Chapter Sixty-One: Wildfire

Flames exploded in all directions, the stench of blood drifting far on the mountain winds.

Ji Hao stood atop a tall tree, his figure concealed by leaves and branches, gazing toward the distant mountain hollow several miles away.

The encampment ahead, belonging to the Fire Leopard Tribe, had been chosen with exceptional cunning. A winding river flowed before the settlement, providing abundant water. Behind it, steep cliffs bristled with poisonous thorns, enclosing the hollow from three sides into a basin spanning over ten miles.

Now, the Fire Leopard Tribe’s camp had been breached. The wooden huts and thatched shelters scattered across the basin were ablaze, flames roaring and black smoke billowing toward the heavens.

Thousands of corpses lay strewn about the hollow, all seemingly members of the Fire Leopard Tribe. Hundreds of blood crocodiles, each several yards long with thick, crimson skin, sprawled across the ground, contentedly devouring blood-soaked bodies.

At the rear of the basin, amidst dense, impassable clusters of poisonous thorns, a winding path led directly to the top of the cliff.

Upon the cliff, the surviving Fire Leopard clansmen huddled together, children wailing with heart-wrenching cries.

At the end of the path stood a tall banner crafted from a long red beast bone. Dozens of fiery leopard tails hung from it, fluttering in the wind. Shrill howls echoed from the banner, and dozens of phantom fire leopards—each several yards long, their forms shimmering—darted swiftly through the poisonous thorns, occasionally spitting sparks and smoke.

“The ancestral spirit banner of the Fire Leopard Tribe,” murmured Qing Ying, standing beside Ji Hao, gazing at the towering banner. “It seems the tribe’s shaman-priests have been pushed to desperation. Unless in moments of utmost crisis, no one would dare disturb the ancestral spirits, much less summon them to fight.”

Sharp howls pierced the air as hundreds of Blood Crocodile Tribe warriors, stout and formidable, hurled torches with all their might into the thorns, hoping to burn away these troublesome poisonous plants and open a broad path to the cliff’s summit.

Yet the fire leopards darted back and forth among the thorns; whenever a flame ignited, they would rush over and inhale deeply, extinguishing the fire in an instant. Thousands of oil-soaked torches were thrown, but not a single patch of thorns was burned away.

Meanwhile, bands of short, green-black-skinned, bulging-eyed Frog Demon Tribe members wielded elaborate blowpipes, hurling curses at the Fire Leopard clansmen atop the cliff with gleeful malice.

A hundred or so captured Fire Leopard women were pinned to the ground by these Frog Demon tribesmen, each surrounded by impatient mobs. The women struggled and wailed desperately, provoking the children on the cliff to cry out louder.

“Cowards of the Fire Leopard Tribe! We’ve slaughtered your kin, burned your settlement, and now we’re playing with your women!” bellowed a Frog Demon warrior whose skin was covered in fist-sized pustules, riding on the back of a giant venomous frog. “Look, your women’s skin is so pale—ha! Even paler than ours! Are you just going to watch as we kill them?”

A furious roar rang out. Among the hundred or so Fire Leopard warriors beneath the ancestral banner atop the cliff, a burly man covered in blood, half his left arm severed, let out a howl and charged down the rugged path.

Panting heavily, he dashed down the winding path for several miles, swinging his iron axe at the nearest enemy.

Dozens of Frog Demon warriors raised their blowpipes; with a sharp whistling sound, dozens of black, poisoned darts shot out, stabbing into the Fire Leopard warrior’s body. The venom spread swiftly, causing his body to swell and pustules to erupt beneath his skin. Within moments, he staggered forward less than ten paces before collapsing.

With a sickening crack, his body dissolved into black pus, the toxic liquid pooling on the ground.

A Blood Crocodile warrior, clad in crimson leather armor and wielding two heavy blades, roared in frustration, “Damn frogs, leave the bodies intact! Our precious beasts aren’t full yet! Such prime meat, wasted by your poison!”

In the basin, the Blood Crocodile and Frog Demon warriors laughed uproariously, arrogance filling the night.

Ji Hao narrowed his eyes, his spiritual sense expanding to effortlessly envelop the entire basin.

There were nearly a thousand Blood Crocodile warriors and about two thousand Frog Demon tribesmen. None among them possessed the strength of a Grand Shaman; the strongest were a few dozen Minor Shamans of the Blood Crocodile Tribe, while the Frog Demon Tribe had fewer than ten.

Both tribes worshiped their ancient beasts—Blood Crocodile and Frog Demon—but these creatures were far weaker than the Three-Legged Golden Crow. Thus, their bloodline powers were feeble, and their ratio of Minor and Grand Shamans paled compared to the Fire Crow Tribe.

“With such numbers? When did the Blood Crocodile and Frog Demon tribes grow so bold?” Ji Hao sneered, recalling how Di Luo’s underlings had tried to ambush him days ago. He smelled conspiracy thick in the air.

“Uncle, tell the brothers to prepare!” Ji Hao raised his right hand, swinging it forward with force. “Wipe out these wretched scum!”

The Old Tree Demon strode out of the dense forest, stopping at the riverbank. He stomped heavily, two massive roots sinking deep into the earth. His body rapidly expanded, reverting from humanoid form to his true shape.

A colossal tree, nearly two hundred yards tall, stood by the river. In the rich soil, the Old Tree Demon greedily absorbed nutrients. His roots stretched rapidly underground, crossing the wide river in mere moments and reaching beneath the Fire Leopard Tribe’s settlement.

“Kill!” Ji Hao growled deeply.

The Old Tree Demon bellowed “Kill!” in unison. Black holes opened along his trunk, expelling waves of icy air.

Thousands of thick, black roots shot from beneath the Fire Leopard Tribe’s camp, snaking like venomous serpents toward the Blood Crocodile and Frog Demon warriors in the basin. The roots were so numerous that they nearly covered the entire hollow, plunging it into shadow.

“Enemy!” the Blood Crocodile warrior wielding twin blades shouted in panic.

The sound of piercing flesh echoed endlessly. Hundreds of the weakest Blood Crocodile and Frog Demon warriors were impaled by the roots and lifted high into the air, blood spraying from the black tree roots and raining down upon the basin.

Shrill cries soared skyward as two thousand Fire Crow Tribe warriors, each mounted on their battle beasts, charged from the dense forest. They reached the riverbank, their beasts roaring and leaping effortlessly across the wide river before plunging into the burning Fire Leopard settlement.

Blood Crocodile and Frog Demon warriors frantically swung their weapons, hacking at the roots that stabbed toward them.

They screamed in terror, watching helplessly as the Fire Crow warriors leapt across the river and charged.

In the next instant, hundreds of arrows whistled through the air, striking the throats of Blood Crocodile and Frog Demon warriors, sending them flying backward in fountains of blood.

The Fire Crow warriors seized the chaos, charging into the enemy ranks. Heavy blades and swords swung like wildfire through withered grass, cutting down swathes of Blood Crocodile and Frog Demon warriors with little resistance.

“My god! How did they get here?” the Blood Crocodile warrior with twin blades cried out in despair.

***

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