At the camp…

A mighty black dragon descended from the sky, clutching a dozen large black oxen in its claws.

The dragon transformed back into his human form—Long Mo, who had gone out hunting.

Seeing him return with so much prey, the beastmen gathered around, murmuring in admiration.

“Long Mo, your hunting skills are amazing! Bringing back ten huge oxen at once—the black ox herds aren’t easy to handle!”

“With so much prey, we’ll finally get a real meal. I haven’t felt full in ten days.”

“Same here. When I went to trade for salt before, we never ate our fill along the way.”

Their eyes sparkled at the sight of the catch.

On the salt-trading journey, they had only been able to eat as much as they could hunt. Supplies were strictly off-limits, and any extra prey that couldn’t be carried had to be left behind for wild animals.

It meant that few meals on these journeys were truly satisfying.

Long Mo’s expression was indifferent as he simply nodded and moved aside, leaving them to distribute the catch.

Hu Qingshan looked around, waiting, but didn’t see any sign of his brother, Hu Qinglu. He approached Long Mo, blocking his way with a frown.

“Long Mo, where’s my brother?”

“Hu Qinglu? I haven’t seen him. I thought he was here in camp.” Long Mo looked at Hu Qingshan, his sharp face clouded with confusion.

Hu Qingshan’s face darkened, and he punched Long Mo’s shoulder.

“You! Weren’t you the one who had Long Wu call him to help? What did you do with him?”

The eldest of the four Fox brothers, Hu Qingshan had the shortest temper. Hearing Long Mo deny it, his anger flared.

“Long Wu?” At the mention of that name, Long Mo’s face turned stormy as he grasped the situation. His voice lowered. “I wasn’t with him, nor did I ask him to go back.”

“How can that be? Everyone heard him say…” Hu Qingshan’s eyes widened in disbelief. But before he could finish, Long Mo’s expression shifted, and he transformed into his dragon form, leaping into the sky.

“Hey! Long Mo, where are you going? Get back here! Where is my brother?”

Hu Qingshan shouted angrily, concern flooding his heart as he transformed into a white fox and hurried after him.

The sudden departure left the others stunned, unable to react before the two disappeared from view.

“Ying Yuan, what…?” the beastmen muttered, confused, glancing at each other.

Ying Yuan scowled, his face long with displeasure as he looked after the two. “These two guys left the camp without permission. What if something happens? You lot stay here to handle the prey. The rest of the males will come with me to bring them back.”

“Yes, sir!”

At his command, several beastmen transformed into their beast forms, following Ying Yuan as he gave chase.

---

Meanwhile…

Hu Qinglu narrowly dodged another strike from the dragon’s claws, rolling across the ground to evade an attack that would have torn through his fur.

Long Wu’s attacks only grew more vicious as he failed to land a decisive hit. Before long, Hu Qinglu was covered in cuts and bruises.

His heart sank. Against the natural combat advantage of a dragon beastmen, he couldn’t keep this up much longer. Clenching his teeth, he dragged his injured body, dodging where he could, and opened his sharp fox mouth, emitting a series of crisp, melodious cries.

The black dragon paused, sneering.

“Hu Qinglu, is this really the time for singing? But I have no interest in your last tune.”

With that, a murderous gleam lit up in his beastly eyes as he lunged, jaws open wide, toward the white fox’s throat.

Hu Qinglu was already exhausted. There was no way he could avoid this final strike.

But suddenly, Long Wu’s tail prickled with a strange numbness. He looked back in shock to see dozens of colorful snakes biting into his tail.

Beneath him, a writhing mass of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of venomous snakes was swarming toward Hu Qinglu, forming a ring around him. It was clear that any move closer would send the entire swarm springing at him.

No!

It wasn’t just snakes. Amid the writhing serpents were countless other venomous creatures, as if summoned by some invisible force.

Long Wu’s face went pale. “What’s going on?”

Why had all these creatures suddenly appeared? And why were they attacking him and not Hu Qinglu?

Hu Qinglu let out a scornful snort. “I’m not that easy to kill. If you want me, come and get me!”

Inside, though, he felt a wave of relief. On their way back to the tribe, his sister had given him a strange powder, explaining it would attract poisonous creatures. He could control them by mimicking the sounds of wild animals, making it perfect for self-defense.

In the past, he could summon a handful of venomous creatures at best, but his sister’s powder had drawn in swarms from miles around.

At Hu Qinglu’s mocking tone, Long Wu’s face darkened.

“They’re just bugs. You think they can stop me?”

He gave a contemptuous laugh and swung his tail, flinging the snakes off his scales.

“Forgot to mention: a dragon orc’s scales are strong. Even if these bugs could pierce my scales, their venom would barely affect me—at least, not before I’ve killed you.”

The black dragon swung his body down, crushing countless snakes and insects beneath him, scattering their remains everywhere.

Yet despite the carnage, the insects swarmed forward, undeterred, almost like moths to a flame.

Watching this, Hu Qinglu wore a strange expression. What was going on? He had only intended to call for help, not for them to attack with such fury. These creatures weren’t just attacking—they were charging as if compelled.

Could his sister’s powder have some strange side effect?

Long Wu, however, was losing patience. Ignoring the pests clinging to him, he turned and charged at Hu Qinglu, aiming for a final, deadly blow.

“Hu Qinglu!”

“Brother!”

Long Mo and Hu Qingshan had arrived just in time to witness the scene, shouting in unison.

A flash of fury lit Long Mo’s eyes as he lunged, slamming his body into Long Wu’s jaw.

Long Wu had his jaws wide open, about to snap down on Hu Qinglu, and didn’t see the attack coming. The impact sent his upper and lower fangs clamping down, biting deeply into his own tongue and lips.

This was one of the dragon beastmen’ most vulnerable spots!

“Argh!”

The black dragon roared in agony, thrashing in midair.

Long Mo wasn’t about to let him off easily. Raising his massive claws, he slashed viciously across Long Wu’s head.

A sharp “crack” echoed through the air!

Both of Long Wu’s horns snapped off at the base and went flying.

For a dragon beastmen, the loss of his horns was akin to losing a vital essence of life itself.