Stone Forest Tribes

Linsey went over and poked Black Eagle, who was lying on the ground.

The thing was completely unconscious and didn't respond to Linsey's movements at all.

He recalled the scene of Red dragging Black Eagle back and couldn't help but complain, "If you drag it back like that, won't you break its head?"

Hong shrugged indifferently.

"It's a Devil Beast after all, its body is quite sturdy."

Linsey patted Black Eagle's head; the Devil Beast remained unconscious. "Even if I move it like this, it won't wake up?"

Red chuckled dismissively, "That just means it sleeps better than me."

"..."

The two had a few casual banter, as is typical for them.

Then Red sat down and helped Linsey process the prey.

After the Black Eagle carcasses were disposed of, Linsey walked up to the only prisoner, a flicker of fire on his finger.

Sizzle sizzle—

The intense pain from the flames burning his body finally roused Black Eagle from his unconsciousness.

Its first instinct was to struggle.

But before she could make any further moves, Hong stomped on it, pressing the Devil Beast down hard under her feet.

Linsey extinguished the flames and tried asking in Beast Language, "Hey, can you talk?"

This is a very real problem.

Devil Beast at Fifth Stage and above are fully capable of learning languages. To lower the bar a bit, even Fourth Stage monsters can learn and use Beast Language.

But during this half-year journey, Linsey also clearly realized a reality.

Beast Language is a separate language, not an instinct shared by all animals.

There are also illiterate people in Devil Beast.

Within their groups, they usually still use their own language.

Even the Magma Fire Monster, which has never left the Meteor Crater since birth, still doesn't speak Beast Language in its Fifth Stage.

Linsey believed that the leader of this group of Black Eagle could speak Beast Language.

But if this is just a subordinate sent down to hunt and capture people, then that's another story.

"..."

"Gulp, human, just kill me."

The Black Eagle lying on the ground gave its answer.

Its call was different from the long, drawn-out cry when it soared high in the sky; Linsey even felt a little amused listening to it.

He controlled his expression before asking, "I can spare your life."

"But you need to tell me why your tribe came here and attacked us."

Upon hearing this, Black Eagle's survival instinct surged instantly.

Just as their leader had said before they set off, the law of the jungle was the rule of survival for the Black Eagle. Without much thought, it immediately replied, "Fuwo-daren, we have found our brethren dead at the edge of the forest."

"It thought there was something wrong with the Tree Mother of the Great Forest, so it brought us here to investigate."

"You two came out of the Great Forest, so you might know something, which is why I want to take you back to my lair."

"..."

"Ah?"

Linsey looked somewhat surprised.

He was just thinking about how to pry information out of this Devil Beast.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened his mouth, the other party honestly confessed everything.

Is this Black Eagle lying to me?

No, we need to test the waters.

Despite the precedent of the Corrupted Poison Spider, Linsey, to be on the safe side, still tentatively asked, "Has your leader made any contact with the Dragon Beast recently?"

Black Eagle's expression...

For Linsey, a human, fully understanding the expression of an eagle might be somewhat difficult.

However, he could see the other person's eyes.

In his yellow pupils, pure confusion surfaced. "Dragon Beast, aren't they the rulers of the world?"

"It conquered the leader before I was born; I have never seen it since I was born."

"..."

Linsey nodded slightly and began to inquire about the terrain ahead:

"Is that the Thousand Mountains Stone Forest just ahead?"

After crossing the two Mountain Peak, one can already see rows of towering white stone mountains ahead. Stone pillars of varying heights stand among the mountains, with clouds even drifting among them, eroded over the long years into bizarre and wondrous landscapes.

Black Eagle immediately replied:

"That's right."

Linsey continued to ask:

"Please tell me about the Thousand Mountains Stone Forest."

"The Thousand Mountains Stone Forest is very vast. We usually operate in the air and on the top of the stone forest, and occasionally catch some antelopes climbing between the mountain sheaths. The chief said that there is a boundary on the other side, but we have never flown there in our lifetime."

Red, who was riding on the Black Eagle, interjected, "Besides you, are there any other dangerous Devil Beast in the mountains?"

"This is our territory." Black Eagle's eyes were a little nervous. "Beyond our territory, each tribe has its own territory to govern. Because we can fly, we are on the edge of the Thousand Mountains Stone Forest and the Great Forest."

Linsey asked:

"What do you know about these groups that have taken over the territory?"

Black Eagle hesitated before saying, "I... I don't know anything more."

"It's just eastward, in the territory of a group of guys who can burrow in the mountains. We've had almost no contact with them."

After saying that, Black Eagle added, "But there's one thing I know: any species that can occupy a territory in the Thousand Mountains Stone Forest must have a powerful leader!"

A single Fifth Stage Devil Beast can occupy an entire territory.

The journey through the Thousand Mountains Stone Forest is likely to be much more troublesome than that through the Starshine Forest.

After all, before the Dragon Beast descended, Starshine Forest had maintained peace and development for a long time under the care of the Tree Mother.

That's why nothing too chaotic happened.

However, in the complex terrain of the Thousand Mountains Stone Forest, where there is no one to manage it, this situation will not be repeated.

Not to mention terrain like the Stone Forest.

It is inherently more difficult than trekking through the forest.

"It will probably take even longer to get through this area."

Linsey murmured a sigh.

The Black Eagle in front of him was merely a hunter within its own kind, and Linsey didn't expect to gain any more information from it.

Therefore, he concluded the question-and-answer session with a final question:

"Tell me, where is your lair?"

The Black Eagle, trampled underfoot, answered without hesitation:

"Keep going east, and our nest will be on the tallest and thickest stone pillar."

"..."

"You're really obedient enough," Linsey couldn't help but remark.

"I've told you everything I know!" Black Eagle asked nervously. "I submit to your strength, so you should let me go, right?"

"Red." Linsey glanced at the girl standing on the Black Eagle.

"I understand." Hong immediately lifted her foot.

The two then ignored the Black Eagle lying on the ground and continued their journey towards the Thousand Mountains Stone Forest.

They waited until the two figures completely disappeared into the forest.

Their conversation only echoed on the pale rocks.

"Linsey, are you keeping your promise, or do you think it's bound to die?"

"Hong, what do you think?"

"That little bird is only at the Third Stage of strength. It has a broken wing and is still bleeding from its wound. How can it be lying on the ground unharmed?"

"But if it's clever and resourceful enough, it's not without a chance of survival..."