Overwhelming Shock! The South Heaven Gate Plan! (Two-in-One)

"Elder Zhu Chuan, the human Su Mo's territory is still not letting us in. Could it be that their strength is no match for ours?"

"These tribal men on lookout duty, judging from their clothing and the weapons they carry, don't seem like strong people at all. Could it be..."

The weather in the depression has turned into a pleasant sunny day.

Strangely, it was still pouring rain along the edge of the depression.

Standing in the downpour, the six tree-men would shake off the water from their bodies from time to time, whispering to each other.

The shortest of them was over seven meters tall, and as they spoke, their leaves rustled and fell wildly.

The tallest of them all is the tree-man called Elder Zhu Chuan, who looks to be at least twelve meters tall and is covered in broad, lush green leaves.

"Zhu He, you idiot! I think you've forgotten the pain once the wound has healed. How many times have I told you, the fighting strength of humans and dwarves cannot be distinguished by their appearance. Their real strength lies in their use of tools and weapons!"

"Use your stupid brains to think about what we Coolie Tree People look like, what weapons we carry, and what we're dressed like!"

"These past few days, I've done a lot of research on the structure of human society. Don't underestimate them in the slightest. These people are just scavengers at the very bottom of the human race. Their status is not even as high as our coolie tree people!"

"Moreover, if Su Mo's strength is really only what it appears to be, how could those vengeful guys not attack after he destroyed the dwarfs' supply lines the day before yesterday!"

Elder Zhu Chuan pulled out a thick branch and lashed it across Zhu He's tree spirit, leaving a deep gash.

The latter winced in pain, let out a muffled groan, and dared not utter another word.

Judging by the height of the trees, it is easy to discern the status and strength of each individual in the Treefolk.

Like animal groups, the hierarchy among the Tree People remains strictly enforced! Zhu Chuan was furious.

All the other tree-men quickly shut their mouths, afraid that they too would be whipped.

Fortunately, this stalemate did not last long.

Su Yuan, having received his orders, returned with a broad smile.

Zhu Chuan Shuren also put on what he thought was a friendly smile and hurriedly went to greet him.

"Under the command of the esteemed King Su Mo of King of Humans, I, the Ancient Treant Zhu Chuan, once again apologize for the unauthorized visit of our treant race."

Please forgive our rudeness!

Having learned about human knowledge, Zhu Chuan's every move was like that of a gentleman straight out of a textbook, full of elegance.

On his face, one could see a deep sense of apology.

"Dear Treant ally, your politeness is truly astonishing. Compared to those rude aliens, you are simply the most elegant gentleman."

Seeing Su Yuan also approach with a big smile, and seemingly not understanding the meaning behind his words.

Zhu Chuan was taken aback. "Human ally, has Lord Su Mo agreed to our request for a visit? If not, then no."

Su Yuan: "Oh, Brother Zhu Chuan, we're all allies, how could we possibly disagree?"

"As the first ally to visit our lowlands, our director warmly welcomes you Treants and has prepared a very high-level reception ceremony for you."

"Only."

"But we Chinese have a rule that this is necessary for the first visit; otherwise, it's breaking the rules."

With a wave of his hand, Su Yuan put on a warm smile.

Incidentally, from an angle visible only to Zhu Chuan, Su Yuan subtly rubbed his thumb and index and middle fingers together a few times with his other hand, the meaning of which was very clear.

With the mission of stalling for time on his side, he was not worried that the tree-man would not understand.

On the contrary, he has plenty of time to explain the long and rich history of human culture.

Unfortunately... "Oh, you mean this? I know, I know. It's your unique custom, and we Shuren people naturally follow suit."

"Here, Brother Su Yuan, this is a gift for you!"

Thanks to the human culture that has been studied for a long time.

Seeing Su Yuan's performance, Zhu Chuan was not angry but pleased, and quickly laughed and winked at the treant behind him who was in a daze.

"It's easier to deal with the King Yama than his underlings. These greedy scavengers must be fed, otherwise, if they ruin the whole situation, we'll have to pay a much higher price!"

"Hmph, those old fogies in the tribe don't understand human culture at all, yet they still want to trade something valuable with them."

"Luckily, I Zhu Chuan, am smart and prepared for everything!"

Feeling pleased with himself, Zhu Chuan didn't slow down his work.

Soon, after a tree-man opened up his trunk storage compartment and took out a gift, Zhu Chuan quickly accepted it.

"Brother Su Yuan, this is a rice leaf from the best part of our Planting Zone. Don't let its ordinary appearance fool you; it's packed with energy and is a commodity that other alien races most want to buy."

