Chapter 315 The Bark of a Dead Tree
Silver Tiger reached out and touched the bark of a dead tree. The bark crumbled off like sand, revealing the same grayish-brown wood beneath. He frowned; this sight was beyond his comprehension.
This isn't a fire, nor a disease; it's more like time has been fast-forwarded by a thousand years.
“It’s neither poison nor a curse.” Yueqing squatted down and picked up a bit of dust from the ground.
The soil was loose and devoid of nutrients. The feeling it gave her immediate impression of the sterile petri dishes in her previous life's laboratory—too clean, to the point that nothing could grow there.
She closed her eyes, trying to put herself in the position of an emergency room doctor, and to see the entire City of Beasts as a giant patient.
From the Eagle Clan's report to the withering of flowers and plants in the city, and then to the collective loss of spirit among the beastmen, all the symptoms, when put together, point to the same ailment: the loss of vitality.
This is a systemic failure.
Just as she was deep in thought, the long-absent system notification sounded in her mind without warning, with an unprecedented urgency and coldness.
[Warning: A large-scale field of life force stripping has been detected.]
[WARNING: Source of contamination unknown. This force field will continuously strip away the will to survive and spiritual energy of all living beings within its coverage area until the target completely loses its life force and reverts to its basic material form.]
Yueqing's body trembled slightly uncontrollably.
A field stripping away the will to live!
This term perfectly encapsulates all her observations and speculations.
This is not some mysterious loss of soul, but a more terrifying and fundamental form of plunder.
Dream weavers are controllers; they weave illusions and manipulate people's hearts, but their essence is still based on the existence of life.
This unknown entity has no interest in being controlled; what it wants is to be annihilated.
It is formatting the world, from the most fundamental level of life, little by little.
Silver Tiger noticed her unusual behavior and took her arm, asking, "What's wrong?"
Yueqing shook her head, her face turning pale.
She looked up at the tightly closed forbidden gate, behind which seemed to lurk a void behemoth, more terrifying than any prehistoric beast, breathing slowly.
"Let's go back." Yueqing's voice was soft, but unusually firm. Standing here wouldn't solve anything; instead, they would only continue to be drained by this force field.
On the way back to the valley, the two remained silent, but their mood was even heavier than when they arrived.
When they pushed open the courtyard gate, a completely different atmosphere rushed towards them.
A warm bonfire lit up the courtyard, dispelling the chill of the night.
Xiaoxi and Xiaoshu were still awake, and Huyan was clumsily playing with them. He was ordered to guard this place, but he had been infected by the lazy atmosphere in the city. He originally wanted to find a corner to daydream, but as soon as he entered this small courtyard, he felt that a lot of his fatigue and laziness had been washed away.
The little tree is holding a small stick, chasing its own tail in circles, making cute but fierce howls. Even when it trips over itself, it doesn't cry, but happily gets up and continues spinning.
He seems to have inexhaustible energy, like a perpetual motion machine or a small sun.
Xiaoxi, on the other hand, was much quieter. She squatted in the corner of the yard, where there was a small patch of moss that looked somewhat wilted, affected by the gloomy atmosphere of the day.
The little stream stretched out its chubby little hands and gently covered the moss, humming a tuneless, babbling melody.
Under her soothing touch, the gray-green moss visibly revived and became vibrant and green again, as if it had been infused with the purest spring of life.
Hu Yan watched in amazement. He scratched his head and felt that his listless fatigue seemed to have dissipated a little.
Yueqing stood at the door, quietly watching this scene.
On one side is the stripping field that is greedily devouring all life, and on the other side are two children who can unconsciously conceive and comfort life.
A single thought, like the sun breaking through the clouds, instantly illuminated her heart, which had been shrouded in sorrow.
What confronts this despair may not be powerful magic or weapons, but rather the most primal and purest thing: life itself. It is hope, it is new life, it is the tireless vitality of a sapling, and the silent, nourishing life of a stream.
She strode over, scooped the two children into her arms, and held them tightly. Their warm little bodies and milky breath warmed and strengthened her heart, which had been chilled by fear and stress.
"I think... I've found a way." Yueqing raised her head and looked at Yinhu.
Yin Hu looked at the energetic children in her arms, and then at the renewed light in her eyes, and seemed to be deep in thought.
Although he did not understand the underlying principles, he trusted Yueqing's judgment.
However, before Yueqing could even voice his plan, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate.
A wolf warrior stumbled in, his leather armor covered in dust and scratches, his face showing the terror and exhaustion of being relentlessly pursued.
He didn't even have time to bow before collapsing to the ground, shouting hoarsely, "Something terrible has happened!"
Silver Tiger stepped forward and helped him up: "Calm down, talk slowly."
The wolf warrior was panting heavily, his eyes unfocused, as if he barely had the strength to speak. He pointed north, his lips trembling, "The lion clan's envoy is in the council chamber, he's dying..."
The council chamber of the Beast Alliance was brightly lit, yet deathly silent.
The leaders of all the tribes had arrived, but most of them, like the other orcs in the city, were listless, their eyes dull, leaning against their seats as if they could fall asleep at any moment.
Only Hu Feng, despite his amnesia, still possessed the willpower of a strong person. He forced himself to stay focused, his brows furrowed.
In the center of the hall lay a burly lion-man. He was the messenger the wolf warriors had spoken of.
He was no longer able to stand or even speak; he could only lie on the animal skin, panting heavily.
His skin was the same grayish-white as the withered trees outside the forbidden area, and his golden mane had become dull and lifeless, as if it might turn into dust at any moment.
The elderly ape-clan shaman was examining him, and finally could only shake his head helplessly: "There's no hope. His body isn't sick, but his 'fire' is about to go out."
When Yueqing and Yinhu arrived, this was the scene they saw.
Yueqing immediately stepped forward and knelt down to examine the lion clan envoy. His vital signs were extremely weak, his pulse was barely perceptible, and his pupils had begun to dilate.
But unlike the patients in the city, his decline was alarmingly rapid. This indicated that he came from a place with a higher and stronger concentration of the will to live.
"Where did he come from?" Yueqing asked without looking up.
"The north, the territory of the Lion Clan." Tiger Peak's voice was slightly hoarse as he pointed to a leather pouch hanging on the messenger's body. "This is something he risked his life to deliver."
Silver Tiger walked over and removed the leather pouch.
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