Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 203 [Reunion with an Old Friend]

Chapter 197 [Reunion with an Old Friend]

The Beast Clan's sled team reacted quickly. With a series of urgent whistles, the Beast Clan warriors roared with all their might, and soon the outer sleds were pulled, quickly circling in place, until more than ten sleds were positioned horizontally on the outside, forming a semi-circular arc.

As the Thunder Beast cavalry charged, the warriors of the Beast Clan jumped off their sleds and gathered behind the chariot formation.

Soon, with a whoosh, the charging Thunder Beast cavalry scattered, and the human warriors on horseback unleashed a volley of arrows.

This wave of harvesting was not very successful. The dense rain of arrows was blocked by the sleds, and only a few unlucky ones were hit by the occasional arrow that slipped through the gaps.

After several screams, the ferocious beast tribe had only injured five or six people.

The Thunder Beast's charge had already reached within a hundred meters of the chariot formation!

A hundred meters can be covered in an instant!

As the leading Thunder Beast, controlled by its rider, leaps into the air, its massive body clearing the sled that serves as an obstacle, the rider separates the horse from its rider, while another knight, acting as a warrior, brandishes a long sword!

The downward slash severed the heads of seven or eight of the beastmen warriors hiding behind the sled!

Then, the Thunder Beasts that rushed up next, with their thick bodies, forcefully smashed the sled open—not intentionally, but because the distance was too close and there was no time to jump and dodge.

The roar of the sled breaking apart was mixed with the low growl of the wounded Thunder Beast and the sound of the rider falling off his horse...

The battlefield is in complete chaos!
The first row of sleds was scattered, and the human cavalry lost five or six Thunder Beasts. Some of them fell to the ground and pinned down the riders, causing them to scream in agony.

Even more terrifying was the Thunder Beast, whose hooves had been broken, lying on the ground struggling to separate.

Blood is spurting!
The warriors of the Beast Clan swarmed out from behind the sleds, brandishing axes like spring-loaded monsters. Relying on their powerful physiques, they leaped high into the air and pounced on the backs of the Thunder Beasts. Some of the fiercer ones even grabbed the knights and rolled to the ground, followed by a bloodthirsty tearing and ripping!

A blade plunges into a neck, an axe cleaves open a skull, and a horse's hooves trample a person into a bloody pulp...

Roars and screams rose and fell!

After a wave of human cavalry charges, the chariot formation was completely shattered, and the human cavalry quickly broke through, with a large group of Thunder Beasts roaring as they charged out from behind the Beast Clan's formation.

The battlefield was in chaos, with dozens of human and beast-like corpses lying scattered on the ground.

In one wave of attack, the number of ferocious beastmen was reduced by about 30%. The Thunder Beast cavalry that rushed out of the battlefield simply ran away at high speed, while the riders on horseback kept turning around to fire cold arrows, continuing to reap the heads of the ferocious beastmen.

After the cavalrymen ran far away, they seemed to plunge headlong into the depths of the snowfield.

But they wouldn't run far. Both the ferocious beastmen and Chen Yan, who was observing from the shadows, knew very well that they were just running to a distance to turn around, line up again, and then launch the next wave of attacks.

Although the Beastmen were rough and savage, they also had extensive experience fighting against human cavalry. Taking advantage of the lull, the whistles sounded again, and the remaining Beastmen roared with red eyes. Ignoring the need to drive away their prey, they used their powerful bodies to move the sleds over and rearrange them into a new formation.

Soon, the mournful sound of horns echoed once again through the snow-covered plains!

The human Thunderbeast cavalry launched a second wave of attack!

This time, they started firing arrows from a distance, while the ferocious beastmen hid under the wreckage of the sleds. After a volley of arrows, three or five ferocious beastmen fell, but as the arrow rain stopped, the ferocious beastmen jumped up from behind their cover without fear of death and moved toward the first line of sleds!
Another charge by the cavalry!
This time, it was almost a repeat of the first wave of the charge. After the human cavalry paid the price of four Thunder Beasts, the chariot formation was broken again. A large group of Thunder Beast cavalry rushed into the battlefield, and the knights on horseback brandished their long swords!

The battlefield is a place where lives are exchanged!
Chen Yan had actually figured it out: the leader of the human cavalry was using a calculated casualty ratio to exchange lives.

During the charge, how many lives are lost to rebuild the siege formation—and how many lives can be harvested after the charge?

It's just a calculated swap!

