Chapter 212
“Where is he? You can’t even catch a single sub-beastman—what’s the point of keeping you around?”
“Bai Luo escaped! The witch doctor won’t spare us!”
“Useless! You can’t even keep watch over a sub-beastman!”
In the Black Forest Tribe, a beastman was angrily reprimanding several others.
A group of beastmen stood around, ashamed that a sub-beastman had actually managed to escape.
This was the most humiliating thing that had ever happened to them. Even worse, they had yet to find him.
The tribe’s territory was vast, and once a sub-beastman transformed into its beast form, it could easily hide and become nearly impossible to detect. Unlike beastmen, sub-beastmen didn’t have a strong scent, making them incredibly difficult to track.
The sub-beastmen captured by the Black Forest Tribe came from different sources. Some were handed over as rewards by their own kin or mates, while others were taken by force under the threat of destroying their tribes. The ones that managed to escape wouldn’t be easy to recapture unless hunger forced them to return voluntarily.
Knowing how difficult it was to recover runaway sub-beastmen, the Black Forest Tribe was always extremely vigilant. At all times, guards were assigned to watch over them, or they were locked inside caves with no exits. However, the beastmen had underestimated the sub-beastmen’ unity.
The sub-beastmen had deliberately split up to distract their captors, allowing one of them to escape.
The Black Forest beastmen had always been overconfident, convinced that these sub-beastmen wouldn’t dare to run. Even the ones specifically marked by the witch doctor weren’t given extra attention.
Now that someone had escaped, the beastmen knew the witch doctor would be furious if they returned empty-handed.
But finding one runaway sub-beastman in such a vast land was no easy task—especially one actively hiding.
Sub-beastmen didn’t need to hunt to survive, so they left no traces to track. This made locating them even more difficult.
After searching the entire day with no results, the group finally decided to return to the tribe. Whether they went back now or later, they had to face the consequences eventually. Unless the runaway sub-beastman voluntarily showed himself, there was no second option.
As they walked back, the beastmen kept arguing, each blaming the others for the escape.
Their bickering only made the lead beastman even angrier.
“Shut up! Just wait for the witch doctor’s punishment! None of you will escape this!”
It no longer mattered who had let the sub-beastman go—under the witch doctor’s wrath, they would all suffer.
Once the group of beastmen left, Bai Luo carefully emerged from his hiding spot under a tree.
When sub-beastmen transformed into their beast form, they could hide almost anywhere—even behind a single large blade of grass. The real challenge wasn’t finding a place to hide; it was staying calm and avoiding detection.
Bai Luo had made no mistakes. If necessary, he could have stayed hidden under that tree for two whole days. When it came to patience, he would never lose to those beastmen.
Avoiding capture was easy. The real difficulty was escaping the Black Forest Tribe’s territory.
Sub-beastmen could conceal themselves well, but they couldn’t travel as fast as their pursuers. So, Bai Luo had to be extremely cautious along the way.
Several days later, he finally crossed the border of the Black Forest Tribe’s territory. But now, standing at a crossroads, he hesitated.
He definitely couldn’t go to the Blood Wolf Tribe. That was where he had come from, and the Black Forest beastmen would undoubtedly search there.
Even if he was careful, there was always a chance of being discovered. If someone let something slip, it could put the entire tribe in danger.
The best option was to find a tribe with no ties to the Black Forest Tribe.
But… could he really find one?
The others had sacrificed too much to help him escape.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Bai Luo took a deep breath, then opened them with determination. He picked a direction and started moving forward.
Relying on edible plants along the way to stave off hunger, Bai Luo traveled farther and farther from the Black Forest Tribe.
And each night, as he carefully avoided the wild predators lurking in the darkness, Bai Luo would recall the lessons he had been taught since childhood—especially one that had stayed with him the most.
The Beast God’s Abandonment
The sub-beastman who raised Bai Luo once told him that the Beast God Continent was once home to a true Beast God. However, at some unknown point in time, the Beast God suddenly stopped responding to his people.
In other words, the Beast God Continent was an abandoned land.
That sub-beastman had only mentioned this once—after drinking the so-called divine water. After that day, Bai Luo never asked about it again, and the other party never brought it up. Bai Luo kept this secret to himself. Though the sub-beastman still performed prayers as usual, Bai Luo knew that deep down, they no longer believed the Beast God would descend again.
At the time, Bai Luo was eighteen, and for the first time, his faith wavered.
Now, as he looked up at the sky, he wondered—could the Beast God truly return? Would he look upon his forsaken people?
