Chapter 246

Yang Luo readily agreed to Lang Ji’s request.

After all, the festive mood was already set. With Zhanxiong and Jufeng having just raised the stakes, if he didn’t go along, it would make Heishan Tribe look stingy.

Yang Luo looked at Lang Ji with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes: This kid dared ask for such a precious herb right off the bat—he’d better win. Otherwise, he’ll see what I do to him.

However, those beastmen who had just witnessed Ai and Xiong Zhong’s battle clearly didn’t have much faith in Lang Ji, who didn’t exactly look brawny or imposing.

Hu Qiao tugged on a Yungu beastman and said, “Hey, come over here. Lang Ji is a warrior from the Heishan Tribe—he won’t lose.”

Near Quan Nan and Shu Lin, Hu Qiao and a few other horned beastmen set up a small cheering squad. Though they didn’t feel very confident about the odds, they still had to support one of their own. Since Lang Ze wasn’t stepping in, Lang Ji was basically representing Heishan today—they couldn’t just sit by and not back him up.

The Yungu warrior paused. He knew of Lang Ji, but the huge guy he just saw today seemed even stronger…

After hesitating for just a second, the Yungu beastman pulled his arm away and ran toward the opposite vendor shouting cheerfully.

Quan Nan and Shu Lin had just finished dividing up the meat strips they’d won, and in a blink, yet another larger pile of beast meat appeared before them.

Seeing that tricking outsiders wasn’t working, Hu Qiao squatted down to start digging into their own support base.

Hu Qiao pointed at Bao Xing, Sun Yuan, and a few other cubs. “Lang Ji-ge is one of us! If you don’t cheer for him, that’s seriously not cool!”

After Ai’s previous victory, little Sun Yuan had earned a total of three meat strips with both his original bet and winnings. He’d already returned his principal to Qi Bai, so he now had two left.

One of them was already in his mouth, being chewed like a teething stick, while the other was about to go into Ai’s support pile.

Hearing Hu Qiao’s plea, all the cubs scrunched their faces. Lang Ji was their clansman, but Ai was their friend. This was hard!

Little Sun Yuan looked at the meat strip in his hand and silently pulled it back. He only had one left—he couldn’t support both of them, so… better not choose.

Quan Nan glared at Hu Qiao with her hands on her hips. Why was this guy still trying to steal her supporters?!

Hu Qiao sheepishly stood up. Looking again at Lang Ji in the ring, he suddenly wondered why he’d gone to the trouble of making Quan Nan mad—for Lang Ji, of all people.

Among the group, Qi Bai tugged Lang Ze down a little, starting to activate his "cheat plugin."

Qi Bai whispered sneakily: “Who’s gonna win?”

There weren’t actually many people around them, but Qi Bai was still very cautious when discussing such a serious matter.

Lang Ze played along and whispered back, “Hard to say.”

Qi Bai blinked in surprise. Lang Ze, who knew the combat abilities of his clansmen inside and out, usually had a clear grasp on how any match would go. Sometimes, even before the beastmen made a move, Lang Ze could already predict their next step. This was the first time this human-shaped cheat had given an ambiguous answer.

Jufeng Tribe, thanks to their large beast forms, had a natural advantage in single combat.

But they also had a clear weakness: their sheer size slowed them down, and their attacks were limited in variety.

So Lang Ji winning would be difficult—but at the same time, Ai defeating Lang Ji wouldn’t be easy either.

Thinking of the reward Lang Ji had requested from Yang Luo, Qi Bai clicked his tongue. “Then I’ll vote for Lang Ji.”

Mm. Love is awesome, no matter who it is.

At that moment, a wave of cheers erupted from the edge of the arena.

Lang Ji threw his beast pelt coat to the side, glanced once at Zhi, who stood behind Wu Rao, and then transformed into a unicorn giant wolf.

The giant wolf had a grey-white coat along its back, with a soft white on the cheeks and belly. The gradient fur billowed in the cold wind like a finely painted ink wash.

Lang Ji stretched out his long limbs, eyes sharp and locked onto the giant before him. His long tail stretched out behind him—he was fully ready to strike.

“Lang Ji has awakened the royal bloodline.”

