Chapter 200 - 199: This Time, It’s My Turn to Protect You

"Charge! Everything for our Chieftain!"

In an instant, everyone shifted back into their beast forms and followed behind Xiong Jiaojiao and the others.

They overcame the oppressive pressure of the Heavenly Tribulation, driven only by the fervent passion in their hearts.

’Our power may be insignificant, but there are so many of us! With us here, the Chieftain will definitely survive.’

’The Chieftain has done so much for us. Now she’s about to be struck dead by this so-called trial of the Beast God. We can’t just stand by and watch it happen.’

Even if it meant dying with their Chieftain, they were more than willing.

Almost all of those leading the charge were the tribe’s females.

Each and every one of them had a determined look in her eyes. Prepared to die, they rushed toward Chu Liangyu without a shred of hesitation.

Though no one had organized them, their movements were strikingly synchronized. First, they formed a tight shield around Chu Liangyu.

Then, they dragged Chu Liangyu’s Beast Husbands—who had been scattered across the area after trying to block the tribulation—together and shielded them as well.

"The Heavenly Tribulation is almost here! Everyone, get ready!"

Upon hearing the warning, nearly everyone instinctively looked up at the sky, simultaneously tightening the protective cordon around Chu Liangyu and her Beast Husbands.

BOOM—

The Heavenly Tribulation descended. Cries of pain and agonizing screams echoed through the area, but they quickly fell silent.

The reason was simple: some couldn’t withstand the blow and passed out, while the weaker ones simply stopped breathing altogether.

With just that single tribulation strike, half of the people who had come to help were taken out.

Yet, they showed no signs of retreating. Whenever someone at the front fell, another who could still stand would immediately take their place.

More and more bodies piled up around Chu Liangyu, forming a human wall that grew higher and higher. Crimson blood flowed ceaselessly, staining the ground red.

Chu Liangyu stared blankly as tears streamed down her face. In that moment, it wasn’t just the ground; it was as if her very eyes had been dyed red by the crimson blood.

’What have I ever done to deserve so many people sacrificing their lives for me...’

The flow of energy in Chu Liangyu’s body faltered for an instant amidst her intense emotional turmoil, but it quickly stabilized.

She channeled some energy to her throat. In just a moment, her voice was fully restored, and she could speak normally again.

Taking a deep breath, Chu Liangyu raised her voice and shouted to the people who were still running forward to block the tribulation, "All of you, stand down! This is not something you can withstand!"

The crowd faltered for a moment, but only a moment. Then, they resumed filling the gaps left by the fallen, blocking the ferocious Heavenly Tribulation that rained down from above.

Whatever else Chu Liangyu said was completely drowned out by the roar of thunder.

Chu Liangyu had seen their reactions clearly. They had obviously heard her words, yet they stubbornly continued to press forward and block the Heavenly Tribulation.

Chu Liangyu was both furious and frantic, but there was nothing she could do to stop them. ’All I can do is speed up my own recovery.’

Meanwhile, Chi Yizhong heard the sound of continuous footsteps rushing past him. Combining that with their shouts, he pieced together what was happening.

Chi Yizhong reached out and stopped someone. "You’re going to block the Heavenly Tribulation, aren’t you?" he asked, his tone pleading. "Please, take me with you. I can help."

As fate would have it, the person he stopped was none other than Cao—the female who had killed her own Beast Husband and nearly been exiled for it.

"The Chieftain’s thirteenth Beast Husband?"

Before Chi Yizhong could even nod, Cao reacted and immediately refused. "Absolutely not. You’re already blind. If you go out there to block the Heavenly Tribulation, the Chieftain will be heartbroken."

"We will succeed, I promise. You just stay here. Don’t go up there and get caught in the chaos."

With that, Cao pulled free from his grip and hurried away.

Chi Yizhong’s outstretched hand froze in midair. He abandoned the idea of asking anyone else for help.

’Since I can’t pinpoint her exact location, I’ll just stop trying. Facing the Heavenly Tribulation directly will accomplish the same thing.’

’That way, she won’t be harmed... ’

Chi Yizhong forced himself to quiet his mind, carefully sensing the changes in the thunderclouds overhead to predict when the next strike would fall.

A moment later, he had a rough idea.

As the Heavenly Tribulation continued to descend, more and more people fell.

This was the ninety-sixth strike. As the number of the fallen grew, there was finally no one left standing around Chu Liangyu to block the Heavenly Tribulation for her.

This was the ninety-sixth strike. Yet with all their numbers, they had only managed to block four bolts for her. And even so, the Heavenly Tribulation showed no signs of stopping.

But thankfully, by buying her time, they had allowed Chu Liangyu to fully mend the bones throughout her body.

As the Heavenly Tribulation began gathering energy for the next strike, Chu Liangyu gently moved aside the bodies of those who had fallen on top of her in their effort to protect her.

Only then did she get a clear look at her surroundings.

Fields of fallen Beastmen lay everywhere. Without exception, their bodies were charred black by the tribulation lightning, their limbs shriveled like twigs. It was impossible to recognize any of them.

Black smoke rose from their bodies, carrying a foul stench, yet Chu Liangyu didn’t even furrow her brow.

Her expression was eerily calm. If not for her obviously red and swollen eyes, no one would have been able to guess the turmoil raging within her.

"You have all suffered enough. From now on, I will face the Heavenly Tribulation alone."

Her voice was subdued when she spoke, yet it was so calm that it unconsciously put those who could hear her at ease.

However, the power of the coming tribulation would certainly be no weaker.

If these bodies—some lifeless, others barely breathing—were to be struck again, nothing would be left but a pile of ash.

Chu Liangyu frantically drew upon the energy within her body, simultaneously unleashing the power of her mask to its absolute limit.

The mask could already grant her a temporary boost in energy and overall power, but by burning her own life force, she pushed it to its very apex.

But she had already used it once before while blocking the tribulation. Under such a high-load operation, a faint crack appeared on the mask.

But the mask had already fused with her body, so the crack manifested as a break in the intricate markings on her face.

It felt as if her face was being torn apart, and the extreme pain twisted her expression into a savage grimace.

Yet she showed no signs of stopping, instead channeling all her energy into her pair of black wings.

Under the immense surge of energy, the black wings instantly expanded several times over. Gradually, they spread out until everyone was sheltered beneath them.

By doing this, Chu Liangyu had very little energy left in her own body to face the coming tribulation.

But she didn’t care. Only after confirming that they were all safely shielded did she begin to absorb energy again to replenish her own reserves.

If she only had a little more time, the energy she was absorbing would be enough to withstand the next tribulation strike.

But alas, the Heavenly Tribulation gave her no such chance. Before she could gather enough energy, the next bolt crashed down with a deafening roar.