CHAPTER 67: CHAPTER 60 THE POWER OF PLANTS_1

"You, how could you be like this..."

After Bei Ji spoke angrily, tears filled Jie Ling’s eyes.

She ran back sobbing and hugged Hu Que’s thigh, looking extremely wronged.

"Brother Hu Que, they, they all don’t like me! I don’t know what I did wrong, they all don’t like me..."

Dongchi said coldly, "What makes you think everyone has to like you?"

However, females were, after all, a tribe’s most precious treasure. The Beastmen of Black Tiger City would not allow their own females to be humiliated by foreign Serpent Beastmen like this.

Thus, an array of criticisms rained down upon the three children without mercy.

"That’s too much, you all are too much! Little Jie Ling is so adorable, how could you be so cruel to her!"

"Little Jie Ling just wanted to play with them. What did she do wrong?"

"You heard how they talked to Jie Ling, to be so harsh to a little female!"

"Cold-blooded Serpent Beastmen are indeed selfish and sinister."

"Outsiders are outsiders. Little Jie Ling may not be of the Tiger Clan, but she’s joined Black Tiger City. Not like these three, who are complete outsiders!"

The mocking and criticizing voices caused the three children’s faces to redden slightly.

Hu Que stepped forward to take charge. "Hey," he commanded, "you three, apologize to Jie Ling."

"Right, apologize, apologize to Jie Ling!" the crowd shouted.

Bei Ji stood up angrily, "Didn’t you see? She insulted my third brother! If anyone should apologize, it should be her first!!!"

When Jie Ling heard this, she cried even harder, her tear-streaked face a picture of wretchedness.

"But I didn’t say anything wrong. He *is* ugly, he’s a freak..." Jie Ling sobbed. "None of you like me. Even your big brother doesn’t like me. I don’t even know what I did wrong..."

"Exactly!" shouted a White Tiger Beastman. "If it wasn’t for Little Jie Ling suggesting the idea to make the door, would you all be able to hide here so comfortably?"

"Exactly!"

"That’s right!"

"Not appreciating what you have!"

"Unappreciative!"

"Hurry up and apologize!"

"Quick, apologize to Jie Ling!"

Bei Ji’s face turned red with anger, his fists clenched tightly, and his small body trembled slightly.

Dongchi stepped forward, shielding his brothers behind him, and said with an icy chill, "We’re not going to apologize to that fox."

Hu Que’s anger was roused. "Outsiders, you’d better follow the rules of Black Tiger City," he said.

"Hmph." Dongchi stood tall. "Are you looking to fight?"

Hu Que transformed in an instant, turning into a powerful White Tiger. After a fierce tiger’s roar, he pounced towards Dongchi.

Dongchi jumped to the side, dodging Hu Que’s direct attack. His tail quickly wrapped around Hu Que, causing Hu Que to stagger and fall.

"How dare you launch a sneak attack!" Hu Que roared furiously, swiping his paw at him.

Dongchi took a hit to his upper body and quickly transformed into a Red Serpent.

SWOOSH! The middle of the cave was cleared for the battlefield between Hu Que and Dongchi.

Dongchi, only four years old, had crimson serpent eyes. Although he had unexpectedly cultivated to Green Crystal, it was difficult for a four-year-old with a Green Crystal physique to fight Hu Que, a teenage Red Crystal Beastman.

"It’s not bad that you’ve cultivated to Green Crystal," said Hu Que, "but that’s as far as you go."

Hu Que abruptly pounced, pinning Dongchi under his paw. The dual pressure of his superior strength and size rendered Dongchi immobile.

Bei Ji exclaimed in a rage, "So this is how Black Tiger City bullies beasts!"

For a Red Crystal Beastman nearing adulthood to bully a four-year-old child was indeed a case of the strong preying on the weak.

"So what if we bully you?!" Hu Que roared. "Who gave you the gall to defy our females!"

Dongchi whimpered in pain from being stepped on. Bei Ji and Xi Qing couldn’t help but rush forward to save him.