A hoarse voice rang out. Qi Bai turned his head and smiled, “Lang Yao, you came too?”

But... what was the royal bloodline?

Lang Yao’s eyes were still somewhat cloudy, but under the care of Qi Bai and Lang Ze, they had become noticeably clearer—at least she could move around freely on her own now.

“Have you ever wondered—why the cubs of the Yinyue Tribe all look like grey wolves, but when they grow up, some become white wolves, and some stay grey?” Lang Yao’s gaze followed the giant wolf in the ring, her tone calm.

Qi Bai was stunned. He’d always assumed the grey and white wolves in Yinyue were just different breeds—beastmen from similar beast shapes forming a shared tribe was pretty common.

Even in his original Fengbao Tribe, most had leopard beast forms, but there were snow leopards, clouded leopards, and cheetahs. Factoring in differences in fur color, there were even more variations within a single tribe.

But the Yinyue Tribe was indeed different—Lang Ze’s beast form was fundamentally unlike the others.

So far, no other Yinyue beastman they’d found had the ability to partially transform like Lang Ze—shifting part of their human body into beast form.

Royal bloodline...

Qi Bai looked up at Lang Ze and saw that he was frowning too—apparently, this was news to him as well.

Lang Yao hadn’t expected Lang Ze to know any of this.

When Yinyue was destroyed, Lang Ze was only ten years old. Even with his talent, he was too young to have been told everything. And ordinary beastmen like Lang Pu, Lang Kuang, and Lang Ji couldn’t possibly know either. So even after reuniting with Lang Ze, they couldn't explain this to him.

“Royal blood flows in every Yinyue descendant,” Lang Yao explained. “But only those blessed by the Beast God and Wolf God can truly awaken it—and only those are considered royalty. Only royalty are fit to lead the wolf clans across the grasslands.”

Most beastmen on the continent worshipped the Beast God, though that wasn’t always the case. In addition to the Beast God, some tribes had their own guardian deities or totems.

Whether Beast God or Wolf God, it all sounded too vague to Qi Bai.

Could it be, he thought, that the Yinyue wolves actually carry a kind of heritable mutation—a unique gene that allows a grey wolf beastman to evolve into a stronger white wolf form?

If so, then from a genetic standpoint, the so-called Wolf God might just be the ancestor of the Yinyue Tribe.

Qi Bai swallowed. “So Lang Ji also awakened the royal bloodline. Does that mean… he can become like Lang Ze?”

He didn’t spell it out, but Lang Yao clearly understood what he meant.

“For a beastman like Lang Ji, who awakens it later in life, it just makes him stronger than average. Only those born with it can be called true royalty,” Lang Yao shook her head. “You were told not to show your abilities in front of outsiders, weren’t you?”

She was certain about this—otherwise, Lang Ze wouldn’t still be alive.

Lang Ze nodded. When Yinyue fell, he had wanted nothing more than to fight those who attacked them. But he knew he was still too weak. He’d clung to his father’s instructions and disguised himself as a completely ordinary wolf cub—that was the only reason he’d survived.

“The Wolf God's power seems to be fading,” Lang Yao continued. “Fewer and fewer cubs in the tribe receive its blessing. Now that Lang Shuo and the others are dead, you may be the last royal bloodline left on the entire continent.”

Lang Yao added, “The old priest once said that cubs born to beastmen with royal blood are more likely to receive the Wolf God’s blessing.”

For example, her father—who carried the royal bloodline—had seven children with different partners. Two of them awakened royal blood. One was Lang Ze’s father; the other was Lang Shuo, the head of Yinyue’s hunting team.

So in a way, Lang Yao and Lang Shuo were half-siblings, but they weren’t close. They had different mothers, and Lang Yao had been raised apart.

Qi Bai nodded. Yep, makes sense—genetic inheritance.

Lang Yao looked at Lang Ze—who now had his own people and would soon have his own city

—and felt deeply comforted.

She turned to Qi Bai. If she could just see them have a child who could inherit the royal bloodline, she’d be ready to return to the embrace of the Beast God with no regrets.

Just as Lang Yao was about to ask why they hadn’t had a cub yet, the surrounding cheers interrupted their conversation.

