Su Mo straightened his pants, leaned against the tree trunk, closed his eyes, and breathed evenly.
Suddenly, his brow furrowed.
He couldn't sleep.
He was clearly exhausted, but he just couldn't fall asleep.
It was as if something inside him was stirring, refusing to settle down.
He rolled over.
Still couldn't sleep.
He rolled over again.
Still wide awake.
Su Mo opened his eyes and sat up.
Something was wrong.
He touched his face—it was burning hot.
His heart was racing, and his breathing had grown ragged.
It was as if something were coursing through his blood, making his whole body feverish.
Su Mo frowned and looked around.
The moonlight was hazy.
A thin mist drifted through the forest, glowing faintly pink beneath the moonlight.
There was a sweet scent in the air, faint and elusive, like flowers, and yet...
He couldn't put his finger on it.
The surroundings were unnaturally quiet.
There wasn't even a single insect chirping.
Su Mo took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
But he realized that the scenery before his eyes was starting to change.
A rosy filter had settled over the moonlit forest.
The trees, which had been perfectly ordinary, looked especially... beautiful in that pink glow?
Su Mo shook his head hard, trying to drive out the bizarre thought.
He looked to one side.
Tang San was asleep not far away, his face flushed and a silly smile hanging from the corner of his mouth.
Through that rosy filter, his face actually looked a little... cute?
Su Mo shuddered with revulsion.
What was he thinking?!
He quickly looked away and turned to the other side.
Xiao Wu was hugging half a carrot, her cheeks puffed out as she slept soundly.
Through that rosy filter, the soft, damp sensation from earlier seemed to surface again...
No, no, no.
Su Mo took a deep breath.
He could only look at Big Black Ox.
Big Black Ox was lying in a corner, its tail swishing back and forth as it slept soundly.
Through that rosy filter, it actually looked a little...
Delicate and refined?!
Su Mo's mind crumbled.
Wait, wait, wait!
What was he thinking?!
That was a cow! His brother!
No, this wasn't right! How could he possibly feel that way about a cow... No, how could he possibly feel that way about anything?!
And why was everything pink?!
What the hell was this filter?!
Su Mo fought down his discomfort and forced himself to look elsewhere.
He looked toward the trees in the distance.
Then he froze.
In the distance, the silhouette of a tree looked especially...
Alluring?
Its trunk swayed with graceful curves, its branches danced in the breeze, and its crown glowed with a sacred light beneath the moon.
A thought that made Su Mo want to bang his head against a wall popped into his mind:
That tree... was actually pretty good-looking?
Su Mo bit through the tip of his tongue.
The pain cleared his head for a moment.
No!
This was a mental attack!
He took a deep breath, and golden light surged forth!
He activated his Holy Body Martial Soul to its full power!
Golden light burst from within him, forcibly dispelling the rosy filter.
The world returned to its normal colors.
Su Mo gasped for breath, cold sweat soaking his back.
That was close.
He'd nearly fallen for it.
At last, he came to his senses.
He stood up and warily scanned his surroundings.
The pink mist was still drifting about, thicker than before.
The campfire was still burning, sparks flickering in and out of sight through the mist.
The roast meat was still dripping fat onto the grill, the grease sizzling as it fell onto the coals.
But—
Tang San was gone.
Ma Hongjun was gone.
Big Black Ox was gone.
Su Mo's pupils contracted.
He looked around. There was no one in sight.
Only Xiao Wu remained where she was, chewing on a carrot with a bewildered look.
Su Mo hurried over.
"Xiao Wu?!"
Xiao Wu looked up and blinked.
"Huh? Master?"
"Why are you still here?"
Xiao Wu tilted her head, looking completely innocent. "I was just... watching a bunch of rabbits dance, so I watched them for a while..."
She leaned closer to Su Mo and studied him carefully.
"Master, your face is so red. Do you have a fever?"
Su Mo covered his face.
"...You weren't affected?"
Xiao Wu blankly took a bite of her carrot. "Affected by what?"
She pointed at the pink mist around them.
"That mist was so pretty. It looked like cotton candy that tasted like carrots."
Su Mo fell silent.
Was the mental resistance of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form really that strong?
He took a deep breath and quickly assessed the situation.
The pink mist was some kind of mental attack that stirred up desire.
He, Tang San, Ma Hongjun, and Big Black Ox had all been affected.
Xiao Wu had been immune thanks to her Soul Beast physique.
Ma Hongjun had Evil Fire, so his reaction might have been the most extreme.
They had to find them immediately.
He looked at Xiao Wu. "Can you smell where they went?"
Xiao Wu sniffed and nodded.
"Yep! Follow me!"
She bounded off into the depths of the forest.
Su Mo followed behind her, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings.
Both the pink fog and the disappearance of the others were extremely bizarre.
Especially the fact that he'd actually felt desire for a tree...?!
The two of them passed through layer upon layer of mist, following the trail.
The farther they went, the darker Su Mo's expression became.
More and more Soul Beasts were heading in the same direction.
Rabbits.
Deer.
Hyenas.
Even a century-old bear.
They staggered along with vacant eyes, yet wore strange smiles.
Some of the Soul Beasts were injured and limped as they walked, but their expressions showed nothing but bliss.
Su Mo's mouth twitched.
This scene...
Why did it look like some kind of cult gathering?
And why were they all smiling so... lecherously?
Xiao Wu watched with great interest. "Wow, where are they going? They look so happy!"
Su Mo said nothing, merely quickening his pace.
They passed through a stretch of woods, and the view suddenly opened up.
A clearing.
A huge ancient tree stood in the center.
A compassionate face on its trunk gazed benevolently down at all living things.
Its crown radiated seven-colored light, illuminating the entire clearing.
In the glow, the tree appeared sacred, solemn, and untouchable.
Hundreds of Soul Beasts knelt densely all around it.
There were also dozens of humans—hunters and Soul Masters who had gone missing in the forest over the years.
They were all prostrated on the ground with their hands clasped, their expressions devout.
But on closer inspection, their eyes were vacant.
The same smile hung from all their lips—a smile that seemed blissful and content, yet somehow strange.
Some of them were wounded, their injuries still bleeding, but they seemed to feel nothing.
Su Mo hid behind a tree, watching the scene with a deeply furrowed brow.
Was this the legendary Benevolent Heart Sacred Tree?
Why did it look...
So wrong?
Then, the face on the ancient tree slowly moved, and an old, benevolent voice rang out.
It wasn't a real voice, but a form of mental communication.
"My children, it is time for another blessing."
The followers cheered in unison.
"Thank you, Sacred Tree!"
"Thank you for your blessing!"
Then, a jaw-dropping scene unfolded—
Every follower turned around at the same time, showing their backs to the ancient tree as they stuck out their butts.
Their movements were perfectly synchronized, as if they had rehearsed them countless times.
Su Mo's eyes widened.
The ancient tree slowly raised its branches, each one glowing with an eerie purple light.
"Whack!"
The first lash cracked down, landing on a hunter's butt.
The hunter let out a shriek. "Aah—!"
But the next second, the shriek turned into a moan. "Oh~ That feels good~"
His expression shifted from pain to utter bliss in an instant, and his whole body trembled.
Su Mo: "???"