"Human Race, I, Ta Qing, swear I will pursue you to the ends of the earth in this life!"

Tsk-tsk. Reflecting on Ta Qing's impotent rage and wild roar at him before leaving, Wang Zhan didn't quite know what he was feeling.

To say he was proud was certainly an understatement. After all, even if he was only an eighth-level Warrior, he had still managed to render a true King-level beast helpless, leaving it no choice but to watch him flee into the distance.

But excitement or a sense of accomplishment? Wang Zhan honestly didn't feel much of either; even excitement was lacking. It was just a King-level beast, and subduing it had already exhausted all his great strength.

Not only had he exposed the ability and vulnerability of his clone, but he had also left clues that would inevitably lead others to make connections. And yet, he posed no real threat to Ta Qing; he couldn't even break that thin layer of King-level fascia. It amounted to little more than a tickle.

So, how could Wang Zhan possibly be happy about it?

Even if the injuries looked severe, they were merely superficial. For a beast, as long as it fed on some high-energy flesh and replenished its vital energy, or scavenged some strange objects or medicinal herbs, it could recover in the blink of an eye, with no lasting consequences.

Thinking of this, Wang Zhan couldn't help but sigh.

"Alas, when will I be able to break through to the Martial King Realm? It seems so far away..."

With that, he once again immersed himself in meditation, attempting to restore his mental energy.

Of course, his method of meditation might have been different from others'. After all, not everyone in this world possessed the System—a practically invincible cheat-like existence. This System allowed Wang Zhan to fully condense his mental energy into an iceberg within himself.

Even the Qin Family members, inheritors of the "Supreme Clear Thunder Summary," wouldn't be able to achieve this. Instead, carelessness could lead to their vital energy being drained by their mental energy, turning them into zombies. Or, if their mental energy detected no pressure, it would grow and roar uncontrollably, causing them to self-destruct from their own diligent efforts.

Therefore, Wang Zhan's meditation actually involved recalling memories of the Small World Book Repository in his mind, trying to find some martial arts techniques that might be of great benefit to him on the Star War Battlefield.

「...」

In a jungle hundreds of miles away from the Hyena Clan's former territory, the hyenas—who had witnessed Wang Zhan kill a leader-level beast in front of their kin—finally understood their great king's plight and why he had repeatedly suffered setbacks.

That man... that human from the Federation, was such an elusive and unpredictable being.

His aura was so faint it was almost non-existent.

His body held not a shred of flesh and blood.

His bones were entirely composed of condensed Spiritual Energy, which could transform into a searing sword light at critical moments.

This discovery left all the hyenas somewhat dejected, as if they had returned to the old days when the Hyena Clan was isolated and surrounded by predators. Back then, they could only, passively or actively, become prey for those powerful entities, begging for the pitiful chance to allow their clan to continue its existence...

"King, I think you should tell me the truth behind all this!"

On their journey, they often encountered other beasts with looks of schadenfreude; these beasts dared not provoke the Hyena Clan party, but they still managed to flee before the hyenas could react.

Just like that despicable, powerful, and detestable human!

So, this being—the strongest and most important in the matriarchal society of the Hyena Clan, the "Queen"—finally couldn't hold back any longer. She was determined to press Ta Qing for the complete story, to understand why the Hyena Clan had provoked such an enemy. An enemy so formidable that this generation of hyenas, which had grown strong in spirit, had once again been forced back into the miserable existence of being outcasts.

Were they weak? Were they cowardly?

No, all the hyenas were as brave as ever. But everything changed completely after Ta Qing went on that one trip.

Now, they didn't even know their destination or where they were headed. The only thing they knew for certain was that as long as they were on the Star War Battlefield, in the jungles belonging to the beasts, what awaited them was... survival or death.

Ta Qing remained silent. Looking at his dispirited clan members around him and the gloating gazes from others, he laughed self-mockingly.

"I... I've done nothing wrong. I was only trying to find a better future for the Hyena Clan! That human was supposed to be our opportunity this time. But I didn't expect him to survive his encounter with the Envoy. Instead, he managed to get away and ended up targeting me..."

The Queen interrupted him directly. "I know you feel guilty now. As the king of the clan, you haven't perfectly fulfilled your responsibilities. But I don't blame you. I just want to know, what level of enmity caused that human to target you? Don't tell me it all came out of nowhere! Perhaps you're currently lost in your own guilt and despair, unable to see the connection for now. But humans have a saying: 'Every effect has its cause.' Nothing in this world happens without a reason..."

Suddenly, a ruthless glint flashed in Ta Qing's eyes as a possibility occurred to him.

