The large-headed creature was massive and had long legs; it ran fast. By the time Tong Zhanyan emerged from the alley, it had already reached the far left end of the street.

It was only then that Tong Zhanyan noticed the creature’s right side was drenched in blood, with a massive gash—deep enough to expose bone—running the entire length of its right side.

Seeing it about to round the corner and vanish, Tong Zhanyan drew upon an unknown reserve of strength and speed, charging forward like an arrow leaving the bowstring.

After running a short distance, the big-headed creature glanced back.

The instant it turned, it caught sight of Tong Zhanyan rounding the corner and charging toward it at breakneck speed.

The creature’s fur stood on end.

The next moment, it frantically dug its limbs into the ground, its feet moving so fast they became mere blurs.

“Qing Jiyue!” A twitch ran through the corner of Tong Zhanyan’s eye.

That massive head, that instinct to flee the moment it saw him—there was no doubt that this creature was Qing Jiyue’s Spirit Beast.

Spirit Beasts cannot grow to such enormous sizes unless they are fused with their master.

In the fused state, the master’s consciousness takes precedence over the Spirit Beast’s, though it retains more of the beast’s instincts.

If it were Qing Jiyue’s Spirit Beast—if it were Qing Jiyue himself—there would be no reason for it to flee.

Unless…

That massive creature no longer recognized him.

But if it truly didn’t recognize him, it would have even less reason to run.

That creature clearly still had memories of him—at least some of them.

Tong Zhanyan immediately thought of Qing Jiyue’s disappearance.

The wound running through the entire right side of its body, the bloodshot eyes, the abnormal mental state…

Tong Zhanyan clenched his teeth, ignoring the excruciating pain radiating from his head and lungs as if they were about to explode, and strained every muscle to keep up.

The place where Qing Jiyue had been attacked was on the Qing Family’s side; this spot was far from there.

Moreover, Qing Jiyue had been outside the defensive line when the incident occurred, yet now he had run all the way here…

Qing Jiyue must have wandered aimlessly outside after falling into a state of confusion, only to be drawn by the beasts attacking the Gu Family and follow them to this vicinity.

That meant if he let it escape and make its way back outside, given the current chaos and the vastness of the outside world, he could never hope to find Qing Jiyue again.

As Tong Zhanyan’s mind raced, the distance between man and beast grew ever wider.

Seeing the massive creature about to vanish into the cluster of buildings ahead, Tong Zhanyan looked up at the chicken that had been flying above him the whole time. “Follow it.”

The chicken glanced down at him, gave a squawk, and flew toward the beast.

Tong Zhanyan hadn’t mastered fusion yet.

The chicken was fast; Tong Zhanyan had barely run a hundred meters when it had already reached the vicinity of the buildings.

At the same time, the huge tiger vanished from Tong Zhanyan’s sight.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t slow down. He kept chasing forward while quickly opening his terminal.

He had to find someone to help.

The first people who came to mind were Yang Hong and the others.

On the way here, fearing something might go wrong, they had exchanged contact information.

There was no answer.

Tong Zhanyan looked ahead again; not only was the huge tiger gone, but his chicken was nowhere to be seen either.

Only the special bond between a Spirit Beast and its master allowed him to vaguely sense the chicken’s location.

Tong Zhanyan tried to contact Gu Yinfeng—this was the Gu Family’s territory—but just as he was about to act, he realized he didn’t have Gu Yinfeng’s contact information.

Tong Zhanyan thought quickly, trying to come up with a solution.

The distance between him and the chicken was growing ever wider.

The range between a Spirit Beast and its master is limited; once it reaches its limit, the connection cannot be maintained.

The Devil King?

Although the Devil King wasn’t nearby—he was far behind—he should have the Gu Family’s contact information.

Tong Zhanyan sent a communication request without hesitation.

No response.

Tong Zhanyan gritted his teeth and tried again.

Three seconds, five seconds…

Just as it became increasingly difficult for Tong Zhanyan to sustain the Spirit Beast’s existence, the communication finally connected.

The Devil King was leading his men in battle, surrounded by the roar of beasts.

