I am the sacred tree, evergreen for eternity.

Valley of the Sacred Tree.

The night was deep and all was quiet.

Hong was suddenly awakened from his sleep.

He felt his heart pounding in his chest, and an indescribable feeling of suffocation spread from his chest to his limbs.

He had only experienced this feeling once in his life—

Sixty years ago, a natural disaster struck, and his people scattered and fled in the smoke and dust. At the last moment, his father pushed him out and then disappeared into the ashes.

Hong donned the animal skin and stumbled out of the house, his steps unconsciously moving towards the direction of the tree god.

The cool moonlight shone on Yu Su's body, making the flowing lines appear and disappear in the darkness.

Hong knelt beside the tree roots, his forehead pressed to the ground, his voice hoarse:

"Tree God...has something happened to you?"

silence.

The night breeze rustled through the branches and leaves.

A warm thought descended from above and entered Hong's consciousness.

It is neither words nor writing.

It's a series of fragmented images—

A deep cave, a huddled figure, a pale face, and a calf-sized monster rat patrolling in the darkness, its fangs stained with dried blood...

And Xuan.

His son knelt in the darkness, holding a emaciated child in his arms, his eyes burning with anger and pity.

The image disappeared.

Yu Su's inspiration subsided, and she fell silent once more.

He gave no instructions and told Hong what to do.

He only let Hong see it.

That's it.

……

Eastern Mountains, temporary camp.

Xuan and Yan carefully put the children down and settled them in the camp deep in the rock crevice.

Despite the sudden and unexpected turn of events, none of the children cried or made a fuss.

After the simple meal, they even began to look around.

Their gaze passed over the rocks and looked up at the azure sky above, where clouds drifted by.

They greedily breathed in the warm air, which carried the scent of earth and vegetation.

This world, which only existed in the words of the elders, was presented clearly to these children for the first time.

It really is beautiful.

After arranging the people to take care of the animals, Xuan walked towards the camp entrance, where Yan was squatting and drawing something on animal hide with a charcoal pencil.

"Cannibalism Day, how many days left?"

"At most five or six days."

Yan paused, raised his head, and looked serious.

Feng and Ling have been gone for seven or eight days. At their speed, when will the reinforcements arrive...?

At the fastest, it will take half a month.

That's too late.

Xuan unconsciously touched the iron axe at his waist, his teeth clenched tightly.

"Organize your weapons and keep a close watch on the cave."

"If all else fails—"

Xuan didn't finish his sentence.

But Yan understands.

The next few days.

The young totem walkers took turns lurking near the cave, observing the movements of the demon rats.

The number of demon rats patrolling the cave did not change significantly, but the foul demonic aura deep within the cave hall grew stronger and stronger.

The fourth day at dusk.

Xuan lay on a rock above the waterfall and, through the gaps in the water curtain, saw unusual activity in the cave.

Several exceptionally large demon rats strolled out from a side hole deep inside.

They were twice the size of ordinary demon rats, covered in shiny black scales, with protruding fangs and saliva dripping from the corners of their mouths, etching small pits into the ground.

Rat with a head.

There were five in total.

They circled the cavern, then stopped in front of the group of huddled old men, grinding their teeth and making a low, chilling hiss.

The old man's body was trembling, but no one backed down.

Xuan's eyes turned completely red.

He leaped off the rock, passed through the curtain of water, and rushed into the passage.

"Xuan!"

Yan's voice came from behind.

Xuan didn't stop. He gripped the iron axe, his spiritual energy surging within him, and his steps were as fast as the wind.

A hand grabbed his shoulder from behind, the force so strong that he staggered.

It is Yan.

"I'm not trying to stop you."

"I mean—"

Let's go together.

Yan stepped aside, revealing the dozen or so young totem walkers behind him.

Everyone held a weapon, and the same flame burned in everyone's eyes.

Yan's voice was soft, yet firm:

"By the Tree God."

There are always things that are heavier than mountains and seas.

Inside the cave, five-headed rats had already approached the group.

The largest rat at the front opened its blood-red maw, and its foul-smelling saliva dripped onto the ground, etching small pits.

Its gaze swept over the trembling old men, as if selecting its prey for the night.

Just then—

A figure burst out of the passage, leaping high into the air. The iron axe sliced ​​through the air with a sharp whistling sound, and slammed down fiercely towards the largest rat!

"die!"

Xuan's roar echoed throughout the cave hall.

however.

A strange light flashed in the giant rat's eyes—

It wasn't the beast's fear, but the hunter's cunning.

Its body shifted half a foot to the side at an incredible angle.

The iron axe scraped against its scales and struck the ground, creating a deep crater and sending shards of rock flying.

Xuan's heart sank.

It dodged it.

It's not an instinctive dodge, but a dodge based on prediction and calculation.

It knows the trajectory of the falling axe and knows which direction to dodge in for the safest result.

These monsters are indeed intelligent!

Suddenly, sharp screeching sounds rang out from all directions.

Dozens of blood-red eyes lit up in the darkness.

Rat-like creatures the size of calves poured out of the side holes, the passageways, and the cracks in the rock walls, countless in number.

They blocked every escape route, surrounding the totem walkers.

Five-headed rats stood on the outermost edge, their blood-red eyes coldly staring at them.

Clearly, this was a premeditated trap.

This group of vicious monsters used the remaining "rations" as bait, waiting for Xuan and his companions to walk into their trap.

The largest rat at the head of the pack slowly opened its mouth.

It's laughing.

A twisted, malicious smile appeared on that rat-like face covered in fangs.

Its nostrils flared as it greedily inhaled the vibrant, life-giving scent of the totemist traveler in the air.

In its eyes, a frenzied, almost obsessive desire surged forth.

That's the predator's instinct when it smells the best prey—

It is not ordinary food, but a delicacy imbued with spiritual energy that can help its bloodline evolve.

Xuan gripped the iron axe and looked around.

The swarms of monstrous rats were countless.

Each one was comparable to a cultivator at the Qi Gathering Realm, and the aura of the five-headed rats even subtly surpassed his.

Beside him were only Yan and a dozen or so other equally young totem walkers.

The new generation of totem walkers have finally experienced the taste of youthful exuberance.

They believed that they had honed their skills in the Divine Tree Valley, making them capable of roaming freely in this desolate wilderness.

They thought the monsters were nothing more than mindless beasts that could be manipulated at will.

They distorted the pride of the Xia clan into arrogance.

They were indeed wrong...

But no one regretted it.

Xuan gripped the iron axe tightly, channeling his spiritual energy to its limit, causing a faint glow to emanate from the axe blade.

Yan pulled the iron spear from the rock wall, held it horizontally in front of him, and aimed the spearhead at the largest head rat.

The other totem walkers also gripped their weapons tightly.

"By the Tree God."

There are always things that are heavier than mountains and seas.