for once!

If anything happened to Feng Xun, he dared not return to the tribe.

____________________________________

In the stone house on the opposite shore, Xiong Ye braced himself against the doorframe, his vision swimming with black spots.

The excruciating pain and blood loss left him freezing and weak. He wanted nothing more than to collapse and sleep—he was so tired. From the moment they fled the Holy Temple, they had been running nonstop.

So, so tired.

But he couldn’t rest. If he fell now, none of his companions would survive.

Yet reason told him that seizing control of the Siguo Bridge’s mechanism and escaping the Central Continent was already impossible. His injuries were too severe, his comrades all wounded, while over a dozen of the High Priest’s hunters still pursued them.

Add the bridge’s garrison to that, and their group—five adults and one cub—stood no chance against so many…

An overwhelming wave of regret crashed over him. Back when Feng Xun was framed, he should’ve left with him.

But he had been naive then, clinging to foolish hopes about the High Priest and unwilling to betray the Holy Temple, so he stayed.

And when Xiang Er was exiled, he should’ve taken his people to the Wild Continent. Yet again, he missed his chance.

Now… there were no more chances.

Behind him, Yang He groaned in pain, followed by Yang Mie’s wailing cries. Then, Hu Rong’s grating laughter rang out:

“Hahaha! You can’t escape! Surrender now and return to the Holy Temple to face the High Priest’s judgment—unless you want to die!”

“In your dreams!” Lu Duan snarled. “That traitor of a High Priest has no right to judge us! By helping him, you’ve betrayed the Beast God too!”

“Hmph. Say what you want.” Hu Rong remained unmoved.

“Aren’t you afraid he’ll feed your cubs to the beasts one day?!” Yang He clutched the gaping wound on his chest, his face pale as he roared.

Hu Rong’s expression stiffened.

The other Holy Temple beastmen also looked uneasy.

Then, a sharp-mouthed monkey who had been spectating from the sidelines shouted, “Stop slandering the High Priest! Yang Mie ran off on his own—what does that have to do with His Eminence?”

“The High Priest has countless duties! He doesn’t even know what Yang Mie looks like! Quit your baseless accusations!”

“Hu Rong, hurry up! It’s almost dark.”

Named directly, Hu Rong let out a thunderous roar.

Exactly. Months ago, Yang Mie had suddenly lost his spiritual awareness, so Yang He and Yang Ye kept him locked indoors.

The High Priest was far too busy—especially with the Divine Sacrifice approaching. How could he possibly have deliberately released Yang Mie to be devoured by beasts?

Impossible!

It had to be Yang Ye’s carelessness that let Yang Mie escape. Yet these traitors dared smear the High Priest’s name—disgusting!

Hu Rong lunged at Yang He.

Yang He hurriedly dodged, but after being injured, his movements had slowed significantly. He was unable to completely dodge Hu Rong’s claws, and immediately, a few bloody claw marks appeared on his shoulder.

Hu Rong sneered coldly, but at that moment, the river not far away began to surge again, and the rumbling sound started up once more.

Hu Rong’s expression changed, and he rushed toward the stone house nearby.

Inside the stone house was the mechanism for the Siguo Bridge. Just now, Xiong Ye had broken in, but Xiong Ye was heavily injured and could die at any moment—had the beastmen stationed there actually let Xiong Ye succeed?

He rushed into the stone house, only to see Xiong Ye kneeling in front of the mysterious large wheel, both claws slowly turning the wheel, while the ten beastmen of the stationed squad all lay on the ground groaning endlessly.

“Trash!” he cursed angrily, charging at Xiong Ye.

There was a large wound on Xiong Ye’s back that exposed bone and stretched across his entire back. He could tell that Xiong Ye no longer had the strength to even stand.

Xiong Ye sensed the wind behind him and shifted his body with effort, dodging Hu Rong’s claws. He panted heavily, glaring at Hu Rong, then raised his right claw.

His claws were like Xiong Jing’s—not ordinary claws—but the metallic-looking nails had already broken off, leaving only two. They posed no significant threat to Hu Rong.

Hu Rong was completely reassured now. He let out another roar, leapt up, and pounced at Xiong Ye.

Xiong Ye gritted his teeth, his slightly thin body leaned back, and then he swung his left claw toward Hu Rong’s face.

Only one of the nails on his left claw was broken; its lethality was greater than that of the right claw!

However, he really had no strength left. His swinging motion was much slower. If it had been an ordinary beastman, perhaps it would have worked, but he was facing Hu Rong.

Hu Rong stepped precisely onto his body. Lifting his left claw, he just happened to block Xiong Ye’s left claw. Hu Rong sneered, “You’re too slow.”

Despair flashed in Xiong Ye’s round eyes. He said nothing and swung his right claw upward.

Hu Rong snorted and raised his right claw high, intending to end this battle once and for all.

Xiong Ye was too heavily injured. Without beast spirit flower, he wouldn’t survive. Just right—Hu Rong didn’t want to break the Beast God’s Commandment by killing his own kind. He intended to knock Xiong Ye out.

