"What?"

They had also heard the news that the border had been breached by the northern barbarians, and because the officials above had used this as a pretext, they had come to collect grain a few days ago.

I heard that none of these people are easy to deal with. After the destruction of the Divine Elephant Army, they either became outlaws or wandered around, causing unrest in the border areas.

"Let's go back and see how many people there are. Hopefully they won't get serious and can just send them away."

Ye Li followed the main group back, but at a faster pace. He wanted to go home to retrieve the sword he had the blacksmith forge last year.

"I don't know if I could be their match if a conflict really broke out?"

Over the years, Ye Li has taught himself swordsmanship and occasionally hunted to improve his diet, so he considers himself to be quite skilled.

And with the corpses he's been collecting these past few days, that power has entered his body, and he doesn't even know how strong he is now.

On the other side, at the village entrance.

Dozens of people have gathered here, with villagers carrying hoes, sickles, kitchen knives, and even iron pots on one side.

On the other side were about a dozen soldiers, their loose armor slightly damaged, each wielding a hammer, axe, or spear.

Although the villagers outnumbered the villagers, their momentum had been completely suppressed.

These remnants of the Divine Elephant Army remained silent, simply holding their weapons and watching coldly.

"Sir, someone came by a few days ago. Our little village doesn't have anything valuable left, and we have nothing to offer as a tribute..."

Sensing that the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, the village chief stepped out from the crowd, wanting to say a few words.

"Shut up, you old man. You have no right to speak here."

See that? We brothers are short of food right now. There are about ten of us, and we only have enough food for a month. Once we get it, we'll leave.

If we behave ourselves, we can all live in peace. Otherwise, hmph…

The leading soldier stepped forward, and his body underwent a change.

Its body swelled up, its skin turned gray and rough, and its mouth opened, revealing two short fangs.

The armor that was once loose now fits perfectly.

The Divine Elephant Army, commanded by Grand Commander Zhang Tianxiang, trained its soldiers in the same tactics as their commander, resulting in the extraordinary phenomenon of this immensely powerful, earth-shaking giant elephant.

"We really can't squeeze out any more food rations right now. Could you all please be a little more lenient?"

Uncle Li, a villager whom Ye Li knew, activated his "Bull Form" and, considering himself quite skilled, wanted to try and persuade him.

Unfortunately, he was still too naive.

"Those who can't understand human language should just die."

The soldier originally intended to make an example of someone, but he didn't expect someone to actually be so honest and jump out on their own.

His grayish-white fist swung, and only when it was close to his head did he realize his own weakness.

His so-called raging bull seemed to have no chance against this giant elephant's fist; it appeared that only his head would be smashed.

In the face of death, the world seemed to slow down in his eyes.

Am I going to die?

No, it seems not.

A figure dressed in plain clothes appeared on the left at some point, followed by a flash of silver light.

"Whoosh..."

"Clatter..."

The pain he had imagined did not occur. Instead, he saw a thick arm on the ground, and the soldier in front of him was missing from the right shoulder down, still bleeding.

"Are you really the Divine Elephant Army? Instead of dealing with the Northern Barbarians, you're here oppressing us common people?"

Ye Li flicked his right hand, removing the bloodstains from the sword.

Fortunately, he made it in time.

One wrong step and his fellow villagers, with whom he lived day and night, would have been in grave danger.

The anger in my heart resonated with the resentment I had sensed from the disaster victims.

This land, which should have been a land of plenty, was now inhabited by people who would rather be eaten by tigers than stay.

The soldiers who were supposed to be guarding the frontier turned against the civilians who supported them.

As expected, academic studies couldn't save Da Gan.

"I'm disappointed, but I also feel a little fortunate. It's not too late to see things clearly now."