"Ten rice leaves are enough to support the energy needs of an ordinary tree-man for a day, while this one leaf, for you humans, would last for two whole days."

"Even in the cold winter, as long as you eat these rice leaves, you won't need to eat any other food for two days, and your body will stay warm!"

The rice leaf that Zhu Chuan mentioned was only the size of a palm.

Unlike the large leaf letters that emitted a green glow before, these rice leaves were a deep red color and looked unusually heavy.

Furthermore, its effects are quite astonishing.

A single ordinary leaf can sustain a normal human for two days.

A gift for a "minion" is definitely "valuable"! Taking two steps forward and then one step back, Su Yuan said with a look of "surprise," "Oh dear, this is too precious a gift."

Zhu Chuan laughed heartily, "Quickly accept it, give your brother some face."

Su Yuan continued waving his hands, "No, no, no! If the director finds out I took such a valuable gift, I won't believe it!"

Zhu Chuan immediately understood. "Brother Su Yuan, if you don't say anything and I don't say anything, no one will know. Just relax, Lord Su Mo will definitely not blame you for accepting the gift."

One side is a tree-man who is over ten meters tall.

One of them is a human who is a little over 1.75 meters tall.

Looking at the person and the tree in front of me, it was like a scene from Chinese New Year, where people were politely declining each other's red envelopes.

Neither of the parties involved found this strange.

But others just felt it was incongruous.

The villagers who followed Su Yuan were dumbfounded.

The tree-man standing at the back was also dumbfounded.

"Brother Zhu Ling, I'll accept this gift!"

After refusing for two or three minutes, and seeing several back-and-forth struggles, the tree-man was so slippery that it was impossible to make a move.

Su Yuan's eyes darted around as he accepted the gift. He seemed to be showing it off to the villagers behind him, but in reality, he secretly winked at Zhang Liang, the deputy group leader behind him.

They were roommates, and the latter immediately understood, stepping forward with a smile.

"Brother, we Chinese have an old saying: 'Those who see it will have a share.'"

"Our team leader received a gift, but we didn't know."

"Yes, yes, you have some too!"

Zhu Chuan flicked out a branch, stroked the "leaf whiskers" on his chin, and revealed an expression of complete control.

The next second, another rice leaf was handed over.

"Oh dear, no, no, this is a gift from our team leader, it's too precious, Brother Zhu Chuan, you should take it back quickly."

"Yes, yes, everyone should be treated equally."

It was the same familiar excuse again.

The tree-man behind remained bewildered, but some of the villagers had caught on, and a look of sudden realization dawned on their eyes.

Because of Su Yuan's example, Zhu Chuan became much more familiar with the process of declining.

This time, Zhang Liang only lasted two minutes before taking the rice leaf and giving up.

But the villagers following behind didn't even wait for Zhang Liang to turn around before they came up to him again.

This gesture instantly caused Zhu Chuan, who was still smiling, to freeze in shock.

Fortunately, the tree people's food leaves are meant to provide energy, so there's no shortage of one for each person.

They waited until the forty-sixth person in the group stepped forward.

Seeing Pei Shao rushing towards them from behind appear at the edge of their field of vision, Su Yuan silently breathed a sigh of relief and gave the remaining four people a wink.

"Brother Zhu Chuan, you are truly generous allies. We will definitely become best friends in the future!"

Seeing Zhu Chuan very cooperatively distribute the rice leaves to the remaining four people, and even prepare a portion for Pei Shao, Su Yuan laughed heartily and quickly stepped forward.

The next second, he took the paper from Pei Shao and tossed it lightly at the tree spirit Zhu Chuan.

As Zhu Chuan received the paper, both of them showed satisfied smiles.

"Please!"

"Thank you for your help!"

Like the leaves that the Tree People use to deliver messages, this paper, though ordinary, is imbued with Su Mo's will and protected by the game.

Sticking the paper to his chest, Zhu Chuan took the lead and stepped into the territory.

The immense pressure I had imagined did not materialize at all.

Although there was an unseen warning telling Zhu Chuan that he would be severely punished if he launched an attack.

However, the tree people's original purpose was to explore, and they had no intention of causing any damage, so they were not at all worried.

From the northeastern boundary of the depression, back to Iron Stone Mountain, the distance is approximately one hundred kilometers.

Since there was enough time, there was no need for anyone to linger.

The remaining forty-odd people continued to clean up the salt that had seeped out of the depression, while Su Yuan Pei Shao took the lead and hurried away with the tree people.