But just as his claw met Xiong Ye’s claw, a sudden strong force grabbed his tail. Immediately afterward, his body was lifted into the air. Before he had time to scream, his body crashed into the wall.

This scene was too unexpected—Xiong Ye was stunned.

After Hu Rong flew out, he saw the person standing behind Hu Rong. It was… Feng, Feng Xun?

His already round black eyes widened even further. Was this a hallucination before death…?

The next second, in the blink of an eye, the Feng Xun in front of him disappeared, vanishing into thin air.

He was stunned again. So it really was a hallucination? But Hu Rong… he turned his head with difficulty to look at the fallen Hu Rong.

Hu Rong was trying to stand up, but all four of his legs were trembling, and he couldn’t even complete such a simple action!

Xiong Ye stared at Hu Rong in disbelief. What was going on? If this was really a hallucination, then he should have already been killed by Hu Rong.

At this moment, continuous screams came from outside. His heart tightened, and he struggled to turn over—could it be that Yang He and the others were already…

Just as tears welled up in his eyes, someone walked in from the doorway. His struggling movements stopped. Why did Feng Xun appear again?

This time, Feng Xun spoke: “Don’t move. Lie there properly. I have beast spirit flower. After I raise the Siguo Bridge, I’ll carry you across. Hold on a little longer.”

Xiong Ye: “……”

He blinked hard. He actually heard Feng Xun’s voice?!

Could a hallucination really be this vivid?

It had to be a hallucination. Feng Xun was walking so normally, but his legs had clearly been crippled!

Feng Xun stepped in front of the large wheel and quickly turned it. The rumbling sound instantly rang out, shaking the ground as if it were trembling.

In less than half a minute, he saw the Siguo Bridge rise above the water through the stone house’s window. He couldn’t wait for the entire bridge to be fully raised. He went to Xiong Ye’s side, bent down, grabbed Xiong Ye’s front paws, and with a bit of effort, Xiong Ye was carried onto his back.

He quickly exited the stone house.

The fierce wind blew across his face, the water on the river receded, but the opposite shore was getting closer and closer. Xiong Ye couldn’t help but close his eyes—the speed was so fast.

This hallucination was so real.

He didn’t even know how it had appeared. This kind of scene was something he couldn’t imagine even in dreams.

So he was really going to die, to be able to fantasize about all this.

So tired, so painful…

______________________

Bitter. An intense bitterness flooded his mouth, making him clutch his head and roll on the ground in agony. So bitter, so unbearably bitter!

But just then, his mouth was forcibly pried open, and another wave of overwhelming bitterness surged down his tongue, rapidly spreading through his entire body. Instinctively, he tried to recoil, to escape this torment.

Yet there was no escape. The bitterness seeped into his very bones, and no matter how he writhed, he couldn’t shake it off.

When the bitterness finally eased slightly, he lay limp on the ground, panting heavily, his body covered in blood and dirt, a pitiful sight.

With great effort, he lifted his head to look at the beastmen standing beside him.

He was lucid now.

He hadn’t died—and not only that, he had eaten Beast Spirit Flowers. Several of them!

Who would dare give him something so precious? Besides, aside from the Holy Temple, no other beastmen even had Beast Spirit Flowers.

“Just lie still. Your wounds are too severe—you need rest,” Hu Sheng urged immediately.

“Yeah, yeah, take it easy. The meat’ll be ready soon, so just wait and eat,” Ying Xiao chimed in eagerly. The one before them was none other than Feng Xun’s close comrade, Xiong Ye!

Also the very target of their mission!

But now that they’d found him ahead of schedule, the task seemed too easy… Would Tu Zhou still honor their agreement and give him ten Beast Spirit Flowers when they returned to the tribe?

Even if Tu Zhou did hand them over, they’d feel guilty taking them—he hadn’t done anything!

So, watching the heavily injured Xiong Ye, his eyes darted around as he plotted how to work harder and care for this patient properly.

Unaware of Ying Xiao’s scheming, Bao Cheng also spoke up: “Xiong Ye, don’t worry. Feng Xun went to rescue the others. You’re all safe now—no one will come to harm.”

Feng Xun?!

Hearing that name, Xiong Ye—who had been planning to feign weakness while observing the three beastmen before him—instantly propped himself up on his claws and sat upright. His eyes widened as he stared at Bao Cheng. “Feng Xun really saved me?”

“Yes. He’s gone to the other shore to rescue the others now,” Bao Cheng nodded.

“…”

It wasn’t a hallucination. What he’d seen was really Feng Xun!

“His leg—” But then Xiong Ye remembered the Beast Spirit Flowers he’d just consumed. If Feng Xun could spare multiple blossoms for him, that meant he had plenty to spare.

With Beast Spirit Flowers in hand, Feng Xun’s leg injury must have been healed long ago.

Who would’ve thought that after being exiled from the Central Continent, Feng Xun would find a way to survive in the Wild Continent?

Still dazed, he suddenly felt a hand grab his shoulder. Startled, he turned to see a short figure with bright red hair clutching a piece of hemp cloth, smiling brightly at him: “You’re filthy. Let me clean you up.”

