The Beast and the Bird

Xiao Chen frowned. The blood-red ape's behavior suggested that matters were not simple. Even a spirit beast of such intelligence halted here—the mountain range ahead was clearly no benevolent place.

The blood-red ape let out a low roar, then turned and bounded away without a backward glance, disappearing into the dense forest in the blink of an eye.

Xiao Chen thought for a moment, then decided to press on. Together with the three skeletons, he resumed his journey.

They crossed two more ridges. Faint beast roars drifted from ahead—quiet, yet carrying a suffocating sense of menace.

Pushing through a thicket of shrubs, Xiao Chen and the skeletons drew closer to the source of the roars. Along the way, they discovered several corpses. All were unfamiliar practitioners, their bodies horrifically torn apart. The time of death was clearly recent; blood-mist still hung in the air, the metallic stench sharp and nauseating.

More people were entering Dragon Island, Xiao Chen realized. Most of them had likely encountered a ferocious beast in this area.

But as he neared the source of the low growls, he overturned that guess. Those dead practitioners had not been killed by a beast.

Ahead, the tragedy continued. He saw the truth clearly. A towering demonic shadow was slaughtering through the forest. Its massive claws swept out, blood burst forth, and it tore a practitioner's body apart with bare hands. Organs spilled across the ground, blood splattered everywhere—the scene was brutal beyond words.

The shadow was huge and powerful, over three meters tall. It had a pair of upright wolf ears and a long, strong tiger tail. Xiao Chen recognized it—the barbarian youth, Kael.

Though Kael possessed a human form and face, he was at this moment a human-shaped beast: cold, cruel, and merciless. Twin rays of terrifying green light shot from his eyes, and the aura he exuded was purely bestial.

"Ah—!"

Another scream. Kael spun violently, his thick, powerful tiger tail lashing out like a demonic blade wreathed in eerie light. It sliced clean through the last remaining practitioner's body at the waist.

"Roar!"

Kael let out one final low beast-cry. The ghastly green light in his eyes gradually faded, and the wild savagery slowly receded. The fearsome young barbarian was formidable in battle—no need to elaborate—but his temperament was terrifyingly brutal. Calling him a human-shaped beast was no exaggeration.

Standing not far away, the forest clan youth Arod had watched the entire scene calmly.

"Come out!" Kael turned as sharply as a wild beast, his eyes locking onto the direction Xiao Chen was hiding.

At the same time, the vegetation behind Xiao Chen and the three skeletons began to writhe wildly. Countless vines shot up, blocking their retreat. It was clearly the work of Arod, who could control plant growth.

"You!" When Kael saw Xiao Chen step out, his entire body radiated a dangerous beastly aura. "Were you following us?"

"No. Don't misunderstand."

Arod fixed his gaze on the three skeletons. Though his body was slender, his presence was not weak. He said coldly, "Undead creatures, huh."

Kael's eyes flickered with murderous light. He strode forward, exuding an overwhelming pressure.

Arod walked over unhurriedly, his voice light but carrying heavy killing intent. "Birds should not flutter before a dragon, or they invite their own destruction." His body glowed faintly green, and the vegetation ahead parted of its own accord, laying out a green path before him.

Though his frame was slight, his momentum at that moment was no less than Kael's. Killing intent seeped from every word. It was plain: he compared Xiao Chen to a bird and himself to a dragon—an insult built on arrogant confidence, designed to humiliate.

Xiao Chen was furious. Three times he clenched his fist, three times he released it. In the end, he said nothing and turned to leave. He had already yielded this much. If Arod and Kael tried to stop him, he would not hesitate to fight.

With the three skeletons, he skirted around the tangled vines and gradually disappeared into the woods.

Kael watched Xiao Chen's retreating back, his eyes still gleaming with bestial light. "Is he really that weak…"

Arod gazed into the forest and smiled faintly. "He's suppressing his strength. Just now, I sensed it—his cultivation isn't weak. But… hmph. Everyone who enters Dragon Island is either an ally or a competitor. I wanted a justification to remove a potential instability. But he held back. We'll let him go this time. We can't afford to offend that monk Yizhen just yet."

"Is that so? I don't have so many scruples. Let me finish him off!" Kael was powerfully built. As he spoke, he left an afterimage behind. His tall frame leaped up, his massive hands grabbing at branches like a nimble ape, vanishing among the ancient trees in a blink.

Xiao Chen had only gone a hundred meters when he felt a savage beast rapidly closing in from behind. He barely turned his head when the crown of a giant tree behind him snapped with a thunderous crash. A towering figure swept down, shattering the branches below into splinters.

Kael came down like a wild beast, smashing through every obstacle. Trees and branches alike were pulverized by his faintly glowing body as he pounced at Xiao Chen like a demonic ape—a true human-shaped beast.

If it could not be avoided, then fight to the death! This was Xiao Chen's bottom line and his principle.

He had already made some enemies on this island. He had wanted to avoid making more, but that was clearly a one-sided wish. Everyone on Dragon Island would be set against one another in the struggle for the Ancestral Dragon and the half-born dragon kings. Even if he wanted to compromise, it was impossible.

No one on Dragon Island could avoid it. Everyone would face a chaotic slaughter.

Xiao Chen had tried to avoid further enmity, but that did not mean he was afraid. On the contrary, he was a decisive killer. Since the other side had forced him past that invisible line in his heart, there was nothing left to say. Only slaughter could stop slaughter.