The Elven Cultivator

Chapter 331: Chapter 304: Watch a Good Show

The low-hanging moon bathed the wilderness in a cold, iron-grey light.

A wind blew from the far end of the wasteland, carrying the scent of dry earth and withered grass as it swept past the still figures at the top of the hill.

Anton stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his robes stirring gently in the night wind as he gazed calmly into the distance.

Behind him, over twenty disciples of Taichu City stood scattered, their backs ramrod straight, their gazes fixed on the camp nestled in the valley below.

The camp was encircled by a crude wooden fence. Just inside it, torches burned every few paces. Their orange-red flames flickered in the night wind, casting long, dancing shadows from the tents and wagons.

Figures could be seen moving dimly in the firelight, their gaits unhurried, showing little sign of vigilance.

The occasional faint shout was heard, only to be quickly swallowed by the wind.

Lucius, standing half a step to Anton’s right, suddenly spoke in a low voice. ”Master, when we make our move, let me lead the charge.”

’He’d finally gotten a chance to test his sword, and he wasn’t about to miss it.’

’If his master made a move, the battle would likely be over in an instant.’

But after waiting a moment, Lucius received no reply.

He looked up in confusion, just in time to see a strange smile touch his master’s lips.

Noticing Lucius’s gaze, Anton said with a knowing look, ”Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of chances to test your sword. For now, though, let’s not be hasty. We’ll watch the show first.”

The disciples exchanged confused glances.

’What kind of show could there possibly be to watch at a slaver camp in the middle of nowhere?’

But no one questioned him. If the Clan Leader said to wait, they would wait.

Lucius, however, had a flash of insight.

’He knew how astonishingly vast a Golden Core Cultivator’s Divine Sense was. Perhaps his master had discovered something.’

Though puzzled, Lucius didn’t press the matter. He turned back toward the camp and waited in silence.

...

「Deep within the camp.」

A dusty, grey tent was pitched at the very back of the camp. Outside, several thick wooden stakes were driven into the ground. Chains were tethered to them, their other ends trailing into the tent.

The air reeked of sweat and blood, mingled with the damp, musty smell of straw mats.

Flickering lamplight barely illuminated one corner of the tent’s interior.

A youth was curled up on a pile of dry straw.

He was not particularly tall, but his frame was well-proportioned and sturdy. His back was covered in a coat of short, golden fur.

His features were clearly defined, with a straight nose and slightly deep-set eyes. His face was a blend of human and ape, yet it was not brutish. Instead, it possessed a handsomeness reminiscent of the Human Race.

He was a Golden-backed Ape-man.

However, the Ape-man youth was in a terrible state.

His entire body was covered in a crisscrossing network of cuts and bruises. Several lash marks on his arms had yet to scab over, their edges an unhealthy dark red. His muscles would periodically clench as the wounds were aggravated.

A Half-Elf Maiden was crouching beside the Ape-man youth. With her head lowered, she gently applied a poultice of crushed leaves to the deepest wound on his shoulder, her movements deft and steady.

The firelight illuminated her profile, outlining her delicate features.

Yet her face, one that would normally be captivating at first glance, was shrouded in a deathly, ashen gloom.

”Hiss...”

The youth drew in a sharp breath, his shoulder flinching involuntarily as fine beads of sweat broke out on his brow.

He gritted his teeth and cursed, ”These bastards... they really don’t pull their punches. When I get out of this hellhole, I’ll make sure they get a taste of their own medicine.”

The Half-Elf Maiden took a clean strip of cloth and skillfully bandaged his wound.

Only after she finished did she withdraw her hands. ”Forget it,” she said flatly. ”This place is too heavily guarded. We’re not getting out.”

”If you keep fighting back, they’ll only beat you harder. I’d advise you to just be still and not bring more suffering upon yourself.”

The youth gritted his teeth, his face a mask of anguished fury. ”Those bastards killed so many of my people. I will never submit to them!”

The maiden said nothing. After treating the wound, she rose from the straw and walked toward the other side of the tent.

There were other, more severely injured slaves waiting for her there.

As soon as she walked away, a nearby Wastelander sidled closer to the youth and whispered, ”You’re new here, aren’t you? Don’t blame her for being cold.”

The youth froze, then asked in a hushed voice, ”Why?”

The Wastelander glanced at the Half-Elf Maiden’s back and lowered his voice even further. ”Her parents tried to escape with her. The Slave Hunting Team beat them to death right in front of her. If she wasn’t so pretty, worth a high price, those bastards wouldn’t have spared her either.”

The youth was stunned into a long silence. When he looked at the Half-Elf Maiden again, his gaze was filled with a complex mix of emotions.

’No wonder the other slaves had all been beaten, while this Half-Elf Maiden had never been mistreated.’

’But for her, that clearly wasn’t a good thing.’

After a while, the maiden finished tending to the others’ wounds and sat back down on the straw beside the youth.

