"Life is a hunt, only after enduring hardships can one understand that dignity, confidence, wealth, honor, love, happiness, and friendship all need to be sought after to be obtained."The tension between Gòng Diǎn and Lián Kuí had been diffused, and both parties were in the process of gathering their belongings, ready to part ways. Suddenly, all the camel-horse beneath them began to stir, their hooves nervously pawing at the ground.

　　In the blink of an eye, everyone noticed several swift-moving figures emerging from the southern forest, rapidly closing in on their location.

　　Gōng Yì, with his keen eyesight, cried out in alarm, “Father, we have a problem! The kin of this beast has come seeking vengeance!”

　　This creature, known as the “Thorn Tiger,” is a social animal. The one that had just been slain was a male. Upon hearing its death cry, its pack had swiftly left its territory to come to its aid.As it turns out, this "Thorn Tiger" pack consists of a total of 13 tigers. Ever since the Minotaur Gāo Yuán and his men took down a female tiger, the male tiger has been stirring up trouble for the Gong You Clan.

　　The Thorn Tiger is a formidable creature, and humans are part of their prey. The hunters of the Gōngyóu Clan in the forest are cautious not to provoke them without good reason.

　　The members of the Baihuo Clan, gathered protectively around Lián Kuí, were looking to make a hasty retreat on their camels.

　　"Everyone, stay calm, stick together, don't scatter," Gòng Diǎn commanded, "The camels can't outrun the Thorn Tiger. If we scatter, they'll pick us off one by one."

　　Without missing a beat, everyone drew their bows and let their arrows fly at the beasts. Gōng Yì, with his dragon bone bow, also fired off several arrows in quick succession, but they all merely struck the heads of the beasts.These beasts, as resilient as they come, had heads tougher than stone. Even the arrows launched from the dragon bone bow couldn't pierce them.

　　As the beasts neared, Gōng Yì hastily reached for another arrow from his quiver, only to discover he was down to his last one.

　　He sprinted to higher ground, adjusted his stance, took careful aim, and released the arrow. It struck a beast squarely in the belly. The beast let out a pained howl and collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony.

　　In a heartbeat, the pack of beasts had charged to the front of the group. All the camel-horse, save for the one Lián Kuí was riding, were already trembling in fear, unable to stand and rolling on the ground, unseating their riders.

　　The charging Thorn Tigers were indiscriminate, biting at anything that moved, and in an instant, they had killed seven or eight soldiers who had fallen to the ground.

　　The camel-horse, now beyond control, scattered in all directions. The Thorn Tigers didn't pursue them. Their target was the humans, and they were out purely for revenge. After killing the humans, they didn't consume the flesh.

　　The situation was extremely dire. The hunters had swiftly become the hunted, encircled by the remaining ten beasts.

　　The surviving humans formed a defensive circle, weapons at the ready, standing off against the Thorn Tigers.

　　However, what was peculiar was that the Thorn Tigers seemed to fear the camel-horse that Lián Kuí was riding. They didn't dare to approach it at all.Another member of the Gongyou Clan tragically fell victim to a Thorn Tiger. As the tiger lunged, Gòng Diǎn, who was close by, seized the moment to thrust his sword into its belly. The beast let out a blood-curdling scream and collapsed, lifeless.

　　In the blink of an eye, the Gongyou Clan was reduced to about ten people, including Gòng Diǎn, Gōng Yì, Yì Wǔ, and Gē Wǔ. The Baihuo Clan was also down to just over ten members.

　　Dōng Yīfēng, who had earlier been complaining about the lack of thrill in this hunt, was now shivering with fear, taking refuge in the circle formed by the humans, with Huáměi standing guard over him.

　　Having just slain a Thorn Tiger, Gòng Diǎn had managed to deter the rest of the tigers. They no longer charged forward with the same ferocity as before. Instead, they glared with wide eyes, bared their teeth, and growled, encircling the group of about twenty humans. A tense standoff ensued.

　　Even the brave and battle-hardened Gòng Diǎn couldn't help but feel a sense of despair at this sight. "Brother Lián," he lamented, "I never thought that I, Gòng Diǎn, would meet my end in your Bàihuǒ Clan's territory."

　　This hunting expedition was originally undertaken for the Phoenix Egg, and they had thought it wouldn't pose any danger. Who could have foreseen the perilous situation they now found themselves in? Gòng Diǎn deeply regretted not bringing more of his personal guards along.

　　"Father, don't lose heart," came the encouraging words. "From death comes life, and from life comes death. We outnumber them nearly three to one. The outcome is still uncertain. As long as I draw breath, I won't let them harm you!"

　　"Gòng... Brother Gòng, your second... second son is truly brave. We should hold... hold on a little longer. Once my... my subordinates realize that I... I haven't returned for so long, they will surely come... come looking for us."Just as they were in the midst of their conversation, a loud shout echoed from the distance, "Yo... hey! Father, don't panic, your son is here to save you!"

