Chapter 111: The Arboreal Body

“How could this be happening?” Ye Bai stared at the white wall opposite him, as if he could see green vines suddenly emerging from within it.

Cao Xiaoseng looked at the white residue on his finger guard, equally baffled. He was certain he had touched an unknown mutated beast that had appeared out of nowhere, yet why had it passed right through him and shattered the wall?

“Ling’er, what’s your take?” The Yao family, renowned in medicine, had only awakened the wood attribute power, and so should possess deep knowledge and research on plant-type mutated beasts.

Yao Ling checked her smart brain before replying, “There are a few mutated beasts that fit the situation just now: ‘Flower Vine,’ ‘Purple Wood,’ and ‘Tree Body.’ But it’s likely not Flower Vine, since those always emit a strange fragrance with slight hallucinogenic effects. However, Flower Vine can shift between illusion and reality, and the fact that Xiaoseng passed right through the vine is somewhat similar.”

“Illusion and reality,” Ye Bai recalled from his readings—a state that allows instantaneous conversion between a physical form and an energy form, rendering the energy form immune to physical attacks.

“If it’s Purple Wood, then perhaps this place isn’t even the Purple Marten Guard Station. Maybe the entire building itself is the body of Purple Wood.”

After speaking, Yao Ling anxiously glanced around but saw no changes. She continued, “Purple Wood is a hallucinogenic plant-type mutated beast that emits a colorless, odorless gas. Anyone entering its range becomes confused before even realizing it and eventually dies in the illusion. But if it’s Tree Body, then things get a bit troublesome…”

As Yao Ling speculated with Ye Bai and Cao Xiaoseng on what mutated beast might be responsible, the entire Purple Marten Guard Station suddenly began to change.

Countless green vines slithered out from underground like serpents, climbing the outer walls of the station. The innumerable vines wove eerie patterns across the walls, one after another.

Suddenly, the vines seemed to ripple like water, merging into the wall itself. The wall creaked and cracked as green vines spread along it, enveloping the entire station.

“If it’s Tree Body, then we might be in serious trouble…” Yao Ling started to explain the terrifying nature of Tree Body when Ye Bai suddenly sensed something and said, “No, this house is wrong. We’re inside a cage created by a mutated beast. Xiaoseng, Ling’er, run!”

No sooner had Ye Bai spoken than the walls began to emit crisp cracking sounds. Cracks rapidly spread, and in an instant, the entire house seemed bound by countless tightening ropes from outside.

Before Ye Bai’s eyes, the room visibly shrank, the roof collapsing bit by bit.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, a thick dark green vine burst from the wall directly in front of Ye Bai, lunging straight at his face.

The Jinghong blade instantly unsheathed. A fiery strike flashed from it, crashing into the vine.

The vine’s dark green parts were damaged by the fire attribute power, while the rest bore only burn marks, revealing the wall structure beneath.

“Clang!” The green vine that burst through the fire struck the Jinghong blade, which violently vibrated. The force transmitted through the blade threw Ye Bai’s body like a sheet of paper, sending him flying out of the window.

“Move!” Cao Xiaoseng didn’t hesitate to avoid the vines, grabbing Yao Ling’s wrist and leaping out of the room.

Just as the three landed outside, the place where the house had stood exploded into ruins. The green vine disappeared without launching any further attacks.

“What now?” Cao Xiaoseng looked around at the corpses surrounding them, asking Ye Bai.

Ye Bai continuously wielded Jinghong but refrained from using attribute power recklessly. They still didn’t know what mutated beast controlled the corpses or what those green vines inside the room truly were. Until the true culprit appeared, Ye Bai preferred to conserve his energy.

Jinghong blocked a tentacle spat by a corpse. The corpse’s strength was roughly intermediate beginner level—heavy and powerful enough to leave a deep pit where Ye Bai stood.

“Let’s try to retreat from the guard station first. Tonight, we should gather information; there’s no need to get entangled with these monsters.”

Ye Bai reversed the Jinghu blade’s edge, forcefully slashing the corpse aside, then turned to regroup with Yao Ling and Cao Xiaoseng.

“Maybe we can’t get out now!” Yao Ling activated pulse gun bullets, repelling an attacking corpse and glanced toward the guard station’s entrance.

The entire outer wall seemed to have grown dozens of meters. Giant serpentine tree vines wildly waved across it. The once bright white moonlight dimmed, and the moon itself had mysteriously vanished. From afar, countless shadows encircled the whole guard station.

