After clearing the level, the fairies were reborn!

“Master,” the village chief began, his voice hoarse, “this is a long story…”

The story begins three years ago.

Three years ago, a monster came to the mountain.

The monster occupied a cave, and villages within a hundred miles had to offer it sacrifices.

If you don't offer sacrifices, it will destroy crops, kill livestock, and sometimes even injure people.

The villagers couldn't defeat it, nor could they escape, so they had no choice but to obey.

“What it needs is called ‘tree sap’,” the village chief said, pointing to the glowing trees on the distant mountain. “It’s that kind of tree; we call it the ‘spirit sap tree’.”

"Its sap is magical. When you water the land, crops grow quickly and well. Without it, nothing can be grown in the land."

Xu Ze followed his finger and saw that there were indeed some unusual trees growing on the distant hillside.

The trunk is silvery-white, and the leaves have a faint sheen, resembling clusters of burning silver flames in the sunlight.

There weren't many trees; they were scattered sparsely on the hillside, each one solitary and far apart from one another.

He squatted down and grabbed a handful of soil from his feet.

The soil is dark red, cracked into small, fragmented pieces, and has a rough, granular feel when held in the hand.

He probed a wisp of spiritual energy into it, his brows furrowing slightly.

There is a lingering chill in this land.

It's demonic energy.

The demonic energy permeated every inch of the soil, like a slow-acting poison, gradually eroding the vitality of this land.

"This land..."

He raised his head.

The village chief smiled wryly, recalling that the people from the Demon Alliance had said something similar back then.

"The immortal master has also noticed, hasn't he?"

"This land is unsuitable for growing crops."

"About fifty years ago, some grain could still be grown in this area, even though the harvest was poor, at least no one starved to death."

"Later, for some reason, the soil got worse and worse, and it was difficult for the seeds planted to germinate."

"The crops could not survive until someone discovered the tree and poured its sap into the ground."

He paused, then lowered his voice.

"But after that monster came, it took over all these trees."

“They demanded three buckets of tree sap from us every month, and if we didn’t deliver enough, they would destroy our crops. Last month, we finally managed to collect three buckets, but before we could even deliver them to the mountain, they were stolen…”

"It was stolen?" Xu Ze asked.

A hint of hatred flashed in the village chief's eyes.

"They must be from the next village!"

“They can’t feed their crops either. Knowing we have ‘tree sap,’ they come to steal it at night! The day the monster set is in three days. If we can’t deliver it…”

He didn't continue.

Xu Ze remained silent.

Was it really stolen?

It's likely that a monster came and used magic to steal it, then framed the people in the neighboring village, causing them to fight amongst themselves.

He stood up and walked to the edge of the field.

The crops in the field were sparse, their leaves withered and yellow, drooping as if all their strength had been drained away.

Some of the land has been abandoned, overgrown with weeds, which are withered, gray, and devoid of any green.

“Old man,” Xu Ze turned around and asked casually, “where does that monster live?”

The village chief's eyes widened suddenly, as if he had heard something terrible.

"Immortal Master, are you... are you going to find it?"

"Ok?"

Xu Ze had initially thought that the other person would show a glimmer of hope.

But how did it turn into fear and dread?

Isn't this what the Demon Alliance does?

"That monster is incredibly powerful!"

The village chief's voice seemed to tremble, "Last month, the neighboring village invited a Taoist priest to exorcise the demon. The priest was wearing a Taoist robe and carrying a sword; he looked quite capable."

"But he never came out of the cave. The next day, his body was found hanging at the cave entrance, his blood all dried up..."

As he spoke, his voice grew softer and softer.

Xu Ze didn't reply, but just smiled faintly.

No matter how powerful this monster is, can it be more powerful than a sect patriarch who has reached the Tribulation Transcending stage?

At most, it's just a little demon that has gained 'intelligence'.

At most, he can only reach the Golden Core stage.

The land here has been corrupted by demonic energy. The sap of these trees can help crops grow. The demon has taken over these trees, but instead of exterminating them, it makes the villagers make offerings on time.

This doesn't seem like something a bloodthirsty monster would do; it's more like keeping it in captivity.

"The monster took all that tree sap. What did it use it for?"

Upon hearing Xu Ze's question, the village chief kept shaking his head.

"Well...we don't know."

“They never let us into the cave. They always leave the bucket at the entrance and we have to go back to get the empty bucket the next day.”

Xu Ze nodded, then continued to ask:

"So how did you obtain this 'tree sap'?"

"Make a cut in the tree trunk with a knife, and the sap will flow out."

The village chief gestured, "A tree can only be harvested once a month. Harvesting too much will kill the tree, so it takes several months to collect enough for three buckets."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ze walked to a spirit liquid tree and examined it carefully.

The tree trunk was covered with a mix of old and new knife marks, densely packed together. Some areas had scabbed over, while others were still oozing silvery sap.

The juice was crystal clear, emitting a sweet fragrance that invigorated the senses.

He reached out, dipped his finger in the mixture, and tasted it on the tip of his tongue.

A gentle spiritual energy flowed into his body.

The spiritual energy was faint, yet extremely pure, like a clear mountain spring.

This is good stuff!

For ordinary people, it's a treasure for farming; for cultivators, it's a supplement for cultivation.

"Or is it a spirit tree?"

Xu Ze was somewhat surprised. Even in places inhabited by mortals, there were such treasures in the Eastern Continent of Divine Victory?

The monster occupied these trees but didn't take them himself. Instead, he made mortals do it for him, only taking what was already there.

Is this slacking off...?

"Immortal Master?" the village chief called cautiously from behind.

Xu Ze turned around and waved his hand:

"It's alright, I'll go and have a look at it."

The village chief's eyes lit up, but then dimmed again.

"Immortal Master, are you alone?...Should you bring more people with you?"

"No need." Xu Ze shook his head. What use were these mortals?

"Too many people will only get in the way."

He didn't say much. He simply picked up the slingshot from the ground and handed it to the little boy who had been hiding behind the village chief.

"for you."

The little boy hesitated for a moment, then finally reached out and quickly took the slingshot.

He lowered his head, touched the brand-new slingshot, and muttered something under his breath.

The voice was too soft for Xu Ze to hear clearly, but judging from his expression, he was probably saying thank you.

"What's your name?"

"Dog Egg." The little boy looked up, his eyes bright.

"Haha, alright, Gou Dan," Xu Ze squatted down, "Do you believe I can beat that monster?"

Dog Egg bit his lip, thought for a long time, and then nodded vigorously.

"I believe you!" his voice boomed. "My parents both said that cultivators can definitely defeat monsters!"

Xu Ze smiled, stood up, and said to the village chief:

"Grandpa, I'll go now and be back before dark."

The village chief's lips trembled a few times, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just bowed deeply.

"Immortal Master, you...you must be careful!"

Xu Ze nodded and turned to walk up the mountain.

Behind him, the villagers all came out and stood at the village entrance, watching him leave.

No one spoke; only the rustling of the wind through the treetops and the occasional bark of a dog could be heard.