I am the sacred tree, evergreen for eternity.

A suffocating, deathly silence permeated the cavern.

The young totem walkers stared intently at the scene before them—

All I saw was...

Hundreds of humans huddled together in that cold, dark corner, like livestock.

Their hair was disheveled and their bodies were covered in tattered rags. They were so thin that they looked like skeletons.

Xuan saw one of the people raise his head and glance in their direction.

Those eyes were cloudy and dull, almost unfocused.

In this dark underground world, they have been kept in captivity for who knows how many years, and their eyes are no longer adapted to the light.

Those eyes merely glanced at it blankly before lowering them again, without any further reaction.

There was no fear, no hope, and no desire to cry for help.

Only numbness.

A deep, heartbreaking numbness.

Xuan's gaze swept over the hundreds of hunched figures.

I saw a child who was so thin he was almost unrecognizable.

He huddled in the arms of an elderly woman with white hair, his ribs almost piercing through his body...

"I'm going to kill those monsters!"

Xuan's voice was so deep it seemed to be squeezed out from the depths of his throat, each word carrying an intensely suppressed killing intent.

The two men behind him gripped the iron axe tightly, their veins bulging.

The dagger of wind twirled between his fingers, its cold light flashing.

A faint red light appeared in Ling's pupils, a sign that spiritual energy was surging in her blood.

A dozen figures, a dozen killing intents, almost pierced through the thick darkness.

"etc."

A hand landed on Xuan's shoulder with a steady, forceful touch, like a bucket of cold water poured on burning charcoal.

It is Yan.

His eyes were also blazing with rage, and his lips were bitten until they bled, the sweet, metallic taste of blood forcing him to maintain his rationality.

Yan's voice was kept very low, just enough for everyone to hear.

"Look carefully—"

"There are at least a dozen demon rats patrolling the cave."

"Each one is no weaker than the three we killed before, and that's just what's on the surface."

Xuan clenched his teeth tightly.

He understood what Yan meant.

Rats are social animals, and a nest of this size could not possibly contain only these adult individuals...

"there."

Ling suddenly spoke, her voice trembling slightly, pointing to a huge fork in the cave in the northwest corner of the cave hall.

A terrifying, putrid stench emanated from the cave entrance, so thick it was almost tangible.

"Let's retreat first."

Yan's tone left no room for argument.

Xuan remained silent for a moment, staring intently at his compatriots huddled in the darkness, and finally squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth:

"Walk."

A dozen or so figures silently withdrew from behind the stalagmite, followed the route they had taken, passed through the water curtain, and exited the cave.

The night grew deeper.

The search team retreated to a ridge about five miles from the waterfall and set up camp to rest next to a huge rock.

Xuan and Yan sat facing each other, with a simple charcoal map of the cave on the ground between them.

"I just took advantage of the darkness to quietly approach the cave entrance and sense it again..."

Ling's voice came from the darkness; her face was paler than the moonlight.

Her fingers traced names on the map, her voice growing softer:

"Deep within the cave, the side passages and crevices are filled with the dense scent of giant rats."

"At least forty or fifty of them are of demonic beast level."

"Even the weakest one is about the same as a cultivator in the Qi Gathering Realm."

"The strongest of them were so corrupted by demonic energy that I didn't even dare to examine them closely."

Everyone understood the spirit's meaning—

A dozen or so Totem Walkers faced forty or fifty demonic beasts comparable to those at the Qi Gathering Realm, and several head rats that might have reached the Body Refinement Realm...

This isn't a battle, it's suicide.

Xuan remained silent for a long time, then drew a circle on the map with his charcoal pencil and erased it.

Draw another circle, then erase it.

We must call for help.

He spoke, his voice hoarse but firm.

"Wind and spirit are the fastest—"

"You must immediately return to the Valley of the Divine Tree and report the situation here to the Tree God and the Chief."

"Please have the leader bring all available totem walkers here immediately."

Feng and Ling stood up and nodded. Now was not the time to be stubborn.

The two unloaded their burdens, carrying only daggers, bows and arrows, and a few days' worth of dry rations.

"Captain, take care."

After saying goodbye, the two figures disappeared into the night, as fast as two gusts of wind.

Xuan closed his eyes, his chest heaving, and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, the anger in them had been suppressed to the deepest level, replaced by a calm, almost ruthless decisiveness.

"The rest of you, stay here with me."

"Monitor the cave, figure out the monster rats' activity patterns, and wait for reinforcements."

Over the next few days, Xuan led his team to lie in ambush near the cave.

They found a hidden crevice in the rocks, less than two miles from the waterfall, just the right spot to observe the activity at the cave entrance without being discovered by the demon rats.

During the day, they take turns resting, eating, and conserving their energy.

At night, they stared intently at the nocturnal rats.

As Ling said, the demon rat retained the habits of a wild beast.

When the sun is blazing, the cave is deathly silent, with only the occasional low snoring sound.

At night, the beasts become active, pouring out of the caves in droves to hunt and forage wildly in the mountains and forests.

After observing for several days, Xuan and Yan finally decided to explore the demon cave again.

noon.

The scorching sun beat down on the mountains and forests, making them sweltering.

Xuan and Yan passed through the waterfall and re-entered the narrow passage.

This time, it was just the two of them.

The stench in the passage was even stronger than last time, and there were more fresh bone fragments and bloodstains on the ground.

The two men skillfully made their way into the depths of the cave.

The cave was much brighter than before, with strong beams of light falling from the cracks in the cave ceiling.

Only three of the patrolling demon rats remained, lazily lying in the center of the cave, their eyes half-closed, occasionally twitching their noses.

Xuan and Yan bypassed them and reached for the darkest, dampest corner.

Those humans who were kept in captivity remained huddled in place.

Same as a few days ago.

The same paleness, the same thinness, the same numbness.

The two slowly approached the lost tribespeople, finding almost no young or strong people, only the elderly, women, and children.

Xuan crouched down and leaned towards a figure at the very edge.

It was a disheveled old man, equally thin and bony, curled up on the ground like a frightened little animal.

"Feed".

Xuan lowered his voice and gently touched the old man's shoulder.

No response.

"We are human beings, just like you."

"We've come to rescue you."

Xuan nudged him again, his voice urgent.

The old man finally showed a slight reaction.

He slowly raised his head, revealing a thin, grimy face.

Those eyes were veiled in a layer of gray, like a stagnant pool.

His lips moved a few times, uttering indistinct, meaningless syllables:

"...Ah...uh..."