"Every effect has its cause... Perhaps I have a clue!"

Is it you? It must be you!

"Who?"

"One of the leader-level beasts among my subordinates, from the Blood Wolf Clan... Blood Wolf King—Yu Huan!"

At that moment, Ta Qing's voice grew heavy and fierce, but what was even more pronounced was a chilling, vengeful hatred. Perhaps it was a moment of insight, or perhaps it was self-deception. Regardless, he feigned understanding.

He feigned understanding of why that damned human had relentlessly targeted him from the very beginning, while that Yu Huan had vanished without a trace.

He also feigned understanding of why he hadn't subconsciously thought about Yu Huan. It was all because... he had overestimated his own Charm as a ruler!

Perhaps in Yu Huan's eyes, he was very powerful, a true King-level beast that Yu Huan simply couldn't contend with.

But fear didn't equate to respect. Moreover, fear didn't mean one wouldn't dare to stand up and resist!

Ta Qing hissed, his eyes bloodshot with rage, a fury burning in his heart that seemed intent on incinerating all the hopes and even the very bones of the Blood Wolf Clan.

"Well done, Yu Huan! How dare you... betray the Beast Clan!"

Having sorted out his thoughts and made his decision to divert the blame, Ta Qing naturally summoned his clan members once again. Then, before them all, with the Queen's encouragement and assistance, he told them the "truth." Finally, he asked them only one question.

"As the king of this territory, as the eternal hope of the Hyena Clan! Now, someone is selling out our flesh and blood, devouring our bones, mocking our integrity, and betraying our trust! My people, I, Ta Qing—King of the Hyena Clan—ask you only this: do you want revenge?"

Ta Qing roared.

At this moment, the crowd erupted.

Regardless of whether Yu Huan was truly the mastermind or a traitor who had betrayed the Beast Clan, his fate was already sealed, with no hope left.

「...」

Of course, Wang Zhan had already anticipated this scene. When Ta Qing had mercilessly engaged in infighting and killed nearly one-third of his own Martial Generals, Wang Zhan had already realized something.

These powerful beasts had long since evolved beyond the concept of ignorant wild beasts.

They could even be considered "human"!

Although their appearances were vastly different, in essence, they were all "people" constantly scheming against each other to gain greater benefits.

Naturally, since they were essentially people, the methods for dealing with them would surely follow human patterns. For instance, finding a scapegoat, diverting the disaster elsewhere, or suppressing opposition forcefully.

It all depended on which strategy Ta Qing thought of and decided to follow. In any case, Yu Huan would most likely be the unluckiest one.

But, although Wang Zhan had an agreement with Yu Huan to cause Ta Qing some trouble within his capabilities, and even see if he could hunt Ta Qing down, Wang Zhan wouldn't genuinely pour his heart and soul into helping Yu Huan, nor would he exhaust himself for the sake of a Beast Clan group.

After all, to him, a significantly weakened Blood Wolf Clan might hold more value than the currently powerful and thriving one.

However, what Wang Zhan also hadn't expected was that while Ta Qing was en route to confront them, the entire Blood Wolf Clan had already vanished without a trace. And back with Wang Zhan, a powerful presence, like that of a young bull, suddenly appeared within his perception, instantly rousing him from his meditation.

「...」

"Human Race, Wang Zhan!" Yu Huan's voice was deep and unhurried, showing no sign of the supposed awareness of a Beast Clan betrayer.

Wang Zhan leaned against a large tree and smiled with a hint of amusement.

"I didn't expect we'd meet again so soon."

The amusement, of course, stemmed from the realization that dawned on Wang Zhan the moment Yu Huan appeared.

Perhaps from the moment Yu Huan had decided to cooperate, he had already prepared for everything, including relocating his clan and finding Wang Zhan again to reveal more.

With this, Wang Zhan's original intention to exploit Yu Huan's presumed caution had completely fallen through.

Of course, the operation against Ta Qing couldn't be considered a failure; it was just that the potential gains from the Blood Wolf Clan's power would be diminished.

Then, Wang Zhan asked quietly, "How did you find me?"

The next moment... SQUEAK, SQUEAK, SQUEAK...

A dozen cat-sized rats appeared around Wang Zhan. One of them, a rat with a white beard, even greeted the Blood Wolf King respectfully.

"This little one pays respects to Lord Blood Wolf King!"

The corner of the Blood Wolf King's mouth twitched. Wang Zhan knew he was smiling.

This prompted further reflections from Wang Zhan, once again confirming his earlier thoughts.

"These creatures... they've truly become sentient..."

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