I am the sacred tree, evergreen for eternity.

The moment Yu Su's will touched the western tribe, the anomaly at the root of the branch came into his perception.

That's not a problem with the trunk and branches—the branches are as green as ever, and the light flows smoothly.

The anomaly comes from deep within the soil where the branches take root.

The direction of the earth's veins was gently shifted by some force, the deviation being so subtle that it would be impossible to detect without the aid of spiritual energy perception.

Yu Su did not reveal any trace of her arrival; she simply and silently opened up a spiritual field.

He silently looked down at the western tribes, watching Liang lead the leaders of the four directions into the council hall, and looked at the map of mountains and seas spread on the stone table.

The map is several times larger than the old one.

The map was covered with dense markings in charcoal and animal blood, indicating the locations of the four major tribes, hunting routes, mineral deposits, and demon lairs...

Every line was carved out with the blood and sweat of the Xia clan.

In the very center of the map, a mountain symbol stands out prominently; it is the mountain that the gods casually tossed down in the past.

The four tribes each took root in a location more than a thousand miles from the sacred mountain, forming an irregular circle on the map.

Bright fingers pressed between four points on the map.

"Let's get down to business first. Each department should report its shortage of supplies."

The tribal chiefs were not pretentious either—

The Eastern tribes have abundant minerals, but lack high-quality monster materials.

The Tianhe River in southern Xinjiang is rich in local specialties, but the river is blocked by demonic mirages and needs help to clear the obstruction.

The northern forests are rich in prey, and Meng is willing to exchange monster materials for ironware and herbs;

In the western border regions, every household cultivates medicinal herbs, which have historically been a popular commodity among various tribes…

The entire resource exchange process proceeded very quickly.

There was no argument, no passing the buck.

Based on the tacit understanding formed over decades, the four leaders finalized the transportation route and quantity in just a few words.

"By the Tree God."

Liang checked all the details one last time. "All departments shall proceed accordingly. Transportation will begin after the autumn harvest."

"By the Tree God."

The other three responded in unison.

Yu Su silently watched the meeting's progress, like watching four branches growing from a tree, each stretching out but connected by their roots.

The tribe that once trembled in fear in the Valley of the Sacred Tree has now learned to walk on its own.

Immediately afterwards, Liang's fingertip moved away from the resource marker on the map and pressed on a spot slightly west of the center of the map.

"Second item on the agenda."

"According to the rules, every ten years, the four major tribes join forces to eliminate the most threatening demon race."

"Firstly, we should concentrate our efforts on tackling the toughest challenges; secondly..."

Liang paused, his gaze falling on the young pedestrians in the square outside the council hall.

"Newcomers are being trained, children in their formative years; they'll never grow up without getting their hands dirty."

He slammed his hand on the table.

"That's right! This year, Xi Chui is hosting the alliance meeting. Where do you think we should attack?"

"If you ask me, those snake demons in the Northern Region have been too rampant lately. Our patrols are constantly being intercepted. Let's take out their lair first!"

"Put the snake demon matter aside for now... If the rivers in southern Xinjiang are not dredged, supplies will not be able to reach you."

The wind shook its head and offered its opinion.

The two held their own opinions, and for a time they were deadlocked.

Xuan leaned back on the stone chair, offering no opinion, and simply looked at Liang.

After a moment of silence, Liang Sichen finally spoke.

"I'll suggest a direction."

His finger moved to a specially marked location on the map.

It was not far from the sacred mountain, and roughly the same distance from the four major tribes, situated in a delicate, uncharted territory—

It doesn't belong to the regular activities of any tribe, yet it exists on the edge of everyone's perception.

"Our reconnaissance team discovered a large number of demons in this area six months ago."

"What race?"

"Fox demon."

Liang's voice was somewhat low.

"According to the scouts' reconnaissance, there are at least several hundred adult fox demons here."

"There are at least ten great demons or higher!"

Xuan's brow twitched, and the image of the three-tailed fox demon flashed through his mind, but he remained silent for the time being.

"Several hundred? Such a large demon clan is right under our noses?"

Suddenly, his brows furrowed, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"That area has a natural barrier of miasma, and the foul air is mixed in with the miasma, making it difficult to distinguish."

"If the miasma in the western border region hadn't been lighter this year, the scouts wouldn't have been able to get in."

"And there's another situation..."

Liang paused for a moment, his voice suddenly carrying a complex meaning.

"That group of fox demons kept at least a thousand humans in captivity."

After he finished speaking, the council chamber fell silent for a moment.

It wasn't a shocked silence, but the deathly stillness of air being sucked out before a blade is drawn.

Xuan finally stopped holding the pottery pot and slowly stood up.

His gaze passed over the stone walls of the council hall, over the layered rooftops of the western tribes, and looked toward the silent sacred mountain in the distance.

"Let's put the proposals for the Northern Region and the Southern Frontier on hold for now."

"Attack the fox clan first!"

Xuan's voice wasn't loud, but every word carried a chilling intent.

"Those beasts actually...raised thousands of humans in captivity at the foot of the Tree God!"

Meng and Feng exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously.

The sacred mountain...the place where the tree god resides.

Even though it has been lost for decades.

The Xia clan's totem and the tribe's beliefs still cannot be desecrated in any way.

Without debate or questioning, the four leaders reached a consensus within a few breaths.

After the meeting, the others went to settle their accompanying groups.

The tree spirit's branch stood tall on the altar in the center of the tribe, its spiritual light flowing, just as always.

a few days later.

A scout team set off from a western tribe, silently disappearing into the dense miasma.

Seven people.

They were all carefully selected by Liang, and are the most skilled trackers among the western tribes.

Each of them is a totem walker who has broken through the limits of time. Their five senses are far beyond those of ordinary people, and their perception of turbid energy is enough to detect danger before the fox demon discovers them.

For a day and a night, the totem walkers of the western tribes awaited news, and none of them slept.

As dawn broke, the miasma was dispersed somewhat by the morning breeze.

The guards at the tribe's gate saw several figures emerge from the dense forest from afar, moving quickly but silently.

The guard recognized the familiar face at a glance and did not stop them.

He stepped forward to greet them, leading the scout team across the square and straight toward the council chamber.

along the way.

The guard walked at the head of the group, his pace neither hurried nor slow.

The air was unusually silent; he could only hear the rhythmic, muffled thuds of several pairs of tribal-style animal-hide boots on the stone path behind him.

The doors to the council chamber were pushed open.

"Chief, the scout team is back."

People filed in.

Liang looked up, put down his charcoal pencil, and was about to ask a question.

His gaze swept across the doorway...

In an instant, Liang's hand rested on the hilt of the knife at his waist.

At the same instant.

Xuan's fingers also gripped the handle of the iron axe.

Feng's eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of light flashing in his pupils.

Suddenly, his body leaned forward slightly, like a wild beast that had sensed danger.

The four leaders of the Seeking the Law simultaneously discovered one thing—

A scouting team of seven...

Eight people came back.