To avoid being discovered, Bai Luo carefully fled along long-abandoned trails. As he traveled, he came across numerous ruins of desolate tribes. Some sites still bore traces of past beastmen life, but they had long since been abandoned. Others showed signs of chaos and battle.
In the past, such conflicts might have been dismissed as natural tribal warfare. But after spending so much time in the Black Forest Tribe, Bai Luo had heard far too much. He understood now—these were all orchestrated by the so-called “witch doctors.”
Any tribe that refused to follow their decrees was accused of blasphemy against the Beast God. The punishment? At best, their food was stolen. At worst, their people were taken or slaughtered.
Without food, beastmen couldn’t survive the rainy season or winter. Most who perished did so during these times. Even if the witch doctors weren’t directly killing them, their actions were no different from murder.
If the Beast God truly existed, would he not punish these witch doctors who had brought so much suffering upon his people?
Once, the Beast God was a symbol of hope for the beastmen of this continent.
Now, he was nothing more than the blade in the hands of the witch doctors, used to cut down those very people.
The farther Bai Luo traveled, the more hopeless he felt. The other sub-beastmen had helped him escape so that he could find allies. But so far, all he had encountered were struggling tribes—or those that had vanished entirely.
The strongest tribe he had seen so far was the Blood Wolf Tribe. But they alone were not enough. The Black Forest Tribe’s forces were several times larger. If he contacted the Blood Wolf Tribe too soon, he would only be putting himself and them in danger.
His only option was to find more allies first—then return to unite the Blood Wolf Tribe against the Black Forest Tribe before they could react.
But… finding allies was easier said than done.
Two months after fleeing the Black Forest Tribe, Bai Luo took temporary shelter in a remote cave. Judging by the items left behind, the previous occupant had been a devout believer in the Beast God.
Remembering everything he had seen along his journey, Bai Luo slowly knelt inside the cave, his gaze lingering on the stone-carved image of the Beast God on the wall.
In the end, despite knowing it was foolish, he prayed.
He knew it was nothing more than a desperate delusion, but he still wanted to try.
From childhood until now, even after entering the Black Forest Tribe, the name of the Beast God had always echoed in his ears. Bai Luo closed his eyes, hoping—hoping that the Beast God had not abandoned his people. Hoping that the Beast God would save the suffering sub-beastmen.
When he opened his eyes again, someone was standing before him.
Bai Luo stared in shock.
He was certain—absolutely certain—that the cave had been empty when he entered.
This person had appeared out of nowhere.
Raising his head slightly, Bai Luo hesitantly asked, “Who are you?”
The man in black lifted his hand and placed it on Bai Luo’s shoulder, his voice slow and deep. “Who do you want me to be?”
Bai Luo was momentarily stunned. Who did he want this person to be?
He wanted…
But that was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Seeing his silence, the black-robed man chuckled. “My name is Hei Yuan. You may call me Yuan.”
Then, leaning closer, he whispered, “Do you want to save them?”
Bai Luo instinctively pulled back, avoiding his approach. Keeping his rationality, he asked, “What is your beast form?”
“My beast form?” Hei Yuan paused, as if considering something. After a moment, he replied, “I can take any form you desire.”
“Oh?” Bai Luo murmured in response, his voice barely audible—but Hei Yuan still heard it.
Hei Yuan reached out again, but Bai Luo quickly dodged. Seeing this, Hei Yuan frowned slightly.
“I don’t have much time. If you want to save them, you must agree to my terms—”
In other words, make a decision. Any more hesitation, and it might be too late.
Bai Luo studied him for a long moment before finally saying, “Alright. I agree.”
Neither of them spoke about the exact terms.
But they both understood what the other meant.
That night, Bai Luo closed his eyes, his mind filled with the sub-beastmen who had risked their lives to distract the beastmen and help him escape.
As for the man beside him—whether he was a man or a god—it made no difference to Bai Luo.
Hei Yuan lowered his gaze, watching Bai Luo’s unreadable expression. Before he had arrived, he could see Bai Luo’s thoughts clearly.
But now… suddenly, he wasn’t so sure anymore.
Did Bai Luo truly believe he was the Beast God?
Hei Yuan had been watching Bai Luo for a long time.
Over a decade ago, while accompanying his father on an inspection of their possessions, Hei Yuan had noticed Bai Luo for the first time.
The Beast God Continent had many sub-beastmen.
But Bai Luo was different.
Hei Yuan had always liked watching Bai Luo. And this interest—this fondness—was what had stopped him when his father declared that the continent was beyond saving and needed to be destroyed.
