Chapter 257: Chasing After Serena

Looking at the coppery-green mess in front of him, the Hyena Beastman’s mouth twitched in disgust.

"That’s disgusting."

The Lion Beastman also took a step backward, putting some distance between himself and Serena.

However, remembering that she was useful because she knew how to Purify Salt, he reluctantly raised his foot and kicked her aside.

The Hyena Beastman, who had initially looked disgusted by the sight, happened to see the Lion Beastman kick Serena toward him.

Without hesitation, he raised his own foot and kicked her back.

Bang!

Serena’s body rolled across the ground.

Then—

Bang!

The Lion Beastman kicked her back.

The two Beastmen kicked Serena back and forth like a ball.

Neither of them seemed particularly concerned about whether she was injured.

To them, she was simply the valuable Female who knew how to Purify Salt.

The game continued until the Vulture Beastman finally returned.

Only then did the two Beastmen stop.

The Lion Beastman glared coldly at the Hyena Beastman.

"Let her go, and I’ll spare you today."

The Hyena Beastman sneered.

"What are you babbling about?"

His eyes narrowed.

"If you have the guts, let’s fight."

He pointed toward Serena.

"Whoever wins gets her."

Why should something as valuable as the Salt Well be shared with someone else?

As soon as those words fell, the two Beastmen attacked each other again.

Serena watched the battle from the side.

Her eyes were swollen almost like a panda’s.

Her face was covered in bruises.

Her entire body felt as though several bones had been broken.

Every movement caused pain.

Yet she had no time to complain.

When she saw the two Beastmen begin fighting again, she finally managed to catch her breath.

She slowly crawled toward the side.

One step.

Then another.

She moved carefully, trying not to attract their attention.

If she could escape while they were distracted, she might still have a chance.

Unfortunately—

Just as she had crawled several steps away, two Vines suddenly descended from above.

They wrapped tightly around her body.

Serena froze.

A cold voice came from nearby.

"Trying to escape?"

The Vines tightened.

"Impossible."

Serena’s expression became ugly.

The two Beastmen did not even bother watching her after tying her up.

They immediately returned to their fight.

Serena was thrown aside.

She lay on the ground, unable to move properly, and began desperately scanning the Plaza.

She was looking for one person.

Henry.

Where was Henry?

If he could rescue her, everything would be fine.

She searched for a long time.

Finally, she spotted him.

But her expression immediately fell.

Henry was also fighting.

He was entangled with a Vulture Beastman and was clearly having difficulty dealing with him.

Serena’s last trace of hope disappeared.

"Henry’s strength is still too weak."

She sighed inwardly.

"He can’t even deal with one Vulture Beastman."

She had placed too much hope in him.

It seemed that she had expected far too much.

Serena lowered her eyes.

Since no one was coming to rescue her, she could only think.

She began sorting through everything that had happened.

From what the three groups of Beastmen had said, all of them had come specifically to capture her.

And the reason was obvious.

Purify Salt.

Each group had carried a Beast Hide Drawing.

That clearly meant they had not come here randomly.

They had prepared in advance.

But how had they discovered that she knew how to Purify Salt?

And where had those Beast Hide Drawings come from?

Serena’s eyes narrowed.

Could it be...

The Flower Jackal Tribe had not only failed to seize the Salt Well Cave, but had also exposed its location to the surrounding Tribes?

The news of the Salt Well Cave must have spread.

Otherwise, why would so many different Tribes suddenly appear?

Her thoughts continued.

Could it be that all the Wolf Tribe members had already fallen?

Serena’s heart jumped.

She quickly formed a bold conclusion.

It must be.

If the Wolf Tribe were still intact, then given Martin’s personality, he would never willingly abandon the Salt Well Cave.

Martin had always treated the location of the Salt Well as an absolute secret.

He would never give it up without a reason.

Therefore—

Sora must be dead.

And the Wolf Tribe must have been destroyed.