"It's really barren. I can't believe there are such ordinary regions in the New Continent. I really don't know why Su Mo chose this wretched place!"

"Although the trees are lush and green, they are all ordinary plants with no value whatsoever."

"Even if it recovers its vitality, this land is still unsuitable for any large-scale cultivation of advanced plants. What a pity."

"Is Su Mo truly all show and no substance? No."

The deeper Zhu Chuan went into the depression, the more doubts he had.

Although he spoke eloquently when instructing other tree beings, his ideas were based on Su Mo's previous reputation and deeds, which he had not witnessed firsthand.

Having traveled halfway and still seeing no improvement, Zhu Chuan's expression suddenly darkened.

"Su Yuan, my ally, how far are we from our territory?"

In the blink of an eye, the previous friendly brotherly address vanished, and Zhu Chuan's tone became cold.

"Almost there, almost there! Once we cross this mountain, we'll be in the territory!"

It was expected that Zhu Chuan was in a bad mood.

But what he didn't know was that Su Yuan, who was comforting him, was actually experiencing a storm of emotions.

If Pei Shao hadn't been calmly leading the way, he would have exclaimed in surprise at the sudden appearance of dozens of mountains in the depression.

This is not a low-lying area at all!

This is clearly a miniature version of the Qinling Mountains!

"Stop! Please, distinguished guest, halt and await the director's instructions!"

After crossing another mountain, we made an abrupt turn.

Standing in front of an unremarkable mountain cliff, Pei Shao stopped, a serious expression on his face.

Subconsciously, Su Yuan, who had been looking around, immediately stopped in his tracks.

However, several tree-men who had their own thoughts, including Zhu Chuan, did not react in time and crashed straight into the cliff wall.

Thump! The cliff wall that was expected to collapse did not happen. Instead, all the tree people were struck as if by lightning and thrown back several meters.

Amidst the panicked gazes of all the tree-men, the cliff face, which had initially remained unresponsive, remained silent.

Suddenly, a sliver of Golden Light appeared, and at the same time, a gap opened up from within it.

Two voices followed one after the other:

"Hey, how dare you!"

"Who dares to force their way through my South Heaven Gate? State your name!"

Like a deafening thunderclap, the gap in the thirty-meter-high cliff grew larger and larger.

Only after the entire rock wall was completely bathed in Golden Light did two figures emerge.

Unlike ordinary humans.

These two figures were extremely tall, even shorter than Zhu Ling, who was twelve meters tall.

"Zhang Long, Liu Neng."

Su Yuan Su Yuan had never heard of the figure's appearance before, but he was extremely familiar with the figure's face.

Before Su Yuan could speak, Pei Shao stepped forward respectfully once again.

"Reporting to the North-South Heavenly Generals, the trespasser did not act intentionally; he was simply unfamiliar with the Territory Terrain, which led to his reckless act."

"They have the director's approval, there's a written order, there's a written order!"

As he spoke, Pei Shao quickly turned his head and winked at Zhu Chuan, the tree spirit.

"Oh, we have a warrant, we are allies, this is a pass issued by Lord Su Mo!"

As if suddenly realizing something, Zhu Chuan immediately got up from the ground, took off the paper from his chest, and respectfully handed it over.

In the presence of the other tree-people, he was a towering elder.

But in front of these two figures, he became a "dwarf".

The oppressive power emanating from his height and imposing presence instantly eroded Zhu Chuan's entire mind.

All previous speculations vanished at that moment.

"With a written edict, the death penalty may be waived, but punishment will be severe."

"You all."

Upon seeing the golden-armored figure make the same "familiar" gesture as Su Yuan, Zhu Chuan, who was still awkwardly laughing, immediately froze, and then nodded frantically.

"We understand, we understand!"

The rice leaves that were previously given to the villagers were all provided by ordinary tree people.

But when it came to Zhang Long Liu Neng's needs, Zhu Chuan quickly opened his storage compartment and took out a thick stack of items.

At a glance, the number is no less than fifty.

Seemingly worried that it wasn't enough, with a hint of heartache, he pulled out ten more light purple leaves and took them all.

"Very good, as expected of our Heavenly Court's ally!"

"Please come in!"

After stuffing the items into their chests, the two golden-armored men made way for them to enter.

Instead of rushing forward, all the tree-people turned their attention to the "short" Su Yuan and Pei Shao standing in front.

"Let's go. There's a written order from the chief, so everyone can rest assured!"

He took the paper back and handed it to Zhu Chuan.

Seeing the latter cautiously pressed against his chest, Pei Shao found it amusing, but maintained a serious expression and continued walking forward.

