Chapter 82 | Reborn as a Tree, I Became the Forest's Demon Lord Anyway

“So, tell me. What intelligence is so urgent?”

“Please listen, dearest Sister.”

Yinzhi maintained her perfect lady-like posture, though her gaze drifted toward the pot from time to time.

“The Demon Tower... has materialized in the southern border wild forest.”

“What did you say?! A Demon Tower?!”

Hearing this, Qimeng was genuinely stunned.

In this world, the 【Trial Demon Tower】 was known to everyone.

It was a bizarre phenomenon governed by ancient laws passed down since the mythic era of creation. Every so often, Demon Towers would manifest across the continent.

Inside each tower, brand-new, high-risk magical beasts would breed. Anyone who managed to scale to the top would obtain a secret treasure capable of boosting their strength to astronomical heights.

The locations of these towers were entirely unpredictable. However, the towering column of demonic light that erupted upon their manifestation was essentially a high-profile announcement to the entire continent:

【There are treasures here! Come and claim them!】

“The border wild forest borders the southern part of the Genesis Forest. If that place becomes a battlefield, the Genesis Forest could be dragged into it at any moment.” Qimeng frowned slightly.

Should she raise everyone's levels as much as possible before the coordinates of the Tree Court were exposed?

Or... should they just pack up and move?

No, wait. On second thought, it didn't seem that bad.

First of all, even though this place was called the Genesis Forest, its actual area was by no means small. How could her location be exposed so easily?

Moreover, the Demon Tower had descended next door. The wild forest to the south was far more vast than the Genesis Forest.

Secondly, the Trial Demon Tower had only just manifested. The soaring demonic light had not yet reached its peak, so they still had plenty of time.

Furthermore, this wasn't the only Demon Tower manifesting.

With only so many powerhouses active across the continent, their attention would definitely be scattered.

Those who would come to explore such a remote wild forest would, at most, be a bunch of opportunists dreaming of striking it rich overnight.

As Qimeng fell into deep thought over the crisis facing her territory, the sound of someone swallowing saliva suddenly reached her ears.

“Dearest Sister.”

Yinzhi clasped her hands over her chest, her expression as holy as a saintess preparing to make a sacred sacrifice.

“For such a delicious dish... as the one who brought back this classified intelligence, surely I have the right to test it for poison on Sister's behalf?”

Yinzhi's eyes remained glued to the slice of meat on Qimeng's chopsticks.

“Uh, have a seat...”

Before Qimeng could even finish her sentence, Yinzhi let out a soft “nom” and snatched the meat right off the chopsticks!

Then she slumped into a chair, closing her eyes with a look of pure, heavenly bliss.

Qimeng's eyelid twitched violently.

“I say...”

“Dearest Sister, my lips didn't touch those two wooden sticks at all. I am innocent.”

Yinzhi quickly raised her hands, acting completely innocent.

“I was trying to say, you didn't dip it in the special sauce, you dummy! Eating it like that has no soul.”

“There's actually a matching dipping sauce? As expected of Sister!”

Qimeng could only start a live demonstration.

At the same time, she began to mumble to herself.

Since both Xiaomi and Yinzhi, these two troublesome fellows, had returned, Morona, that little demon brat, probably wouldn't return so quickly, right?

After all, when she was outside, she was always the one scattering other people's ashes.

Just as she was thinking this, a loud noise suddenly echoed from above!

Boom!!

“No way, even Morona...?!”

But when the smoke cleared, the one who fell through the open ceiling was actually Xiaomi again!

Qimeng screamed in frustration.

“Why is it you again?! How did you manage to fail twice in a row?!”

“Hehehe...”

Xiaomi scrambled to her feet in front of the throne, twiddling her fingers with a flattering smile.

“Boss, actually, when I was halfway there, my mind was filled with the delicious aroma I smelled earlier... Um... just let me have one bite! Just one bite and I'll go back immediately! Please!”

“I really can't deal with you gluttons.”

Xiaomi sat down with a grin. Seeing Yinzhi beside her using the two wooden sticks to feed herself, she was instantly shocked.

“Yinzhi, you've already mastered such a profound technique?! Damn it, I won't lose either!”

She quickly grabbed a pair of chopsticks and began waving them around wildly, copying Yinzhi.

Everyone had just learned from Qimeng's example, putting the meat slices into the pot, happily swishing them around a few times, and were about to scoop them out to feast.

Buzz!!

In an instant, one of the tree vein magic runes erupted with a bright light once more!

“Mother, I'm back!”

With a strange cry, a large mushroom with a comical human face fell from the magic circle glowing above the hall.

The large mushroom landed on the floor with a soft splat.

Immediately after, in a puff of smoke, it transformed into Morona's dead-fish-eyed little loli form.

“Morona! Why are you back too?! Is today some kind of mandatory recall day?!” Qimeng went wild.

“This deity merely wanted to test Mother's Tree Vein Spirit Runes.”

Morona stood up and snorted condescendingly.

“It was just a slip of the hand that activated it. How boring. This deity will head back now...”

Before she could finish her sentence, her little nose suddenly twitched.

In the next second, those dead-fish eyes widened as she stared at the hotpot gathering.

“Something's not right! Why are you two low-class creatures here?!”

Morona's gaze was incredibly sharp, filled with a sense of grief and indignation.

“Cheating! Mother, you actually cooked a private meal for these two microorganisms behind my back?! Could it be that while I was away, these two used despicable means to bewitch you?!”

With a thud!

Morona executed a perfect slide-kneel, grabbing Qimeng's thigh and rubbing her face against it, her voice instantly turning into a spoiled, aggrieved whine.

“Mother! This is too much! This is a betrayal of this deity! I don't care, I want to eat too! I'm going to snatch all of their portions!”

“Every single one of you is like this. Eat, eat, eat. Is there nothing else in your brains besides calories?!”

Although Qimeng grumbled, her eyes were full of affection.

“Fine! Get some bowls and chopsticks! Sit down!”

The four of them gathered around the large iron pot, beginning the Tree Court's first hotpot feast.

Because Morona had absolutely no idea how to use chopsticks, in her impatience, she grabbed a large chunk of magical beast meat and, as if throwing a stone, threw it directly into the center of the hotpot!

Scalding red oil splashed everywhere!

“Hot, hot, hot! It's cooked, it's cooked! I'm going to be boiled alive!”

Xiaomi was scalded so badly that she performed a vertical liftoff straight from her seat, flapping her wings frantically in the air.

“You manipulative mushroom! What are you doing?! Do you want to go one-on-one?!” Xiaomi roared.

“Ha? A foolish, low-class flying insect dares to bark at this deity?”

Morona looked down at Xiaomi with her dead-fish eyes, arrogantly raising her chin.

“The chunks of meat this deity throws casually are heavy artillery capable of destroying the world! If you keep blabbering, this deity will roast you into a charred bee!”