She had lived here for many years. An outsider like Yu An couldn't just topple her.
Xiong Li was brazenly unafraid.
Yu An glanced at her, then unhurriedly took out a stone.
It was a recording device housed in a stone casing. Back when she was scavenging for supplies in the apocalypse, she had operated with a "take everything that isn't nailed down" mentality. Useful or not, Yu An had swept everything she could carry into her dimensional space.
And now, it was coming in handy.
"Let me formally introduce myself," Yu An said magnanimously. "I am from the Beast Emperor City. Before my exile, I was the Beast Emperor's daughter. I have a few things that others don't have access to, like this Sound Recording Stone."
With a light press, Xiong Li's voice emanated from the stone: "I wonder if eating an ugly female like you would make me ugly... I'll just eat your two little cubs instead."
The clearing fell completely silent, making Xiong Li's voice exceptionally clear. Xiong Li looked as if she had seen a ghost, while the other Beastmen wore expressions of utter disbelief.
"Xiong Li... she actually eats..."
The Beastmen couldn't bring themselves to say the word "cubs." Several females whose cubs had vanished without a trace lunged at Xiong Li like madwomen, tearing at her.
"You ate my Zaizai, didn't you? I'll kill you!"
"That was my only cub! Xiong Li, you'll die a miserable death!"
"I always wondered why you lived so far from the tribe when everyone else lives together. So it was to cover up your dirty, secret dealings!"
It all happened so suddenly that Xiong Shuai and his three companions were stunned for a moment before they rushed to help Xiong Li.
But those females had Beast Husbands of their own. Xiong Shuai's group was no match for them at all.
Yu An watched coldly as Xiong Li was beaten and kicked, finally venting some of the bitter anger in her heart. She placed her hand on the Little Merfolk's back and began to heal him.
The warm superpower felt very comfortable to the Little Merfolk, and his wound began to heal at a visible rate.
Mo Yan witnessed the entire event. He silently moved to stand in front of Yu An, blocking the other Beastmen's line of sight.
The females held nothing back, and Xiong Li's screams grew weaker and weaker until someone in the crowd shouted for them to stop:
"That's enough! Don't you forget, the Beast God has decreed that no one is to kill a female."
Even if a female commits a grave crime, she can only be exiled.
The speaker was an elderly female. Yu An didn't recognize her, but judging by the reactions of the others, her status seemed quite high.
"That's the tribe's witch doctor. She's on very good terms with Xiong Li. Xiong Li is generous with her gifts, so the witch doctor looks out for her."
Bai Rong whispered this information to Yu An.
A flash of understanding crossed Yu An's eyes. Just as the witch doctor was about to drive away the enraged females, she spoke up loudly, "Witch doctor, Xiong Li caused several families to lose their cubs. If she is merely exiled, what are these females supposed to do?"
"That might have been the only cub they would ever have. They may never become a Female Mother again. What you're doing is too unfair to them."
The females, who had been intimidated by the witch doctor and were planning to beat Xiong Li half to death before exiling her, instantly felt their eyes well up with tears.
'Yu An is right! Their Fertility is low. Xiong Li made it so they can never be a Female Mother again. She should die and be buried with their Zaizai!'
The witch doctor hadn't expected Yu An to contradict her. Her face darkened. "The rules are the rules. Xiong Li can only be exiled. If you kill her, the Beast God will send down punishment."
Yu An scoffed. "Letting Xiong Li go free to harm other cubs—that's what will earn the Beast God's punishment."
Bai Rong was the first to voice her support for Yu An, and others gradually followed. Mo Yan stood beside Yu An and unleashed the oppressive might of his Heavenly Level Spiritual Power.
The witch doctor was intimidated by this spiritual power, but Mo Yan frowned.
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt his spiritual power slowly declining.
Mo Yan clenched his fist, feeling the power within him being devoured.
The process was slow, but because his control over his power was so absolute, he quickly noticed something was wrong.
However, now was not the time to bring this up. Mo Yan composed himself and stared coldly at the witch doctor opposite him.
The witch doctor had heard that Yu An's Beast Husband was formidable, but she never imagined he was a male with Heavenly Level Spiritual Power. She glanced at Xiong Li, thinking of abandoning her.
After all, the messes she had cleaned up for Xiong Li over the years were enough to offset all the tributes Xiong Li had given her.
Xiong Li had been watching the witch doctor expectantly. When she saw the hesitation on the witch doctor's face, her heart sank.
Before the witch doctor could speak, she used all her strength to shout, "Witch doctor, save me! You said you saw me as family!"
She had leverage over the witch doctor. For various reasons, the two of them had long been tied together. If the witch doctor didn't save her, she would drag the witch doctor down with her.
The witch doctor understood her veiled threat, and her expression turned grim.
Constrained by their illicit dealings, the witch doctor said in a low voice, "Let Xiong Li go, or I won't treat any of you anymore."
The witch doctor was the most skilled healer in the tribe. Any injured Beastman had to seek her out for treatment.
As soon as she said this, a commotion broke out among the Beastmen. Even the females who had lost their cubs looked hesitant.
Yu An's heart sank. She looked at Xiong Li, who now wore an expression of immense relief. Noticing Yu An's gaze, she even shot her a provocative smile.
'Just you wait. I'll be back for revenge!'
A moment later, the Beastmen parted to make way. The witch doctor said, "Xiong Li, take your Beast Husbands and cub and go. You are forbidden from ever setting foot in the tribe again."
For certain reasons, exiled Beastmen and their descendants could never leave the exiled land. Fortunately, the place was large enough to accommodate a thriving population of Beastmen.
Xiong Li got up, battered and bruised, but with a victor's smile. As she passed Yu An, she let out a disdainful snort.
Her bear cub stared at the Little Merfolk in Yu An's arms and gulped. It wasn't until Xiong Li pulled him along that he spat on the ground and walked away.
Da Hu's fur instantly bristled, and a juvenile growl revealed his fury. The Little Merfolk's scales flared up as well. Both little ones were extremely angry.
Mo Yan whispered, "Yu An, should I..."
"No," Yu An took a deep breath, calming the two cubs. "There are too many people. We can't make a move."
But if they didn't act now, the exiled land was so vast. Xiong Li could easily hide or scheme from the shadows, making it impossible to guard against her.
Just as Yu An was about to pull a powerful firecracker from her dimensional space, pretend it was a punishment from the Beast God, and blast Xiong Li to smithereens, the unexpected happened.
Roars echoed from the distance. Listening closely, they could distinguish the sounds of wolves, tigers, and leopards. The voices of all sorts of ferocious beasts mingled together, and the faces of the Beastmen changed instantly.
"It's a beast tide! Quick, back to the caves for shelter!"
"We can't! We're too far from the tribe! With so many beasts, it must be a large-scale beast tide. Males, grab your weapons and protect the females and cubs!"
However, they were quite close to Xiong Li's cave. Her family exchanged a look and took off running.
They couldn't care less about these detestable Beastmen. Once they got home, they would block the cave entrance and watch them get mauled to death by the wild beasts.
Some of the Beastmen guessed their intentions and followed behind Xiong Li, shouting. But the wild beasts had been hiding in the shadows, very close by.
With a few leaps, the beasts instantly surrounded the Beastmen, including Xiong Li's family.
Mo Yan instinctively wrapped his arm around Yu An's waist and said in a low, serious voice, "Hold on tight. I'll get you out of here."
These wild beasts were not enough to stop him.
Yu An pressed his hand and shook her head. "Wait. Something seems off about these beasts. Let's observe the situation first."