326 They Are Being Chased (2/2)

Leon shook his head and said, ”Let me observe it for a bit. It won't be too late to kill it if it attacks us.”

After the ghastly face appeared, it did not attack or anything. It merely continued to smile creepily at Leon.

”It seems this ghastly thing is only attracted to living things.”

Leon swept his divine sense over it, but all he picked up was a body of Yin energy.

The ghastly face was not a 'live' spirit like Lumi. It was just the empty shell of a vengeful spirit without any sentience.

After some time, the ghastly face descended and disappeared into the Weeping Tree's branch they were standing on.

Shortly after, Lumi exclaimed, ”Ah! It's behind you again, Leon!”

While Leon was worried about potential danger, Lumi found it fascinating. Since she was not the one being targeted, she had nothing to worry about.

Leon's eyes flickered with shock.

He swept his divine sense over the Weeping Tree but still failed to find the ghastly face in the tree. All he picked up was rich amounts of Yin energy.

It was brought to his attention that he had been too trusting of his divine sense. The world was full of strange and unexpected things. He could never be too sure of something.

”I was too confident in my divine sense. I have been humbled.” Leon sighed.

Time and time again, his preconception and understanding of the world were challenged. His knowledge and abilities from the Divine Realm had been useful, but it would only take him so far.

He already understood that Gaia was nothing like the Divine Realm. A different yet more powerful set of laws seemed to govern this world. Even so, he was still surprised by each and every new discovery.

Why was this world different from the Divine Realm? What made it different?

He wished he had answers to these questions, but he was still too weak to seek out the truth of the world.

”What are you talking about, Leon? What is divine sense?”

Lumi was confused.

”Never mind that. I think I have a general understanding of what these ghastly faces are now.”

”Aren't they just bodies of Yin energy?”

”Yes, and no. To be exact, these ghastly faces are bodies of Yin energy that contain a memory fragment of the Weeping Tree's victims at the time of their death.”

”Normally, people with a strong mind would not be affected much by the hallucinations, but people with weak minds would fail to escape and become eternally trapped within sad dreams. They would be tormented by tragic events continuous until they receive a single ray of salvation at the end.”

”But that is also when the victims are successfully lured inside the Weeping Trees and become their nutrients. In other words, the Weeping Trees eat away at people's minds and absorb nutrients from their bodies.”

Leon explained.

”So, these so-called Weeping Trees basically eat people?” Lumi was startled. She looked at the trees in a different light, before returning to Leon, ”Since there's only a memory fragment of the victims in these bodies of Yin energy, why do they keep appearing next to you, Leon? And aren't you afraid of becoming these tree's next victim?”

”Nah, not really. We are only on the outskirts of the forest. I would be worried if we to enter deeper into the forest, though. As for that matter…”

”...This is only my guess, but the memory fragments might have contained the victims' last wish at the time of their deaths. This is why they are drawn towards living things.”

Leon no longer paid too much attention to the ghastly faces after realizing they were harmless. The real threat came from the Weeping Trees and the Weeping Trees alone.

”Ehhh? Then that means that the victims must have broken free from their dreams at the last moment and realized their impending doom!” Lumi said in realization with wide eyes and gaping mouth.

Leon clapped his hands and praised Lumi with a smile, ”That's right. That should have been the case. Lumi has gotten smarter.”

”Hehe—Wait, what do you mean by smarter, Leon? Are you saying I was stupid?” Lumi pouted with her hands on her hips.

”Err… I mean, Lumi is so smart.”

Leon smiled wryly.

”Hmph!”

Suddenly Leon's ears were perked before he hushed with a quiet but urgent tone, ”Shh! Those humans are coming back!”

Although Lumi was a bit disgruntled, she nodded and tone down her volume.

Shortly after, she raised an eyebrow and asked, ”Don't you think they came back a bit too quickly? We spent 5 hours to leave the Black Swamp, but they haven't been gone for even an hour.”

Leon furrowed his brows and said, ”They are being chased.”