The information about the 12-Leaf Sapling should have been obtained at this time, after which they would enter the building, find the sapling, and use Captain Fang's ability to protect it. Something might happen during this period, but it certainly wouldn't be like the current situation, where 7 leaves were already gone, used up by Wei Huan.
Without the leaves, how could they purify this land? Wei Huan felt like fleeing. He estimated he couldn't defeat this Giant.
The Giant was right. The 12-Leaf Sapling did possess the ability to accelerate cultivation. Wei Huan's body was now surging with energy, and his cultivation speed would be dozens of times faster than before. It wouldn't take long for him to reach Sequence Five. But all of this was thanks to the leaves.
And the fruit? Wei Huan's eyes slightly narrowed.
He couldn't possibly consider the remaining leaves. There were only 12 in total, and he had taken 7. It would be outrageous to try and snatch the rest. He had to leave a bit for others to benefit. Now that he knew there were also fruits, did that mean he could get another share?
No one could refuse becoming stronger. Although Wei Huan wasn't interested in contention, there was no reason not to take what was offered.
"If the leaves..." Jones seemed about to ask if the leaves could grow back, but Liyav pulled him back. There was no need to tell this to an NPC.
For the next period, the Giant was busy. It acted like a whole crew by itself, sometimes scouting at the bow, sometimes pulling ropes at the main mast, and sometimes steering at the stern. If they spoke to it again, it would tell them, "We are purifying this land. Don't worry, it will be soon." Wei Huan and the other two gave up on questioning it further and focused their attention elsewhere.
Liyav flew out for a trip and returned, saying: "It's as we guessed. The ship, when viewed from the outside, is filled with sacred light, like an incredibly huge sun, purifying all the illuminated land and trees."
Liyav speculated: "This energy might be effective for the people we rescued."
Wei Huan looked at the proactive Liyav. Was this a case of someone who'd had an umbrella held for them wanting to hold one for others?
"I can only move inside this ship. If I leave, I will be harmed by the sacred power. I'll have to trouble you two," Wei Huan said.
Liyav and Jones smiled and nodded. Saving these people would put them in debt, which was a good thing. Maybe they could leverage it someday.
Wei Huan gently placed the 13 people he had rescued along the way on the ground. Liyav and Jones each took one to the ship's side, where they were close to the ship's exterior and could be affected by the Holy Light. The ship's side, which was only a hand-width in the Giant's eyes, was like a five-meter-wide large bed for humans. Soon, these people were placed on it one by one.
The healing effect here was much better than Captain Fang's. After all, the Sun Herders' ship was built for this purpose. With specialized skill, some bodies quickly recovered from a muddy mess to the basic shape of a human. Everything was getting better.
Time passed minute by minute. Under the Giant's control, the Sun Herder Ship moved through this assessment field in a spiral pattern, continuously converging toward the center.
After an unknown period, Wei Huan, who had absorbed a little Dark energy, felt he had grown stronger. He awoke from his cultivation and noticed quite a few more people around him. There were even a few familiar faces here—powerhouses from the Daxia Pioneer Army, from different legions. There was even one from the Azure Dragon Legion, whom he had met several times before.
This confirmed the fact that, as Liyav mentioned, various countries held many Colossus fragments. Judging by their positions, it was clear that they had already distinguished themselves during the time Wei Huan was cultivating. Several challengers from Daxia were closest to him, subtly protecting him in the center. Even Jones and Liyav were squeezed a bit further away. Their general facing direction gathered four people clearly belonging to an Aosam faction, obviously to guard against them.
Wei Huan opened his eyes. They sensed it immediately and looked over. Then, Captain Liu of the Azure Dragon Legion smiled: "You're awake. Thank you for saving us. I truly didn't expect to be sidelined right after entering."
Wei Huan knew Captain Liu and was a little reflective: "It was indeed very dangerous."
After all, if they had encountered someone like Cynthia, who was bent on killing and plundering, these people would have been defenseless targets, easily killed, and their equipment stolen. If Cynthia had done so, she would have been powerfully armed, and even her faction members would have been enhanced. But what about those who died because of it? They were heroes from various countries who bravely marched at the forefront, and it was their adventures in the Challenge World that allowed humanity to stand evenly against the Dark Beasts on the Great Battlefield.
Humanity should not fight among themselves; this point should have been very clear from the start. Fortunately, those who held great power also had kind hearts, allowing this assessment to proceed smoothly to this point. And so many powerhouses from Daxia were saved. Wei Huan deeply considered this, feeling very fortunate.
Wei Huan immediately returned their equipment. Since they were still alive, their storage spaces had remained with them. So far, apart from the significant psychological trauma left by those who turned into purple mud, this assessment hadn't caused much damage.
