The Beginning of Battle

On their way to the Chew Bone Tribe, upon hearing Enzo's inquiry, Priest Lucy frowned and said, "The people of the Chew Bone Tribe are still in that valley. They haven't left."

This was strange.

In their previous reconnaissance, Priest Lucy had been detected, yet the Chew Bone Tribe had remained.

This time, however, Priest Lucy went unnoticed.

Clara, sensing the lingering scent of medicinal powder in the air, voiced her confusion, "The traces from last night were clearly caused by Crue's wind blades. But he should have known about this powder.Yet it hasn't been removed."

This was also puzzling.

Nevertheless, the tracks left behind by the fleeing members of the Chew Bone Tribe were unmistakable, easily distinguishable from the tracks of other wild beasts.They led directly towards the same valley.

With the direction confirmed by Priest Lucy, their path was clear.

The group pressed forward swiftly.

...

The Giant Bear Tribe's camp.

Among the largest in the surrounding tribes, the Giant Bear Tribe's camp was with a population of over eight hundred and more than thirty tribal warriors who have undergone the baptism of the tribal fire, making them significantly powerful.

During the attack by the Chew Bone Tribe, the Giant Bear Tribe successfully repelled them. Although they suffered the capture of several dozen people, compared to other tribes whose entire camps were massacred, this was considered a minimal loss.

It is for this reason that the Giant Bear Tribe was able to secure agreements from other tribes for alliance.

"Lord Priest Gene." spoke a messenger from another tribe, "we are ready to depart and exterminate those plunderers from the Chew Bone Tribe!"

Gene, the priest of the Giant Bear Tribe.

He knew for his inherited power of defense enhancement that allows his body to swell and strengthen its defensive capabilities, stood tall.

His physique resembled that of a true black bear due to years of harnessing this power.

Upon hearing this, he replied, "There are still a few smaller tribes yet to respond. We will strike once their responses are in. The plunderers of the Chew Bone Tribe are not only cunning but also powerful. This is our best opportunity yet to confront them, and we must prepare thoroughly before taking action. Otherwise, letting the Chew Bone Tribe escape will undoubtedly invite furious retaliation!"

At that moment, the messenger Lott returned from the Crimson Star Tribe.

He clutched his bleeding arm and staggering towards Gene. He cried out, "Lord Priest, the Crimson Star Tribe refuses to unite! Despite my clear explanations of the advantages, they rudely dismissed me, kicked me out, and even speared my arm... They claim they can handle the Chew Bone Tribe on their own and have already departed with their people!"

Upon hearing this, Gene scoffed, "The Crimson Star Tribe? Such a small tribe, ignorant of their place!"

He mocked further, "Let them go, they're just marching to their deaths!"

However, another voice spoke up, "Lord Gene, if the Crimson Star Tribe goes and gets killed, that's one thing. But if they alert the Chew Bone Tribe, what then? If the Chew Bone Tribe decides to leave that valley, we'll lose our chance!"

This remark served as a reminder to Gene.

He fumed, "Damn the Crimson Star Tribe!"

After his outburst, Gene remained furious but reluctantly issued orders to the others, "Now, gather your tribal forces and move out!"

The leaders of each tribe's contingent immediately organized their troops, following behind the Giant Bear Tribe's formation.

Within moments, dozens of tribal forces set off in unison towards the valley where the Chew Bone Tribe resided.

Meanwhile, Enzo's group was nearing their destination.

Clara once again detected the scent of medicinal powder in the air and pointed towards the valley ahead, saying, "It's in there."

Priest Lucy nodded in agreement.

However, despite the anticipation of locating the Chew Bone Tribe's camp and the imminent acquisition of the barren mountain scepter, Priest Lucy was filled with a deeper sense of shock.

She looked at Clara and the others following Enzo and couldn't shake the feeling that something was not right.

What had happened?!

Why had seven more totem warriors appeared overnight?

If Tia's presence before could be chalked up to luck, these additional totem warriors were beyond any simple explanation.

