I am the sacred tree, evergreen for eternity.

On the way back, the five of them walked very quickly.

The totem walker's physique far surpassed that of ordinary people, and coupled with his eagerness to return home, he arrived back at the Sacred Tree Valley in less than four days.

Hong was guiding several young practitioners in their cultivation under the shade of a tree when he saw his son leading the group back in a dusty state. He knew something was wrong.

Xuan knelt on one knee before his father and presented the stone axes and bone spears with both hands.

"Father, we have found these things in the mountains of the east."

Hong took the stone axe, and his expression changed instantly when he saw the special symbols on the handle.

His hands began to tremble as he carefully traced the marks on them.

Those hands, which had been through countless life-and-death battles and were as steady as a rock, were now trembling like leaves in the wind.

"This is……"

Hong's voice was hoarse, and his eyes instantly reddened.

He didn't speak, but simply gripped the stone axe tightly and turned to walk towards the tree god.

He knelt beside the tree roots, respectfully placing the stone axe and bone spear on Yu Su's altar, tapping them on the earth, and remained there for a long time.

Yu Su sensed Hong's unusual behavior.

Spiritual energy surged from the tree trunk, coalescing into a soft light before Hong.

"By the Tree God..."

Hong's voice came from the soil, hoarse and trembling.

"These stone tools... were most likely left behind by my father's tribe."

Yu Su remained silent, simply waiting quietly.

Sixty years ago, I was just a child.

Hong spoke slowly, his tone filled with deep sorrow, as if uncovering a long-forgotten wound.

"Back then, we...were not even worthy of being called human beings."

"We are slaves, livestock, food for those monsters and beasts."

"We gather spiritual fruits for them, build nests for them, and feed their young... Any resistance will lead to the extermination of our entire race."

Two lines of bloody tears seeped from the corners of Hong's eyes, his voice filled with deep-seated hatred.

"Then, a natural disaster suddenly struck."

"The whole earth trembled, mountains collapsed, rivers changed course, and countless monsters fled in panic amidst the disaster."

"My father took advantage of that opportunity to lead our tribe to escape."

"But the natural disaster was too devastating..."

"The crowd was scattered, the mountains collapsed, and smoke and dust blotted out the sun..."

"When we came to our senses, there were only a few dozen people left around us."

"The other members of our tribe, we don't know where they went, we don't know if they're dead or alive..."

"We could only struggle and wander until we met you—the great tree spirit."

Hong raised his head, his eyes blurred with tears as he gazed at the towering tree that blocked out the sky, his voice filled with an almost pleading earnestness.

"By the Tree God..."

"We have been separated for sixty years..."

"I don't know if they're still alive, I don't know if they're struggling to survive somewhere..."

"But I want to find them."

"I want them to see the home that the tree spirit has given us."

"I want them to have food, knowledge, and power..."

"I want them to also be bathed in the light of the tree god, no longer enslaved, no longer trampled, no longer living like livestock..."

Hong kowtowed repeatedly, the sound of his forehead hitting the ground echoing in the silent valley.

"Please... allow me to go and find them."

Yu Su remained silent for a long time.

A ball of light, condensed from spiritual energy, slowly swirled before Hong, like an inextinguishable lamp.

Finally, the voice rang out.

It remains calm and gentle, bearing the marks of time.

"Go."

"If they're willing."

"Take them home."

Yu Su's voice was like a gentle spring breeze, instantly washing away the chaos and anxiety in Hong's heart.

As the leader of the Xia clan, Hong wiped away his tears of blood, prostrated himself on the ground, and swore an oath to the tribe's totem in an unwavering voice:

"By the Tree God—"

"Those lost clansmen, if they are still alive, if they can be found..."

"They will surely kneel under your protection and become a part of the Xia family."

"The word 'Xia' will be engraved on their foreheads."

"Their blood will surely flow with your grace."

Yu Su remained noncommittal.

The radiant light, imbued with spiritual energy, rippled in the wind, but did not respond to Hong's vow.

He was the tree god of the Xia clan, the totem of the tribe.

But they are not the rulers of their will.

His relationship with Xia was never one of enslavement and being enslaved.

It was a more subtle, more profound connection—

Harmonious coexistence.

The Xia clan received his protection, were spared from the invasion of demonic beasts, and gained extraordinary power and guidance from civilization.

He, too, received immeasurable nourishment from the Xia family.

The power of his devout faith strengthened his spirit day by day.

The growing population provides an even richer source of faith.

The expansion of those civilizations into the outside world deepened the sedimentation of the earth's vein power, making the flow of spiritual energy smoother.

The increasing number of totemists deepened his understanding of the extraordinary path, and each observation of their practice brought him new insights.

however.

All of this has reached a new bottleneck in the Valley of the Divine Tree.

Despite their devout faith, the population growth rate has begun to slow.

Although civilization develops, the surrounding resources are ultimately limited.

Although the traveler was powerful, he was never able to break through to the extraordinary level.

Yu Su needs a wider world, more living beings, and richer forms of life.

The Xia family also needs to expand outwards.

It's not about conquest, it's about survival.

In the wild and desolate mountains and seas, only by constantly striving for self-improvement can we succeed.

Therefore, when Hong asked to search for his lost clansmen, Yu Su did not refuse.

He also looks forward to exploring further.

But he won't interfere.

The path should be walked by the Xia family themselves.

Three days later.

In the open space in the center of the Sacred Tree Valley, a team is gathering.

Xuan stood at the front of the group, followed by Meng, Yan, Feng, Ling, and a dozen other young totem walkers.

Each of them carried an iron knife, bow and arrows, dry rations and a water bag, with a flint and steel and a medicine bag hanging from their waist; they were fully armed.

Hong stood at the front of the line, his gaze sweeping across the faces of every young man.

"The journey ahead is long and fraught with peril."

"Remember, come back alive."

Hong Cang's powerful and resonant voice echoed through the valley.

Xuan grinned and patted his chest:

"Father, don't worry."

"I will find my lost people."

"I will bring them all back!"

Hong nodded, took a step back, and looked at the magnificent totem that was radiating spiritual light.

The leaves of the euphorbia pulcherrima swayed gently in the morning breeze.

Suddenly, a slender branch drifted down from above and landed in Xuan's arms.

The branches are about a foot long, entirely emerald green, and crystal clear like a piece of jade, covered with mysterious patterns, faintly radiating a warm luster.

Xuan was stunned.

He raised his head and looked at the tree god, his eyes filled with shock and awe.

"This is……"

Yu Su's voice rang in everyone's minds, calm and unhurried, like a gentle breeze.

"Take it with you."

"It will be useful."