Chapter 550: Chapter 346 The Scent of Hope and Happiness
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"Senior Observer Li, I can understand your confusion, but we’re here as a delegation, and there’s no one in this village. What they have are merely magical beasts that appear human. Seeing beasts pretending to be human is sickening."
Captain Song was a tall man, his body bulging with muscle. His cold, vigilant eyes glanced with disdain, accompanied by a mocking sneer curled on his lips. He brazenly wore a yellow robe. Since they had left their horses outside the Divine Domain’s boundaries, he hadn’t bothered to change. The robe, however, did not hinder his movements.
"Captain Song, though they are magical beasts, we might encounter more of them. They’ve created a city, and it’s very likely that the civilization in this region is entirely populated by human-like magic beasts." Her voice was sharp and filled with discontent over the situation. She had been told she would be the Senior Observer of this delegation, tasked with offering gifts and speaking with the lord of the realm.
Unfortunately, everything changed the moment Captain Song saw the human-like beasts. His eyes sparkled greedily, his face sneering incessantly at the beasts who were bound and tied amidst the warriors.
Witnessing this, Senior Observer Li felt deeply uncomfortable; as she gazed at the beasts now turned prisoners, her expression was pained, and she couldn’t stop herself from thinking that there was no turning back. What had been done could never be undone.
She remembered the mutilated bodies of the elderly, children, and adults who resisted them. Anyone showing even a hint of defiance was swiftly killed on the spot. They gave no thought to whether the victim was a young boy, a child, or an elderly woman.
Even so, even those who didn’t participate in combat—many of the elderly—were killed because they couldn’t keep up with the group. Captain Song’s philosophy was to leave no one alive.
After inspecting this village, Senior Observer Li speculated that those within the Divine Domain were not humans like those of the other three kingdoms but magical beasts. Beasts evolved from ones left behind in Africa’s other three kingdoms.
The delegation ventured deeper into the forest, where they encountered more magical beasts—some human-like and others merely ordinary creatures.
All magical beasts were remarkably intelligent. Some preferred to remain in the forest, living by their instincts, while others chose to live in cities. All of these beasts were significantly more intelligent than those outside the Divine Domain.
The forest was also filled with ordinary animals, preyed upon by many magical beasts. Lower-level magic beasts were also targets for the smarter beasts. Everywhere seemed to be ruled by magical beasts, with no humans in sight.
After walking for an entire day, the sun dipped quickly below the horizon. Night approached as Captain Song finally called the group to a halt, announcing that they would set up camp.
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As Captain Song drifted into sleep, most guards followed suit. A shadow moved stealthily across the camp. It slipped past the outskirts, hiding continuously in various patches of darkness. Near a location guarded by three sentries, approximately fifty human-like magic beasts were imprisoned.
The shadow was none other than Senior Observer Li, whose full name was Li Meilin. She approached the three guards. These guards were King-level experts. Li Meilin smirked coldly, disappearing from her initial position and reappearing behind one of the sentries.
In a flash, she took out the guard with remarkable precision. Before moving toward the prisoners, she subdued the other two guards just as swiftly. Golden light sparkled briefly, and moments later, the chains binding the human-like beasts fell loose.
Realizing their freedom, all the beasts bowed deeply to the woman who stood before them. The woman waved dismissively and swiftly retreated to her previous position, merging once more with the shadows.
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The freed prisoners didn’t charge ahead but vanished into the depths of the forest instead. Retracing their previous path, they moved cautiously, fully aware that someone had come to their rescue. They moved toward the rescue team.
Just as expected, they didn’t have to travel far before encountering the rescue team, led by Wan Qiao and Yan Xiaobao. Both groups rushed eagerly toward each other.
The moment they reached the rescue party, the villagers breathed in relief, their hearts filled with hope and happiness.
"How did you escape?" Wan Qiao asked the village leader curiously. She knew how greedy humans could be, and that human-like magical beasts fetched exorbitant prices in their cities.
The village leader, a young man whose original form was that of a deadland lion—a beast known for its power and speed—began to explain. Despite fighting valiantly for the safety of his village, he had been the only one among the delegation taken captive.
"There was a woman, they called her Senior Observer Li," the guard began, "She opposed the delegation’s actions, saying they were only here to speak with the residents of the Divine Domain. But the Captain refused to listen, claiming we were worse than dogs. Their Captain was far more monstrous than any beast; indiscriminately slaughtering the weak, the elderly, women, and even children! Avenge us!" The leader’s voice trembled as he spoke, "Avenge our children, our elders, our brothers and sisters."
Hearing his quivering voice and seeing his reddened, tear-filled eyes stirred Wan Qiao deeply. The lion struggled to hold back tears as he cleared his throat. "This woman, the Senior Observer, is our Savior. During the massacre in the city, she resisted the Captain. When we were captured, she was the one who liberated us." The man knelt before Wan Qiao.