Chapter 143: Titans on the Move!
Chapter 143: Titans on the Move!
In the early morning.
Darkness still covered the land.
Both the Silver Moon and the Blood Moon had vanished from the starry night sky. Just a sliver of fish-belly white light was beginning to appear on the eastern horizon.
At the Training Ground of Shan Yue Village, a bonfire burned brightly.
The bright flames drove away the cold and lit up a large area around.
It also shone on one resolute face after another!
The hundred tribesmen warriors led by Shan Tai were ready.
Each carried two Black Iron Spears and three horn javelins. Half of the warriors had vine shields, along with their Stone Axes and tiger-tooth daggers. They were fully armed.
Their faces and bodies were covered in dark green and brown paint.
This paint came from plants.
Normally used to dye cloth.
Now, it served as camouflage for the warriors.
Because they were about to rush hundreds of li to Mu Teng Village, to destroy the Outcast gang occupying it.
To rescue the women and children of the Muteng Tribe!
This force gathered the elite strength of the Shan Yue Tribe. Over a dozen Totem Warriors, including Shan Tai, joined the fight.
Along with Mu Ze and several other Muteng Tribe warriors.
The main fighting force was launched!
Elder Shaman Shan Yan stood solemnly before the bonfire, holding a clay bowl.
It was full of animal blood!
Gripping his Black Iron Spear, Shan Tai was the first to stand before the Elder Shaman.
The old shaman dipped his thin finger into the bowl, staining it with blood, and drew a mark on Shan Tai’s forehead!
Shan Tai bowed his head in respect, fist thumping heavily against his chest.
Thump!
Then came the second, the third, the fourth…
All the warriors received a crimson blood mark on their foreheads!
“Brave warriors!” Shan Yan poured the remaining blood onto the ground and said deeply, “The Ancestors will surely protect you and grant you victory!”
“Victory!” roared the warriors together.
The waves of sound surged, spreading out in all directions!
Watching the warriors depart from atop the village wall, Gao Jing felt his blood surge!
And he keenly noticed.
After this simple yet meaningful ritual, the morale and fighting spirit of the Shan Yue Warriors soared.
Their auras solidified together.
As if becoming tangible.
Such a force was undoubtedly truly formidable!
“Move out!” Under Shan Tai’s lead, the hundred fierce Giant Warriors surged out like a torrent through the village gate.
Advancing towards Mu Teng Village!
Gao Jing watched their figures grow distant, listening to their thunderous footsteps.
Until they vanished into the vast Wilderness.
An unnamed emotion stirred within him!
In this major attack against the Outcasts by the Shan Yue Tribe, who knew how many would return alive.
After all, the Outcasts holding Mu Teng Village were very strong.
They reportedly had two High-tier Totem Warriors!
While the Shan Yue side had only Shan Tai, the one High-tier warrior.
Even adding Mu Ze and another Advanced-rank Totem Warrior would not match two High-tier warriors.
But Gao Jing wasn’t overly worried.
Since the Elder Shaman made this decision, it couldn’t be meant to throw away the tribe’s elite force and future.
He must have had a plan.
Gao Jing was not part of this battle against the Outcasts.
Because the Elder Shaman wanted him to stay in the village, to help handle any unexpected threats.
Gao Jing felt.
This was probably a polite way of saying the Elder Shaman didn’t want him to face such danger again.
Rushing into battle at Mu Teng Village was clearly too risky for him!
Gao Jing certainly wasn’t someone ungrateful or blind to the situation.
But he didn’t just sit idly at home either. He took his gear and stationed himself atop the village wall!
Shan Yue Village was quite vulnerable now.
Though six to seven hundred Giants remained in the village.
Most were the elderly, the weak, women, children, and ordinary folk.
If danger came, few could effectively take up arms.
“Gao Jing!” Daylight was fully present as the sun rose in the east. Shan Guoer came running atop the wall, carrying a clay jar.
The little girl brought Gao Jing steaming hot food.
“Thank you,” Gao Jing smiled, sharing breakfast with her on the wall.
After filling their stomachs.
When Gao Jing raised his telescope again to scan the forward Wilderness, his gaze suddenly sharpened!
Two Giants riding Pack Beasts were galloping towards the village, one behind the other.
As the distance closed, he quickly saw them clearly.
The Giants were tall and powerfully built, clearly battle-hardened warriors.
They wore dark brown leather armor and looked extremely fierce.
Most importantly, Gao Jing spotted the brand marks on their necks – the marks of Outcasts!
“Go find your grandfather, quick!”
