Chapter 300: Elephant-Head Statue

Under Rudolf’s guidance, they followed the underground river forward.

After walking about ten minutes, faint visible light appeared in the previously dark cavern.

The light emanated from some kind of moss.

A single strand emitted little glow, but when accumulated in sufficient quantity, the brightness became considerable.

The tribe of the Mili people was covered by these faint-glowing mosses, dispelling the thick, persistent darkness of the cavern.

Far off, Chu Danqing saw an ancient Mili elder priest chanting loudly at the center of the tribe.

Beside the old Mili priest stood a Mili warrior, about one meter two tall, with explosive muscles.

He wore crude armor and wielded an exaggerated stone hammer.

Chu Danqing’s gaze, however, was not on the Mili priest or the Mili leader, but on the statue enshrined at the tribe’s center.

The statue depicted a closed-eyed elephant-headed figure; its stone material was unidentifiable.

“William, with so many Mili people, how do you plan to save them?” Rudolf asked nervously.

Unlike Chu Danqing, his eyes fixed on the Mili people bowing in ritual worship.

Their number was no less than a hundred.

Seeing this number made his scalp tingle—he knew full well that if they charged en masse, death was certain.

Chu Danqing was considering how to handle them.

According to his calculations, Da Gu’s Bei Hui Feng had a high probability of instantly killing either the old Mili priest or the Mili leader, then wiping out all Mili people with area damage.

But only one of the two Mili could be killed; the rest would have to be dealt with by the Pure Yang Celestial General.

As for the female lawyers, no concern was needed—they were on the platform, and as long as the area was controlled, they wouldn’t be affected.

Summon Guo Ming directly?

He immediately dismissed the idea.

The Garden did reimburse expenses, but the elephant-headed statue gave him a bad feeling.

Especially since the white-furred monster had previously warned him to be wary of elephants.

This wasn’t just an elephant—it was an elephant head plus a statue.

So without doubt, the problem lay with this statue.

It was extremely likely connected to a deity.

His goal wasn’t to annihilate the entire Mili tribe, but to rescue people—so there were many viable options.

“Rudolf, leave this cavern first and wait for me,” Chu Danqing said, knowing Rudolf was merely a liability; since he’d already guided them here, there was no need for him to stay.

He could wait outside.

But before Chu Danqing finished speaking, Rudolf said: “Hey, William, I’m not a coward.”

The words sounded confident, but Chu Danqing instantly saw the real reason he wouldn’t leave—he was afraid to go alone.

“Fine, then hide yourself well. What comes next will be very chaotic,” Chu Danqing said.

“No problem—I won’t interfere with you at all, William,” Rudolf replied, immediately moving to find cover.

It might not fool the Mili, but it offered some peace of mind.

Da Gu began chanting; his voice drifted slowly, drawing the attention of the old Mili priest and the Mili leader.

The old Mili priest glanced once, then resumed his ritual; the Mili leader, however, sneered, dragging his stone hammer toward Chu Danqing.

“Ee!” The childish voice carried cruelty as the Mili leader raised his massive hammer and leapt high, slamming it down at Chu Danqing.

Da Bao, seeing this, moved to intercept—but the Pure Yang Celestial General pulled him back.

BOOM!!

A massive sound erupted, accompanied by a tremendous shockwave.

The Pure Yang Celestial General blocked the Mili leader’s stone hammer with his heavy shield, his body shoved backward nearly ten centimeters, leaving a groove in the ground.

From the point of impact, a dense web of cracks spread across the shield.

With golden light and immense force, the Pure Yang Celestial General’s heavy sword slashed mercilessly toward the Mili leader’s skull.

The Mili leader, having exhausted his momentum and lacking new power, was struck squarely.

Yet the sword’s edge failed to sever his neck entirely—it became lodged in his spine.

At that moment, the Mili leader landed, regaining his footing and leverage.

Without regard for his neck still impaled by the sword, he kicked off with one foot, slamming his heel into the Pure Yang Celestial General’s shield.

The kick shattered the shield entirely, and the recoil sent the Pure Yang Celestial General stumbling backward.

Chu Danqing stared in shock—this act was equivalent to dragging the sword across his own neck again.

With the sword no longer blocking, blood gushed violently from the Mili leader’s severed neck, a horrifying sight.

Yet he did not die; thick, writhing flesh buds crawled and regenerated at the wound.

