Reincarnated as a Divine Tree

"One, two, three—push!"

Before Chen Tianyu could finish speaking, the two men exerted all their strength in an attempt to move the massive stone stele back to the clan grounds.

But just as they began to shift the monument, a sudden series of cracking sounds erupted beside them.

The abrupt noise caused the clansmen who had been preparing to help them to freeze in place, bewilderment spreading across their faces.

The sound grew louder and louder, as if coming from above their heads and from beneath their feet at the same time. This left everyone unable to discern its true source.

"What’s happening?"

A clansman voiced his confusion, raising a fluorite crystal in an attempt to illuminate the surroundings and uncover the cause.

Yet the fluorite's glow was faint. Even when held high overhead, it barely lit up more than a short distance.

At that moment, Chen Qingyu, who had remained silent until now, unleashed the Bright Moon like Frost technique once again, revealing the scene around them with its radiant brilliance.

The crowd finally saw it clearly in their line of sight, the stone wall above their heads had several cracks in it. The cracks widened rapidly, and faint fragments of rock began to tumble down from the gaps.

"Quickly! This place looks like it’s about to collapse!"

Chen Tianyu shouted urgently as he took in the scene before him.

Even as the words left his mouth, a massive slab of stone broke loose and plummeted toward the group overhead. Before it could strike, however, a perfected strike of the Taizu Long Fist sent the boulder hurtling away.

"Move!"

From within the darkness, Chen Qingyu’s voice rang out.

The rumbling roar in their ears left no room for hesitation. The clansmen scattered, rushing toward the exit in a desperate flight.

As they fled, countless stones rained down from above. However, with Chen Qingyu and Chen Tianyu both Innate Realm martial artists, shielding them, the falling debris posed no real threat.

Soon, the group had moved away from the edge of the stone stele and arrived at the area where the Burial Dust plants grew.

Seeing that there were still more than ten stalks of Burial Dust, some clansmen did not want to leave them behind and tried to take them. Yet, Chen Tianyu quickly stopped them.

“Go first!”

Though reluctant, the clansmen quickly came to their senses—preserving their lives was the priority. Besides, the Burial Dust offered little benefit to the clan. It was simply a pity to abandon them.

Soon, they reached the space beneath the cave entrance.

The stone walls around them appeared solid and showed no signs of collapse. The group ceased their frantic flight and gradually came to a halt.

Once they had distanced themselves from the edge of the ruins, a deafening roar echoed through the darkness.

The tremendous noise drowned out all speech, leaving the clansmen with no choice but to wait in silence.

After a short while, the rumbling began to fade.

Chen Tianyu quickly checked to make sure all the clansmen had escaped safely. Only after confirming this did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"This place has lain dormant within the Chaotic Burial Mountain for so long without collapsing. Why did it cave in only after we entered?"

One of the clansmen voiced his confusion.

"It’s probably because of that stone stele," another replied.

"That stele is more than just a symbol of the Blood River Sect. There may be hidden mechanisms beneath it that we don't know about. When Qinghe and the others tried to move it, they must have triggered those mechanisms, leading to this disaster."

"For such mechanisms to still function after all this time is truly remarkable."

Chen Xingsu explained slowly, his tone carrying a trace of admiration.

"Second Uncle, I didn’t mean to..." Qinghe's voice trembled with guilt.

Chen Qinghe stood beside him, guilt written across his face.

However, Chen Tianyu showed no sign of blame. Instead, he slowly explained,

"The fact that this place has been buried is not necessarily a bad thing. It's true that there are mechanisms beneath the stone stele, but the ruins have long been in disrepair. Even if we hadn’t touched the stele, the interior probably wouldn’t have remained stable. It’s possible that such a collapse would have occurred during our exploration anyway.

“In that case, the clansmen would have found it far harder to escape. Now that the cave has caved in, the clan suffers no real loss. On the contrary, the collapse has eliminated the lingering dangers within the ruins. Later, we will only need to send people to excavate. Though the process may be slower, it will be far safer."

The other clansmen nodded in agreement, their expressions showing recognition of his reasoning.

Aside from losing some of the Burial Dust, the clan had retrieved all the bones they had found earlier. Since the ruins were located deep within Burial Mountain, there was no need to worry about other clans stumbling upon them. The collapse bore little consequence for the family.

Upon hearing this, Chen Qinghe relaxed.

"Second Uncle, it’s a relief that you see it this way."

Had his father led this expedition, Qinghe suspected he would have suffered another harsh beating.

Chen Tianyu’s face darkened at the remark, but he chose not to respond.

After confirming that no more sounds came from inside, he gathered the clansmen again and instructed them to reenter and inspect the collapse's extent before reporting back to the family.

Following the original path, the group pressed forward.

When they reached the area where the Burial Dust had been planted, they found that most of it was buried under piles of shattered stone.

Much to their surprise, they found five or six stalks of Burial Dust remaining in one corner of the ruins—proof that the plant had not been completely wiped out.

The heaps of bones beyond the Burial Dust were largely intact, covered only by a thin layer of rubble. This meant that the clansmen could easily search through them later, retrieving any rare bones that might have been left behind.

However, the deeper sections of the ruins had been entirely buried beneath stone. For the clan to continue exploring, it would take time and effort.

Yet, for martial artists, clearing away rubble was hardly a challenge. With a group of energetic young men eager to expend their restless energy, sending them to excavate the ruins would surely be met with enthusiasm.

In the end, this expedition was not in vain. At the very least, the discovery of these rare bones would significantly boost the clan’s overall strength.

Not to mention, there was still plenty of Guanyin Soil, as well as those solid stone walls.

After some thought, Chen Tianyu decided not to transplant the remaining Burial Dust immediately.

Moving them rashly might cause these rare plants to wither and die. It would be better to wait until the clan had discussed the matter.

With everything arranged, the group made their way back home without lingering any longer.

Above, at the cave entrance, the clansman left behind to stand guard was overjoyed to see everyone return safely.

Had they delayed any longer, he would have gone back to the clan to request reinforcements.

---

In Xiangshui City, in a secluded courtyard, a stern-faced, middle-aged man held a watering can and sprinkled water over the magnolias in front of him.

Beside him, a clansman moved his lips slightly as if reporting news.

Upon hearing the clansman’s report, the middle-aged man paused mid-motion. He then turned and asked,

“Shi Clan? Which Shi Clan?"

“Clan Leader, this man claims to be from Yong’an City.” That city has four great families, one of which is the Shi Clan. In Xiangshui City, there is a shop called the Shi Nuan Pavilion, which belongs to them."

"Oh, I remember now. If I’m not mistaken, the remnants of the Liu Clan fled there, didn’t they?"

“Clan Leader, you are wise. According to our investigations, the surviving Liu Clan martial artists are most likely hiding in that region. However, we don't have enough manpower to support further inquiries."

“Hmph, a dead centipede still twitches.”

"Very well. Let us meet with the Shi Clan elder."

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