When Chen Bugu opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a patch of scorched earth again, only this time he had regained his human form.
He sat on the ground, his head hazy, but his body felt light and ethereal, emitting a faint glow.
"What happened to me?"
Chen Bugu looked at his almost transparent hands; his storage ring still hadn't appeared.
He clearly remembered his entire left arm had been severed by the deity, but now it was back to normal.
Had he died?
Was this the state of a soul after death?
Chen Bugu looked around but didn't see the souls of Bai Ting and the others, and this place didn't resemble heaven either.
That's right, he was someone who had abandoned the deity, so how could he go to heaven after death?
But what happened after he fainted?
...
"Chen Bugu, you want to know my name?"
"I am Muka King, Kefuke!"
Chen Bugu suddenly remembered the last words the Long-haired Treant said before he fainted.
Kefuke?
But that Long-haired Treant clearly called Chen Bugu "Kefuke."
Chen Bugu remembered that guy eventually turned into a giant tree; he kept growing, shooting straight up, until at one point, he collided with that golden giant palm.
Did he actually possess such power?
However, it seemed he still lost.
Chen Bugu looked at the surrounding land; the ground was covered in black scorched earth, even retaining a faint warmth from the burning.
Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a sound from not far away.
Chen Bugu got up and took a light step in the direction of the sound, but unexpectedly, he floated a great distance.
His body was truly light, like a dandelion, carried by the wind, moving with the wind, a step covering over ten meters, a leap covering four or five zhang.
He quickly saw where the sound was coming from; about a hundred meters away, a group of Muka people seemed to be fighting.
Seeing this, Chen Bugu was a bit puzzled; he was dead, yet his soul was still trapped in this secret realm?
However, even if his soul could return, if it wasn't back to Earth, then whether he escaped the secret realm or not didn't make much difference.
Chen Bugu no longer cared about the disputes of these Muka Tribe members; he was about to turn away but inadvertently caught sight of one of the Muka people who looked somewhat familiar.
That Muka person's hands transformed into arrows, constantly shooting, and the branches and leaves constantly hanging from his head swayed with the battle.
Chen Bugu was startled, a Long-haired Treant?
"Kefuke, surrender to the deity, and you will still be the Muka King. If you continue to resist, your fate will be the same as those of your followers."
The Long-haired Treant was surrounded by other treants, his shoulders constantly rising and falling, seemingly breathing heavily. Listening to the persuasion from the opposite side, he sneered.
"Look at yourselves, you don't even look like Muka people anymore. No matter how pathetic I am, I am still a true Muka person!"
After the Long-haired Treant finished speaking, he raised his right leg and patted it, as if those legs were his most powerful retort.
"Stubborn fellow, I wonder who was trembling in fear when facing the deity."
"Stop talking nonsense with him, kill him!"
"For the deity!"
"For the deity!"
The Muka people from all directions shouted "For the deity!" The roots embedded in the mud suddenly emitted golden light, and then golden flames burned from bottom to top.
The pure white pupils in their eyes suddenly became tinged with a golden glow, and then their bodies also ignited with golden flames, each rushing fearlessly towards the Long-haired Treant.
The Long-haired Treant was surrounded, with nowhere to escape. The branches and leaves on his head emitted a faint green light, and his hands transformed into countless vines, attempting to swat away the Muka people who were burning themselves and charging at him.
However, the moment the vines struck their bodies, those Muka Tribe members' bodies suddenly became dazzling with golden light, followed by a huge explosion.
"For the deity!"
The sound of explosions gradually drowned out the shouts.
Before Chen Bugu even got close, the world before his eyes was already obscured by golden light.
Explosions followed one after another, grand in scale and powerful, with smoke and dust rising everywhere.
When the smoke and dust dissipated, Chen Bugu quickly ran to the center and found the Long-haired Treant slumped on the ground, his body tattered and covered in a lot of golden flames.
"Why are you here? Where is the deity?"
Chen Bugu asked, but the other party seemed completely unable to hear his voice.
Chen Bugu tried to reach out and pull up the Long-haired Treant, but found his hand passed straight through the Long-haired Treant's arm.
Oh, right, Chen Bugu almost forgot, he was already dead, now just a wandering spirit. Unfortunately, it seemed many questions would remain unanswered.
The dense branches and leaves on the Long-haired Treant's head once again emitted a faint green light; his body began to repair itself, and the golden flames clinging to him gradually extinguished.
Although he looked in very poor condition, it was clear this guy still had strength left.
Chen Bugu looked around; the Muka Tribe members who had self-destructed had now turned into tree trunks the size of bowls. Sparks still flickered on the trunks, but there were no leaves at all. They stood bare in this black scorched earth, a sight that struck Chen Bugu as strangely familiar.
However, the Long-haired Treant hadn't recovered for long before many more Muka Tribe members, numbering around 20, appeared from all directions.
They quickly surrounded the Long-haired Treant again, and the branches entwined around their fingers rapidly transformed into various weapons like swords, spears, axes, and halberds.
The leading Muka Tribe member, over four meters tall, shouted at the Long-haired Treant.
"Kefuke, come with us. You've long understood that the deity is unconquerable."
The Long-haired Treant staggered to his feet and sneered.
"We Muka people are naturally afraid of fire, but look at our brethren, their bodies are engulfed in flames, charging at their King! Look, this is the good work your deity has done!"
The Long-haired Treant pointed at the charred tree trunks, his voice filled with hatred.
"They offered their energy to the deity, they are glorious warriors. Kefuke, stop being so stubborn, come back with us."
The four-meter-tall Muka Tribe member's tone was cold, not even turning his head to glance at the charred tree trunks, even though they were the bodies of their brethren.
"Heh, you can't keep me."
The Long-haired Treant stood up, scanned the more than 20 lackeys of the deity, and decided not to say anything more.
Chen Bugu stood to one side and suddenly realized why everything before him felt so familiar.
Among the more than 20 Muka Tribe members, there was a Muka Tribe member over 2 meters tall, holding a large wooden axe, almost identical to the Muka Tribe member Chen Bugu had defeated with a "Mental Shock" when he first arrived in this secret realm.
Just as Chen Bugu was filled with doubt, the roots of the two-meter-tall Muka Tribe member had already glowed golden, and his body ignited with golden flames, rushing swiftly towards the Long-haired Treant.
"You..."
The Long-haired Treant saw the other Muka people standing still, and trembled with anger, but still chose to act.
His hands transformed into vines, binding the two-meter-tall Muka person. At the same time, a large number of green light spots entered the Muka person's body through the vines, extinguishing the golden flames burning on him.
The young Muka person didn't successfully self-destruct, but instead fainted.
"Kefuke, if you leave today, more innocent children will burn themselves tomorrow..." The four-meter-tall treant said coldly.
The Long-haired Treant gave a bitter smile. This was the deity, making his people cold and heartless, turning young children into bombs to attack their King...
The Long-haired Treant gave up. He walked in front of the four-meter-tall treant, letting him bind him with vines.
Chen Bugu's eyes were complex as he watched Kefuke lower his head and leave with that group of Muka Tribe members.
They exchanged no words, just walked for a long time, out of the scorched earth, past the river, and finally into the forest, returning to that familiar tribe.
Kefuke was thrown into the stone prison, and the Qianxin Ball Lock locked again.
Only this time, there was no one else in that stone prison...