Chapter 2342 Gathering The headquarters of the Soul tribe nestled in their habitat, where the Great Elder Jeno sat at the head. Today, the Federation’s counterattack against the Licker swarm had exceeded their expectations, prompting many within the tribe to assist the Wood tribe in defending their habitat. It was odd, though. According to reports, despite the large gathering of Lickers near the Wood tribe’s habitat, they merely seemed to assemble without launching any active attacks. With most of their elite forces tied up at home, the Wood tribe found themselves increasingly troubled by the lack of advantage on the front lines, compounded by internal issues. The gap between the Wood tribe and the Leaf tribe, the two major clans, was widening once again. While Fang Heng had been missing for several days without any news, the appearance of the Lickers today suggested that the human was up to something again, specifically targeting the Wood tribe. It was hard not to associate this with the Leaf tribe. Jeno grew wary. All of this could very well be an intentional setup by the opposition. As he pondered, a hurried report arrived. “Report to the Great Elder! There’s an anomaly in the Sacred Realm of Gods temple in the Inner World. It’s suspected that someone is undergoing a trial assessment of the primogenitor sacred tree!” What was that? Jeno was shocked to hear this and immediately sat up from his seat. Upon hearing the report, everyone present also turned pale. The Sacred Realm of Gods had always been under their control, the domain of their Soul tribe. They had received no reports whatsoever of anyone entering. How could someone suddenly undergo the inheritance trial without any warning? Among those present were elders sent by the Wood tribe and Leaf tribe, in addition to the Soul tribe. The elders exchanged glances with each other. Could it be the Root tribe? The sacred tree saplings of the Wood tribe and Leaf tribe had already been destroyed, leaving only the Root tribe as a possibility. Did they really have the ability to complete the cultivation of the sacred tree? During this time, their attention had all been diverted by Fang Heng. When had the Root tribe managed to take advantage? “Let’s go, we need to see for ourselves.” The cultivation trial of the sacred tree was of utmost importance. The Great Elder of the Soul tribe set aside the remote command of the war and hastily gathered a team to investigate the Land of Origin. Soon, the frontline Leaf tribe and Wood tribe forces also received the news. Strange. Senzo’s eyes betrayed a hint of confusion. Currently, both his Wood tribe and the Leaf tribe had their sacred tree saplings destroyed. Apart from the Soul tribe, the only tribe capable of conducting the sacred tree cultivation trial was the Root tribe. Since when did the Root tribe gain such power? Perhaps it wasn’t entirely bad news. After all, they were already destined not to compete for the next leader. It would be beneficial if the Tree Spirit clan could soon select a formal leader through ritual, allowing them to unite their strength against Fang Heng! Seeing no immediate progress on the front lines and with the Wood tribe threatened by a group of Lickers at home, they were clamoring to return and provide reinforcements. It seemed continuing in this manner wouldn’t yield any advantages. Senzo promptly announced the retreat, leading the elite forces back to the Inner World with the Wood tribe to investigate. Similarly, upon seeing the pillar of light rising from the Sacred Realm of Gods, the Root tribe’s immediate thought was the Soul tribe! Among the four major tribes, only two still could compete for the leadership of the Tree Spirit Tribe. It was either their Root tribe or naturally the Soul tribe! Who would have thought the Soul tribe was so efficient? The Root tribe wasn’t willing to lose like this. They had to go and see for themselves, no matter what. Thus, both the Root tribe and the Soul tribe rushed towards the Sacred Realm of Gods without delay. Coincidentally, the headquarters of both sides in the Inner World were not far from the Sacred Realm of Gods. In just half an hour, both sides had arrived. To everyone’s surprise, midway through their journey, the Soul tribe and the Wood tribe unexpectedly encountered each other. Both sides were stunned upon seeing each other, their faces showing peculiar expressions. What? Wasn’t it supposed to be them conducting the inheritance ritual? Then who could it be? One of the Leaf tribe or the Wood tribe? With puzzled expressions, everyone arrived at the mountaintop and saw a group of Lickers gathered around the periphery of the Sacred Realm of Gods. Both the Soul tribe and Root tribe members showed a strange look on their faces. They saw Fang Heng standing in front of the Great Hall, looking at the leaders of the Wood tribe and Root tribe who led their respective groups. “Welcome, people of the tree spirit tribe,” Fang Heng greeted. “Fang Heng? How can it be you? What are you doing here?” “Surprised, aren’t you? Allow me to introduce myself.” Fang Heng scanned the gathered crowd and paused before continuing, “I am of the Vampires, one of the inheritance clans of the Tree Spirit Tribe who have been wandering outside. I’ve returned this time to compete for the leadership inheritance in this clan battle.” “The vampires?!” The elders present were visibly shocked upon hearing this, exchanging whispers and murmurs among themselves. One elder rebuked sharply, “Nonsense! I’ve grown up in our tribe and never heard of any vampires!” “Just because you haven’t heard of it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist,” Fang Heng shrugged. “The fact that I can undergo the sacred tree inheritance trial already verifies my identity, doesn’t it?” The elders fell silent at once. Indeed, the power fluctuations emanating from the temple couldn’t be faked. Many of them even felt that their questions had been answered. No wonder, how could such an exceptionally strong human suddenly appear? Now that it’s confirmed, this person was also a member of the tree spirit tribe. With this realization, it all makes sense now; Fang Heng is indeed part of the tree spirit tribe. Tippy, an elder of the Soul tribe, looked at Fang Heng with a hint of seriousness in his eyes. The sudden appearance of Fang Heng completely disrupted the original plans of the Soul tribe. Could it really be that the next patriarch of the tree spirit tribe would fall into the hands of a clan that no one had ever heard of? An elder of the Soul tribe stepped forward and said, “Even if what you’re saying is true, participating in the sacred tree cultivation trial of the tree spirit tribe requires prior approval from the clan. You broke into our clan temple without any regard and attacked our people, and even the destruction of the saplings of the Wood tribe and Leaf tribe’s sacred trees could be linked to you. Do you still have the qualifications to inherit the leadership of the tree spirit tribe?” “Alright, I apologize for my previous actions,” Fang Heng replied calmly on the surface, while inwardly focusing on delaying the countdown displayed in his mission hint on his retina, second by second. “But you all know, sometimes a bit of strategy is necessary to win the battle for the sacred tree cultivation. How many casualties have there been in the struggles between the Wood tribe and the Leaf tribe?” Fang Heng continued to calmly handle the situation outwardly, but inside, he was determined to buy more time. With both major tribes bringing so many people, a real conflict could potentially endanger Abe Akaya. Every second he could delay was crucial. “Why haven’t you attacked yet? Are you prepared to hand the future of our tree spirit tribe over to someone of unknown origin!?” Just then, the Leaf tribe and Wood tribe arrived with a large number of people. On their way here, they had already heard that Fang Heng had somehow taken control of the temple and was even undergoing the primogenitor sacred tree trial. As they approached and heard the ongoing conversation from afar, Senzo was increasingly astonished.