　　This shout was like a thunderclap in the sky, causing everyone to turn their attention in its direction. They saw two figures sprinting towards them from the direction of the forest.

　　Gōng Yì was the first to recognize the newcomers, exclaiming, "Father, thank goodness! It's elder brother!"

　　A wave of cheers immediately erupted from the Gongyou Clan. The arrival of their bravest warrior, Gōng Kàng, undoubtedly reignited hope in everyone.

　　The two arrivals were none other than Gōng Kàng and Lián Xiāng.

　　The pair had been having a secret rendezvous in a small cabin at the edge of the forest on the border of the two clans earlier that day. Upon hearing the mournful howl of the Thorn Tiger, they immediately mounted their horses and galloped all the way. By the time they neared the scene, they had already realized the situation was extremely critical.

　　The camel-horse they were riding spotted the nine Thorn Tigers from a distance and dared not approach. With no other choice, the two dismounted and ran towards the scene.

　　However, when the two got closer, the hope that had been ignited in everyone burst like a soap bubble. They found that among the two, Lián Xiāng was holding a short dagger, while Gōng Kàng was empty-handed.

　　From a distance, Lián Xiāng saw Lián Kuí and asked with concern, "Dad, are you okay?"

　　"Hmph! You... you little honey, wait until this... this is over, then I'll settle... settle the score with you!" Lián Kuí saw Gōng Kàng and Lián Xiāng together and roughly understood what was going on.In the midst of their conversation, Lián Kuí, upon seeing that Lián Xiāng only had a short dagger in her hand, couldn't help but worry for his daughter, "What are you doing here...? Did you come here to... to die?"

　　At this moment, the group of Thorn Tigers surrounding them also started to become restless. Seeing that the humans had reinforcements, one of the tigers turned and pounced towards Gōng Kàng and Lián Xiāng, while the rest of the tigers also quickened their pace of attack.

　　Gōng Kàng, agile and quick, dodged the pouncing tiger, and in the process, grabbed the tiger's tail. Like a hammer thrower in full swing, he swung the beast around in the air three or four times before forcefully throwing it out.

　　The tiger was thrown dozens of meters away. It fell heavily to the ground, its legs broken and unable to stand, lying on the ground and constantly howling in pain.

　　Meanwhile, for Gòng Diǎn and Lián Kuí, the remaining eight Thorn Tigers intensified their attack, immediately breaking through the humans' defense line. The situation had turned into a chaotic melee.

　　A Thorn Tiger, after killing a soldier of the Baihuo Clan, knocked down another soldier. Just as it was about to bite the soldier's neck, Lián Xiāng rushed over and stabbed the tiger in the belly with her dagger. The pain caused the beast to shake its head and use its horn to send Lián Xiāng flying.The beast abandoned its attack on the soldier and charged straight towards Lián Xiāng, who had fallen to the ground.

　　Lián Kuí, who was behind the tiger at this time, saw the imminent danger and rode his horse to rescue Lián Xiāng. With a swift stroke, he decapitated the tiger.

　　The severed head rolled perfectly under the camel that Lián Kuí was riding, and the horned camel-horse began to gnaw on the bloody head.

　　The situation for the Gongyou Clan became even more perilous as two more members fell victim to the Thorn Tigers. The remaining hunters consciously protected their leader, Gòng Diǎn, standing back to back, forming a protective circle around him.

　　Just then, a Thorn Tiger suddenly pounced on Gē Wǔ, who seemed destined to lose his life on the spot.

　　After Gōng Kàng had thrown the Thorn Tiger that was attacking him like a hammer throw, he had freed up his hands. Seeing Gē Wǔ in danger, he picked up a spear from the ground and threw it with all his might. The spear pierced the belly of the Thorn Tiger, and the beast fell dead.

　　At this moment, another Thorn Tiger claimed the life of a member of the Gongyou Clan. It was right behind Gōng Kàng, and just as Gōng Kàng was throwing the spear, it seized the opportunity to pounce on Gōng Kàng.

　　Seeing that Gōng Kàng had no way to dodge, just at this critical moment, a beam of light hit the Thorn Tiger. It let out a howl and fell dead from the air.

　　Gōng Kàng turned his head and saw that the person who saved him was Dōng Yīfēng, who was holding a strange object in his hand.

　　"That was close!" Gōng Kàng exclaimed, turning to Dōng Yīfēng and giving him a fist salute, "Thank you, celestial god, for saving my life!"

　　After the eight Thorn Tigers broke through the defense line, Dōng Yīfēng had already pulled out his laser gun. A Thorn Tiger pounced at him, and he raised his hand and fired a shot, hitting it right in the face, blowing a hole in its skull, and brain matter mixed with blood flowing all over the ground.

　　Dōng Yīfēng saw Gōng Kàng in danger, raised his gun, and shot the Thorn Tiger that was pouncing on Gōng Kàng. But unexpectedly, at this time, there was a Thorn Tiger on Dōng Yīfēng's left side, which took the opportunity to pounce on Dōng.

