NOVEL WEB CHAPTER 172
The war had ended, but the scene was far from peaceful. Engineer insectoids, resembling gargantuan Stag Beetles, scuttled across the ravaged landscape. Their immense strength allowed them to effortlessly haul massive objects.
Under the command of the Insect Clan, all remnants of the battle—living, dead, undead, or insectoid—were dragged to a heavily guarded clearing. Here, the branches of the Mother Tree swayed ominously, adorned with a macabre display: human heads hung like grotesque fruit.
The Mother Tree surveyed the grisly offering from the Insect Clan with satisfaction.
To have others hunt for you instead of hunting yourself...
What about the human-headed monsters I sent out? she mused.
These insects have no idea how much biomass it takes to create a human-headed monster. They don't understand that I can reap a 90% energy return with just this one move!
The deal was undeniably lucrative. Of course, there was no need for the Mother Tree to share the exact figures with anyone. The profits were hers alone to savor.
The Mother Tree diligently produced head creatures until it had consumed approximately a tenth of its energy, then feigned weakness.
"I can't go on, I'm depleted!" it exclaimed.
Not far away, a two-meter-tall insectoid with six blade-like legs on its back, possessing a humanoid face and body, spoke crisply.
"Don't worry, my dearest partner... We will provide you with an endless supply of biomass!"
With these words, the Origin Realm expert of the insectoids, the Queen of Blades, gestured slightly.
Outside, the sound of insects filled the air!
The corpses on the battlefield were insufficient, far from enough!
There was still the Undead Clan within the Barbarian Tribe!
Now, they were equivalent to tribulation transcendents. The Insect Clan would definitely not let them off.
Just as the Queen of Blades prepared to depart, the Mother Tree's voice rang out once more.
"By the way, Queen, there's something I need to clarify in advance."
"We've also formed a partnership with the Giant Race. If you encounter them in the future, please show me some respect and don't immediately engage in combat."
A cold glint flashed in the Queen of Blades' eyes.
"My dearest collaborator," she said sarcastically, "you're not forming a partnership with the Undead Clan too, are you?"
The Mother Tree chuckled. "That's not possible. After all, I need to provide you with a hunting target, right?"
Location: The central military tent
The revelation that the Mother Tree was still cooperating with the Insect Clan caused Hao Lie to furrow his brow. However, after careful consideration, he remained silent.
The Mother Tree's alliance with the Insect Clan predated the current situation. They were relatively new to this complex web of relationships.
As for Simba's claim about collaborating with the insectoids, it was likely true... or at least plausible. The Mother Tree had no motive to deceive them.
One of Hao Lie's subordinates presented a map, which Hao Lie scrutinized.
"This is Black Feather Mountain," he said, tracing a path. "This leads to our Giant Race territory. Beyond Bear Mountain in the opposite direction lies the domain of the Insect Race and the Undead Clan. I suspect the Mother Tree's collaborator is either the Blade Edge Insect Nest or the Giant Sickle Insect Nest in this region..."
He continued, "To the right are the Hundred Thousand Mountains, inhabited only by wild beasts, no intelligent races. Crossing those mountains is too arduous to consider."
"To the left is the Realm of Chaos, home to mindless intelligent races, even stranger than beasts..."
Hao Lie paused, a grim smile spreading across his face as he addressed Simba.
"I wonder if the Mother Tree has other collaborators?"
Simba shook his head. "Not at this time..."
Hao Lie nodded in understanding. "I see."
Once Simba departed, Hao Lie's facade crumbled. He clenched his teeth and shattered the wine cup in his hand.
He was consumed by fury.
It wasn't simply a matter of not enjoying the spoils alone; they had to be shared.
Moreover, the partnership between the Mother Tree and the Insect Clan, as well as the Giant Clan, raised issues far beyond sharing the benefits.
The Mother Tree's significance was undeniable. It possessed the power to mass-produce individuals capable of ascension to the heavens!
Whoever controlled the Mother Tree held the key to dictating the path of ascension. In other words, no ambitious race could or would willingly share such a treasure.
