Chapter 30: The Power of the Serpent Basin Unleashed

A faint whistle sliced through the tranquil night, and a dark shadow flashed past. The orc stationed on the perimeter let out a muffled groan before collapsing limply to the ground. Witnessing their comrade’s sudden fall, several nearby orcs instantly prepared to raise the alarm. Yet before they could act, a series of sharp sounds echoed in the darkness, and the entire group of sentries dropped to the earth, lifeless.

“Go!” At that precise moment, as the elves dispatched the orc sentries, Zhou Tian, not far off, issued the command without hesitation. At his word, both Zhou Tian and the elves surged toward the orc encampment in the first instant.

Initially, thanks to the elves’ swift elimination of the outer sentries, the orcs remained oblivious to Zhou Tian’s assault when the breakout began. It was only when they penetrated deeper into the orc camp and one elf was inadvertently spotted by a patrolling orc that their presence was exposed.

“Help! The elves are trying to break out!” With a bellow, the once-quiet camp erupted into chaos.

“Get up—quickly, get up!”

“The elves are breaking out—why aren’t you up yet?”

A flurry of similar shouts followed. The orcs, not yet fully roused from sleep, hastily dressed and woke their companions, scrambling from their tents without a moment to spare.

Given the circumstances, Zhou Tian and his group hoped to slip quietly through the camp, but under the intense search of so many orcs, evasion became impossible.

When only a few dozen meters separated them from escaping the camp, their path was finally blocked by a mass of orcs. Panic swept through the elves. If they were surrounded in the enemy camp, not only would their breakout fail, but even retreating unscathed seemed impossible. Faced with such peril, terror gripped the elves.

Zhou Tian was equally anxious, but he knew he must not display his emotions. At this critical moment, he was the pillar of the group; if he faltered, the resolve of the team would crumble. Their chances of survival were slim, and if morale broke, escaping the orc blockade would become all but impossible.

Thus, despite his urgency, Zhou Tian forced himself to maintain an expression of calm. He surveyed the surroundings, noticing more orcs rushing in from afar. His heart tightened; he dared not waste a second longer. Gritting his teeth, he ordered, “Ignore them—break through by force!”

In single combat, elves could easily best orcs, but in direct confrontation, their defeat became likely. What’s more, the orcs held an overwhelming numerical advantage. If external factors weren’t considered, Zhou Tian’s order was nearly tantamount to sending the elves to their deaths.

Under normal circumstances, the elves would recognize the risk in Zhou Tian’s command and, with their lives at stake, might hesitate. Yet panic had long seized them; Zhou Tian’s command triggered an instinctive obedience, and they gave no thought to what it truly meant for them.

In truth, as the elves followed Zhou Tian and charged at the orcs ahead, the orcs regarded them as fools. From any perspective, Zhou Tian’s party lacked the strength to break through. This reckless assault seemed only to be delivering themselves into the enemy’s hands.

But was Zhou Tian truly throwing himself into a trap? That was impossible. Out of fear for his own life and not being considered a direct target by the orcs, Zhou Tian had chosen to ally himself with the elves for the breakout. Even now, encircled by the orcs, he would never risk anything so perilous.

As they drew closer to the blockade, on the verge of colliding with the orc line, Zhou Tian opened his mouth slightly. A tiny basin shot from his lips.

Under the incredulous gaze of the orcs, the miniature basin grew larger and larger, expanding to a diameter of two or three meters before Zhou Tian’s group even made physical contact with the orcs.

Of course, if this were all, the orcs would merely be surprised, but Zhou Tian and his companions would not break through for that reason alone. What Zhou Tian had released was his sole magical artifact, the Serpent Basin. As his greatest reliance at that moment, its power was far more than a spectacle.

Just as Zhou Tian’s party was about to reach the orcs, countless venomous snakes erupted from the Serpent Basin, flying ahead to engage the orcs before Zhou Tian’s group could even reach them.

It was too sudden. Although the basin’s initial appearance had startled the orcs, since it hadn’t attacked, they didn’t anticipate any threat. While spatial artifacts existed in this world, none had yet been crafted to contain living creatures as Zhou Tian’s did. With no expectation that the basin housed life, the orcs were utterly unprepared for the swarm of snakes.

Caught off guard, the orcs before Zhou Tian were quickly entangled by the venomous snakes. Amid agonized screams, they had no chance to retaliate and were wholly consumed by the serpents. The snakes’ venom swiftly silenced them.

The abrupt shift terrified the orcs, and after witnessing the Serpent Basin’s devastating power, fear colored their gazes toward it.

With the orcs stunned by the artifact’s might, Zhou Tian and his party seized the perfect moment to escape. Zhou Tian took full advantage, rushing through the throng of serpents and breaking free from the orc encirclement. Yet...