Chapter 179: Lost and Regained

Tsk, a female is just a weak nuisance.

Cangqiong frowned, thought for a moment, and finally let Yingxi stop and continue to ascend.

For him, sandstorms are frightening, but not enough to injure him; lingering a bit longer in the yellow sand isn't a big deal.

Having received the lord's order, the eagle flock ceased flying upward, waiting until they discovered a Beastfolk legion hidden in the yellow sand; it arrived too suddenly, the sand blocked their view, and by the time arrows wrapped in sand were shot, they couldn't even react.

After learning that Lin Manzhi had been taken from the Planting Base, Mo Lie immediately led his legion in pursuit.

In the desert, Mo Lie stood on a Flower Leopard's back, lifted his head toward several black specks in the high sky, and his deep blue eyes were filled with dead silence.

A surge of intense anger and murderous intent rose from the depths of his soul.

The yellow sand swept the world, descending with destructive force; Cangqiong's relaxed mood abruptly halted as he sensed a pressure not weaker than his own, coming from the ground.

Facing the fierce, violent sandstorm, Cangqiong's expression turned serious, and he did not intend to abandon the captured female.

Cangqiong had long anticipated that no one would easily give up such a miraculous medicinal plant; a battle would ensue, only the enemy's abilities turned out to be a bit stronger than he expected.

Thus the war began.

The earth echoed with beast roars and the eagle flock's cries; Cangqiong frowned as he watched the approaching sandstorm, which instantly swept over several giant eagles at the flock's rear.

"Screech—!"

Sand and stone rained like millions of flying knives, slicing the giant eagles' bodies; in an instant, visibility dropped to a breath's length, and even breathing became a luxury.

The giant eagles that fell into the yellow sand inhaled air thick with coarse grains that burned their nasal passages and throats; below, Beast Forms flickered in the yellow haze like countless beasts opening mouths, ready to tear them apart.

For the first time, the giant eagles felt suffocation in the sky; fine sand infiltrated every pore, burrowing into the beak, the hidden ear canals beneath the feathers, and the eyes, leaving a scorching sting.

Thus they were forced to keep their eyes tightly shut, lest sand instantly fill them; all that remained was the wind's roar and the crackle of sand striking, and in an instant the entire bodies of the male beasts disintegrated under the sand, falling in midair.

Battle‑hardened eagle warriors, amid the omnipresent sand, quickly heard the lord's command and retaliated, plummeting toward the ground Beastfolk like cannonballs.

Find the Beastfolk controlling the sand, report to the lord, then kill him with the power of lightning!

At the heart of the sandstorm, Mo Lie clenched his fist, his fingertips piercing his palm, staring intently at the sky.

He had never been so angry.

The eagle flock above belongs to the sky‑dominant Leitingcheng's male beasts, and they dared to abduct her from his territory.

If she suffers any loss, he will destroy Leitingcheng and, at any cost, kill Cangqiong.

Mo Lie felt his Spirit Core ache from the massive sand manipulation; the surrounding water membrane thinned and might soon vanish, and the cracks in his Spirit Core became distinct.

But Mo Lie did not stop.

He recklessly tore the enemies within his sight into blood‑foam, chasing the swiftly moving eagles in the sky.

Amid the clash of battle and thunder, the weary, suffering Lin Manzhi forced herself to rally, biting her lower lip to stay alert; through her hazy vision she saw, in the trailing sea of sand, a snarling, ferocious beast head burst forth and swallowed a soaring giant eagle in one bite.

"It's— it's Mo Lie!"

Lin Manzhi clamped her lip hard, a bead of blood oozed from the lip and was quickly licked away.

Now the chance arrives!

She mustered her last strength to slip into the void; mid‑air, Cangqiong's hand was empty, and the purple lightning he was casting toward the ground suddenly halted.

He looked to his side in surprise.

No one was there.

Cangqiong's golden eyes showed unprecedented shock; his gaze instinctively swept downward, spotting the female's figure falling into the yellow sand.

??

He was confident in his abilities and had never considered that the opponent might have a means of escape.

First, he had never heard of such a thing; second, if the female possessed that ability, she would have fled the instant she was seized, never being taken from that ground.

Thus, the confident lord Cangqiong briefly doubted his perception.

Was there a problem, or had he simply missed the moment he let go during the fight?

The giant eagles' speed never waned; Lin Manzhi created a time lag, entering the void for an instant then exiting immediately. She trusted that Mo Lie's presence would prevent her from truly falling into the desert, believing nothing serious would happen.

But she overestimated her body; without warning, she was lifted in the high sky, drawn by the earth, and plummeted downward at speed.

Amid the whistling wind, Lin Manzhi closed her eyes and instantly blacked out.

Cangqiong hesitated, missing the optimal moment to catch the female; he could only watch helplessly as his prize fell into the yellow sand.

He was unwilling to accept defeat, but facing an enemy who could control sand, his current combat power was insufficient to retrieve her; leaving first was the better strategy.

Cangqiong's golden eyes flashed with a dark glint: "Leave here first."

The few remaining giant eagles accelerated, vanished into the heights, and sped away.

The desert seemed to have received enough flesh and blood as sacrifice; the world‑shaking sandstorm calmed and ceased its pursuit.

The yellow dust quickly vanished, the sky above turned blue again, and beneath lay a sea of golden sand.

The sand ship in midair swayed like a falling leaf.

Finally, it drifted toward Mo Lie at the front of the Beastfolk army.

The surrounding terrifying pressure dissipated instantly, faster than a popped balloon.

Tens of thousands of Beastfolk troops had not yet recovered from the excitement of driving the Supernatural Male Beast away, yet the silence was such that even a mosquito's buzz was unheard, all eyes fixed on the leader ahead.

In the hushed silence.

Within the sand ship, a slender sleeping female was hidden.

Mo Lie stood on the Flower Leopard's back, his deep blue eyes turning dark‑red from the killing, both ferocious and gentle; in that contradictory gaze he hurried two steps forward, extended his arms in a princess‑hold and lifted Lin Manzhi from the sand ship.

In that moment, his raging sea‑faring fox sail felt as if it had found a harbor.

He lowered his gaze, and under the sky's sunlight, it gently fell upon the little female's body.

Her eyes tightly closed, breathing long, a confusing pheromone signal reached him, mixed with a hint of an unfamiliar male‑beast aura that he intensely repelled.

Mo Lie's blue eyes instantly turned icy, landing on Lin Manzhi's thin shoulders, where the white robe threaded with gold emitted a nauseating aura.

He sat cross‑legged, gently placed Lin Manzhi on his lap, then reached to pull off the little female's white cloak, disgustedly tossed it aside, and gave her his Black Cloak.

After doing all this, Mo Lie, with both hands, again took Lin Manzhi into his own embrace, until his chest was filled with Little Female's body, then he turned around and coldly ordered:

"Return to the city."