Chapter 56: That Sounds Like a Dog Barking

Beneath the towering totem pole, an elderly figure clad in animal skins, his face smeared with vibrant paints and his back hunched with age, was raising a bone staff. He was conducting some bizarre ritual before a head-sized stone that emitted a faint, eerie glow at the base of the totem.

He chanted in a hoarse and raspy voice, sounding much like grinding sandpaper.

As his incantation continued, the luminescence upon the stone grew increasingly brilliant, and a wave of primitive, wild, and chaotic energy radiated outward.

Bathed in this otherworldly light, the surrounding predator warriors let out roars of excitement. The muscles on their bodies visibly expanded by another tier before the naked eye!

"They are cultivating using source crystals... No, wait. This method is far more brutal and direct than how we absorb them!" A turbulent wave churned within Li Hexuan's heart.

This tribe had already developed its own unique and independent system of energy utilization!

What made his heart constrict even more violently, however, was that at the very apex of the giant totem pole, he spotted a remarkably familiar symbol!

That symbol was twisted and grotesque, exuding an aura of pure evil.

It was identical to the symbol engraved on the metal plate inside the lord-tier behemoth!

Found them!

The mastermind behind the beast tide was none other than them! This intelligent race calling themselves the "Mountain Predators"!

Li Hexuan suppressed the killing intent rising in his chest, knowing that now was not the time to strike.

With the intelligence secured, they had to retreat immediately and plan their next move carefully.

He signaled Zhang Nan and Su Mengyi to pull back.

The trio began to cautiously retrace their steps along the ridge.

Just at that moment, however—

"Woof! Woof-woof-woof!"

A piercing, grating bark shattered the silence without the slightest warning from a corner of the settlement.

In an animal pen near the edge of the tribe, a small black hound with a disproportionately massive snout was barking frantically toward the ridge where Li Hexuan and his companions stood.

Its acute sense of smell had pierced through layers of obstruction, detecting the scent of the intruders!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Almost the instant the barking rang out, the hundreds of predators across the entire settlement—those still training, resting, or moving about—came to a uniform halt.

In the next second, every single head snapped toward the ridge where Li Hexuan's group was stationed!

Auras of fierce, violent, and bloodthirsty intent surged into the heavens!

"Awooo—!!"

A desolate and ancient horn echoed across the entire valley.

"Roar!!"

A predator chieftain, nearly three meters tall, wielding a massive stone axe that flickered with a chilling gleam and bearing a totem tattoo across his chest, let out a heaven-shaking roar.

He pointed his stone axe forward.

In an instant, hundreds of fierce predator warriors rushed forth from all directions like caged tigers unleashed, roaring as they closed in on the ridge from every flank!

Their speed was astonishingly fast, traversing the rugged mountain terrain as if it were flat ground. In the blink of an eye, they formed a massive encirclement.

"Woof! Woof-woof-woof!"

The shrill barking tore through the valley's silence. The black hound continued its frantic barking directed at the ridge. Its powerful nose had penetrated all obstacles to catch the scent of the intruders.

Hiding was no longer an option.

"Brother Xuan, what do we do?" Zhang Nan gripped his battle-axe tightly, his muscles tensed. He could feel the palpable, feral killing intent closing in on them.

"Fight." Li Hexuan uttered only a single word. Without the slightest hesitation, he activated his superpower. Deep blue electrical arcs danced across his fingertips, accompanied by faint crackling sounds in the air.

"Zhang Nan, hold the front line and buy me some time. Su Mengyi, find a safe spot, monitor the surrounding life fluctuations, and provide us with early warning and support."

"Understood!" Zhang Nan roared, his massive frame leaping forward to place himself directly in front of Li Hexuan and Su Mengyi. Dispensing with any further words, he raised his battle-axe high. Titan strength instantly erupted within him, causing his physique to expand another circle while a metallic sheen washed over his skin.

Su Mengyi quickly retreated a few steps, her slender fingers lightly touching the ground. Emerald-green light rippled across her fingertips, and the surrounding flora seemed to spring to life. Vines began to grow wildly, and the branches and leaves of the trees thickened into a natural barrier. Activating her life-perception ability, the life signatures of the entire valley crystallized in her mind.

"They're coming!" Zhang Nan bellowed.

The first to charge up the ridge were a dozen of the most robust predator warriors. Armed with sharpened stone spears and letting out wild, bloodthirsty howls, they pounced on Zhang Nan like hunting beasts.

"Get out of my way!" Zhang Nan's eyes widened in fury as he swung his battle-axe with the force of a falling mountain.

Boom!

The two leading predator warriors were struck squarely by the axe, their bodies sent flying backward like torn sacks of grain before crashing heavily into their comrades behind them amidst a series of cracking bones.

Yet, the predators fought with utter disregard for death, completely ignoring the casualties of their peers. More figures lunged from the flanks, their stone spears whistling through the air as they thrust straight for Zhang Nan's vital points.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The stone spears struck Zhang Nan's virtually indestructible body, producing the sound of clashing metal. Though unable to pierce his skin, the tremendous impact caused his massive frame to tremble slightly.

Li Hexuan did not engage in close-quarters combat. His objective was to thin out the enemy's numbers and provide support for Zhang Nan. Moving like a phantom, he wove effortlessly among the predator warriors. Every time he flashed into view, bolts of deep-blue electricity struck the enemy with pinpoint accuracy.

Zzap!

The predator warriors hit by the electrical arcs instantly froze, then collapsed to the ground convulsing. A wisp of smoke rose from their skin, accompanied by the smell of burning flesh. Li Hexuan's lightning possessed a lethal destructive power against these physically robust predators.

Chapter 57: Valley Ambush: Prelude to a Bloody Battle

However, the sheer number of predators was overwhelming. As one fell at the front, another immediately stepped up to take their place. Exhibiting seamless coordination, they formed small combat squads that continuously compressed the operational space for Li Hexuan and Zhang Nan.

"Brother Xuan, they're like a tidal wave!" Zhang Nan swung his battle-axe, batting away a predator attempting a sneak attack from his blind spot, and gasped heavily for air. Despite his formidable strength, facing such an endless onslaught brought immense pressure.

Su Mengyi's face turned somewhat pale. She channeled life energy into the vegetation beneath her feet in an attempt to create more obstacles, but the strength and speed of the predators exceeded her estimates; they easily tore through the vines and leapt over the bushes.

"Someone is directing them!" Su Mengyi's voice echoed in Li Hexuan's mind. "That burly man holding the stone axe—he's the chieftain! He is orchestrating everyone's attack patterns!"

Li Hexuan's gaze bypassed the dense horde of predators and locked onto the tallest figure, the chieftain with the totem tattooed on his chest. That chieftain was currently directing the flanking predators, attempting to bypass Zhang Nan's defense line to strike Li Hexuan and Su Mengyi directly.

He let out a cold snort.

Just then, at the center of the settlement beneath the thirty-meter-tall totem pole, the hunchbacked elder in animal skins raised his bone staff high. His hoarse incantation grew even more rapid and bizarre.

An invisible force spread like a tidal wave, instantly enveloping the entire battlefield.

Li Hexuan's heart sank heavily. He felt the operation of his superpower bog down as if wading through mud, becoming sluggish and heavy. The lightning energy within his body seemed bound by some unseen force, refusing to respond smoothly.

"This is... suppression!" Li Hexuan's expression turned grim.