After meeting the other captains, Captain Liu added: "Look there. We seem very close to the destination."
Wei Huan nodded. He also saw the building slanting into the ground, but it had collapsed now, no longer appearing so obviously tilted. Instead, it looked somewhat like a large mountain.
"Thump! Thump!" The deck vibrated.
The Giant happened to arrive at the bow. Wei Huan paid attention to its expression, and it seemed to find nothing unusual. It even respectfully saluted the "mountain."
Wei Huan asked: "Is that it?"
The Giant actually answered him: "Yes, we are close to our destination. Inside that sacred mountain is our precious sacred object."
Wei Huan lowered his gaze, thinking: the Titan actually regarded the original source of contamination as a sacred mountain. Could this be a melodramatic plot about mistaking the source of contamination for a god?
Unconsciously, they arrived in front of the building. It looked different from when Wei Huan had left. It was clearly not the scene of scattered rubble immediately after the collapse. The stone blocks carved with runes were buried under the soil, and dense trees had grown on top. Time seemed to have passed for a very long time.
The three people who had been here before stared in a daze. Did they enter a different timeline during their round trip? Were Captain Fang and Yake, who stayed inside, alright? What about Aglis, who went to the Moon Herder side? Would they meet again?
Jones was already shouting anxiously nearby: "It's changed! It's not the same as when we left. Did we enter a time warp? Or a mirror image?"
Liyav was silent, but the expression on his face was tight.
Captain Liu asked Wei Huan: "Did something happen?"
Wei Huan nodded, quickly summarized the situation, and continued in a low voice: "Just follow the lead."
The Giant didn't care about their feelings. Now that the plot had progressed to this point, it was as happy as if it had returned home. "I'm going in and will wait for you at the entrance." But before leaving, it seemed to deliberately say: "Take down the sails. The power of light is not friendly to the Moon Herders."
Afterward, it leaped off the ship and disappeared into the large gate of the "mountain." This meant that Wei Huan could only leave the ship after the sails were taken down.
Wei Huan ordered the Undead army to take down the sails and noticed the Aosam group walking furtively toward the cabin. Wei Huan didn't indulge them and spoke directly: "Where are you going, everyone? Let's focus on the mission."
Wei Huan's Undead blocked their path, preventing them from going down. There was actually nothing down there. The most important components of a magic ship were the sails. Still, allowing these individuals to wander around the ship, Wei Huan worried they might disrupt the plot. Although displeased, these people didn't dare oppose Wei Huan and laughed awkwardly: "Of course, of course. Let's quickly take down the sails and go."
The challengers and the Undead army cooperated, and the sails were quickly taken down. Without the sails, the power of light disappeared, and Wei Huan was free to leave the ship.
Wei Huan climbed onto the Burrow Beast Mother's shell, and he also arranged one for Captain Liu of Daxia and Jones. The group floated out slowly, like sitting on the back of jellyfish. The ship they had been riding on was large, like a city. But compared to the mountain in front of them, it was tiny.
The mountain, stretching over two hundred kilometers, looked not only majestic but also gave a feeling of something pressing on the heart when observed for a long time. Wei Huan did not ignore the warning signaled by his wildly thumping heart.
This was the culprit that caused the contamination, yet the Titans regarded it as a sacred mountain. Something must be wrong, and this should be the problem they needed to solve.
They arrived at the entrance where the Giant was waiting. It was a different place, clearly a later, artificially carved large gate, big enough for the Giant's huge body to easily enter. For Wei Huan and his group, it was even larger.
"Let's go. They are already waiting for us," the Giant said, then turned and walked into the gate. Wei Huan and his group followed. They didn't walk far before arriving at their destination: a hall that could be described as vast.
In the hall, more than a dozen Giants appeared. But they were clearly different from the Sun Herders. These Giants had darker skin and were slightly shorter. They should be the Moon Herders.
"Great Priest of the Moon Herders, we must trouble you again this time."
"Warrior of the Sun Herders, over the past millennium, the people of our two tribes have been dwindling. It has been a long time since a newborn was conceived. Only the Sacred Tree can bring us new hope."
"Alas, the leaves of the Sacred Tree have also decreased over the years..."
A plot scene was clearly unfolding here. While Wei Huan paid attention, he looked at the group of people standing not far away. Aglis was among them, along with the Druids and the people they had rescued along the way. They had clearly arrived earlier.
"Wei Huan." Aglis also saw them and waved from a distance.
Wei Huan commanded the Burrow Beast to fly straight over. The two teams converged and quickly shared their experiences.
It was almost the same process. The only difference was that Aglis's Moon Herder side had more people. After opening the boundary gate, they sailed the ship out immediately without delay.
