Chapter 67: A Shocking Hunting Ground

Everyone marched on in silence.

Losing a tribe member, a teammate, nobody felt like talking.

Ye Xi too was feeling down. If only his archery had been a bit better, if he could have shot two arrows at once, maybe he could have saved him.

After descending from the mountain and crossing five more, as the sun began to set, they suddenly came upon a vast plain, which opened up before them dramatically.

Ye Xi stood dumbstruck at the summit, rendered speechless by the spectacular view before him.

Stretching as far as the eye could see, the expansive plain extended to the horizon, blending seamlessly into the sky, indistinguishable from it at the furthest reaches.

Near the base of the mountain, a massive herd of elk spanned several kilometers, flowing endlessly forward and away into the distance.

Huge herds of Stegosaurus shuffled clumsily through the underbrush, and enormous Tyrannosaurs stood atop the plateau; even from a great distance, Ye Xi felt as if he could hear their thunderous footsteps and fierce roars.

The recent events on the road, especially not being able to save the warrior who fell from the cliff, had kept Ye Xi in a subdued mood, but the overwhelming beauty of the scene before him now washed all that away.

The four other new warriors stood just as silently, captivated by the distant vista.

Luo joined Ye Xi, gazing into the distance, "This is our hunting ground, and it's a hunting ground for all predators."

Ye Xi watched the magnificent scene unfold before him, murmuring, "No wonder you ignored all those prey along the way; there's so much more here."

"Yes, but in half a month, it'll be gone," Luo replied.

"The rainy season is coming. Both herbivores and carnivores are here for the last time before they migrate. They have to eat as much as they can now to prepare for the migration, as they won't be able to hunt while moving."

"Migration..." Ye Xi sighed.

"We humans have to do the same. We need to hunt as much as we can during this critical time to prepare for the rainy season. Let's go!" With that, Luo clapped Ye Xi on the shoulder and took the lead running down the mountain.

Inspired, Ye Xi let out a long howl and followed him down.

Jiao Jiao seemed just as eager, slithering quickly as if it couldn't wait to get down the mountain.

When the team reached the foot of the mountain, the ground trembled under the feet of an unimaginably large herbivorous dinosaur that passed by, vibrating the ground with each step.

Ye Xi marveled at the dinosaur's feet, which were bigger than he was.

Pu Tai directed Ye Xi and the other new hunters, "We're going to hunt over there; you guys stay here and don't move, got it?"

This area, with its giant creatures, was unlikely to attract other predators.

Diao and the other new warriors were somewhat reluctant. They really wanted to join the hunt, but as Pu Tai was the leader and they had been taught to always follow the leader's orders in the hunting team, they reluctantly agreed.

Ye Xi understood Pu Tai's reasoning. As new warriors, they lacked experience, which could hinder the seasoned hunters and potentially cause chaos during the critical pre-rainy season hunts.

Pu Tai and the others headed off towards a group of large-haired beasts grazing in the distance. Their fur was thick and soft, ideal for staying warm during the rainy season.

Watching the hunting team move away, the five remaining new warriors exchanged glances and wry smiles.

"Ye Xi, I didn't expect even you would be left behind."

It was Tutan who spoke, a robust man as solid and fierce as a wild boar.

Hu Lu interjected, "Maybe the captain is also worried about Ye Xi encountering danger. After all, anything can happen during a hunt."

"That's true, Ye Xi is..." Tutan looked around cautiously to make sure no one from other tribes was nearby before continuing more vaguely, "…we can't afford any mistakes."

"Yes," Hu Lu sighed. "But they are being overly cautious. With Ye Xi's current strength, he should be on par with the seasoned hunters."

Though Hu Lu seemed to disagree with the decision, Ye Xi just smiled, "Let's just follow the captain's orders. We're warriors now; there will be plenty of other chances to hunt. No need to rush."

"We can see them hunting from here; let's watch and learn how they do it, how they coordinate. It'll definitely come in handy later."

Everyone agreed with Ye Xi's suggestion without any objection.

So, they found a large tree nearby, comfortably settled at its base, and began intently watching the veteran hunters.

Ye Xi looked around to make sure there were no dangerous animals nearby, then instructed Jiao Jiao to try hunting on its own, telling it to catch whatever it could.

Eagerly, Jiao Jiao flicked its tail and dashed off.

After setting Jiao Jiao on its task, Ye Xi sat down by the tree.

Watching the stunning scene in the distance, he took a deep breath of relief.

Even warriors have their limits. After such a long trek, sitting down under a tree without the sun beating down, enjoying the view, felt incredibly relaxing.

Ye Xi watched the hunting action for a while and summarized their tactics: several people would distract the prey while others would swoop in to kill it. This simple and crude method was surprisingly effective.

To Ye Xi, however, this strategy seemed somewhat uninspired. He could think of at least three more efficient, more lethal methods of hunting, though these would require careful coordination and practice to implement.

After figuring out their methods, Ye Xi stopped watching and started looking for Jiao Jiao.

He then saw Jiao Jiao facing off against a giant peacock, as big as an ostrich, which looked menacingly at Jiao Jiao and strutted around, its long feathers trailing behind, occasionally glancing at Jiao Jiao with sharp eyes.

Jiao Jiao hissed, its ruby-like eyes fixed on the peacock, its head tilted back in a pre-attack stance.

The peacock, feeling challenged, suddenly ruffled its magnificent tail feathers.

The tail spread into a fan, vibrant and beautiful, adorned with eye-like patterns.

The more colorful and eye-filled, the more dangerous and terrifying—a primal instinct among many creatures.

Jiao Jiao seemed to recoil a bit.

Disappointed, Ye Xi thought that Jiao Jiao was afraid of a mere peacock. However, he reminded himself to be more patient as Jiao Jiao had been raised in the tribe and had never hunted in the wild before.

He mentally commanded Jiao Jiao to fight.

Hesitating briefly, Jiao Jiao then surged forward, attacking the peacock, which screeched piercingly and fought back fiercely.

"Ye Xi..." Diao called out.

Turning to him, Diao was staring at something in the distance and slowly stood up: "…there's a herd of wild buffalo coming this way."

Alarmed, Ye Xi stood up.

A large group of dark-skinned buffalo with long horns was running wildly across the plains, chased by two enormous carnivorous dinosaurs.

A small group of buffalo, panicking and desperate, were charging directly towards them.

Diao licked his dry lips, a gleam in his eyes: "They're coming right to us. Ye Xi, hunting these buffalo… wouldn't be against the captain's orders, right?"

Ye Xi's lips curled into a slow grin as he grasped his dagger: "Certainly not."

As the buffalo drew closer, the two men exchanged a look, seeing the same fierce desire in each other's eyes.

In the next moment, Ye Xi drew his dagger and Diao his bone knife, and almost simultaneously, they charged towards the charging buffalo.

"Ha ha ha!" Tutan roared with laughter: "Perfect timing!"

The other three warriors also rushed towards the buffalo.

(End of Chapter)