The Tauren shaman was Lv7 and had a sensory radius of roughly seven yards. Thus, while Xia Chengfeng was digging the tunnel, he got Xiaozi to use her element perception so that they could stay just outside his radius, in case he got spotted by the shaman.
The night passed like that.
A new day arrived in the Tauren village.
A few of the Taurens headed over to the lake to drink or gather water. The lesser Taurens were not allowed to approach when the Tauren elder was drinking from the lake.
"Great. At least half of the Taurens have drunk the poisoned water." Xia Chengfeng was very satisfied. The ordinary Taurens would lose their ability to fight when the poison took effect.
His only regret was that the Tauren shaman had not headed to the lake to drink.
It was noon. A few of the Taurens with poorer constitutions had already shown signs of being poisoned. They started to vomit and faint.
The Taurens had disregarded this at the start, thinking that everything was normal.
However, the Tauren elder asked the Tauren shaman to examine the situation when more than ten Taurens had shown similar symptoms of having been poisoned.
The Tauren shaman investigated and quickly reached a conclusion.
"They have been poisoned!" the Tauren shaman said.
"Poisoned? What poisoned them?" The Tauren elder roared in anger. "To think that someone dared to harm my warriors. I'll tear him to shreds! Shaman, hurry and save them and find the culprit."
The Tauren elder had just finished speaking when he started to feel a little uncomfortable. He was also feeling a little dizzy.
The Tauren shaman witnessed this and said, "Elder, let me treat you."
The Tauren shaman recited an incantation at a piece of meat, then got the Tauren elder to eat it. His symptoms improved immediately.
The Tauren shaman also sent men to investigate their food and water supply and soon determined that the problem was with the water from the lake. However, by this time, more and more Taurens were displaying symptoms. The Tauren shaman didn't have the time or energy to find the culprit. He had to treat the other Taurens as soon as possible.
Xia Chengfeng waited patiently. The patrols in the Tauren village had gotten tighter. There were also Taurens searching around the cave for clues.
Xia Chengfeng had no choice but to plug the original tunnel he'd made. He would dig that tunnel again at night.
He was waiting beside the stone hut of the Tauren shaman. Two Tauren warriors stood guard there around the clock.
"Xiaozi, prepare yourself. Charge in, kill the target immediately, then retreat!" Xia Chengfeng whispered an instruction.
Xiaozi flapped her wings to signal that she understood.
Xia Chengfeng burst out of the tunnel with Xiaozi following closely behind him. He immediately charged into the house. This was within the sensory radius of the Tauren shaman.
ROAR! The Tauren warriors guarding the area had already noticed him and were roaring at him.
"Lightning flame!" Xiaozi's lightning flame hit the Tauren warriors first. Xia Chengfeng followed the attack up with his Vine Slash. The two Tauren warriors were killed in an instant!
ROAR! A loud exclamation came from within the house. The Tauren shaman was calling for reinforcements.
Xia Chengfeng and Xiaozi charged into the house. The house was covered with a variety of skeletons, herbs, and other items.
The Tauren shaman was wearing a mask made of bone and uttering an incantation.
"Vine Slash!" Xia Chengfeng wielded the alchemy staff in his hand and immediately cast his spell.
Other than being used for the creation of elixirs, the alchemy staff could also be used to cast spells like the wand of a mage. However, the effect the alchemy staff had on spells was not as powerful as that of a wand.
The vines that grew out of the ground immediately restrained the Tauren shaman's legs. They were like venomous snakes coiling around their target.
Just as he was about to slash at the shaman, Xia Chengfeng felt his thoughts come to a halt. The elemental power became chaotic, and the vines started to recede into the ground.
"Mental attack!" Xia Chengfeng sensed that something was off. A violent, chaotic will was attacking his mind.
It was as if thousands of Taurens were roaring in his head. It was one of the shaman's wizard techniques.
He was currently behind enemy lines. He would be quickly struck down by the enemy if he became controlled by a mental attack.
The Tauren shaman was just about to free himself from the restraints of the vine. Xia Chengfeng could already hear the furious roars of other Taurens outside the house while he was trying his best to regain his own consciousness.
At this time, Xiaozi let out a loud cry: ROAR!
Her voice was accompanied by a strange power. It jolted Xia Chengfeng awake from the chaos. Consciousness entered his brain once again.
"[Dragon Roar]!" Xia Chengfeng thanked his good fortune. Xiaozi's cry had the hint of a dragon's roar, which helped him free himself from the mental attack.
He cast his spell a second time and the vines coiled themselves around the Tauren shaman's body once again.
However, the Tauren shaman had prepared its second curse -- [Beast God Blessing]!
Its body became enveloped by a layer of red light that blocked the attacks of the vines.
Xiaozi attacked it with lightning flames, but they were also blocked off by the red-light barrier. It was a magic shield.
"Die!" Xia Chengfeng immediately charged forward when he saw that magic attacks were ineffective. He stabbed his poisoned dagger into the neck of the Tauren shaman, then tugged at it fiercely. Blood sprayed all over the room.
ROAR! The Tauren shaman fell indignantly. He had still had many tricks up his sleeves that he hadn't had the opportunity to use. Unfortunately, he was just a supporting character. He couldn't use his full power without the Tauren elder by his side.
System Notification: "You have killed [Tauren Shaman Lv7 (Elite)] and received 2,000 battle experience."
"Your level has increased to Lv7."
"Retreat!" Xia Chengfeng did not even decompose the corpse of the Tauren shaman. He immediately turned to run.
It would be dangerous if he got greedy for loot and became trapped by the Taurens. Furthermore, he could return to get the loot after he'd eliminated the other Taurens.
He ran quickly. A bunch of Tauren warriors followed him hot in pursuit.
Xia Chengfeng saw from far away that the horde included the giant Tauren elder and various Tauren chieftains.
They had activated a Charge, which granted them a burst of speed. Even the ground was trembling.
If Xia Chengfeng hadn't poisoned their water supply and affected their condition, he might have been caught by this horde.
"Come!" Xia Chengfeng had arrived at the side of his tunnel. Seeing that there was still a distance between him and the horde, he waved the [Charge Horn Lv6]. That was the horn of the previous Tauren chieftain that he had killed. It was a provocation to the Taurens.
The eyes of the Taurens immediately turned red when they saw this. They roared in fury once again and charged toward him, disregarding everything else.
ROAR! The Taurens had arrived beside the tunnel. The Tauren elder let out an angry roar and immediately charged into the tunnel. He completely ignored any potential dangers.
The rest of the Tauren warriors didn't hold back either. They followed the Tauren elder and charged into the tunnel.
The most rational Tauren, the shaman, had already died. These Taurens wouldn't turn back unless they'd killed Xia Chengfeng.
Xia Chengfeng sprinted madly down the tunnel. The tunnel behind him was trembling.
The tunnel he'd dug was small and not suited for the Taurens to travel in. However, the Tauren elder didn't care about this. Its horns could burst through soil and granite. It pushed forward brainlessly while the Taurens behind it helped to clear off the soil and granite. They advanced very quickly.
"I'm home!" Xia Chengfeng had already reached his space bubble. He jumped high into the air and over the traps he had set. He then immediately pulled out his bow and shot arrows at the tunnel.