Chapter 1068, Despair

Translator: Silavin

 

“Just up ahead, the Flame Dragon Tribe is just up ahead.” Bo said excitedly.

 

His hand stretched forward the entire time, his expression that of a man who had just spotted a treasure trove.

 

Though in truth, the Flame Dragon Tribe was very much like a treasure trove to Bo. Everything inside it was something he could not bear to part with.

 

Whether it was food, clothing, shelter, or travel, he wished with every fibre of his being that he could simply live there from this point forward.

 

“That’s right, we’ve finally arrived. We can finally eat proper food again.” Luc was beside himself with joy.

 

He had missed it dearly. Ever since leaving the Flame Dragon Tribe, it had been constantly on his mind, and he had longed to return.

 

“Let’s move. Since we’re here, let’s not dawdle.” Gang Guo also pressed forward without the slightest hesitation.

 

He had just finished scanning the surrounding area with careful, deliberate attention, and found nothing amiss.

 

Gang Guo operated on the principle that if nothing felt wrong, then nothing was wrong. That had been his experience and instinct throughout the years.

 

Of course, the main reason was simply that the Flame Dragon Tribe had not actually stationed anyone nearby, so there was nothing unusual for him to detect.

 

As they drew ever closer to the gate, Yan Jiao and the others grew increasingly tense.

 

There was no other reason for it: this time, their opponents included two Mid-Stage Totem Warriors.

 

This made the operation extraordinarily dangerous. Even though the Flame Dragon Tribe now held a trump card capable of preserving their lives, they were still unwilling to let their guard down.

 

The Dark Scorpion Tribe had always been an exceptionally dangerous presence. Nothing less could have allowed them to swallow so many other Tribes in such a short span of time.

 

“Everyone, wait for my signal.” Yan Jiao gestured to those concealed in the shadows.

 

He was standing directly at the Tribe’s entrance to receive the visitors, having deliberately concealed his own strength as a Mid-Stage Totem Warrior.

 

The reason he stood among the crowd was to better observe the formation and disposition of the Dark Scorpion Tribe’s group.

 

Only from that position could he relay signals to the others. This time, they could only succeed. Failure was not an option.

 

“Understood.” Every one of those concealed in the shadows returned the acknowledgement signal.

 

*Step step step…*

 

As the Dark Scorpion Tribe’s footsteps continued to ring out, they quickly arrived at the gates of the Flame Dragon Tribe.

 

*Cough cough…* Yan Jiao let out a few deliberate coughs.

 

Those coughs were the signal for the operation to commence. It was a code they had spent a fair bit of time coming up with.

 

Because if they signalled with gestures directly, it was far too easy for the other side to notice something was off. Only the sound of coughing was natural enough to escape suspicion.

 

Gang Guo heard those coughs and paused mid-step, his eyes instantly widening as he fixed his gaze on Yan Jiao.

 

His eyes narrowed slightly as he scrutinised the man opposite him, a nagging feeling rising in his chest that something was not quite right.

 

Gang Guo’s pace slowed. He was no longer moving with the same brisk urgency as before.

 

The other Totem Warriors also noticed their Boss’s change in demeanour and slowed their steps in kind.

 

“What’s going on? Could it be that the Flame Dragon Tribe had set up a trap?” Bo’s anxiety surged instantly.

 

He had come here before and never encountered anything like this. What made it worse was that the Boss leading this particular mission was exceptionally sharp.

 

He was renowned for his attention to detail, and that was precisely why Bo felt so uneasy.

 

If the Flame Dragon Tribe truly had an ambush in place as the Boss suspected, then they were in grave danger.

 

They had not brought many people this time to begin with. If the Flame Dragon Tribe had laid an ambush, then annihilation was the only outcome that awaited them.

 

“Fall back. Do not advance. Something is wrong with the Flame Dragon Tribe.” Gang Guo immediately extended his hand to stop those behind him.

 

He began retreating one step at a time, his expression taut as his gaze swept rapidly across the surroundings.

 

*Cough cough…* This time, Yan Jiao coughed louder and more deliberately.

 

This new signal had only one meaning: the enemy had detected their ambush.

 

They had already prepared their countermeasures the day before, which included a signal to launch the assault, a signal for when they were discovered, a signal to retreat, and so on.

 

*Rustle rustle rustle…*

*Whoosh whoosh whoosh…*

 

Though Gang Guo had detected the Flame Dragon Tribe’s ambush, it was already far too late.

 

The Flame Dragon Tribe’s Warriors burst from the concealing undergrowth and loosed the arrows from their recurve bows.

 

“Aaargh…!”

 

As a series of piercing sounds tore through the air, the Dark Scorpion Tribe’s members let out wave after wave of agonised screams.

 

Nearly every arrow found a fatal mark. The victims did not even know how death had found them.

 

In the blink of an eye, the Dark Scorpion Tribe’s dozen or so Totem Warriors and traders had all collapsed to the ground.

 

Each had been shot clean through the head or neck. Not a single one had been given the chance to think or even feel fear.

 

“What in the world!?” Gang Guo leapt to the side in an instant.

 

He did not know what weapon had been fired from the shadows, but he understood that standing still meant certain death.

 

Yet, after he jumped clear, not a single attack came directed at him. Turning back, he saw that every one of his companions was already lying motionless on the ground.

 

They were not merely injured. They were all dead. Completely, irreversibly dead. There was no saving any of them.

 

“Boss, the Flame Dragon Tribe’s attacks are devastating. We need to flee right now. It’s just the two of us left.” Tan said, his voice laced with terror.

 

He was the only other Totem Warrior alive. Having witnessed his companions being shot dead, he had also leapt away from his position, and likewise, had no weapon directed at him.

 

Tan did not understand why, but the fear gnawing at him was overwhelming.

 

His eyes were stretched wide, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

 

Though he was a Mid-Stage Totem Warrior, every single one of his comrades had died before his eyes.

 

The feeling was harrowing, and it struck fear into him at a level that was difficult to comprehend.

 

So many Totem Warriors, all dead within a single instant.

 

Had they simply been struck and injured, that would have been one thing. But that was not what had happened.

 

These capable Totem Warriors had been left with no means of retaliation. They had not even understood how they died.

 

It was precisely because of that incomprehensibility that the terror cut so deep. Even the Chieftain of a Tribe would have been trembling from head to foot at such a sight.

 

“Damn it! Why didn’t I notice sooner? I got my companions killed!” Gang Guo ground his back teeth in bitter fury.

 

He was consumed by remorse, ceaselessly blaming himself for not having picked up on it earlier.

 

In that moment, Gang Guo felt that he had perhaps grown too complacent, too confident, and that it was that overconfidence which had brought about this tragedy.

 

“Boss, now is not the time for self-reproach. We must get away safely and report what has happened to the Shaman.” Tan remained remarkably clear-headed. He activated his Totem Power in an instant and began sweeping his gaze across the surrounding area.

 

It was only now, in this moment, that he could see their surroundings with complete clarity.

 

Tan saw that the people of the Flame Dragon Tribe each held strange weapons in their hands. These were weapons unlike anything either of them had ever seen before.

 

For a moment, despair crept over him.