Chapter 268: The Rightful Owner Returns, The Impostor Steps Aside
The moment the words were spoken, Ao Si had already pressed a sword to his own throat.
Yu An’s heart sank. Just as she was trying to figure out how to break this stalemate, Ao Si and his two brothers woke up.
The Gu Worms had just left their bodies. They were a bit weak and had to support one another as they emerged from the room. Ao Yi called out, "Little Sister."
Yu An’s eyes lit up. "Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, are you all right?"
"We’re fine," Ao Er said with a faint smile. "Come over here, Little Sister. Big Brother can handle Little Four."
Confused, Yu An backed away as Ao Er had instructed. Tian Fu saw this and scoffed in disdain.
He threatened again, "Don’t try any tricks. Hand over the Blood Crystal now, or else..."
’Even Yu An, the Beast God, can’t deal with my Gu Worm. How could an ordinary Beastman possibly do anything...’
"Little Four," Ao Yi said, glancing coolly at Ao Si. "Drop the sword. Come here."
They were just a few simple words, yet they made Ao Si’s hand tremble violently. A second later, the sword in his hand fell to the ground with a CLANG.
Expressions of shock and astonishment flashed across the faces of both Yu An and Tian Fu. Yu An instinctively looked toward Ao Er and Ao Shan.
’What... what just happened?’
’Did Big Brother secretly give Fourth Brother a sedative? Why is he so obedient to him?’
Ao Shan chuckled and explained, "There’s something you don’t know, Little Sister. When we were children, our Beast Father was always away looking for our Female Mother, so the three of us were mostly raised by Big Brother and the Great Elder."
"Little Four was mischievous, and the Great Elder couldn’t bring himself to punish him. But Big Brother never held back. Growing up, Little Four was more afraid of Big Brother than anyone."
So, that fear was etched into his very bones. When he heard Ao Yi speak to him in that detached tone, even the Gu Worm couldn’t stop Ao Si from meekly obeying his older brother.
While Tian Fu was still reeling, Yu An stopped handling the Gu Worm with caution. In a few swift moves, she successfully enveloped it.
The Gu Worm resisted instinctively, and the more it struggled, the more Ao Si suffered.
But with Ao Yi’s hand on his shoulder, Ao Si didn’t dare side with Tian Fu again, even as he broke out in a cold sweat from the pain, and even as Tian Fu desperately urged the Gu Worm to regain control of him.
’Big Brother is way scarier than the pain! *Sob*!’
As the Gu Worm was crushed, Tian Fu lost his control over Ao Si. Ao Si spat out a mouthful of blood, his body went limp, and he started to collapse.
Feng Xuan, who was closest, caught him. Now, Tian Fu had no hostage left to threaten Yu An. A small smile played on her lips as she turned her gaze back to him.
"Tian Shu," she said casually, "are the men behind Tian Fu fair game? If a fight breaks out, we wouldn’t want any friendly fire."
"Yes, yes!" Tian Shu nodded eagerly. "My Lady, they are all Tian Fu’s lackeys!"
’In truth, the people behind Tian Fu were all operatives the Young Master had planted on the Divine Mountain. But if they could sacrifice themselves for the Young Master’s grand ambition, they would surely be more than willing to die.’
Yu An shot him a look but said nothing more. With a wave of her hand, countless vines erupted from the ground, sealing the area off completely.
Tian Fu’s expression darkened. "Yu An, are you really going to oppose me?"
Yu An crossed her arms. "Isn’t it obvious?"
’Now that he doesn’t have a hostage, I can finally let loose!’
Tian Fu was at a disadvantage in the Beastman World—especially now that Yu An, the true Beast God, had returned.
Even with the Upper Realm People and their powerful spiritual power behind him, so many Beastmen could wear them down in a war of attrition, exhaust their spiritual power, and force them to surrender!
After weighing his options, Tian Fu ordered the men behind him to advance and hold off Yu An’s forces while he quickly retreated, trying to escape.