Tong Zhanyan had no time to look closely; the moment the connection was established, he shouted, “I’ve found Qing Jiyue! He’s near the breached defenses of the Gu Family. He doesn’t look right—notify Gu Yinfeng immediately.”

“What—” Wang Yanzhou was momentarily bewildered.

Qing Jiyue?

“Right away!” Tong Zhanyan had no time to explain; he let out a low growl and shut off the terminal.

In that brief moment, the distance between him and the Spirit Beast had already reached its limit.

His head, already throbbing with excruciating pain from the Spirit Beast’s injury, grew even more dizzy and foggy.

He gritted his teeth, pushed all other thoughts aside, and ran forward with single-minded focus.

The streets were filled with people fleeing with their families in tow; on the left side of the street, a monstrous beast was crouching down to bite at the people on the ground.

Tong Zhanyan ran right past it, scanning the area as he ran, trying to find a vehicle.

However, this area was too close to the outer city; there weren’t many vehicles to begin with, and even if one were parked by the roadside, he didn’t have the keys…

As the gap between them grew wider and wider, Tong Zhanyan was on the verge of despair when the chicken suddenly stopped flying forward.

Tong Zhanyan felt a moment of panic. Had it given up?

Although Spirit Beasts and their masters are one, their thoughts are not always in sync.

The chicken had never listened to him anyway.

The next moment, Tong Zhanyan was overcome with joy.

Although the chicken certainly liked to go against him, it had never let him down at a critical moment—at least not during the recent escape and battle.

That big guy must have stopped.

Realizing what was happening, the pain in Tong Zhanyan’s head eased slightly, but his pace quickened.

Streets, residential complexes, crowds…

Tong Zhanyan headed straight toward the direction he sensed.

More than ten minutes later, he spotted his chicken on the roof of a five-story building ahead.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t rush forward recklessly; instead, he cautiously circled around to the back.

The big tiger was lying on its side in the open space in front of the building, licking its wounds.

It could reach the wounds on its belly and hind legs, but due to the angle, there were parts of the wound on its front leg near the shoulder blade that it simply couldn’t lick.

That area was a bloody mess.

Tong Zhanyan’s taut nerves relaxed. Just as he was about to check his terminal to see how things were going with the Devil King, a beastly roar echoed from directly ahead.

One of the rat-like beasts that had previously attacked Tong Zhanyan’s vehicle had spotted the massive tiger.

“Roar—”

Before Tong Zhanyan could get a clear look, Qing Jiyue, who had been standing in front of the small building, charged forward first.

Its mental state was already unstable.

The massive tiger and the beast collided, instantly reducing several nearby small buildings to rubble.

Tong Zhanyan quickly dodged to the side.

The rat-like beast was relatively smaller, and Qing Jiyue quickly gained the upper hand, clamping its jaws around the opponent’s neck.

The rat-like beast struggled for a moment before its body went limp in defeat.

The wounds on Qing Jiyue’s body also reopened.

Tong Zhanyan, who was watching the battle from the sidelines, furrowed his brow just as several rat-like figures came into view.

The rats were moving in a group.

Tong Zhanyan glanced at his chicken, which had moved to a different rooftop. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided not to let it intervene.

If he scared Qing Jiyue away again, it would be difficult to find him.

They were running toward the defensive line; they were already very close to it. If they went any further, Qing Jiyue could break out at any moment.

While keeping an eye on Qing Jiyue, Tong Zhanyan quickly opened his terminal.

Only then did he notice dozens of missed calls on his terminal.

Among those trying to reach him were the Devil King and Yang Hong’s group, as well as a stranger who had called over ten times—he wondered if it was Gu Yinfeng.

Tong Zhanyan immediately called back the unknown number.

The call connected quickly, and sure enough, it was Gu Yinfeng on the other end.

“You said you—” Gu Yinfeng was clearly in the midst of battle.

Tong Zhanyan quickly added him as a contact and sent him his location.

In that brief moment, Qing Jiyue had already killed all those beasts.

It had gotten a taste for killing; after dispatching the nearby ones, it scanned the area and charged toward a beast in the distance.

