The old shaman's warning made Yu Su wary of the Lion Tribe's shaman.
"Is the Lion Tribe's shaman powerful?" Yu Su inquired.
The old shaman sighed, saying, "More than powerful, downright sinister."
According to the old shaman, the Lion Tribe's shaman was named Xiong Li. Initially unremarkable, Xiong Li's shamanic abilities were inferior to those of Yu Su and other shamans. However, three years ago, Xiong Li suddenly declared that the Lion Tribe had received a blessing from the Shaman God, granting them something called Shamanic Fruit, enhancing the tribe's strength.
"But that Shamanic Fruit is anything but good. Not to mention the many who died from consuming it, even those who survived turned into a ghastly state. It's not a blessing from the Shaman God; it's clearly a cursed thing from an evil deity." The old shaman criticized Xiong Li harshly, accusing him of worshiping an evil god.
"An evil god?" Yu Su had a question. "Which deity did the Lion Tribe originally worship?"
"They worshiped the Shaman God."
However, the old shaman didn't believe that Shamanic Fruit was a gift from the Shaman God. The Shaman God possessed boundless shamanic power and was a benevolent deity. It was inconceivable for the god to let the followers consume something harmful.
Therefore, the old shaman believed that Xiong Li secretly worshiped an evil god, using the Shaman God as a cover.
"He will definitely face punishment!" The old shaman said indignantly.
Just then, someone at the village entrance urgently reported, "Bad news, bad news! The Shaman Warriors from the Lion Tribe are coming toward our village!"
"What, so soon?!" The people of Dao Village panicked; no one expected the Lion Tribe to arrive this quickly.
At this point, fleeing was no longer an option. The village chief instructed all the young and able-bodied to take up weapons and prepare for battle. He also urged Yu Su and Lu Yan to leave quickly since they were not from Dao Village and didn't need to risk their lives.
Yu Su watched the chaotic crowd in Dao Village, with women and children crying. He couldn't help but frown; how were they supposed to leave in such a situation?
The old shaman said, "Hurry and leave. You have your own village behind you; you can't die here."
He looked sadly at his own village, as if he could already see its fate.
If Yu Su could still walk, then he wouldn't be human. He exchanged a glance with Lu Yan, who immediately understood his meaning and said, "I'll go to the village entrance to investigate."
Lu Yan flashed away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
The old shaman was momentarily stunned, suspecting that his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Yu Su said, "I'll help intercept the Shaman Warriors. You should hide the elderly, weak, women, and children first. Don't come out."
The old shaman grabbed him in disbelief, "No, you can't go. Just leave quickly!"
Yu Su patted his hand and said, "Don't worry; didn't you see through my divine power? They can't beat me."
The old shaman was shocked.
Yu Su turned and walked toward the village entrance.
The old shaman instructed his disciples to hide with the vulnerable villagers and hurriedly followed Yu Su. He couldn't let Yu Su, a young man, sacrifice himself for Dao Village.
At the village entrance, the village chief had already led the young and able villagers to stand guard.
They gripped their spears, fear evident in their eyes.
Even though they were afraid, they couldn't retreat because the entire village depended on them.
Seeing that Yu Su hadn't left yet, the village chief shouted loudly, "Outsider, why are you still here? Your companions have already left; you should leave too!"
Unaware that Lu Yan had gone out to investigate, the village chief and the others were in the dark.Yu Su said, "I'll stay to help you."
The village chief refused, calling two people over to remove Yu Su.
Yu Su raised his hand to stop them, using his other hand to form a gesture. Dozens of thick vines emerged from the ground, coiling around Yu Su's feet and behind him. Together with their master, they patiently waited for the arrival of the enemy.
The people of Dao Village were astonished, staring at the vines behind Yu Su, unable to speak for a while.
"What... what is this thing?"
"Heavenly god above, these vines are moving..."
The old shaman's expression became trance-like as he muttered, "Is this the power of a god?"
Yu Su cleared his throat and said, "Sort of."
The old shaman's eyes suddenly burst into fervor, looking at Yu Su as if he had found hope. "Can you really stop those Shaman Warriors?"
Yu Su solemnly replied, "I will do my best."
Tears streamed down the old shaman's face. "May the heavens bless Dao Village. Please accept my bow."
Yu Su quickly supported him, saying, "Enough of that for now. The Shaman Warriors are coming. Elder, please go into the village and don't come out for now."
The old shaman shook his head, his gaze firm. "I will stay and fight alongside the village."
Seeing his determined attitude, Yu Su didn't try to persuade him further.
Before long, Lu Yan returned.
"Thirty-plus people, similar in strength to the Shaman Warriors who once massacred the River East Village."
Yu Su said, "They have strength in numbers. I'll set traps to block them, and you seize the opportunity to collect their heads."