"Insect Clan... Insect Clan..."
In the central military tent, Hao Lie muttered to himself before abruptly raising his head and addressing a figure beside him.
"Third Uncle."
"Hmm," an elderly giant replied. He was an Origin Realm expert of the Giant Tribe accompanying the army on this expedition.
Hao Lie continued, "Are you and Fourth Uncle confident in taking down the Blade Edge Insect Nest and the Giant Sickle Insect Nest?"
Third Uncle contemplated for a moment, then shook his head.
"I'm afraid not."
"I see..." Hao Lie murmured before asking, "Then Third Uncle, are you and Fourth Uncle confident in defending this Black Feather Mountain and the Mother Tree upon it?"
Third Uncle smiled faintly, seemingly pleased with Hao Lie's logical reasoning. "I'm not confident," he admitted. "However, I've already sent a message to the Royal Court. I believe reinforcements will arrive soon."
Hao Lie nodded slightly, and Third Uncle continued, "Furthermore, I believe you should also focus on gathering biomass while preparing for potential attacks from the Insect Clan, or rather, from all races in the current world."
Location: Black Feather Mountain
The branches of the Mother Tree swayed gently.
A multitude of human heads opened their eyes simultaneously. A surge of biomass flowed into the heads, granting the Mother Tree extraordinary computing power and intelligence!
"Insect Clan."
"Giant Clan."
"Heh... Regardless of the race, that inherent greed and selfishness are universal."
"The greed to hoard treasures."
"The selfishness of never wanting to share advantages!"
"Those who are not of our kind will definitely have different intentions!"
"I'm eager to see the sparks fly between the two of you."
With these thoughts swirling in its consciousness, the heads on the Mother Tree involuntarily curled into a smirk.
It continued to ponder.
"Hmm, two major clans and five avatars are sufficient. There's no need to cooperate with the Undead Clan anymore. I should leave a target and hunting goal for the Insect Clan and the Giant Clan, right?"
"The next step is to publicize my unique characteristic and ignite the covetousness and greed of all races!"
"Only then can I grow faster and slack off."
Profiting amidst chaos was the way.
Although the emergence of tribulation transcendents and the Black Mist Zone had already sown discord among the clans, the Mother Tree's arrival was premature. The various clans had yet to erupt into full-scale war.
To put it bluntly, the situation wasn't chaotic enough.
For the Mother Tree to thrive, it needed room to grow and to escalate the chaos. In that way, the powerful Origin Realm and even Ancient Realm experts wouldn't dare to attack it directly. Instead, they would be compelled to protect its safety, providing a space for it to develop in secret.
Why resort to unnecessary violence and bloodshed?
The Mother Tree possessed alternative strategies.
With this in mind, the Mother Tree murmured, "Lian Jie, inform the Giant Clan that I'm hungry."
Lian Jie nodded and departed.
The Mother Tree vaguely perceived the quiet and peaceful New York gathering place nestled at the foot of the mountain.
After enduring such a harrowing experience, the group of tribulation transcendents in New York had understandably been forgotten by the Giant Clan...
With the Mother Tree's presence, the New York gathering place was rendered insignificant.
The humans there were not even worthy of being sustenance for the Mother Tree; they were too feeble and contained too little energy.
In short, the humans in New York existed in a state of neglect, their very weakness affording them a chance to survive.
The Nanxiang gathering place found itself in a similar predicament.
The only ones who still coveted Nanxiang were the zombies of the Blood Flame Sect.
Time: Present Day
After two hours of cleanup and reorganization, Ma prepared to lead the remaining zombies of the Barbarian Tribe back to the Blood Flame Sect.
However, not long after departing from the Barbarian Tribe, Ma abruptly halted.
Ahead, the Queen of Blades descended from the sky, landing before them.
Ma could only offer a despairing, wry smile.
"Ma'am, there's no need to completely wipe us out, right? We've already surrendered our territory..."
The Queen of Blades didn't bother responding to Ma.
With a flick of her hand, a blinding sea of razor-sharp blades filled the sky.