Tong Zhanyan had no choice but to follow.

“Come over here first, and bring some reinforcements when you get here. He doesn’t look right,” Tong Zhanyan warned.

Someone sent him a communication request.

Tong Zhanyan ended the call with Gu Yinfeng.

He glanced at the screen; it was Yang Hong contacting him.

Yang Hong was frantic.

He had assumed Tong Zhanyan was with the others, so he’d focused his attention on dealing with the beast.

It wasn’t until he finished that he learned Tong Zhanyan’s group had been attacked again, and Tong Zhanyan was nowhere to be found.

The group immediately began searching, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

They tried contacting him via terminal, but the call went unanswered.

That gave them all a bad feeling.

Something had happened to Tong Zhanyan.

Their hearts sank instantly.

Tong Zhanyan hadn’t kept it a secret, but no one on the outside had yet managed to grow crops with a reduced infection rate; only Tong Zhanyan could bring the infection rate back down to within 20%.

And even setting that aside, Tong Zhanyan held extraordinary significance to them—especially to the few of them.

They were all people who had given up on life, only to be snatched back from the jaws of death by Tong Zhanyan.

If Tong Zhanyan were to die because of their negligence…

“Still no answer?”

“Don’t just stand there—search the entire area first.”

“He must be hiding; the terminal probably fell off.”

“I’ll go to the right…”

Yang Hong stared at the terminal in front of him, which remained unanswered, feeling as though his blood had frozen.

The screen flickered, and Tong Zhanyan’s face appeared.

Just as Tong Zhanyan was about to speak, Qing Jiyue, in the distance, began moving again.

He was heading toward the defensive line.

There were more monsters over there.

Tong Zhanyan could only say a few brief words before ending the call, and then followed him.

As they moved, Tong Zhanyan sent a new location update to Gu Yinfeng.

Ten minutes later, they reached the front lines.

Their men, the beasts, the transparent protective dome overhead, the massive city walls with gaping holes where they had collapsed beneath the dome, and the burning, dilapidated houses.

Chaos reigned across a stretch of several miles.

After a series of battles, Qing Jiyue must have been running low on energy; it licked the wounds on its body once more and headed straight for the exit.

The scene was too chaotic for anyone to notice him.

That made his passage incredibly smooth.

After sending Gu Yinfeng another location update, Tong Zhanyan dodged the fighters around him and gritted his teeth as he followed.

Tong Zhanyan’s chicken landed on his shoulder.

Compared to the colossal beasts around them, they looked like two ants that could be crushed at any moment.

Tong Zhanyan tried to speed up, which drew attention.

“Guh…” A beast turned its body.

Blue flames ignited the instant it lunged forward, instantly engulfing it.

Under the cover of night, many beasts and people in the vicinity looked on.

Tong Zhanyan took advantage of the distraction to quickly cross the battlefield.

The protective shield was a massive energy barrier with no physical form; walking through it felt like moving through thick liquid.

The world inside the shield and the world outside were two completely different realities.

Inside the shield, the landscape was filled with dilapidated buildings, while outside, it was a vast expanse of pristine snow.

Amid the snow, one could make out the ruins of collapsed structures, though they had long since been flattened; now, only the tips of crumbling walls were visible.

In the darkness, to the left and ahead—in the direction of the Qing Family—a massive, snow-white figure was moving forward.

It was about to vanish into the snowy landscape.

There was no network outside the shield; once he stepped out, he would be unable to contact Gu Yinfeng and the others.

But if he didn’t go, he’d lose track of Qing Jiyue.

Tong Zhanyan sent Gu Yinfeng his location, briefly explained the situation, and set off.

Before Tong Zhanyan’s foot had even touched the ground, someone grabbed him and dragged him back.

“Are you crazy?” Gu Yinfeng said.

Even at night, the light outside the protective shield was intense, and with the battle raging, who knew how many lurking beasts were out there.

“Qing Jiyue went that way,” Tong Zhanyan said, pointing in the direction Qing Jiyue had gone.

Gu Yinfeng immediately looked over.

There was nothing there.

Gu Yinfeng looked at Tong Zhanyan, his expression complex.

