Chapter 86 The Human Was Dying

Crack!

The sharp sound of something breaking echoed through the forest as Lie Lang’s claws dug deeper into the mother bird’s massive beak. The S-rank mystic bird let out a furious screech, her enormous wings spreading wide as silver spiritual energy surged through her feathers.

She had already been humiliated by a weak human who dared to steal her egg, and now another beast had appeared to interfere with her revenge! Her bloodshot eyes burned with rage as she tried to pull her head away, but the silver-haired wolf standing before her didn’t budge an inch.

Lie Lang’s golden eyes swept over the broken figure lying behind him, and his expression darkened. Xue Yao’s dark hunting clothes were torn and burned, her exposed skin covered in terrible wounds, and blood had soaked into the dirt beneath her. Her chest barely rose with each shallow breath.

For a moment, he stared at her without moving, unable to reconcile the miserable sight before him with the troublesome human who usually had enough energy to argue with him from morning until night. She was always running her mouth, plotting something ridiculous, or looking at him as though he were the greatest obstacle to her happiness. Yet now, she lay there without making a sound.

The mother bird suddenly jerked her head, trying to throw him off. Lie Lang’s attention snapped back to her, and the killing intent in his eyes intensified. "You seem to have a death wish," he said coldly, tightening his grip until a thin crack appeared across her beak. Before the creature could launch another attack, he twisted his body and slammed her enormous head into the ground.

Boom!

The earth shook violently, sending rocks and debris flying in every direction. The mother bird’s head crashed into the dirt, carving out a deep pit as the impact forced a miserable cry from her throat. She struggled desperately, flapping her wings and scattering silver feathers across the clearing, but Lie Lang pressed one foot against her neck and pinned her down.

His spiritual pressure spread outward like a heavy mountain, forcing the surrounding trees to bend beneath its weight.

"You dared to attack someone under the protection of my White Moon Wolf Clan?" Lie Lang’s voice was frighteningly calm as he stared down at the struggling creature. "Did you think there would be no consequences?"

The mother bird screeched angrily, refusing to submit. In her eyes, the wolf was being completely unreasonable! That shameless little human had stolen her precious egg, struck her with a strange weapon, sealed her mouth with some disgusting sticky substance, and even called her a chicken! She was the victim here! What kind of world was this, where a mother couldn’t even punish an egg thief without attracting another lunatic?!

Unfortunately, Lie Lang had no interest in listening to her grievances.

Silver light gathered around his right hand as his claws lengthened, each one carrying enough spiritual energy to tear through the defenses of an ordinary high-level beast. The mother bird sensed the danger immediately and struggled harder, her enormous body thrashing against the ground. She had already exhausted a considerable amount of energy fighting Xue Yao, and the earlier explosion inside her own mouth had injured her throat. Although she was a peak Spirit King beast, the wolf suppressing her was no ordinary opponent either.

Just as Lie Lang prepared to strike, a weak sound came from behind him.

"Cough..."

His movements stopped. Lie Lang immediately turned around, his brows furrowed when he saw a thin stream of blood slipping from the corner of Xue Yao’s mouth. He released the mother bird and appeared beside her in an instant, carefully lowering himself to one knee. "Xue Yao?" he called, placing two fingers against her neck. Her pulse was so weak that he almost failed to detect it, and the discovery made his heart skip a beat.

"Xue Yao, wake up." Lie Lang touched her cheek, but her skin was burning hot, and she didn’t respond to his voice. His brows drew together as he tried again, this time allowing a little spiritual energy to enter her body. The moment his energy entered her damaged meridians, his expression changed drastically.

Her internal injuries were far worse than he had imagined. Several bones were broken, her meridians had suffered severe damage, and her spiritual energy was nearly exhausted. How had she managed to remain alive after sustaining injuries like these?

A strange tightness gripped his chest as he stared at her pale face. He remembered the day he had nearly strangled her over the Dragon Golden Fish, the fear in her eyes when his hand closed around her throat, and the way she had looked at him afterward. At the time, he had been too consumed by anger to care about anything else. Now, seeing her struggling to breathe, he suddenly found himself unable to bear the sight.

"Stupid human," he muttered, carefully wiping the blood from her lips with his thumb. "Who told you to fight an S-rank beast with your miserable cultivation? Do you think having a few strange weapons makes you invincible?"

If she had been awake, she would probably have slapped his hand away and shouted, ’Who are you calling stupid?! If this grandaunt hadn’t protected your precious little brother, you’d be collecting five wolf-shaped corpses right now! And don’t think I’ve forgotten what you did to me, you unreasonable silver-haired bastard!’

Unfortunately, the person who could have delivered such a wonderful speech was currently unconscious.

Lie Lang gently lifted her into his arms, taking care not to put pressure on her injured ribs. Her head fell limply against his chest, and the sight made his expression grow even darker. He had carried her before, but she had always struggled, complained, or threatened him with that ridiculous chicken drumstick of hers. Now she didn’t even have the strength to push him away.

"Alpha!"

Hearing Han Luo’s voice, Lie Lang quickly draped his coat over Xue Yao’s body.

Han Luo’s voice suddenly rang out from the forest as he burst through the bushes with several hunters following behind him. His eyes immediately landed on the enormous mystic bird struggling to stand in the ruined clearing, and his face turned pale. "An S-rank beast?! How did something like that appear in the outer region?!" He instinctively raised his weapon, but when he noticed Xue Yao lying motionless in Lie Lang’s arms, he nearly dropped it. "Great heavens! Royal Concubine?!"

"Bring me the best healing pill you have," Lie Lang ordered without looking up.

Han Luo immediately searched his storage pouch, pulling out several jade bottles before selecting a small white one. "Alpha, I have a high-grade recovery pill. It can stabilize severe injuries, but..." His voice faltered when he saw the burns covering Xue Yao’s body. "Her condition looks terrible. We need to return to the clan as quickly as possible."

Lie Lang took the pill and carefully placed it between Xue Yao’s lips, using his spiritual energy to help her swallow. He waited for the medicine to dissolve before checking her pulse again. Although the pill began circulating through her damaged body, the improvement was painfully slow, and her breathing remained dangerously weak.

Han Luo knelt beside them and examined her injuries, his expression becoming increasingly grave. "Alpha, her body is too weak to withstand this kind of damage. Even if the pill stabilizes her life, I’m afraid ordinary medicine won’t be enough to repair her meridians."

"Then find something that will," Lie Lang replied.

Han Luo swallowed. "Alpha, I didn’t mean..."

"I don’t care how many spiritual herbs it takes or how many physicians you have to summon." Lie Lang raised his head, his golden eyes filled with a cold determination that made Han Luo straighten immediately. "She must live."

"Yes, Alpha!"

Behind them, the mother bird finally managed to drag herself out of the crater. One side of her beak was cracked, several feathers had been torn from her neck, and her entire body ached from the wolf’s attack. She glared at the group with undisguised hatred, but the moment her eyes fell upon the unconscious Xue Yao, she hesitated.

The human was dying.

The mother bird’s gaze shifted toward the forest, where the scent of her stolen egg still lingered. Her egg!

That shameless thief had nearly gotten herself killed, but where had she sent her child?!

The mother bird suddenly spread her wings, preparing to charge toward the scent, but Lie Lang turned his head and released another wave of spiritual pressure. "Move another step," he warned, "and I’ll make sure you never fly again."