The second wave of attacks also succeeded in breaking through, but even more corpses were left on the battlefield!
There were also those who were seriously injured but had not died yet, lying on the ground howling in pain, and were quickly finished off by the ferocious beastmen who came over—whether they were their own people or enemies!

The second wave of attacks inflicted even greater casualties on the Beast Clan. Chen Yan realized that the number of Beast Clan members had dwindled to less than 30%, and almost everyone was wounded!

However, this time, the Thunder Beast cavalry that charged into the snowfield went even further...

Chen Yan made a quick judgment in his mind—they probably won't come back.

In fact, Chen Yan had made a guess from the very beginning of the battle.

This Thunder Beast cavalry unit couldn't handle this group of ferocious beastmen!

Although the Thunder Beast Cavalry's charge looked fierce, the momentum, which was accompanied by swirling winds and snowflakes, mainly relied on the added advantage of the mounts' running speed, as well as the Thunder Beasts' massive size and the visual effect of their six hooves stomping.

This cavalry unit actually consisted of only about twenty riders.

The first wave of charges was an encounter battle. After two charges, the human cavalry should have figured out the enemy's numbers and made a judgment—they couldn't take them down!

Or rather, forcing oneself to take it would come at too high a price.

After two waves of attacks inflicted 70% casualties on the ferocious beastmen, this result was fortunate enough.

Moreover, the human race's Thunder Beast cavalry also suffered considerable losses, approximately 50%, and the dozen or so survivors were all wounded.

If they were to force a third wave of attack at this point, it would be as if the commander had lost his mind.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense would make the more cost-effective choice.

For example... first run away, gather your strength, and then look for an opportunity to attack.

In any case, this beast tribe's caravan, having lost a large number of sleds, had lost its mobility on the snowfield—to retreat on foot on the snowfield was tantamount to exposing themselves to the range of cavalry arrows!

When the cavalry catch up, the two-legged beast tribe will be easy targets on the flat snowfield.

The cavalry didn't even need to launch a direct attack; simply maintaining the pursuit would exhaust these ferocious beasts. They could simply chase them relentlessly, circling them at a distance, until they were completely worn out, at which point they could reap the rewards.

Chen Yan noticed this.

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The ferocious beastmen reacted quickly. After waiting for a while, they judged that the human cavalry had run far away and would not launch a charge for the time being.

A low growl came from behind a snowdrift. Chen Yan looked out and saw the ferocious beastmen moving quickly around the battlefield, finishing off enemies!

Meanwhile, tidy up the remaining sleds.

A tall, ferocious beast wearing a leather hat stood in the center—in terms of height, it was almost the same size as the village chief that Chen Yan had killed, so it was probably the leader of this group.

Soon, the sleds, which had been cleaned up and were in good condition, were pushed out—six in total.

This was already the limit, because the hunted animals retrieved were only enough to pull six sleds.

Then, under Chen Yan's watchful gaze, this group of ferocious beasts made a decision that even Chen Yan found somewhat unexpected.

This decision is cold-blooded and cruel!
Under the command of that tall leader, the remaining members of the ferocious beast tribe quickly began to select the strongest among them.

The original 30% of the births would only amount to about 30 people, but more than a dozen of the strongest were selected and put on the sleds.

Six sleds, carrying the selected dozen or so ferocious beastmen, including their leader, sped south—in the opposite direction from the Thunder Beast cavalry.

The dozen or so ferocious beasts that were born were clearly abandoned!

Chen Yan figured out the approach in just two seconds.

The strongest used the live-fired snow sleds to evacuate quickly!
The dozen or so who were left behind, who could only walk on two legs, were the cannon fodder, bait, and meat shields left behind!

As for the human cavalry, any commander with a modicum of sense would choose the latter when selecting a target to pursue!
The latter is easier to eat and causes less damage.

The former involves too many uncertainties in the pursuit.

—More than a dozen ferocious beastmen who remained in place were abandoned.

It seemed that this method of combat had become commonplace for the ferocious beastmen. Even the dozen or so abandoned foes did not show any dissatisfaction or resistance, but simply watched their stronger companions drive away in their sleds...

His eyes were cold and calm.

After the sleds left, the remaining members of the ferocious beast tribe dispersed, going in twos and threes to the battlefield to pick up the carcasses of dead hunting animals or the supplies from the overturned sleds.

They began preparing food for their meal—perhaps their last.

·
Chen Yan lay in the snowdrift for half an hour, watching the cannon fodder who had been left behind eat.