　　In this critical moment, Huáměi, who was next to him, quickly pushed Dōng to one side, then stretched out her hands, grabbed the two front claws of the pouncing Thorn Tiger, and with a strong pull, she actually tore off the two front claws.

　　This Thorn Tiger screamed and flipped onto the ground, writhing in pain on the ground.

　　This scene left everyone present in shock, even Gōng Kàng, the bravest warrior of the Gongyou Clan, couldn't help but give a thumbs up, "This celestial god truly possesses divine power, I am humbled!"

　　Gōng Kàng picked up a sword from the ground, walked over to the beast that had lost its front claws, and with one swift stroke, ended its life.

　　The eleven Thorn Tigers that came to avenge the male tiger had now lost eight of their own. The remaining three beasts, seeing the situation turn against them, fled in panic. Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

　　Huáměi watched the retreating figure of the Thorn Tiger, "Professor Dōng, you shouldn't have displayed modern technology in front of the alien natives."

　　Dōng Yīfēng put away his laser gun, "My dear Huáměi, the situation was so critical just now, who had the time to think about that? You just demonstrated a divine power that is even more shocking than my laser gun. Ordinary humans don't have your divine power."

　　Except for Gòng Diǎn, Gōng Kàng, Gōng Yì, and Gē Wǔ, who knew the identities of Dōng Yīfēng and Huáměi, the rest of the people looked at Dōng Yīfēng and Huáměi with puzzled faces.

　　They had just witnessed the power of Dōng Yīfēng's laser gun and Huáměi's divine power of tearing the Thorn Tiger with her hands, but now they couldn't understand what Dōng Yīfēng and Huáměi were saying.

　　Lián Kuí blinked his small eyes and asked, "Gōng... Brother Gōng, who are these two... two people in your clan?"

　　Gòng Diǎn glanced at Dōng Yīfēng and Huáměi, and evasively said, "Well, they are defectors from the Divine Forsaken Clan, both quite capable. We just happened to bring them along for the hunt today."

　　Lián Kuí had heard whispers of a mysterious tribe known as the Abandoned by Heaven, residing in the southernmost part of the Nanyu Forest, close to the Misty Mountains. It was said that this tribe descended from the Gongyou clan, but due to their irreverence towards the heavenly gods, they were forsaken, hence their poignant name, “Abandoned by Heaven.”

　　The tales suggested that every member of the Abandoned by Heaven tribe was adept in the art of powerful dark magic. So, when Gòng Diǎn mentioned this, Lian Kui merely nodded, unsurprised.

　　Suddenly, a dust cloud swirled up from the north, signaling the approach of a group of horsemen. As they neared, it became clear that they were clad in black - the Baihuo clan, coming to Lian Kui’s aid.

　　The leader of the group was a young man, his youthful energy palpable. He was visibly shocked at the sight of the bodies scattered on the ground, but upon seeing Lian Kui unscathed, he quickly dismounted and greeted him, “Father, I apologize for my tardiness. Are you alright?”

　　“Lian… Lian Shan, my son,”Lián Kuí

　　managed to say, “your father… your father is still very much alive… don’t worry.”

　　“That’s a relief!” responded Lian Shan, before turning to his sister, “You’re here too.”

　　Lián Xiāng simply nodded in acknowledgment. In the aftermath of the battle, the survivors began the somber task of cleaning up the battlefield. The Baihuo clan had suffered the loss of 14 brave souls, while the Gongyou clan mourned the loss of 10 of their own.

　　The Gongyou clan, in keeping with their traditions, usually laid their deceased to rest under trees in an earth burial. However, in the territory of the Baihuo clan, trees were a rare sight. Thus, they had no choice but to bury their fallen brothers where they had fallen, marking their resting places.

　　Gòng Diǎn, along with the remaining hunters, offered prayers for their fallen comrades: “Brothers, we apologize. For now, we can only lay you to rest in this foreign land. When the time comes, we promise to bring you back home.”

　　The Baihuo clan, on the other hand, practiced cremation. They gathered firewood from the nearby area and placed the bodies of their deceased clan members atop the pyre. With heavy hearts, they lit the fire, reducing the bodies to ashes.

　　Ding Wen, the butcher of the Gongyou clan, was among the survivors. He skinned and gutted the eight beasts that had been killed, and the meat was divided equally between the two clans.

　　Despite the rich bounty from the hunt, the cost had been high. Both tribes had paid a heavy price, losing dozens of lives.

　　The camel-horse of the Gongyou clan had scattered in the chaos. Lián Kuí, from Lián Shān’s team, managed to round up eight camel-horse and presented them to Gòng Diǎn. Gòng Diǎn expressed his gratitude, and then, with heavy hearts, the two clans bid each other a solemn farewell, each cherishing the memory of the other.