The regeneration was slow—Chu Danqing estimated full recovery would take about a day.

More importantly, the wound had no effect on the Mili leader’s combat ability.

“You are the strongest human knight I have ever seen,” the Mili leader spoke, using fluent Federal language.

Rudolf, hiding nearby, heard this and poked his head out to look.

He was drawn by the term “knight.”

While wizards carried negative connotations in the Jin Xiong Ying Federation, knights were entirely positive.

Though puzzled, he didn’t dwell on it—he assumed nobles were nobles: incantations, knightly protection, no wonder they could afford such a large sum to hire them.

After one glance, seeing the Mili leader’s appearance, he shrank back into hiding.

The Pure Yang Celestial General remained silent, discarded his shattered shield, and gripped his sword with both hands.

He launched an attack without a word.

The Mili leader didn’t care that the Celestial General didn’t respond—he swung his hammer forward.

Their battle reignited, shifting from offense-defense to mutual assault, expanding the affected area by more than several times.

Chu Danqing had to retreat to avoid the chaos.

As the Pure Yang Celestial General attacked, percentage-based effects requiring repeated strikes began accumulating, further increasing attack power and speed.

It also triggered the Spirit Princess Ring’s battle cry, plunging the Pure Yang Celestial General into a ten-second frenzy, giving him the upper hand and suppressing the Mili leader.

Until Da Gu’s chant ended—Bei Hui Feng targeted the old Mili priest.

At that moment, the Mili leader’s expression changed drastically; though he didn’t know what Bei Hui Feng was, he sensed its terrifying power.

Judging its trajectory, it would surely strike the old Mili priest.

With the priest’s frail physique, even if he didn’t die instantly, he’d be mortally wounded and live only moments longer.

He wanted to break away—but he was at a disadvantage.

Had he held the upper hand, escaping would’ve been easy; as it was, the Pure Yang Celestial General stepped forward and yanked him back.

The Mili leader could only watch helplessly as Bei Hui Feng passed through his defense, struck the center of the tribe, and hit the old Mili priest.

“You vile human!!” The Mili leader turned to Chu Danqing and roared.

But Chu Danqing ignored him entirely, his eyes locked on the old Mili priest.

Bei Hui Feng erupted—the old Mili priest’s body shattered instantly, blood spraying everywhere.

Yet he did not die; his tenacious vitality sustained his life.

The area attack activated, engulfing all Mili people in worship.

These worshippers differed from the Mili who had pursued the lawyers—they were civilians, not warriors.

Thus, far weaker, they died instantly, utterly.

Seeing this, the Mili leader froze for a moment—the death of his tribe members struck him hard.

Though stunned, the Pure Yang Celestial General showed no mercy—he swung his heavy sword straight down on the Mili leader’s forehead.

The blade didn’t split him in two—it lodged in his skull, unable to penetrate further.

Then, the Bei Hui Feng’s chain effect triggered—a second round of single-target and area damage erupted.

The already dying old Mili priest died instantly.

Chu Danqing wasn’t surprised by the annihilation of the entire Mili tribe; what he truly feared was the elephant-headed statue.

But now, even after wiping out the entire tribe, the statue showed no reaction—this was strange.

Fortunately, it remained silent—Chu Danqing had already planned ahead.

Da Bao, idle until Bei Hui Feng activated, had received Chu Danqing’s order and rushed straight to the platform, rescuing the three female lawyers.

“Run!” Chu Danqing, seeing this, turned and fled without hesitation.

Rudolf, hiding nearby, peeked out. Though he didn’t understand why Chu Danqing was running, he was smart—he knew not to ask questions now, only to obey.

Da Bao returned quickly, grabbed Chu Danqing and Rudolf in one motion, and raced toward the cavern entrance without looking back.

“Great Feeder, your humble creation shall once again offer flesh as sustenance.”

“Grant me mighty power to punish the vile humans who desecrated the ritual!!” The Mili leader pressed his hand against the heavy sword, forcibly wrenching it free.

As he spoke, his crude armor cracked open, revealing a massive spiral wound on his chest.

The wound exposed his pulsing internal organs, clearly visible.

CRACK!

The Pure Yang Celestial General’s heavy sword shattered, piece by piece, crushed in the Mili leader’s grip.

His power had undergone a cataclysmic transformation—utterly different from before.

Meanwhile, the elephant-headed statue had quietly opened its eyes.

(End of Chapter)