Chapter 4: Deception (Part 1)

Qi Nanshan was amazed. He said, “Twelve, how did you come up with this? Hehe, once we return to the Northern Talisman Gate, make dozens more of these talisman javelins for me. Using them to kill talisman beasts or wildmen would be perfect.”
Guo Twelve whispered, “Everyone, be careful.”
“Grandpa Nanshan, wait until my master and I take action, then immediately shoot the talisman javelins…” He drew the outline of a mutated mammoth on the ground with a branch and pointed at it. “Grandpa Nanshan, shoot your javelins at these areas—its neck, eyes, and belly. The others, focus your attacks on its belly; it’s the biggest target and should be easy to hit.”
Qi Nanshan said, “I’m not entirely sure. I can only give it a try… It’s a shame we can’t test with just one javelin.”
Guo Twelve said, “Master, I’ll use the Sword Talisman, and you use the Thorny Sky Wheel. Everyone, pay attention—once my master and I attack, shoot the talisman javelins right away. Uncle Tan, release the Snow Talisman Wolves immediately, then we all run eastward… Oh, and remember to carry us on your back, or we’re done for.”
The group chuckled lightly.
Guo Twelve and Luo Jie crept forward about ten meters before suddenly standing up. Two golden lines shot from Guo Twelve’s eyes, merging into one that soared straight into the air. He couldn’t get any closer to the mutated mammoth; from such a distance, the power of the Sword Talisman was greatly diminished.
Luo Jie spat out his life talisman book and tapped the pages three times before shouting, “Attack!”
Three Thorny Sky Wheels flew out, growing larger as they moved, turning into massive glowing wheels that slashed through the air with a howling sound.
Guo Twelve raised the Sword Talisman blade high into the sky, concentrating it into a golden line that plummeted swiftly, like a falling star or a thunderbolt.
The mutated mammoth suddenly opened its eyes, roaring in panic at the impending threat.
The descending Sword Talisman blade struck first, tearing a bloody wound in the mammoth’s back. Guo Twelve immediately realized something was wrong—the blade lost its strength less than half a meter in.
The mutated mammoth sprang to its feet, and the Thorny Sky Wheels swung down at it.
Qi Nanshan shouted loudly, raised his arms repeatedly, and fired three talisman javelins. Soon after, several other great talisman warriors also shot theirs.
The javelins whistled as they sliced through the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three Thorny Sky Wheel slashes were delivered at the mutated mammoth, causing it to let out a deafening roar. Its eyes turned blood red as it stared intently at Luo Jie’s team. Guo Shier didn’t hesitate and shouted, “Run!” Eagle Demon immediately grabbed Guo Shier and threw him onto his back before speeding away.

Out of the seven magic javelins launched, only two hit their targets. After all, the distance was too great, and the javelins took too long to fly. By the time they reached the mutated mammoth, the beast was already on guard. With a swat of its trunk, it sent two javelins flying. With an angry roar, the mutated mammoth charged forward at full speed.

On Eagle Demon’s back, Guo Shier shouted, “Tan Laoxi! Release your Snow Symbol Wolves! Uncle Luo Jing! If he doesn’t release them now, throw him out!”

Luo Jing roared, “Okay!”

Tan Laoxi was terrified and kept saying, “I’ll release them! I’ll release them… Don’t leave me behind!” He frantically summoned the Snow Symbol Wolves. Then Guo Shier ordered, “Use your Snow Symbol Wolves to lure the mutated mammoth!”

Tan Laoxi thought to himself, “Do I still need to use the Snow Symbol Wolves to lure it? That mutated mammoth is already charging like crazy.”

Guo Shier urged, “Run! Hurry up! Damn… This beast is too strong; it only got a slight scratch!”

A group of Snow Symbol Wolves formed from spirits ran closely behind the group. Guo Shier snapped, “Tan Laoxi, you idiot! Use your Snow Symbol Wolves to distract the mammoth!”

Tan Laoxi was on the verge of crying. He said, “That’s just asking for death!”

Guo Shier cursed, “Idiot! I told you to use the Snow Symbol Wolves to distract it, not to risk their lives… to slow down the mammoth!”

Despite their extreme tension, everyone couldn’t help but laugh at Guo Shier’s scolding. A master beast mage, completely helpless under a child’s insults.

The mutated mammoth’s footsteps were thunderous and terrifying. When it ran at full speed, its velocity exceeded everyone’s expectations. Even tall trees couldn’t slow it down. Trees as thick as buckets were shattered by its impact, as if they were made of flour.

In just a dozen steps, it covered hundreds of meters.

Tan Laoxi ordered the Snow Symbol Wolves to attack, but the mammoth crushed one with a single foot and used its trunk to fling another hard against the ground. The Snow Symbol Wolves couldn’t stop it at all; the mammoth charged like an armored train.

Tan Laoxi was going crazy. After struggling to gather a dozen Snow Symbol Wolves, he lost two the moment they came into contact with the mammoth. He cursed in frustration.

