349: Chapter 349 exposed

Those logs were clearly cut directly from the forests of the Green Wood Realm; some still had branches and leaves, and they had been forcibly joined together to form an indestructible barrier.

The castle walls were covered in various vines and thorns. Those vines were as thick as arms and covered with sharp spikes, writhing slowly like living creatures and emitting a dangerous aura. The thorns were at least an inch long and shimmered with a faint green light, clearly containing potent poison.

The area surrounding the castle was densely packed with Wood Clan soldiers. There were patrols on the walls, guards at the gates, and sentries lying in ambush in the surrounding woods. At a rough glance, there were at least several hundred of them. Each of those soldiers held a weapon and was surrounded by a green glow; they were clearly elites.

The most eye-catching feature, however, was the high tower in the very center of the castle.

That high tower was ten zhang tall, its entire body inlaid with green crystals that shimmered under the grey sky. A tall figure stood upon the spire.

It was a Wood Clan powerhouse, clad in a deep green robe and holding a staff inlaid with a massive green crystal. It looked much older than the average Wood Clan soldier, with a withered face, but its eyes were like two green gems, flashing with a soul-stirring light. It stood on the spire, overlooking the entire valley with a gaze that seemed capable of piercing through everything.

Second Level of the Golden Core Late Stage!

Yaoguang's face instantly turned pale. She bit her lip hard, her body trembling slightly, her eyes filled with indignation and despair.

The ancestral land was right behind that castle.

She could even vaguely see the canopy of the Green Wood Sacred Tree deep within the valley; although most of it was blocked by the castle, that familiar silhouette and unique shade of cyan clearly told her—the Holy Tree was still there, and the ancestral land remained.

But they couldn't get in.

Just then, the Wood Clan Commander on the tower suddenly turned his head, his green eyes like two sharp arrows shooting straight toward the mountaintop where everyone was located!

"Someone's there!"

The Wood Clan Commander on the high tower had a gaze like lightning, shooting straight toward the peak where the group was hiding.

The seven of them felt a terrifying pressure wash over them, a pressure saturated with dense killing intent that made it almost impossible to breathe.

"We've been discovered!" Chu Lan's expression shifted.

As soon as she finished speaking, the Wood Clan Commander raised his staff and pointed it toward the mountaintop from afar.

A beam of green light shot out from the tip of the staff, tracing an arc through the sky and crashing down toward their position!

"Scatter!" Gao Feng roared.

The seven of them instantly scattered, each seeking cover. The green light slammed into the spot where they had just been standing, exploding into a massive crater as rubble flew and dust filled the air. Several stones as large as millstones were sent flying in all directions; Lin Yue shattered a giant rock flying toward him with a single punch, the Rock Demon Phantom appearing behind him to protect his body.

At the same time, a piercing alarm sounded within the castle.

The sound was sharp and ear-piercing, like countless birds screeching simultaneously, echoing through the valley. Countless Wood Clan soldiers surged out of the castle like a green tide, rushing toward the mountaintop. Those soldiers moved through the dead woods as if on level ground, their speed incredibly fast, approaching the foot of the mountain in the blink of an eye.

"Damn it!" Lin Yue gritted his teeth. "There are so many of them, how do we fight?"

Luo Li quickly took out the flowing sound zither, her fingers pressed against the strings, ready to play at any moment. Su Ning's hands formed seals as the power of space surged around her, ready to cast Spatial Magic. Tianxin took out a stack of Dark Talismans and placed them on everyone, completely masking their auras. Yaoguang gripped the jade bottle filled with Medicinal Pills, her eyes nervously scanning the surroundings.

Gao Feng's gaze swept over the surging soldiers and then toward the depths of the castle. He didn't panic; instead, he quickly observed the situation. A direct confrontation was out of the question—with hundreds of elite soldiers plus a commander at the Golden Core Late Stage, no matter how strong the seven of them were, they couldn't win. They had to find a Breakthrough point.

"Chu Lan, do you have a way?" he asked in a low voice.

Chu Lan was also observing the castle's layout. Her gaze moved between the castle walls, the towers, and the dense vines, finally settling on a giant ancient tree beneath the high tower in the center of the castle.

That ancient tree was pitch black, its trunk so thick it would take dozens of people to encircle it, and its canopy blotted out the sky, covering almost half the castle. Strangely, however, the tree's leaves were withered and its branches were cracked; the entire tree emitted an eerie aura of death. Countless thick roots extended from beneath the tree, digging deep into every corner of the castle, as if the entire fortress was built upon its root system.

"That is..." Chu Lan's eyes lit up, then she frowned. "The Spirit-Devouring Ancient Tree!"

Yaoguang's expression changed: "Spirit-Devouring Ancient Tree? You mean that evil tree that survives by devouring other spiritual plants?"

Chu Lan nodded and explained quickly: "Exactly. The Spirit-Devouring Ancient Tree is an extremely rare spiritual plant that lives by devouring the life force of others. Within a hundred-mile radius of where it grows, no other spiritual plants can survive. The Wood Clan used this ancient tree to build the castle because it can continuously absorb the surrounding spiritual energy to maintain the castle's operations. At the same time, it is the core of the entire castle—as long as the ancient tree remains, the castle's defenses are unbreakable!"

