Chapter Fourteen: The Approaching Beast Army

"Zhou Tian, the big guy isn’t fun at all. Tell us another story!" The little white tigers were clearly intimidated by the stern-faced elf maiden; whenever she was nearby, they behaved like perfect angels. But as soon as the elf maiden departed, their true nature burst forth instantly.

Despite the ancient war tree, named Mu Zhan, displaying a ferocious demeanor, the little white tigers seemed to know that he wouldn’t dare do anything to them. Once the elf maiden was gone, they immediately began romping all over Mu Zhan. For the war tree, scolding or hitting them wasn’t an option—he was utterly helpless. In the end, he simply ignored them, letting them play as they wished. Yet, unexpectedly, his indifference soon dulled their enthusiasm, and they abandoned Mu Zhan, turning their attention to Zhou Tian.

Naturally, Zhou Tian did not agree to their request.

He didn’t tell stories out of any particular fondness for entertaining the white tigers; his motivation was simple—he hoped to obtain magic cores from them. If he could get magic cores, Zhou Tian would have gladly spun tales for hours. But these little white tigers were not like the adult ones. Grown white tigers possessed the strength to hunt other magical beasts and had collected plenty of magic cores. The cubs, no matter how gifted, could not possibly have much strength before reaching maturity, and so, unsurprisingly, they had no magic cores at all.

Without any benefit, Zhou Tian saw no reason to comply. After casually making up an excuse, he turned down their request.

Fortunately, the little white tigers were simple-hearted and had no inkling of Zhou Tian’s true intentions. Moreover, Anna, the white tiger princess—Zhou Tian’s only real concern—remained at her mother’s side. Though Zhou Tian refused their plea, none of the cubs made a fuss about it.

So, in this way, as Zhou Tian languished in boredom—occasionally even telling stories for free—the days passed quickly. He didn’t remember how many had gone by, but one day, stationed at the rear of the elven encampment, Zhou Tian noticed the war trees ahead rising one by one from the earth.

"Roar, roar! The army is finally on the move! As a warrior of the treant clan, Mu Zhan is finally free from babysitting duties. I want to fight, I want to—" Over his time with the white tigers, Mu Zhan had grown increasingly frustrated. Now, seeing the elven army mobilize, he assumed he could finally join the battle and immediately let out an excited roar.

But before Mu Zhan could finish, the elf maiden who had led Zhou Tian and the others to him interrupted harshly, "Mu Zhan, Commander Bella orders you to guard this strategic position and protect the white tiger cubs."

"What?" Mu Zhan could hardly believe it. Instinctively, he began to protest.

Yet she gave him no chance to refuse. Before he could object, the elf maiden reached into her robe and withdrew a command token.

"Mu Zhan, do you intend to disobey a military order?"

"Never!" Though Mu Zhan was eager for battle, rebellion was out of the question. Faced with the command token, he wore a look of bitter resignation but ultimately ceased his attempts to leave.

"Hmph, as long as you don’t dare," the elf maiden replied, as if she bore some personal grudge against Mu Zhan. She only relaxed her intimidating demeanor once Mu Zhan acquiesced.

"The army is advancing. Though we’re in the rear, we must still guard against enemy raids. I’ll take other warriors to patrol the perimeter; the defense of this area is yours. Remember, these cubs are the future of the white tiger clan—our long-standing allies. You must ensure their safety."

"Understood." Despite his irritation at her high-handed tone, the command token left Mu Zhan no choice. Though his heart was disgruntled, he accepted the task, albeit reluctantly.

Mu Zhan was an oddity among the treants. While most of his kin were gentle by nature, he was fiercely combative. Yet one thing remained unchanged: as a treant, Mu Zhan was utterly dependable. Once he accepted the order to protect the white tiger cubs, his thoughts lingered on the front lines, but he still dutifully watched over the cubs every day, keeping them out of trouble and harm.

To Zhou Tian, Mu Zhan’s vigilance seemed unnecessary. With the battle raging ahead, and given the combined might of the Elven Empire and the Snow Empire, the Beastman Empire was likely surrounded and isolated. In such circumstances, the beastmen’s ability to resist the elves and humans was in question, let alone their capacity to threaten those in the rear.

In theory, Zhou Tian’s reasoning was sound. With overwhelming force, it was rare for enemies to sneak into the rear. Yet, nothing is ever absolute. Even on Earth, unexpected tactics or ‘special forces’ often turned the tide. This otherworld was filled with countless mysterious abilities. While beastmen lacked the strategic acumen of elves or humans, a vast empire still produced the occasional genius. If someone dared to attempt a surprise attack, Zhou Tian knew they were not entirely safe.

Indeed, without realizing it, Zhou Tian and his companions had already attracted the attention of a group of enemies.

Roughly a hundred miles from Zhou Tian’s position, a force of over a thousand quietly camped within a mountain forest. Employing some special means, the animals passing through the area failed to notice these ‘outsiders.’

No one knew how long the force had been camped there, nor how much longer they intended to stay. If not for the faint rise and fall of their chests, outsiders might have mistaken them for corpses.

Within the hush, a sudden cry echoed from the sky—a giant eagle, wings spanning nearly two meters, swooped down to perch on the shoulder of an eagle-man at the front of the group.

"Captain, everything is just as Grand Shaman said. The white tiger clan has indeed brought their cubs. The elven army has moved out; only a few hundred elves and a war tree remain behind. Now is the time to act." After conferring with the eagle, the eagle-man reported the situation to the leader, a lion-man.

"Ha!" The lion-man exhaled, excitedly licking his lips, and laughed, "The white tiger clan, being one of the elves’ mightiest magical beast allies, has always been our greatest foe. Many of our kin die at their hands each year. Now, with such an opportunity, what are we waiting for? If we slaughter all their cubs, the elven army ahead will be thrown into chaos. Once their ranks are in disarray, our commander will surely defeat them. This mission may well cost us our lives, but as warriors of the beastmen, are you afraid?"

"Never! Never!" The soldiers knew from the start that this mission was a near-certain death, but having come this far, none would turn back. Fired up by their leader’s words, they let out a chorus of roars.

As startled birds scattered from the trees, the lion-man swept his gaze toward Zhou Tian’s position and issued his order: "Move out!"

"Kill—ah!" With their intelligence confirmed and preparations complete, the beastmen, led by their lion-man captain, no longer concealed their movements. Mounted on their blood kin, they charged toward Zhou Tian and his companions, their bloodlust unleashed…