There were fewer beastmen on the third level. Those who could reach this level were all considered amazing amongst those of the same level even if they couldn’t be said to be experts.
There were fewer black holes in the stone cave, but on a rough look, several hundred stone caves across the stone mountains could be seen.
Winston naturally couldn’t enter one by one. He kept his ears focused as he climbed the stone mountain, only darting in to take a look when he heard the sounds of a female.
“Roar!”
A tiger roar rang out behind him. [Are you looking for me?]
Winston immediately jumped off the stone mountain and dashed out toward Carl, who had just come out from the innermost level of the Flame City.
Carl jumped back to the center of the Flame City out of reflex. The scorpion beastman guarding the door didn’t stop him. This took Winston by surprise.
He didn’t expect that Carl had made his way to the innermost level when he was just a two-striped beastman. However, this was also possible. The greater the number of animal stripes one had, the stronger their opponents. Those of a higher level would end up being put at a disadvantage compared to those from a lower level.
The advancement in Flame City was one that picked out the strong ones amongst those of the same level.
[Hand Molly over!] Winston calmed down and said.
Carl strolled on the spot, then said, [I’ve handed Molly to my companions. You won’t be able to find her.]
The muscles on the white tiger’s face shook, and his scar made his gaze look ferocious like a demon. He entered the center and stared at Carl while assessing the places that could hide people.
What Carl wanted was to mislead the tiger king that Molly was in the center of the Flame City. Then, it’d be completely safe for him to leave Molly on the third level.
Sensing the killing intent coming from the tiger king, Carl said, [I was Molly’s mate in the past, after all. With me around, she’ll be able to live a little more comfortably. If you were to kill me…]
There wasn’t a need to further explain Carl’s words.
Winston’s eyes narrowed, and he suddenly leaped and pounced toward Carl.
Carl’s fur instantly erupted. “Roar!” Before he could jump away in time, he was pressed down to the ground by a pair of beast claws. In front of Winston, he was even more helpless than when he was before Edgar, who had been hurt by his bite.
[You dare threaten me?] Winston bared his thick, strong, and sharp white fangs. They looked so dangerous that it made others not dare to look at him.
Carl struggled but realized that he was unable to budge. He let out a breath. [You can give it a try. My tiger life is in your claws, anyway. But… this is the center of the Flame City, where the strongest live. Not every beastman is as weak as I am. You might not necessarily be able to snatch her back.]
He let out a stifled laugh. [Even if you can find a living Molly, she’d definitely be half dead by then.]
“Growl!” Winston bared his fangs, exposing even his gums, and bit down.
“Howl!”
A tiger’s agonizing roar spread out from the center of Flame City.
Winston moved his claws away from his body, curling his tongue to wipe off the blood on his tiger mouth. He looked at him and said, [The moment I find Molly will be the day of your death.]
After saying that, the white tiger turned around to leave.
The limbs of the tiger lying on the ground twitched. A large patch of blood flowed out on his shoulder and was absorbed by the dried desert.
“Roar!”
Carl struggled to stand up. His left front leg dragged on the sand unnaturally, and the wound on his shoulder was so deep that the bones could be seen. Bone fragments were seen amongst his flesh and blood.
Bearing with the intense pain, Carl walked off while limping on his three legs, dragging a terrifying blood trail on the ground.
The majority of the blood was absorbed by the desert while the rest was dried up by the scorching sun before it could flow into the sand, turning into a layer of dried blood that covered the surface of the ground, attracting many bugs to come and fight to eat them.
In the castle at the center of the Flame City, a handsome black-haired man stood by the window, seemingly in deep thought.