However, the disparity in strength was too great, and they were all captured by Hu Que.

Bei Ji, Xi Qing, and Dongchi were tied up together, and nobody offered them water or food.

Bei Ji said angrily, "Now I understand why Mother told us not to make friends with the White Foxes. They really are bad."

The young Bei Ji couldn’t articulate exactly what was bad, but when he saw that White Fox smiling sweetly at him, goosebumps rose on his skin.

"Brothers, I truly despise her."

The injured Xi Qing and Dongchi could only helplessly lift their heads.

***

Si Yan had no idea about the situation inside the cave where Dongchi and the others were.

She was sitting next to a wooden stump, her hands gently touching it. She closed her eyes to infuse it with her Wood-based Ability!

Grow, grow longer, grow even longer...

Hurry up and grow, I need a lever!

However, though the thick stump sprouted a thin green shoot, the stump itself did not grow larger.

After trying hard for a long while, Si Yan opened her eyes and looked at the fruits of her labor, her eyelids twitching.

I tried; I can’t move that huge rock. If I’m to move it, I’ll still need a lever in the end.

There were rocks, meaning there was a fulcrum. But the problem was, there was no lever.

I can only continue to stimulate its growth.

Si Yan closed her eyes and mobilized her Special Ability.

***

Beastmen fighting in the air did not usually have much of an advantage.

But the Insect Tribe also couldn’t fly very high, and Ming Yan’s leaping power was truly astonishing.

This greatly reduced Ming Yan’s disadvantages.

"GA! SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!" A large locust lunged at Ming Yan. He tore it apart with his tiger claws, ripping the large locust to the ground.

He looked back at the cave hiding Si Yan, not far behind him, then looked up at the sky.

Just as he killed one large insect, three or four more large insects appeared in the swarm.

"This is never-ending," Black Tiger said fiercely.

Insects were the kind of creatures that seemed impossible to eradicate completely.

Ming Yan peeled off the Insect Bead from the insect he had killed and pocketed the round bead. Then, he bared his fangs at the large insects in the sky that also possessed Insect Beads.

"They look pretty good."

The insects suddenly panicked and flew back a short distance.

***

After trying several times to grow a large piece of wood, Si Yan finally gave up on making a lever.

She turned her head and stared at the cave, hesitating whether to just wait quietly for the locust disaster to end.

But in her past life, she hadn’t made a habit of sitting idly by, and she certainly didn’t have one now.

I need to think of a solution.

Sitting and staring at the rock for a long time, she saw a small but vigorously growing sapling in a crevice. Its roots were breaking through the soil, and its branches were pushing against the rock. Suddenly, an idea flashed through Si Yan’s mind.

The power of plants is enormous!

Si Yan immediately stepped forward, her hands lightly covering the little tree. Then, a massive amount of Wood-based Ability flowed from her hands into the sapling.

Stimulated, the little tree shuddered all at once, and then its branches and roots began to grow wildly!

Si Yan supplied it with her Special Ability, allowing it to absorb nutrients and stimulating its growth. It responded in kind: its roots broke through the soil, and its branches pushed up against the rock!

Si Yan looked up at the lush green scene, her eyes bright.

Nice, there’s hope!

The power of life is even more useful than a lever!

While stimulating the little tree to grow, Si Yan said, "I know you want to grow big. I know you want to sink your roots into the earth and meet the sun. Today is your chance, the opportunity I’m giving you. Little guy, seize it well."

It was unclear whether the little tree understood her words, but Si Yan felt that her Wood-based Ability was being utilized with almost no waste.

In the sky, Ming Yan sensed the energy fluctuation. After slicing two more insects and collecting their Beads, he turned back to look at Si Yan’s cave.

He saw a tree branch suddenly emerge from the cave. The branches grew wildly, sprouting countless green leaves that swayed towards the sun!

Then, the trunk pushed the rock aside, and beneath the lush canopy, an opening just big enough for a small person to pass through appeared.

And right there, Si Yan climbed out shakily. She raised her little head and offered Ming Yan, who was still in the sky, a slight smile.