Chapter 509
With a deafening roar, the bark of the Clan Tree cracked and peeled away, its intricate patterns gradually disappearing. This Tree Spirit, possessing its own consciousness, faced physical death.
Simona opened her arms to embrace the Clan Tree, trying to learn the truth about the disaster from it. But before she could hear a single word, the Clan Tree fell silent.
Shi Lei launched Psychic Scan, but still couldn't find any spirit similar to the Sarkaz undead spirits on the broken Clan Tree. After two investigations, he determined that Sami's Tree Spirit belonged to a completely different system.
Shi Lei didn't detect any Tree Spirit, but he did discover a team of more than thirty people heading this way.
He felt these people posed no threat, so he didn't remind the others to be on guard.
When this group entered the settlement area, Mudrock, whose strength was second only to Shi Lei in the group, spoke first:
"Watch out, a lot of people are coming!"
Simona's pupils widened, instantly realizing that the newcomers were likely tribal warriors out hunting. She quickly stepped in front of the crowd, intending to go out and negotiate:
"Don't be impulsive, let me communicate."
She leaped from the treehouse, her black boots landing smoothly on the deep green grass swept by the cold wind. At the same time, she raised her hands in a gesture of weakness and attempted to communicate in Sami Language:
"Don't attack, it's me!"
A Priestess recognized her and immediately frowned:
"Simona? Weren't you hunting down the Ursus people on the Sami border? What are you doing here?"
Hantan turned to look at Shi Lei and the others, making the tribal warriors aware that there were outsiders in the settlement. He then looked away and continued communicating with the Priestess in Sami Language.
"You might not believe it, but it was Jitia ordered me to take them to the Endless Icefield."
"What!?"
The Priestess's lips twitched in surprise, finding it unbelievable. She lowered her center of gravity slightly and peered through the gaps in the gnarled vines onto the platform:
Who are these people?
Simona planted her staff on the ground, stared into the other person's eyes, and said seriously:
"As Priestess, you should know that we follow the guidance of the Old Tree without ever asking the specific reasons."
When I arrived, the Clan Tree had already collapsed, so I couldn't find any clues about the murderer. Now, instead of interrogating us, we might as well see if there are any witnesses."
"Tsk."
The Priestess, knowing the priorities, immediately ordered the tribal warriors behind her to begin the search:
"Search over there, you, come with me."
Shi Lei stood on the platform and scanned the area from all angles to confirm that there were no survivors in the settlement. Even if they were still breathing, he could save them.
What a pity.
As outsiders, they felt it inappropriate to interfere in the affairs of the Sami tribe. The group stood quietly on the platform, watching them bustling about.
The emotions of these Sami People are currently suppressed, like a powder keg ready to ignite at any moment. Any spark generated during communication could completely detonate it.
Ten minutes later, a Sami warrior called the Priestess to a distance. He said that a member of their Tribe Members had written a name on the ground in his blood before he died— Jaina.
The Priestess frowned upon hearing this, muttering the name before suddenly realizing:
"Is that Jaina from the Cold Mountain Tribe? I heard their tribe has been Demonic Invasion."
"Tsk, it must be her. Ordinary people wouldn't break through the defenses so easily, and they even destroyed the Clan Tree. High Priestess, should we tell Simona or the outsiders this information? They're heading to the Endless Icefield; wouldn't it be very dangerous if they encountered them halfway there?"
The Priestess, her face tense, pondered for a moment before shaking her head and rejecting the Sami warrior's suggestion:
"There's no need. If they encounter Jaina, who is possessed by Demons, it's their fate. This is our tribe's hatred, and it's our duty to avenge it. No matter the cost, we must make the murderers pay for their crimes!"
The two thought that being more than a hundred meters away from outsiders would prevent them from being overheard, but little did they know that their entire conversation had fallen into Shi Lei's ears.
The Demons the Priestess mentioned reminded him of Ursus's strongest single-target weapon— the Emperor's Blade.
They are said to be super soldiers created by using Demons from the north. They can release Black Mist called "Kingdom," which can greatly slow down movement.
After death, the hazmat suit will rupture under pressure, causing a large area to be contaminated with the radiation from the "Nation".
As far as I can remember, Shi Lei has already killed seven or eight Emperor's Blades, making the already scarce Ursus soldiers even scarcer.
The Sami Priestess, possessed by Demons, was of unknown strength, unsure whether he was stronger or weaker than the Emperor's Blade.
