Chapter 124: Ghost Village Banyan Tree, Human-faced Weird Bug Gnawing Tree Trunk_1

Chapter 124: Chapter 124: Ghost Village Banyan Tree, Human-faced Weird Bug Gnawing Tree Trunk_1

What an unusual kind of ghost.

Wang Linchi looked at the large banyan tree in the center of the village. To anyone else, this would just seem like a normal, thriving tree. To him, it indeed was a banyan tree; however, it was not thriving but riddled with holes. Numerous perforations encrusted the tree, each embedded with semi-illusionary human faces. Each face was twisted, fractured, or displayed some other deformity—in short, the kind that could scare someone to death with a single glance.

Luckily, Wang Linchi had gained some experience from his previous venture into a Gigantic Secret Realm that had exploded, so he wasn’t frightened. It had truly been a worthwhile ordeal. Upon further observation, he realized that the banyan tree’s roots had spread underground, bringing the entire village within its sphere of influence, which was how the village illusion had been created.

Standing at a distance, Wang Linchi poked at the Ghost Banyan Tree with a stick. As expected, there was no reaction; it seemed to be deep in slumber.

Wang Linchi initially thought of directly bombing it with Fanciful and Fickle, but then he reconsidered. Such a vast entity must be powerful. What if it doesn’t die from the blast?

So, he decided to opt for a timed explosion.

Before the timer goes off, I should set this village on fire... No, wait! I can’t burn it or blast it!

At that moment, Wang Linchi suddenly realized that doing so would be a significant loss. If he successfully killed the Ghost Banyan Tree and wiped out the ghost village, he would, at a minimum, obtain an Excellent Level Soul Kind. But what would he do with another Excellent Level Soul Kind? He already possessed one.

Conversely, if he stuffed the entire Ghost Banyan Tree into the Soul Soup Bowl and converted it into Soul Soup, he would gain a large quantity of resources—yes, a substantial portion, not a small one. This would be the way to make the most of the Ghost Banyan Tree.

The Ghost Banyan Tree might look disgusting, much like one infested with worms, but the abundant nutrients it could provide were too valuable to ignore. Besides, once it was in the bowl and transformed into soup, there wouldn’t be any strange taste, even if he drank it all in one gulp.

This is a delicate job, Wang Linchi thought, staring at the Ghost Banyan Tree and wondering where to begin. The ghost faces need to be pulled off; I can definitely use those in the Soul Soup Bowl. But what about the tree itself?

Wang Linchi wasn’t concerned about what the Ghost Banyan Tree might do if it woke up. He was planning to harvest it regardless.

Let’s start with a simple test using the Thought Field,

It’s really a bug?! Wang Linchi looked surprised. The front was indeed a face, but its rear half was a large bug. Black pus began to ooze from the large hole on the Ghost Banyan Tree’s trunk, emitting a foul stench.

The Ghost Face Bug, upon being pulled out, instantly woke up and emitted a sharp, earsplitting shriek. Without hesitation, Wang Linchi used his Thought Field to deliver a resounding slap, stunning it.

The good news was that the bug finally fell silent. The bad news was that its shriek had awakened all the other Ghost Face Bugs on the tree. All of them opened their eyes and glared at Wang Linchi with such venomous hatred that it made his scalp tingle.

Damn, that actually scared me, Wang Linchi thought. If I don’t boil every last one of you into soup today, I’ll definitely have nightmares tonight! He came to a profound realization: the only way to conquer fear is to confront it.

Innumerable Ghost Face Bugs swarmed down the banyan tree, dragging trails of black pus behind them and forming a massive, insectoid torrent.

Well, this is... Wang Linchi was momentarily speechless. He had never witnessed such fools willingly abandon their safe haven.

If these Ghost Face Bugs had remained on the Ghost Banyan Tree, Wang Linchi would have had to pluck them off one by one. But now the situation had changed. He retrieved his Soul Soup Bowl, tossed the Ghost Face Bug he held into it, and then aimed the bowl’s opening towards the swarm of bugs descending the tree.

"Capture!"

The soul-capturing ability of the Soul Soup Bowl activated, and one Ghost Face Bug after another was irresistibly sucked into it. It was like a waterspout; wherever the soul-capturing light shone, all Ghost Face Bugs in that area were pulled in.

These creatures, despite their grotesque appearance and sheer numbers, only possessed strength equivalent to the White Porcelain level. They were utterly incapable of resisting the Soul Soup Bowl’s capturing power. Had they still been on the Ghost Banyan Tree, Wang Linchi would have worried that the Soul Soup Bowl might try to pull in the tree as well. But now that they had detached, their actions were no different from marching to their own deaths.

