"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Lucas Chen furrowed his brows but still followed Alexander Chen's pointing finger to look in the indicated direction.
When Lucas Chen saw the Sacred Tree, now brimming with new vitality, his mouth opened unconsciously in shock:
"How can this be…!"
Lucas Chen murmured, disbelief evident in his eyes.
After a moment of stunned silence, Lucas Chen suddenly snapped to his senses, hurriedly grabbed the still dazed Alexander Chen, and ran towards the outside of the Ancestral Hall!
"Run!"
Panic was written all over their faces; they couldn't accept what was happening before them, let alone know how to deal with it. Fleeing seemed to be the best option.
"Wait, the machete!"
Alexander Chen, being pulled away, shouted out.
"At a time like this, who cares about the machete, let's go!"
The doors of the Ancestral Hall were firmly locked, and the two men hurriedly scrambled back the way they had come, moving even faster than when they had entered.
After the two had left, the Ancestral Hall returned to silence, with only the machete left beneath the Sacred Tree as evidence of their visit.
***
Inside the Ancestral Hall, Noah Ji was feeling the sensation of vitality filling his body.
Although it wasn't much, it was several times more than before.
Noah Ji tried hard to stretch his body, but all that resulted was a slight trembling of the branches.
However, even this small achievement satisfied Noah Ji; it meant that as long as he had enough vitality, he could eventually transform the branches into his own arms.
Looking down at the spot where the machete had struck, he saw that it had healed just as quickly as his vitality had increased, indicating a strong regenerative ability, which delighted Noah Ji.
He truly was a Sacred Tree, with extraordinary abilities.
Moreover, during the conversion of Qi and Blood into vitality, his roots had already dug deep into the ground and spread out considerably, while his vision had become farther and clearer.
However, Noah Ji also discovered a downside; after binding with the Chen Clan, his roots were deep in the ground, immobile.
If he tried to move, his vitality would likely fade away.
This meant Noah Ji had to grow here, sharing life and death with the Chen Clan.
If the Chen Clan were to be destroyed, his own end would probably not be far off!
Although his rooting was due to the actions of those two reckless kids, from another perspective, he didn't seem to have much choice.
To this, Noah Ji didn't feel much anger or complaint; instead, he felt a sense of relief as if a burden had been lifted.
After all, he was a tree!
Then, as if thinking of something, Noah Ji's personal information appeared again:
[Name: Noah Ji]
[Species: Weak Sophora Tree]
[Vitality: 3]
[Supernatural Power: Eye of Insight]
[Technique: None]
[Combat Skill: None]
[Qi and Blood: 0 (can be converted to Vitality)]
[Spiritual Power: 2]
[Deduction Points: 28 (points increase with each realm breakthrough within the clan, Body Tempering Realm +1, Blood Condensation Realm +2…)]
[Unable to Deduct!]
[Note: Requires Qi and Blood 10, Spiritual Power 5, Deduction Points 5 to perform Deduction!]
[Status: As the worshipped Sacred Tree, you have barely recovered some vitality, but it doesn't serve much purpose.]
Aside from the increase in vitality, Noah Ji was quickly drawn to the new Deduction function that appeared after binding with the clan.
Although he didn't know the function of Deduction, Noah Ji felt that it might be the only way to save the Chen Clan, not just the clan, but himself as well.
But upon seeing the prerequisites for Deduction, Noah Ji was troubled once again.
The prerequisites for Deduction were sufficient Qi and Blood, Spiritual Power, and extra Deduction points.
He had 28 Deduction points readily available, and it wasn't hard to deduce from the description that these points were likely the result of the clan's warriors.
The Deduction points were sufficient, but he was lacking in Qi and Blood and Spiritual Power, so how could he perform Deduction?
The only way Noah Ji knew to obtain these two attributes was through the sacrifices made by the Chen Clan.
Absorbing beast blood could increase these attributes.
But could the current Chen Clan still offer enough beast corpses for sacrifice?
If possible, Noah Ji would want to summon Ethan Chen, the Clan Chief, to make a sacrifice for him right now.
But he could neither speak nor move; he could only silently pray in his heart.
Hopefully, Ethan Chen, the Clan Chief, would not disappoint him.
The night was as dark as ink, with the moon hanging high.
Apart from a few patrolling members, the Chen Clan was quiet.
Lucas Chen and Alexander Chen, who had left, had not returned, seemingly hiding in their own rooms.
***
The next day, a hint of dawn spread across the sky.
Ethan Chen walked out of his room, his face etched with fatigue.
The clan was on the brink of disaster, and he had spent a sleepless night.
But after pondering all night, he still couldn't find a way out for the clan, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted.
"Clan Chief! Clan Chief, something terrible has happened!"
Hearing the panicked voice at the door, Ethan Chen's heart skipped a beat, and his expression immediately turned solemn.
Had the Li Clan attacked again?
But they had invoked the Elder Ancestor yesterday, which had prevented the Li Clan from leaving unscathed. It hadn't even been a full day; how could they attack so soon?
As a young man rushed in, Ethan Chen immediately ordered:"Gather the people, prepare for battle!"
The young man waved his hands hurriedly:"Clan Chief, it's not… it's not the Li Clan! It's the Sacred Tree! The clan's Sacred Tree has sprouted! Clan Chief, you must come and see!"
Ethan Chen's already furrowed brows deepened upon hearing the news of the Sacred Tree sprouting, and he could no longer maintain his composure. This news was even more unsettling than the Li Clan attacking.
"Is that true?"
Ethan Chen asked again, suppressing the excitement in his heart.
"Clan Chief, it's absolutely true. I discovered it this morning when I went to clean the Ancestral Hall!"
"Quick, follow me to see!"
With a complex expression, Ethan Chen hurried towards the Ancestral Hall.
By now, quite a few people had already gathered outside the Ancestral Hall, but none dared to approach, merely standing at the entrance and watching.
"The Clan Chief is here, the Clan Chief is here!"
"Make way, everyone!"
Facing the curious gazes of the clan members, Ethan Chen didn't say much but went straight through the doors of the Ancestral Hall, heading inside!
Upon entering the Ancestral Hall, Ethan Chen was greeted by the sight of the rejuvenated Sacred Tree!
Although the Sacred Tree was not lush, and the newly grown branch even looked somewhat frail, Ethan Chen was visibly shaken, his emotions too intense to articulate, and for a moment, tears streamed down his face.
He had been skeptical upon hearing the news of the Sacred Tree sprouting, but now, seeing it with his own eyes, he expressed the emotions in his heart.
He had thought he would never see the Sacred Tree revitalized in his lifetime, yet here he was, witnessing this moment.
Remembering the power of the clan's Sacred Tree in the past, hope flickered in Ethan Chen's eyes, and he murmured softly:
"This is wonderful."
"We're saved!"
"The clan is saved!"
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
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