Lu Yan nodded.
Yu Su then addressed the people of Dao Village, "For any that slip through, detain them."
The village chief regained his composure and nodded forcefully. "Alright, we won't let them into the village!"
Soon, the thirty Shaman Warriors arrived.
Unaware of Yu Su's traps, they charged towards Dao Village upon seeing a large green area at the village entrance.
"Thud, thud."
The front Shaman Warrior stepped into a pit, falling in.
The others, realizing the danger, tried to escape, but dozens of thick vines emerged, entwining around their feet and dragging them into the pit. In a moment, nearly half of the Shaman Warriors were trapped.
"Charge!"
The remaining Shaman Warriors roared, raising their knives to sever the vines in anger, then rushed toward Dao Village.
At this moment, Lu Yan dashed out like a cheetah. With incredible speed, he leaped among the approaching Shaman Warriors before they could react. His knife was swiftly positioned at their throats, and with a strong pull, heads rolled to the ground.
While they were still in shock, Lu Yan struck again, claiming two more heads in an instant.
Taking advantage of their distraction, Yu Su summoned wooden spikes and dealt with three to five more.
Realizing the threat posed by Yu Su and Lu Yan, the Shaman Warriors, after a brief panic, turned to attack them.
Lu Yan ignited a ring of fire, trapping them within. With a flaming arrow in hand, he pierced through one Shaman Warrior's throat within the ring of fire.
The Shaman Warriors at the bottom of the pit attempted to climb out, but Yu Su summoned more spikes, turning them into a makeshift hedgehog.
In just over ten minutes, the force of thirty-plus Shaman Warriors was reduced to just over a dozen.
The people of Dao Village, initially nervous observers, were dumbfounded.
Was the attack not from Shaman Warriors but rather giant watermelons?
Judging by the speed of their onslaught, they were left in disbelief.
"Village chief, should we still charge in?"
"Charge in! Don't let them escape the fire ring. Use spears to push them back!"
The village chief finally came to his senses, rallying the villagers. Each gripped their spear tightly, pushing back any Shaman Warrior attempting to exit the ring of fire.
While they lacked the strength of the Shaman Warriors, their sheer numbers and the densely packed spears were enough to intimidate the remaining warriors.
In addition, Lu Yan's flame arrows could appear from anywhere, piercing through their defenses.
Yu Su dealt with the Shaman Warriors at the bottom of the pit, then turned his attention to those trying to escape.
...
The battle lasted for over half an hour, and all the Shaman Warriors on the scene were defeated.
The ground was either filled with pits or fire pits along with the bodies of the Shaman Warriors.
Several villagers in Dao Village were injured, but overall, no one lost their lives.
Seeing this scene, the people of Dao Village couldn't help but cheer.
They surrounded Yu Su and Lu Yan, lifting them up and tossing them high.
Yu Su knew they were happy, and at first, he didn't stop them. However, after a few rounds, when they seemed eager to continue, he quickly intervened.
Once Yu Su and Lu Yan landed, the village chief, leading the people, knelt down firmly, "Thank you, Sir Shaman, for saving Dao Village!"
Yu Su asked them to stand up, "It was a small effort."
The village chief's eyes were red. If it weren't for Yu Su and Lu Yan, their village might have already been wiped out. They had the option not to intervene, but they still helped.
"On behalf of everyone in Dao Village, thank you for saving our lives." The old shaman also shed tears, feeling a bit uneasy. He regretted treating Yu Su as an ordinary shaman and calling him those words. Yu Su wasn't an ordinary shaman; he was practically a god.
Yu Su smiled and said, "It's not that exaggerated. We are not gods."
This time, the old shaman didn't believe it. He thought Yu Su was being humble. Both Yu Su and Lu Yan were undoubtedly messengers from the realm of gods.
With such powerful abilities, what was Xiong Li from the Lion Tribe? He couldn't even compare to their shoes.
He had warned Yu Su to be cautious of Xiong Li, and now, he felt embarrassed when he thought about it.
Yu Su said, "Your reminder was right. I appreciate your advice."
The old shaman felt very embarrassed and said, "Lord Yu Su, please don't tease this old man. Compared to you, that old Xiong Li is nothing."
Even in front of Yu Su, he felt the need to warn about Xiong Li, which he now regretted.
Yu Su said, "You don't need to call me Lord Yu Su. Just Yu Su is fine."
The old shaman insisted, and soon the people of Dao Village also began calling him Lord Yu Su and Lu Yan as Lord Lu Yan.
The village chief said, "Lord Shaman, Lord Yu Su, Lord Lu Yan, what should we do with the bodies of these Shaman Warriors?"
As everyone calmed down, Yu Su looked at the bodies of the Shaman Warriors and said, "Burn them. Clean up the village entrance. There's more to come."