She hugged her knees, not looking at him, simply sitting there in silence. Her gaze was fixed on the empty ground, as if she were looking at something very far away.

After hesitating for a long moment, the youth finally spoke. ”Don’t worry. My father will definitely come for me. When he does, I’ll have him take you away, too.”

The maiden turned her head to glance at him. Her eyes were hollow, like a pool of frozen, stagnant water.

She said nothing, only turning her head away to stare at the ground again.

The youth was about to speak again when a deafening BOOM suddenly erupted from outside the tent.

It was followed by a cacophony of battle cries, clashing metal, and furious roars that instantly shattered the night’s silence.

The youth’s eyes lit up instantly. He struggled to push himself up, his voice trembling with irrepressible excitement. ”It’s my father! They’ve definitely come to rescue me!”

The slaves in the tent raised their heads one by one, a glimmer of hope appearing on their previously numb faces.

The din grew louder, suggesting the attackers had already breached the camp and were not far from their tent.

By now, even those who had been lying motionless in the corners couldn’t help but sit up.

Only the Half-Elf Maiden remained seated, not even raising her head.

Just then, the tent flap was flung open. Two members of the Slave Hunting Team strode inside, brandishing gleaming Steel Blades as their cold eyes swept over the restless crowd.

”What’s all the racket?”

The one in front gestured at the crowd with his blade and barked,

”Stay quiet if you don’t want to die!”

The other member of the Slave Hunting Team scanned the crowd, his gaze finally landing on the Ape-man youth, who was now sitting upright.

Seeing the youth’s poorly concealed look of expectation, his lip curled into a contemptuous sneer.

”Keep dreaming. You really think someone’s coming to save you? We knew some idiots would come looking to die, so we set an ambush. The fools walked right into it.”

His contemptuous words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the faint spark of hope that had just been kindled in the tent.

The slaves who had just sat up slumped over once more.

The Ape-man youth’s face went pale, and his voice trembled. ”You’re lying! My father is at the Golden Peak! No one in this camp is a match for him!”

The two members of the Slave Hunting Team exchanged a look and then burst out laughing.

Their mocking laughter was the only answer the Ape-man youth needed.

The last trace of color drained from the youth’s face.

At that moment, another BOOM rang out. A violent gust of wind tore through the tent, ripping the flap clean off and revealing the fire-lit night sky and the camp outside.

The youth instinctively looked up, and his pupils contracted.

In a clearing at the center of the camp, a dozen or so Golden-backed Ape-men were completely surrounded by hundreds of members of the Slave Hunting Team.

They stood back-to-back in a defensive circle, brandishing their weapons and fighting desperately, but they were vastly outnumbered and could only struggle to hold their ground.

The members of the Slave Hunting Team surged forward like a tide before pulling back; with every charge, another Golden-backed Ape-man was wounded.

And at the very heart of the battle, three figures were locked in a chaotic melee.

Two of them were tall, burly Golden-backed Ape-men.

One wielded a thick, long totem pole.

The other brandished a long metal staff.

The two attacked in tandem, one from the left and one from the right. Their rhythm was heavy and fierce, their assault relentless.

Their opponent, however, was a burly Beastman with dark, ash-grey skin.

He stood at the center of the two Golden-backed Ape-men’s coordinated assault, arms hanging loosely at his sides. A grey-brown aura clung to his skin, flowing like cooling stone.

When the totem pole came crashing down, he simply raised a hand to parry. With a dull THUD, the pole glanced off, sending the Ape-man who wielded it stumbling.

As the long staff swept in, he casually turned his hand and struck its midsection with his palm. The heavy metal staff was repelled as if it were a twig striking a mountainside.

Throughout the exchange, the Beastman looked completely at ease.

He clearly possessed the strength to crush the two Golden-backed Ape-men, yet he only defended, never attacking. He was obviously toying with them.

”Stop your pointless struggle, Aolu.”

The Beastman sneered at the Golden-backed Ape-man wielding the totem.

”Hand over your tribe’s totem, and I might grant you the mercy of an intact corpse.”

Aolu didn’t answer. He just gritted his teeth, mustered all his strength, and charged the enemy once more.

But his heart was sinking.

’He had thought tonight’s surprise attack would catch the enemy off guard and allow him to rescue his son.’

’He never imagined they would be prepared—that they’d set a trap and were just waiting for him to spring it.’

’They had even dispatched a Legendary Powerhouse for this.’

’It was obvious they intended to wipe them all out in one fell swoop!’

’The current situation was, without a doubt, dire.’

In the distance, the Ape-man youth watched this scene in horror.

He recognized the two figures.

The one wielding the totem pole was his father.

The one brandishing the metal staff was the clan’s last remaining elder.

Since their Clan Leader’s death in battle, those two had been the tribe’s strongest warriors.

But now, before that Beastman, they couldn’t even make him take a single step.

Even with his limited understanding of combat, the youth could see the immense disparity in strength.

’That Beastman... he had to be at the Legendary Tier!’