Chapter 1664: Chapter 896: Surprise Attack (2)
"Hahaha, the commander trusted us so easily, it’s incredibly foolish. If our assassin group weren’t ordered by the Emperor of Desolate to be here, we wouldn’t play along with this idiot."
A sharp-faced assassin said.
The leader in black responded, "I just analyzed the pros and cons, the commander had no choice but to follow our will. After all, he can’t afford the alliance attack from the Human Realm and the Giant Wood people. If his hundred-thousand-strong army is crushed, his standing with the Emperor will plummet, and it will be our chance to perform well in front of the Emperor. Hahaha..."
The leader in black laughed joyfully.
"Someone is coming." The man in black reminded the two.
The black-clad leader looked ahead and calmly instructed, "Get the brothers to dismantle this catapult, we cannot expose ourselves yet."
After speaking, the man in black turned into a shadow and disappeared from sight.
In a flash, dozens of men in black dismantled a giant catapult, then each placed the parts they took apart into their respective brocade bags and turned into shadows, disappearing into the forest.
Lin Feng and Su Liqian hurriedly followed the direction from which the Fire Stone had flown. Each of them rode a Spiritual Horse, charging down the path within the forest. The Giant Wood Clan had lived in this forest for a thousand years, already paving certain paths. This allowed them to deploy troops and thereby facilitate their own movements, enabling them to clearly identify targets and ambush enemies from these paths. In short, these roads had all sorts of advantages, and if elaborated further, it could take ten days and nights to finish.
"What’s going on, there’s not a trace left?"
Su Liqian finally caught up with Lin Feng here, only to find that the place where the catapult should have been stationed was empty, except for wheel marks left on the ground.
Lin Feng walked over, looked at the tracks the catapult had left on the ground, and said with some amazement, "Judging from the tracks on the ground, the catapult’s size was undoubtedly particularly large. But for such a massive catapult, how could it be taken away without a trace? A brocade bag cannot store an entire catapult at once..."
The catapult was heavy, so heavy that one person couldn’t lift it, and since the catapult itself was an energy carrier, it couldn’t be captured with mental exertion.
This was what puzzled Lin Feng.
"Could it be that many people came to take the catapult away?"
Su Liqian suggested.
Lin Feng thought for a moment and said to Su Liqian, "It’s quite possible that a lot of people came, though I didn’t sense their spiritual power fluctuations earlier. But I guess it’s due to the restrained power of the Desolate Realm."
Lin Feng expressed his thoughts clearly. The sudden assault was launched by people from the Desolate Realm. As for who exactly, they still hadn’t figured it out, but Lin Feng recalled the Desolate Realm assassins they encountered days before. Only those with such strength could make a catapult disappear in an instant and then easily escape the layered defenses of the Giant Wood people.
Su Liqian understood as well.
"Could it be that Desolate Realm assassins came here looking for the Heavenly Wood Bell?"
Su Liqian’s small face showed a hint of tension and worry.
Lin Feng quickly said, "I suspect they want more than just that. You must not hand over the Heavenly Wood Bell to them and also notify the Clan Leader to guard the Bihua Spirit Pond Water." Lin Feng did not elaborate further, feeling that over-explanation would be tedious and time-wasting.
Understanding Lin Feng’s words, Su Liqian quickly responded, "You are saying their target is the entire Giant Wood Territory this time?"
Lin Feng nodded, because Bihua Spirit Pond is located at the center of the territory, it is the holy land of the Giant Wood Clan. To acquire the Spirit Pond Water, the Desolate Realm must capture the entire Giant Wood Forest to have a chance.
Lin Feng observed the distance, seeming to see shadows swiftly flowing away. He remained silent, knowing that with the enemy already far away, pursuing them would only cause unnecessary trouble. Since they could avoid all the sentinels, they must be advancing stealthily.
"But with the strength of the assassin group, conquering the Giant Wood Territory is simply a pipe dream. I worry about the hundred-thousand-strong Desolate army behind them..."
Lin Feng said calmly.
Upon hearing his words, Su Liqian became uneasy.
"I must inform the Clan Leader!"
In the hall, the Clan Leader hurriedly entered, with the clan elders and leaders already seated in the hall. Lin Feng and Su Liqian stood there looking anxious, and seeing the Clan Leader arrive, Lin Feng couldn’t wait for him to sit down before urgently recounting the whole incident.
After listening to Lin Feng, the Clan Leader also showed a worried look.
The Clan Leader’s heads and elders saw his hesitation and immediately started debating among themselves.
After their discussions, most advised the Clan Leader to prepare early. However, some still remained complacent, suggesting no rash actions should be taken until the full picture was clear, fearing drawing the attention of the Desolate army and inviting trouble.
Hearing their suggestions, the matter was turned over to the elders for discussion.
Among them, an elderly woman holding a staff named Elder Yuchi, brimming with the highest authority among the elders, listened attentively.
After discussing with fellow elders, she represented the Elder Council to report to the Clan Leader:
"Clan Leader, the Elder Council has reached a consensus."
Elder Yuchi, with hands clasped and staff steady, sat upright in her chair appearing lively and attentive. Her bright eyes glanced at Lin Feng, as if feeling reluctant to speak in the presence of an outsider.
The Clan Leader hurriedly replied, "Feel free to speak."
Upon hearing the Clan Leader’s words, Elder Yuchi began without reservation:
"Yesterday we saw how formidable the fire stone launched by the enemy was."
Elder Yuchi paused intentionally to gauge the reaction of others, leading everyone to recall the scene of the blazing fire stone flying into the forest with formidable energy lighting up the sky. Each began nodding in agreement.
Someone remarked, "The fire stone last night was extraordinary, certainly the doing of the Desolate demons, intentionally using the Giant Wood Forest’s nature to amplify the stone’s energy."
"Indeed, the fire stone is not an ordinary object."
Echoing everyone’s unanimous opinion, Elder Yuchi continued, "Thus, I propose on one hand, we send someone to investigate those behind the scenes to determine their intent. On the other, we should prepare the entire clan for potential conflict."
Following Elder Yuchi’s proposal, all leaders and elders nodded in agreement. Seeing that everyone was finally in accord, the Clan Leader struck the table in approval.
"Alright, it is decided. But whom should we send to investigate, given we have no leads?"
The Clan Leader lapsed into thought, while beside him, Su Liqian, unable to contain herself, urgently addressed the Clan Leader, "Yesterday, when Brother Lin and I chased after the fire stone, we found some clues. How about letting me handle the investigation?"
The Clan Leader immediately refused, "Qian’er, do not fool around."
