I am the sacred tree, evergreen for eternity.

"Is he... alright?"

The glassy embers crackled in the basin, and the entire cabin fell into a subtle silence.

As a witness to the tragic death of Zhuo back then, Li naturally knew who "he" was.

He lowered his eyelids slightly, and the flickering flames were reflected in his snow-white pupils, but they were not tinged with any warmth.

"Without life or death, how can there be good or bad?"

Xuan's lips moved slightly, unsure of what to say.

Li continued, her tone as calm and collected as ever:

"I have been living in seclusion for a long time and have not returned to the royal court for more than ten years."

"but……"

He raised his head and looked directly at the people of Xia Kingdom.

"Since the king ascended the throne, he promoted the use of the sacred script, and the foundation of civilization has never been severed."

"The royal court has a stone study, which records the origins of the Yuanluo clan..."

"Newborn members of the Yuan Clan must study in stone chambers for several years... Only by learning about the past can they step into the future."

Upon hearing this, the group, who had been relaxed and at ease, unconsciously straightened their backs.

Li's gaze returned to the leaping flames.

"In recent years, the king has ordered us to keep a close eye on the movements of the mountains and seas."

"Although the wasteland is barren, it is the intersection of multiple migration routes."

"The king is certain... that the human race will not be content in captivity."

Xuan's eyelids twitched slightly, remaining noncommittal.

Li's lips curled up slightly, the smile so faint it was almost invisible.

"Therefore, on the very first day you left the wilderness, a foreign race sold information to the inn."

Qi forced out her question through clenched teeth: "Who sold it?"

"It's not important." Li's tone remained indifferent.

"There are no secrets in the wasteland, nor are there any friendships."

"The important thing is that the trouble you've gotten yourself into... is quite troublesome."

Xuan was silent for a moment, then asked:

"Have you, innkeeper, gathered any intelligence on the Land of Wood?"

Li did not answer directly, but walked to the corner of the cabin and reached out to feel around on the wall for a while.

His fingers pressed against a piece of wood, and he gave it a gentle push.

The wooden plank slid open silently, revealing a narrow downward passage.

A faint light surged up from the depths of the passage, devoid of any warmth.

"Come with me."

After saying that, he took the lead and walked into the passage, his figure swallowed by the eerie light.

Xuan made a gesture, and the pioneer team, carrying their weapons, lined up and entered.

The passageway extends downwards, becoming wider and wider as you walk, the air changing from dry and cold to humid, and then gradually becoming dry again.

At the end, there was a huge underground space.

In the very center of the space, on a flat piece of sandy land, stood a withered sapling.

The tree trunk was as black as ink, and the bark was cracked and rough, devoid of any vitality.

A dead tree.

But everyone felt the cold and peaceful power emanating from deep within the tree.

All things return to stillness, the abyss of death.

The saplings from the dead branches of the tree spirit took root here.

Li walked to the dead tree, reached out and gently pressed his hand on the rough trunk.

"This is the foundation upon which we can make a living and find refuge in this desolate place."

His voice echoed in the empty underground space, carrying an indescribable solemnity.

A faint light emanated from the tree trunk, spreading in all directions and forming a subtle, ethereal energy field.

The area covered by the field is not large, just enough to cover this underground space.

A power that isolates the inside from the outside, forming its own world, flows slowly within it.

"It's safer to discuss business here."

"The innkeeper is indeed aware of the situation in the Land of Wood."

Li tapped the dead tree trunk twice with her fingertips, and the eerie light trembled slightly.

"Thirty years ago, the creature's clones and minions ravaged the wasteland... various races called them 'Bane Eaters'."

His voice wasn't loud, but it made everyone in the room tense up.

"The Spirit Race, the Stone Race, the Sand People... almost every fighting race on the wasteland shed blood to wipe out those monstrous creatures."

"And that destroyed clone was nothing more than a tentacle torn off from the main body."

Li paused, then turned her snow-white pupils toward Xuan.

"Now you must venture deep into the heartland and confront the very essence of sin."

That's all for now.

There was no dissuasion, no judgment.

But in that clear, cold gaze, there was a sentence that was never uttered—what difference is there between this and sending someone to their death?

"The monster has its eye on the tree spirit. If we don't go after it, it will come after us."

"The situation has deteriorated to the point of no return."

Xuan stepped forward, facing his clansmen, as steady as a mountain.

Qi gripped the knife hilt, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

Yu bit his lip, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

A dozen or so young pilgrims who had committed serious crimes stood ramrod straight at this moment.

Having traversed mountains and seas, I am no longer afraid.

As Li looked at these faces that seemed ready to die, a barely perceptible ripple flashed in his pupils.

"Well, that oasis is indeed a treasure..."

"The dead have no more lives to lose; the Abyss Clan's wish was to become the Tree God—"

"Sowing seeds in the mountains and seas".

The four words fell to the ground without echoing; only a faint light flowed silently across the rock face.

Xuan gazed at the Yuan Clan member who looked like a young boy, hesitated, and finally just nodded.

Li turned and walked to the dead tree, placing his palm on the trunk.

A faint light emanated from the palm of the hand, seeping into the veins of the tree trunk and flowing into the distance along those cracked lines.

"I have reported the matter to the royal court, and the king will make his own decision."

"The most important thing right now is... to be prepared."

"Otherwise, we'd really be throwing our lives away."

……

Thousands of miles away, in the capital city of the Xia Dynasty.

Night fell, and the sky was filled with stars.

Qi stood alone on the altar, holding a wooden box in his hands.

The box lid was open, and inside lay a few withered yellow leaves.

Since Xuan led the team to develop the area, he has taken over the task of guarding the trees and collecting leaves.

The pioneers have been gone from the territory for over a year, and there has been no news of them.

Those twenty-one people seemed to have been swallowed whole by the dark mountains and seas.

From beginning to end, this was an exile with no return date.

Qi collected the fallen leaves from the tree spirit into a wooden box, closed the lid, and made a soft, sigh-like sound.

He turned around and looked down at the altar.

The city's nights are still lively.

The shops on both sides of the main street were still lit up, laughter and chatter came from the taverns, and the fire in the blacksmith's shop illuminated half the street.

The years are quiet.

May the country be prosperous and the people at peace.

This should have been the greatest comfort to the Great Leader of the Xia Kingdom.

But as Qi's gaze swept across the brightly lit windows, an overwhelming sense of melancholy welled up within him.

This is too comfortable.

The Xia Kingdom enjoyed a long period of peace, with stable borders, full granaries, and a thriving population.

Those who grew up in a sheltered environment are becoming the mainstream of this country.

They forgot that every inch of the land illuminated by the light was soaked in the blood of their ancestors.

They forgot that every peaceful and serene patch of sky above them was protected by the tree spirit.

They even forgot that there was a group—elders leading young people—traveling deep into the wilderness.

To pave the way for them, to shed blood for them, to face those unspeakable horrors for them.

Close your eyes and take a deep breath.

The night breeze rustled through the treetops, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees.

"By the Tree God."

He murmured a sentence, his voice so soft it was as if he were talking to himself.

Just then—

A ray of light descended from the branch of the tree spirit, carrying a message from the mountains and seas…