Chapter 521: Chapter 521: Choice
Everyone was captivated by what they were hearing. Although nothing was explicitly stated, they all understood that the Young Khan was speaking about their tribe’s plight.
Seeing Young Khan pause, a clearly impatient Dumb Dumb prodded, “What happened next?”
Young Khan continued, “That group of people disappeared, an unimaginable event in the past. You must understand that the Ancient Trees are intrinsic to our tribe; they control the forest. Our tribespeople were simply delivering supplies to those Ancient Trees.”
“We dispatched search parties, but to no avail. The Ancient Trees claimed ignorance, and people in the tribe didn’t probe any further. But as time went on and more people disappeared, the Khan at the time became suspicious and sent people to spy on the forest.”
“They uncovered a horrifying truth. Those people were held captive by the Ancient Trees and subjected to terrifying experiments. They were corrupted,” Young Khan exclaimed, a glimmer of fear in his eyes as he spoke of this corruption.
“How could that be, when it’s clear that you centaurs were the corrupted ones?” Dumb Dumb asked, clearly confused.
“This was the purpose behind the Ancient Trees capturing our people – to ensnare all of the Split Hoof Tribe, corrupting us while extracting our bloodline power,” explained Young Khan.
Li Yao frowned, interjecting, “Not to question your integrity, but since we arrived, the Ancient Trees have been aiding us.”
Young Khan scoffed, “Helping you? How naive can you be? They were clearly exploiting you.”
Raising an eyebrow, Li Yao replied, “‘Young Khan, stop evading the issue. You brought us here for a reason. You must convince us first, otherwise… ”
Speaking up, the Chief replied, “Foreign friends, we possess the purest bloodline of our ancestors. We value peace and the balance of nature – you must have sensed that. Even though we have lost contact with the nature demigods, the statues outside are infused with a potent natural force. It is this force that has safeguarded us from being consumed by the Nightmare.”
“The Treant gave us many good things.” Dumb Dumb added.
“I expect you traded the Nightmare Crystal Cores for them,” said the Chief.
“Correct,” replied Dumb Dumb.
Young Chieftain asked, “Then can I ask what the Nightmare Crystal Cores are for? Why do the Ancient Trees, who need the power of nature, collect these crystals that possess potent corrosive and evil forces?”
“Well, you tell me,” Dumb Dumb responded after a pause.
“They are naturally to replenish their power,” said the Young Khan.
“But the Ancient Tree of War showed us an image of your Chieftain, stating that he has been corrupted.” retorted Li Yao.
A look of sorrow crossed Young Khan’s face. He said, “Please refer to him as Khan, not Chieftain. Thank you. It is true my father was corrupted, but not passively. He attempted to harness the Nightmare’s power, but now he has changed, we are powerless…”
Seeing the genuine sorrow in the Young Khan’s eyes, the group exchanged puzzled glances. The Ancient Trees, Young Khan, and their own experiences all drew them into a mist of confusion, leaving them uncertain about whom to believe.
“Boss, what do we do now? Who should we believe?” newbie Mu Zi asked over the group chat.
Li Yao frowned, replying, “This situation is layered and confusing, it’s hard for me to reach a judgment.”
Seeing that Li Yao and his team were still undecided, the Chief became anxious and continued, “If you want to prove whether you were deceived, you could try leaving the forest. If you can do that, you can claim my life anytime.”
Li Yao nodded, saying, “Then let’s try, Shadow Dance, you go look.”
“Alright.” Shadow Dance left immediately, heading toward where they came from.
The group headed towards the edge of town. The centaurs did not hinder them, although the Chief still trailed behind them at a distance, clearly waiting for news.
Half an hour later, Shadow Dance reported, “Boss, the Barrier-Breaking Scroll is useless.”
“Did you find the Ancient Tree?” asked Li Yao.
“I found it,” Shadow Dance replied, “When I said I wanted to collect supplies, the Ancient Tree said that the barrier had closed and it wouldn’t be possible to open it in the short term unless we manage to kill the Grand Chieftain here.”
“Tell it that you need to fetch a very important item outside, crucial for defeating the Grand Chief,” Li Yao suggested.
After a while, Shadow Dance reported, “It’s weird, this place was home to an Ancient Tree not long ago, but now it’s an ordinary tree. The Ancient Tree disappeared in the blink of an eye.”
“Come back,” Li Yao commanded.
Soon after, Shadow Dance returned, and the Chief spoke up, “We spent a lot of effort to discover that the Ancient Trees in the Dream have been contaminated and controlled, their goal being to extract our bloodline power. But we have a demigod statue here that gathers a potent force to support the tribal Array. And as the Nightmare God cannot descend personally yet, so… ”
“So you’re guessing they decided to play along, right? They may not be able to enter your town, but you can’t stay in town forever either, hence your numbers are dwindling. Then, the High Priest betrayed you, and the Khan tried to utilize the Nightmare’s power himself, deceiving the Nightmare God, and making it appear as if your entire tribe is under his control,” Li Yao speculated calmly.
“You’re half right. The Khan selected many brave warriors ready to sacrifice themselves for the tribe, and the High Priest was one of them. We’ve been battling the Ancient Trees, but an accident befell the High Priest, and he nearly got lost entirely. But he is still using his last will to protect the tribe, although the Khan said he won’t be able to hold out much longer. The changes in the Array a few days ago caused the High Priest to lose himself entirely. Our Khan is now also in imminent danger.”
Chief looked sorrowful as he said, “Yesterday, the Khan passed his position to the Young Khan, claiming he was unable to control himself any longer. He trapped himself in the Central Altar, claiming his plan had failed. He asked us to kill him and use his bloodline power to activate the Statue while using his corrupted soul to activate the Grand Altar of Nightmare, harnessing the Statue’s power to destroy the Nightmare Altar, but, but… ”
“But you are hesitant to do it,” finished Li Yao.
“Indeed, on one hand is the Great Chieftain who chose to sacrifice himself for our tribe, and on the other hand is the ancestral statue we have worshipped for thousands of years. If we were to follow Khan’s plan, then… But more importantly, the statue has a suppressive effect on our bloodline, we ought not to touch it…” Chief continued, “I implore you, help us, no matter what. If you agree to assist, you will forever be the most esteemed guests in our tribe.”
Now, Starfire’s team understood. Their mission was clear: they were to kill the corrupted Khan and activate the power of the statue, thereby foiling the plot of the Nightmare God…