There was no other explanation.

If Sora were still alive, how could the Wolf Tribe possibly abandon the Salt Well?

And if no one could Purify Salt anymore, then these Tribes would naturally begin searching for another Female who possessed the same ability.

Serena’s eyes gradually brightened.

The pain in her body suddenly seemed less important.

The bruises on her face no longer mattered.

She had survived.

Sora was dead.

The Wolf Tribe was gone.

And the enemies who had once looked down on her had all disappeared.

Serena’s lips curled into a faint smile.

It’s a pity Kaelira didn’t fall into my hands.

She would have loved to deal with her personally.

But perhaps this was still acceptable.

Sora had died too easily.

And her Beast Husbands—

Lucas, Ace, Lukan, Xavier, Ryan, and Damien—

were all gone with her.

Serena felt a faint pang of sadness when she thought of them.

Especially Xavier.

She had once dreamed about him.

But if the entire Wolf Tribe had truly disappeared, another question appeared in her mind.

Where had the Beast Hide Drawing come from?

Serena frowned.

She had only recently helped the Black Pig Tribe with salt.

They had no reason to betray her.

They should not have exposed her identity.

Then who had done it?

Her thoughts suddenly landed on Red Frost.

Serena’s expression changed.

Red Frost knew how to Purify Salt.

And she was familiar with Serena’s appearance.

Could Red Frost have revealed everything?

Perhaps she had realized that Serena was valuable and wanted to survive.

So she had told the surrounding Tribes that Serena also knew how to Purify Salt.

Serena’s eyes darkened.

If she had known that the Wolf Tribe was so vulnerable, she should have dealt with Red Frost much earlier.

Leaving her alive had indeed become a disaster.

Still, even though Serena had failed to take control of the Salt Well Cave herself, Sora was dead.

The Wolf Tribe was gone.

In Serena’s mind, that meant her ultimate goal had already been achieved.

Her revenge had been successful.

She had finally destroyed the people who had once looked down on her.

They had always thought she was weak.

They had underestimated her.

But now?

They had all been killed without her needing to send even a single soldier.

Serena smiled smugly.

I really am clever.

She had won.

At least, that was what she believed.

Now she needed to think about what came next.

Serena looked at the Beastmen fighting around her.

Since all of these people wanted her to Purify Salt, they would not kill her.

That was the most important thing.

As long as she remained useful, she was safe.

Therefore, she simply needed to wait for the battle to end.

The strongest Tribe would eventually emerge victorious.

And once that happened, she would follow them.

Being associated with a powerful Tribe was not a loss for her.

Furthermore, she had her appearance.

She had her knowledge of Purify Salt.

She could easily find another powerful patron.

Once she returned with whichever Tribe won, she could slowly rebuild her position.

She could even become a majestic Chief’s Wife once again.

Serena began thinking about her strategy.

She would start with Rena Chicken.

The Black Pig Tribe had originally been attracted to the delicious chicken dish.

That was how she had gained their favor.

As long as she remained valuable, they would never abandon her.

After reaching this conclusion, Serena’s heart finally relaxed.

Meanwhile, Henry continued fighting the Vulture Beastman.

Even while fighting, his eyes kept scanning the surroundings.

Several groups had suddenly appeared in the Tribe.

And every one of them was targeting Serena.

He desperately wanted to know how she was doing.

He searched whenever he had the opportunity.

Finally, he spotted her.

Serena was lying in a corner.

Her face was swollen and bruised.

Her body was covered in dirt.

Vines were wrapped tightly around her.

She looked extremely pitiful.

Henry’s heart tightened.

In the past, Serena had repeatedly told him to cultivate harder.

She had urged him to break through his Beast Rank.

But he had never taken her words seriously.

He had thought his current strength was enough.

Now, after seeing so many people bullying him and Serena, he finally understood that she had been right.

