The witch doctor’s eyes glowed like rotten embers as he stared at Su Qinglan.
"I was hiding because of that snake beastman," he admitted, tapping his staff against the ground. "I didn’t know how strong he truly was. Whether I could win or not."
A twisted smile spread across his face.
"But you?" His voice dropped to a whisper. "You are just a useless female. Killing you will be easy."
The moment those filthy words left his mouth, Hu Yan’s eyes turned blood red.
A thunderous roar exploded from his chest.
"How dare you speak to her like that!"
His massive tiger form lunged forward like a streak of fire, jaws wide open, aiming straight for the witch doctor’s neck. He wanted to tear the old man’s head off in a single bite.
The tribe members’ eyes lit up.
Yes!
Kill him!
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the witch doctor’s head to roll across the ground.
But in the next instant...
The witch doctor simply lifted his staff.
A black wave of energy burst out like a storm.
BOOM!
Hu Yan was blasted backward like a rag doll. His enormous body slammed into a thick tree. The trunk cracked in half from the impact, and he slid down, leaving a trail of blood.
"Hu Yan!" Su Qinglan screamed.
Blood seeped from his mouth and pores. His limbs twitched weakly, but he could not even stand.
The tribe members were frozen in terror.
What kind of black magic was that?
He only raised his staff, and Hu Yan was sent flying like a leaf.
Su Qinglan’s heart clenched. She rushed toward him.
But suddenly, a cold snake like arm shot out and wrapped tightly around her wrist.
"Where are you going?" the witch doctor hissed beside her ear.
Before she could react, she was dragged backward and pulled right in front of him.
"We still have unfinished business," he said, his voice dripping with poison. "You are one of the reasons my careful lie was exposed. You must pay the price."
His nails slowly lengthened, turning dark and sharp like filthy daggers.
"After you die by my hands," he continued, licking his lips, "the fox tribe will slowly be devoured by my pets."
He leaned closer, his eyes full of hunger.
"I think I will dig your heart out and chew it slowly. A female’s heart must taste very sweet."
His tongue slid over his lips as if he could already taste it.
Su Qinglan’s eyes turned icy.
The next second...
SLAP!
Her palm struck his face with full force. The sound echoed across the clearing. The witch doctor’s head snapped to the side, his cheeks trembling from the impact.
For a moment, the entire valley went silent. Even the cubs stared with stunned eyes.
The witch doctor slowly turned back, his face twisted with rage.
"Bitch!" he snarled. "Even now, you do not realize whose hands you are in!"
He raised his hand to strike her. But before it could land, Su Qinglan grabbed his wrist. Her grip was like iron.
"And you, disgusting old man," she said coldly, "do not realize who you are messing with."
Her voice was low and calm, but something about it made the witch doctor’s heart skip.
For a brief moment, unease flickered in his eyes.
Something felt wrong.
But he quickly suppressed the thought.
She was just a female.
What could she possibly do?
He swung his staff. A black coil of energy shot out and wrapped around her throat like a snake, tightening.
The dark magic squeezed, trying to crush her windpipe.
Hu Yan, lying on the ground, growled weakly. His eyes were full of panic.
Lan Lan...
But his body refused to move.
It felt like thousands of insects were crawling through his blood, blocking every nerve. Even his pores refused to respond. He could not even shift forms.
All he could do was watch.

The vines tightened even more, but his grin only widened.

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