Buzzing sounds filled the air. The golden South Heaven Gate seemed to possess extraordinary detection technology, emitting bursts of booming noise.

With trepidation, watching the two figures disappear from the doorway, Zhu Chuan steeled himself and braced himself to go inside.

The tree-men behind us looked at each other, and had no choice but to follow.

Once you get here, there's no turning back.

Having witnessed the power of South Heaven Gate and the golden-armored figure, everyone had no more doubts about Su Mo and the low-lying area's strength.

If they weren't on a mission, they would have even wanted to rush back to their territory and quickly tell Chief Zhu Ling about this important discovery.

Among the group of tree people was Zhu He, who had previously mocked the strength of the lowlands.

At this point, he completely shut his mouth and fell silent.

Unfortunately, the silence didn't last long. When he finally stepped through the gate, his vision blurred, and he could see again.

A gasp escaped his lips instinctively! "This... this is..."

"The Heavenly Court?"

Unlike the barrenness outside, everyone was stunned as soon as they entered the world inside the gate.

It was like stepping into a paradise.

Outside was barren land, dark yellow mountains, and everywhere was dilapidated.

But once inside, all you can see is life!

"This is the power, this is the feeling! By the Tree God above, the Vitality Power of the Heavenly Court can actually reach such a level!"

In the distance, you can see smoke rising from the village by the edge of a huge lake.

On the land, you can see groups of cattle and sheep, leisurely grazing and strolling.

The darkness I had imagined didn't happen; the sun was still shining overhead! Even the clouds were floating in the sky!

Standing in this place, with each breath, Zhu Chuan could feel the exhilaration throughout his body, as well as a slight increase in his strength.

If it weren't for the warning and deterrence from the golden-armored figure earlier...

At this moment, he even wanted to take root in the ground and fully experience the increased strength brought about by this terrifying Vitality Power, ten times that of his own territory! "Please, everyone, withdraw your powers. This appearance might frighten our inhabitants."

"Our director doesn't like to look up to others either, please understand!"

Before long, two groups of guards carrying "ordinary spears" and wearing light blue armor appeared in the distance.

As if being stared at by a venomous snake, he stared intently at the spear in the guard's hand.

Zhu Chuan's heart sank again, and he quickly took the lead in shrinking his size.

Eight meters.

Five meters.

Three meters.

1.7 meters! Not knowing how tall Su Mo was, Zhu Chuan lowered himself to be a full head shorter than Su Mo before stopping.

Behind him, the other tree-people followed suit, lowering their height to 1.5 meters! "Thank you for conveying the message, sirs. This is a small gift; please accept it with a smile."

Seeing that the guard remained standing even after they lowered their height, Zhu Chuan felt bitter and repeatedly signaled to the tree man behind him.

They pooled their resources and gave gifts.

Five stacks of rice leaves were handed over, totaling no less than three hundred, a truly generous amount! "We didn't even see the person, yet half of the expected supplies were given away. Luckily, we were prepared beforehand and brought plenty!"

"These men under Su Mo's command are indeed a bunch of greedy monsters!"

Seeing the guards smile as they received the food, they began to lead the way.

Zhu Chuan mentally cursed, but his steps remained unchanged.

Unfortunately, he was too "young".

Over the next half hour, on the way to meet Su Mo.

The visiting group encountered several women who claimed to be practicing formations, with titles such as the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits and the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends, but in reality, they were a group of beautiful women.

Eight people, even more wretched than scavengers, their clothes tattered and torn, yet their weapons exuded a deadly threat – the "Eight Immortals."

The "Four Heavenly Kings" are leading a formation of 100 people and practicing their formation.

The "Five Pecks Star Lords" fell gently from the sky without raising a speck of dust.

The four or five-kilometer journey into the village felt like an eternity for the group.

As if suffering from PTSD, Zhu Chuan trembled every time he saw a group of people, mechanically handing over gifts.

All the prepared gifts have been given out.

He delivered all the food rations he had on his round trip.

Even the few supplies they had saved up were almost gone, and Zhu Chuan looked like he was about to cry.

Four people walked out of the village gate.

"Isn't it a joy to have friends coming from afar?"

"Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me."

"Welcome to my territory, my generous Ancient Treant allies!"

Like a voice from beyond the heavens, or like a demonic whisper in one's ears, Zhu Chuan's legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, looking utterly dejected.

Su Mo quickly stepped forward with a friendly smile and kindly helped him up.

"My ally, what do you think of my South Heaven Gate Plan?"