She paused, an excited light flashing in her eyes: "But conversely, if we destroy or control this ancient tree, the entire castle's defense will collapse!"

Hearing this, hope instantly ignited in everyone's hearts.

But that sliver of hope was quickly doused by reality. The Wood Clan soldiers below had already reached the mountainside and would arrive in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn at most. Furthermore, the Spirit-Devouring Ancient Tree was heavily protected, guarded by at least a hundred elite soldiers, not to mention the commander of the Golden Core Second Level Late Stage personally overseeing it.

"It's too late," Lin Yue gritted his teeth. "We can't even get close."

Tianxin suddenly spoke up: "I can try to use Dark Talismans to cover your infiltration."

She took out several pitch-black Talismans and handed them to Gao Feng and Chu Lan: "These are 'Dark Stealth Talismans' I recently developed. They are more effective than the previous concealment Talismans and can completely hide your aura and figure for a short time. Even a Cultivator at the Golden Core Late Stage would find it difficult to detect. However, they only last for the time of one stick of incense."

Gao Feng took the Talisman, a thoughtful light flashing in his eyes. Was the time of one incense stick enough?

Chu Lan had not given up. She stared at the Spirit-Devouring Ancient Tree, her eyes reflecting deep thought.

"Although the Spirit-Devouring Ancient Tree is controlled by the Wood Clan, it possesses its own sentience," she murmured. "It has been forced to devour other spiritual plants, forced to be a tool for the Wood Clan, and forced to be trapped in this dark place for countless years. Would it... be content?"

Yaoguang was stunned: "You mean... to win it over?"

Chu Lan nodded: "No sentient being is content to be enslaved. Although the Spirit-Devouring Ancient Tree is evil, it is also a victim. If we can convince it to help us..."

She looked at Gao Feng, her eyes shining with determination: "I want to try."

Gao Feng was silent for a moment before nodding: "Alright. But you only have the time of one incense stick. After that, regardless of whether you succeed, you must retreat."

Chu Lan nodded, took the Dark Stealth Talisman from Tianxin, and applied it to herself. Her figure instantly vanished from everyone's sight, and even her aura completely disappeared.

"I'll go with you." Gao Feng also applied a Talisman and gripped his vajra sword.

The two figures vanished into thin air, quietly sneaking toward the castle at the foot of the mountain.

Luo Li and the others remained on the peak, nervously watching the movements below. The Wood Clan soldiers were getting closer and closer; their hideous faces and the green-glowing spears in their hands were now visible. But after the two vanished, the soldiers lost their target and wandered around the mountainside searching, failing to discover the group on the peak.

Under the cover of the Dark Stealth Talismans, Chu Lan and Gao Feng silently passed through the soldiers' encirclement and entered the castle.

The interior of the castle was even more chaotic than the outside. Soldiers were running everywhere, and urgent shouts filled the air. The Wood Clan Commander stood on the high tower, constantly issuing orders and directing the soldiers to search for the intruders. No one noticed two invisible figures moving along the shadows of the castle toward the Spirit-Devouring Ancient Tree.

The ancient tree was located in the very center of the castle, surrounded by an open clearing. Over a hundred elite soldiers stood guard around it, vigilantly watching every direction. The soldiers' positions were carefully designed to cover each other, leaving almost no blind spots.

But Chu Lan was a Spirit Plant Master; her understanding of plants far exceeded that of ordinary people. She observed that while the soldiers were vigilant, their attention was focused on the perimeter and the sky above the castle; few paid attention to the ground beneath their feet. And the root system of the Spirit-Devouring Ancient Tree happened to spread throughout the underground of the entire clearing.

She led Gao Feng along the gaps in the ancient tree's roots, moving forward bit by bit. The roots were as thick as a person's waist; navigating between them was like walking through a maze. But relying on her keen perception of plants, Chu Lan was always able to find the most hidden path.

The time of one incense stick slowly trickled away amidst the tension.

Finally, the two arrived beneath the main trunk of the ancient tree. This area was surrounded by countless thick roots, forming a natural hidden space. The soldiers' lines of sight were blocked by the roots, making it impossible for them to see this spot.

Chu Lan revealed herself and pressed her palm against the ancient tree's rough bark. She closed her eyes and channeled her spiritual energy, using the unique communication technique of a Spirit Plant Master to project her consciousness into the ancient tree.

It was an incredibly vast consciousness space, but it was filled with darkness and pain. As soon as Chu Lan's consciousness entered, she was surrounded by countless negative emotions—resentment, anger, despair, fear... it was the accumulated agony of the ancient tree being imprisoned for countless years, surging like a tide that nearly drowned her consciousness.

She gritted her teeth and persisted, repeatedly transmitting her goodwill.

She told the ancient tree that there was sunlight outside, fresh springs, fertile soil, and a Spirit Plant Garden where it could grow freely. If it was willing to help them, she would take it away from this place that imprisoned it to a land where it could grow in freedom.