Chu Mo nodded: "That's exactly what I mean."

"No, that's not right," Ye Qing argued. "The tree deities have existed in this world for countless years, they are true gods, and they protect all the people."

"How did your husband die?" Chu Mo suddenly asked.

Ye Qing fell silent for a long moment before saying: "The second year after I married into this place, one day he suddenly complained of a headache and then said that it felt like something was eating his body. I was terrified at the time, not knowing what had happened to him. I wanted to find someone for help, but he quickly could not hold on any longer, and then... then he died."

"Hmm, and how did those children you've seen die?" Chu Mo asked again.

Ye Qing frowned and then said, "Most of them died of sickness..."

"What sickness?"

"I don't know, even the best doctors couldn't tell what sickness they had."

"Have you seen people after they have been dead for a while? Including your husband and those children." Chu Mo asked further.

"I... have seen them. My family members, when they died, had no wounds anywhere on their bodies. It feels... it feels..." Ye Qing knitted her brows, recalling those past images, her face showing a mix of fear and deep sadness.

"Feels like what?" Chu Mo continued to inquire.

"Feels like they... they were like statues!" Ye Qing's eyes gradually gathered a gleam of light as she said with certainty, "Right, just like statues, looking so much like fakes. It's like there was not a hint of life in them. But... isn't that how it should be when a person dies?"

"No, that's not it. Although a normal person does lose all essence energy upon death, that's not at all what you're describing," Chu Mo sighed lightly, looking at Ye Qing and said, "The people from those villages in your region, from those infants to the elderly who died of old age, to those who suddenly died, such as your family members, the people from your former village, in fact, they were all killed by the tree deity you mentioned."

"How can that be possible? It can't be true," Ye Qing said with a resolute expression: "You are wrong. The tree deity protects us, whenever those outsiders raised their knives against the villagers, the tree deity would take action! Just like today with you. But you seem to be more powerful..."

The tree deity is a protector, a true deity. This belief has long been deeply embedded in the hearts of everyone in this world.

This is like telling a devout believer that the deity they have worshipped for countless years is actually evil! That it is these deities who have drained all their life's essence energy, causing them to experience birth, aging, sickness, and death... If it's a fanatical believer, they might even reach for a knife to kill you!

For you have defiled the deity they deeply worship!

Although Ye Qing is not a fanatical believer, and she is very grateful to Chu Mo for taking her out of the small river village and possessing such divine methods, she didn't respond very violently to Chu Mo. Just think of the villagers from that small river village. If Chu Mo hadn't intimidated them right at the beginning, they would have torn him to pieces after hearing Chu Mo speak ill of the tree deity!

"Actually, verifying this matter is quite simple," Chu Mo said calmly, looking at Ye Qing: "Originally, we could just wait here and that would be enough. If what I've deduced isn't wrong, the Tree Monster from the small river village will soon be advancing. So, it is quite eager. But to help you understand more quickly what your so-called tree deity is really about, we can do something first."

"Hmm?" Ye Qing looked at Chu Mo, she was not swayed, she completely did not believe Chu Mo's words that the tree deity was evil.

"Take me to your village for a look, and then you'll know," Chu Mo looked at Ye Qing and said, "Go and see whether the tree deity of your village is still there or not."

"Of course, the tree deity will always be there!" Ye Qing said loudly, and then frowned, looking at Chu Mo: "It will not leave!"

"Then let's go and have a look," Chu Mo thought of even more things.

In this enigmatic and mysterious world, what exactly is controlling this world? What kind of beings are these Tree Monsters? In Chu Mo's past experiences, he had never encountered such bizarre incidents.

People from the Human Clan who ought to possess heaven-shaking and earth-shattering abilities are living here like ordinary humans. The plant cultivators, who were usually at a disadvantage in the Cultivation Realm, have somehow domesticated humans like animals, using them as their nourishment.

The ancient tree at the entrance to the small river village today was clearly not the strongest Tree Monster; it inadvertently revealed a secret: firstly, it was very clear about the nature of this world; secondly, the Tree Monsters are numerous in this world, known as the Tree Monster Clan!

It even threatened Chu Mo, saying if he messed up its good thing, Chu Mo would be unable to leave this world.

That means, it knew Chu Mo was an outsider and that Chu Mo would eventually leave here. It also did not wish to have too severe a conflict with Chu Mo, merely warning him to mind his own business. This became interesting.

Chu Mo was well aware that the Tree Monster at the entrance to the small river village would indeed be terrifying if enraged. But it seemed to fear something about outsiders and was unwilling to provoke conflict!

