Chapter 16: Subduing the Yinhuai Tree

After a brief rest, Li Qingxuan stood up and said to Li Feifei: "Now that we have the spirit spring, if we find seeds we can plant some crops, thus solving the food problem; perhaps we could also use the spirit spring's water to improve the crops' quality."

Li Feifei's eyes lit up at the words, she clapped and praised. She said: "Yes, we can plant some vegetables and fruits. With the nourishment of the spirit spring's water, these crops will surely grow very well."

Thus, the two began to discuss the planting plan.

The two decided to clear a plot of land near the spirit spring these days to plant various crops.

Li Feifei planned to wait for the transaction time, check the channel for seeds and farming tools for sale, after posting the transaction information she told Li Qingxuan and then returned to the stone house to rest.

Li Qingxuan glanced at the time; the night was deep, the hour hand quietly pointed to past ten o'clock. He gripped his thunder-pattern spear tightly, his eyes showing determination and boldness.

Night fell, Li Qingxuan set out again, seeking more treasure chests and resources to continually increase his strength.

Because he knew that only by becoming stronger could he better protect himself and those around him.

Li Qingxuan decided to first go subdue the yinhuai tree he had previously encountered; he put on his gear, took his weapon, told Li Feifei, and then set out alone.

In the night-shrouded forest, dangers lurked everywhere, but Li Qingxuan's steps were firm, his gaze like a torch, and he felt no fear at all.

Walking east to the river, then following it for less than half an hour, Li Qingxuan finally arrived not far from that huge yinhuai tree.

The yinhuai tree stood thirty to forty meters tall, with a thick trunk and lush foliage, resembling a huge specter, silently standing in the night.

Li Qingxuan stared at the yinhuai tree, a strong shock surged in his heart, and he couldn't help marveling at nature's extraordinary craftsmanship.

This creature, its whole body exuding an eerie aura, was like an evil spirit crawling out of the abyss of the netherworld, possessing soul power so mighty it chilled the bones, and was the undisputed overlord of this dark forest.

Li Qingxuan took a deep breath, gathered his spiritual power, and prepared to begin subduing the yinhuai tree.

He enveloped the yinhuai tree with his spiritual power while slowly walking toward it, trying to approach its trunk.

However, just as he was about to touch the trunk, the yinhuai tree suddenly moved.

Only see its lush branches like ferocious tentacles, bearing a gloomy aura, lashing out at Li Qingxuan with lightning speed, as if to tightly bind him in endless darkness.

Li Qingxuan's body shifted, slipping out of the branches' entanglement like a loach, while he condensed a soul arrow and shot it at the yinhuai tree.

The soul arrow struck the trunk, emitting a loud bang, but the yinhuai tree suffered no damage at all.

The ghouls and human-faced spiders bound to the yinhuai tree's branches clattered down.

Li Qingxuan frowned, he hadn't expected subduing the yinhuai tree to be so troublesome.

He dared not slacken in the slightest, quickly condensing several soul arrows that shot like lightning at the fallen weird creatures.

Soul arrows streaked across the night sky like a meteor shower; Li Qingxuan nimbly dodged their attacks, yet he did not kill those weird creatures, for he knew that once slain, the yinhuai tree's defensive ability after being subdued would greatly weaken.

Witnessing all this, Li Qingxuan's heart tightened; this yinhuai tree was no ordinary opponent, and he must subdue it as soon as possible.

He again condensed soul arrows, continuously shooting at the yinhuai tree to disrupt its attack rhythm.

At the same time, he continually dodged the yinhuai tree's branch attacks, looking for a chance to counterattack.

The battle lasted nearly an hour; Li Qingxuan was already panting from exhaustion, but his gaze grew ever more resolute.

Finally, under the sustained assault of soul arrows, the yinhuai tree's resistance gradually weakened, and its vine attacks became soft and powerless.

Li Qingxuan seized the opportunity to rush forward, grabbing the trunk with both hands, began to exert his domination ability; the yinhuai tree let out a mournful wail, its branches flailing wildly, as if trying to break free.

As his spiritual power kept flowing in, the yinhuai tree's movements grew slower, eventually ceasing all struggle altogether.

Li Qingxuan looked at the yinhuai tree he had subdued, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

With the help of this yinhuai tree, the defensive strength of his shelter would be greatly enhanced.

He patted the yinhuai tree's trunk and softly said: "From now on, you will follow me."

The yinhuai tree seemed to understand his words, its branches swaying lightly, as if responding to his speech.

Watching the yinhuai tree rebind the puppets, then collecting the golden treasure chest beside it into his backpack, Li Qingxuan ordered the yinhuai tree to pull out its roots and follow him.

In less than an hour, the two returned near the stone house, ordering the yinhuai tree to take root ten meters southeast of the shelter; its vast canopy spread like a dome, covering a fifty-meter radius around the tree and veiling the stone house in dense foliage.

Seeing that the time was already past two in the morning, he had no intention of going out again, and returned to the stone house to rest.

"Ah... sleeping feels great." At ten o'clock on the fifth morning, the outside was overcast; Li Qingxuan stretched and sat up from bed.

He walked out of the bedroom, saw Li Feifei just finished cooking the meat obtained from yesterday's trade; the two began eating breakfast after, Li Feifei opened the door, saw the huge yinhuai tree and the weird creatures still bound to its branches, and was frightened out of her wits.

Li Feifei hurriedly shut the iron gate, exclaiming: "What ghostly thing is this?! It scared me to death, my heart almost jumped out of my throat!" She spoke while lightly patting her heaving chest with both hands.

Gazing at the undulating waves, Li Qingxuan momentarily stared blankly, then hurriedly explained: "Don't be afraid, this is the yinhuai tree I subdued last night; with it, our shelter will be safer."

Upon hearing this, Li Feifei's eyes flashed with a hint of delight; she reopened the door, walked to the yinhuai tree, and carefully examined this gigantic weird creature.

"It's truly amazing that you could subdue such a huge weird creature! That towering giant tree has its branches hung with bundles like cocoons of weird creatures; from afar it exudes an indescribable horror." Li Feifei sighed.

Li Qingxuan smiled proudly, saying: "This is unavoidable; for our safety, let it be scary—over time we'll naturally get used to it."

Li Feifei then reported her recent results: stone material had been exchanged for nearly five thousand units, iron blocks for over two thousand units, and wood, the least, had accumulated over one thousand two hundred units.

Li Qingxuan nodded, praised Li Feifei's results, then said: "Building all the city walls is still premature; better to first upgrade the stone house, which will also increase security."

After agreeing, the two left the stone house; Li Qingxuan opened the control panel, upgraded the stone house, instantly consuming one thousand units of stone material, five hundred of iron blocks, and three hundred of wood.

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