Chapter 2238 Traces
"Dr. Fang, we've recorded the entire process related to the magic array. For safety reasons, let's withdraw first," Shi Yanwu suggested.
"No, thanks," Fang Heng waved his hand. "You go ahead, I'll stay and take another look."
"This..." Shi Yanwu hesitated for a moment.
His mission was to ensure Fang Heng's safe return to the research institute.
But now that Fang Heng refused to leave, what should he do?
The command post quickly relayed a message, "Shi Yanwu's team, well done. You can now withdraw. Dr. Fang will remain for independent action, and we'll dispatch other teams for protection."
"Understood!"
Through this battle, the command post personnel also realized something.
Fang Heng's personal abilities were outstanding.
At least, self-defense wouldn't be a problem.
"Alright," Shi Yanwu nodded at Fang Heng. "Be careful."
"Mm."
Very soon, Fang Heng watched as the people from the Federation left quickly with the resources they had collected, leaving behind an empty Temple of Incantation.
Fang Heng once again walked to a hidden corner of the temple and switched to his natural form, allowing himself to remain silent and hidden.
...
Two hours later, a group of Wood tribe members hurriedly entered the temple area.
The leading Wood tribe patriarch's face was grim.
They had rushed here immediately upon receiving the report of the incident in the town.
They hadn't expected another mishap.
The entire Temple of Incantation had been destroyed!
The elders who had been guarding the temple and the other tribe members were nowhere to be found.
Everyone knew in their hearts that their situation was dire.
The Federation!
The Wood tribe patriarch, Klonor, clenched his fists.
But to him, things seemed very suspicious.
They were well aware of the Federation's strength.
Unless they launched a full-scale attack, it was unlikely that they could defeat the elders guarding the temple in such a short time.
Not very likely.
After a tribe member inspected and reported, "Elder, there are signs of abnormal damage on the magic array."
Upon hearing this, Klonor walked over to observe the magic array for a moment, his brow furrowed.
So that's how it is.
Despicable humans!
It turned out that they had secretly destroyed the magic array, causing an abnormality in the magic array's operation.
This made sense.
Elder Lorenzo hadn't died. He had merely been trapped on the other side of the teleportation passage by the Federation's design!
It was a stroke of luck in misfortune.
Seeing Elder Klonor silent for a long time, the tribe members couldn't help but ask softly, "Elder, what should we do now?"
"Repair the magic array and send reinforcements to continue entering the Temple of Incantation. The sacred tree has already absorbed some strength, and the new temple is under construction. It will be ready for use in a while. Let's hold on for another month," Klonor finally spoke.
"Understood!"
Fang Heng listened quietly for a moment, and his sharp ears caught the name of the sacred tree, sparking a sudden realization.
The sacred tree!
One of his targets!
Just listening to their conversation didn't seem to yield any useful information.
As Elder Klonor was about to leave, Fang Heng had a sudden idea. From a distance, he left a vampire mark on the elder.
[Hint: The player successfully marked-Wood tribe patriarch, Klonor.]
"Who goes there!"
The moment the mark hit, Elder Klonor keenly sensed something and swiftly turned to look toward Fang Heng's hidden position.
Oh no!
He's been discovered!
Fang Heng's heart skipped a beat.
Klonor's strength might be even greater than the previous Wood Tribe patriarch, Lorenzo, and he wasn't injured.
Run!
Fang Heng didn't dare to be careless at all. He immediately entered the secondary space projection and swiftly departed.
Klonor furrowed his brow, staring intently in the direction Fang Heng had left.
Who was that just now?
Extremely strong stealth abilities, almost fooling even him.
Was it someone from the Leaf tribe?
"Elder, we..."
"No need to pursue," Klonor stopped the Wood tribe members who were trying to chase Fang Heng, shaking his head. "Send more guards, and make sure to protect the teleportation passage. We need to quickly assist Elder Lorenzo's return."
"Yes! Understood!"
...
At night, in the area of the island research institute.
Bright green light gradually bloomed from the leaf in Cleriway's palm.
"Ah, it's a spatial marker."
Cleriway, concentrating on triggering the natural energy of the branch, suddenly opened her eyes, a hint of surprise in them.
"A marker?!"
Fang Heng also looked surprised.
The branch Cleriway held was the one that had emerged shortly after the killing of the Wood tribe patriarch.
Upon retrieving it, Fang Heng immediately handed it over to Cleriway for examination.
"Hmm, a spatial marker. It points to another world," Cleriway nodded, confirming her observation.
Fang Heng furrowed his brow.
Indeed, the magic array found in the temple of the tree spirits was also related to teleportation.
So, did the tree spirits teleport into another world?
A world called the 'Winter City domain'?
It seemed like things were getting more complicated by the minute.
The World of Forests itself is a vast world. Could there be another world nested within it?
Fang Heng felt skeptical and turned his gaze to Sandy, who was studying the jars nearby. "Sandy, do you have any thoughts?"
Sandy scratched his head upon hearing the question and replied, "I have no idea. I'm completely clueless. I've never come across anything like this in the ancient books. But these jars seem to be sacrificial jars used to absorb energy. I looked it up, and they were originally used to cultivate sacred trees. But how exactly they're used, I still need to find out..."
It seemed like a dead end...
Everyone glanced at each other, momentarily directionless.
Mo Jiawei asked from the side, "Should we also create a marker magic array and teleportation passage to try? Then we can go in and see for ourselves. We might figure everything out then."
Fang Heng shook his head and said, "I'm worried we might be discovered by the Holy Court."
Mo Jiawei quickly grasped the situation. The holy realm was still pursuing Fang Heng. While the World of Forests was protected, other worlds were not. If the World of Forests was involved in other events, the holy realm might intervene, complicating matters. The difficulty of the mission would be unpredictable.
Cleriway sensed the state of the sacred tree and shook her head, saying, "It might not be possible in the short term. The magic array needs to work in conjunction with the temple and the sacred tree. Given Abe Akaya's current condition, it will take some time to fully simulate a temple."
Fang Heng thought for a moment.
The side mission to investigate the Wood tribe triggered by the Leaf tribe has gathered enough data. At least the mission has been completed beyond expectations.
One option was to submit the mission to the Leaf tribe and try to glean some information from them. If that didn't work out, then waiting was the only choice. The Federation was also continuing its investigation. With the Federation's capabilities, they should be able to obtain some information sooner or later.
That seemed like the best course of action for now!
"Let's split up," said Fang Heng. "Cleriway, you continue to stay here and take care of Abe Akaya. Gu Qingzhu will ensure your safety."
"Alright," she responded.
Mo Jiawei suggested, "Then I'll go to the Starfish Company to get some spatial crystals. We'll need those to activate the tree spirit's magic array. It's better to be prepared in advance."
"Okay."
"Alright, I'll go through the Federation database to find any information related to the tree spirits," Sandy mused, contemplating how to extract the energy hidden inside the sacrificial jars.
With their action plan in place, everyone dispersed to their tasks.
Fang Heng immediately transformed into his bat form and rushed toward the gathering place of the Leaf tribe.
