Chapter 40: The Word "Tragic" Fails to Capture It

Ebony's heart pounded wildly. Too fast—how could the Ghost-faced Dove be subdued so swiftly? It was unbelievable.

"Is the power of the totem truly beyond our reach?"

Ebony felt both indignant and horrified. "What's happening? Why am I still distracted by so many stray thoughts?"

The strangeness of the situation only confirmed that Ebony was walking a path of no return. Hastily, he cast aside distracting thoughts and tried to maintain a rational state, but then a palm descended, covering him like the sky falling.

It was a golden hand, entirely ethereal, forged from pure divine power. With a single strike, Ebony was driven deep into the soil.

Who is the hunter, and who is the prey? It's never fixed—the tides shift, the positions rise and fall. Those who stand above are naturally the hunters.

The key is, the prey never realizes it is prey. Only when one is convinced of one's chances, filled with faith, does one act—who doesn't believe themselves a hunter? Alas, until the end, one cannot see oneself clearly.

Ebony looked utterly foolish now, having rushed forward—wasn't this nothing short of walking into a trap?

But in truth, Ye Chen was an unforeseen variable. By the usual path, the Bamboo Totem's vitality hadn't recovered yet, the Bamboo Tribe had suffered heavy losses, and Ya shouldn't have broken through.

Under such circumstances, who could resist Ebony? Relying on Wu and the chieftain, those two old men, was clearly a lost cause.

The Dove Tribe dispatched only Ebony, confident that would be enough to wipe out the Bamboo Tribe.

Ebony's claim to utterly eradicate the Bamboo Tribe was no empty boast; it could well have been reality.

Yet now, all such hopes were nothing but illusions.

Ebony's whole body ached, his bones seemed crushed to pieces.

When Ebony finally clawed his way out of the earth, his clothes were stained with blood, his face bleak.

"No, even a totem shouldn't possess such strength."

Ebony began to doubt his very existence. "Unless there's enough incense-wish power, even if the totem recovers its vitality, its strength is still limited by the incense-wish power. Having the realm alone is not enough to yield such overwhelming combat power."

"So many of the Bamboo Tribe have died—how much incense-wish power can they offer? How could things turn around now? Impossible."

"It's bizarre. Could the Bamboo Tribe's totem have gained some extraordinary fortune? That's impossible. We hurried here precisely because we feared the totem would recover and become a grave threat. Within such a short time, such a drastic change shouldn't occur. Or did we overlook something? Under the totem's divine domain, could there truly be such miraculous power to turn decay into marvel? It's unimaginable."

Ebony could not fathom the reasons, nor did he know of the many internal changes within the Bamboo Tribe. The totem had changed hands, and Ye Chen's path, though similar to the totem's, was different.

Totems are merely the budding of the divine way, still lacking much, and Ye Chen, though now the Dream God, is still bound by incense-wish power and has his limitations. Yet the authority of a ninth-grade Dream God carries its own might.

Ye Chen's actions are not always reliant on incense-wish power; merely exercising the authority granted by his title brings power without extra consumption of incense-wish power.

Of course, when faced with challenges beyond Ye Chen's current realm, using incense-wish power can allow him to exceed normal limits.

"Frog in the well," Ye Chen lowered his gaze to Ebony, speaking coldly, "How could fish and turtles in the water understand the aspirations of a soaring roc?"

"Fish and turtles?" Ebony shuddered all over, furious, even as he deeply dreaded Ye Chen.

This was a totem, inherently suppressing Ebony.

But that wasn't a reason to be belittled.

Ebony raged impotently.

"Arrogant. No matter how strong, the totem is still bound by incense-wish power," Ebony's eyes were icy. Despite his apprehension, he could not help but struggle in his final moments.

"I advise you to behave," Wu said coldly, fixing a frosty gaze on Ebony. "That way you won't suffer as much. If you continue to struggle, you'll only bring more pain upon yourself."

Wu saw Ebony's utter defiance and sneered, but he wasn't particularly concerned.

Ebony ignored Wu, paying him little mind, and cast his gaze around, restless, itching to flee.

Ebony had no respect for Wu. Perhaps Wu's power at his peak was considerable, yet it was borrowed from the totem.

Without the totem, Ebony would teach Wu a lesson in moments. How could Ebony accept this situation?

Yet as Ebony sensed the searing pain radiating throughout his body, threatening to split him apart, to run now might mean instant death, not the lucky outcome he'd just had.

"No, even if the totem is powerful, it shouldn't be able to act so recklessly."

"That kind of power is too terrible—perhaps it can't be used again."

Ebony's heart stirred, "I'm sure the totem has been badly wounded; it can't recover so easily."

With difficulty, Ebony regained a bit of confidence, refraining from running. A thread of black light surged over his body, staunching the bleeding. Though he looked miserable, he wasn't about to die just yet.

But no matter how turbulent Ebony's inner thoughts, Ye Chen had no intention of giving him a moment of respite. Radiant golden light gathered once more into a sky-piercing giant palm, shattering every last hope buried in Ebony's heart.

With a thunderous crash, Ebony was nearly fused with the earth, blood soaking the soil in a crimson flood, the air thick with the stench of blood.

Ebony was barely alive, his face filled with despair, his spirit shattered, hope utterly gone, his heart ashen. Then a force surged from the void, hoisting Ebony upside-down.

He hung like a broken rag doll, his body visibly incomplete.

Tragic—words could scarcely describe it. Ebony was truly a pitiful figure. He still had cards left to play, his eyes bulging with resentment and unwillingness, but in the end, all he could do was sigh softly.

Even if he exhausted all his means, it would do little good.

Ye Chen let Ebony sprawl on the ground, speaking calmly, "Is there anything you wish to say now?"

Ebony spat out a mouthful of blood, losing several teeth so his speech whistled through the gaps.

"What do you want to know?"

Ebony sneered, "I'm nothing but a discarded pawn in my tribe. If you hope to learn any secrets from me, that's pure wishful thinking."

"Discarded pawn?" Ye Chen smiled coldly. "You're being modest. How could you be a pawn? You seem to have plenty of confidence."

No matter what Ye Chen said, Ebony simply shut his eyes, stubborn to the end. Some things, he would never reveal.

Ye Chen chuckled lightly, "So, you have a backbone. If you refuse to speak, that doesn't mean I have no way."

Ye Chen had no scruples about Ebony. If Ebony obediently revealed the Dove Tribe's secrets, he could die peacefully, but if not, torment would be his fate.

Unlike Wu, Ye Chen was careful when twisting Wu's consciousness, fearful of accidentally reducing Wu to senility—that would be troublesome. As for Ebony, if he became a fool, it mattered little.