Chapter 407: Luring the Wood Spirits Away

"Ah, great!" Chu Feng said. Immediately afterward, when he processed just what Zhang Lie had said, he hurriedly shook his head. "No, Zhang Lie, why don't you find someone more professional?"

Zhang Lie shook his head. "You know what the second realm's like. Most of the hunters who are able to make it to the second realm are fighters. There may be a few architects sponsored by one country or another, but the closest settlement from here is Qi. You know that my relations with the hunters of Qi have soured—I'm sure Xiao Zhengyang would be willing to help me recruit a few, but we wouldn't be able to assess whether they came bearing ill intent.

"On the other hand, I trust you implicitly, and I don't care for anything more than securing the walls at the moment. We can discuss the rest in the future."

"I suppose that's reasonable..."

After chatting with Chu Feng, Zhang Lie then beckoned the members of Team Zenith and the three thousand hunters over.

"We're heading out for our next target."

Su Hong asked, "Where to, this time?"

"We've more or less resolved the issue of the architecture of the city, so there are two important matters to address next: food and potions. We can obtain food by hunting and rearing genetic lifeforms, which won't be a huge problem. Potions, on the other hand, are vital—they're crucial for raising our hunters' strength and for emergency treatment as necessary.

"In order to keep our hunters in good fighting condition, we'll need a large quantity of herbs, which means large-scale cultivation. Thus, we'll be heading to the southern forest in search of a very special race, the wood spirits."

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Hong Xi asked, "The wood spirits? Are they like the rock spirits, with their bodies covered in wood rather than rock?"

"No, they're a rather special race. Their bodies aren't made of wood, nor of flesh. In some sense, they're like plants. Anyway, once we head to the southern forests, you'll be able to see them for yourselves."

The hunters quickly made their way to the forest, but contrary to their expectations, it wasn't completely vibrant and green.

Half the forest was normal, but the other half seemed to have blackened. The moment the hunters walked into the forest, they were attacked by a number of rampaging, pitch-black creatures. They were no match for the seasoned hunters; by the time they got deep into the forest, Zhang Lie and the others had already taken down a dozen such waves of these lifeforms.

Hong Xi asked, "Just what are these creatures?"

"Corrupted genetic lifeforms."

"What?"

Zhang Lie pointed into the heart of that part of the forest which had blackened. "There's a very special peak-grade lifeform over there whose ability is so potent that it's affecting its environment. The creatures around it will be corrupted and start to rampage, with their abilities all enhanced as a result. If we allow this creature to grow much stronger, it'll eventually devour the entirety of the forest and ascend into a disaster-grade lifeform, one whose goal will be to take over the entire second realm."

"Isn't it a catastrophe waiting to happen, then?"

"Not quite," ?Zhang Lie murmured, raising his head. "But for the moment, considering your circumstances, you can interpret it that way."

Hong Xi frowned. "Who are you talking to, Master?"

Zhang Lie ignored her. He continued speaking into the air, "Do you hear me, wood spirits? There's no need to hide. We aren't enemies; we can be allies instead. I promise I'll be able to help you."

"Who might you be?"

Skeins of light massed together into the form of a green humanoid, its voice a harmonious blend of male and female.

Zhang Lie announced himself, "We're humans, and we've just built a settlement nearby. We'd like to invite your clan to live with us."

Hushed whispers came from behind the green humanoid, who listened to them before telling Zhang Lie, "This is an affair too important for us to address. Enter: come speak with our shaman."

Following the green humanoid, the hunters stepped even deeper into the forest, where Hong Xi and the others finally caught a glimpse of the wood spirits.

They came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, the largest ones being about the size of human children, with glowing green skin and a pair of radiant emerald eyes.

Their bodies seemed to radiate a nurturing warmth. They were unclothed, their bodies formless. When they rested, their bodies seemed to merge with the plants and greenery surrounding them.

The smallest spirits were palm-sized, and those spirits glowed like fireflies.

After they entered the wood spirits' village, the green humanoid that had been their guide dissipated. According to its instructions, they would be able to find the shaman in the deepest part of the village.

As they walked farther and farther within, they saw a gigantic tree whose leaves were shrouded by clouds. It was hundreds of meters tall and of a breathtaking age.

Above the hunters was a tree hollow, from which a wood spirit wreathed in green stepped out. Unlike the other spirits, this one seemed to have a crown of light on its head. It was clear that this was the shaman of the wood spirits.

"Wherefore have you come, humans?"

Unlike the wood spirits they had seen, the shaman and their accompanying guards had weathered faces and piercing eyes, ones which had lost the innocence of the other wood spirits.

A pair of black wings sprouted from Zhang Lie's black as he flew into mid-air. "If I resolve the problem in the other half of the forest, will you allow half of your tribe to come to my human city?"

The shaman of the wood spirits frowned. "I will not treat my people like a transaction."

One of the shaman's guards had hair so long it was touching the ground. Their face was weathered, the vitality in their bodies flickering, as though they didn't have long to live.

That said, 'long' was relative—this particular wood spirit would probably have at least a century of life left. After all, the wood spirits were a long-living race, and those of their kind tended to be able to live for millennia.

"We have a peaceful, idyllic life here. No spirit would be willing to leave with you."

Hong Xi shook her head. "I don't think so. Who knows how many of your spirits might want to explore the outside world? There's nothing but trees and more trees in the vicinity—on the other hand, in our city, we have piles of rocks that can move on their own, all sorts of herbs and plants, and a city made out of hewn rock!"

The spirits that had gathered all around them did seem quite enticed by Hong Xi's description. Their innocent eyes flashed like crystal. "Moving rocks, really?"

Hong Xi nodded fervently. "And we have all sorts of food and toys, and more novelty than you've ever dreamt of!"

The wood spirits began to chatter to each other as Zhang Lie covertly gave Hong Xi a thumbs up. The wood spirits were innocent and naive; in other words, they were easy to lure away.

The shaman frowned. "Silence." His eyes turned hostile. "Are you trying to lure away my kith and kin?"

Zhang Lie shrugged. "No, nothing of the sort. We simply want to make a transaction: I'll help you address the problem in the other half of the forest, and you'll allow us to leave with whichever spirits are willing to accompany us."