Chapter 393
Little Bun began scanning.
Nina bent down to examine the corpses. They were shriveled and aged, yet the vibrant color of their hair remained unchanged. In the Beast World, when a beastman aged naturally, their hair would fade, turning gray or white, and become quite brittle. These beastmen clearly did not exhibit any of those signs.
This lined up perfectly with what Xinn had previously investigated—these were not elderly beastmen, or at least, they were individuals who had not yet reached the stage of natural aging.
Phar sensed the area, his brow furrowing slightly.
As expected, the power of Thraxxis is present here. I didn’t expect his hands to stretch this far.
The beastman with that peculiar special ability was likely connected to him as well. If necessary, he would have to step in and help the little female.
Shortly after, Little Bun transmitted the data to Nina. Sure enough, the victims were all young adult males, and their strength prior to death had been quite formidable.
“Nina, these beastmen don’t look like they genuinely aged,” Sal remarked.
“Mhm. Their crystal core energy and life force were likely drained completely,” Nina explained. This was an analysis Little Bun had pulled from those black crystals; they didn’t just absorb ability energy, but also a beastman’s vital life energy.
“Life force? You can absorb that too?” Viann asked in surprise.
“Abilities in the Beast World are strange and varied; it’s not surprising that one like this exists. The younger the beastman and the better their physical condition, the more absorbing their crystal core energy can boost one’s strength. But absorbing life force might actually allow someone to elevate their innate talent,” Odian analyzed.
“Then this ability is way too overpowered. If they keep absorbing energy like this, won’t they eventually become the strongest existence in the Beast World?” Ridan asked, horrified.
“Not necessarily. There is a limit to the amount of energy a beastman’s body can withstand. Different races and bloodlines have different capacities; they might not actually be able to reach that point,” Aviel countered.
“True. But why did that beastman choose Serpent City?” Finch wondered.
“Either they are a native beastman of Serpent City, or Serpent City has something they want,” Yanai suggested.
“Judging by the conversation between those guards just now, they started with outsiders first before moving on to Serpent City’s own citizens. It seems highly probable that they belong to the Black Serpent tribe, though it’s also possible they are colluding with certain high-ranking officials in power,” Odian added.
Idir fell into contemplation for a moment. “It might also have to do with Serpent City’s sacred relic. Our relic doesn’t just possess the widely rumored healing properties; it has another effect that only core members of the tribe know about—bloodline evolution p>
“It can even evolve bloodlines? Your sacred relic is quite impressive,” Finch noted.
“Yes, but evolving a bloodline is no easy feat. It requires a massive amount of energy support. Generally, an evolution is only possible when one’s internal energy or external auxiliary energy is sufficient. The more chaotic and low-grade a bloodline is, the harder it is to evolve it into a high-grade one,” Idir explained.
“Perhaps we can approach our investigation from this angle,” Nina suggested. “If the opponent’s bloodline isn’t strong enough, they will almost certainly target the sacred relic. Following the trail of the relic should yield some clues p>
“Nina is right. Beastmen have evolved over countless years, and many powerful bloodlines have been heavily diluted. If that beastman wants to keep growing stronger, they absolutely won’t pass up Serpent City’s sacred relic,” Odian agreed.
“Mhm. Conveniently, our goal is also the sacred relic. If they are after it too, we are bound to clash. It’s best if we find a way to uncover their identity and strength level,” Aviel stated.
“The key issue is that we aren’t even sure if it’s just a single beastman,” Sal pointed out. “We still need to gather more information p>
“Once the fathers return, they should be able to bring back some news,” Finch said.
Nina looked over at the corpses. “Let’s handle these first, and we can discuss the rest back at camp p>
They left a small group of males behind to take care of the disposal and returned to their campsite.
Once back at camp, they cleaned themselves up and gathered in an open area to continue their discussion.
“Idir, tell us more about your sacred relic,” Odian prompted.
“Our sacred relic is called the Mysterious Scale Bracelet. It takes the form of a circular crystal bracelet shaped like a serpent. Legend has it that the first Beast God forged it using the scales of the most powerful Black Serpent and a special crystal. The only functions we know of are healing and evolution p>
Idir clarified, “But we are merely its guardians; we can only borrow a portion of its power by virtue of our Black Serpent bloodline p>
“Where is the sacred relic kept?” Yanai asked.
“We have a dedicated sacred ground for storing the relic, right beneath the City Lord’s estate. However, it’s highly dangerous inside. Not only are there powerful magical arrays, but there are also toxic miasmas and venom pools. Anyone who isn’t a high-grade Black Serpent would find it incredibly difficult to withstand those lethal toxins to reach the relic,” Idir answered.
“Have you been to that sacred ground before?” Sal asked.
Idir nodded. “I went once. In our Black Serpent tribe, everyone is given a single opportunity to evolve their bloodline upon reaching adulthood. I went in to undergo purification the year I came of age p>
“And you succeeded?” Finch asked.
“Yes, my evolution was successful, which is why my strength increased significantly afterward,” Idir replied.
“Are there many beastmen in your tribe who successfully evolve?” Nina questioned.
“Not many. The probability of failure is very high. I likely lucked out because my bloodline happened to be relatively pure,” Idir admitted.
“Do native beastmen of Serpent City who are not part of the Black Serpent tribe get this opportunity?” Odian inquired. Serpent City was primarily comprised of the Black Serpent tribe and other serpent clans, but other non-serpentine races lived there as well.
“No. This secret is only known to the core members of our Black Serpent tribe. External clans don’t get this chance at evolution,” Idir stated.
“I heard that your Black Serpent tribe places immense value on the purity and grade of one’s bloodline?” Odian asked.
“Correct. The purer the Black Serpent bloodline, the higher their innate talent, status, and position generally are. We all pride ourselves on pure bloodlines.” Idir looked toward the direction of Serpent City.
“My father’s lineage holds a relatively pure bloodline, which is why they originally chose him to be the City Lord. Though, I don’t know who has taken over his position now p>
It was highly likely to be one of his enemies. Unfortunately, his information had been cut off after his escape, so he hadn’t heard any related news. However, now that they were near Serpent City, it would be quite easy to find out.
“If that mysterious beastman knows the secret of your sacred relic, then they are definitely connected to some of the core members of your Black Serpent tribe,” Yanai concluded.
“Mhm. But right now, it’s just a hypothesis. We don’t know what that beastman’s ultimate motive is, so further investigation is required.” Idir thought for a moment. “Among the beastmen in the tribe, I’ve never heard of anyone possessing such a terrifying ability, unless they intentionally hid it p>
A cold gleam flashed in his eyes. “Then again, some of the tribe members are blinded by greed; it’s not entirely impossible that they’ve colluded with outsiders p>
“The clues we currently have are still a bit sparse. Things might become clearer once the others return,” Odian remarked.
Nina nodded. “Mhm. We’ll draw up an action plan once the situation becomes clearer p>
With their discussion wrapped up, they each went back to rest.
Three days later, Ming and the others all returned, bringing with them a wealth of new information.