Chapter 1376: The Mu Clan

From a distance, the hill appeared completely normal, showing no signs of change. However, this was merely an illusion.

Han Li had already arrived on the hill and was standing right in front of the half-charred ancient tree.

As he gazed at the tree, his mind replayed the words of Long Dong and the married woman.

According to them, if possible, the spies from both the human and demon races would personally meet with the recipient of the intelligence to relay information that couldn’t be recorded. However, if the situation was too dangerous for a direct meeting, the intelligence would be left behind in its entirety.

Having already scanned the area with his spiritual sense, Han Li concluded that no one would be coming in person.

In that case, the mission would be simpler. All he had to do was retrieve the item, and his task would be complete.

With this thought, Han Li extended a finger and made a slicing motion in the air toward the ancient tree before him.

With a *whoosh*, a streak of cyan sword energy shot out, splitting the charred tree cleanly in two.

From within, a milky-white jade slip rolled out.

A pleased expression crossed Han Li’s face as he reached out with one hand, summoning the jade slip toward him.

Just then, a muffled sound echoed through the air as a streak of golden light suddenly pierced through Han Li’s illusion and shot straight for the jade slip.

Han Li’s expression darkened slightly. Without hesitation, his hand flashed with cyan light, forming a large cyan hand that materialized above the golden light and grabbed downward.

A familiar, light chuckle rang out as the golden light shattered like an illusion under the grasp of the cyan hand. The jade slip, which had been flying toward Han Li, suddenly halted. A faint white shadow appeared beside it, casually reaching out and effortlessly catching the slip.

“Fellow Daoist Ye!” Han Li narrowed his eyes, instantly recognizing the figure as the white-robed girl named Ye Ying.

“Brother Han, it seems you’ve had a smooth journey, arriving here with ease,” the girl said with a smile, her eyes briefly glancing at the jade slip in her hand.

“What do you mean? Did you encounter trouble along the way, Fairy Ye? I waited for you at the exit of the One-Line Sky and the edge of the forest for quite some time, but there was no sign of you. What happened?” Han Li asked, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes.

“It’s simple. Fellow Daoist Long and I encountered a group of wind flood dragons in the One-Line Sky and were forced to separate. To shake them off, we had to change our route and ran into some minor troubles along the way. Naturally, you wouldn’t have met us,” the girl replied with a charming smile, exuding an air of allure.

Han Li’s heart grew wary as he sensed something hidden beneath her words.

Before he could respond, two streaks of light—one green and one another color—shot through the air nearby, revealing a handsome man and a beautiful woman.

It was Long Dong and the married woman.

“It’s you!”

“You actually got ahead of us!”

Two completely different exclamations burst from their mouths in surprise.

The married woman seemed slightly taken aback to see Han Li already there, while Long Dong’s face lit up with joy upon spotting the white-robed girl.

“So it’s Brother Long and Fellow Daoist Xiao. It’s not that I was fast—it’s just that the two of you were a bit slow,” the white-robed girl said nonchalantly, looking at them.

“Did you already retrieve the item, Miss Ye?” Long Dong asked, his gaze lingering on the jade slip in her hand, his expression unreadable.

The married woman’s face darkened slightly when she saw the slip in the girl’s possession.

“Indeed, I’ve just obtained it. To be fair, Fellow Daoist Han arrived first. I merely got here a step ahead of you two,” the girl replied with a light, carefree laugh.

“Brother Han, was this the only jade slip here?” the married woman suddenly asked after a brief silence.

Han Li’s mind stirred, but outwardly, he nodded calmly.

At his response, the married woman fell silent. Long Dong also said nothing, merely staring at the girl, who lowered her head with a faint smile, toying with the jade slip in her hand.

For a moment, the hill fell into complete silence, but the tension in the air grew thick, like the calm before a storm.

“Sister Ye, could you let me take a look at that jade slip first? Among the spies sent to the Wood Tribe, there are members of our Black Phoenix Clan. There might be messages from our people inside,” the married woman said, her tone softening.

“I’m afraid not. To be honest, Sister Xiao, our Ye Clan also has people among the spies sent to the Wood Tribe. How about I read it first, then pass it to you?” the girl replied with a sweet smile, pressing her lips together.

