Demonbreaking

For this operation, the Piten Tribe had even invited out the only fifth-tier shaman in their tribe, all to overawe the Wild Demonfolk.

"Chief Pi Teng, you can rest completely assured. The Foreign Minister has already promised that so long as you can seize control of all Oldwood Fortress, the Munk Kingdom will give you its full support in dealing with the Dark Elves."

Within the Piten Tribe, a handsome man who looked entirely different from the Wild Men, carrying an innate air of nobility, walked beside Pi Teng.

Anyone paying attention would notice that, apart from a pair of furry ears, the man also had a tail that swayed rhythmically as he walked.

This was the Fox Clan, publicly recognized among the beastfolk as a clan of sages.

They were most skilled at schemes and intrigues.

"Lord Fox, if your words can be guaranteed, then my Piten Tribe will certainly give it our all." Having received the Fox Clan chief's assurance, Pi Teng was overjoyed and resolved to seize Oldwood Fortress in his grasp.

Pi Teng led more than two thousand of the tribe's strongest men to the gates of Oldwood Fortress. Only after they announced their identities were the gates opened. Once they had all entered Oldwood Fortress, they saw a sight that made their blood run cold.

The area behind Oldwood Fortress's gates had originally been a residential district, but it had now been converted into a walled killing ground. They were trapped within it, while the walls around them were packed with Wild Demonfolk soldiers armed to the teeth.

Compared to the Piten Tribe's Wild Men, who still wore furs and carried crude weapons, the sight was terrifying beyond measure. Fox also noticed that the ballistae around the entire killing ground had begun slowly turning their muzzles toward them.

It nearly scared the piss out of him. Had the Munk Kingdom's plan been exposed?

"Tian Ye, what do you mean by this?" Pi Teng asked darkly.

"It means nothing. I am merely following the rules established by Lord Avilan. Anyone entering Oldwood Fortress, unless they are citizens of Despair Territory, must surrender all weapons before they may enter." Tian Ye wore a full suit of silver armor. The battleaxe in his hand had been specially enchanted for him by Avilan, gleaming brilliantly in his grip. Anyone with half a functioning brain could tell that this axe was no ordinary weapon.

"You're courting death!" Pi Teng flew into a rage, only to be answered by a volley from dozens of ballistae.

In that instant, even Pi Teng could scarcely believe it.

Tian Ye had actually attacked without bothering to distinguish right from wrong. Before many tribal warriors could even react, they were skewered like meat on kebab sticks.

Once the first wave of attacks passed, blood flowed like a river through the entire killing ground. The cramped space had packed everyone tightly together, and after that single volley, nearly half of the two thousand warriors had been killed or wounded. Five to six hundred Wild Men had died on the spot.

Seeing the ballistae being reloaded, Fox hurriedly raised both hands and shouted, "We obey the order! Don't attack again!"

Pi Teng's entire face had turned crimson. He wanted nothing more than to rush forward and kill Tian Ye, but in the end, he did not make a move. The old shaman beside him stopped him.

The reason was simple. If Pi Teng truly killed Tian Ye, fewer than two hundred of the Wild Men present would make it back alive. Even if they really captured Oldwood Fortress afterward, they would have no strength left to hold it.

The Wild Men tossed the weapons they had brought into the baskets Tian Ye had arranged, and the baskets were then hoisted away.

When the two large baskets of "weapons" were pulled up, the soldiers responsible for inspecting them could not help laughing at what they saw.

"You call yourselves a major tribe, yet you don't even have two decent weapons between you." The soldier did not lower his voice in the slightest. As soon as he finished speaking, a roar of laughter erupted from the walls.

Pi Teng's expression turned even uglier. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, "Can we go in now?"

"Of course." Tian Ye nodded and had someone open a small gate, just wide enough for one person to pass through.

"What do you mean by this?" Pi Teng somewhat regretted surrendering his weapons.

"It means nothing. If you want to enter, enter—but only five of you may go in. No more than that, unless you swear allegiance to Lord Avilan, the Lord of Despair." There was a trace of insolence in Tian Ye's words, making Fox nearly leap into the air.

These Wild Demonfolk were far too insane!

Had they completely abandoned their faith? This was somewhat different from what he had expected.

Shouldn't they have joyfully welcomed back their rightful orthodoxy, welcomed back faith in the War God, and accepted the illumination of the War God's divine light?

"You..." For a moment, Pi Teng did not know what to say. The old shaman beside him also wore an ugly expression.

"You have already betrayed our god." The old shaman stepped forward and spoke softly.

Though his voice was weak and feeble, it reached everyone's ears.

"Impressive. There's actually a War God shaman." Tian Ye did not care in the slightest. With a wave of his hand, the reloaded ballistae trained their main aim on the old shaman.

"I'll give you two choices: die, or surrender to the Lord of Despair."

The atmosphere became bizarre, yet the Wild Demonfolk warriors on the walls did not hesitate in the least. Many had already pulled the javelins from their backs, ready to throw at any moment.

"You planned this from the very beginning." No matter how foolish Pi Teng was, he understood now. Tian Ye had completely betrayed the War God's faith. Raising the banner of the War God Tribe had merely been a way to lure them here.

"Do you think I'll just give up like this?" Pi Teng burst into laughter as golden light began to shine from his body. It was the Light of the War God, capable of briefly enhancing combat strength. Not only Pi Teng, but the other Wild Men warriors also prayed to the War God, receiving the baptism of the Light of the War God.

Inside the gatehouse atop the walls, Avilan quietly watched everything before him, clearly sensing the power of faith stretching up into the sky.

"So this is the power of faith, the wellspring of the gods' strength." Avilan murmured unconsciously.

This operation had entirely been Zhou Yu's plan, and Avilan greatly approved of her course of action.

Crippling the largest Wild Men tribe within a thousand miles would make absorbing the remaining Wild Men simplicity itself.

While the Piten Tribe was preparing to erupt, Tian Ye directly gave the order to slaughter them.

For a time, ballistae roared and javelins streaked through the air. Everywhere the eye could see was filled with attacks.

Pi Teng roared in fury. He knew all too well that after today, the two thousand strongest men he had brought from the tribe would likely all perish here.

The old shaman floated lightly into the air, using strange movements to evade the falling attacks as he flew toward Tian Ye.

Seeing the old shaman fly toward him, Tian Ye was utterly unafraid. A savage grin even spread across his face.

He raised the battleaxe high, then sprang forward, his entire body shooting toward the old shaman like a cannonball.

The old shaman did not pay it much mind. He merely chanted a few spells, and a shield formed from the gold element appeared before him.

Clang!

The shield could not stop Tian Ye's battleaxe. It sliced through the shield with ease and came down toward the old shaman's body.

The old shaman cried out in alarm.

"Your weapon possesses demonbreaking might."

After their brief clash, the two landed back in their original positions. However, a bloody wound had appeared on the old shaman's body. If his reaction had been any slower, that axe strike would have split open his belly and spilled his guts.