Shi Lei planned to sneak out alone after dark to investigate. Searching an area of several dozen kilometers around should lead him to the perpetrator of this massacre. There was no need to make a scene now; he could simply wait quietly.
Currently, apart from the hunting party, all the women and children in the tribe have perished. Preparing for their burial is taking up too much time, leaving no time to care for outsiders.
Simona didn't let the Sami People interfere, and after obtaining their consent, she lent them two treehouses for temporary accommodation.
As they were tidying up, the Priestess suddenly appeared outside the treehouse. She gave Simona a wink, then turned and walked outside.
Seeing Simona leave with the other person, Lappland turned to Shi Lei and said:
"Zhongli, they look so pitiful. Why don't you help them find the murderer?"
Exusiai, upon hearing this, echoed:
"Yes, Zhongli. This murderer didn't even spare children and the Old Man, it's really too much! If I catch him, I'll torture him severely!"
With no outsiders inside, Shi Lei decided to lay his cards on the table and reveal his next plan:
"No rush, I'll go out and search when it gets dark. Haven't you noticed? These Sami People seem very hostile to outsiders. If I'm too proactive, it might backfire. It's better to sneak out and find the Priestess Demonic Invasion, to prevent her from harming others."
"The Priestess Demonic Invasion?"
Exusiai taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly realized that he already had a clue about the murderer:
"Hahahaha, Zhongli. I knew I hadn't misjudged you. I knew you wouldn't ignore this."
After scanning, Shi Lei saw Simona and the Priestess leave the treehouse and come to a distance of more than two hundred meters. He raised his hand and made a shushing gesture, signaling them to be quiet. Exusiai cooperated immediately and shut up.
To avoid being overheard, the Priestess and Simona spoke in the obscure and difficult-to-understand Sami Language.
However, in Shi Lei's ears, which had its own system, everything was translated into Chinese, so there were no communication barriers.
"Simona, thank you so much for your help."
"You're welcome. After all, no one wants to see such a tragedy. If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask."
"No need, thank you. We can handle the sacrificial ceremony ourselves. But now that the Clan Tree is destroyed, we need to find a more suitable home."
The implication was that they couldn't stay here any longer and needed to find another tribe with a Clan Tree to take them in.
As Tree Spirit unique to the Sami, the importance of the Clan Tree to the tribe is self-evident. It can not only lead the tribe to a safe place with water, but also provide early warnings of geological disasters.
If a tribe loses its Clan Tree, besides enduring the disdain of other tribes and begging for refuge, it can also live without relying on the Clan Tree, but the survival rate of doing so is extremely low.
Simona understood that this was the only way forward after their Clan Tree was destroyed, and sighed helplessly.
She too had experienced the pain of tribal extinction at some point, and deeply empathized with the current situation:
"If you don't need help, then why did you come all the way here to see me? Those outsiders?"
No, it's something else.
The Priestess took out a package made of animal skin and from it retrieved a book made of tree bark.
Simona glanced at it only once before quickly waving her hand:
"No, no, no, that won't do. I'm an outsider, how can I possibly look at your Tree Codex?"
The Priestess gave a wry smile and explained to her:
"Simona, I've lived here since I was a child. My father and grandfather did too. But we've been too comfortable for too long. The Tree Codex is more of a symbol and a spiritual legacy for our generation. When I inherited it, I couldn't even understand the words on it. I've tried to communicate with my elders and understand the meaning of the symbols on the Tree Codex, but I always feel like something is missing. I remember you used to be Priestess; perhaps you can help me."
"That was before, not anymore."
"Even if I've only been Priestess for a day, I'm still Priestess. Your wisdom can surely help me. I'm very lost right now and don't know what to do next. Perhaps the Tree Codex holds some revelation about the tribe's future. I need your help."
Seeing the pleading look in the other person's eyes, Simona seemed to see her former self, and solemnly agreed:
"Okay, I'll give it a try."
Upon hearing that the Priestess had sought out Hantan to translate some Tree Codex, Shi Lei stopped listening.
He extended his Psychic Scan to its maximum range of six kilometers, but unfortunately, he couldn't find any trace of the killer.
Judging from the blood flowing from the corpses in the settlement, which soaked the Shirayuki, the other party must have escaped the scanning range.
But Shi Lei didn't give up; instead, he searched even more carefully. Since he was idle anyway, he figured he might as well find the murderer as soon as possible.
Five minutes later, Shi Lei suddenly opened his eyes.
Although no trace of the murderer was found, an unexpected clue was discovered. There was a path leading one o'clock from the settlement, where all the flowers and plants along the way had withered, which fits the special conditions of being possessed by Demons.