Tong Zhanyan realized almost immediately that Gu Yinfeng had misunderstood.

He wasn’t crazy.

“He went that way. If we hurry, we can catch up within five minutes, but if we don’t go now and let him get too far ahead, we’ll never find him again,” Tong Zhanyan said.

The ground was covered in footprints; there was no way to tell if any of them belonged to Qing Jiyue.

Gu Yinfeng’s lips trembled.

He, too, hoped Qing Jiyue was still alive, but…

“Tong Zhanyan…” Yang Hong and the others ran up from behind.

The Devil King was among them.

As they drew near and saw the scrapes and dust covering Tong Zhanyan’s body, several of them frowned.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t give them a chance to ask; he simply recounted the situation again.

The group exchanged glances, and for a moment, silence fell.

They clearly shared Gu Yinfeng’s suspicion: that he had gone mad because he couldn’t accept Qing Jiyue’s death.

Tong Zhanyan was frantic with worry, but given Qing Jiyue’s current condition, going alone would be pointless.

Just as Tong Zhanyan was about to speak again, the Devil King’s voice rang out, “Are you certain that’s him?”

Tong Zhanyan immediately looked over. “I’m certain.”

The Devil King stared straight into Tong Zhanyan’s eyes, trying to discern the truth.

A moment later, he turned to Gu Yinfeng. “Please provide some equipment.”

Gu Yinfeng was taken aback.

The Devil King turned to Tong Zhanyan. “Ten minutes. We’ll go no further than ten minutes. If we don’t find him, come back immediately.”

Tong Zhanyan was his student. Although he had only taught him for a year, he knew exactly what kind of person Tong Zhanyan was.

Tong Zhanyan wasn’t the type to joke around.

Gu Yinfeng glanced at Tong Zhanyan once more and headed back.

Crossing the battlefield, he called out to someone.

The man glanced their way in surprise, then ran off quickly.

Three minutes later, he returned with several people carrying large and small bags.

The Devil King, Yang Hong, and the others took the bags with practiced ease. They pulled a black coat—made of a material resembling tin foil—from one of the small bags and put it on, then slung another equipment bag over their backs.

Tong Zhanyan quickly followed suit.

No sooner had he finished than Yang Hong entered a fusion state.

The next moment, he dropped to the ground.

A group of people quickly climbed onto his back.

Tong Zhanyan was pulled up by the Devil King.

Once settled, Tong Zhanyan immediately pointed the way.

Yang Hong entered the snowy terrain and moved swiftly in that direction.

The moment they left the edge of the protective shield, the temperature around them plummeted. It was far below freezing—at least twenty degrees below zero.

This was Tong Zhanyan’s first time experiencing such conditions; he could feel the skin on his face stinging.

Yang Hong and the others, however, were already accustomed to it.

After moving a short distance, Yang Hong began to run at full speed.

The battle raged on, with monstrous beasts visible everywhere in the vicinity.

Two minutes later, they spotted the corpse of a monstrous beast ahead.

The beast had clearly died only recently; its blood hadn’t yet frozen completely.

The air was thick with the foul stench of internal organs mixed with blood.

Yang Hong skirted around it and pressed forward quickly.

Another two minutes later, another carcass appeared ahead; like the first, it hadn’t completely frozen over yet.

At the same time, Tong Zhanyan spotted a snow-white figure the size of a grain of rice up ahead.

Yang Hong and the others noticed it as well.

Yang Hong slowed down slightly but continued heading straight toward it.

The figure was walking, while Yang Hong was running; the gap between them closed rapidly.

When they were only about five hundred meters away, Gu Yinfeng couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke up, “It’s him.”

Everyone turned to look.

Gu Yinfeng’s face was deathly pale, making the bloodshot veins around his eyes stand out even more.

He stared intently ahead, his body trembling slightly.

It was Qing Jiyue—there could be no mistake.

Just as the Devil King and his group were about to look over, Qing Jiyue ahead suddenly whipped his head around.

Tong Zhanyan immediately ducked behind the Devil King.

“Roar…” Qing Jiyue let out a dangerous, furious roar.