Enzo had likely hunted enough supernatural creatures to explain this.

But when did the Totem Fire needed for creating totem warriors become so easily concentrated?

The Crimson Star Tribe, though larger than the Venom Tribe, was still a small tribe.

Yet, such absurdities unfolded before Priest Lucy's eyes.

Uncertain of how Enzo accomplished this, she knew now wasn't the time to dwell on it. Obtaining the barren mountain scepter was paramount compared to this mystery.

Thus, Priest Lucy suggested, "Let me scout ahead."

Enzo nodded in agreement.

With that, Priest Lucy conjured a Golden Worm totem in her palm. Under the totem's influence, a multitude of insects from the jungle beyond the valley swarmed in, densely covering the sky like a dark cloud. Controlled by Lucy, they flew towards the valley.

In the valley, the plunderers responsible for guarding the entrance reacted swiftly as they noticed the abnormal swarm of insects.

They immediately realized someone was deliberately controlling them and shouted, "Enemy invasion!"

Some of the plunderers laughed heartily upon hearing this. "Enemy invasion? How absurd! We're the ones who always raid others. Who dares to trouble us?"

But their laughter quickly turned into shock.

The swarm of insects, including many venomous ones, descended upon them. Several plunderers were bitten, their bodies covered in red welts, collapsing as they struggled to breathe.

However, moments later, a figure emerged among them.

A half-naked plunderer with red markings on his chest spewed flames from his mouth, incinerating the insects. Others charged fearlessly into the swarm, seemingly immune to the toxins and causing the insects to perish from their venom.

The chaos was swiftly contained.

But it had already alerted Mog and Madeline to the disturbance.

As the deputy leader of the Chew Bone Tribe, Madeline possessed strong mental perception abilities and was typically confident in her skills. However, her face now pale with concern, she turned to Mog in alarm, saying, "This is impossible! I didn't sense any other life approaching! How could so many insects suddenly appear?"

Mog didn't doubt Madeline.

Standing atop the altar made of stacked stones, he scanned the other parts of the valley and immediately noticed something amiss. Several concealed spots in the valley now had additional black stones scattered around them.

Mog ordered the stone to be brought over.

The black stones had strange patterns carved at their bases, harboring peculiar energies capable of shielding perception. Even Madeline, with her strong supernatural mental powers, was unable to sense their presence.

This discovery left both Mog and Madeline visibly shaken.

Mog demanded, "Who did this?"

The plunderers exchanged nervous glances, hesitant to speak. Finally, one of them gathered courage and said, "I saw Crue sneaking around with these earlier."

They couldn't confirm it was Crue for certain, but that detail didn't matter at the moment.

Upon hearing this, Mog's eyes gleamed with bloodlust. He glanced at the plunderers he had whipped a few times; they were the very ones returning from a mission at the Crimson Star Tribe.

Notably, Crue was absent from their midst.

"Madeline, I think you were right before. Crue isn't someone we can trust. He betrayed us. And we underestimated him. Besides his wind blades, he has other abilities."

Mog spoke in the secluded valley, beginning to piece things together.

He drew his iron long knife and started sharpening it against the hard rock, creating sparks. Then, he gathered all the plunderers in the valley, staring towards the entrance with a crazed grin on his face.

Mog felt no fear of battle.

He was unlike Madeline, who was deeply uneasy about the situation. She suggested to Mog, "Mog, let's retreat for now. As long as we have the scepter, we can complete the sacrifice ceremony sooner or later."

Upon hearing this, Mog sneered, "Madeline, you're afraid!"

Madeline countered, "Mog, this isn't about fear. We've spent so much time preparing since we left the Gold Oak Tribe to prove ourselves to our people. If we fail now, the consequences will be disastrous! It goes against our plans. And I sense great danger this time. We can't afford to take risks."

"No!" Mog roared.

He marched towards the entrance with his knife, a crimson mist swirling around him. "It's because of this that we can't retreat! Madeline, I've waited too long already. I refuse to wait any longer. This sacrifice ceremony must be completed!"