"Blasphemer, remember your words and you shall face the beast king's retribution."
The shaman's gaze was like ice, making Guan Li shiver.
Guan Li stood there, stunned.
What had come over him?
Those words were not his own intent!
Although their ancestors had chosen to follow the Four Symbols Immortal, they had not abandoned their reverence for the Beast King.
But under the gaze of everyone present, Guan Li could not bring himself to utter those words.
He could only lower his head stubbornly, his face grim, refusing to concede.
"Outsiders, I have answered what you wished to know. It is time for you to leave."
The shaman began to issue the order to depart.
Guan Li's earlier words had caused the shaman to lose patience for further entanglement with Xu Yi and the others.
She felt it was time to end it all.
She looked at Xu Yi coldly, only to find that Xu Yi was not angered by her words. Instead, she smiled at her.
The shaman felt a sense of foreboding.
"I apologize, but we cannot leave yet. We have indeed found the answer, so there is only one final step remaining: to verify our hypothesis."
Xu Yi said softly, her eyes carrying a strange light that the shaman could not comprehend.
"What do you want to do?"
The shaman's tone was somewhat urgent, the deep lines around her eyes becoming more pronounced.
Xu Yi exchanged a glance with Ji Buwang, and together they looked at the Beast King Tree. A chilling coldness erupted from their bodies.
They intended to cut down the tree!
Xu Yi had felt uncomfortable ever since approaching this area, and after seeing the Beast King Tree and the Beast King Fruit, which resembled a heart, she had developed a strong aversion.
After learning about the tree's history from the shaman, Xu Yi believed her aversion was due to the tree having devoured a cultivator.
But upon closer thought, Xu Yi realized there were still problems.
It wasn't just her who rejected the Beast King Tree; the tree itself had conveyed a similar message to her.
This Beast King Tree seemed to possess a spirit.
This spirit did not arise from devouring the Four Symbols seniors, but had existed much earlier, which was why it could devise a plan to harm the Four Symbols seniors.
Then Xu Yi began to wonder why this tree only devoured the Four Symbols seniors and not the Li tribe people who lived nearby.
Was it simply because the Four Symbols seniors' physical bodies and blood essence were richer?
But just now, the conflict between Guan Li and the shaman, like a long rope, suddenly connected all the clues she knew.
Then an answer, infinitely close to the truth, surfaced in her mind.
This tree was actually an embodiment of the Beast King's will.
The arrival of the Four Symbols seniors showed the tribes living on the Beast King Continent a new path, causing them to waver, and eventually abandon their ancestral lands, willingly following the Four Symbols Immortal.
Although the Four Symbols Immortal had no intention of doing so, it had led to dire consequences, thus incurring the Beast King's hatred.
This tree represented the Beast King's will, punishing the presumptuous mortals who offended it, while the fruit it bore was given as a reward to the most devout believers living in the Green Sea.
Having understood everything, Xu Yi believed that if they could cut down this tree, they might find a chance to leave.
This was the most feasible method she could think of.
The moment their eyes met, Xu Yi knew that this was also the most feasible method Ji Buwang could think of.
They walked towards the Beast King Tree in unison, their killing intent palpable.
"Shaman..."
Dado was startled by the aura emanating from Xu Yi and the two, and couldn't help but turn to the shaman for help.
If there was anyone present who could stop those two, it was only the shaman.
The shaman stared intently at their retreating figures, her shamanic power surging, but she hesitated to act.
These two gave her a sense of great danger.
She didn't even have a ten percent certainty of success.
She wasn't afraid of death, but she carried too much of the Li tribe's history; if she died, the Li tribe's inheritance would be broken.
Therefore, after a moment of hesitation, she still did not act rashly, deciding to observe further.
While she was hesitating, Xu Yi had already reached the Beast King Tree.
Indeed, as she approached, the sense of rejection became more pronounced, almost tangible.
"You go?"
Xu Yi tilted her head, asking Ji Buwang's opinion.
Ji Buwang nodded slightly, then with a seemingly slow, but actually extremely fast movement, he unleashed a palm strike.
"Pfft."
From a distance, a young man from the Li tribe couldn't help but let out a scoff.
With his eyesight, Ji Buwang's palm strike appeared light and airy, clearly lacking any significant force, and not as powerful as the previous one. He assumed it was merely for show.
However, the next moment, his face was slapped hard by the sight before him.
The unmoving Beast King Tree was struck by this seemingly unremarkable palm, a crack appearing that ran through its entire body.
The dark red interior of the tree could still be faintly seen through the fissure.
"Shaman!"
Dado cried out urgently, his fists clenched tightly.
If that man continued to strike, the Beast King Tree would not be saved.
"Stop!"
The shaman could no longer remain seated.
She strode forward, positioning herself behind Xu Yi and Ji Buwang. The muscles in her face twitched slightly, and she said in a low voice, "You cannot touch it."
After witnessing Ji Buwang's martial prowess, the shaman's heart became even more uneasy.
Because she knew she had no way to stop them.
But even knowing this, she still wanted to make one last attempt.
The Li tribe people also stepped forward in unison, standing behind the shaman and watching the two.
"This tree was born here by chance, and it is still a man-eating demonic tree," Xu Yi said to the shaman, her gaze sharp. "Your Li tribe has enjoyed its benefits for five hundred years; it is now time for it to end."
Xu Yi had no intention of backing down.
Firstly, this tree had no connection to the Li tribe in the first place.
If the Four Symbols seniors had not come to the depths of the Green Sea back then, but had gone elsewhere, this tree might have taken root in that location.
Secondly, the Li tribe had occupied this tree for five hundred years by virtue of the terrain, indirectly consuming the Four Symbols seniors' flesh and blood to increase the tribe's strength, and had gained a great advantage.
They had no standing to claim inheritance and enjoyment.
Not to mention the disparity in strength, which gave them no right to refuse.
Xu Yi was determined to cut down this tree!
"This..."
The shaman was rendered speechless by Xu Yi's sharp words.
Five hundred years had long led the Li tribe to consider the Beast King Tree as part of their territory, their property.
Upon hearing Xu Yi's words, they were for a moment unable to refute them.
The shaman secretly regretted that she had not kept the origin of the Beast King Tree a secret earlier.
Now, it was truly a predicament.
"Guan Li." Xu Yi called out.
"Your disciple is here!"
Guan Li, suddenly called by name, felt his spirits lift and answered loudly.
"Stop them behind you and do not let them advance any further."
"Yes!"
Guan Li looked at the Li tribe people with a forced smile, "Everyone, please step back."
The shaman's face was pale, and she remained motionless for a long time.
Xu Yi had shifted her attention and said to Ji Buwang, "Let's continue."
Upon hearing this, Ji Buwang immediately unleashed his second palm strike.