Translator: Ashish
Translation Checker: Silavin
At that moment, Yu Zi Yu cast a brief glance at the transformation of the Mutant White Tiger before diverting his gaze.
There was nothing particularly captivating about it.
Apart from its white now gleaming more brightly, giving it a more majestic presence, the Mutant White Tiger’s outward appearance had not undergone any significant changes.
As a Tier-0 Level 8 Mutant Beast, it had already reached the pinnacle of its existence. The Life Essence merely provided it with an opportunity, a potential breakthrough to Tier-0 Level 9. Whether it could break through depended entirely on the innate talent of the White Tiger. It was something Yu Zi Yu could not quite determine.
Regardless, all he could do was wait and watch.
Shaking his head, Yu Zi Yu’s gaze finally shifted to the five individuals lying unconscious nearby.
“How should I handle these five?” Yu Zi Yu was also caught in a dilemma.
[To kill or not to kill?] He knew that this decision hung in a balance.
The reason he intervened was simply because he could not bear to witness these Humans being devoured by a Mutant Beast.
Cannibalism was ultimately a taboo concept to Yu Zi Yu. It was all fine, so long as he did not witness it. However, if he did, it would stir the last remnants of his ‘once Human’ conscience, urging him to act.
However, the predicament arose once he saved them. How to proceed with their fate proved to be a perplexing matter.
Gazing at the five individuals with a contemptuous look, Yu Zi Yu found himself torn. But then, as if he was struck with an idea, Yu Zi Yu’s eyes suddenly lit up.
*Boom, boom, boom…* Accompanied by tremors, black roots suddenly burst through the soil, revealing themselves to the world.
Under Yu Zi Yu’s command, these roots began to weave continuously.
In a matter of moments, five prison-like tree houses had taken root in the corners of the gorge.
Moreover, under Yu Zi Yu’s ingenious arrangement, these treehouses were completely sealed off, preventing any sound from escaping.
Save for the faint illumination seeping through a crack in between the roots, casting a dim glow upon a solitary corner, being imprisoned in these treehouses would demand extraordinary courage to endure. After all, it was going to be painful solitude.
Afterward, Yu Zi Yu, employing his roots once again, gently transported each of the five individuals to a treehouse respectively.
Asking him to make the choice was too demanding for him. Instead, he would let them make their own decisions.
He believed that these Humans would make the correct choice.
With a cold smirk, Yu Zi Yu chose to bide his time.
As for his decision to separate the five individuals, it stemmed from the complexities of Human nature.
The true nature of a man was often exposed when they were alone and confronted with despair. It was in these moments of solitude and despair that one’s character, values, and inner strength were truly tested and revealed.
It was precisely what Yu Zi Yu’ sought to witness: their true nature.
If they were to sacrifice themselves for their country and greater good, driven by noble ideals, then Yu Zi Yu could only offer his apologies.
In that fleeting moment, a tinge of reluctance washed over Yu Zi Yu, only to be swiftly suppressed. After all, he was not a Tree Monster. Standing at a different vantage point entailed different choices.
These individuals should already consider themselves fortunate that he had granted them the chance to decide their own fate.
[Well, I guess it is perfect timing. I do find myself in need of some Human presence.] With these thoughts in mind, Yu Zi Yu cast a gloomy glance at Bull Demon and Nine Tails, who were walking toward the entrance of the underground plaza–the deep hole nearby.
“I’ve made numerous sacrifices for the sake of all of you.” Yu Zi Yu’s voice carried a tinged of complaint and resignation.
…
As night descended, a gentle coolness permeated the air. Suddenly, a solitary groan shattered the eerie silence.
Shifting his gaze toward the source, Yu Zi Yu saw the lone female in the group waking up within a treehouse.
Her face still bore traces of tears, and most of her clothes were torn by vines and even tree branches…
Looking from the distance, her well proportioned body visible through her torn clothes was extremely captivating.
However, this was not the sight Yu Zi Yu so desired.
As a tree, he could see from the tip of his every branch, and even the nodes of his roots.
And this treehouse was precisely intricately woven by his own roots, which allowed Yu Zi Yu to observe from all angles, leaving no blind spot within his field of vision. As such, the delicate beauty of her unveiled body naturally could not escape his eyes.
Meanwhile…
“Where am I?”
“What happened to me?”
…
Clutching her throbbing head, the girl’s voice trembled with a mixture of fear and confusion.
Raising her gaze, she found herself enclosed within a wooden house.
“Was I rescued by someone?” Doubt filled her mind, but Qian Qin felt her brow furrow.
Immediately after, a loud rumble akin to a thunderclap resonated within her mind. Images flooded her mind, one after another. A towering tree, exuding an aura of utmost sanctity… Fearsome Mutant Beasts silently prostrating beneath the trees, as if embarking on a sacred pilgrimage…
“No, no…” amidst her terrified scream, the girl paying no heed to the chill that permeated her entire being or the stinging of her wounds. She sprang forth from her bed and raced toward what appeared to be a wooden door.
But the next moment, much to her stupefaction, she watched the roots around the crack of the door slowly squirm until it closed completely.
“It’s true, after all.” Hugging her legs, the girl buried her head in her knees and broke into tears, overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness.
At that very moment, Yu Zi Yu himself was slightly taken aback.
[This girl, she is quite interesting.] Yu Zi Yu, for the first time, attempted to communicate with these Humans using his spirit as a medium. “What did you notice?”
In an instant, a jolt coursed through the girl’s body as she heard the sudden voice reverberating within her mind, her body trembling intensely.
“Tree Monster, it’s indeed a Tree Monster,” her voice emerged hoarse and strained, and her face paled, drained of blood.
Then, just as abruptly, the voice grew colder, echoing once more within the depths of her mind, “Let me ask you again, did you notice anything?”
A chilling sensation, as cold as ice accumulated over thousands of years, caused the girl to shudder involuntarily.
*Gulp!* Gulping a mouthful of saliva, the girl’s tearful cries continued unabated.
But after a brief pause, as if a revelation dawned upon her, she made an effort to lift her head and looked toward the treehouse, whispering in a voice that only she could hear, “I saw it, a towering giant tree, obscuring the sky…
“This place, no, the entire Misty Mountains is the domain of a Tree Monster, all of it…”
…
Intently listening to the girl’s trembling as she lay bare the truth, Yu Zi Yu was taken aback.
[This girl seems to possess some kind of strange ability.]
At this moment, as if sensing Yu Zi Yu’s thoughts, the girl further added, “My Innate Talent is Sixth Sense, an accurate intuition that can foresee blessings and misfortunes. And, in times of utmost desperation, it is amplified to the fullest, allowing me glimpses of visions that resemble prophecies…”
“But, amidst the visions I just witnessed, I couldn’t find a glimmer of hope… every aspect, from earth to the sky, from the creatures that walk to the birds that soar, all of it is under a Tree Monster’s control…”
Her voice quivered as she could not hold back her sobs, but she still managed to reveal her innermost thoughts, “This is the kingdom of the Tree Monster… a place more fearsome than any Forbidden Zone…”