Chapter 81 - 77: Walking Right into the Trap?

Chapter 81: Chapter 77: Walking Right into the Trap?

The North District of the Bone Forest.

This place was originally the habitat of the Tree Monsters.

After the battle against the human army, the Tree Monsters were nearly wiped out.

The newborn Tree Monsters watched helplessly as the great King of Tree Monsters and all his elites were annihilated by a single, terrifying two-legger.

They were incredibly familiar with these two-leggers.

Their elders had been very fond of eating two-leggers.

Two-leggers were once their food. Their elders liked to hang the two-leggers’ clothing and dismembered limbs on their bodies to show off, proving their strength and abundance.

They also enjoyed listening to the two-leggers’ strange cries and chasing them for fun.

But one day, this seemingly harmless food source suddenly launched a frenzied counterattack in retaliation.

They would never forget that day. A petite, white-haired two-legger appeared, along with an evil legion of two-leggers, shattering their wonderful lives.

Ice and Snow covered the entire forest, and frost froze the entire Tree Monster Legion.

They still remembered that bone-chilling cold.

They knew they could no longer live in the Bone Forest.

They had lost the protection of their elders and the ability to survive in the Bone Forest. They had to escape. They absolutely could not let the two-leggers capture them.

The two-leggers were still relentlessly hunting them, trying to catch them, skin them, press them for juice, and tear out their hearts.

They had to escape.

So, under the cover of deep night, when all the two-leggers were asleep...

They began their migration, their escape from the Bone Forest.

The will to survive sparked the young Tree Monsters’ Wisdom and united them as never before.

They followed the sole surviving elder, a Heart of the Tree Monster who had been tortured by the two-leggers.

During the day, they disguised themselves as trees in the forest; at night, they moved.

The elder Heart of the Tree Monster would surely lead them to a new home.

Just when they had traveled for three hours without encountering any danger and were starting to let their guard down, two strange two-leggers suddenly appeared before them.

They wore Cloaks and hoods.

Even the moonlight could not fully illuminate the faces hidden in shadow.

Until one of the two-leggers pulled back his hood, revealing an excited face.

His gaze was filled with greed and vileness.

He looked at the young Tree Monsters as if he were looking at a treasure trove.

The young Tree Monsters grew angry. They wanted to attack, only to discover that the elder Heart of the Tree Monster leading their escape was trembling violently.

The Heart of the Tree Monster’s body was shaking like a leaf, its facial features contorted with fear.

It turned to flee, ready to abandon all the Tree Monsters that had followed it.

The young Tree Monsters didn’t know what was happening, but a Tree Monster’s fear is contagious.

They could sense the Heart of the Tree Monster’s overwhelming will to survive, mixed with a terror like it had just seen the Death God.

Then the other two-legger pulled back her hood, revealing a head of white hair.

The young Tree Monsters fell into a complete panic.

’Isn’t this the white-haired two-legger who killed our King of Tree Monsters and our ancestors?’

’Why did we have to run into them here?’

Lian looked excitedly at the Tree Monsters before him. They were less than two meters tall, likely a group of newborns—they hadn’t even grown faces yet. Hidden in the forest, as long as they didn’t move, no one would notice anything unusual.

’Perhaps that’s why they didn’t participate in the war; they’re just a bunch of saplings, after all.’

Realizing they were about to flee, Lian decided to act immediately.

’This is a future pillar industry for the Green Shade Territory. How can I just let it get away?’

"Sophie, stop them."

Sophie nodded. A wall of ice shot up from the ground, blocking the young Tree Monsters’ path.

Lian leaped into the air, landing on one of the Tree Monsters. He bounded across the dense foliage on their heads, his Speed carrying him swiftly in pursuit of the old Heart of the Tree Monster.

This Heart of the Tree Monster was the only one left!

’The anesthetic depends on it!’

Lian couldn’t lose it, so he had to catch it.

The Speed of a Four-star Shadow Knight was already incredibly fast, and with the bonus from the Dark Night, Lian felt like he was flying.

The wind howled past his ears, and his vision was filled with afterimages.

’I’m practically a Lamborghini right now.’

SMACK—

Because he was too focused on his own Speed, Lian sent the Heart of the Tree Monster flying with the impact.

The Heart of the Tree Monster hadn’t expected it, either. The terrifying human who had come to capture it had ended up giving it a boost.

Lian accelerated and continued the chase.

SMACK—

The Heart of the Tree Monster was sent flying again.

The Heart of the Tree Monster hadn’t expected it. It had already resigned itself to being caught, but ended up getting away again.

Lian accelerated and continued the chase.

SMACK—

The Heart of the Tree Monster was sent flying yet again.

’This bastard is deliberately tormenting me! Just like how I used to treat ordinary humans—like playthings, to be eaten after I got bored,’ the Heart of the Tree Monster thought.

’What goes around, comes around. Heaven spares no one.’

The Heart of the Tree Monster was ready to die; it just didn’t want to be tortured anymore.

Lian accelerated and continued the chase.

Just as he was about to send the Heart of the Tree Monster flying again, he found it desperately clinging to his calf.

"?"

A question mark appeared over Lian’s head.

’Why is it throwing itself into the net?’

Only then did Lian realize that his repeated collisions had already warped the Heart of the Tree Monster’s body out of shape.

He reached out and lifted the old Heart of the Tree Monster by the scruff.

"Don’t worry. Starting today, you’re my Pet. I’ll only press you for juice, I won’t skin you."

Lian decided to treasure this last remaining Heart of the Tree Monster. Until the other young Tree Monsters had grown up, he wouldn’t touch its old hide.

He’d just squeeze out a little juice for anesthetic every now and then.

The Heart of the Tree Monster looked at Lian, its heart filled with dead ashes.

Lian seemed to understand its gaze.

"What? You want to die? Want me to put you out of your misery?"

Lian stroked his chin. "No, no, that won’t do. If you die, what will happen to all these little Tree Monsters? They don’t know how to grow up yet. You have to help me take care of them."

The Heart of the Tree Monster’s dull eyes suddenly brightened. It turned to look back at the group of young Tree Monsters being watched by the Ice Witch.

They were trembling, not daring to move a muscle.

"Don’t worry, I promise I won’t harm them before they’ve grown up. At most, I’ll have a gardener periodically prune their branches and take a little bark. I’ll even mark out a safe territory for you all to grow freely. From this day forward, you are no longer Tree Monsters. You have a new name."

Lian raised an eyebrow. "You’ll be called the Golden Tree."

This was the first time the Heart of the Tree Monster had ever been given a name.

It couldn’t help but feel a little dazed.

After being tormented by Lian for a while, it was already psychologically scarred and didn’t dare say it disliked the name.

It nodded obsequiously, indicating that it liked the name very much.

Lian nodded in satisfaction. "Good that you like it. Let’s go. We’re taking our Golden Trees back."

The Heart of the Tree Monster went before the young Tree Monsters and gestured animatedly for a moment. The little ones, now cheering with joy, followed it and walked behind Lian and Sophie.

’This Heart of the Tree Monster would make a great collaborator,’ Lian thought.

"Lord Lian, what did you say to them?"

Sophie asked curiously.