Reincarnated as a Divine Tree

Upon hearing this, everyone seemed to wake from a dream. They nodded repeatedly.

"Right, right—we almost forgot why we came here! Let's keep moving."

The group continued forward along the tunnel.

After rounding a bend, they saw the strange plant again. Its entire body was covered in sharp spikes, and a faint crimson light pulsed from its surface.

When one clansman tossed a luminous stone ahead to light the way, its dim glow revealed something chilling—piles of stark white bones scattered across the ground.

Despite having heard Chen Qingyu’s brief description earlier, seeing these grim remains in person still made their hearts tighten.

Chen Qingyu, who was walking at the front, slowed his steps and came to a halt about two meters from the bone pile.

He wouldn’t be afraid if he were alone, but with the clansmen behind him, he had to be cautious. He couldn’t guarantee their safety if some hidden mechanism were triggered. Caution was essential.

Beside him, Chen Tianyu’s expression grew serious. He turned to the elders behind him and asked,

“Uncles, you’ve seen a lot in your time. Have you ever come across something like this?”

As he spoke, he pointed toward the strange plant ahead.

The clan elders stepped forward slowly and examined the plant with furrowed brows.

"This thing is quite peculiar. It resembles a Celestial Thorn I saw once," one of them said after a long moment.

But another elder shook his head.

"No, that can't be. Celestial Thorns need sunlight to grow, so there’s no way they’d survive in a place this dark. Besides, this plant has no leaves.”

"Hmmm, you're right."

The three elders fell into deep thought while the rest of the group waited quietly.

“I’ll go ahead and scout the path.”

Seeing that the elders couldn’t identify the strange plant, Chen Qingyu decided not to wait any longer. He turned to Chen Tianyu and spoke.

Chen Tianyu hesitated for a moment. Seeing the elders’ furrowed brows and uncertain expressions, however, he nodded.

“Be careful, If anything seems dangerous, retreat immediately.”

"Everyone else, fall back two meters!"

Once preparations were made, Chen Qingyu gripped his luminous stone and carefully stepped over the scattered bones as he slowly advanced toward the front.

Crack, crack!

The piled bones had long since decayed. With each step Chen Qingyu took, a crisp crunch echoed beneath his feet.

The clansmen behind him watched his back with tense expressions, quietly circulating their qi and blood, ready to respond to any sudden danger.

Chen Qingyu moved slowly. Every few steps, he tossed a luminous stone to the side, trying to illuminate the surroundings.

However, the glow from a single stone was faint, barely lighting a two-meter radius and leaving the rest of the area shrouded in darkness.

Soon, Chen Qingyu was close to the strange plant. The clansmen behind him held their breath instinctively.

Up ahead, Chen Qingyu stopped, studying the plant closely from such a short distance.

After a moment of careful observation, however, he found nothing particularly unusual about it.

Nevertheless, to be safe, Chen Qingyu did not attempt to pluck the strange plants. Instead, he kept moving forward.

This time, he quickened his pace slightly. In just a few breaths, he reached the center of the area where the peculiar plants grew.

Stopping once more, he put away the luminous stone in his hand and swept his gaze around.

About ten meters behind him, his clansmen held up their glowing stones to light the way. Ahead lay darkness so deep that not even a cultivator at the Innate Realm could pierce it.

Dozens of those strange, crimson-glowing plants sprouted from the ground all around his feet in this section of the cavern.

Yet, even after walking this far, he still hadn’t sensed anything unusual about them. Everything remained calm, as if these plants were nothing more than oddities serving no purpose.

After lingering for a moment, Chen Qingyu left. He took out another luminous stone and started walking back toward the clansmen.

“Qingyu, what did you find?”

Seeing him return, Chen Tianyu asked.

Chen Qingyu shook his head.

"Nothing unusual."

Hearing this, the clansmen quietly exhaled in relief. Though they were all Blood Coagulation Realm warriors of the clan, this place was far from ordinary, and tension still gripped their hearts.

After a brief moment of thought, Chen Tianyu quickly made a decision and said,

"I'll take the lead next."

"Tianlu, you cover the left. Tianmo, you take the right...”

"Qingyu, you guard the rear!"

Once the formation was set, Chen Tianyu turned his gaze toward the three elders, who were still deep in thought. Then, he looked at Chen Qinghe and spoke.

"Qinghe and Qingmeng, you two stay here. Look after the three great uncles and keep them safe."

"Understood, Second Uncle."

Chen Qinghe replied weakly. Truthfully, he wanted to join the others in exploring the unknown territory ahead rather than remain behind.

However, considering the safety of the elders, he had no choice but to stay.

After giving his instructions, Chen Tianyu didn’t hesitate any longer. The group stepped forward, their bones crunching beneath their feet.

As they neared the strange plants, they paused briefly. Just as Chen Qingyu had said, however, nothing changed.

This eased Chen Tianyu’s mind somewhat, and he pressed on.

Soon, they reached the spot where Chen Qingyu had stopped earlier—the center of the area where the strange plants grew.

Before Chen Tianyu could speak, a warning rang out suddenly from behind.

"Second Uncle, watch out!"

"Hm?"

Before he could circulate his qi and blood, a fierce strike slammed into his back.

Though he was an Innate Realm cultivator, the attack was abrupt and came from an unexpected angle, leaving him no time to react.

Even more shocking was that the attacker was one of his own clansmen, not an enemy!

Before he could comprehend what was happening, the clansman launched another strike, executing the Taizu Long Fist, aimed straight at him with lethal intent.

And it wasn’t just that one clansman. Chen Tianlu, Chen Tianmo, and several other Blood Coagulation Realm warriors turned on their own kin as well, attacking without hesitation!

This left Chen Tianyu feeling both shocked and furious. Blocking the incoming strikes, he roared,

"Tianlu! Tianmo! What are you doing? Stop at once!"

But his words had no effect. Instead, their attacks grew fiercer.

The clansmen, who had once fought side by side, now seemed like mortal enemies. They didn't defend themselves at all, only attacking relentlessly as if oblivious to their injuries.

"Damn it! What in the world is happening?"

“Qingyu?!”

After forcing back the nearest attacker, Chen Tianyu called out.

But before he could locate Chen Qingyu in the darkness, a voice answered from nearby.

"Second Uncle, I'm fine."

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