Aglis whispered: "Did you notice? We seem to be in a time tunnel, rapidly experiencing the history of the Sun Herders and Moon Herders over ten thousand years. We know exactly what this mountain is—its descent contaminated this land. The Moon Herders haven't had a newborn for a long time and rely solely on the 12-Leaf Sapling to sustain their clan. They built a temple here and call this place the sacred mountain. It's so ironic."
Wei Huan nodded. This was probably an already determined plot, so there was no need to point it out. However, one thing had been bothering him since earlier.
"It mentioned contamination from Outer Gods, but the 12-Leaf Sapling appeared along with the source of contamination. What does this mean?"
Aglis was confused: "Contamination from Outer Gods? Is that information you got?"
Wei Huan lowered his gaze. Had the Moon Herders not mentioned Outer Gods?
Aglis's expression was serious. She looked at the ceiling, which they couldn't see the top of, and said: "So, does this mean that beyond this world, there are unimaginable powerhouses causing damage to this world? This is the world of the Titans. Each of them masters the power of laws. I can feel their strength is around Sequence Seven. And these two small tribes are definitely not the full strength of the Titan race. Yet they have no better solution for the so-called contamination from Outer Gods?"
Aglis frowned, somewhat uncertain: "I've been wondering this since before. Doesn't the Challenge World's cultivation of civilizations resemble the cultivation of excellent soldiers? Is it possible that when we reach the end, we'll discover that outside the world, there's still a cruel war?"
Wei Huan didn't know and didn't want to speculate. He said to Aglis: "This assessment might be our chance to get closer to the truth."
Aglis's face wrinkled up. She was already brainstorming. Speculation about the truth of the Challenge World was the hottest topic on Blue Star, and Aglis was no exception.
The dialogue on the other side was also drawing to a close. Wei Huan didn't delve into Aglis's speculation. He focused on the dialogue between the two Giant tribes, finally fixing his gaze on the Moon Herder Priest's face.
The Moon Herder Great Priest's height only reached the Sun Herder's waist, but humans were still ant-sized in their eyes. It turned to look at Wei Huan's group, specifically at Aglis, and said: "We are now going to pray for blessings at the Sacred Tree. Thank you, Warriors."
Afterward, the Giants, including the Sun Herder Giant, walked into the gate behind them and disappeared into the tunnel.
The hall quieted down. Wei Huan and Aglis exchanged glances, and both pursued them without prior agreement. As they moved, the Druids who had initially followed them, along with Jones and Liyav, followed suit. The captains from Daxia also followed them steadfastly.
However, the individuals from the Aosam faction, upon seeing them leave, quickly walked toward the door outside, clearly still unwilling to give up on the Sun Herder's ancient sailboat. The remaining people hesitated for a moment and then went their separate ways.
Wei Huan and Aglis closely followed the Giants, all the way to the depths. The distance was not as far as imagined. Soon, they saw the forest that appeared inside the building. But unlike what they had seen before, they stood at the edge of the forest and could clearly see a giant tree growing in the depths of the forest. The tree was so huge it seemed to prop up this space. Its brown branches grew vigorously like a large umbrella, and its developed roots even pierced through the firmament.
Dense natural power filled this vast space. They could feel the extraordinary nature of the giant tree from afar. It was like the Root of the Earth.
Aglis murmured: "As expected."
Yes, that was right. They had indeed entered a time tunnel. The small sapling had now grown into a towering tree, even propping up the underground space that had once collapsed. Ignoring the fact that this sapling fell into this world along with the source of contamination, its ability to prop up the ground was astounding.
They passed through the forest. The closer they got, the more they felt the tree's immense size. Even the Giants were dwarfed, looking like ordinary people under the tree. The Giants sat around the giant tree, chanting songs they couldn't understand. The Great Priest of the Moon Herders danced and kowtowed. After a long period of prayer, everyone sat quietly under the tree, as if waiting for something.
"What are they waiting for?"
"Blessings from the gods, maybe?"
"They said the leaves can increase the tribe's heritage."
After the scene quieted down, everyone didn't know what to do for a while and began conversing in low voices. Finally, a Druid boldly walked forward, past the Giants, trying to approach the tree. The Giants ignored him, but after only a few steps, the Druid returned with a somber expression.
"Can't get through," he said.
The others naturally tried with some skepticism, and they all returned with dark expressions.
"Should we go?" Captain Liu asked.
Wei Huan nodded. Wei Huan walked with them, but after seeing Aglis also retreat with a look of regret, he lowered his gaze, concealing the emotions in his eyes, and also retreated.
"What now?"
"Keep watching the plot?"
"They haven't moved. Could they want us to collect something?"
"How about we look around?"
"Okay."