Lang Ze glanced at her and shifted sideways, pulling Qi Bai into his arms from behind and calmly said, “It’s starting.”

While they were talking, preparations in the arena had already finished.

With Xiong Han’s command, the fight between Lang Ji and Ai officially began.

But Lang Ji had only just launched his attack when the watching beastmen began murmuring.

From the judging panel, Yun Tan shook his head. “Xiong Zhong used the same tactic just now. Using the same approach, this young man will clearly lose too.”

On the field, the giant wolf darted quickly around the giant, occasionally slashing with claws and fangs—indeed, it looked just like Xiong Zhong’s earlier strategy.

Lu Yan said, “Even if both are aggressive attacks, Lang Ji is faster than Xiong Zhong.”

But speed alone wouldn’t cut it. Greater speed meant weaker strikes, and Lang Ji’s attacks couldn’t break Ai’s defense.

Then again, Ai couldn’t do much to Lang Ji either.

Every time Ai turned to grab Lang Ji, the latter slipped away instantly. After a few rounds, Ai was getting dizzy just trying to keep up.

The Zhanxiong Priest noticed this: “Seems like grey wolves have better stamina than battle bears. Is Lang Ji trying to wear Ai down?”

It wasn’t a bad idea. After all, this was Lang Ji’s first match, while Ai had already fought twice. If Lang Ji dragged it out, it might work.

Wu Rao smiled faintly. You’re underestimating Jufeng beastmen. One fight doesn’t wear Ai down much at all.

Ai also realized he couldn’t keep up with Lang Ji’s speed—and that none of Lang Ji’s attacks really hurt him.

“ROAR!” Ai spread his legs and stomped the ground, preparing to enter his defensive stance again.

But in that instant, Lang Ji struck.

The giant wolf suddenly flashed behind the giant just as Ai braced himself.

“What just happened?” the judges exclaimed.

From their angle, it looked like Lang Ji just vanished after moving behind Ai.

“There!” cried a sharp-eyed beastman behind the arena.

“Beast God above—he transformed into human form?!”

While shapeshifting wasn’t forbidden, switching from beast to human form mid-fight was unheard of—it exposed one’s weaknesses.

But in the next moment, that same beastman’s jaw dropped in shock.

The now-human Lang Ji clung to the giant’s body, scrambling up his back like he was walking on air.

“AWOO!”

Before Ai could react, the airborne giant wolf slammed into him. Ai lost his balance and crashed to the ground.

A huge cloud of dust rose as the giant fell.

Qi Bai waved away the dust in front of him and stared into the arena.

There—Lang Ji’s fangs were pressed to Ai’s neck, ready to tear flesh if he dared move.

Silence fell, broken only by the wolf’s deep growl.

Everyone had just one thought: Wait... you can fight like THAT?!

“Lang Ji—wins! He wins!!” shouted Xiong Han, the first to react.

No matter how tough beastman skin might be, the neck remained a vulnerable spot. Ai had no chance to resist now.

Seeing the shocked expressions on the four tribal chiefs and priests, Yang Luo chuckled, “Just a small thing, really. No big deal.”

That Xuequ herb was definitely worth it.

“He... he beat a Jufeng beastman in just one move…”

It wasn’t a time-wasting strategy, or forcing his opponent out of bounds. It was a clean, direct win.

Xiong Zhong, crawling out of the pit, stared in disbelief.

That’s right—Lang Ji’s earlier attacks were just feints to distract Ai. The real move came only when Ai let down his guard.

He had one chance. If he failed and Ai got suspicious, there’d be no second try.

Having secured victory, the giant wolf pulled back his fangs. His chest heaved as he exhaled white mist—this attack had clearly taken a lot out of him.

An average beastman wouldn’t even have been able to execute the feints.

“Lang Ji! Lang Ji!”

From the sidelines, cheers erupted, mixed with Hu Qiao and Tun Quan’s whistles.

“We won!” Qi Bai hugged Lang Ze’s arm and joined the celebration.

Lang Ze smiled too. Lang Ji’s win was absolutely thanks to Qi Bai.

Whether it was switching between forms in combat, or climbing the hundred-meter practice tower—without Qi Bai bringing those ideas, Lang Ji wouldn’t have won so easily.