Xiao Chen furrowed his brow. The Blood Ape's behavior suggested that matters were not simple—even such a spirit beast halted at this threshold, which meant the mountain range ahead was no benevolent ground.
The Blood Ape gave a low growl, then turned and bounded away without a backward glance, vanishing into the dense forest in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Chen pondered briefly, then decided to press on. He and his three skeletal warriors resumed their march.
After crossing two ridges, they heard deep, rumbling beast roars from ahead. Though not loud, the sounds carried an oppressive sense of extreme danger.
Pushing through a thicket of灌木, Xiao Chen and the skeletons drew closer to the source of the roars. Along the way, they discovered several corpses—unfamiliar practitioners, all brutally torn apart. The deaths were recent; blood mist still hung in the air, and the stench of gore was sharp and sickening.
Clearly, more people were entering Dragon Island, and many had encountered savage beasts in this region. But as Xiao Chen neared the source of the low roars, he revised his guess. Those dead practitioners had not fallen to beasts.
Ahead, the carnage was still unfolding. He saw the truth clearly: a tall, demonic figure was slaughtering among the trees. Giant claws swung, blood burst forth, and a practitioner's body was ripped open barehanded. Organs spilled across the ground, blood splattered everywhere—a scene of unspeakable cruelty.
The figure was huge and powerful, over three meters tall. It had upright wolf ears and a long, muscular tiger tail. It was someone Xiao Chen had seen before—the barbarian youth, the strong one named Kael.
Though he possessed a human form and face, at this moment he was a human-shaped beast—cold, ruthless, his eyes emitting a terrifying green light, his aura that of a wild animal.
"Ah..."
Another scream rang out. Kael spun violently, and his thick, powerful tiger tail cut like a razor-sharp demon blade, glowing with baleful light. It sliced the last remaining practitioner cleanly in half at the waist.
"Roar..."
Kael let out a final low, animalistic howl. The terrible green light in his eyes gradually faded, and the savage bestiality subsided. The shudder-inducing barbarian youth was not only brutally strong; his temperament was terrifyingly violent. Calling him a human-shaped beast was no exaggeration.
Standing not far away, watching calmly, was the forest tribe youth Arrod, who had traveled with Kael.
"Come out!" Kael, as keen as a wild beast, whipped his head around and stared directly at Xiao Chen's hiding spot.
At the same moment, the vegetation behind Xiao Chen and the three skeletons thrashed wildly. Countless vines grew at an unnatural speed, blocking their retreat—clearly the work of Arrod, who could control plant life.
"You!" Kael's entire body radiated dangerous, feral energy when Xiao Chen stepped out. "Were you following us?"
"No. Do not misunderstand."
Arrod fixed his gaze on the three skeletons. Though his frame was slender, his presence was not weak. "Undead creatures, hmph."
Kael's eyes flickered with murderous light. He strode forward, exuding a powerful oppressive aura.
Arrod walked over unhurriedly, his voice soft but laden with killing intent. "Little birds should not dance before dragons—it only brings self-destruction." Green light flickered from his body, and the greenery ahead parted automatically, laying out a path of leaves.
Though thin, Arrod's aura was now no weaker than Kael's, and his killing intent was plain. Calling Xiao Chen a bird and himself a dragon was an insult born of arrogant confidence.
Xiao Chen was furious. Three times he clenched his fists, three times he released them. In the end, he said nothing and turned to leave. He had already yielded this much. If Arrod and Kael still blocked him, then he would fight without hesitation.
He and the three skeletons skirted the vine barrier and gradually disappeared into the woods.
Kael watched Xiao Chen's retreating back, his eyes still gleaming with a feral light. "Is he really that weak..."
Arrod stared into the forest, smiling faintly. "He was suppressing his power. I sensed it just now—his cultivation is not too weak. But... everyone who enters Dragon Island is either an ally or a competitor. I wanted a reasonable excuse to eliminate a potential unstable factor, but he held back. This time, let him go. We cannot completely disregard the monk Yizhen."
"Is that so? I don't have so many scruples. Let me finish him!" Kael's robust frame left an afterimage as he spoke. His towering body leaped, giant hands grabbing tree branches, swinging like a nimble ape. In the blink of an eye, he vanished among the ancient trees.
Xiao Chen had only moved a hundred meters when he felt a fierce beast rapidly approaching. He turned just in time to see the crown of a giant tree behind him shatter with a crash. A tall figure swept downward, smashing branches to splinters.
Kael was like a wild beast, obliterating everything in his path. His body, wreathed in faint yellow light, pulverized every branch and trunk. He plunged toward Xiao Chen like a demonic ape—a true human-shaped monster.
If confrontation was unavoidable, then he would fight to the death. This was Xiao Chen's bottom line and principle.
He had already made some enemies on this island, and he had hoped to avoid further grudges. But now it seemed that was wishful thinking. Everyone on Dragon Island was set against each other over the Ancestral Dragon and the Half-Ancestral Dragon Kings. Even if he wanted to compromise, it was impossible.
On Dragon Island, no one could escape. Everyone faced a chaotic, bloody struggle.
Xiao Chen had tried to avoid more enmity, but that was not cowardice. He was decisive in killing. Since the other party pressed him beyond the line in his heart, what more was there to say? Only slaughter could stop slaughter.
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