Wei Huan watched several Druids suddenly fly up, frowning slightly.
Captain Liu leaned in and whispered in Wei Huan's ear: "Since coming here, these few Druids have been looking in one direction. They seem to know something."
Wei Huan nodded. This was what he found unusual. This place clearly looked the most anomalous. Coupled with the fact that Wei Huan had benefited from the sapling before, which these people should know about, they still left without hesitation. Furthermore, their departure was somewhat urgent, completely failing to hide their anticipation.
"Are you saying they're hiding something from us?" Aglis's ears were sharp. She heard their conversation and her eyes darted over. "Hmph!" She turned into a blood mist and chased after them.
In fact, those who experienced the first collapse all had a confusion. Why did the ceiling suddenly collapse? If they had triggered some mechanism, that would be acceptable, but the collapse was without warning. From the moment Wei Huan discovered the ceiling cracking until the rocks fell, the entire building collapsed in less than three minutes.
These people might know something, and now was the time to confirm it. Captain Liu saw Aglis leave and asked Wei Huan anxiously: "Should we go take a look?"
Wei Huan said: "You take people to check, but don't get too close, and don't engage in combat. Aglis is trustworthy."
Captain Liu didn't say more and left with four people. This left only Jones and Liyav with Wei Huan.
Wei Huan ignored the two. He returned to the Burrow Beast's shell, sat down cross-legged on it, looking determined to wait it out.
After about three minutes, a loud rumble suddenly came from the distance. Liyav sprang up from the ground, looked in the direction of the sound, and then looked at Wei Huan, wanting to say something.
Wei Huan lowered his head. One of his eyes had turned green. He said: "There's a secret passage there. Aglis and the Druids have started fighting."
Liyav's expression changed repeatedly. Finally, he couldn't resist the greed in his heart, stood up, and said: "I'll go check."
Wei Huan said: "There might be a plot development here soon."
"But I'm more curious about over there." Liyav said, no longer waiting for Wei Huan to speak. He turned into a streaking fireball and darted away.
This left only Jones with Wei Huan.
"Aren't you going?" Wei Huan asked Jones.
Jones looked up and smiled, revealing his clean white teeth: "I will always follow Lord Wei. You can command me as you please."
Wei Huan was somewhat surprised by Jones's attitude. When Jones said he would follow, Wei Huan thought it was simply clinging to a strong person, and he would definitely leave if his own interests were involved. It was very obvious now that there was something good over there; even Liyav couldn't resist going to fight for it, yet Jones firmly stuck to his commitment.
Wei Huan said nothing more. He waited for more than ten seconds. When Crow Sister returned from her scouting, Wei Huan decisively moved. He jumped off the Burrow Beast and, under Jones's curious gaze, once again walked past the Giants, trying to approach the great tree.
"Be careful, my Lord," Jones couldn't help but call out. He remembered the palpitation he felt when he tried to approach the great tree, an extreme fear, as if under the hateful gaze of a god.
However, before Jones could say more, Wei Huan had easily crossed the boundary that everyone else found insurmountable, reaching out to touch the vine hanging down from the trunk. Jones's wide-open mouth couldn't close. After a long time, a look of reverence appeared in his eyes. As expected of Lord Wei...
Wei Huan touched the Sacred Tree, feeling the familiar energy emanating from it. This energy was not strange to him. When he plunged into the depths of the Great Tomb, it was this Sacred Tree that helped him enter the state of epiphany, seven times in total, allowing him to approach the origin of Netherworld power incredibly closely, even seeing that colossal body, as vast as the cosmos. Perhaps it was these seven continuous epiphanies that, in some way, earned him the Sacred Tree's recognition.
While others struggled and couldn't get close, he felt completely normal. Strictly speaking, he even felt a desire to get closer to the tree. However, everyone else had retreated then, and he couldn't explore the truth in plain sight, so he retreated too.
He had to thank the selfishness of those Druids. Otherwise, he would have had to find a way to get them to leave to create an opportunity for exploration.
What Wei Huan was touching now was only the smallest vine of this giant tree, yet it still required his whole hand to grip it. Then, Wei Huan's gaze followed upward. The leaves on this tree were sparse now, less than a hundred at a glance. For such a massive tree, this was extremely few. Combined with the Giants' dialogue, did this suggest that this seemingly vigorous Sacred Tree was actually decaying?
Was it due to the scarcity of the Sun Herders and Moon Herders, causing the Sacred Tree to receive insufficient faith? Or was the external contamination continually attacking it? Or perhaps...
Wei Huan's heart moved. He squatted down and began digging along the root beneath the ground. The portal opened behind him, and Facehuggers crawled out with rustling sounds, helping Wei Huan quickly dig downward.