Xuan Long did not wait for another second.
The moment Shi Feng’s mocking words fell, his hand shot out like a viper.
His fingers locked tightly around Shi Feng’s neck.
Crack.
The area exploded as Xuan Long slammed him backward, his grip ruthless and unrelenting.
Shi Feng’s feet lifted off the ground as Xuan Long squeezed with all his might, veins bulging on his arm, killing intent pouring out like a flood.
Shi Feng’s expression finally changed.
The smugness vanished.
His face darkened, his throat constricting as the suffocating pressure crushed down on him. His chest burned. His breath broke apart in harsh gasps.
So strong...!
Xuan Long’s eyes were pitch black, filled with pure, savage rage. "You dare," he growled, his voice shaking the air, "to speak her name like that?"
Shi Feng clawed at Xuan Long’s wrist, his golden eyes flashing. But instead of panicking, his lips slowly curved upward, strained but defiant.
He was not going to be defeated like this.
With a roar trapped in his chest, Shi Feng gathered all his strength. His powerful lion body twisted sharply, muscles exploding as he forced his body into motion.
In the next instant, he used the momentum to flip backward.
Boom!
Shi Feng kicked off the ground, forcing a brutal backflip, trying to throw Xuan Long down with him. The ground cracked where his feet had pushed off.
Xuan Long’s grip loosened for just a fraction of a second.
That was enough.
Shi Feng broke free and twisted in midair, landing heavily but steadily a few steps away. He coughed once, blood spilling from his lips, his throat burning with pain.
But his eyes were blazing.
He straightened slowly, wiping the blood away, his aura surging wildly. This time, there was no mockery or laziness.
Only seriousness.
"I am not holding back," Shi Feng said hoarsely. "Not anymore."
Xuan Long stood unmoved, his chest rising slowly. His eyes narrowed when he realized something.
This man was using his full strength.
Because he knew... they had already crossed the line.
Shi Feng clenched his fists. "If I can’t even stand against you," he continued, his voice deep and steady, "then how am I worthy to protect her?"
Su Qinglan’s heart skipped violently.
Her fingers tightened around the basket of cubs. "No... stop..." she whispered, but her voice was drowned out by the raging auras.
Xuan Long’s jaw tightened.
He was furious.
So furious he wanted to tear this lion apart, rip him into pieces, and scatter him across the forest.
But there was still a thin thread of rationality left in him.
Lan Lan mattered too much to him.
He knew... if he killed Shi Feng here, she would be upset. After all, that man was actually helping her tribe. And if something happened to him, it would cause unrest in the entire tribe.
So he did not kill.
He only wanted to warn him, to force this pest to back down and never show his face again.
"You are not worthy," Xuan Long said coldly. "Not even close."
Shi Feng laughed softly, his eyes sharp as blades. "That is not for you to decide."
Then Shi Feng spoke words that shattered everything.
"I want to challenge you," he said slowly, clearly.
"To become her new beast husband."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Su Qinglan’s breath stopped.
Xuan Long’s pupils shrank violently.
For a single heartbeat, his mind went completely blank.
Then... snap.
The last thread of sanity inside Xuan Long shattered completely.
A terrifying aura erupted from his body, dark and violent, rolling outward like a storm. The ground beneath him split open, cracks spreading in all directions.
His eyes glowed with murderous madness.
"You..." His voice was no longer human. "Say it again."
Shi Feng did not retreat.
Instead, he stepped forward.
"I said," he repeated calmly, "I want to be her beast husband."
Boom!
Xuan Long vanished from where he stood.
The next second, the forest shook as his fist slammed forward, carrying the fury of a mad beast who had been touched on his absolute reverse scale.
This time, there was no mercy left.
Su Qinglan finally realized what was happening.
Her face drained of color.
"No..." she whispered.
Wasn’t everything just fine? How did all of this escalate into this situation? She felt her mind go completely blank as the suffocating aura pressed on her. Even she felt a little dizzy.
The cubs in the basket whimpered softly, sensing danger.
Xuan Long noticed it instantly. His expression changed. He did not look back at Shi Feng.
He looked at Su Qinglan and at her pale face. He looked at her shaking hands and the fear she was trying so hard to suppress.
That was enough.
Xuan Long’s rage did not disappear, but it shifted.
If this continued, the entire mountain would turn into chaos.
And she would be in danger.
"Tch."
Xuan Long clicked his tongue sharply.
Before Shi Feng could react...
Boom!
Xuan Long’s body twisted violently as scales erupted across his skin. In a blink of an eye, his human form vanished.
A massive green snake burst forth, its body thick and powerful, scales gleaming coldly under the forest light.
The pressure doubled instantly.
Su Qinglan gasped.
"Xuan Long!"
Shi Feng’s pupils shrank.
Before he could even step back...
The enormous snake lunged. Its tail whipped around Shi Feng’s body like a steel chain, wrapping around his waist and chest with terrifying force.
Crack!
Shi Feng grunted as the air was knocked out of him.
"You...!" he snarled.
Xuan Long did not give him a chance to finish.
With a furious hiss, the massive snake dragged him across the ground, crushing bushes and snapping tree roots as if they were nothing.
"Xuan Long... stop...!" Su Qinglan cried, fear gripping her heart.
Xuan Long paused for half a second.
He turned his massive head slightly and looked at her.
His eyes softened, but he did not stop.
Then he looked back toward the forest depths.
Without hesitation, he dragged Shi Feng away at blinding speed.