This is a werewolf walking upright!

Ye Qiu’s expression slightly tightened. This Wolf King Lord exuded an imposing presence, coupled with his towering figure, which created an innate sense of oppression.

However, Ye Qiu wasn’t overly fearful because he could sense that this Wolf King Lord’s strength was similar to his own, at the late peak of the Void Cracking Realm, yet not sanctified.

The Wolf King Lord walked forward, glanced at Ye Qiu, and then at Taishan beside him. He paused and suddenly laughed, "A distinguished guest indeed. You both may call me the Wolf King Lord, as I am the lord of this land."

"Wolf King Lord." Ye Qiu nodded, and Taishan, standing beside him, also nodded in imitation.

The Wolf King Lord’s attitude was surprisingly good, perhaps because he couldn’t fully comprehend Ye Qiu’s capabilities, leading to an unusual level of courtesy.

Considered a distinguished guest, naturally, Ye Qiu wouldn’t act arrogantly. Besides, he intended to use the opportunity to inquire about the Beast God’s whereabouts from this ’Wolf King Lord.’

"Why don’t you both come inside, so we can discuss further?" The Wolf King Lord invited.

"Alright." Ye Qiu nodded and didn’t refuse, thus following the Wolf King Lord, Ye Qiu and Taishan entered the stone house.

This stone house was large and spacious. Although the decor wasn’t as refined as human homes, Ye Qiu thought that for an ancient beast to construct such dwellings was indeed impressive.

After they sat down, the Wolf King Lord began chatting with Ye Qiu first. Ye Qiu responded verbally but smiled faintly inwardly; these ancient beasts were akin to humans, especially the more powerful ones, whose intelligence was no less than that of humans. Otherwise, how could they engage in such courteous conversation?

In fact, the Beast God encountered previously was even more like a real human than the Wolf King Lord before him, and he loved all kinds of human delicacies. For this, Ye Qiu owed quite a bit of barbecue that he hadn’t yet repaid.

However, the Beast God differed significantly from the Wolf King Lord. Without breaking through the Shattering Realm, the Beast God could assume human form, likely possessing a noble bloodline among ancient beasts, unlike the Wolf King.

The other party wanted to learn more about him, so Ye Qiu casually brushed it aside, yet he wouldn’t miss the chance to probe for the information he desired.

Later, the Wolf King Lord had a servant take Ye Qiu down to rest, and Ye Qiu didn’t refuse.

Once Ye Qiu and Taishan left, a bat-headed half-beast beside the Wolf King Lord spoke up, "Lord, that adult male is indeed a real human, not one of us ancient beasts."

The bat half-beast, akin to an advisor, frequently strategized for the Wolf King Lord. Its sensitivity had already detected Ye Qiu’s unique nature, not a shape-shifting ancient beast.

The Wolf King Lord smiled, evidently having noticed as well, yet didn’t point it out, which surprised the bat half-beast, "Could it be that you..."?

The Wolf King Lord smiled, "You’re correct; I plan to capture him and offer him as tribute to that Lord."

Upon mentioning that Lord, even the Wolf King Lord couldn’t help but display a look of terror. It was an exceedingly powerful presence.

"That Lord enjoys consuming humans, especially powerful ones among them. So, this human fits perfectly," the bat half-beast said.

"Precisely. As long as that Lord is pleased, my territory will double in size, and that Lord won’t have complaints," the Wolf King Lord stated, now harboring deep-seated hostility, contrasting his previous benevolent demeanor.

"But what about the person by his side..." the bat half-beast reminded, referring to Taishan.

The Wolf King Lord smiled, "Rest assured, that guy must have just come out of the forest and isn’t deeply connected to the human. Probably, it’s submitting to the human’s power. Once we immobilize the human, that guy won’t pose a threat. Regardless, it’s still one of our ancient beast lineage and can’t possibly side with the human."

"Lord, what do you need me to do?" the bat half-beast asked.

"Come here, I need your assistance to handle this matter properly."

...

"Honored guests, Lord specifically assigned people to clean two rooms for you two to rest better."

Oh?

Ye Qiu didn’t mind changing to a more comfortable room. This room, apart from the stone bed, had little else, somewhat reminiscent of returning to primitive society.

Later, the bat half-beast took Ye Qiu and Taishan to separate stone houses. The stone bed had a layer of grass, somewhat resembling a bed, and there was even lamp light to illuminate the room, which was quite nice.

As the bat half-beast led Taishan to another room, Ye Qiu didn’t stop him.

Soon, Ye Qiu was left alone in the room.

His expression changed; the bat half-beast suddenly asking him to change rooms felt peculiar. Coupled with the excessive politeness of the Wolf King Lord earlier, everything seemed too smooth.

Regardless, Ye Qiu was a stranger and hadn’t contributed anything to this domain. Why was the Wolf King Lord so polite?

Could it be due to natural hospitality, a genuine willingness to treat all humans and ancient beasts alike?

Ye Qiu was certainly skeptical. Given the circumstances, it indicated that the other party had ulterior motives and didn’t harbor good intentions.

Despite knowing the Wolf King Lord was secretly plotting, Ye Qiu didn’t confront it directly. He wanted to see when the opponent would finally reveal their true colors.

Now, with Taishan taken to another room, it indicated that the plan was already in action. Ye Qiu was quite curious about what would happen next.

After all, this Wolf King Lord wasn’t threatening to him, so if it wanted to play games, he’d oblige.

After covering the glowing Crystal Stone on the table, the room plunged into darkness once more.

Outside, noticing Ye Qiu had settled, the bat half-beast smiled and instructed the servants to keep a close watch on Ye Qiu’s room, then went to report to the Wolf King Lord.

Unbeknownst to it, as it departed, a tiny grain of sand fell upon it, undetected.

After reporting some developments, the bat half-beast didn’t elaborate much further and continued with its tasks.

What captured Ye Qiu’s attention was a word spoken by the Wolf King Lord.

"Tribute?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Ye Qiu heard the Wolf King Lord mention several times that the tribute must remain unharmed, though what exactly constituted the tribute was unknown.

Yet, from their conversation, he discerned that they seemed to be scheming something, readying to act, and the target appeared to be him, Ye Qiu.

Ye Qiu continued to hide on the bat half-beast’s form. Soon, it reached the farthest end of the stronghold, which was desolate, although heavy guards stood here, numbering in dozens.

What kind of place was this?

Soon, he heard the bat half-beast mention the tribute again, Ye Qiu slightly frowned. Was the tribute within?

"I wonder what it is that merits such importance from the Wolf King Lord, warranting so many half-beast guards," Ye Qiu pondered, remaining hidden in the shadows, following the bat half-beast into the black stone house.