“Boom!”
The totem pole collapsed with a crash, smashing onto the sacrificial platform, the tremendous sound shaking the heavens and earth.
However, after the smoke and dust cleared, the entire tribe remained silent, with not a single Muka person stepping out of their homes to check the situation.
Chen Bugu entered a wooden house and found that the Muka people inside seemed to be in a deep sleep, showing no signs of waking up. Only then did he understand what Kefuke had been doing earlier.
After leaving the house, Chen Bugu watched Kefuke step on the 'deity' carving on the totem pole a few times, seemingly venting his dissatisfaction. This scene surprised Chen Bugu.
Then Kefuke directly left the tribe and turned to disappear into the forest.
Chen Bugu had no choice but to quickly follow. He watched Kefuke skillfully weave through the forest until he had run more than ten kilometers, only to end up back at the cave where he had taken Chen Bugu before.
In the dark cave, Kefuke lay down again, but he did not fall asleep.
Only then did Chen Bugu realize that Kefuke had been staring at the cave ceiling with his eyes open all night, until the morning sun rose outside the cave, lost in thought.
However, just as Chen Bugu had guessed, the morning sun outside the cave quickly dimmed under a golden light.
The “deity” appeared again.
Kefuke seemed to have waited a long time. He was not as terrified as the “last time,” but instead calmly stood up and walked out of the cave towards the dazzling figure.
“Kneel, or die.”
The “deity’s” voice was still cold, devoid of emotion.
The sleeping Muka Tribe people did not respond to their “deity,” so he came in person.
Hearing the “deity” speak, Kefuke did not hesitate. He raised his left hand, and the exquisite bow appeared in his grasp.
Kefuke conjured an energy arrow out of thin air. The arrow was entwined with blue and green energy beams, spiraling around each other, and shot out with a whooshing sound.
Kefuke’s right hand did not stop; instead, it transformed into an afterimage, conjuring countless arrows connected end to end, trailing blue and green light, forming a straight line and heading directly for the “deity’s” face.
Chen Bugu could clearly feel that every arrow Kefuke shot contained powerful energy, completely incomparable to the one he had bitten out earlier.
Unfortunately, even so, not a single arrow managed to graze the “deity’s” face.
Chen Bugu watched as the high and mighty “deity” waved his hand, and Kefuke’s entire body was instantly impaled with spears burning with golden flames.
Green blood spilled from Kefuke’s mouth.
The last golden spear descended from the sky, piercing Kefuke’s shoulder, and the immense kinetic energy forced him onto one knee on the ground.
The deity stood proudly and spoke again.
“Kefuke, I have given you one chance. Now answer me, kneel, or die!”
Kefuke sneered, the leaves on his head glowing green and growing wildly. His legs trembled uncontrollably, but a hint of madness was revealed in his eyes.
Kefuke did not immediately answer the deity’s question. His kneeling knee trembled as he stood up again, straightening his back, and looked up at the giant golden palm descending from the sky.
Kefuke laughed wildly, looking up at the sky. His crown appeared, and his body became emerald and translucent, then transformed into a giant tree.
Five meters, ten meters, thirty meters, fifty meters… until it crashed into the giant palm descending from the sky.
The world fell into an eerie silence for a moment, followed by a huge explosion accompanied by a hurricane emanating from the collision point.
Even as a departed soul, Chen Bugu could intuitively feel the power of this strike.
Trees within several miles were uprooted by the strong winds in an instant, exposing bare patches of land.
After the hurricane dissipated, the area within several miles around Kefuke had become a forbidden zone of life.
Chen Bugu looked up in surprise, only to find that the “deity’s” palm had not disappeared; instead, it was continuously pressing the giant tree, which Kefuke had transformed into, further into the earth.
Kefuke seemed to be pressed into the mud by this palm, and a huge pit suddenly appeared beneath him.
The golden flames burning on the giant palm violently collided with the blue and green light spots emanating from Kefuke’s branches and leaves, then mutually dissipated.
Kefuke’s broken and crushed treetop was recovering and regenerating at a visible speed, continuing to resist the “deity’s” palm.
But even so, the giant palm continued to press down steadily at a speed of two to three meters per second.
Chen Bugu smiled bitterly, “Is the ‘deity’ truly unconquerable?”