Yang Hong had no choice but to stop in his tracks.

Tong Zhanyan quickly relayed his suspicion that Qing Jiyue was acting strangely.

As he spoke, he didn’t dare to look up.

Gu Yinfeng and his group were puzzled, but before they could ask anything, Qing Jiyue was already charging toward them.

Yang Hong, with his extensive combat experience, turned and ran without hesitation.

Qing Jiyue was charging at them with great ferocity, forcing Yang Hong to give it his all.

Qing Jiyue was injured, and the reason he retreated was that he was already struggling to keep going; after chasing them for about thirty seconds, he stopped.

With two low growls, Qing Jiyue turned and continued on his way.

Yang Hong waited until he had walked a short distance away before following him.

Sensing this, Qing Jiyue turned back, looking somewhat furious.

Yang Hong stopped immediately.

Throughout this, Tong Zhanyan kept his head down.

“What do we do now?” Tang Shijin asked.

“It’s injured. Why don’t we knock it out and take it back?” someone suggested.

“He’s Qing Jiyue,” Tang Shijin reminded them.

Qing Jiyue’s Spirit Beast was a psychic-type; if it came to a fight, they’d be like kneading dough. Moreover, they had to win without harming Qing Jiyue as much as possible.

“From the moment I spotted him until now, he hasn’t used his abilities even once,” Tong Zhanyan said. “He doesn’t seem to be in a deep frenzy. I suspect he’s currently acting entirely on the instincts of his Spirit Beast.”

The group turned to look at Tong Zhanyan.

Tong Zhanyan kept his head bowed low.

“You—” Tang Shijin was just about to ask when Yang Hong suddenly turned and started running.

The group immediately looked over. Qing Jiyue, who had been walking ahead, suddenly turned and charged back at them.

It was moving at incredible speed, as if it had been thoroughly enraged and intended to kill them.

Yang Hong had only intended to create some distance, but seeing it in hot pursuit, he simply ran toward the protective barrier.

Qing Jiyue pursued fiercely, and Yang Hong ran faster and faster.

A cold wind swept in, cutting like a knife across their skin.

Tong Zhanyan had no choice but to duck his head even lower.

The moment he lowered his head, Yang Hong suddenly leaped.

A slope lay ahead of them.

Caught off guard, Tong Zhanyan’s body jerked upward, exposing his face.

Qing Jiyue, who had already closed in behind them, came to an abrupt halt in mid-stride.

The next moment, it flattened its ears backward and turned to flee, using all four limbs.

Tong Zhanyan’s facial muscles twitched violently. “Stop.”

Qing Jiyue ran even faster.

Yang Hong hadn’t expected this at all; by the time he realized he needed to chase after it, Qing Jiyue had already run more than half a li away.

Yang Hong was about to give chase.

Tong Zhanyan quickly stopped him. “Don’t chase it—the more you chase, the farther it runs.”

Behind Yang Hong, the Devil King and his entourage all turned to look at Tong Zhanyan. They finally understood why he had kept his head down since the beginning.

In just that brief moment, Qing Jiyue had already run until he was no bigger than a grain of rice.

Having run far enough, he looked back.

Seeing that they hadn’t followed, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Tong Zhanyan gritted his teeth and said, “Put me down. You go after it.”

He desperately wanted to go himself, but the current situation clearly wouldn’t allow it.

Qing Jiyue was severely injured; they couldn’t drag this out any longer.

The Devil King and his men exchanged glances.

The Devil King patted Yang Hong, and Yang Hong immediately lowered his body.

Tong Zhanyan climbed down, followed closely by Tang Shijin and the other four.

The Devil King said, “Go back and notify the others. We’ll leave markers along the way.”

Tang Shijin nodded, and one of the men who had followed her down quickly underwent beastification.

Tong Zhanyan glanced at Qing Jiyue, who was walking further and further away, then climbed onto the back of the man who had gone ahead.

The two groups split up to proceed separately.

On the way back, Tong Zhanyan kept his eyes fixed on Qing Jiyue’s direction until he was out of sight.

They weren’t too far from the protective barrier; in less than five minutes, they spotted it.

