Chapter 2212 Threat
Fang Heng's eyelids twitched as he listened.
He highly doubted the claim that the three major tribes simultaneously besieged the Leaf tribe. It was probably just diplomatic language.
It seemed the Wood tribe was indeed strong, to be able to obtain the essence of the sacred tree amidst the attacks from stone spirit puppets and various tribes.
"What a pity. Is there anything I can help with?"
"You?"
Rudyard looked Fang Heng up and down, shaking his head, saying, "No need."
Ridiculous! When did the noble tree spirit tribe need help from humans?
Heh...
Being ignored again.
Fang Heng maintained his smile and secretly marked one of the tree spirit tribe members behind Rudyard with a vampire symbol.
"I am also a follower of nature. Perhaps you are confident in the strength of your tribe, but we also have some special abilities that may be able to help you."
"Oh? Is that so..."
Rudyard looked at Fang Heng, his disdain was evident on his face.
As they were speaking, another group of tree spirit tribe members arrived under the leadership of an elder.
Seeing the newcomers, Rudyard's already unpleasant expression turned even darker.
They were from the Wood tribe!
The Wood tribe, upon seeing Rudyard's group, also appeared wary.
Both sides kept a distance from each other.
Rudyard, aware of what the Wood tribe members were thinking, snorted and said, "No need to guess. The essence of the sacred tree is not in our hands."
"Oh, really?"
The patriarch of the Wood tribe, Elder Klonor, focused his gaze on Rudyard for a moment, then swiftly condensed an imprint in front of him with both hands.
"Boom!!!"
The earth violently churned!
The terrain in front of Klonor suddenly changed as a huge quagmire surged up from beneath the ground, carrying with it immense ripples of power. A gigantic wooden fist burst forth from the mire!
Fang Heng's eyebrows shot up, and he quickly leaped backward!
What the hell!
Why was the aura ripple so strong?
The wooden fist, extended forward, pointed its index finger directly at Rudyard in midair!
"Hmph!"
Facing the oncoming fingertip, Rudyard snorted heavily, his face filled with anger.
Suddenly, dozens of swirling leaf vortexes blossomed around him!
Countless leaves overflowed from the vortexes, flying toward the flying fist!
In midair, a huge tornado formed.
"Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!"
The leaf tornado surged forward, fiercely colliding with the wooden dragon, continuously emitting dense cracking sounds.
Each leaf was as sharp as a steel blade, and in just a moment, it shredded the fist into splinters of wood!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
The scattered wood splinters exploded in unison!
Fang Heng suddenly found himself engulfed in a series of explosions, followed by a wave of scorching air rushing towards him. He quickly retreated several meters.
Looking up, he saw dozens of leaves piercing through the dust left by the explosion ahead, each one striking the elderly Wood tribe patriarch with a resounding thud.
The patriarch's body seemed as solid as wood, standing motionless in place, coldly staring ahead.
Fang Heng furrowed his brows.
What's going on?
The aura intensity had increased significantly compared to before!
And clearly, neither of them had used their full strength yet!
There was something wrong.
Compared to when the spiritual domain network was just unlocked, the overall strength of the tree spirit tribe has increased again.
What could have caused this?
Could it be that the tree spirit tribe found something within the Elders Council that boosted their combat strength?
After a tentative exchange between the two elders, they both stopped, each aware of the power disparity between them.
The Leaf tribe had a slight advantage.
Klonor of the Wood tribe stared at Rudyard.
During the earlier probing, he confirmed that he could not sense the aura of the sacred tree from the Leaf tribe.
Based on this assessment, it seemed the Leaf tribe hadn't found the essence of the sacred tree.
His previous judgment was roughly accurate. If the Leaf tribe had indeed found the essence of the sacred tree, they probably would not continue to linger here.
So why did the ripple of the essence of the sacred tree appear just now?
And why did it suddenly disappear?
"Humph!" Rudyard snorted heavily. "Still not leaving? Do you really think I won't turn hostile?"
"Let's go!"
The elderly patriarch of the Wood tribe knew they wouldn't be a match if it came to a fight, so he didn't want to say much more. He waved his hand and led his subordinates away.
Rudyard watched as the Wood tribe departed.
The other two tribes were on their way as well. There was no need to fight with the Wood tribe. They could let the other tribes take advantage of the situation.
Soon, another tree spirit approached and reported, "Elder, we've inspected the area and found signs of development beneath the island, resembling traces of the sacred tree's growth. However, we haven't discovered the sacred tree itself."
Hmm?
Traces of the sacred tree?
Rudyard felt puzzled.
Why would there be traces of the sacred tree?
Cultivated by other tribes?
Rudyard lifted his head and surveyed the surrounding area once more.
The environment needed to cultivate a sacred tree was extremely harsh; it didn't make sense to cultivate it in this location.
And why would the sacred tree disappear?
Rudyard couldn't make heads or tails of it, slowly shifting his gaze toward the direction the Wood tribe had left.
Rudyard had a premonition.
It was likely the machination of another tribe.
Especially the Wood tribe.
Once they obtain the essence of the sacred tree, their strength will undergo a qualitative transformation.
"Human, you mentioned wanting to help just now?"
Fang Heng was reassessing the strength of the tree spirit tribe when he heard this and looked up at Rudyard.
"Here's your chance. I've heard humans can conduct comprehensive monitoring of the Wood tribe. I want all information related to the Wood tribe, especially recent activities and domains."
[Hint: The player triggers the tribal conflict mission-Threat of the Wood tribe].
Mission name: Threat of the Wood tribe.
Mission difficulty: SS.
Mission description: With the essence of the sacred tree in the hands of the Wood tribe, Rudyard senses a threat from them. He hopes you can gather information about the Wood tribe.
Mission requirements: Assist the Leaf tribe in finding information about the Wood tribe.
Mission reward: Friendship and contribution points with the Leaf tribe, reputation with the tree spirit tribe.
Fang Heng glanced at the game hint.
"Why are you targeting the Wood tribe?"
Rudyard glanced at Fang Heng. "That's not your concern. If you have any information, go to the Tree Whisperers Alliance. They will contact us."
With that, Rudyard snorted coldly and waved his hand, leading the tree spirit tribe to quickly depart.
"Frustrating..."
Fang Heng muttered under his breath.
The tree spirit tribe was as troublesome as ever. Fortunately, Abe Akaya, the sacred tree, had been teleported back to the Zombie Apocalypse world in seed form in advance. Otherwise, if confronted head-on with the tree spirit tribe, it might not have been able to gain any advantage in a fight.
At the moment, Abe Akaya still needed some time to regain his strength and reopen the passages between the Zombie Apocalypse world and the World of Forests. With the infusion of the Leaf of Life's energy, it wouldn't take long, probably just a day or two to recover.
After giving it some thought, Fang Heng headed towards OmniTech Company in the distance.
