Now, Xiao Chen finally understood how he had so easily dug up the Little Sacred Tree back then. It was highly likely that the little beast had carelessly tossed the treasure tree aside and forgotten about it. And the three skeletons had known of the sacred tree and the little beast far earlier; perhaps it had also once been carelessly discarded in the Death Swamp.
Xiao Chen felt a strong urge to give the creature a hard knock on the head!
The little beast lounged lazily among the flowers and grass, seemingly savoring the delicious food, smacking its lips with a "ba-ji ba-ji" sound.
Xiao Chen was about to set the valley ablaze, but just then, as if it had rested enough, the little beast tumbled upright with a "gu-lu" sound, tugging at Xiao Chen's clothes to signal him to follow. Remembering that the Little Sacred Tree was still in the valley and not wanting it consumed by fire, Xiao Chen followed, also curious about what the creature had eaten earlier.
The three skeletons crept along like thieves, stepping high and placing their feet lightly as they trailed behind, though such a gait for three walking bones was somewhat comical.
Clambering through the trees and down the valley wall, they descended into the valley. The little beast led them through a winding path, far avoiding the areas where flames had once flickered, then narrowly evading two Tree Men as it guided them toward the deepest part of the valley.
Deep within the valley, the woods grew dense. Each ancient tree required a dozen or more people to encircle its trunk, standing like giant umbrellas propping up the sky. Some trees were thick with foliage, their crowns covering nearly a square kilometer of land — a pinnacle of lushness.
After advancing several li, they reached the valley's innermost depths.
A faint light flickered ahead, appearing somewhat eerie in the silent valley. When Xiao Chen and the three skeletons could clearly see the source of the light, they halted in shock.
A cyan-green giant stood there, emitting a faint green glow. His body was hunched in extreme pain, towering over twenty meters tall — far larger than the three Tree Men they had seen earlier. This was an ancient Tree Man, his face weathered with wrinkles, a long green beard hanging down to his chest.
What truly shocked Xiao Chen and the others was not the Tree Man's extraordinary size, but the large split in his chest and abdomen. Within the gap, a naked man, about two meters tall, was struggling fiercely to break free!
The man was a flesh-and-blood body, no different from an ordinary human. Though he appeared young, his features still bore a resemblance to the old Tree Man, and upon closer inspection, a faint green radiance circulated beneath his skin.
Xiao Chen was utterly astonished. The man seemed to be slowly emerging from within the old Tree Man in a process of transformation!
As the man gradually struggled outward, the twenty-meter-tall Tree Man withered and weakened, his life-force rapidly draining away, while points of light converged toward the naked man.
A different form of evolution! Xiao Chen was profoundly amazed.
Eternal ancient trees could evolve into Tree Men, and Tree Men could completely transform into human form!
He sensed a powerful wave of energy from the naked man, no weaker than that of a ferocious dragon! The transformation appeared excruciatingly painful; it was unclear how long it had been going on, but only half of the man's body had emerged so far.
The snow-white little beast blinked its large eyes and tugged at Xiao Chen's pant leg, urging him forward while giving a wide berth to the transforming man.
About a hundred meters past the old Tree Man, they entered a region of fragrant flowers and spiritual grasses, all brimming with vitality. At the very center, brilliant divine light blazed, dazzling under the night sky.
In the middle of flowers and grass lay a small puddle half a foot square. The radiant light emanated from there, suffused with an endless flow of life essence. The little beast's treasure tree was rooted in that puddle, its trunk shimmering with multicolored haze, but the liquid within the pool was nearly dry.
Xiao Chen was dumbfounded. Though he had never heard of Tree Men in the mortal world, he had once heard of the crystalline liquid in that small puddle — it was... Life Nectar!
Life Nectar was a crystallization of nature. Legend had it that in vast primeval forests, it might produce only a few drops after years of accumulation. It had the power to revive the dead and regrow flesh, but ordinary people could never find it. It was truly named Life Nectar.
And here... an entire half-foot-square puddle had formed!
But no matter how shocked Xiao Chen was, it was too late. Most of the Life Nectar had already filled the little beast's round belly, and what remained had been drained dry by the sacred tree. It was both regrettable and astonishing — this little beast was far too extraordinary to have found the nectar.
The palm-high little tree had undergone a remarkable change. Its translucent white-jade leaf had fully grown to the same size as the ink-jade leaf, and it had even sprouted a new emerald leaf, glowing with green light.
Compared to discovering the Life Nectar, Xiao Chen was even more amazed by the state of the little beast and the tree. The little beast had drunk an unknown quantity of Life Nectar, its belly round and taut, yet it showed no signs of change — truly astonishing. Even a mighty dragon would have undergone some transformation after consuming so much Life Nectar.
Such a miraculous little beast!
And the little tree had absorbed the other half of the Life Nectar, yet had only grown one new leaf. That was also astonishing — did one new leaf equate to half a puddle of Life Nectar?
All men have selfishness; Xiao Chen was no saint. He decided he must find a way to keep the little beast and the tree by his side. This creature was too incredible.
The snow-white little beast uprooted the treasure tree and casually placed it atop its fluffy head.
With a splash, as the tree was pulled out, three sparkling crystals emerged from the dried-up puddle. The little beast picked them up suspiciously, crunched one like a sugar cube, swallowed it, and threw another to Xiao Chen.
Everything happened too fast. Xiao Chen had no chance to stop it, nor had he expected there to be crystallized nectar in the puddle. What a waste! After drinking a bellyful of Life Nectar, it had now gulped down a crystal!
A waste! Too wasteful!
As if finding the taste unpleasant, the little beast tossed the remaining crystal to King Qin Guang. Such a casual gesture nearly drove Xiao Chen mad. Was this little beast raised in a spring of divine liquid? It was utterly speechless.
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