Meanwhile.
Old Man Yu hid in the space among the tree roots, holding his breath as he pressed an ear to the wooden wall and listened for what was happening outside.
Just moments ago, he thought he'd heard the Insect Race calling—but he wasn't sure if it had only been his imagination.
After that, no matter how hard he listened, he couldn't hear another sound.
So he began to wonder if he'd imagined it.
Yu An, though, had heard it much more clearly.
As a tree, he didn't have eyes or ears, but for some reason—perhaps because of his soul—he could both hear and see.
His hearing and sight were even far better than an ordinary person's.
So the moment the Insect Race landed at Tiezhu's house and let out its first shriek, Yu An heard it. He'd also heard the wolf-bear's roar.
For some reason, when he heard the Insect Race's shriek, he felt as if he were facing a natural enemy.
And in that moment, he made up his mind.
The Insect Race had to die!
At the same time, Yu An felt a growing sense of urgency.
He had to hurry and grow to Juvenile Stage Three.
Besides that, he intended to give the Yu Family a leg up.
He was a tree that couldn't move, and his territory was right here. Even if he reached Stage Three, he'd still be powerless against the Insect Race that appeared each year alongside the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster.
He could kill one, ten, or a hundred insects—but could he still kill them when they blotted out the sky?
The union of a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root with humans to form a Blessed Land was undoubtedly a perfect symbiotic relationship.
The Spiritual Root offered protection, while the humans living in the Blessed Land defended it against the Insect Race.
This system had been in place in this world for three thousand years.
Yu An had never planned to go against the grain. The main thing was, he didn't have the ability to do so right now.
No matter how confident he was, he couldn't guarantee he'd evolve to the level of a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root anytime soon. Waiting until then to choose a family to protect would be far too late.
Especially since, before he became a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root, he was at his weakest—and in the greatest danger.
Besides, compared to an unfamiliar Foundation Building Family, wasn't a family he'd raised himself far more reassuring?
At first, it would take ten years—or an equivalent amount of his lifespan—to bring forth a single Natal Elm Seed. Naturally, he'd been reluctant to do that.
And back then, he hadn't experienced the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster or seen the Insect Race, so his thinking had been different.
But now he knew he'd underestimated the threat. To him, these things were the very image of a natural enemy.
Besides, as his life force grew stronger, he now needed only five years—or five years of his lifespan—to bring forth a Natal Elm Seed, which was also his Immortal Destiny.
That was nothing much compared to his three-hundred-year lifespan.
Even if the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster cost him some years, he could still afford to "splurge."
What's more, once he reached Stage Three, his lifespan would surely surge. Five hundred years? Eight hundred?
Or perhaps a thousand?
By then, he'd need even less time and lifespan to produce an Immortal Destiny.
So he could have Yu Dashan break through to the Qi Refining Realm first. With the strength of that realm, Yu Dashan could earn resources for him and help him grow more efficiently.
Then Yu An could slowly produce more Immortal Destinies and continue nurturing Qi Refining Realm cultivators in the Yu Family.
Unless circumstances demanded it, he should avoid spending his lifespan to bring forth Immortal Destinies.
That way, he'd have a perfect cycle.
The faster the Yu Family grew, the more resources it could provide him. The sooner he could evolve into a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root, the sooner he could get through the most dangerous period of his life.
Investment always took some capital.
Of course, that was his plan for the future. For now, he first had to survive this calamity brought by the Insect Race.
Just then, Yu An heard another faint rumble, as if some ferocious beast were rampaging through the settlement, smashing everything in its path.
"What's going on? The Insect Race? Or that wounded beast Tiezhu mentioned earlier?"
Yu An tensed. He could see far, but he didn't have the Eyes of Heaven.
He was in the little room now and couldn't see what was happening. He could only listen.
Judging by the noise alone, some kind of calamity had definitely struck the settlement—and it was a bad one.
Yu An immediately turned his attention to the space among the tree roots.
Old Man Yu had also heard a faint sound. Before he could figure out what was happening, he felt something tug at his trouser leg. He lowered his head and saw a thin root wrapped around it.
"Little Tree?"
Old Man Yu was taken aback.
Hadn't it fallen asleep?
Why was it reaching out again?
And what did it want now—more Spirit Stones?
"Little Tree, the Insect Race is about to arrive. I can't feed you Spirit Stones now."
Old Man Yu said firmly.
He'd nearly brought disaster upon them earlier by giving in to his soft heart.
Back then, he'd sworn to himself that he'd be strict from then on and wouldn't give in again.
But to his surprise, the thin root didn't cling to him. Instead, it kept reaching for the little box in the corner.
"No."
Old Man Yu knew the Spirit Stones were in that box. He hurried over and hugged it to his chest.
He'd already made up his mind: no matter how much Little Tree "pleaded," he wouldn't give it any more Spirit Stones.
Yu An was a little vexed, too. Who'd told Old Man Yu to keep the Spirit Stones together with the Corpse Stench Devil Plant's juice?
The problem was, he could only control the thin roots to a limited extent. He was still nowhere near being able to wield them like his own limbs. Otherwise, Old Man Yu wouldn't have stood a chance of resisting inside his space among the tree roots.
Suddenly, Yu An sensed an even greater crisis approaching at terrifying speed. He understood—the Insect Race, or rather, more of them, had arrived.
Even if everyone in the settlement rushed at the insects together, it would be useless. Most of the people still in the settlement were ordinary people.
And there were only two at Fetal Movement Major Accomplishment.
To keep the Insect Race from discovering him, he had to use the Corpse Stench Devil Plant's juice now.
Just as Yu An grew anxious and considered drawing out more vitality to force his roots to seize the juice, an even louder shriek pierced the thick cellar and the space among the tree roots, reaching Old Man Yu's ears.
"The In-Insect Race?"
Old Man Yu's eyes flew wide at the shriek. At last, he was sure he hadn't imagined the faint sound he'd heard earlier.
The Insect Race had really come.
At the same time, he could feel the thin root in front of him conveying its impatience. A thought struck him.
"You want the Corpse Stench Devil Plant's juice?"
Old Man Yu immediately opened the little box and took out the bottle of juice.
Then he watched the thin root hurry toward the little bottle containing the Corpse Stench Devil Plant's juice, and finally understood.
"Fine, wait here. I'll go out and smear the juice on your trunk."
The Insect Race had arrived, and danger was right on their doorstep, but Old Man Yu clearly couldn't bring himself to care about anything except Little Tree's safety.
He gripped the little bottle and started to leave the space among the tree roots so he could climb out of the cellar.
But the moment he moved, he felt another tug at his trouser leg. The root had caught him again.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine."
Old Man Yu grinned.
Hearing that, Yu An wanted to smack some sense into him with a root.
He was a tree—a tree, not a person.
Then he began drawing vitality from the Seed of Return and Hide, reviving himself to a limited extent.
The space among the tree roots seemed to erupt. A surge of rich vitality spread outward, and before Old Man Yu's stunned eyes, a root that looked distinctly different whipped straight toward the little bottle of Corpse Stench Devil Plant's juice in his hand.
Before you continue