As expected, the murderer headed roughly north.
As darkness fell, Shi Lei left Mudrock in the treehouse to protect everyone's safety. He then quietly slipped out and disappeared into the pitch-black night.
This time, I'm going to punish a heinous murderer. I can go alone; I don't need to bring too many people.
Shi Lei flew north for fifteen kilometers along that unique, withered path. Finally, he found the killer's trail in a small hut on a Snowfield.
This small wooden cabin, located on a leeward slope, is a temporary rest stop built in the wild.
The room was pitch black, and the flowers and plants around it, covered in snow, drooped as if all their energy had been drained.
Shi Lei hovered 500 meters in the air, not in a hurry to land. He used his Psychic Power to scan the Priestess inside the house, who was being Demonic Invasion.
A middle-aged woman knelt on a cold Wooden Board, her Priestess robes soaked in blood. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face looked extremely haggard.
He was currently supporting himself on Wooden Board with one hand, vomiting repeatedly into the crater he used to make a fire for warmth.
"Waaaaah..."
After vomiting, the Priestess raised her hand to wipe the remaining filth from the corner of her mouth. She rose shakily, picked up a Pine Branch with a sharpened end, and immediately pointed the sharp end at her throat, as if intending to commit suicide.
The Priestess tried for a long time but couldn't manage to stab him.
It seems the Priestess has regained consciousness and is regretting her actions. But the tragedy has already happened, and Shi Lei can do is take her life.
Just as he was about to make his move, he suddenly noticed a black substance emerging from behind the Priestess.
This Black Substance was different from the Black Mist of the Emperor's Blade; it seemed to have a tangible form as it twisted and turned.
Is this the Demons that invaded her consciousness?
Shi Lei was unsure if he had the ability to stop these things. Out of caution, he summoned a transparent Jade Shield Wall, trapping the Priestess and the Black Substance within a limited area.
As if sensing something, the Black Substance began to extend outwards frantically, only to collide with the transparent Jade Shield. It struggled incessantly, but could not penetrate it.
Shi Lei observed from the air for several minutes, confirming that the Jade Shield could block the physical invasion of the Demons.
He acted swiftly and decisively, using his incredibly powerful Psychic Power to completely destroy the Priestess's will.
As the Priestess was killed from a distance, her body suddenly swelled up rapidly like a balloon. In just a few seconds, blood vessels as thick as roots appeared.
When the expansion reached its limit, the Priestess, who had been Demonic Invasion, exploded into pieces like a watermelon!
Staring at the still-active Black Substance inside the room, Shi Lei frowned slightly. This thing could still survive after being separated from its host.
No, we have to nip it in the bud.
With a wave of his hand, Shi Lei blasted a huge crater in the snow, burying the entire wooden house. He then reinforced the outside with a layer of Rock Constructs and Jade Shield, patiently examining the extent to which the Black Substance was eroding the Rock Constructs.
After waiting for about half an hour, seeing that the Black Substance had lost its activity, he turned and flew away from the scene.
These Black Substance appear to be similar to the Black Mist of the Emperor's Blade. They will cause radiation pollution to the environment after the host dies. The best way to deal with them is to bury them underground and reinforce Rock Constructs.
Ten minutes after leaving, Shi Lei suddenly returned. Only after confirming that the Black Substance had completely stopped moving did he feel relieved enough to fly back to the settlement and rejoin the others.
Using his Psychic Power to scan remotely, he discovered Simona waiting at the treehouse entrance. Although his girlfriends were trying to cover for him, it wasn't very effective.
Realizing his actions had been exposed, Shi Lei stopped hiding and flew straight down, landing at the entrance of the treehouse.
The figure that suddenly appeared from the sky startled Simona. She instinctively raised her staff in an attack stance, only then realizing who it was.
"Mister Zhongli, you..."
Anyway, it's not something shameful, so if I can't hide it anymore, I might as well not hide it at all.
"I was just bored and wandering around the neighborhood. I happened to run into the Priestess was killing these Sami People, so I just killed her and buried her in the snow."
"Priestess?"
Simona was shocked and extremely surprised that he could identify the murderer.
How can you be sure she's the murderer?
"She was Demonic Invasion, I think her name was something like Na. When I saw her, she still had self-awareness, so I dealt with her quickly. But after she died, a large amount of Black Substance exploded out of her, and I sensed danger, so I buried it."
Upon hearing the words "Black Substance, "Simona was startled again and quickly stepped forward to check her body.