Unfortunately, even though he had broken through to Rank Five Beast Energy, his strength was still not enough.

He wanted to rush over and untie her.

But the stubborn Vulture Beastman in front of him refused to give him even a moment to breathe.

Henry’s eyes darkened.

Seeing more and more Beastmen surrounding Serena, he suddenly stopped attacking.

He looked at the Vulture Tribe Leader.

"Instead of fighting until both sides suffer heavy losses and allowing someone else to take advantage of us, how about we sit down and talk?"

The Vulture Chief also realized that continuing to fight was pointless.

He had known that someone would come looking for Serena.

That was precisely why he had rushed to the Black Pig Tribe first.

But he had not expected the other Tribes to arrive so quickly.

He slowly stopped.

Then he looked toward Henry.

"How do you want to talk?"

Henry glanced toward Serena.

"First, rescue Serena."

His eyes narrowed.

"Then we can discuss how to mine the Salt Well together."

The Vulture Chief hesitated.

Henry sneered.

"Don’t bother pretending."

He gestured toward the surrounding Beastmen.

"Such a large Salt Well Cave cannot possibly be taken by your Vulture Tribe alone."

His voice became calmer.

"It’s better to cooperate and share a portion."

The Vulture Chief thought for a moment.

Then he nodded.

It was indeed difficult to swallow such a large prize alone.

Taking advantage of the Lion Beastman and Hyena Beastman being distracted, the Vulture Chief suddenly spread his wings.

He swooped down.

His claws hooked around Serena.

He grabbed her directly.

At almost the same moment, Henry seized his opportunity.

He shouted toward the Black Pig Beastmen who had been fighting the Vulture Beastmen.

"Stop fighting!"

"Follow me!"

The Black Pig Beastmen were confused.

But they recognized their Chief’s voice.

They immediately withdrew.

The Vulture Beastmen were still wondering what had happened when they heard their own Chief’s command.

"Leave!"

The Vulture Beastmen immediately followed.

Their wings spread.

They rose into the air and departed from the Black Pig Tribe.

The Hyena Beastman and Lion Beastman had been fighting fiercely.

Neither had noticed Serena being taken away.

But after several more exchanges, they suddenly realized something was wrong.

Where was Serena?

The two Beastmen immediately looked around.

When they discovered that she was gone, their expressions changed.

They immediately chased after her.

Henry and the Vulture Tribe continued moving together for some time.

But even after joining forces, they were still unable to completely suppress the situation.

Eventually, Henry suggested that they go directly to the Salt Well Cave.

They could discuss everything there.

The Vulture Chief agreed.

Meanwhile, the Salt Well Cave itself had already become a battlefield.

Flower Jackal Beastmen had surrounded the area.

Other Beastmen had also swarmed toward the cave after hearing the rumors.

Everyone wanted the same thing.

Salt.

The secret of Purify Salt.

And control over the Salt Well.

The entire area had descended into chaos.

Beastmen shouted.

Weapons clashed.

Abilities exploded.

The struggle for the Salt Well had become a complete dog-eat-dog battle.

Far away from the battlefield, Sora was sitting comfortably in the valley.

Every so often, sharp cries echoed from the distant battlefield.

She listened.

Then she suddenly burst into laughter.

She laughed so hard that she bent forward.

This battle was truly exhilarating.

The various Tribes were fighting among themselves.

Everyone believed they were fighting for the Salt Well.

But in reality, they were all being drawn into the trap Sora had prepared.

Once their strength was exhausted...

It would finally be their turn.

However, simply listening to the chaos was not enough.

Watching the battle was much more exciting.

Sora’s eyes darted around.

A playful smile appeared on her lips.

She turned toward several Beast Husbands sitting nearby.

Then she raised her hand and beckoned them over.

"Come here."

The Beastmen looked toward her.

Sora’s smile widened.

She had already begun planning how to make the most of the chaos unfolding before them.

The battle had only just begun.