He saw a hind leg, freshly severed from the carcass of a hunted beast, dripping with blood, being held in the hands of a member of the beast tribe, who was devouring and tearing at it without any restraint, before handing it to his companion beside him…

A few minutes later, the hind leg of the prey was gnawed down to the bone.

The ferocious beasts, having eaten their fill, sat down on the spot, then crossed their legs and tilted their heads back.

They began to sing.

I don't even know what they're singing.

The melody was short and strange, yet it carried a peculiar emotion.

It seemed to be anger, it seemed to be sorrow.

Because Chen Yan had drunk the sap of the divine tree, he actually understood the language of the ferocious beast tribe.

But the songs they sang had strange pronunciations that Chen Yan couldn't understand.

After watching for a while, he saw a figure, much smaller than usual, slowly walk up to a warrior in the crowd of ferocious beastmen, bend down, and pick up a bone that had been eaten down to a few scraps of flesh from the ground in front of him.

The figure bent down, picked up the item, and even stumbled back a few steps with his rear end sticking out—clearly adopting a submissive posture. After stumbling back a few steps, the soldier didn't react at all, and the thin figure seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, straightened up, and quickly ran to the side with the bone in his hands. He sat down on the ground and began gnawing on the bone...

Chen Yan's eyes flickered slightly.

·
It was still quite a while before dawn, and these ferocious beasts showed no sign of leaving, seemingly prepared to dutifully fulfill their role as cannon fodder and bait. Chen Yan finally crawled out from under the snowdrift and vigorously shook the snow off his body and head.

His hands were red from the cold, but fortunately, his strong physique allowed him to recover quickly, and the warming effect of the hunted meat had not yet dissipated.

After twisting his body a few times, Chen Yan got rid of the stiffness.

He crouched low, circled around to the side for dozens of meters, and then approached the battlefield...

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As dawn approached, Chen Yan's opportunity arrived!

A new leader has been elected among the ferocious beast tribe. Under the command of the most burly fellow, the remaining ferocious beast tribe members began to rise and assemble!
They set off without even bothering to collect the leftover food—even though there were still carcasses of prey to be found on the battlefield, they seemed uninterested in gathering any food.

Perhaps they themselves knew that they could never get home.

As the group of ferocious beastmen got up and set off, Chen Yan followed quietly behind like a cheetah lurking in the shadows.

·
The column became increasingly scattered as they marched—you couldn't expect this uncivilized, savage race to maintain a complete formation while marching across the snowfield.

They may be fierce or savage, but in terms of discipline, they are a typical mob.

Moreover, they were a motley crew who knew perfectly well that they were just throwing their lives away.

The procession of more than ten people stretched for more than twenty meters.

There were groups of two or three, and some alone, limping.

Chen Yan had already quietly run ahead, waiting for the group to pass by.

Then, in the wind and snow, he threw himself on the last guy who had landed!

The wind and snow covered the short cry of alarm; before the shout could even leave its throat, it was severed by the blade—and along with it, its throat was cut off.

Panting, Chen Yan pulled the knife out from the corpse, turned around, and looked at the last figure of the procession that had already gone far away in the wind and snow.

His eyes looked like those of a wild beast at that moment.

·
Chen Yan's sneak attacks were successful three times.

But he failed on the fourth attempt.

It was probably because the fourth time this guy was too strong that, in the struggle, Chen Yan's first slash failed to cut its throat directly. Instead, it pierced its shoulder as the creature struggled.

A scream startled the other ferocious beast-like monsters in the group. Chen Yan acted decisively, not greedy for the spoils of war, and without bothering to finish off the creature, he immediately got up and ran into the depths of the snow-covered plains...

Eleven left!
Chen Yan was silently calculating in his mind.

He had already collapsed behind a snowdrift, catching his breath for a while.

He turned around and looked through his binoculars at the distant ferocious beast tribe's group.

They gathered together, seemingly discussing something, but soon set off again.

This time, however, they gathered together and did not lengthen the line.

Chen Yan frowned, but soon, as if he had seen something, he exclaimed "Eh!"

A moment later, Chen Yan ran over.

The departing beast tribe did not leave nothing behind.

They left behind a companion...

The shortest and thinnest guy.

When Chen Yan walked over, the guy was squatting on the ground, holding an axe in his hands, shivering in the wind and snow.

Chen Yan had only just walked up to its side and hadn't even made a move when the creature swayed and fell to the ground in the snow.

It looked like it was about to freeze.

·
The flame from an alcohol stove doesn't actually provide much heat.

