He was easygoing by nature and didn’t enjoy being competitive.
Outside of hunting for food, Gu Yin was usually unwilling to waste his strength fighting other, unimportant Beastmen.
But in front of his beloved mate, a powerful desire to show off and win would swell within any male, making him unable to tolerate a blatant challenge from another.
"Jin’er, get back." Gu Yin coiled his long snake tail around her and moved her to a safe distance. With those quick words, he transformed into a black-and-red python over ten meters long and shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
The sudden battle ended just as shockingly as it began.
The onlooking Beastmen didn’t even have time to gasp before the fight was over.
It was over in the blink of an eye.
The black-and-red python instantly wrapped around the attacking Shalv, coiling around him tightly as if toying with prey. The more he struggled, the tighter the coils became.
"Aaargh—!" The sound of cracking bones erupted from the Beastman. At the same time, Gu Yin’s venomous fangs pierced his chest, and potent venom quickly invaded his internal organs.
"Damn you, let me go!"
Shalv’s face was beet-red. Unable to move an inch, he could only roar in helpless fury.
"Hiss~"
Gu Yin glanced at An Jin signaling him from a distance. Only then did he slowly release Shalv, tossing him to the ground like a piece of trash.
Gu Yin couldn’t be bothered to kill someone in the clan’s territory anyway. Besides, shark meat tasted awful—sour and tough—and it did nothing to whet his appetite or his desire for a real fight.
"Pathetic. Can’t even put up a fight."
Gu Yin threw the words right back at Shalv.
Shalv’s face turned ashen. He shot up from the ground, his gray-blue eyes glaring at Gu Yin. He ground his teeth viciously but couldn’t utter a single word.
His fists were clenched so tight his veins bulged, and the solid muscle of his chest trembled with each breath. Clearly, the intensely prideful Shalv was unwilling to admit his first-ever defeat.
"This isn’t fair! I’m a Water Beastman. I can’t use my full strength on land."
"If you’ve got the guts, let’s fight in the water!" It took him a long moment to spit out the words.
Gu Yin gave him a lazy glance, seemingly curious as to why this shark was so intent on courting death.
The onlooking Beastmen were also shocked. This was a terrifyingly powerful Seventh Rank Beastman, and a wandering Snake Beast at that, known for his cruelty and cold-blooded nature. Shalv must be crazy for a fight.
"Whatever."
Venom was extremely precious to Gu Yin, so he had only injected a small amount into such an insignificant shark. Shalv quickly recovered to his peak fighting condition.
The two of them entered the water.
The churning mud instantly turned the river a murky brown. Although An Jin couldn’t see the fight, she could guess how fierce it was from the massive waves, like those of an ocean, erupting from the water.
A short while later, under the tense and astonished gazes of several hundred Beastmen, Gu Yin leisurely swam out of the muddy river, acting as if he were completely alone.
His long, black-and-red hair, half-damp, was draped over shoulders that glistened with water. His long snake tail had a few minor scratches, but they were nothing serious.
Compared to the figure of the other Beastman that floated to the surface, Gu Yin’s light wounds were practically negligible.
"Ptui! Ptui!"
Shalv crawled wretchedly from the river, his body covered in wounds and bruises. On the bank, he spat out a large mouthful of bloody water, his eyes fixed ferociously on the listless-looking Gu Yin.
"You—!"
He ground his teeth for a long moment.
He let out a ragged breath and collapsed to the ground. With no energy left, he conceded, "...You beat me. You’re the boss now. Until I can defeat you, I’ll follow your every command!"
Gu Yin seemed to have expected this outcome. His expression remained unchanged; only two things could pique his interest: his mate and his food.
He was, however, thoroughly annoyed at the prospect of this shark pestering him in the future.
’From the sound of it, he plans to stay in the clan and keep fighting me? If I’d known, I would have ’accidentally’ killed him just now.’
Sure enough.
Shalv climbed to his feet, his eyes burning with a crazy fighting spirit. He roared a resolute vow at Gu Yin, "I won’t leave this clan until I defeat you! I’m staying right here!"
The hundreds of Water Beastmen nearby were utterly astonished.
"Clan Leader, aren’t you going to lead us back to the deep sea to rebuild our clan?"
Shalv wiped the blood from his face and said impassively, "I have no interest in being your Clan Leader. I only fought because I wanted a fight. Find whoever you want to lead you."