Hearing this, the married woman’s expression darkened, her forced smile vanishing entirely.

“Since we’ve obtained the item, this isn’t a safe place to linger. Let’s leave this forest first,” Long Dong interjected calmly.

“I was just thinking the same,” the white-robed girl agreed readily.

The married woman’s lips twitched, but she ultimately said nothing.

Han Li naturally had no objections either. Seeing this, the girl smiled and was about to stow away the jade slip when—

A soft *snap* echoed from a nearby ancient tree, and a streak of silver light shot out with lightning speed, aiming straight for the girl’s back.

Without turning around, the girl let out a cold snort and vanished from her spot in a blur.

She reappeared over ten zhang away, but as soon as her figure solidified, another streak of silver light shot up from beneath her feet.

This time, her expression finally shifted.

With a flick of her shoulder, she sprang sideways like a coiled spring, narrowly avoiding the attack.

But at that very moment—

A nearly transparent thread of light shot out from the void right beside her, not targeting her but the jade slip in her hand.

Startled, the girl jerked her hand back, but it was too late.

With a *bang*, the jade slip exploded into countless fragments.

Furious, the girl’s eyes flashed with killing intent as she reached out and seized the transparent thread, yanking it violently toward her.

*Thud!*

A massive, nearly translucent insect was dragged out of the void.

Resembling a monstrous silkworm, the creature was three to four chi long, with a plump body and two pairs of cicada-like wings flapping desperately. It struggled to fly, but the other end of the thread was lodged in its gaping maw, preventing it from escaping.

As the jade slip shattered, Han Li and the other two froze in shock.

At the same time, the remaining ancient trees erupted with green light, their forms dissolving like illusions as several green figures emerged from them, as if birthed directly from the wood.

“Heh, who would’ve thought the item was hidden here? Without you leading the way, we might never have found it. Now, our tribe can finally rest easy,” a tall figure said in stiff human speech, sweeping his gaze over Han Li and the others.

Han Li’s pupils contracted sharply as he took in their appearances.

At first glance, these figures resembled humans, but their skin was a deep green. Aside from their faintly violet eyes, their facial features were identical to humans, with two slender figures clearly identifiable as female.

These were members of the Wood Tribe!

What shocked Han Li even more was that most of them wore shimmering silk robes tied with orange sashes at the waist.

The tall Wood Tribe leader’s sash, however, bore a silver thread woven into the orange.

Recalling the rumors about the Wood Tribe’s hierarchy, Han Li’s heart sank like a stone.

“Silver rank… You’re a Silver-rank Wood Spirit!” The white-robed girl’s carefree demeanor vanished, replaced by an ugly expression as she recognized the sash.

“I am Mu Rui, a lower-tier Silver-rank Spirit Master. Since you’ve come this far, you might as well stay as guests of our tribe for a while,” the tall Wood Tribe member said emotionlessly, raising a hand.

The other Wood Tribe members, all wearing orange sashes, bent forward in unison, pressing their hands to the ground.

A layer of green light spread outward at an incredible speed, covering the entire hill.

Han Li and the white-robed girl immediately leaped into the air.

A deafening roar erupted as Han Li’s illusionary barrier shattered under an invisible force, revealing the true surroundings of the hill.

An unbelievable sight unfolded.

Wherever the green light passed, the nearby trees transformed into towering, long-haired beasts wielding an assortment of weapons. Their fur came in various colors, and some even summoned demonic winds to rise into the sky.

At a glance, there were thousands of them, densely packed around the hill, sealing off all escape routes.

Long Dong and the married woman paled at the sight.

Han Li’s lips twitched as a bitter smile tugged at his mouth. Only the white-robed girl remained eerily calm, her gaze fixed on Mu Rui, her thoughts unreadable.

“These are the Wood Apes our tribe has developed over the past thousand years. If you’d read that jade slip, you might have known about them. But now… heh,” Mu Rui said, his face expressionless but his tone dripping with mockery.

“Attack!”

A strange voice suddenly rang out from the void. Before Han Li and the others could react, the white-robed girl opened her mouth and spat out a crimson light, which split into several blood-red threads, shooting toward all the Wood Spirits—except the Silver-rank one.