Guo Shier shouted, “We’ve entered the trap zone! Be careful where you step—hurry! Hurry!”
Qi Nanshan was the fastest. Carrying Luo Jie on his back, he rushed through the trap zone at high speed, with everyone else also running frantically.
It was the mutated mammoth’s turn to suffer. As soon as it stepped into the trap zone, it stepped on a trap—its huge foot fell into it, and the spear hidden in the trap pierced deep into its foot. Due to its extreme speed, it couldn’t steady itself immediately, and its foot kicked out violently, sending its massive body flying.
Like a derailled train, it created a loud roar, breaking all the trees in its path and leaving a huge trench hundreds of meters long on the ground. As a result, all the traps in the zone became ineffective.
Guo Shier exclaimed, “Great! It worked! Don’t stop—keep running!”
The mutated mammoth roared wildly, struggling to get back on its feet and continue chasing them. But whenever it stepped down forcefully, the spear still embedded in its foot—only the tip visible—penetrated even deeper into its swollen foot.
Roar…
The mutated mammoth screamed in pain, ignoring the agony in its foot and trying to run again. However, this slowed its pursuit significantly.
Guo Shier said, “Its speed has slowed down! Haha, let’s go!”
The mutated mammoth’s running speed was truly astonishing; no one could outrun it. Fortunately, the traps had worked, slowing it down, so everyone no longer had to run at full speed. If they continued like that, they would soon be exhausted.
Tan Laoxi cursed while using Snow Symbol Wolves to lure the mutated mammoth.
Qi Nanshan suddenly stopped and shouted, “Left!” Carrying Luo Jie, he rushed left, and the others followed without asking why. At that moment, countless flames flew at them like a rain of fire. Soon after, there was a series of thudding sounds—the vibration from the strings of symbol bows—as several arrows flashed by and struck the surrounding tree trunks.
Guo Shier was shocked and cried, “What the hell is that?”
Qi Nanshan yelled, “There’s an ambush!”
Guo Shier exclaimed in alarm, “How is that possible? Tan Laoxi, send a few Snow Symbol Wolves over… tie them up. I know you still have a few left—hurry! Send them to fight the mammoth!”
Tan Laoxi was helpless. Guo Shier had him in his grip; if he refused, Luo Jing would throw him out. Landing here, with his abilities, how could he possibly outrun the mammoth? He had no choice but to send a few Snow Symbol Wolves rushing over.

Ambushing in the jungle were Hu Feng’s men. Actually, they weren’t really in ambush—they had just arrived there and didn’t even realize those rushing toward them were their enemies.
Tan Laoxi agreed verbally but only ordered the Snow Talisman Wolves to wander around the dense forest, without sending them to charge forward.
In a secret realm, especially in such a dangerous place, it was essential to strike first. Fortunately, Qi Nanshan had grown much stronger after advancing, and his senses were much sharper than before, allowing him to detect someone’s presence immediately. But with mutated mammoths chasing behind, he wasn’t foolish enough to stop and fight.
Hu Feng quickly sensed something was wrong. He asked, “Lao Du, who was that just now?”
Kuangfeng Lao Du replied, “I don’t know. Who cares who it is? Just kill them first! With so many masters here, who would dare fight us?”
Kuangfeng Lao Xie suddenly said, “Hm? What’s that sound?”
The running sound of the mutated mammoths was earth-shattering; the ground trembled, and any trees in its path were crushed to pieces. Its huge feet stomped on the ground, each step sounding like a pile driver.
Hu Feng said, “Guangheng, go investigate!”
Xu Guangheng responded and disappeared into the forest with a few leaps.
In less than a minute, he rushed back, stammering, “Lao… lao… boss… hurry… run…”
Hu Feng snapped, “What’s the rush? Stop! Speak clearly!”
Xu Guangheng was terrified and sweating profusely. He had to stop and said, “Giant… giant creatures… we can’t…”
Before he could finish, the figure of the mutated mammoth emerged from the dense forest. The trees in its path scattered like shredded paper. Its blood-red eyes stared at Hu Feng and the others, radiating a brutal aura.
Hu Feng’s legs turned to jelly in fear as he cursed, “Damn it!”
Kuangfeng Lao Du remained relatively calm. He shouted, “Lao Xie!”
Kuangfeng Lao Xie grabbed him under his arms, said nothing, and turned to run wildly. Kuangfeng Lao Guai suddenly acted—slapping Xu Guangheng on the back with one hand and Hu Feng on the other—before also turning to run. His intention wasn’t to kill them but to prevent Hu Feng and the others from escaping in time. With these people around, they could buy some time, which would be enough for them to flee.
Although Hu Feng was also a cunning man, his ability to adapt was far inferior to that of the Kuangfeng brothers, who had spent years in the grasslands. Caught off guard by this move, he let out an angry roar.
Ah!
The mutated mammoth had finally found an outlet for its fury and charged forward like a tank.
…

“Stop! Stop!” Guo Shier shouted.
Luo Jie asked, “Stop? Why?”
Guo Shier said, “There’s no sound behind us anymore…”
Everyone stopped and pricked up their ears. Soon, they heard faint vibrations in the distance. Qi Nan Shan said, “I get it. That mutated mammoth has fought against those who attacked us… Strange. I don’t know who they are, but they attacked us.”