The Soul Soup Bowl’s soul-capturing ability actually charges per use and even has a time limit... Wang Linchi grumbled inwardly. Each activation cost one hundred spiritual power points and lasted only one minute. If a ghost spirit wasn’t drawn into the bowl within that minute, the attempt was considered spent, requiring either another payment or discontinuation of the process.

Generally, a ghost spirit capable of resisting for a full minute would most likely be able to break free even if captured. Situations like Wang Linchi’s, overwhelming numerous weaker entities, were uncommon. Fortunately, the soul capture was an area-of-effect ability, not charged per individual capture. Otherwise, Wang Linchi’s limited spiritual power would have been insufficient to gather all the Ghost Face Bugs.

With the little bugs dealt with, I should be able to enjoy some soup tonight. Now, how to best utilize this Ghost Banyan Tree?

Having been hollowed out by the bugs, the banyan tree seemed to have become an unthinking entity, much like a ghost house. Well, trees are plants; their reactions are naturally slower than animals’,

Wang Linchi started digging at the base of the tree, displacing a large amount of soil. He soon located the origin of the Ghost Face Bugs. So many corpses.

After a brief observation, he dragged out all the corpses and arranged them neatly to one side. A quick count confirmed that their number matched the quantity of boreholes on the tree.

So, it wasn’t the Ghost Banyan Tree that created the Ghost Face Bugs. Rather, after these unlucky individuals died, they formed a symbiotic relationship with this banyan tree, ultimately causing it to begin its transformation into a ghost. No, it hasn’t fully become a ghost yet; it’s more like half-tree, half-ghost, Wang Linchi deduced after a more thorough examination.

If the banyan tree had completely turned into a ghost, there wouldn’t be any bug infestation; these ghost faces would have become integral parts of the tree. The black, foul-smelling pus within the boreholes must have served as some kind of fusion agent.

So, did I ultimately lose or gain from this? Wang Linchi sighed, then retrieved a large chainsaw from his Soul Seed Page·Storage Space. VRRRROOOM! With a roar, he started it and began to saw into the tree.

He conjectured that the core of the Ghost Banyan Tree should be something good. However, his action immediately provoked a defensive response from the Ghost Banyan Tree. Before, he had only been removing bugs, which likely hadn’t significantly harmed the tree. But now that he was attempting to cut it down, it was bound to resist. Countless banyan root tendrils surged up from the ground, causing Wang Linchi’s eye to twitch at the sight.

Then, his Fanciful and Fickle Soul Seed Page rapidly activated; the ensuing Impact wave spread outwards, blasting the incoming tendrils into fragments. Wang Linchi even utilized this Impact, in conjunction with the chainsaw, to swiftly sever the Ghost Banyan Tree at its trunk.

His sharp eyes immediately spotted a faint glow emanating from the surfaces of the severed trunk. The good stuff really is in the tree core! In that case, I won’t be polite!

Wang Linchi reached out and first pulled the core from the lower half of the trunk. It was surprisingly large, as thick as his own arm. With this half of the tree core removed, the previously aggressive banyan roots instantly went limp and subsided; clearly, their energy source had been severed.

The upper half of the trunk, however, could still move. Unfortunately for it, it possessed no Attack Power; all its offensive capabilities had been invested in the roots of the lower section. Wang Linchi extracted the remaining core from it without any trouble.

With the death of the Ghost Banyan Tree, the ghost village’s illusion could no longer be sustained. After a wave of distortion, the true, dilapidated ruins of the area were revealed.

Where’s my event reward? Why hasn’t it appeared yet? Don’t tell me I haven’t actually completed the event...

After wiping clean the two sections of the tree core, Wang Linchi found no Soul Kind materializing.

There were two current possibilities: first, this event was too insignificant to warrant the formation of a Soul Kind. Second, the Ghost Banyan Tree incident in the ghost village might merely be one part of a larger event that he hadn’t fully resolved, so no reward would be forthcoming yet.

Whatever. With these Ghost Face Bugs and the tree core, it doesn’t really matter if there’s no Soul Kind, Wang Linchi thought, taking it in stride.

The core of the Ghost Banyan Tree was a Natural Treasure. Consuming it could greatly enhance one’s Physique and vitality. It could also be used in Cultivation to accelerate strength improvement. Wang Linchi could also use it for alchemy, though gathering the other necessary auxiliary ingredients would be challenging and require some time.

However, when used in alchemy with other Natural Treasures, it should amplify the medicinal effects significantly; achieving only a two or three-fold increase would simply be a reflection of his currently unrefined skills.

Subsequently, after meticulously erasing all traces of his presence, he set fire to everything—the tree remnants, the corpses, and the entire ruined village—before finally departing.