A fiercer battle was on the verge of breaking out.
Supported by an unknown power, the ancient locust fiend abandoned its defensive stance and unleashed its full might upon the female corpse.
For a short period, the female corpse could barely withstand the opponent's attacks due to its formidable recovery abilities. However, her recovery was not infinite; once her malevolent energy was depleted, she would be dead!
Escape!
This was the female corpse's greatest desire at the moment.
There were countless ways to seek revenge, and there was no need to go head-to-head with this ancient locust tree.
"You wish to escape?" the ancient locust fiend sneered. Its hands swiftly sealed off the female corpse's retreat routes. Unable to evade, the female corpse was caught in its palm.
"Die!" Countless vines grew from the treant's hands, piercing the female corpse through and through. The ancient locust fiend intended to directly absorb the malevolent energy within her!
Suddenly, a strange power emanated from the female corpse's body. The ancient locust fiend was greatly alarmed and quickly tried to retract its vines to shake off the female corpse. However, this power arrived too quickly, leaving it no time to react.
"Boom—!"
The treant's palms exploded, scattering wood chips. The female corpse was also sent flying by the impact, crashing heavily onto the ground.
"What is inside you?!" the ancient locust fiend exclaimed in terror. "How could it be so powerful!"
Compared to the ancient locust fiend's panic, the female corpse was even more terrified. The moment she landed, she immediately clutched her belly protectively, fearing that the being within might be harmed.
Ignoring the ancient locust fiend's question, the female corpse's desire to retreat intensified. She glanced around and found Fang Ming stealthily hiding in a distant corner, peeking out with half his head to observe the battlefield.
"Whoosh!" The female corpse transformed into an afterimage and rushed towards Fang Ming.
Meanwhile, the ancient locust fiend, enraged by the female corpse's disregard, quickly regrew its tree-like arms with malevolent energy and strode after her.
Fang Ming was still cautiously watching the two fiends fight. As an outsider, he didn't understand the intricacies of their battle, but that didn't stop him from "watching the show." Such an epic battle was something he'd only seen in movies; this was his first time witnessing it in reality.
"Let's go!" Fang Ming's vision suddenly darkened. The female corpse had already arrived beside him. Before he could react, she grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him towards the white mist area.
The treant pursued furiously from behind, but the distance between the two fiends continued to widen. Its speed was clearly no match for the female corpse's, and it could only watch as she plunged into the white mist.
"Damn it!" The treant roared in anger. It had let the female corpse escape successfully. Once she entered the mist, where could it possibly find her? Moreover, it dared not step into the white mist!
It didn't even know why it was afraid to enter the mist. It possessed an innate, profound fear of the white mist, a fear even stronger than that of the villagers!
"Don't let me catch you again!" the ancient locust fiend threatened ferociously. Then, the treant's form dissolved into countless roots that burrowed back into the ground, disappearing. The sudden attack from the unknown energy within the female corpse had inflicted far more damage than was apparent, and it needed to rest in seclusion.
The battle between the two great fiends had temporarily concluded. The two terrifying entities each went their separate ways, leaving behind the utterly shocked villagers of Bai Mu Village.
"What... what kind of monster was that?" a villager stammered, his legs trembling.
The others around him were no better, their faces filled with horror.
They could never have imagined that their village, where they had lived for thousands of years, harbored two such terrifying monsters!
The village elders exchanged glances, knowing that the truth could no longer be concealed. They decided to reveal it to the villagers.
"That treant is the deity that our Bai Mu Village has worshipped for generations. It only appears when Bai Mu Village is in existential crisis. Everyone, do not panic."
"As for that female ghost, she was a woman who drowned in the old well. She refused to obey our village's rules and was sealed at the bottom of the well for many years. For some reason today, she managed to escape."
"There is no need for you all to be alarmed. Our divine being will protect us."
The elders, in a coordinated effort, explained the origin of the ancient locust fiend (though in reality, the elders themselves were also in the dark). The villagers were skeptical but had nowhere else to go and could only accept it grudgingly.
After all, they had plenty of things to worship, and this "treant monster" was just one more. As long as it didn't come for them, they would be fine.
The vestiges of feudalistic thinking quickly led the villagers to accept the notion of a "deity." Furthermore, the battle's aftermath had destroyed nearly half of Bai Mu Village, giving the elders a way to divert the villagers' attention.
Rebuild Bai Mu Village!
Meanwhile, within the white mist.
Fang Ming was being dragged by the female corpse, her hand gripping the back of his collar, as she pulled him deeper into the white mist.
The female corpse's appearance had returned to normal, much to Fang Ming's relief. He had been genuinely afraid of her other face.
"Big sister, is it really okay to enter the white mist like this?" Fang Ming said, resigned.
"How many times do I have to tell you, call me Second Aunt!" the female corpse snapped irritably. "Keep calling me big sister, and I'll leave you here."
"Alright, alright, I get it. I'll call you Second Aunt from now on."
Fang Ming pleaded, then asked, "So, where are we going now? From what I know, the white mist is very dangerous. Are you sure it's okay to just wander around like this?"