Like a child unwilling to part with his favorite toy, Hei Yuan refused to let this world be erased.
Yet his father had said that the way this continent evolved was flawed, that it would inevitably collapse.
But Hei Yuan didn’t want that.
Because he had yet to meet the one sub-beastman who had captured his attention.
In order to appear on the Beast God Continent, Hei Yuan had tried countless methods. Even so, his time here was limited.
Raising his hand, he gently touched Bai Luo’s weary, pale face.
He would take good care of Bai Luo.
That night, the two of them stayed in the cave left behind by an unknown tribe. Hei Yuan found himself unable to look away from Bai Luo—no matter how much he looked, it never felt like enough.
Bai Luo, however, showed no dissatisfaction toward his actions. Yet, Hei Yuan could sense that something was off.
Bai Luo was distant.
They were like the closest of strangers.
Even though Bai Luo was kind and courteous toward him, Hei Yuan felt unsettled. This wasn’t how it should be.
Frowning, Hei Yuan wondered—what had gone wrong?
Just as he was about to ask Bai Luo if something was bothering him, he suddenly sensed another issue.
Someone was summoning him.
It seemed… he was being pulled away.
Spending time with Bai Luo had made him so happy that he had forgotten to conceal himself. He had lingered here too long—not only affecting Bai Luo but the entire Beast God Continent.
At the thought of that name, Hei Yuan hesitated, something he rarely did. “I’ll return soon,” he promised. Since he had come here once, he could do it again. He would find a way to save this continent. Once things were set on the right path, Bai Luo wouldn’t have to worry about anything anymore.
“Alright,” Bai Luo responded, his face showing no reluctance at all.
Hei Yuan felt a surge of unease. He wanted to say something else, but time had already run out.
Just as suddenly as he arrived, Hei Yuan vanished.
For a while, Bai Luo wondered if it had all been a hallucination brought on by exhaustion.
But three months later, he realized—it wasn’t a dream.
He was carrying a child.
For the first time, Bai Luo found himself face-to-face with an offspring that shared his own blood. It was a strange feeling, and what made it even more unusual was that this child’s other father…
From then on, as Bai Luo traveled in search of allies, he had one more attachment—the child growing inside him.
When the child was a month old, Bai Luo confirmed that it was a black rabbit sub-beastman.
Shortly after the child’s full-moon celebration, Bai Luo entered a new tribe. This tribe was in much better condition than the ones he had seen before. More importantly, it had a large population—almost entirely composed of the Feathered Clan.
While the Feathered Clan wasn’t as physically strong as beastmen, they had the advantage of aerial attacks. If the Black Eagle Tribe could join forces with the Blood Wolf Tribe, their chances of success would increase significantly.
Bai Luo stayed in the Black Eagle Tribe, largely thanks to Ying Yong.
Ying Yong was one of the few beastmen willing to help sub-beastmen. He even found Bai Luo a secluded cave to stay in, making it easier for him to care for his child.
Because Bai Luo was a sub-beastman—one with a particularly weak constitution—Ying Yong took extra care of him. After all, raising a child alone without a beastman’s support was incredibly difficult for a sub-beastman.
However, Ying Yong’s kindness did not go unnoticed by those with ill intentions. Rumors began to spread.
People started saying that the reason Bai Luo had chosen to stay in their tribe was because the child belonged to Ying Yong.
Ying Yong swiftly and decisively punished a few of the gossiping tribesmen. However, to many, such rumors weren’t a big deal. Some even felt he was overreacting—after all, it was just a few words, and yet he had gone so far as to reprimand them and withhold their food.
After that incident, Ying Yong rarely approached Bai Luo directly. If something needed to be discussed, he sent his mate instead.
For Bai Luo, aside from his goal of rescuing the sub-beastmen, his greatest wish was to raise his child well.
But seeking justice against the Black Forest Tribe was no easy task.
Bai Luo was new to the Black Eagle Tribe and did not bring up his true purpose right away.
It wasn’t until he had lived in the tribe for over a year that he finally spoke about it.
Ying Yong hesitated upon hearing Bai Luo’s request. However, it was only a brief hesitation. After all, launching an attack on another tribe in a different continent was no easy task. Even though the Feathered Clan could fly swiftly and reach distant places quickly, they still needed to prepare food. Moreover, once they arrived, they couldn’t immediately attack the Black Forest Tribe—they had to conserve their strength. Considering all this, the food reserves in their tribe might not even be enough for such an expedition.
