Chapter 6: Temptation and Ambush

After waiting outside the valley for nearly half a day, Li Mingxing was getting impatient when he finally saw an elite thief stealthily approach his side.

“Lord Yin Haitao has gathered sixty able-bodied Goblins who are on their way here,” the thief immediately whispered an exciting piece of news to Li Mingxing.

Li Mingxing nodded, “After the second group of Minotaurs is lured out, I’ll need someone to sneak into the valley and gather information for me. Please let Yin Haitao know.”

The elite thief nodded and retreated. Before long, two Goblins, escorted by Li Mingxing’s harpy, arrived. Li Mingxing noticed these two Goblins were unlike the common sort—their skin was a deep red, almost purple, and they wore hats made from skulls atop their heads. In their hands, they wielded battle axes that Li Mingxing had previously seized from the Minotaurs.

Looking at the two Goblins, Li Mingxing couldn’t help but ask, “Can they even handle those axes?”

Before the harpy could answer, the two Goblins glared fiercely at Li Mingxing. The harpy hastened to explain, “These two are the mightiest warriors of the Goblin tribe—they are more than strong enough to wield those axes.”

At this, the Goblins raised their heads proudly, as if being called warriors was their greatest honor.

Li Mingxing gave the two Goblin warriors an approving nod. “Excellent. With your help, our battle will go much more smoothly.”

He then inquired about how Yin Haitao had managed to recruit these Goblins. The harpy recounted the story, and Li Mingxing couldn’t help but smile.

It turned out that Yin Haitao had brought the weapons taken from the Minotaurs to the Goblin tribe, and in exchange for the Minotaur Shaman’s totem pole, won the support of the tribe’s youth and warriors. Additionally, he used two Minotaur battle axes to recruit the only two elite Goblin warriors from a neighboring tribe—a remarkable achievement, since these Goblin warriors were considered second-tier elite troops, not much weaker than Minotaur slaves.

Li Mingxing was quite pleased with Yin Haitao’s results. He expressed his gratitude to the two Goblin warriors and instructed them to lie in wait for the next phase of the operation.

Soon, over twenty Goblins charged into the mouth of the valley. The moment they entered, a few roars echoed from the passage. Only about half of the Goblins managed to escape alive, with four Minotaur slaves and a Minotaur Shaman in pursuit.

Watching the Minotaurs being lured away, Li Mingxing remarked anxiously, “Five Minotaurs. It seems there’s an even greater force within this valley.”

But the Goblin warrior lurking beside him spoke with confidence, “Don’t worry, my lord. With us here, no matter how many enemies are inside, we do not fear them.”

—

Li Mingxing had yet to reply when the elite thief, sent by Yin Haitao to scout the valley, returned with a report: inside, apart from a Minotaur Guard, there were three Minotaur slaves and a Minotaur Warrior.

Li Mingxing’s heart stirred. He was tempted to storm the valley with his troops, but lacked the confidence to eliminate all enemies before the lured Minotaurs returned. Restraining his excitement, he remained hidden and motionless.

A short while later, another group of Goblins charged in. After a few shouts, as before, they fled, three Minotaur slaves and a Minotaur Warrior with a silver great axe chasing them.

Li Mingxing was sorely tempted to attack with his troops, but in the end, he restrained himself, waiting for Yin Haitao’s third wave.

The third group came quickly, almost immediately after the previous Minotaurs disappeared from sight. This time, the Goblins did not retreat instantly after entering the passage. Instead, they were inside for two or three minutes before escaping. As before, only about half of them survived.

Trailing them was the Minotaur Guard. At first, Li Mingxing believed he could take down the Guard by force. But when he saw the Minotaur Guard clad in thick Gothic armor, four battle axes at his waist, and wielding a battle axe twice the size of a normal one, all his self-assurance vanished.

It was clear that a single swing of that axe could effortlessly cleave two battle leopards in half. Moreover, the Guard was much faster than ordinary Minotaurs, nullifying any speed advantage Li Mingxing’s troops might have.

Watching the Minotaur Guard catch up and slaughter the Goblins with ease, Li Mingxing’s expression grew grim.

After a moment’s hesitation, Li Mingxing made his decision. He gritted his teeth and ordered, “Blow it up.”

At his command, the passage into the valley was detonated, sending boulders crashing down and sealing the entrance.

The Minotaur Guard flew into a rage, abandoning the Goblins and charging toward the passage, roaring as he swung his great axe at the rocks.

Seeing this, Li Mingxing sent the harpy to notify Yin Haitao to delay the Minotaurs who had been lured away, while he led his own troops in an assault.

The two proud Goblin warriors, after a brief hesitation, also charged with their axes, though they were careful not to confront the Guard head-on, attacking instead from behind, like the battle leopards.

—

The Minotaur Guard’s berserk state allowed Li Mingxing’s first wave of attacks to succeed—he managed to drive his stinger into the Guard’s neck. But further attacks proved largely ineffective, as the Guard’s Gothic armor severely hampered the battle leopards’ assault.

All the leopards could do was latch on to the Guard and prevent him from moving freely, but they struggled to inflict any real harm.

As the fight dragged on, the Minotaur Guard gradually regained his senses. Though his great axe remained lodged in the boulders, his strength was undiminished. He seized two battle leopards with a single hand and spun them around. In just a few swings, he had crushed several of the leopards clinging to his limbs.

Yet Li Mingxing’s battle leopards were relentless—whenever one was killed, another took its place. Realizing he couldn’t pierce the Gothic armor, Li Mingxing repeatedly jabbed his stinger at the Guard’s face and head.

Unbeknownst to Li Mingxing, this was a typical attack method for a manticore—usually reserved for weaker prey or food, but against a worthy opponent, a manticore would always go all out.

Still, lacking the strength of a true manticore, Li Mingxing’s attacks amounted to little more than provocation. Fortunately, the Minotaur Guard was not a fixed-type unit and was unfamiliar with such matters. He only felt discomfort from Li Mingxing’s assault, unaware he was being taunted.

Li Mingxing’s luck held out—after four stings, he struck the Guard’s tongue and left eye. The sting to the tongue rendered the Guard speechless, and the one to the eye blinded him on that side.

These injuries drew the Guard’s full attention. He threw aside the leopard in his right hand and reached behind, trying to grab Li Mingxing clinging to his back.

But the Minotaur Guard seemed to forget that Li Mingxing was now much larger than a battle leopard—over three meters long, taller even than the Guard himself when standing upright.

When the Guard grabbed Li Mingxing’s forepaw, he found he couldn’t throw him off. Instead, Li Mingxing took advantage, sinking his jaws into the Guard’s right hand. Protected by Gothic armor though it was, the bite still inflicted a heavy wound, rendering the Guard unable to wield a weapon with his right hand, at least for the time being.

At that moment, several Minotaur slaves came running from the distance. Though Goblins were shouting behind them, the Minotaurs paid them no heed—it was clear they had come to aid the Minotaur Guard.