Gao Jing immediately put down his binoculars and shouted loudly to Shan Guoer beside him, “Outcasts are coming!”
“Mm.”
The little girl was startled and quickly dashed toward the village fort.
Woo~
A warning horn sounded from the guard tower behind the palisade walls, swiftly echoing across the entire village fort.
After Shan Tai and the others left, the Shan Yue Tribe had entered a state of high alert.
All tribe members were forbidden to venture outside.
As the horn blast faded, several tribal warriors holding javelin-like weapons quickly appeared atop the palisade walls.
Gao Jing stored his binoculars and set up the Barrett.
This long-range sniper rifle was currently his most reliable weapon.
Its effectiveness had already been proven in real combat.
Through the scope’s crosshairs, he locked onto an Outcast riding on the back of a pack beast.
But Gao Jing held his fire.
Their motives remained unclear for now; it was unknown if they belonged to the same group occupying Mu Teng Village.
Whether these two Outcasts’ sudden appearance was coincidence or accident was also something to consider.
This required a decision from the Elder Shaman!
Gao Jing couldn’t overstep his authority.
Of course, if the giants showed any hostile intent, he wouldn’t hesitate!
The two Outcast giants riding their pack beasts stopped roughly a kilometer away from the fort.
One of them called out loudly, “I am Wu Huai from the Wu Tu Roving Band, seeking an audience with Shaman Leader Shan Yan!”
The Wu Tu Roving Band?
Gao Jing thoughtfully lowered the Barrett.
‘Roving Band’ (Xíng Tuán) is a general term for nomadic groups of wanderers, but they are divided between bandit gangs and ordinary bands of migrants.
Outcasts weren’t exclusive to bandit gangs; ordinary migrant bands often included Outcasts too.
Therefore, whether these visitors meant harm or not remained uncertain.
The self-proclaimed Wu Huai shouted his request three times.
Then he waited quietly in place.
While this didn’t guarantee goodwill, their actions suggested they weren’t immediately hostile.
Several minutes later, the Elder Shaman Shan Yan arrived.
He ordered the tribal warriors to open the fort’s gates. Gripping his wooden staff, he walked out of the fort.
He stood before the main entrance.
Over a dozen warriors, gripping their weapons tightly, flanked and guarded the Elder Shaman from all sides.
Their expressions were sharp, eyes filled with vigilance!
The two Outcasts dismounted their pack beasts and strode towards the gate.
Though the power of the Elder Shaman, the ‘spellcaster’, was profound and mysterious…
Gao Jing still shouldered his sniper rifle again, ready to fire at any moment!
The two Outcasts stopped in front of Shan Yan and bowed respectfully together.
“Respected Shaman Leader Shan Yan,”
Wu Huai spoke earnestly, his voice rather loud so even Gao Jing could hear clearly:
“I come representing Commander Wu Tu of our Wu Tu Roving Band…”
These two giants were indeed members of the Outcast group occupying Mu Teng Village.
Their reason for requesting this audience?
They actually wanted to propose a peace agreement to the Shan Yue Tribe – both sides should stay clear and not interfere with each other!
It seemed they hadn’t encountered Shan Tai and his group who raided Mu Teng Village.
“To demonstrate our sincerity,”
Wu Huai continued, “Our Commander presents a gift as tribute to you, great Shaman Leader.”
He gestured with his hand.
The other Outcast beside him promptly took off a large pack strapped to his back and pulled out a rosewood box.
Wu Huai took the box, opened its lid,
and presented it respectfully towards the Elder Shaman.
In the box lay an exceptionally large gemstone!
Over a meter in diameter, it was a pure, flawless jade-green, incredibly beautiful.
Seven-Colored Stone!
The name instantly flashed into Gao Jing’s mind.
Still, the longer he looked, the more strangely familiar it seemed.
“Green Crystal,”
the Elder Shaman said with a faint smile. “Your Commander is very generous, parting with something like this?”
Wu Huai kept his head slightly lowered. “As long as it pleases you, great one.”
“A shame,”
the Elder Shaman raised his staff, shaking his head. “I cannot accept it!”
Wu Huai’s expression instantly twisted in panic.
Without hesitation, he turned and bolted, not even gesturing to his companion.
But it was far too late.
The Elder Shaman’s staff struck the ground. Thoom.
The ground suddenly shook violently.
Sharp, bamboo-shoot-like, yellowish-brown stone spikes shot out from under the earth!
They ruthlessly pierced through the bodies of Wu Huai and the other Outcast!
An instant kill!
Gao Jing watched, utterly dumbfounded.
The Elder Shaman was truly… unbelievably … powerful!