But the aroma of the bubbling broth from the small pot on the stove filled the cramped space with alluring fantasies.

This is a snowdrift, which Chen Yan dug out of the snow with a shovel.

He had seen some videos of wilderness survival and polar survival online, and he learned that these simply dug snow nests could effectively keep him warm.

However, despite his strong physique, the small snow house he dug out wouldn't be very big; it was just an oval-shaped space.

Barely enough to accommodate him and that frozen, skinny, ferocious beast.

Between the two people was the pot.

Finally, after Chen Yan took a spoonful of the beast meat soup, he remembered something, reached into his pocket, pulled out a small bag of salt, and sprinkled a little into the soup.

Chen Yan stirred it with a spoon, took another sip, and then a satisfied look appeared on his face.

At this moment, the beastman lying opposite the alcohol stove finally trembled twice.

Chen Yan sighed, put down the spoon, and covered the pot with the lid.

He crawled over and squatted down next to the ferocious beast.

Without any hesitation, Chen Yan reached out and patted the guy on the shoulder.

"Hey, open your eyes if you're awake."

As Chen Yan spoke, he watched the other person slowly open their eyes. The gray-skinned face, the small eyes—the gaze shifted from blank to gradually focused, and then, upon seeing Chen Yan clearly, the eyes suddenly widened in shock, followed by a complex expression…

"Long time no see, Muwan." Chen Yan smiled.

·
The wooden bowl suddenly jumped up, but quickly bumped its head into the top of the snowdrift. Chen Yan glared at it and slapped it on the head, yelling, "Be careful! I worked so hard to dig this out! If you knock it down, are you going to dig another one for me?!"

"You, you! It's you!" Mu Wan squatted on the ground, staring at Chen Yan with wide eyes in horror.

Instinctively, she reached for her axe—unsurprisingly, she found nothing.

"This isn't the first time I've caught you, why would you think I'd leave you my weapon?" Chen Yan deliberately put on a stern face.

After staring at Chen Yan for a couple of seconds, Mu Wan suddenly let out a low growl and pounced on Chen Yan with his arms outstretched!

This was certainly not a hug from a long-awaited reunion!

The wooden bowl's hands had a clear target—Chen Yan's neck!
A few seconds later, Chen Yan tore the wooden bowl off his body and pressed it onto the snow.

Chen Yan's knees were pressed under the neck of the wooden bowl, and his hands held the wooden bowl's arms in place.

"You are no match for me," Chen said confidently.

After consuming the sap of the divine tree and strengthening his physical body multiple times, Chen Yan's physique is now vastly different from what it used to be. According to his estimation, even without using magic, the strength of his physical body now surpasses that of the leader of the ferocious beast tribe village that he once considered a formidable enemy.

If the two were to fight again right now, Chen Yan wouldn't need to use any fancy tricks; a head-on confrontation would be enough to kill him!

A small wooden bowl is no problem at all.

“You are no match for me, and you are already my prisoner, so you are my slave.”

Chen Yan deliberately spoke to the wooden bowl in a cold tone.

Mu Wan paused for a moment, stared at Chen Yan with wide eyes, and then finally lowered her head.

"Yes, I am your slave."

Chen Yan nodded. He felt that the wooden bowl had stopped struggling, so he let go of it.

After the brief struggle, a small section of the snowdrift had clearly collapsed, but fortunately the pot on the alcohol stove was not overturned.

Chen Yan stepped back, then pointed to the corner of the snowdrift: "You stay put! Don't move!"

The wooden bowl remained silent, retreating quietly and shrinking into a ball.

However, soon after Chen Yan lifted the lid, the aroma of the broth made the wooden bowl lift its head.

Chen Yan drank the soup with a spoon and even scooped up pieces of meat to chew.

After he ate most of the pot by himself, he glanced at the wooden bowl and said, "The rest is yours."

After a moment of silence, the wooden bowl lunged forward—this time, the target wasn't Chen Yan, but the small pot.

He held the pot with both hands, then brought it to his mouth, ignoring the heat, while groaning in pain and gulping down mouthfuls of soup, all the while chewing the chunks of meat inside.

Chen Yan frowned: "You... how long has it been since you ate?"

“…I eat every day.” The wooden bowl was put down from the pot, and the person licked their lips hard. “But I haven’t had a full meal in a long time.”

As she spoke, she glanced at Chen Yan, a strange look in her eyes: "...Anything else?"

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This is today's update (Thursday, June 6.5th). There will be another update tomorrow after midnight.

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(End of this chapter)