As Ethan kept busy, the game world''s visuals showed the ckwood folks quickly gathering under Forebearer and Olivia''s n. They had to seize the moment, or else experts from major powers would besiege them, and they might also lose the chance to avenge the Boar Monarch Petethemselves!


    [Valley of Healers]


    It must be said that the Valley of Healers was no ordinary ce, protected by the mid-grade psychic device "White Lotus of Heaven''s Pond" and the seventh-grade magical formation "Hundred Flowers Formation."


    Although Lucas was a sword body, he was only at the early stage of Developing Skill, with formidable physical strength and extraordinary sword intent, he couldn''t break through the defenses of the Valley of Healers just yet.


    The third generation of ckwoods could withstand attacks, but only with the power of the Transcendent Seed  stage, and even struggled to activate top-grade psychic devices.


    On their own, without a month-long siege or waiting for the Valley of Healers'' Energy Stone to deplete, it was impossible for them to break in.


    Carolyn even showed a smile, just waiting for the major powers toe and capture all the ckwood people in one fell swoop.


    But such lucksted no more than half an hour.


    In the distance, a bald, muscr man with iron arms descended from the sky, dropping dozens of AI Bionic Robots, among which the mecha spewing tail mes as it rose was particrly terrifying!


    "Ha ha ha, great! Big brother, and my seven little bunnies, take a break, I''ve been stuck in that Hernandez family for half a day, and it was suffocating!"


    As soon as Julian arrived, he wielded a human-sized iron hammer and smashed fiercely.


    Then there was a giant sky-reaching tree, on which stood a woman covered in vines, her gentle voice audible, "Big brother, third brother, killing is fine, just don''t destroy the psychic medicines in the Valley of Healers, I have great use for them."


    Following that, countless exotic beasts arrived!


    George came with twenty-three residual souls.


    Assassins from Dawn came from all directions, along with the descendants of ckwood''s fourth generation!


    Even William rushed over, this guy had killed someone in the Azure Cloud Pavilion, and when Olivia left, he was chased, holding up the head of a once-in-a-millennium genius from the Azure Cloud Pavilion, knocking on the Pavilion''s magical formation, asking his idol, Great Aunt, to take her away.


    Carolyn looked up nkly.


    The shadow of ckwoodpletely enveloped the entire Valley of Healers.


    She thought standing with Sky Sect and Azure Cloud Pavilion put her next to the victors. She thought her contributions to the real powerhouses would bring rich rewards. She thought standing on the side of justice in Cloudview County would bring her ultimate victory and both fame and fortune.


    Unfortunately, her luck was not on her side.


    When the ckwood people overwhelmed the magical formation of the Valley of Healers, she saw the ferocious faces of the ckwood people.


    She still thought she was righteous and roared,


    "Don''t be afraid! Evil cannot ovee good, Valley of Healers stands, get ready, let''s fight them!"


    Ten minutester.


    No corpses were seen inside the Valley of Healers, only ckwood people, and those nailed to the wall in a spread-eagled position by ckwood''s psychic devices, unable to move. Carolyn''s eyes no longer saw any brilliance, as if she had lost her soul.


    She saw it.


    A blood-red crowned blood tree appeared in the Valley of Healers, its roots piercing through each psychic ability in the Valley. She saw countless zombies and numerous mad exotic beasts, these beasts and demons tearing at the people of the Valley of Healers, the zombies slowly dragging the dried corpses into a silver coffin.


    From the silver coffin emerged a demon shrouded in dark aura, yet devoid of any intellect. This demon and the demonic tree of ckwood nearly came to blows over a dispute for blood, and Carolyn observed the demon growing stronger, advancing from Foundational Energy to the Transcendent Seed  stage.


    "Demons, all of them!" Carolyn murmured to herself.


    She saw these heartless fiends gathered together, showing no remorse for their previous ughter, putting on a pretense right before her eyes.


    The first four generations of ckwood gathered together, building an altar and kneeling before cards marked with a ''B'', chanting, "Bless us, Forebearer."


    The murky eyes of the seven demons of the Iron Gate flickered with a moment of rity as they knelt before the first two generations of ckwood.


    "My child... has turned into a demon!"


    "If we ever lose our minds one day, Grandpa must throw us into the coffin and let Dad and Mom beat us until wee to our senses."


    "Don''t worry, Mom, as long as we have blood to drink, we''ll be fine. I believe we can keep our sanity."


    "Yes, we have memories. For some reason, just looking back on our days in Gratitude Vige helps suppress the demonic thoughts."


    The seven demons revealed naive smiles.


    Carolyn couldn''t understand; these demons deserved to be exterminated for theirck of humanity!


    But little did she know, it was those she previously thought had humanity who weremitting the most inhumane acts, forcing the third generation of ckwood to choose to lose their humanity, now struggling to maintain what humanity they should have.


    "Dad, Uncle, Uncle!" The children of the fourth generation of ckwood knelt before the third generation, tears streaming down their faces even though they had long known about their descent into demonhood. They deeply understood that their forebears, like them, had endured unspeakable trials.


    The Primordial Blood Tree''s signs were never just a trial.


    Whenever they had free time, they would reminisce about Forest Town and Gratitude Vige. There, they had fields of special abilities, good-hearted vigers, and family gatherings.


    In that ce, they could freely enter any viger''s home for a meal, spar with peers using wooden swords, every day filled withughter and joy.


    Sometimes, they even took pride in being from ckwood, which had led the entire Gratitude Vige to its current prosperity. At least in Gratitude Vige, they were born into endless glory.


    But now, having left the vige and Forest Town, they no longer saw those familiar faces, and were often separated from their families.


    They had to fight fierce beasts and contend with nature, only then realizing how much deception existed in the world. Who wouldn''t want to live naively? Shedding naivety and immaturity, slowly bing mature and strong, was never easy.


    Growing up was so painful; they felt like naked mortals running through a thorny forest, far more painful than falling off their grandfather''s back.