Xiong Ye: “…No need. I’ll wash in the river later.”

“You’re still injured! Wounds can’t get wet! Don’t worry, I’ll wipe off all the dirt and blood.” Ying Xiao gave him no chance to refuse, immediately scrubbing with the cloth.

Xiong Ye felt awkward and tried to stop him, but just then, Hu Sheng’s excited voice rang out: “Feng Xun’s back!”

Hearing this, Xiong Ye quickly looked toward the river.

Figures had appeared on the Siguo Bridge. At the very front was none other than Feng Xun!

Feng Xun cradled a small lamb in his arms, while behind him followed Yang He, Yang Ye, Lu Duan, and Xiong Hong. Though walking slowly, none needed canes—they moved steadily on their own.

Xiong Ye exhaled in relief. They were all alive. Thank the gods.

Feng Xun soon led the group to the shore. Seeing Xiong Ye’s emotional attempt to rise, he immediately stopped him: “Stay seated. Rest. I already know everything that happened.”

“Now that I’m here, nothing will go wrong.”

Xiong Ye: “…”

The sight of Feng Xun—confident and radiant—made his nose sting with emotion.

He nodded heavily.

He knew just how strong Feng Xun was now.

Fleeing the Holy Temple to the Siguo Bridge had been the right choice.

Last time, he had personally exiled Xiang Er from the Central Continent. Returning to the Holy Temple afterward, he had resumed his usual routine—hunting, patrolling, as if nothing had changed.

But not long after, Yang He and Yang Ye’s cub—Yang Mie—suddenly disappeared.

Yang Mie was just over a year old. At first, he had been no different from other cubs, but shortly after Feng Xun left the Central Continent, he lost his spiritual awareness. He could no longer speak or recognize Yang He and Yang Ye.

While rare, this condition had occurred among other beastmen before. Though devastated, Yang He and Yang Ye were no ordinary beastmen—they were members of the Holy Temple.

And the Holy Temple had Beast Spirit Flowers.

Yang He approached the High Priest, asking how he could obtain one.

The High Priest’s condition was simple: Find another luminescent stone, larger than the one delivered by Blackstone Tribe.

This was an extremely harsh demand. Luminescent stones were already uncommon, and finding one bigger than the one the Blackstone Tribe gave was near impossible.

But for Yang Mie’s sake, Yang He left the Holy Temple to search.

Then, one day while Yang Ye was also out hunting, Yang Mie vanished. Their small dwelling, however, carried a faint, unique fragrance—one that came from a rare blue flower, something only the High Priest was permitted to use!

Yang Ye confronted the High Priest, who naturally denied any involvement. Without arguing further, she rushed out to search for Yang Mie, rallying Lu Duan and Xiong Hong to help.

Moved by her desperate tears, many other Holy Temple beastmen joined the search.

Luckily, the group found Yang Mie before sunset. At the time, he was being mauled by a screech-beast, his right hind leg already half-devoured.

Heartbroken, Yang Ye carried him back—then couldn’t resist confronting the High Priest again.

Coincidentally, Yang He, who had been gone for some time, returned that same day. Upon learning what happened, his fury eclipsed even Yang Ye’s. A violent argument erupted between him and the High Priest.

Blinded by rage, Yang He even threatened to throw the High Priest’s own grandson to the beasts.

This finally provoked the High Priest’s wrath. He ordered their family of three expelled from the Holy Temple.

Xiong Ye refused to accept this decision and openly opposed the High Priest.

Truthfully, he didn’t believe the High Priest had done it himself. The man was old, his movements sluggish, and far too conspicuous—every action of his was watched by numerous beastmen.

More likely, the High Priest had sent someone to abandon Yang Mie. That beastman, while in contact with the High Priest, must have been near when the blue flowers were burned, thus carrying the scent.

His reasoning was sound, but the High Priest refused to admit anything. To force a confession, Xiong Ye threatened to bring the matter before all beastmen during the Divine Sacrifice—let them decide whether Yang Mie had wandered off or been deliberately abandoned.

This was the last straw. The High Priest turned on them, accusing them of disrupting the Holy Temple’s order and slandering the Beast God’s closest servant. He demanded their immediate expulsion.

Fine. Xiong Ye had no attachments left to the Holy Temple anyway.

Yet, remembering Yang Mie’s condition, he made one last desperate move—charging into the Beast Spirit Flower cavern to seize one for the cub.

His strength was formidable. In a sudden ambush, he actually managed to steal two Beast Spirit Flowers.

This thoroughly enraged the High Priest, who then sent hunters to kill them.

The two stolen blossoms were consumed by Xiong Ye and Xiong Hong during their escape to heal wounds—leaving none for Yang Mie.

But Beast Spirit Flowers were too scarce, and their numbers too few. By the time they reached the Siguo Bridge, they were on their last legs. Without Feng Xun, they would’ve been wiped out.

Thankfully, the Beast God had favored them.

Praise the Beast God. Praise Feng Xun!