Bai Luo was perceptive. Seeing Ying Yong’s hesitation, he understood that this plan wasn’t feasible. Since he had been living in the Black Eagle Tribe for a long time already, Bai Luo decided to stay a bit longer. He planned to leave in the next spring to seek another tribe’s help. For the time being, both sides remained at peace. Bai Luo’s priority was still to rescue the trapped sub-beastmen.
However, something unexpected happened—Ying Yong’s mate passed away suddenly while giving birth.
Unlike beastmen, Feathered Clan births were generally easier, as their young were born as eggs rather than live offspring. Yet, against all expectations, Ying Yong’s mate died from laying an egg. No one had foreseen such a tragedy.
Ying Yong’s mate had helped Bai Luo a lot. Now that she was gone, leaving behind only an egg, Bai Luo took the initiative to help care for it as a way to repay their kindness over the past two years.
But the rumors resurfaced—this time, even worse than before. Some claimed that Bai Luo and Ying Yong had conspired to kill the chief’s mate just to steal the child.
That night, Bai Luo had a dream—a rare occurrence. In the dream, he saw Hei Yuan. But when he woke up, he couldn’t remember the dream’s content at all—only that it felt utterly absurd.
While continuing to care for the unhatched egg, Bai Luo also began preparing to leave the Black Eagle Tribe. However, before the egg even hatched, something else stopped him in his tracks.
He was pregnant again.
Even without a mate—without even a temporary one—Bai Luo was absolutely certain. He knew his body well. The changes he was experiencing were exactly the same as when he had conceived his first child.
What puzzled him even more was that his dream had seemed uneventful. Yet, somehow, he had conceived a child.
Leaving the tribe now to search for another safe haven would be difficult, especially while caring for two young children.
Thus, Bai Luo decided to stay in the Black Eagle Tribe a little longer. He would wait for the second child to be born and grow a bit before bringing up the subject again. If, by then, the Black Eagle Tribe still refused to act, he would seek help elsewhere.
But Bai Luo never expected that when his child turned three, both he and his children would be captured by the Feathered Clan of the Red Eagle Tribe.
Imprisoned in the Red Eagle Tribe, Bai Luo constantly sought an opportunity to escape. However, unlike the Black Forest Tribe, the Red Eagle Tribe had learned from past mistakes—their guards were far more numerous and far stricter. Before Bai Luo could find a way to escape, he received even worse news.
The shamans of the Red Eagle Tribe planned to send him and his children to the Black Forest Tribe.
That must not happen!
Bai Luo knew his children were different. He also knew the Black Forest Tribe’s shaman well. Though several years had passed, it was highly likely that the shaman still remembered him. If the shaman took this opportunity to target the Black Eagle Tribe…
More importantly, the shaman might notice something unusual about his children and start asking questions about their origins. If they decided to investigate the Black Eagle Tribe, the existence of his second child might also be exposed.
It wasn’t favoritism—one child was already captured by the Red Eagle Tribe. If the second child was implicated as well, things would become even more disastrous.
The only way to protect them was for Bai Luo himself not to go to the Black Forest Tribe. If he stayed behind, then even if his child was sent there, they would be treated as just another ordinary sub-beastman child. The Black Forest Tribe wouldn’t waste too much effort on a young one who couldn’t even maintain human form yet. A child at this age was simply seen as adorable—there weren’t enough distinguishing features for the shaman to recognize any similarities. Wu Jiu, the shaman, wouldn’t bother inspecting every single child.
With this in mind, Bai Luo took one last, sorrowful glance at his child. Then, he made his decision.
He swallowed the poison he had secretly hidden away.
This poison had originally been meant for their captors, but he had never found the right opportunity to use it. Now, there was no time left.
As the poison took effect, Bai Luo slowly raised his hand, gently caressing his child.
The little one, who had always been slower to develop compared to others of the same age, had no idea what was happening. Bai Luo sighed silently. This is for the best. If the child didn’t understand grief, they wouldn’t feel sorrow over his passing.
As Bai Luo closed his eyes, the child beside him suddenly froze.
Looking at his father, he noticed that Bai Luo had fallen asleep without covering himself with the usual animal hide. Carefully, the child pulled the hide over his father and then nestled into Bai Luo’s embrace. Closing his eyes, he thought to himself—I have my father.
…
When Bai Luo regained consciousness, he was in a completely unfamiliar place.
Everything around him was strange—nothing resembled the Beast God Continent he knew.
As he struggled to understand where he was, footsteps approached from outside.
The next moment, a figure appeared in his sight.
A figure so familiar, he could never mistake it.
