Hearing the roar of the Thunder Beast, Luo Chong turned to look. The Thunder Beast was still trembling as it used its mangled, blood-soaked limbs to support its massive body, yet beneath the protection of those four ruined legs, its swollen belly was completely unharmed.
Under Luo Chong's gaze, the Thunder Beast threw back its head and let out a thunderous roar, as though it had exhausted every last ounce of strength. Its entire body trembled faintly.
With a wet thump, something heavy fell to the ground, and the Thunder Beast's swollen belly collapsed at the same time.
Luo Chong's eyes widened as he stared at the scene in disbelief. That Thunder Beast had allowed all four limbs to be chewed to pieces and fought with its life to protect its belly—only for the sake of the baby inside.
The icy wind swept past, yet warmth spread through Luo Chong's heart, and even the wounds on his body seemed less painful. For this moment alone, bleeding as much as necessary would have been worth it.
The sky was clear, yet Luo Chong's eyes grew moist. Through his blurred vision, the Thunder Beast, having used up all its strength, slowly shifted its body and turned its head toward the newborn. Its eyes overflowed with maternal love as it extended its tongue and licked the cub's birth membrane away, cleaning the filth from its tiny body.
The little Thunder Beast kept its eyes shut, its tender body wriggling faintly as though enjoying its mother's comfort. It made soft, dreamlike whimpers, completely unaware that its mother was about to leave it forever.
Yet the instant the birth membrane had been licked clean, the mother beast suddenly lifted her head and looked toward Luo Chong. Her eyes were filled with pleading. Two trails of