’To think that all his years of scheming would come to nothing in just a few short days. Damn it, damn it all!’
’But the most important thing now is to escape. I haven’t lost yet. As long as I can lure Yu An to my territory on the Divine Mountain, as long as I can kill her again just like last time, I will still be the Beast God of the Beastman World!’
’Then, no matter where she’s hidden the Blood Crystal, I’ll be able to get it back!’
Unaware of his thoughts, Yu An immediately gave chase with Mo Yan and the others the moment she saw him try to flee.
Ao Yi, meanwhile, led the others to deal with Tian Fu’s henchmen. In an instant, the once-calm Beast God Hall was filled with the thunderous cries of battle. The citizens of Beast God City, unsure of what was happening but hearing the ominous sounds, quickly hid in their homes.
Tian Fu fled with Yu An and the others in pursuit. He could fly, but Yu An had a Cloud Beast, so for a time, the two sides maintained a delicate distance.
If Tian Fu faltered and slowed even slightly, or if the Cloud Beast could accelerate just a little more, they could catch him.
But the Cloud Beast was already flying at its top speed carrying them all. Yu An glanced up at the vast, clear sky, where only two lone white clouds drifted.
Tian Fu was heading in the direction of the Divine Mountain. It seemed he was making a run for it.
’As long as he doesn’t escape to the Upper Realm, he can’t get out of my grasp. I already sent two Cloud Beasts to guard the passage to the Upper Realm. If he turns around and heads for the passage, we’ll catch him in a pincer attack!’
Tian Fu occasionally shot a quick glance back, and upon confirming that Yu An and the others were still following, the smile on his lips widened.
’Come on, come on. Once we reach the Divine Mountain, they’ll be like a tiger forced onto the plains—completely at my mercy!’
’It was a good thing I planned for every eventuality and set a special trap on the Divine Mountain. I had Beastmen set it up, and as soon as they were done, I converted them into Blood Crystals. There’s absolutely no way the secret got out!’
"An’an," Mo Yan said, drawing his Cloud Beast up alongside hers, "Something feels wrong... Tian Fu’s speed..."
Yu An finished his thought, "Is abnormally slow?"
Hearing this, Feng Xuan and Lan Ying, who were behind them, voiced their agreement.
Lan Ying scoffed, "He’s ridiculously slow. For someone who posed as the Beast God and is supposedly the heir to the Tian Family of the Upper Realm, how can he be even slower than Ao Wu?"
It wasn’t that they knew the true extent of Tian Fu’s power; they just felt that a figure as formidable as him shouldn’t be slower than a Beastman like Ao Wu.
Ao Wu, who had yet to return, became their point of comparison. After all, he was the only one of the Five Beast Husbands who could fly.
Feng Xuan narrowed his eyes. "I’ve also noticed he keeps glancing back at us. It’s as if he’s checking to see if we’re still following."
If Tian Fu really wanted to escape, he’d be flying as fast as he could. The way he was acting, it was like he was deliberately luring them to the Divine Mountain.
There had to be a trap ahead. Mo Yan hesitated, unsure whether he should advise Yu An to turn back, or what to do.
’If we face Tian Fu, the three of us won’t be much help. We’ll most likely just be a burden to Yu An...’
"Stop thinking such stupid things," Yu An snapped. "The rightful owner is back. That imposter’s suppression over you doesn’t exist anymore, all right?"
Before, Tian Fu was the "Beast God," so Beastmen couldn’t fight against him. But now, she was back.
Even if the three of them couldn’t defeat Tian Fu, if it came down to a real fight, they could definitely injure him!
Reassured, Mo Yan and the other two were filled with a new-found confidence. The four of them trailed menacingly behind Tian Fu, looking as if they were ready to tear him limb from limb.
They hadn’t been speaking loudly, so Tian Fu, flying ahead, didn’t hear them. Seeing them so "unguarded," he grew even more excited.