Chosen One, how did I end up as the villain?

"Sizzle, sizzle..."

The soft footsteps echoed clearly in the silent valley, and the jagged rocks on the cliff face looked like ferocious monsters staring intently at the outsiders.

The oppressive, terrifying atmosphere challenges every nerve.

Qin Huaiyu cautiously observed his surroundings, then lowered his voice and said:

"The escape formation has a limited range, but how come I've never seen such a gloomy place near this town before?"

"This valley is too deep to see the terrain above, but with three cliffs flanking it, it must be deep within a large mountain," Shen Wan'er said.

Qin Huaiyu had read the local gazetteer. Although Pingxing Town was located on a plain, it was surrounded by five or six large mountains, each of which covered a vast area. Finding this place from the outside was by no means an easy task.

The person who set up the formation really went to great lengths.

I'd like to see what you're doing here!

He cleared his mind of distractions and focused his gaze back on what was ahead. As he walked closer, the distant outline became clearer and clearer—it really was a tree.

On the left side of the rock wall.

However, this tree looks very strange. Its withered trunk is wrinkled and has deep ravines, like layers of twisted snakes stacked together. There is a large crack in the middle of the tree, which looks like it was chopped.

The branches at the top, bent downwards, sank into the ground, resembling a dead wooden cage erected on the road.

In front of the cage was a medicinal herb garden.

Inside, four or five kinds of medicinal herbs were planted; some were pure white with glistening leaves, some were fiery red, and others were emerald green...

"That's it! That's where I picked the leaves!"

"Snowy thicket, Crimson spirit, Azure vine, Cloud cardamom, White vermilion!"

Shen Wan'er exclaimed in surprise;

"This is a rare and precious medicinal herb, and it's unbelievable that it's being grown here!"

Qin Huaiyu wasn't so surprised. Although he didn't know the names of all the herbs, he could tell from the nightmare energy they emitted that among these herbs, only the White Vermilion Grass had the strongest evil power.

There are only two plants in this herb garden, and although there are more other herbs, their nightmarish power is significantly weaker than that of the White Vermilion Grass.

As expected, precious medicines are still scarce.

However, even a mosquito is better than nothing.

With that thought in mind, he couldn't wait to crawl into the deadwood cage.

Upon seeing this, Shen Wan'er and the little maid hurriedly followed.

"Um?"

"Something's not right!"

Qin Huaiyu twitched his nostrils; the closer he got to the herb garden, the stronger the stench of blood permeated the air.

"Stop! Something's wrong!"

"What's wrong?" Shen Wan'er asked, puzzled.

"It smells bloody!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and his senses also began to stir at the same time.

Damn it, I've been tricked!

"Run!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a series of crisp sounds rang out around them: "Click, click, click."

Before they could react, the branches that had driven into the ground were suddenly uprooted, and figures emerged from the soil along with them. Upon closer inspection, these people were dressed in rags, their bodies were emaciated, and their heads were attached to the dead tree branches, many of which had already seeped into their flesh.

Some branches extend from within the pupils.

Some were completely swallowed up by their heads.

Even worse, half of his face was pierced, and the rotting flesh was covered with branches that looked like countless thin snakes intertwined with black mucus.

Humans and trees have become one.

What the hell is this thing?

Qin Huaiyu was shocked. His eyes darted around, and he saw people everywhere, including some familiar faces.

Li Yi, son of a commoner named Li.

Wang Bing, the only son of the butcher Wang.

What are they doing here!

Could it be that not all of the earliest missing people were killed by that pair of senior and junior disciples, and some died here? But the timing is too coincidental.

However, before he could figure it out, the tree-men around him began to move, rushing towards him like living people in a cage.

The dry branches hummed, and the air crackled with the sound of wind whistling through the gaps.

"They're trying to trap us completely; we have to escape!"

Shen Wan'er's face turned pale as she tightly protected the little girl.

Qin Huaiyu glanced at it.

"Hey, head towards the herb garden, stay close to me!"

Having said that, he mustered all his strength and charged forward.

"Bang"

With a loud thud, the treant was punched right through the chest, and black liquid gushed out.

But the already tattered body seemed to feel no pain at all, and it swung its skeletal arms, attacking rapidly.

Qin Huaiyu was startled and quickly stepped back, his sharp finger bones barely grazing the man's chest.

Something's wrong with these things; they seem to have no vital points, and ordinary attacks can't do anything to them.

Thinking of this, he quickly mobilized his Nightmare Power, and a golden light appeared, enveloping him like a thin mist.

At the same time, the surrounding tree-men also launched an attack.

A strong stench of decay instantly filled the nasal cavity, and the rotting flesh flew through the air upon impact, sending chills down one's spine.

Seeing this, Qin Huaiyu opened his fists wide, and the violent force tore through the wind as he smashed them down.

The powerful punches effortlessly and easily crippled the row of tree-men who came forward.

His attack was exceptionally swift.

In the blink of an eye, five or six people had been severely injured, their arms broken and falling to the ground, large holes torn in their chests, and some even had their legs swept away, leaving only half of their bodies swaying...