Chapter 798: Immediate Evacuation

Some of the mammoths became agitated the moment they heard that they were going to be leaving their comfortable homes by the volcanoes.

"I won't leave, we won't! This is our home. No matter what, we can't go back out into the freezing hinterlands again!"

"I'm going to stay right here and wait for the herdleader to come back. Once the herdleader's back, I'm sure he'll be able to resolve all our problems."

They remained unwilling to believe that the herdleader had died and were still expectantly awaiting his return.

The entire herd fell into chaos.

The golden mammoth shouted, "The herdleader isn't coming back! Everyone, we have to stay strong!"

Li Feng flew down toward the golden mammoth after having done a survey of the volcanoes. "That was just a preliminary eruption, which dislodged the ash and boulders in the volcano's crater. The next eruption will be massive.

"Have your herd pack up and evacuate immediately! We might be able to halt the eruption of one volcano, but not all eight—not unless your herdleader somehow revives from the dead, or if my captain shows up."

The mammoth herdleader had been invoking the authority of the king of the realm all this time in order to preserve the living habitat of his herd. He was able to stall the volcanic eruptions, but it was only ever a delay—even he couldn't prevent the eruptions completely.

During the many years in which the volcanoes were suppressed, they amassed a great deal of energy. The mammoths periodically vented that energy with their geothermal forges, but it was only a small fraction of the total energy that the volcanoes contained.

Li Feng and the mammoth herdleader's attacks had caused the entire world to shake and quake. The aftershocks from the battle was the trigger that finally initiated the volcanoes' eruption.

However, thanks to the mammoth herdleader's suppression, the craters of all eight volcanoes were blocked with ash and rubble. The first eruption had cleared out all that mess; the second eruption would be devastating.

Upon seeing Li Feng appear, the entire mammoth herd was in an uproar.

One of the mammoths shouted, "What's a human doing here? Are the two of you working together?!"

Another mammoth howled, "Golden mammoth, it must be your fault! You've long since wanted to become herdleader—and you refused a direct command from the herdleader to attack the humans! You must have taken this opportunity to backstab the herdleader with this despicable human!"

"Golden mammoth, I thought you were the strongest warrior of our herd, but you're actually just a despicable backstabber!"

"Did you make these arrangements with the humans well in advance? Right, you frequently head to the draconian world, don't you? You must have planned this!"

Li Feng sneered. "It doesn't look like you mammoths are as harmonious as you claimed."

Now that the volcanoes all around the herd were about to explode, the veneer of harmony around the herd had been warped and shattered.

"Enough!" the golden mammoth roared, energy bursting out of his body and quelling the mammoth herd. "The volcano's right about to explode. Now isn't the time for this!"

The other mammoths didn't seem to agree. "What do you mean, it's not the time for this? It's precisely because we're in such danger that we need to understand what's going on. Who knows where you might lead us otherwise!"

As the situation deteriorated further, the reputation and name that the golden mammoth had built up began to crumble.

"It has to be you—you were the one who killed the king of the realm, you're the one who wants to destroy our herd in cahoots with the humans!"

"Return our king to us!"

"The humans and draconians must not want to see us mammoths grow stronger! It's all because of them!"

Many of the mammoths picked up shards of ice and threw them at the golden mammoth.

The ice shattered on impact with the golden mammoth's body; his constitution was far stronger than would be hurt by the ice, but not his heart. It felt as though the shards of ice were skewering him alive. He had worked so hard for the herd; was this all he was worth?

The golden mammoth was trying to evacuate the herd to save them all, but none of them were willing to listen to or believe him.

Li Feng folded his arms and watched on as the mammoth herd argued. A barrier of light protected him from any projectiles the mammoths threw his way.

He was rather interested in how the golden mammoth would react, but that didn't mean he would help it, or even the rest of the mammoth herd. After all, it didn't matter to him whether the mammoth herd lived or perished.

As long as he could keep the golden mammoth alive, he would be able to obtain the proof of kingship.

Li Feng glanced up toward the volcanoes. The second eruption was nigh, and given the situation, it seemed as though the mammoth herd would be unable to escape calamity.

"Halt, all of you!" a weary but commanding voice rang out from within the herd. The voice resonated like a tolling bell, and the mammoths all froze the moment they heard the speaker.

They parted as an old mammoth, his fur snowy-white, emerged from their midst. "What are all of you doing? The volcanoes are about to erupt! If you don't move, you'll be dead!"

This old mammoth clearly possessed superlative status within the herd. The belligerent mammoths who had been targeting the golden mammoth stopped immediately, and all the mammoths hung their heads in shame.

Li Feng asked, "Who is this?"

The golden mammoth's eyes regained their color. "This is the elder of our herd, the oldest and most honorable of us all, as well as the teacher and mentor of the herdleader."

One of the mammoths pointed at the golden mammoth with dissatisfaction. "But elder, he—"

The elder cut him off. "Have you forgotten the herdleader's words?!"

All the mammoths fell silent as the elder continued, "If the herdleader isn't present, then we listen to his successor's commands! Everyone, listen to him no matter what!"

Despite the elder's words, one of the more recalcitrant mammoths still called out, "Elder, it's possible that this fellow worked with the humans to assassinate our herdleader! We can't take his words for granted!"

The elder turned to the golden mammoth. "Have you done anything to betray our herd?"

"No!" the golden mammoth shouted steadfastly. "I would never. May lightning strike me down, may blizzards freeze me over if I ever do!"

"Good, good child. I believe your claim."

Even so, some of the mammoths still seemed displeased. "Elder, are we going to believe him so easily?"

The elder snorted. "If he were to attack any of you, who present would be able to stop him? That he isn't doing so means that he's still the warrior, the champion we all know and respect. There's no time for any further discussion. Everyone, we retreat at once!"