Chu Mo knew that the scroll he had brought to this place was left by his mother, and since his mother had him teleport here first, there must be her reasons for it. Therefore, Chu Mo decided to try and uncover the secrets of this place!

An ordinary person might not realize how terrifying these people of this world truly are. If one day they could leave this world, even just entering the Trial Field, they would be an incredibly fearsome force!

Every grown adult possesses the realm of a Quasi-Supreme!

If they were to continue cultivation for a few hundred more years, what would they become?

I wonder, even the Heavenly Realm would be shocked, wouldn't it?

Of course, these thoughts are only a rough outline in Chu Mo's mind right now, not yet perfected. He must wait until he uncovers the secrets of the Tree Monster before he can start realizing them bit by bit.

The first thing to do at the moment is to make the first person in this world believe that Tree Monsters are evil! Not their guardians!

Chu Mo looked at Ye Qing, and Ye Qing also gazed back at Chu Mo, both of their eyes filled with determination.

"I don't want to go back to that place, it's too heartbreaking," Ye Qing murmured softly.

"Then you tell me the direction, and I'll go by myself," Chu Mo said.

"Do you really want to go?"

Chu Mo nodded his head.

Ye Qing looked at Chu Mo: "Then I'll accompany you!" Then she whispered, "Don't get me wrong, I suddenly miss my parents, I want to see them."

Afterward, Chu Mo and Ye Qing came down from the hill and walked towards the distance.

"That house?" Ye Qing looked back reluctantly, only to be surprised to find that the large and exquisite wooden house on the hill had disappeared. Instantly, her gaze towards Chu Mo was once again filled with astonishment.

"The house is with me," Chu Mo said with a smile, without offering any further explanation. Because some things, one can only comprehend after seeing them with their own eyes.

Ye Qing's original village is called Stone Village, due to the presence of big and small stones everywhere around the village. A small river flows through Stone Village. Ye Qing told Chu Mo that she always felt Stone Village was better than Little River Village. If it weren't for her husband, she wouldn't have wanted to leave Stone Village.

Stone Village is around two hundred li away from Little River Village. Chu Mo initially considered Ye Qing's pace and didn't move too fast. Eventually, Ye Qing became a bit impatient and said, "We're moving too slowly; at this rate, we won't make it there before dark."

Chu Mo looked at her: "Then let's speed up?"

Ye Qing nodded and then began to run.

This run startled Chu Mo quite a bit. Because her speed was not any slower than Chu Mo's, perhaps even more suited to this environment, each step carrying her dozens of yards with very high frequency.

Chu Mo almost had to use his full strength to barely keep up with Ye Qing's rhythm. Ye Qing glanced at Chu Mo in surprise: "My lord, you're quite fast!"

Chu Mo felt like he was about to cry; he had roamed the Heavenly Realm for many years with unmatched speed. Even a supreme being would not dare to show off their speed in front of him. And now, he had been praised by Ye Qing, a woman who knew nothing of cultivation... For Chu Mo, this compliment felt more like an ironic insult.

The two of them sprinted, greatly speeding up and arriving at Stone Village before evening.

From afar, the sight of an ancient village came into view. Ye Qing pointed in that direction: "Look, that's my hometown, that tree... Eh? Where's that tree? Why is the Tree God gone?"

Ye Qing's complexion changed drastically, became extremely pale, losing almost all of her color. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes filled with disbelief as she muttered to herself, "Why did the Tree God leave? Why? Is it because there's no one left here for it to protect?"

"You should think it over carefully—if it really was a guardian, how could it allow every inhabitant of Stone Village to suddenly drop dead overnight?" Chu Mo sneered coldly: "Is it really that simple as a virus? It left because it had absorbed enough essence energy here!"

As Chu Mo spoke, he sighed. In this world, he couldn't feel the essence energy from the Cultivation Realm, but ironically, every person here possesses an extremely high realm. Thus, their bodies naturally contain the most abundant essence energy!

He didn't know what exactly caused this, but he could already be certain that these Tree Monsters would one day wipe out all humans in this world!

They had been nurturing all along, slowly collecting. They even gave everyone the impression that the Tree Gods were the protectors of this world. But one day, when they are close to a breakthrough, ready to leave this world, their ferocious side will be completely exposed!

That will be the truly desperate day for all human beings in this world. Even rebelling... they will have no power to do so!

"How could this be? Why would the Tree God leave?" Ye Qing stood there blankly, murmuring in a daze.

Boom!

Boom!

Just at that moment, a deep and resonant noise came from afar, as if there were giants walking.

An immensely tall and grand tree, like a person, walked around from behind a mountain, heading towards Chu Mo and Ye Qing.

Chu Mo's eyes were cold and stern as he said, "Finally can't resist taking action, is it?"

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