They found a relatively quiet area, quickly crossed the defensive line, and as soon as Tang Shijin landed, she immediately opened her terminal.

The others did the same.

A few minutes later, Gu Zaixia arrived.

After personally confirming the situation, she immediately went to a nearby spot to contact Qing Suifeng.

Three hours later, as the sky began to lighten, Tong Zhanyan spotted Qing Suifeng.

Unlike his gradual recovery back at the base, Qing Sui-feng clearly hadn’t slept for days; he looked as if he’d aged ten years overnight, appearing disheveled and tormented.

As he approached, Qing Sui-feng looked straight at Tong Zhanyan. “Is it really him?”

“Yes,” Tong Zhanyan replied firmly.

Tears welled up in Qing Suifeng’s eyes, but in an instant, he composed himself and turned back to prepare.

The battle was still raging, but if they didn’t bring Qing Jiyue back quickly, once he got too far away, it would be difficult to find him again.

It had been over three hours since Qing Jiyue left. They had protective gear, but Qing Jiyue did not.

He had already been out there for two days; if they couldn’t find him within three days, there would be no point in continuing the search.

Half an hour later, a fifty-person team was organized.

Tong Zhanyan stepped forward, carrying a bag. “I’m coming too.”

Qing Suifeng was about to refuse.

He had already given up hope, but Tong Zhanyan had managed to bring the person back. He was grateful, but it was dangerous out there.

Tang Shijin hesitated before speaking up. “It seems Qing Jiyue knows him.”

Gu Yinfeng had been there earlier, but Qing Jiyue hadn’t hesitated at all when he tried to attack them—until he recognized Tong Zhanyan.

Qing Suifeng’s expression instantly grew complicated.

He understood Qing Jiyue’s feelings all too well.

Qing Suifeng hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Let’s go.”

The group quickly headed toward the outside of the protective barrier.

The battle was nearing its end; most of the beasts near the defensive line had been cleared, and Gu Zaixia was organizing men to move to the rear.

Once outside the barrier, the chill swept over them once more.

With Tang Shijin leading the way, the group moved forward as quickly as possible.

Qing Jiyue was heading toward the Qing Family estate.

In less than five minutes, they reached the same area as before and found the markings left by Yang Hong and his group.

The group followed the markings forward.

Three hours was more than enough time for Qing Jiyue to have traveled a considerable distance—and even farther if she had been running.

The group had prepared for a long trek, but after just an hour, they spotted Yang Hong and the others ahead, near a grove of trees.

They hurried over.

As they drew closer, Tong Zhanyan realized that beyond the grove lay a cliff face.

The cliff wasn’t very high, but it was still about ten meters.

Below the cliff was a river, flanked by a vast expanse of lush, mutated vegetation.

The plants had slender leaves taller than a person, growing in vast, sprawling clumps. At first, Tong Zhanyan thought they were mutated reeds, until he saw the ears of wheat hanging from the tops.

“It stopped moving once it reached this side and saw those grasses,” Yang Hong said, pointing to the right.

In the clearing at the base of the cliff, Qing Jiyue remained in beast form, currently licking its wounds.

It didn’t look well; its movements were sluggish, and it seemed as though it might faint at any moment.

Qing Suifeng glanced around. This spot was quite far from where Qing Jiyue had gone missing; he hadn’t come here during his earlier search.

Qing Jiyue’s condition was strange. He appeared to be in a state of deep frenzy, but becoming infected with frenzy takes time, and Qing Jiyue hadn’t been infected before.

More importantly, if he were truly in a state of deep frenzy, he wouldn’t be able to recognize people.

But if it wasn’t frenzy, then what was wrong with him?

“Knock him out.” Qing Suifeng made up his mind quickly.

The group nodded and began scanning the area around the cliff face, looking for a way down.

Yang Hong offered a warning, “Be careful. He seems to really hate it when people get near that patch of grass. Earlier, when a strange beast approached, he ran all the way over from a great distance to chase it away.”

It was thanks to that grass that they were even here; otherwise, they wouldn’t have a clue where they were right now.

“Wheat…” Tong Zhanyan corrected him.

