I am the sacred tree, evergreen for eternity.

The light from the brazier flickered on the bulkhead, casting the shadows of several plant-like creatures huddled on the ground, making them appear longer and shorter.

There were three in total, representing three generations: old, middle-aged, and young. They were all captured by Qi and others using their spiritual light.

"No money...we'll be kicked out...there's a black wind outside...we'll die..."

An elderly member of the plant tribe opened his beak-like mouth, his voice trembling and incoherent.

But everyone present understood.

These little creatures, without paying for lodging, saw the tree spirit's fallen leaves and decided to steal some under the cover of night.

Xuan stood up and walked closer.

"How did you end up here?"

These alien races are stronger than even those who have broken through the limits of their cultivation; it's hard to imagine what kind of race would send them out to explore new frontiers.

The plant creature's body was still trembling, but it felt the blade on its neck had been removed, and its emotions calmed down a little.

Its beak opened and closed several times, uttering a sentence that chilled everyone to the bone.

"We are refugees... The Land of Wood has swallowed up our ancestral land."

Xuan frowned slightly, his powerful spiritual sense immediately detecting the purplish-black patterns on the plant-like creature's body.

The scent of this evil energy was familiar to everyone.

Forget-Worries Gentleman.

No, it's the twisted, life-devouring 'monster' hidden inside that tree-man.

The emaciated plant creatures huddled on the ground, a dark green, viscous liquid welling up from their sunken eye sockets.

Those were their tears.

"Our people have lived for generations in the oases of the southwest,"

"There is water, soil, and sunshine there... Although it is barren, it is enough for us to survive."

"Until decades ago, 'it' came."

The plant tribe paused, as if organizing their thoughts or gathering their courage.

"It emerged from the ground and swallowed the entire oasis."

"Our home...was completely swallowed up."

"Our people... their bodies were devoured... they became 'its' shells..."

The voices of the Grass and Tree Clan grew softer and softer.

"We escaped."

"We just want to survive."

A brief silence fell over the cabin.

The oil lamp flame flickered a few times, casting the figures of several plant-like creatures onto the cabin wall, small and curled up.

Xuan crouched down, his gaze level with that of the plant tribe.

His movement startled the alien, causing it to tremble less.

"After you escaped, you've been wandering around this wasteland ever since?"

The older member of the plant tribe nodded, his dark yellow pupils filled with weariness.

"For decades... we have had nowhere else to go... we can only survive by scavenging."

"But ever since the compass was lost, we dare not venture into the desolate wilderness, where the winds of darkness have been blowing..."

"Resources are dwindling... the inn's funds are almost exhausted."

The other two members of the Grass and Wood Clan lowered their heads, their shoulders shrugging, and suppressed sobs echoed in the cabin.

"A compass?" Xuan grasped the key point.

The elder member of the plant tribe reached into his body and pulled out a square wooden plate about the size of a palm, with a deep dent in the center of the plate.

There should have been something embedded there, but now only an empty mark remains.

"Ancestral Land Compass".

"A spiritual creature passed down through generations of the Grass and Tree Clan, capable of sensing direction amidst the Black Erosion Wind."

"Three months ago, we were discovered when we passed by a sand fox clan's lair... We lost our compass while fleeing."

After thinking for a while, Xuan stood up and looked down at the several thin figures.

"We're going to the Land of Trees."

The elder member of the plant tribe suddenly raised his head, his dark yellow pupils filled with astonishment.

"Where are you... going?"

"Something came from over there and caused a ruckus in our home."

Xuan's voice, accompanied by his spiritual thoughts, was clear and resonant, each word distinct and loud:

"We need to find 'it' and solve 'it'."

The elder member of the plant tribe fell silent. It turned to look at its two trembling kin behind it, then looked down at the empty wooden plate in its hand.

"We can lead the way... We escaped from our ancestral land, and we remember the route..."

Xuan took out a few fallen leaves from the tree spirit and held them in his palm.

"Retrieve the compass and lead us to the Land of Wood."

"This is your payment."

The Grass and Wood Clan's hand reached out and paused for a moment in mid-air.

It stared intently into Xuan's eyes, and after a long while, nodded emphatically.

Before dawn, the human army had already finished preparing.

The morning light was spreading in from the east, shining obliquely above the entrance.

The morning light made the sand and dust transparent, and the patterns engraved on the entrance of the inn were exposed to the light with unusual clarity.

Xuan led the group out in single file, their cloaked figures gradually disappearing into the wind and sand.

No one turned around, and therefore no one noticed.

Carved above the gate were four large, square, and solemn characters—

A desolate inn.

The writing system of humans.

The sandstorm quickly covered it again, burying the strokes layer by layer.

……

The wind on the wasteland blew harder and harder.

The human troops skillfully formed ranks, with three people in each group, maintaining a distance of several feet between each group.

The four-legged lizard's hooves rustled dully on the grayish-white sand.

The plant tribe led the way, scouting ahead.

The older one held the empty wooden plate. Although the core of the compass was missing, he could still roughly determine the direction by relying on the special connection of the spiritual object.

The other two straw figures, one on the left and one on the right, had slender bodies that resembled three bent grass stems in the wind and sand, yet their steps were surprisingly steady.

After traveling for about half a day, the older straw figure raised his hand in greeting.

The entire team stopped at the same time.

"Ahead." Its voice was low, and it pointed forward.

A huge crack stretched across the wasteland, like a wound torn open from the inside by something.

The crack is over ten zhang wide and its length is unseen. The rock layers on both sides are uneven, showing a unique rugged shape after being eroded by wind and sand.

A strong, pungent, fishy smell filled the air, drifting up on the wind and making people nauseous.

"This is it." The elder of the plant tribe squatted behind a rock, his dark yellow pupils fixed on the depths of the fissure in the ground.

Xuan lay prone at the edge of the crack in the ground and looked down.

Something moved in the shadows.

Those were the ears of a sand fox, peeking out from the shadows at the cave entrance, turning slightly twice, and then retracting.

Xuan did not rush to make a move.

He lay prone behind the rock, waiting quietly for a dozen breaths until the sand fox's breathing became even and long again, before he made a gesture behind him.

Three figures slid down silently.

The inspiration was completely contained, and the footsteps were as light as a cat's.

The sound of the boot soles stepping on the sand at the bottom of the crack in the ground was almost imperceptible.

The first sentry was dozing at the cave entrance, the second on a high rock, the third, the fourth...

It didn't take much effort to clear the sentries at the entrance to the fissure.

The vanguard members withdrew from their positions and regrouped below the rock face.

Three members of the plant tribe stood at the front of the group. The eldest of them clutched an empty wooden tray, his body trembling involuntarily.

"Below," it said in a low voice, pointing towards the depths of the fissure in the ground.

"The compass is in the innermost large cave."

Hearing the straw man's words, the human troops made no move.

Qi stared indifferently at the alien race before him.

The sound of the iron sword being drawn from its sheath was particularly jarring in the silence, and the blade pressed against the neck of the oldest straw man.

Why?

His thoughts were like iron tempered with ice, every word chilling to the bone.

"It devoured your people and consumed your homeland."

"You're actually willing to...?"

"To be 'its' henchman?!"