Chen Pingchuan listened to the village chief's account, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He hadn't expected such a terrifying truth to be hidden behind this seemingly peaceful mountain village. Using live humans for sacrifices—in his past life, such an act would have been condemned by gods and men alike.

Recalling the eerie silence of the village, Chen Pingchuan pressed on, "Why does that strange tree do this? What exactly is its purpose?"

The village chief slowly raised his head, his eyes full of fear and confusion. "I don't know what purpose the Divine Tree serves. It's like a bottomless pit that can never be filled, endlessly demanding life."

"You must know something," Chen Pingchuan insisted. "That strange tree wasn't originally the old locust tree at the village entrance, was it?"

The village chief hesitated for a moment, then pointed toward the mountain behind the village. "If you're talking about the source, it's definitely not at the village entrance. That locust tree has been there for many years, and the one you fought earlier wasn't its true form."

He continued, "If there's a truly strange place, it's up there. That's where those huge, bizarre insects originally came down from."

"As for everything else, I genuinely don't know anything. Please, spare me. Or just give me a quick death."

After speaking, the old village chief closed his eyes, ready to die.

Chen Pingchuan frowned. This instance really isn't that simple. It requires not only combat but also logical reasoning. Things are getting more and more complicated.

"Alright, one last question," Chen Pingchuan said. "What did you give that little fool to drink, and why did she collapse when you beat the drum?"

"The Holy Spring flows down from the mountain, and it seems to have a restraining effect on the Divine Tree. I don't know much else. The drum was retrieved from the well."

"It's quite strange, actually," the chief added. "My villagers—no, the monsters—they seem to fear the water from that well. I drank the well water and ate the tree seeds, too. I thought I'd turn into a monster, but I ended up as this... a living ghost, neither human nor monster."

The old man sighed as he spoke. In the next second, a blade flashed, and the village chief's head fell to the ground.

However, no green blood flowed from his body, only normal red.

The others weren't surprised by Chen Pingchuan's action of beheading the old man. They were just curious why their boss kept staring at the elder's corpse. Does he have some peculiar hobby?

What they didn't know was that Chen Pingchuan, having lived through the information explosion of his previous life, understood blood loss. The amount spilling from the elder was clearly wrong. Even if he was old and frail, there should have been more blood than this. There must be a reason I'm missing.

The next moment, a small white worm, resembling a fleshy maggot, crawled out of the old man's severed neck.

SQUELCH.

Chen Pingchuan stomped heavily on the maggot, squashing it into a bloody puddle.

It was just as I suspected. Where there is a potent poison, its antidote must be nearby. The strange tree drove away that destructive swarm of insects, which means they must have a symbiotic yet antagonistic relationship. The old man could still think like a human, so there must have been something in his body countering the strange tree's influence… And that small drum he used, it strongly resembled the insect-calling drums from my past life.

"Boss, I... save me! You have to save me!" Lu Jiaojiao was truly panicking. "I don't want to die! I'm not married yet, I'm still a virgin! It's so unfair!"

She had watched from a short distance as her boss interrogated the village chief, but in the end, he hadn't found a solution. Seeing the old man's fate, she felt a chill run from her toes to the crown of her head.

Chen Pingchuan was surprised by Lu Jiaojiao's words. It was odd for such a flamboyantly dressed woman to claim she was still a virgin. But then again, the world is a vast and strange place. He waved his hand, signaling for her to calm down.

"Don't worry," he said calmly. "You only need to know one thing: I will save you. Just keep trusting me. Understood?"

Chen Pingchuan's calm demeanor did give Lu Jiaojiao a sense of security, and she began to settle down. As she looked at his handsome face, a blush crept onto her cheeks.

After reassuring Lu Jiaojiao, Chen Pingchuan turned to the others. "Rest up and regain your Spirit. We're continuing on. The strange tree must die!"

Although no one understood why Chen Pingchuan was so determined, they all nodded in agreement.

「In the following days,」

Chen Pingchuan led his subordinates in launching round after round of attacks against the strange tree, constantly trying various methods to find its weakness.

Lilia used her telekinesis to hurl fireballs at the strange tree. The flames would spread across its surface, but every time they reached a certain intensity, a mysterious force would suppress them.

Wei Hao continuously increased the intensity of his gravity field, trying to immobilize the tree's roots, but the tree seemed to adapt, its roots still writhing with frightening flexibility.

Porcupine wielded a heavy axe, relentlessly chopping at the roots. Each swing drew sparks, but the roots were exceptionally tough, showing no signs of being severed.

Lu Jiaojiao also fired her laser gun at the tree from the side, but the beams merely flickered on its surface, unable to cause any substantial damage.

Throughout it all, Chen Pingchuan stood to one side, observing the battle and contemplating his strategy. This instance can't be this straightforward. Based on displayed power alone, the insect tide was apocalyptic. For the tree to be able to drive away even the gigantic Corpse Worms, there must be some hidden detail I'm missing. This approach isn't working. We need a breakthrough.

He watched the burning flames and thought, While the fire can't destroy the strange tree completely, it must have some other purpose.

Suddenly, an idea struck him.

He said to Lilia, "Lilia, let's change our attack method. Use your telekinesis to concentrate the flames on a single point of the strange tree, then apply continuous pressure."

Lilia nodded and followed Chen Pingchuan's instructions, focusing the flames on one spot. Under her telekinetic control, the flames spun rapidly, forming a high-temperature vortex.

Chen Pingchuan watched the flames intently. The tree's surface might have a special energy field that prevents fire from damaging it. If we can break that field, it could be the key to defeating it.

Just then, the strange tree let out a furious roar, and its roots began to sway violently.

Chen Pingchuan realized the tree had sensed their intent and quickly shouted, "Everyone, be careful! The strange tree is about to counterattack!"

Sure enough, the tree whipped even more roots toward them, lashing out at the group.

Lilia quickly increased the intensity of her telekinetic attack while Wei Hao intensified the gravity field, trying to halt the tree's assault. Porcupine swung his axe, abandoning the roots he was fighting to stand defensively in front of Lilia, protecting her. The Poisonous Widow also fired her laser gun at the strange tree, attempting to divert its attention.

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