There were many floating, inverted mountains here. Each one was enormous—the largest was no smaller than a hundred Guangshou Cities—and each held its own unique wonders.

"Besides the Deer Clan, other races also have winged members—tigers, lions, horses, rats, rabbits, oxen, sheep, and so on. Essentially, every Beastman species that exists here has a winged variant."

Hearing this, Si Shuo blinked. "Oh, no. I have a feeling if the cubs come here, they’ll pick out a child husband for themselves!"

Xu Chi laughed. "That would be nice, actually. The Spiritual Energy in the Far East Land is unique; it has a purifying quality not found elsewhere. The Beastmen who grow up here have better aptitude and talent than those from other places. Most importantly, they’re good-looking, they can fly, and their Combat Power is formidable. After all," his eyes turned cold, "some Beastmen come to the Far East Land, and if they can’t capture a Horned Deer, they’re unwilling to return empty-handed. So, they hunt other flying Beastmen to use as mounts.

"To escape a fate of being dominated by others, we have no choice but to strive to raise our cultivation..."

Si Shuo was a little confused. "Xu Chi, other continents have Flying Beasts too. Why does everyone come here to find mounts?"

"Because they’re rare, and females tend to like them," Xu Chi said flatly. "You could say the Far East Land is just one giant hunting ground where every race and cultivation level has a price tag. And without a doubt, the Horned Deer Clan’s price is the highest."

The joy and excitement Si Shuo had felt upon seeing such a beautiful, dreamlike place gradually cooled. Indeed, beneath the most beautiful of places lay unimaginable darkness and oppression.

’No wonder they’d been flying for so long and she’d hardly seen any Beastmen, only Wild Beasts.’

Xu Chi’s tone lightened, and he chuckled. "Actually, after coming of age, many of the Beastmen here leave their homes to find mates in the outside world. As long as they offer their seal, and their chosen female has Couple Brothers with decent strength and backing, they can consider themselves to have found a home."

Si Shuo understood. ’That’s what you call being proactive!’

Xu Chi stopped by the shore of the lush Green Lake. The water here was as clear as a mirror, reflecting the sky and white clouds. If not for the surrounding forests, one would have been unable to tell where the water ended and the sky began.

A powerful waterfall rushed in the distance, its rising spray refracting a beautiful rainbow. Flowers of every color competed in splendor while butterflies danced through the air. It was like a living, animated picture, so beautiful it made one’s breathing soften.

"It’s so beautiful here!" Si Shuo couldn’t help but whisper.

"Yes. This was originally the ancestral land of the Horned Deer," Xu Chi said, taking her hand and leading her slowly toward the base of the waterfall.

There was a massive boulder at the base of the waterfall. Behind it, a narrow stone path led into a tranquil valley, which looked a little like their valley on the outskirts of Guangshou City.

Only, this place was vast and labyrinthine. Without a guide, it would be impossible to know which path led where.

"This is a natural maze, and it contains natural perils. It’s considered the first line of defense for our Horned Deer Clan," Xu Chi said as he swept Si Shuo up into his arms and began leaping nimbly from one spot to another.

Looking over his shoulder, Si Shuo saw the previously silent woods suddenly erupt into chaos. Thorny iron vines shot out from nowhere, lashing about like whips with terrifying power.

"Even a Level 15 Beastman would have their flesh ripped away if they weren’t quick enough to dodge," Xu Chi said, patting her back reassuringly as he continued to dodge effortlessly. "These perils are natural, a hundred times more powerful than anything artificial. They’re nearly impossible to resist; hiding is the only way. A single vine is this powerful, let alone so many. It doesn’t even give you time to fight..."

’And even in such a secret place, the Horned Deer Beastmen were wiped out, nest and all.’

Si Shuo buried her face in the crook of Xu Chi’s neck. Normally, Xu Chi’s emotions were very steady; it was only with her that he seemed to experience the full range of joy, anger, grief, and elation. Yet from the moment he’d arrived here, he had been shrouded in an aura of sorrow, despair, and helplessness.

She held him tightly, offering her silent comfort.

"A shuo, I’m alright. I understand, really. Back then, the Horned Deer Divine Beast was born to answer the call of the era. But the legendary God Demon War is long over. The Horned Deer lost its value—the ability to trade one’s head for a new life—yet it retained that heaven-defying power, becoming a coveted, life-extending treasure for everyone.

"The destruction of the Deer Clan was inevitable. Now, our people are just scattered across the lands, broken into smaller groups in a struggle for survival. It’s the only way to preserve our race. This is probably the best ending we could have hoped for."

Si Shuo pursed her lips. "That may be true, but Xu Chi... don’t you want revenge?"

Xu Chi stiffened. "My Father told me to live a good life, find a young mate, have two or three cubs, and not to carry this burden. He said that just by staying alive, I would be doing everything I could for the Horned Deer Clan."

’How could I not want to? Those Beastmen already had one foot in the grave, but relying on their numbers and countless plots, they hunted the Horned Deer Beastmen. They cut off our heads and replaced their own—heads with white hair, wrinkled faces, murky eyes, and mouths full of gaps—to regain their vitality, return to their prime, and extend their lives by another hundred years!

’But the Horned Deer Beastmen, whose heads rolled on the ground, died with their eyes wide open. And they... they would even gouge those eyes out to steep in wine...

’He remembered every one of those bloody and cruel scenes. They were seared into his very bones and blood, and it was very likely that Little Ye and Youyou had inherited this legacy as well. It was the hatred of a clan pushed to the verge of extinction!

’However, revenge was his burden to bear alone. He shouldn’t involve his little mate and her Couple Brothers. And he didn’t want her to see such a ferocious side of him.’

"But what about those people who are extending their lives using the bodies of the Horned Deer Clan?" Si Shuo had never considered herself a kind person. In fact, she hated evil as a personal enemy and was also rather selfish. Any kindness she showed to others came from the surplus of energy she had after ensuring her own well-being. "What gives them the right to trade one life for another? No one is more noble than anyone else; everyone only has one life!"

She chuckled and said to Xu Chi, "I figure the people who can use a Horned Deer to extend their lives are mostly powerful figures with strong backing. We don’t have to do much—we just cripple one of them and then spread the word that using a Horned Deer for life extension comes with massive side effects. That way, everyone will stop targeting the Horned Deer Clan and start actively looking for other ways to survive."

After passing through the Iron Thorn Forest, Xu Chi stopped in his tracks. "Would that work?"

"And why not? The ones who use Horned Deer to extend their lives are cowards, greedy for life and terrified of death, but they’re also incredibly ambitious. If they lose the aptitude and cultivation they take so much pride in and become the cripples they so despise, they’ll have to watch helplessly as others snatch away everything they’ve attained. Or they might be forced to hand over everything they’ve painstakingly built to someone else. They would spend the rest of their lives in agony. For them, that’s far more unbearable than simply dying." ’Killing the body is one thing, but crushing the spirit is true punishment. Just killing them would be letting them off too easily.’

Si Shuo said, grinding her teeth.

Xu Chi pulled her into a tight embrace. "A shuo, you can’t get involved in this. Let me do it alone. If I’m discovered..."

"Fine," Si Shuo cut him off, nodding expressionlessly. "Then let’s just break our bond right now!"

Xu Chi’s heart ached. He said resignedly, "A shuo, you know I would never do that."