Begin As A Tree: Don’t Worry. I’ll Become A God - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Willow Deity’s Branch

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The villagers saw that the village chief had fainted as soon as she landed. There was a large bite wound on her arm, and the wound was already turning green and black. This was clearly a symptom of poisoning.

The villagers quickly carried Ling Yao into the house. They used all kinds of methods, but she didn’t get any better.

At this moment, someone suggested going up the mountain to look for Lord Divine Tree. Lord Divine Tree would definitely be able to cure the village chief and chase away the black fog.

The villagers agreed unanimously, so without waiting, they quickly wrapped the cloth that the child had peed on around their mouths and noses. The strong villagers took turns carrying the village chief on their backs. Under the lead of the elders in the village, they began to enter the black fog, carefully avoiding the dried corpses in the black fog.

They walked from midnight to noon before going up the mountain. During this period, two villagers sacrificed themselves to protect the village chief and the others.

The old man from the village quickly came to Gu Xiao, knelt down, and quickly explained what had happened.

When Gu Xiao heard this, he was shocked. He had never encountered a black fog that could turn a person into a dried corpse. He looked at Ling Yao, who was lying on the ground, and saw that her face had turned from green to black. She was about to die.

Gu Xiao didn’t know how this master-disciple duo resolved it, so he could only use his branches to pierce Ling Yao’s major acupoints and begin to absorb them.

Initially, Gu Xiao thought that this method would not work. He was afraid that he would have to try another method, but he did not expect this method to be so effective.

The branch stabbed into Ling Yao’s body and began to absorb the corpse poison in her body.

Soon, it worked. Gu Xiao thought to himself, “It really works! This corpse poison is much purer than pure corpse nutrients. Looks like this is really my opportunity.”

After absorbing all the corpse poison in Ling Yao’s body, Ling Yao quickly woke up.

The villagers present heaved a sigh of relief. Lord Divine Tree was indeed Lord Divine Tree. He had actually resolved the corpse poison so easily. Hence, the villagers knelt down in unison to Lord Divine Tree to express their piety.

Gu Xiao looked at Ling Yao and said, “You didn’t know what’s in the black fog. How could you barge in rashly?”

Ling Yao did not dare to reply and could only kneel on the ground devoutly.

Gu Xiao had watched Ling Yao grow up. He really could not bear to blame her anymore. He gave her a few gentle instructions and let it go.

It was easy for these villagers to go up and down the mountain, but it was difficult. The black fog was not afraid of the sunlight at all. Even when the sun rose high, the black fog was still very thick and showed no signs of dissipating.

Gu Xiao extended his branch, and it grew longer and longer, reaching into the black fog. As expected, the black fog was very afraid of Gu Xiao’s branch. Wherever the branch went, the surrounding black fog immediately retreated, not daring to approach.

He understood that this black thing was an opportunity for him. If he could absorb all of this black fog, he might be able to level up again.

Thinking of this, Gu Xiao retracted his branch and released all the spiritual qi in his body. The originally ordinary willow tree instantly became dense.

“All of you, step forward and break some branches. Break more and bring them back to the others in the village. This black fog is afraid of my branches and willow leaves. It can temporarily ensure your safety.”

The villagers carefully plucked all the new branches that Gu Xiao had grown. Each of them had at least 20 branches on their backs.

Ling Yao brought the villagers down the mountain. As expected, they were protected by Gu Xiao’s branches along the way. The black fog hid far away and did not dare to approach within a 50-meter radius.

Ling Yao brought the villagers back to the village and distributed these branches to every villager. The remaining branches were all placed on the wall. Every few feet, there would be a branch. The black fog did not dare to approach the Divine Tree Village anymore and all surrounded 50 meters away from it.

The black fog had a wide range of influences. Not only were the Divine Trees around the Divine Tree Village affected, but the few tribes and villages at the foot of the mountain were also affected by the black fog.

Those who were lucky enough to survive ran for their lives crazily. In the end, they fled outside the Divine Tree Village, where the black fog was thin. They stopped within 50 meters of the wall of the Divine Tree Village.

These people were not fools. A few years ago, Shi’an Village took the lead to attack the Divine Tree Village. In the end, everyone who came to participate in the battle died without exception. They did not even bring back a corpse.

The few villages in Shi’an Village could be considered relatively powerful. They could not even compare to Shi’an Village, let alone Divine Tree Village.

Therefore, these people stayed outside the wall obediently and did not dare to cause trouble.

The villagers guarding outside reported the news to Ling Yao. After Ling Yao heard it, she climbed up the city wall and saw that these villagers were all disturbed by the black fog. They had no choice but to come to the surroundings of the Divine Tree Village. They did not seem to have any ill intentions, so she said loudly to everyone.

“In order to survive, you have no choice but to come here to seek protection. However, you are not allowed to cause trouble here. If you do anything out of line, you must be killed!”

Ling Yao temporarily arranged for these refugees, but after thinking about it, she still went up the mountain to tell Gu Xiao about this.

After hearing this, Gu Xiao thought about it. Instead of letting them wait outside the wall for the Divine Tree Village to give them food, it was better to give the Divine Tree Village more branches to be planted further away. This way, they could obtain more land that was not invaded by the black fog.

If they wanted to live, the Divine Tree Village could only provide them with ordinary water and seeds. Within three years, they could rely on farming to survive. Of course, this land could not be planted for nothing, and their branches could not be used for nothing.

After hearing this, Ling Yao understood and brought more of Gu Xiao’s branches. When she returned, she inserted the branches further away from the wall. With the Divine Tree Village as the center, no black fog dared to come forward to disturb them.

As for the branches that Gu Xiao had inserted outside, they were absorbing the black fog crazily as if they were lifeless. Although these branches had left their bodies, they were still a part of Gu Xiao. They could transmit spiritual qi from afar to ensure that these branches could still survive and not lose their nutrients and die. As for transmitting spiritual qi from afar, they could naturally absorb nutrients from afar.

The branches outside absorbed it as if their lives depended on it. The nutrients transmitted by the black fog made Gu Xiao feel extremely comfortable. This black fog was indeed his opportunity. It could provide nutrients for him and even bring additional income to the village. It was killing two birds with one stone.

After a while, the black fog seemed to have a consciousness. At first, it was far away from the Divine Tree Village, but later on, for some reason, it pressed down again. The branches began to lose their appetite.

This was like a thin man putting 50 catties of rice in front of him and asking him to eat it. How was this possible?

Gu Xiao began to increase the transmission of spiritual power on the mountain. These branches actually grew roots in the ground and grew at a speed visible to the naked eye. The branches slowly turned into a willow tree, and a thin man gradually turned into a fat man.

The black fog outside the village had basically been suppressed, but the dried corpses in the black fog were not afraid of these branches. The refugees outside the Divine Tree Village and the villagers inside the Divine Tree Village had to resist these dried corpses every day, and there were casualties every day.