“What?”

The group turned to look at him.

“That grass is wheat.” Tong Zhanyan didn’t know what kind of emotion he was feeling as he said this. “You can’t buy ordinary seeds. I’ve told him I wanted to try growing the mutated variety, but there aren’t any mutated seeds inside the protective barrier either…”

The group froze in surprise.

They all knew about Tong Zhanyan’s plea for wheat seeds in the livestream.

After a moment of silence, the group sprang into action.

They found a slope on the left, out of Qing Jiyue’s line of sight, that led down.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t go; he and Tang Shijin stayed above.

After Qing Suifeng and the others went down, they split into three teams, circling around from three directions to corner Qing Jiyue.

Qing Jiyue was completely unaware; after licking his wound, he curled up into a ball, ready to sleep.

Qing Suifeng, who had already reached the vicinity, immediately signaled to wait and see. If Qing Jiyue fell asleep, things would become even simpler.

He didn’t want to hurt Qing Jiyue.

Everyone stood by.

Qing Jiyue hadn’t fallen asleep.

The wound must have been painful; acting almost purely on animal instinct, he only dozed for a moment before starting to lick his wound again.

Qing Suifeng had no choice but to order the operation.

On the cliff face, Tong Zhanyan moved toward Qing Jiyue’s location.

No sooner had Tong Zhanyan reached the top than, before he could even look down, a commotion erupted below. Qing Suifeng and his group, who had been lurking nearby in human form, underwent beastification simultaneously.

Faced with the sudden appearance of enemies, Qing Jiyue was startled. He scrambled to his feet, wincing in pain.

He was already in terrible shape and could barely stand when he got up.

Qing Suifeng’s group quickly split into two: some formed a circle behind him to prevent Qing Jiyue from escaping, while Qing Suifeng, Yang Hong, and the Devil King positioned themselves inside the circle, attempting to knock Qing Jiyue unconscious.

“Roar—” Without waiting for the group to react, Qing Jiyue lunged forward.

His target was the group forming the circle behind him.

Caught off guard, the circle instantly split open, and one of them was even clawed open, leaving a bloody gash.

The others immediately moved to close the gap, but Qing Jiyue didn’t flee as they feared; instead, he turned and lunged at another person nearby.

Beneath their feet lay a vast expanse of flattened wheat.

Qing Suifeng tried to find an opening to attack, but Qing Jiyue was highly alert and dodged before he could get close.

Seeing that a gentle approach wouldn’t work and that force was necessary, the group’s attitude was just shifting when Tong Zhanyan’s voice came from above, “Qing Jiyue.”

Hearing the sound, Qing Jiyue instinctively looked up.

Seeing Tong Zhanyan right above his head, he was startled and turned to run.

Qing Suifeng seized the moment of his startle and lunged at him.

Caught off guard, Qing Jiyue was knocked to the ground.

Seeing this, the others immediately followed suit, pouncing to pin Qing Jiyue down.

Qing Jiyue scratched and bit, quickly leaving Qing Suifeng covered in blood, but he did not let go, instead holding Qing Jiyue down with all his might.

Two of the Spirit Beasts—a man in the form of a gorilla and another in the form of a monkey—saw what was happening and immediately fetched some ropes.

Those ropes were specially made for those in a deep frenzy; they were thick and exceptionally tough.

Tong Zhanyan quickly ran toward the slope where Yang Hong and the others had gone down, intending to follow them.

Two minutes later, when Tong Zhanyan reached the group, Qing Jiyue’s four legs had already been bound.

He hadn’t stopped struggling; the ropes had dug deep into his fur, and the wound on his abdomen had reopened, spilling copious amounts of blood.

A furious roar filled his throat.

Qing Suifeng dared not let go and signaled to the people nearby to bring more rope.

Qing Jiyue absolutely must not be allowed to escape.

“Qing Jiyue, don’t move, be good…” Tong Zhanyan tried to do something, but could do nothing but watch.

In that moment, he suddenly understood the feelings of those relatives, lovers, and friends who had fallen into a deep frenzy.

