The Villainess Winning Back Her Beast Husbands-Chapter 39: Bottom of Thorncliff

The thicket of thorns closed over the cliff once more.

Thorne stood like a cold, unfeeling statue, his face devoid of all expression.

He stared intently at Thorncliff, his eyes filled with a baleful aura. A storm was slowly brewing within them. The hand at his side was clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked with a dull, grinding sound.

"Flora..." Orion’s lips parted slightly, the name escaping unconsciously in a hoarse, trembling whisper.

At this moment, his chest felt heavy, a muddle of bitterness, worry, regret, and a dozen other emotions.

Thorne’s chest heaved, his aura turning frigid as he strode straight toward Thorncliff.

Orion’s expression changed. He lunged forward and grabbed Thorne’s arm in a vise-like grip, his face a mask of shock and alarm. "Are you insane? This is Thorncliff! God knows what kind of deadly things are hiding in there!"

Fearing Thorne would charge in recklessly, he added in a harsh voice, "In the half-crippled state you’re in, those thorns will tear you to shreds before you even get close! There won’t be a single bone left of you!"

Thorne’s slender body was drawn taut as a full-strung bow, radiating a murderous intent. His fists tightened again and again, his fingernails digging so deep into his palms that crimson blood trickled between his fingers. He clenched his jaw, forcing the words out through his teeth in a hoarse rasp, "That’s my Beast Crystal. It’s not for anyone else to find."

Orion had known Thorne since they were children. How could he not see through his stubborn pride?

He pressed his lips together, a complicated look flashing across his face.

After a moment, Orion raised a hand and clapped it heavily on Thorne’s shoulder. "This was Flora’s choice."

His voice was low and bitter, as if dredged up from the depths of his chest. "Thorne, you’ve seen it too. Not all females in this world are as vicious and cruel as Evangeline. Flora’s existence is proof of that."

His voice softened. "From now on, you should try to live a good life, too."

*

Evangeline plummeted straight down into Thorncliff. Feeling the wind rush past her ears, she waited until she was about to hit the bottom, then flicked her Cold Frost Whip. Using it for leverage, she swung gently through the air and landed steadily on the ground.

She scanned her surroundings, the corner of her eye lifting slightly. The bottom of Thorncliff was devoid of any greenery. The ground was covered in yellow sand that danced in the air, stretching endlessly in every direction. It was the very picture of desolation.

"So this is the bottom of Thorncliff?" Evangeline furrowed her brow. With a flick of her hand, the snakelike long whip traced an arc through the air before coiling obediently in her palm.

Just as she was about to take a step, her eyes glinted. She twisted her body slightly, dodging a yellow shadow that shot violently past her from mid-air.

Evangeline turned her head, her gaze locking onto the thing that had tried to ambush her.

It was a palm-sized, yellowish-brown scorpion. On the Beastman Continent, this size was perfectly normal. However, on its tiny head was a dim, four-pointed Star Pattern!

She was a little surprised. ’Something so small is actually a Four-star Patterned Beast?’

The next moment, the scorpion arched the sharp stinger on its tail high into the air. Its mandibles rubbed together rapidly, creating a hair-raising sound as it radiated a ferocious aura, eager to hunt its prey.

Evangeline narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing within them. Just as she secretly gathered her power to strike, a sudden cry of alarm rang out. "Watch out—!"

She paused for a fraction of a second as a lightning-fast figure suddenly shot past her.

At the same time, this figure shielded her, blocking the scorpion’s attack completely.

A moment later, the dust settled, revealing a young male Beastman standing before Evangeline.

He had already dealt with the scorpion and was deftly digging out its Beast Core. He turned to look at Evangeline and said with a grin, "You’re all right..."

His voice came to an abrupt halt the instant he saw her clearly.

His pupils contracted sharply as he stared at Evangeline in disbelief. After a moment, he managed to force a few words from his dry throat: "A fe-female??"

Evangeline looked the young male Beastman before her up and down.

He looked extremely young, clearly having just reached adulthood. A pair of fluffy ears, their tips rounded in a graceful curve, perked up on his head.

In his shock, the ears twitched uncontrollably.

He looked harmless, even a bit endearingly clumsy, but the jet-black Star Pattern on his forehead glittered with an eerie light in the darkness, silently revealing his unspeakable identity—a Fallen Beastman.

"Y-you’re really a female?" Kat’s ears twitched again. He was looking at Evangeline as if she were some kind of rare treasure. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

As he spoke, he circled Evangeline twice, even sniffing at her lightly. He glanced up at the black mist shrouding the top of Thorncliff and frowned. "Are you the female who fell from Thorncliff?"

Evangeline gripped the long whip in her hand and said, "I jumped down on my own."

"Huh?? Don’t you know what Thorncliff is? You jumped down on your own? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Female, you’re incredibly lucky to be alive!" Kat looked completely stunned. When he came to his senses, he patted his chest repeatedly.

"And you? Who are you?" Evangeline’s gaze swept over the jet-black, six-pointed Star Pattern on Kat’s forehead, and her heart tightened slightly. ’A Beastman who just came of age is already this strong.’

Kat blinked his round eyes. "Kat! I’m a Beastman from the Cerulea Tribe!"

Evangeline was slightly surprised. "The Cerulea Tribe? Fallen Beastmen have their own territories?"

She pondered for a moment. ’So the bottom of Thorncliff really does have its own ecosystem, no different from the Grymdale Tribe or the Midridge Tribe. The only thing that surprises me is the attitude of this Fallen Beastman.’

He was too friendly.

Hearing Evangeline’s words, Kat grew a little unhappy. "What’s wrong with being a Fallen Beastman? Aren’t we still Beastmen?"

Evangeline paused, taken aback, then nodded. "I’m sorry. I’m new here and don’t understand some things."

Kat froze, his expression turning even more astonished. "You actually apologized? I thought all females were hot-tempered, petty, and completely obnoxious!"

Evangeline offered no comment. She walked around Kat, and with a flash of fluorescent light at her fingertips, a glittering golden talisman paper fell into her palm. ’A Treasure Hunting Talisman. Since Elias Moretti threw the Beast Crystal down here, it must be nearby. A Thunder Beast Crystal has energy, which counts as a treasure. The Treasure Hunting Talisman should be able to detect it.’

Seeing Evangeline so calm despite being at the bottom of Thorncliff, Kat’s curiosity flared.

He moved closer and asked, puzzled, "The little maiden, what are you looking for?"

But when he saw the golden light glinting in the darkness, he was stunned. His gaze locked onto Evangeline, and he swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he asked cautiously, "A-are you a Witch?"

"Are you really a Witch? I’ve never seen a Witch in my entire life! And a female one at that!"

"The little maiden, you definitely can’t get back up there. Why don’t you come back with me to the Cerulea Tribe?"

"You’re a Witch! If you come back to the Cerulea Tribe, the leader and the others will definitely value you highly!"

"..."

Listening to Kat’s incessant chatter, Evangeline grew irritated. She turned to meet his eyes, and as if a thought occurred to her, she narrowed her gaze. "Kat, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"

Kat froze, then scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "My father is sick, and I can’t afford herbs. I heard The Ravening Wolves found a Beast Crystal here a few days ago, so I came over in the middle of the night to try my luck."

At his words, Evangeline’s eyes flickered. "A Beast Crystal? A Thunder Beast Crystal?"