Clack.
Clack. Crack.
It was a very soft sound.
Where was it coming from?
Ye Xi shivered and perked his ears.
As he looked around, his gaze focused on the boulder. The sound was probably coming from the other side of the boulder.
Eight Warriors, their faces and necks red, had their backs pressed against the rock. There was nowhere he could press his ear against to listen.
Ye Xi was uneasy, inexplicably wanting to confirm the source of the sound.
The Warriors were pushing toward the center of the boulder, and Ye Xi spotted a narrow region near the crack that was empty. But there were many insect legs poking into the crack and probing around that area.
After looking around, Ye Xi snatched a stone saber from the waist of a Warrior, hastily saying, "Let me borrow this for a moment." He walked up to the crack and sliced off the insect legs.
He then pressed his ear up to the rock, closed his eyes, and listened.
He moved so quickly that by the time the chief and the others wanted to call out to stop him, he already had his ear pressed up against the rock.
One second later, more insect legs reached in through the crack.
But Ye Xi didn't care. His eyes were closed as he focused everything on his ears. The crawling of the insects outside was too dense, and he had to try his hardest to identify any sounds in this din. This sound was…
He felt a sharp pain on his face, causing him to open his eyes. Several slender and sharp insect legs had already probed their way to his face.
Before Ye Xi could react, he was pulled backward by the chief.
The chief nastily scowled as he rebuked, "Stop messing around!"
Ye Xi's brow furrowed and his eyes dropped. He paid no attention to the chief and continued to ponder that strange sound. This sound was…
A sudden thought came to mind, and Ye Xi's pupils constricted as he blurted out, "They're eating the boulder!"
"What did you say?!" several people cried out in unison.
Everyone in the cave stared at him, all of them nervous.
Ye Xi himself was frightened when he said these words. Although it was an answer he didn't want to hear, the more he thought about that sound, the more certain he became.
He couldn't be wrong!
Ye Xi firmly declared, "I heard the insects gnawing at the boulder! They're eating the boulder!"
Everyone gasped as they stared in shock at the giant rock.
While the boulder was huge, these insects were endless! Eating through the rock was only a matter of time!
The shaman took a deep breath and swiftly said, "Send another two Warriors and all of our stone artisans with all their tools to assist the Warriors excavating the boulder in the cave! Right, the rock walls of my residence are unusually tough…"
The shaman paused, then he firmly declared, "I'll lead the way. Follow me! Calm Bulrush, you come as well.
"Mountain, guard this place well," the shaman solemnly said to the chief.
The chief nodded. "Be at ease."
As the shaman led part of the tribe deep into the cave, the rest of the tribe stared at the cave entrance.
Their hearts hammered at their chests.
The eight Warriors had found the situation manageable at first, but they found the pressure increasing more and more. The veins on their necks bulged while their feet dug deep into the earth, almost up to their knees.
Everyone was stunned.
They all knew just how strong one Warrior was. There were now eight Warriors trying to keep the boulder in place, but they were still having such a hard time. Just how many giant insects were out there?
"Come on! You can do it!"
"Big River, good job!"
Some of the tribe members began to cheer for the Warriors.
They could all see that the eight Warriors were hard-pressed to hold the boulder, but the boulder was only so big, allowing only eight Warriors to fit around it. Any additional Warrior would be standing near the crack.
The chief was keeping a close watch on the faces of the Warriors holding the boulder in place. When he saw that they were starting to break, he immediately ordered the other Warriors, "Go up and replace them. Remember, switch out one by one."
If the eight Warriors were switched out all at once, the insect flood would undoubtedly surge in.
Thus, they needed to be switched out one by one.
One Warrior stepped away, and the seven remaining Warriors put even greater strength into holding the boulder. Meanwhile, the replacement Warrior took his place as quickly as possible.
After a great deal of effort, the shuffling was complete.
The first eight Warriors collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, panting for breath.
The Warriors who had replaced them felt like they had some titanic beast trying to break through the boulder at their backs. Grunts and yells came from their throats as their feet dug into the dirt to resist this terrifying power.
The previous Warriors had already gouged out deep pits in the ground. One of the Warriors failed to notice this, so he lost his footing and slipped.
The boulder was instantly pushed one inch!
The chief instantly noticed this, pushed aside that Warrior, and took his place. With a roar, he pushed the boulder back through sheer brute strength!
At the moment the boulder had been pushed back, many insects managed to squeeze half their bodies through the crack. Now that the boulder was pushed back, these insects were stuck halfway through.
These insects had fat bellies, and the pressure exerted by the two sides of the crack instantly made their bellies explode like watermelons.
Black insect blood trickled from the crack.
But not one of the insects died. Shrieking, they twisted their bodies and used their savage mandibles to bite at the Warriors around the boulder.
The Warriors on the rock were using all their strength to hold the door, so they could not worry about dodging.
Those exhausted Warriors who were catching their breath immediately jumped to their feet and attacked the insects.
Meanwhile, Ye Xi took out his bow and aimed at the weak points of the insects.
The invading insects were taken care of one by one.
The chief was using so much strength to hold the door that the veins on his forehead were bulging, and his entire body was covered in black insect blood. He panted out, "I feel, I feel like this boulder is getting thinner and thinner…"
Ye Xi was stunned, his knuckles gripping his bow so tightly that they went white.
He turned to look back into the pitch-black cave.
He could only pray that the Warriors dug out the replacement boulder quickly!
The depths of the cave remained dark.
Why aren't they back yet… Hurry up! Ye Xi's heart was on fire with worry.
At this moment, a figure wearing cloth robes and holding a bone cane emerged from the darkness.
Ye Xi froze.
The shaman swiftly strode out from the depths, alone.
"Shaman…" everyone murmured in surprise. The shaman immediately raised his hand to silence them.
The shaman had white hair and a wizened face, but his expression was abnormally tough and resolved. He thumped his bone cane against the ground, closed his eyes, and began to chant.
Profound and mysterious syllables emerged from his mouth according to a unique rhythm.
The fabric of space slightly trembled in resonance with this ancient shaman language.
Ye Xi closed his eyes, his heart somewhat excited. It was this feeling again, truly extraordinary…
The eight Warriors holding the door were reenergized, feeling as if they possessed inexhaustible strength.
The resting Warriors, meanwhile, sensed their exhaustion fading away and their injuries healing.
Even Ye Xi, though he was not a particular focus, felt much more energetic.
The shaman stopped chanting and told them all, "Don't worry about anything. I will always be here to give a blessing at set intervals. We will definitely get through this disaster safely."
The shaman's face was so composed that it seemed that as long as he was here, they had nothing to worry about. In this situation that was teetering on the brink of collapse, the shaman was the nail that steadied the minds of the people.
Ye Xi's eyes felt a little warm.
The shaman was the rock of the tribe. As long as the rock did not fall, the tribe would stand tall.