Qing Jiyue tried to bite the rope tied to his paw. Seeing this, Qing Suifeng quickly bit down on his head.

Though Qing Suifeng’s transformed form as a massive tiger was utterly intimidating, there was not a trace of anger in his eyes—only the anxiety and anguish of a father.

Qing Jiyue struggled fiercely, causing blood to quickly trickle from his forehead and chin where he’d been bitten.

Tong Zhanyan couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He stepped forward and pressed his hand against Qing Jiyue’s nose. “Qing Jiyue.”

Only then did Qing Jiyue notice him. His large, round eyes widened suddenly, and he instinctively tried to run away.

That gave him a moment of calm.

Qing Jiyue snapped back to his senses and immediately tried to struggle again.

Tong Zhanyan made small talk. “Did you find wheat?”

A flicker passed through Qing Jiyue’s eyes as he looked at the grass behind Tong Zhanyan.

He vaguely remembered that grass.

But he couldn’t remember why he remembered it.

He had been walking aimlessly, but the moment he saw that grass, he didn’t want to move anymore.

“Don’t move. You’ve already trampled them,” Tong Zhanyan said.

Qing Jiyue shifted his gaze to Tong Zhanyan and suddenly felt a pang of resentment.

It wasn’t him; it was those people.

He tried to get up to chase them away.

The hand pressing against his nose tightened slightly, and the voice of the person holding him down spoke again, “Just get some sleep. By the time you wake up, we’ll be home.”

Qing Jiyue was exhausted, but he simply couldn’t sleep; his wounds ached terribly.

“You won’t feel the pain once you’re asleep,” the person said.

Qing Jiyue exhaled through his nose, and his eyelids instantly grew heavy.

The person had moved closer to him, and the familiar scent wafting from them made his drowsiness even more intense.

“We agreed you’d let me pet your Spirit Beast. Once we get back…” The person was still saying something, but Qing Jiyue couldn’t quite make it out.

Tong Zhanyan spoke at length, until Qing Jiyue—whether from blood loss or because he’d truly heard the words—slowly relaxed his body and fell into a deep sleep.

Almost simultaneously, Qing Jiyue’s body rapidly reverted to human form.

The ropes fell away from him, and Qing Suifeng quickly stepped aside.

Tong Zhanyan stepped forward and caught Qing Jiyue.

Those deeply infected with the frenzy cannot recover once they fall unconscious; the fact that Qing Jiyue could recover meant his condition was at least not a deep frenzy.

Tong Zhanyan had barely exhaled when he felt his hand covered in blood.

After Qing Jiyue returned to human form, the wound ran from his shoulder all the way through to his lower abdomen.

Qing Suifeng had already returned to human form; he hurriedly called for a doctor, who was already running toward them.

Tong Zhanyan helped lower him to the ground.

As her clothes were lifted, revealing a gaping wound where flesh was torn open to the bone, Tong Zhanyan felt a tightness in his throat.

The doctor reacted quickly, reaching into his bag to pull out antiseptic and suturing supplies; a wound of that severity required immediate attention.

The wound was deep; the flesh had to be cut open and cleaned.

It looked excruciatingly painful.

Qing Jiyue’s face was deathly pale, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and his brows were deeply furrowed.

Beside them, in the blink of an eye, the others had also returned to their human forms.

Since things hadn’t taken the worst possible turn, the group collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hm?” The doctor paused in his movements.

Tong Zhanyan looked over and noticed something green, faintly visible deep within the wound on Qing Jiyue’s abdomen.

The doctor hurriedly pulled his clothes aside to inspect them; there was something on them as well, resembling the blood of some strange beast.

“His abnormal condition is very likely related to this substance,” the doctor said.

“It’s not frenzy?” Qing Suifeng asked.

“It doesn’t seem likely,” the doctor speculated. “It’s most likely poisoning, but we’ll need to get back to the lab to be sure.”

Qing Suifeng let out a deep sigh of relief.

His father had contracted the frenzy; he himself had contracted the frenzy—if Qing Jiyue had as well…

Tong Zhanyan’s taut nerves finally relaxed, and only then did he realize he had been drenched in cold sweat the entire time.