Chapter 8

"Featherless Bird!! Let me see where you can hide after stealing my treasure!!"

As this voice echoed through the forest, countless creatures turned their gazes skyward, sensing an impending disaster for whoever this "Featherless Bird" was. Some marveled at the sheer audacity of this fool, daring to provoke that old guy.

By the small lake, Xiao Yao snapped out of his meditation, jolted awake by the deafening shout.

If not for realizing that the one being chased was called "Featherless Bird," he might have started running away.

"Umm… but why does that sound so familiar?" he muttered, rubbing his chin in thought.

Then it hit him—the little penguin he had met before. Penguins had short, dense feathers that could easily be mistaken for fur.

But… could that tiny thing really have the guts to steal from such a powerful being?

He shook his head, unwilling to believe it. He had a good impression of that little creature—it couldn't possibly be that reckless, right?

He decided that this had nothing to do with him, and that the powerful being likely wouldn't care about his presence. With that thought, he was about to sit down and resume his meditation.

Rustle… rustle…

Suddenly, the bushes in front of him began to shake violently. The way they trembled felt oddly familiar.

The next second, a small beak poked out from the foliage, followed by a round black-and-white body.

Xiao Yao immediately recognized it—the penguin!

As it emerged from the bushes, the penguin's eyes met his and widened slightly in surprise upon recognizing Xiao Yao, but they were soon filled with anxiety.

Without stopping, it sprinted forward on its tiny legs, frantically waving its flippers at him and then gesturing forward, as if trying to convey something urgent.

"What do you mea—" Xiao Yao started, a sudden ominous feeling creeping over him.

"Do you think you can run away?!"

The same booming voice cut through the air, coming from the direction the penguin had fled from.

Xiao Yao gulped, his gaze snapping toward the source of the voice. His eyes widened as he saw a massive dust cloud rising in the distance, stirred up by a dark monstrous figure barreling through the forest. Trees snapped and crashed to the ground, reduced to crumbles in its path.

And it was heading straight towards him. Or more precisely—the penguin.

Just as Xiao Yao instinctively prepared to bolt, the furious voice rang out again, now brimming with even more rage.

"How dare you, Featherless Bird, collude with a human?!"

As this voice rang out, Xiao Yao felt his body drenched in cold sweat as an overwhelming murderous gaze locked onto him, sending chills down his spine.

'Fck, why me?!' he cursed inwardly, adrenaline surging through his veins. Without a second thought, he bolted forward at an unexpected speed, nearly catching up to the penguin.

As for explaining to that huge beast? Haha, he didn't have extra lives to test whether it would waste time believing him or just slap him into smithereens.

"You little penguin, you got me into this!" he shouted angrily, coming beside the penguin, who was huffing slightly as it ran on its small legs.

He cursed the penguin in his mind and immediately took back any good impression he had for it.

The penguin, as if sensing his thoughts, glanced sideways at him with innocent-looking eyes, as if saying, I didn't mean to! Then, without a care, it continued sprinting forward on its tiny legs.

As they ran, the gap between them and the pursuing beast was rapidly closing. What had once been a vast distance was now reduced to mere minutes. If not for the dense forest slowing the beast down, it would have likely reached them long ago and would have already swallowed them whole in a single bite.

Looking at the beast coming closer, Xiao Yao forced a bitter smile but still asked the penguin,

"What did you steal to make it this angry?"

The penguin, still running, reached into somewhere and pulled out a half-eaten shiny fruit, showing it to Xiao Yao.

"What is this even useful for?" he asked, eyes narrowing.

The penguin glanced at him as if looking at an idiot, then quickly pointed at its open mouth.

Xiao Yao took a deep breath, forcing down his rising anger. "Heh… I know it's for eating. I'm asking if it has any special effects?"

The penguin thought for a moment while running, its tiny legs moving in a blur. Then, after some serious consideration, it shook its head—clearly indicating that it had no idea.

Xiao Yao's veins throbbed as he shouted,

"So why the hell would you steal it—and from such a powerful monster you can't even defeat—when you don't even know what it does?!"

The penguin lowered its head, guilt flickering in its eyes.

Xiao Yao took a deep breath, trying to suppress the rising urge to kick this troublesome bird away,

'Calm down, Xiao Yao. Now is not the time to lose it. Deep breaths...'

He knew the most important thing right now was to either escape the beast or find a way to get rid of it.

His mind raced for possible solutions, but none came to him. Meanwhile, the thunderous footsteps grew louder, each one shaking the ground beneath them. The beast was closing in fast.

Just as he was anxious, a massive shadow loomed over them. In an instant, a colossal figure leaped through the air, landing with a heavy thud right in their path, sending a shockwave rippling through the ground.

"Hahaha, caught you!!"

A deep, triumphant voice rang out as the beast blocked their way.

Standing before them was a monstrous creature, roughlythe size of an adult elephant—about six to seven meters long and over three meters tall, its sleek black fur gleaming under the sunlight. It had the body and face of a cheetah, but unlike any ordinary beast, it bore a pair of piercing lavender eyes, two thick tails swaying menacingly behind it, and a set of sharp, curved horns like those of a goat protruding from its head.

A dark, almost liquid-like black aura radiated from its body, giving it a truly demonic and terrifying presence.

Xiao Yao and the penguin immediately skidded to a halt, intending to turn back or flee in another direction.

But before they could even move, a terrifying pressure suddenly descended upon them, like a mountain crashing down on their shoulders. Their knees nearly buckled under the invisible force, their breathing turning ragged as cold sweat dripped down their backs.

The giant beast took a slow, deliberate step forward, its massive head now looming just a few meters away. Its lavender eyes glowed with cold amusement as a sneer curled at its lips, revealing razor-sharp fangs that gleamed menacingly under the dim light.

"Do you think you can run away again, huh?" it growled, its deep, thunderous voice laced with mockery.