Just then, Chen Bugu heard Kefuke’s voice again.
In response to the deity’s question, his answer echoed through the heavens and earth, full of majesty, defiance, and pride.
“I am the Muka King, Kefuke!”
Kefuke roared, and the giant tree he had transformed into once again became crystal clear like green jade. The branches and leaves at the treetop flew about, then rapidly grew against the wind.
The collision between the giant tree that Kefuke had transformed into and the golden hand became even more intense.
To Chen Bugu’s astonished gaze, cracks appeared on the surface of the golden hand, and then, in a certain instant, it shattered with a crash.
The giant tree broke through its constraints and soared upwards into the sky. Its thick trunk once again expanded wildly and without restraint.
On the ground, countless tree roots, like giant pythons, surged through the earth, spreading out in all directions.
The golden giant palm had disappeared, but Kefuke did not stop.
The “deity” floated in the air, coldly observing the colossal entity that was continuously growing wildly before him.
Soon, the giant tree that Kefuke had transformed into also enveloped the Muka Tribe, those tree roots surging through the earth, causing trees to wither and rivers to dry up wherever they passed.
The huge waterwheel was shattered by a tree root, its fragments scattered on the dry streambed.
Was Kefuke mad?
Just as Chen Bugu thought this, he saw that those tree roots had coincidentally avoided all the Muka Tribe’s houses.
In a flash, the entire Muka Tribe was enveloped and swallowed by Kefuke, disappearing without a trace.
Not long after, the growth of the giant tree gradually slowed down, finally returning to silence.
Chen Bugu looked at the towering tree before him, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Seeing this, the “deity” raised his hand again, and dense golden palm prints flew out from in front of him, covering the sky and instantly crossing it, striking “Kefuke’s” body.
Broken wood flew, and smoke and dust rose everywhere…
However, Chen Bugu wondered if he had seen wrong.
For a moment, the “deity” frowned…
After the smoke and dust cleared, Kefuke stood silently, his damaged trunk glowing green and recovering to its original state in an instant.
The “deity” seemed to find it uninteresting, turned and walked a few steps, gradually disappearing into the air.
The entire world suddenly seemed to have pressed a pause button, everything falling silent, which made Chen Bugu a little unaccustomed.
He stood frozen, letting the wind howl, at a loss.
After that, he didn’t know how much time had passed. Chen Bugu only remembered witnessing countless sunrises and sunsets, and hearing the rustling of leaves in the wind countless times.
He began to drift everywhere, but the forest was boundless, and in the world before him, there were only trees, and nothing else besides.
Vast heavens and distant lands, a lonely wandering soul.
An indescribable desolation lingered in his heart.
He didn’t know why he was still here, nor what else he could do…
“Kefuke,” having transformed into a giant tree, never appeared again, nor did he continue to grow.
Looking up at the towering treetop, Chen Bugu wanted to fly to the top several times, but each time he reached a certain height, a strange force would bind him, preventing him from going higher.
Chen Bugu gave up. He returned to the ground, continuing to watch the surrounding trees grow vigorously day after day, and also began to notice various fruits falling from the trees.
He didn’t know when, but Chen Bugu began to see green and blue light spots floating in the air.
Those light spots were like little sprites, at first fearing him and keeping their distance, then later growing close to him and loving him.
At dusk and dawn, when the air was full of moisture, the blue light spots became even more active, and it was then that Chen Bugu confirmed their identities.
Wood Element and Water Element.
Although he didn’t know why, Chen Bugu seemed to have gained the favor of the Wood Element and Water Element. He could feel that these elements were very close to him, which added a touch of color to his unchanging life.
He didn’t know how much more time passed, Chen Bugu guessed it might have been a few years, or perhaps more than ten years, but this world finally welcomed long-lost guests once again.
The moment he saw the “deity,” Chen Bugu didn’t know why, but he felt his eyelids grow heavy.
He tried hard to keep his eyes open, wanting to see what the “deity” was going to do, but it was useless; he still fell into a deep, drowsy sleep.
In the last instant before he closed his eyes, he gave up trying to look directly at the “deity” and instead turned his gaze to the old acquaintance.
The former Muka King, the later Soaring Sky Tree.
He still towered, still stood…