Trading system, I exchanged vegetables for golden pills.

Ye Chen carefully observed his surroundings for a long time, but the purple light did not reappear.

He extended his divine sense to survey the area several times but found nothing unusual.

It was as if what he had just felt was merely his imagination.

Ye Chen didn't see it very clearly just now, but there was definitely purple light there.

That's strange!

For a minute or two, everyone stood in a standoff with the "air," and nothing happened.

"Brother Chen, what is that? We didn't see it!" Dongzi's forehead was slightly sweaty, which was due to nervousness.

Everyone couldn't help but recall what Black Wolf had said: many plants and animals had developed sentience...

Could this be a sign of evil spirits?

Ye Chen didn't speak. After scanning the area again with his mind to confirm there was nothing amiss, he spoke again:

"I'm not entirely sure. You guys eat first to replenish your energy. I'll stay on guard!"

"Brother Ye, I'll stand guard with you!" Ah Long, wearing a Type 95 rifle, walked in another direction, one in front of the other, and Ye Chen walked behind him.

"Follow orders and eat quickly!" Ye Chen said again when he saw that no one was moving.

Uncle called out to everyone, "Hurry up! Replenishing our energy is the most important thing right now. Eat well so we can take over for them!"

Upon hearing this, everyone sat down and began to eat.

However, everyone remained ready to fight at any moment, glancing around from time to time.

Perhaps because of the tense atmosphere, the barbecue didn't smell as good as it had before tonight.

Everyone ate very quickly, not even having time to clean their mouths, which were still full of oil. They just wanted to fill their stomachs first.

In the cold winter, the hot meat brought warmth to everyone, dispelling the chill and fear.

Just then, Ye Chen struck a large tree with his palm from a distance.

"boom--"

"Squeak—"

Everyone was startled by the loud noise. They quickly jumped up, wiped the oil off their hands, and stood ready with their Type 95 rifles.

Everyone looked in Ye Chen's direction and saw that the trunk of one of the large trees had been cracked by Ye Chen's palm strike.

The heavy tree slowly collapsed to the ground, making a grating "creaking" sound that was so jarring in the quiet night.

However, that was nothing compared to what happened next. Before everyone could even marvel at Ye Chen's extraordinary skills, an even more astonishing scene unfolded.

A tree directly behind that tree suddenly burrowed into the ground at a speed visible to the naked eye, "escaping"!

Everyone was stunned. Wait, what's going on?

The ground has collapsed? Or what's going on?

How can a tree burrow into the ground? That's not scientific!

Even after the ground was leveled, everyone was still somewhat stunned.

"Holy crap, what was that thing just now? How could a tree burrow into the ground? I didn't see it wrong, did I?" Zhao Tianlong exclaimed.

"That's right, I saw it too, that tree disappeared underground!" Zhou Changsheng nodded with a serious expression.

"Captain, what's going on? How come that tree can burrow underground? Have we encountered a monster...?" Fatty Wan Shengjie asked, shrinking his neck.

Ye Chen scanned his surroundings with his mind and shook his head.

"This is the first time I've ever seen anything like it. It's unbelievable that a tree could move. Everyone, stay alert; these mountains are more dangerous than we imagined!"

Ye Chen spoke up to remind him.

He only noticed the tree because it was emitting a faint green light; otherwise, he wouldn't have noticed anything unusual.

This was the first time he had ever witnessed a tree burrowing underground; no one would believe it if it were written into a novel.

Many things are unbelievable unless you see them with your own eyes.

Ye Chen dared not be careless. The source of the purple light had not yet been found, and the danger was definitely not over.

"Ah Long, have something to eat first, the rest of you keep watch!"

Ye Chen gave a shout and he and Ah Long quickly cleaned up the remaining barbecue.

The night is still long; we need to replenish our energy and get into the best possible condition.

The excess oil and dust from the barbecue weren't wasted; they were used to make several small torches from gauze and fixed around the perimeter.

The torchlight provided everyone with a wider field of vision.

"You all need to rest and recharge. The night is long and anything could happen. I'll keep watch tonight!" Ye Chen said solemnly to everyone.

"Brother Ye, let me do it. You should rest for a while!" Ah Long said.

"No need, you should rest up. I have a feeling something will happen in the latter half of the night!" Ye Chen's last sentence was transmitted directly through telepathy.

Upon hearing this, Ah Long stopped saying anything more, hugged the Type 95 rifle, curled up, and rested on the spot with his head on the emergency kit.

No one dared to approach the surrounding trees, fearing that something strange might happen again, and they all followed Ah Long's example and quickly went to rest.

This is not the time to be modest; taking care of yourself and getting enough rest is the most important thing.

Ye Chen's strength far surpasses theirs; they would be doing well if they didn't hinder him.

Around 1 a.m., Ye Chen's second uncle woke up and came to his side, transmitting his voice: "You rest for a while, I'll take over the duty for the rest of the night!"

Ah Long and Dongzi probably woke up by now, having sensed the commotion.

Ye Chen directly transmitted his thoughts to the group: "You guys take another nap and maintain your peak combat condition. My mental strength is several times that of yours; even if I don't sleep for three days and three nights, it won't affect me!"

"Even if there is danger, it's invisible to the naked eye, so you can't be alerted!"

Upon hearing this, the others stopped saying anything more.

What Ye Chen said was true.

Not everyone can do guard duty; it's not something you can do well just by being enthusiastic!

All that could be heard was the rustling of leaves in the wind; the fire had long since died down...

Around 2 a.m., no one noticed anything unusual.

However, Ye Chen felt a chill run down his spine at that moment.

A beam of purple light suddenly burst forth from the ground beneath him and shot toward Ye Chen.

Ye Chen turned around and unleashed a Wind and Thunder Seal, slamming it into the purple light.

A cold sensation came through him, and Ye Chen didn't know whether he had smashed something or passed through something.

The next instant, the purple light passed directly through his palm and appeared in front of Ye Chen, and Ye Chen's Wind and Thunder Seal was ineffective against it.

The purple ball of light rushed towards Ye Chen's brow, moving so fast that Ye Chen didn't have time to launch another attack.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Someone else might not even be able to make the first move, or even react.

And who would have thought this thing would have physical immunity?

However, Ye Chen immediately realized something and did not resist, letting the purple light rush into his mind.

Ye Chen's move made everyone jump, tense and on guard...

Within Ye Chen's spiritual sea, the purple light cluster transformed into an old man. He gazed at Ye Chen's spiritual sea, somewhat lost in thought, but mostly filled with excitement.

It gives you that exhilarating feeling of discovering a treasure!

"Hehehe, young friend, I'll walk the road ahead for you. Don't worry, I'll take good care of your family. Go in peace!"

The old man's kind voice carried a hint of madness!