Chapter 709 - Joining Forces
After entering the Ashenwood Forest, Leon quickly noticed that the trees were quite openly spaced apart on the ground level while the branches above intertwined closely.
"Let's move up to the branches," Leon suggested.
Aria and Darlene quickly agreed before they flew up to the branches and continued heading deeper into the Ashenwood Forest.
"It's not easy to see what's in the branches from below, but quite easy to see what's below from up here," Aria mentioned before she guessed, "If humans have entered this forest, they would be traveling from the branches as well."
"Most likely," Leon nodded in agreement before noticing slight traces of human tracks left on the branches.
"There are some dirty footprints here. These belong to humans," Leon stated while rubbing the tracks with his fingers.
"I wonder if it belongs to anyone we know," Darlene said curiously..
"I'm curious too," Leon followed the trail and glanced in a certain direction before he stated, "I guess we will find out if we keep following their tracks."
"Alright."
...
...
...
In the central region of the Ashenwood Forest, several demons gathered around the stump of a noticeably larger tree while more demons arrived over time.
In the high branches, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman, Chief Baskara, and the other tribesmen silently observed the demons' activities from a distance.
"Seems like there is something special about this tree," Chief Baskara stated with furrowed brows before adding, "However, I don't see any tombstones."
"The tombstone could be hidden within the tree," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman speculated as he watched the demons surrounded the tree in search of something.
Chief Baskara also observed their actions before he nodded, "That seems to be the case. Let's stay here and continue to observe—"
Shish—!
As Chief Baskara spoke, he suddenly heard a subtle yet distinct sound of rustling leaves before he shot a sharp look towards its direction.
"Who?!"
Chief Baskara spat with a deep but quiet voice as he forcefully restrained himself from alarming the demons below.
"Oh? A familiar face," Leon casually commented as he stepped out from behind a cluster of leaves and small branches along with Aria and Darlene.
"Who are you? And why were you trying to sneak up on us?"
Chief Baskara quickly interrogated before he started to frown as he finds Leon's face familiar, yet he could not remember where.
"Ahem!" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman coughed before stepping forward to explain, "This is Young Master Leonhardt, the one who treated you and allowed you to wake up, Baskara Boya,"
Chief Baskara was surprised before he recalled a vague memory of a person with the same matching face when he was unconsciously fighting the evil spirits in his spiritual world.
"So it is the Divine Doctor, whom I am indebted to," Chief Baskara commented with none of his previous aggression and caution before offering a handshake, "Please excuse my rudeness, for I did not know better."
Leon accepted with a firm grip as he looked into Chief Baskara's eyes directly and studied his mental state briefly.
"It seems Chief Baskara has recovered better than expected," Leon nodded calmly after his quick diagnosis before saying, "Still, Chief Baskara needs to be mindful of your mental state."
"Is there a problem with it?" Chief Baskara asked with surprise.
"The Venerable Shaman didn't mention it to you?" Leon gave the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman a brief glance before he continued to speak, "There are some lingering problems that could not be resolved easily."
"If you strain your mind, it is easy for you to lose control of your rationality and become berserk. In other words, you are susceptible to violence and anger."
"I see…" Chief Baskara uttered with surprise when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his mind, causing him to hug his forehead with a crumpled look.
"Ugh…" Chief Baskara groaned.
The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman quickly supported Chief Baskara's body as he staggered before he calmly stated, "You're overthinking, Baskara Boya. Get some rest for now."
"Alright," Chief Baskara nodded.
Shortly after picking a spot to lean against a wall of branches and leaves, Chief Baskara closed his eyes and meditated, no longer paying attention to the others.
"It's fortunate that Young Master Leonhardt is here. At least, if we will not have to worry about our wounds if we were to get hurt," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman joked lightly with a smile.
Leon returned a slight smile in kind before his gaze shifted downward on the demon activity in the area.
"What are they doing?" Leon asked.
"They are looking for the tomb entrance," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman answered before adding, "From the numbers, we believe the tomb to be at the Demon Lord-level or higher."
"As such, we planned to wait a while for them to clear the trials first before making our move when their forces become weaker. Our chance of success will be even higher if Young Master Leonhardt's group joins us."
"The fisherman, huh?" Leon muttered for a moment before he smirked and nodded, "Sure. I was planning to gather everyone and whittle away the demon's forces anyway, so this works out well for us."
"Glad to hear it," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman smiled.
While Darlene and Aria had overheard everything on the side, Leon filled them in on the situation anyway before he shortly said, "Since we have time, we can look at the spoils now."
"Spoils?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman raised an eyebrow and turned to look before he asked, "What spoils are you talking about?"
"These spoils," Leon waved his hand before the Arch Demon's corpse and various runic tiles were taken out of the Worldspace.
"This…"
The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman and the other Crimsonfog Tribesmen were immediately stunned at the sight of the demon corpse.
"Is this a…?
"An Arch Demon's corpse? Yes, it is," Leon admitted honestly before squatting down to study the runes engraved on the Arch Demon's body.
"How did Young Master Leonhardt get your hands on an Arch Demon's corpse, if you don't mind me asking?" a Battle Master asked with surprise.
"Huh?" Leon raised his head and gave the Battle Master a weird look before he said, "That's a strange question to ask. I got the corpse from an Arch Demon-level Tomb, how else?"