"You don't need to worry. We're trying to hide deeper. If the ancient locust tree decides to go berserk and follow us, we'll be in danger if we stay near the edge."
Fang Ming wanted to say that it wouldn't follow, but he decided to hold his tongue. If he explained, how would he account for his knowledge to this woman? Would he claim to have a diary that could predict the future?
Fang Ming asked again, "As you head deeper, are you confident you can return?"
"I'm not confident. If we can't go back, then so be it," the female corpse replied indifferently, leaving Fang Ming bewildered. Wasn't she a fiend condensed from malevolent energy? Had she so easily let go of her obsession?
They had agreed to happily destroy Bai Mu Village together, and now she wanted to bail halfway!
"You're not seeking revenge anymore? The people of Bai Mu Village treated you like that, don't you hate them?"
The female corpse hesitated for a moment, then smiled and touched her belly. "If I could get revenge, I would definitely go back for it. But before that, I just want to peacefully give birth to my child."
"!!!"
What? Give birth?
Fang Ming stared at the fiend before him in shock. She could give birth? Could fiends reproduce?
Based on the information he had, the idea of a fiend giving birth seemed utterly preposterous.
"You... you mean you're pregnant?" Fang Ming asked cautiously, swallowing hard.
"Yes, I've been carrying my child," the female corpse said with a contented tone, happily stroking her belly. "It's just that for some reason, she hasn't been born yet."
Fang Ming wondered if it was a stillbirth but dared not say it aloud. If he upset the female corpse, he'd likely be done for.
"Congratulations, congratulations. I wish you a safe and timely delivery."
Fang Ming bowed in congratulation, though he felt his words sounded a bit strange. Upon closer reflection, he couldn't pinpoint why.
"Do you really not want revenge? I might have a way to bring you back." After some thought, Fang Ming decided to probe the female corpse's intentions further. After all, if the female corpse hid in the mist and found a place to give birth, what about him?
He was a living person. Not only did he need to escape Bai Mu Village, but he also needed to secure his daily food and shelter. Otherwise, he'd starve to death in a few days.
The female corpse still harbored a deep obsession with revenge, but it was temporarily overshadowed by the matter of giving birth. Hearing Fang Ming's words, she hesitated.
"I'm no match for the ancient locust tree right now. It has unknown methods to replenish its consumed malevolent energy during battle. I can fight it for a while, but in a prolonged battle, I will surely lose," the female corpse explained.
"If you can find a way for it to replenish its malevolent energy and then destroy it, I will have the confidence to defeat the ancient locust tree and destroy all of Bai Mu Village! Otherwise, I will never go back to fight the ancient locust tree again."
The female corpse said this more as a statement, not truly expecting Fang Ming to find a way to counter the ancient locust fiend's replenishment. She mainly said it to dissuade Fang Ming.
"I have a way." Fang Ming looked up at the female corpse's back.
"What?" The female corpse stopped in surprise, turned, and looked at Fang Ming. "You have a way to find it?"
"Yes." Fang Ming nodded.
"Oh? What way?" The female corpse suddenly let go of Fang Ming's hand, squatted down, and looked at him curiously.
"Ouch, can't you be a bit gentler?" Fang Ming complained as he landed on his backside.
"Alright, alright, I get it. Hurry up and tell me, what's your method?"
Fang Ming leaned in mysteriously towards the female corpse. "It's a secret."
The female corpse: "..."
"After dark, we can follow the direction of the white mist's flow to return to Bai Mu Village. I'll take you to the place where the ancient locust fiend constantly replenishes its malevolent energy."
That's right, Fang Ming had already learned the truth about the ancient locust fiend's constant replenishment through his diary. While Fang Ming couldn't see the entire battle clearly, the diary meticulously recorded the entire fight.
The diary's predictions of the future had already glimpsed the ancient locust fiend's secret!
"You even know how to get back?" the female corpse was astonished. This seemingly weak human knew so much.
"Of course," Fang Ming said proudly. "I know much more than that. You were confined in the well for too long; you don't understand many things."
"Next, we'll return to the edge of the white mist area. When it gets dark, we'll confirm the direction and immediately enter Bai Mu Village."
The female corpse asked doubtfully, "What if the ancient locust fiend finds us there?"
Fang Ming waved his hand. "Impossible. It wouldn't dare enter the white mist."
"You're so certain? Do you know something else?"
"Yes, I've tested it. Anything from Bai Mu Village cannot enter the white mist, or it will be decomposed and disappear in a short time, including the ancient locust fiend!"
Hearing this, the female corpse was even more perplexed. "This white mist is just a condensation of malevolent energy. How could the ancient locust tree be afraid to enter? I'm increasingly curious about where you get all this information."
Fang Ming stood up and smiled. "Rather than you not understanding me, it's more like the mysteries surrounding you are even greater. Just like my test results, everything in Bai Mu Village is decomposed by the white mist, but why are you completely unaffected when you enter it?"
"Me?" the female corpse pointed at herself.
"Yes, I'm very curious about your existence now. What makes you different from everyone else in Bai Mu Village, and why are you not afraid of the white mist?" Fang Ming spread his hands. "I hope to figure it out before we leave."