Chapter 66 - 66 63 Switching Beams and Pillars Seeking Follow-up Reads_1

66: Chapter 63: Switching Beams and Pillars (Seeking Follow-up Reads)_1 66: Chapter 63: Switching Beams and Pillars (Seeking Follow-up Reads)_1 The rolling stones that came tumbling down the hillside ranged from the size of millstones to that of fists. The former were like meat grinders; anything in their path, be it a single Goblin or a pair, was reduced to an indiscernible mess of flesh and blood once crushed by these stones. The latter acted as heavy stone projectiles, breaking whatever they struck. Those unfortunate enough to be hit in the head or chest were either killed on the spot or left gasping their last breaths with no chance to recover. “Collapsing Beasts, this is the hunting ground of the Collapsing Beasts, damn it, those gnolls deliberately set us up.” Blood Claw’s face turned an ashen gray. They had been so preoccupied with their excitement that they failed to realize they had stepped into the hunting grounds of the Collapsing Beasts. Atop the hillside, the Collapsing Beasts, resembling large rounded stones, stood up one after another. Perhaps due to the large number of goblins below, they didn’t roll down with the stones to join the melee. Instead, they kept shaking the hillside, causing more rolling stones to tumble down. Whenever an area ran out of suitable stones, they swiftly changed positions. A portion of the goblins who had chosen to rush forward quickly broke out of the Collapsing Beasts’ hunting ground. S~eaʀᴄh the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But before they could celebrate their escape, countless gnolls surged out, their long spears angled threateningly at them. Behind the gnoll battle lines stood an especially thickset, tall, and muscular half-ogre who bellowed with a resonant voice, “I am Hou of the Blackwell Tribe… The Pitfall Tribe is now under our protection, and anyone daring to cross this land will be killed without exception, kill!” With the command issued, a torrent of throwing spears flew from behind the ranks of gnolls with long spears. The dozens of goblins, who could neither advance nor retreat, were impaled on the spot. Due to the considerable distance, the members of the Blood Claw Tribe couldn’t hear what the half-ogre was saying, but his actions had made their stance clear. They were definitely not friends of the Blood Claw Tribe. “Bastards, these little vermin, had already colluded with other tribes to set traps for us.” Blood Claw finally understood the situation. It was possible that the enemy’s sporadic presence ahead was meant to lure them into their trap, intentionally set for them. Blood Claw gazed at the Collapsing Beasts on the hillside, hesitating. These magic beasts were cunning; seeing that there were still numerous enemies below, they didn’t rashly charge down but remained hidden on the hillside. After all, there were plenty of goblins crushed below to feast on, so there was no hurry to come down until the enemy retreated. If Blood Claw and his forces were to charge in recklessly, these greedy creatures wouldn’t mind creating a few more rounds of rolling stones to add a few more dishes to their table. Most importantly, Blood Claw didn’t even know who his enemies were or how many gnolls were waiting for them on the other side of the valley. “Leader, we’ve driven out the Pitfall Tribe and have secured victory. There’s no need to fight an unknown war here,” a Hobgoblin at Blood Claw’s side quietly suggested. “Once we have reorganized our forces and identified the enemy sheltering the Pitfall Tribe, it won’t be too late to wage war.” The Hobgoblin spoke sensibly, and Blood Claw understood him well, yet it was difficult to swallow this indignity. However, given the circumstances, swallow he must. With a heavy wave of his hand, he gave the order, “Retreat.” The goblin pursuers had arrived quickly and made their retreat just as decisively. In a whoosh, they were gone without a trace within minutes. As for the wounded still groaning at the bottom of the valley, not even a second glance was spared, no Goblin would risk being struck by rolling stones to save these injured comrades. It wasn’t until the Goblin pursuers had retreated for half an hour that the Collapsing Beasts slid down the hillside to feed, showing no mercy to the Goblins crushed beneath the stones, stomping them to death one by one. Almost another half-hour passed when a furtive Gnoll emerged from a mountainside not far from where Blood Claw and his group had previously stayed, looking around cautiously before shouting back, “Quick, quick, quick, now’s the time, hurry through this rubble area, our tribesmen from other tribes are waiting to meet us on the other side, don’t engage these Collapsing Beasts in battle…” This sneaky Gnoll was none other than Leader Susie of the Pitfall Tribe. Before she could finish speaking, one by one, Gnolls with the same scale color as hers began to stream out from behind her, sprinting towards the other side of the valley. The partially sated Collapsing Beasts were startled, their feelers and long necks shooting upright as they instinctively climbed up the sides of the hill, avoiding close combat if not necessary, no matter how much weaker their opponents appeared. As the Pitfall Tribe took action, the Gnolls on the other side of the valley emerged once more, charging towards the Collapsing Beasts with Half-Ogre Roar leading the charge, “Where do you think you’re going? Get caught in my net!” The Half-Ogre, with his long legs and large strides, leapt several times and appeared in front of a Collapsing Beast, casting a huge fishing net over it. The Collapsing Beast used its eight sharp claws to bounce back sharply, displaying a level of agility that belied its bulky frame. But Half-Ogre Roar was not alone in battle, countless Blackwell Gnolls followed him, jointly casting their large fishing nets over it. It dodged the first net and avoided the second, but couldn’t escape the third, which snared it tightly. The eight crab-like claws kept stabbing furiously, but it was futile against a net full of holes; the net only got tighter the more it struggled, restricting the beast’s abilities. The desperate Collapsing Beast began to run toward the slopes, its most familiar territory, dragging along several Gnolls who stubbornly clung to the rope and refused to let go. “Let me handle this,” Half-Ogre Roar said, stepping forward with big strides to take the rope from a few Gnolls’ hands, planting his feet firmly and yanking it backward with all his might, significantly slowing down the beast’s frenzied charge. More Blackwell Gnolls surged forward, some pulling on the net, others casting their own. In the blink of an eye, the Collapsing Beast was overwhelmed by nets, covered inside and out with at least three layers of entanglement, which only tightened the more it struggled, leaving it with decreasing strength to fight back. “Turn it over,” commanded Half-Ogre Roar, his muscles bulging as he shouted and flipped the Collapsing Beast onto the ground, then hauled it back as he sprinted away, shouting, “Retreat, retreat, retreat!” The remaining Blackwell Gnolls threw their nets at the nearest Collapsing Beasts, not caring if they hit their targets or not, and then they all turned and ran. The two largest Collapsing Beasts, flinging their eight long crab-like legs, pursued them, while the other three smaller ones, having extricated themselves from the nets, instinctively ran up the slopes. But by the time they reached the slope, not only had the Blackwell Gnolls completely retreated, even the Pitfall Tribe’s Gnolls had all successfully passed through their hunting grounds. The two larger Collapsing Beasts only chased up to the edge of the hunting grounds before halting. This caused Gaven, who was ready and waiting, to smack his lips in disappointment; if they had dared to come out, he wouldn’t have minded capturing another one. Gaven approached the troops of the Pitfall Tribe, commending the last one through the hunting zone, “Congratulations, Leader Susie, you’ve brilliantly completed the retreat mission, bringing your tribesmen to safety. We’ll take it from here.” “From now on, there is no Leader Susie, only a Susie willing to serve you loyally.” It was not until that moment that Susie’s tense nerves finally relaxed, as she bowed deeply and sincerely to Gaven, “Our tribe’s safe escape depended entirely on your cunning strategy…”