Xue Yi accompanied Xuan Feng, also taking the opportunity to survey the entire second level of the tomb.
Unfortunately, the situation was even worse than he had imagined. Indeed, there wasn't just one Ghost Entanglement Tree, but four, each in its own position, with corpses piled beneath every tree. After this ordeal, Xue Yi's subordinates were reduced to only Baldy and another scrawny man.
Baldy and the scrawny man had both survived due to sheer luck, their progress being hindered by other factors.
Baldy was severely injured, his arm wrapped like a dumpling, his face bruised and swollen. He sat beside Xue Yi, a pitiful sight, the former vigor completely gone.
When they arrived that morning, they had brought a large group of people and various advanced weapons. They had believed everything was under control, even considering Bai Xi and her group as obstacles to their descent into the tomb, even plotting to harm them secretly once inside.
But now… they had to rely on the very people they had intended to harm for their survival.
How could they not be dejected? The two hung their heads like stray dogs. However… since Bai Xi had saved him, he would never harbor any ill intentions towards her again.
Xue Yi's mood improved slightly, as he could still be of some use.
His fingers, wrapped in thick gauze, held a pen with both hands, sketching crooked diagrams on the paper before him.
Han Rui deliberately provoked him, "Mr. Xue, are you drawing eggs? Mr. Xue's drawing skills seem to be quite close to your ability to find dragon veins and acupoints."
It was important to note that Han Rui was the only one who truly saw through Xue Yi's intentions.
He had harbored so much malice towards them before. Now, even though fear had led to his compliance, he couldn't help but want to retaliate.
Some people, though their hands are stained with blood, have pure and white hearts and yearn for justice.
Others, though their smiles are sunny, harbor disgusting darkness and cruel intentions in their hearts.
Since heaven had granted him such an ability, he naturally intended to use it well. Therefore, when encountering the former, he would try his best to consider their feelings and clear away their inner gloom as much as possible. As for encountering the latter, he would naturally seize every opportunity to kick them while they were down. Otherwise, how would bad people know they would face consequences?
Although Xue Yi was displeased by these words, he could only endure it given his current predicament of being dependent on others. "No, my hand is injured, so it's difficult to draw."
Han Rui continued, "Oh, Eldest Miss, he's blaming you."
After saying this, he looked at Bai Xi.
Hearing this, Xue Yi quickly clarified, "No, no, no, I didn't mean that! Miss Bai just saved my life, how could I possibly blame Miss Bai?"
He spoke too agitatedly, his hand tightening, and the pain struck again, causing him to wince.
Bai Xi understood that Han Rui had been enduring his anger while accompanying Xue Yi. He must have seen Xue Yi's many dark thoughts and harbored resentment towards him, so it was natural for him to vent some of his emotions.
She had no need to intervene, nor did she want to.
"If that's not what you meant, then explain properly what you are drawing."
Xue Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the pen again, circling and pointing on the paper. "This is actually me drawing the positions of the four Ghost Entanglement Trees in this second level of the tomb. Eldest Miss, look…"
As he spoke, he used the pen to mark sizes, finally pointing to the Ghost Entanglement Tree that Bai Xi had saved him from. "The Ghost Entanglement Trees are actually connected in a mother-child relationship. One Ghost Entanglement Tree, after a hundred years, will transform into a new Ghost Entanglement Tree and position itself in another part of the tomb, all to completely block those entering the tomb. The originally planted one is the mother, and the others are the children."
Bai Xi furrowed her brow slightly.
If Xue Yi was correct, then this tomb before them should be at least three hundred years old. One mother tree had already given birth to three child trees.
Seeing that Bai Xi remained silent, Xue Yi continued, "To advance further into the tomb, we must destroy this mother tree."
Baldy, being a straightforward person, blurted out, "What's so difficult about that? I'll go chop up his mother right now!"
He had brought so many people, only to watch them die before his eyes. He already harbored resentment towards this tree. If he could go and chop it down, it would be considered revenge for the brothers he had brought.
Xue Yi felt a throbbing in his head. "Third Brother, can you use your brain a little? You can't even chop down a few zombies, so how are you going to chop down a Ghost Entanglement Tree? The branches of the Ghost Entanglement Tree are as hard as rock walls, they simply cannot be cut."
Baldy's head drooped again instantly. "Then what should we do?"
Xue Yi looked at Bai Xi, "Miss, to destroy the Ghost Entanglement Tree, we can only use fire."
Bai Xi frowned. "Fire attack?"
Han Rui raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just say the bark of this tree is as hard as a rock wall? If it can't be cut, can it be burned?"
Xue Yi nodded. "This is the characteristic of the Ghost Entanglement Tree."
Baldy again said, "In that case, I'll go light it up right now."
With that, he stood up, raising the torch in his unbandaged hand high.
Xue Yi felt a twinge in his trigeminal nerve. "Third Brother, if you could actually do it, I'd let you go now. Can you please not be so simple-minded?"
Baldy paused, then sat down again, lowering his head. In the flickering torchlight, he looked visibly wronged.
Xue Yi looked at Bai Xi and said, "Miss Bai, this matter likely still needs to be done by you."
Han Rui frowned. "Ha, it's just setting a fire, and you insist on having the Eldest Miss do it? What are Mr. Xue's intentions?"
Xue Yi knew Han Rui disliked him and accepted it now. "I just feel that Miss Bai has the fastest speed and is the most likely one to get us out alive."
Bai Xi raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "Why?"
Xue Yi explained, "The mother tree cannot be cut down or killed, only by fire. The moment the flames ignite it, its branch defenses reach their weakest point. Only then, by using a dagger or fierce energy to pry open its bark and extract the skeleton of a maiden from its body, will the Ghost Entanglement Branch be completely annihilated."
Xuan Feng clenched one fist in his palm and brought his hands together in a salute. "Eldest Miss, please let Xuan Feng handle this."
Extracting the maiden's skeleton from the raging fire was more difficult than pulling chestnuts out of a fire; it was a highly dangerous task.
Xue Yi added, "Mr. Xuan cannot do it."
Xuan Feng furrowed his brows, looking at Xue Yi with determination and confusion on his face.
Xue Yi slowly explained, "Mr. Xuan has the strength, but his speed is nowhere near Miss Bai's."
Bai Xi lowered her eyebrows.
Xue Yi continued his explanation, "When the tree is burning, its bark will release the scent that previously caused us hallucinations with even greater intensity, dozens or even hundreds of times stronger than before. At that time, we may once again enter a world of illusion, unconsciously becoming its nourishment."
Bai Xi understood his meaning.
Without a gas mask, one can only hold their breath. A normal person can hold their breath for a maximum of three minutes, which is the limit for most. Exceeding this time would turn them into puppets, at the mercy of the Ghost Entanglement Branch.