Inserting the stick into the mud pit seemed very normal, whether pushing it downward or stirring it around; it was basically indistinguishable from a standard water hole. But when Dong Tianyu prepared to pull the stick out of the mud, he felt a tremendous resistance.

The sensation was similar to the cable ties he used in the past, which could only be tightened but not loosened.

Dong Tianyu didn’t believe in superstitions and continued to exert force, but while he was ready to wrestle, the stick in his hand couldn’t withstand the pressure.

With a crisp ’snap,’ the stick broke into two pieces.

Dong Tianyu looked at the uneven break and the portion of the stick that had been floating on the surface of the mud pit but was now quickly sinking into it, Dong Tianyu truly felt helpless.

Unwilling to give up, Dong Tianyu tried using the Earth Movement Curse, hoping to compress the mud around the mud pit towards its center.

Despite feeling the surrounding mud being pressed into the center of the pit under the control of the Earth Movement Curse,

no matter how much Spirit Power Dong Tianyu expended, no matter how much mud he manipulated to press towards the center of the pit, it was as if there were a bottomless hole, swallowing it all up.

Realizing that one-third of his Spirit Energy had been exhausted, Dong Tianyu could only stop the Earth Movement Curse with resignation.

Looking at the mud pit in front of him, which resembled the water holes often seen on country roads before the disaster, Dong Tianyu was at a loss for words for a moment.

After contemplating in front of the mud pit for a long time, Dong Tianyu eventually had no choice but to leave unwillingly.

Understanding the outdoors well, Dong Tianyu did not linger in the wilderness, nor did he return to the campsite. Recalling Mrs. Thompson’s arrangements, Dong Tianyu decided to head directly to Pengcheng to see how his grandparents were faring.

Because random mud pits could appear on the ground, Dong Tianyu didn’t dare to walk on the surface haphazardly anymore, simply summoning the Black Car and driving it back to Pengcheng along the main road he had come by.

Whether mud pits only spawned in the forest or not, Dong Tianyu wasn’t sure, but as he drove back along the road he had taken, no mud pits appeared on the ground.

Even though there were no mud pits, many aggressive plants had sprung up.

Perhaps because these plants had just appeared, their bodies were quite fragile.

Dong Tianyu, driving the Black Car, paid no mind to those plants on the ground, crushing them under the vehicle’s mighty frame as he went.

Some plants resembling vines might have lain in ambush along the main road, ready to strike at any creature that passed over them. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Unfortunately for them, they encountered the Black Car, whose high speed and massive weight meant they couldn’t resist being crushed when the wheels rolled over them, and by the time they reacted, the Black Car had already left far behind, leaving those plants with no chance to strike back.

Having already confirmed with Ye Liuyun that Blue Star had expanded without their realization, the distance between Saxon County and Pengcheng had also increased significantly.

Nevertheless, Saxon County was still adjacent to Pengcheng, so even with the increased distance, the trip from Saxon County to Pengcheng didn’t take much time.

As Dong Tianyu advanced along the road towards Pengcheng, just upon entering the territory of Pengcheng and before approaching the outer ring, he could already see the giant tree growing in the city center.

For some reason, following the earthquake, the trees that had burst from the earth and grown in a day were not small in size, but the heights of these trees were not very different.

At first, some people were curious, but as time passed, most stopped caring.

Yet among all the trees in Pengcheng, the one standing in the center of Pengville Plaza seemed to mutate, continuing to expand and grow.

Some people suspected that some kind of exceptional natural treasure had caused the ancient tree to grow so large.

With this speculation, many sought to explore, believing themselves to be the lucky ones who might find the natural treasure responsible for the tree’s mutation.

Unfortunately for these hopeful Martial Artists, before they could even get close to the giant tree, they were deterred by the Bug Race inhabiting the nests around the forest.

Normal Bug Nests are mostly underground, and even if they appear above ground, they’re just small mounds with holes.

However, the Bug Nests surrounding the giant tree brazenly stood above ground.

Normally, except in very few cases, the Bug Race wouldn’t move their underground dwellers to the surface. The fact that the Nests took such action indicated they sensed no threats in their vicinity.

As Dong Tianyu drew closer to the outer ring, the reflection of the giant tree in his eyes got bigger and bigger. When he reached the outer ring, he could no longer discern the actual size of the giant tree at the city center with his eyes alone.

At this moment, Dong Tianyu didn’t rashly seek out people but headed directly to the location Robinson William had found.

True to a road segment under close watch by the Officials, the route in the outer ring didn’t even have a blade of grass growing on it.

For such road conditions, Dong Tianyu wasn’t sure if the area was frequently maintained or if the plants had become ’smarter’ and ceased to grow on the road altogether.

He drove along the outer ring directly to Jade River, which flows into Dragon Lake. The water certainly couldn’t be drunk directly, given its previous connection with Dragon Lake.

Dragon Lake was divided, with one half open to tourists for recreational activities and the other half used for aquaculture.