Ye Bai’s expression darkened as he took in the scene. “Looks like this mutated beast is determined to trap the three of us here today. Let’s see if its bite is strong enough. Don’t want it to backfire on itself—let’s break its teeth.”

Eyeing the black shadows clinging to the outer wall’s tree vines, Ye Bai’s fighting spirit flared. The Jinghong blade gripped tightly in his hand, for pressure breeds motivation, and it is often at the brink of life and death that breakthroughs are made. No fear of a strong opponent—only fear of cowardice that refuses to face them.

“This has to be the last possibility: those outside are the Tree Body vines, and the ones inside were too.” Ye Bai had already guessed it without Yao Ling’s explanation.

No strange fragrance—so not Flower Vine; no hallucinations, and the wall residue shown by Cao Xiaoseng indicated the immense force of the vines was real, not Purple Wood; thus, only one possibility remained: Tree Body. The plant-type mutated beast Yao Ling feared most.

“Yes, Tree Body. To surround the entire guard station, they must be at least Foundation level.”

Yao Ling delivered the answer Ye Bai least wanted to hear. Foundation level was beyond their current capability. When he first saw the vines on the outer wall, Ye Bai had a bad feeling.

“Tree Body exists as a single entity; each segment could be the main body. We have to find the tree core to solve it. Tree Body can merge with most inorganic materials, like the sandstone walls, assimilating and quickly strengthening the vines for attack,” Yao Ling added more information.

“Is there any way to get rid of these corpses?” Although their power was intermediate beginner level, without attribute power, they couldn’t harm the three. But a strong shockwave could be devastating to anyone.

“These corpses should have liquid crystals implanted by the Tree Body. These crystals not only increase the corpses’ strength but also continuously absorb all nutrients inside. What we see are empty shells, mostly filled with absorbed materials from inside the guard station,” Yao Ling explained, pulling a green potion from her backpack.

“This should temporarily evade the liquid crystals’ detection.”

“This potion was originally for treating injuries, capable of restoring damaged muscle activity and quickly stopping bleeding.” Yao Ling opened the bottle, concentrating a bean-sized wood attribute energy into it, then said, “Alright, each of you take a little.”

After drinking the modified potion, the corpses around them soon acted as if unaware of their presence, passing by without attacking.

Cao Xiaoseng silently gestured toward the outside of the guard station, suggesting they try to escape and evade the Tree Body’s tracking.

Yao Ling shook her head. “These reversed potions only fool liquid crystals with weak perception. The Tree Body vines outside will definitely detect us. Liquid crystals merely absorb biological nutrients and become solid, mobile energy absorbed by the Tree Body. They lack intelligence.”

“Let’s move deeper inside.” Since escape was impossible, the only option was to find the tree core and end the source to get out.

“If the Tree Body doesn’t want us to leave and desires to use us as nutrients for its evolution, then I’ll go along with its wish. When the time comes, let’s see who’s more skilled—the Tree Body or us.”

The growls of the corpses echoed around, as if enraged by the sudden disappearance of prey. Controlled by the liquid crystals, their steps quickened, their commands from the Tree Body unknown.

Ye Bai led the way, dodging the corpses’ charges, moving deeper into the guard station.

“Ling’er, any way to locate the Tree Body’s main entity? The one carrying the tree core,” Ye Bai emphasized.

Now, only Yao Ling’s extensive botanical knowledge could help locate the Tree Body’s core quickly. Ye Bai and Cao Xiaoseng were competent in combat but far behind when it came to understanding plant-type mutated beasts.

“Tree Body is a particularly cunning plant-type mutated beast. The tree core is hard to find, but any intelligent lifeform still needs to place strong defenses around important areas,” Yao Ling said, checking data on her smart brain.

“Although there were many corpses earlier, the smart brain showed fewer than a hundred. Where did the other two or three hundred go? And where are these corpses now?”

Yao Ling’s words made Ye Bai realize her point: “You mean, if we find where the other corpses hide deep inside the guard station, we might find the Tree Body’s main entity?”

“Exactly,” Yao Ling replied softly.

Passing through the corpse-infested area, the street suddenly returned to calm. In an instant, everything seemed to vanish—no vines, no corpses.

The silence was uncanny, as if the place they just passed through existed in a different world. Even sound failed to carry over.

The moon and snow in the sky flickered intermittently, and the atmosphere turned eerie.