Chapter 253: I’m Your Shield
Priam was escorted by the Impure Beasts to a refuge farther north. It was a protected region, near a large river and surrounded by a chain of imposing mountains that served as a natural fortress.
At the heart of this barrier was a small, lush valley full of life, where various races of Impure Beasts lived together in relative harmony. To Priam’s relief, there were no other members of the Elven Fox race there.
According to Arvid, this bloodline rarely sent representatives to the dangerous Inner Realm due to their physical fragility. Because they possessed ancestral blood closely related to the humanoid races, they didn’t have a complete beast form, and their attack and defense attributes were mediocre, standing out only in their mastery of the wind element and the use of bows.
Arvid mentioned that, before the recent battle, there had been a single member of the race with them, but he had been sent as a messenger to warn the base and, unfortunately, must have been killed during the pursuit.
When they arrived at the central area of the camp, the tribe’s Leader gathered the group to discuss the situation in a warm conversation.
There, Priam discovered that Arvid was a Chosen One—the most brilliant young prodigy of his generation. To secure the future of his people, the race had sacrificed colossal resources to fuse an Immortal Mark into his body. This seal would grant Arvid the right to enter the Central Region in the future, where he would receive the direct blessing of the Will of Heaven.
Mo Lan, however, was the Chosen One on the side of the Calamity Beasts, and the current conflict had erupted for two crucial reasons.
The first was the brutal attack on one of the Impure Beasts’ most distant bases, where hundreds of thousands of specimens had been slaughtered in cold blood to bathe Mo Lan’s bone sword and awaken its macabre power.
The second was the imminent arrival of the Heavenly Vessel.
Priam listened attentively as the Leader explained the origin of this phenomenon. Every cycle of several millennia, the mythical ship that traveled through the chaotic and deadly space outside the Realm would accumulate Great Mist energy—the essence of the universes of this world that had been destroyed in the past.
The three great races could predict the ship’s route through the fluctuations in space.
The Vessel always appeared in the same secret location, known only to the Beasts of the great races. When it arrived, the entire region overflowed with this dense energy, creating an abundant mine of Great Mist Stones.
Both Arvid and Mo Lan desperately needed these stones to nourish their Immortal Marks before the opening of the Central Region.
Priam initially felt slightly disappointed upon realizing that the tribe had no reserves stored up at the moment, but his chest practically burst with greed when he realized that there would soon be a veritable sea of stones at his disposal.
Letting out a dramatic sigh and pretending to be surprised, Priam muttered in a pitiful tone:
"Wow... I never imagined I’d have the bad luck of running into a Chosen One on my very first day. If I’d known, I would’ve gone easier on her with that slap. Now the girl hates me, and my life is going to become a nightmare..."
"Don’t be afraid of that spoiled brat," Arvid consoled him, letting out a friendly laugh as he slapped Priam on the shoulder. "Despite having terrifying strength, she doesn’t have two functioning neurons in her head. I’ll take her down sooner or later myself!"
It was obvious that Arvid refused to accept defeat. Although he had been one step away from death before Priam’s shield intervened, the young warrior’s pride would never allow him to admit his downfall.
"If it weren’t for that macabre bone sword, I wouldn’t be the least bit afraid of her," Arvid added, shaking his head. "Using an ancient artifact like that is outright cheating!"
The Leader beside him shook his head in disappointment, letting out a long sigh.
"Boy, a life-or-death battle isn’t a child’s game," the elder reprimanded, his voice deep and heavy. "In a real confrontation, you must use absolutely every means necessary to exterminate your opponent. There’s no such thing as ’cheating’ when survival is at stake. Unfortunately, I’m not the sharpest person in the world, but you somehow manage to be even worse in that regard. How am I supposed to hand command of our entire people over to someone with that mindset?"
Arvid swallowed hard, lowering his gaze under the scolding.
In that great alliance, dozens of Impure Beast species had united as a single family. They had no blood ties, but they knew that unity was their only shield against extinction, and the only way to compete for resources in the Inner Realm. If they remained isolated, they would be devoured one by one.
That old leader had been everyone’s unshakable pillar for centuries. However, the weight of age was taking its toll: his life force declined every year, and he desperately needed to raise a successor worthy of taking his place.
Arvid was undoubtedly the most talented young man of his generation.
He was strong, brave, and possessed sparks of brilliant intelligence. However, his wounded pride and impulsiveness still got the better of him at critical moments. Seeing his heir make such a childish excuse had deeply disappointed the Leader.
"This time, the greater responsibility was mine," the Leader continued, softening his tone into calm solemnity. "I should never have authorized the engagement without being absolutely certain of the enemy’s current condition. Their bone sword had been sealed for millennia... I should have suspected that the massacre of our distant base was meant to feed it. However, Arvid, your emotional maturity cannot be inferior to Mo Lan’s. Knowing how to accept defeat and learn from your mistakes is the mark of a true king. Making lame excuses won’t protect our people in the future."
"I understand," Arvid replied, his head lowered and his tone genuinely humble.
Observing the young man’s respectful attitude, the Leader nodded approvingly and turned his attention back to Priam.
"Little brother Priam, we owe you an eternal debt of gratitude for saving us in our darkest hour. However... allow me to say a few things that may sound a little harsh to your ears."
"Please, sir. You’re more experienced, so feel free to advise me," Priam replied hastily.
"Although your reflexes are remarkable, the only reason you managed to make Mo Lan eat dust was because you relied on that unbelievably durable shield," the Leader advised cautiously, with a paternal tone. "Mo Lan is still young and spoiled, but she’ll learn from today’s shock and won’t make the same mistake again. You relied entirely on the element of surprise and an enormous amount of luck. Therefore, in the future, avoid crossing paths with her as much as possible."
Priam had to make a Herculean effort not to burst out laughing in the old man’s face.
’This old geezer really has a heart of gold,’ Priam thought, amused. ’He genuinely thinks I’m a helpless weakling who hit the jackpot by pure luck. This proves my background-character act is top-tier...’
’Actually... who am I kidding? These Beasts are just way too naive and straightforward. But they have good hearts.’
Arvid and the Leader looked at Priam solemnly.
"So you’re telling me that my only real skill is catching people off guard and exploiting their stupidity?" Priam replied, laughing with an air of pure self-awareness. "I know that perfectly well! You couldn’t pay me to face that crazy girl head-on again!"
"Haha! Don’t be so hard on yourself. You showed an absurd amount of courage," the Leader said good-naturedly, pleased to see that Priam hadn’t taken his advice badly.
"Priam, don’t worry about it!" Arvid exclaimed, forgetting the earlier scolding and throwing his heavy arm over Priam’s shoulders with a contagious laugh. "You saved my life today, so from now on, I’m your shield! A life for a life!"
"Hehe, I feel much more at ease knowing that," Priam laughed back. It was genuinely amusing having people swear to protect him.
"And what about the Heavenly Beasts?" Priam asked, suddenly remembering the third great Beast race of this world. "Don’t they also have a Chosen One to compete for the ship?"
The Leader let out a disdainful snort. "Those guys? Definitely not. They’re completely brainless creatures. They live isolated in their own caves and mountains, without the slightest notion of unity or organization. Besides... some of those damn races..."
*BOOOOOOM!*
Before the conversation could continue, a terrifying, deafening explosion echoed from outside the valley, making the mountains tremble and dust rain down from the ceiling.
In the blink of an eye, the relaxed atmosphere vanished, and everyone’s expression inside the tent changed drastically.