"Could it be that the Wood Clan has already been completely eradicated, which is why we haven't seen a single member?" Zhu Guo'er's face changed, and she spoke with growing concern. "It's impossible for the Wood Clan to have been completely wiped out. The Wood Clan has billions of inhabitants, with many powerful beings at the Consolidated Stage or higher. Even if they are not able to match the Magic Clan, they certainly wouldn't be easily eliminated. Moreover, the Wood Clan has formed alliances with our Human Clan and several other clans. The other clans certainly wouldn't watch helplessly as the Wood Clan perished. I believe the issue is simply that the Magic Clan has gained the upper hand in this region, and the original Wood Clan members have all relocated." Han Li paused thoughtfully before responding slowly. "Your explanation makes sense. As long as we move further away from that spatial passage, we should eventually encounter members of the Wood Clan." Zhu Guo'er found this reasonable and nodded repeatedly. Han Li said nothing further, merely continued to focus on driving the flying chariot and pressed on with their journey. …Three days later, above an endless expanse of primeval dense forest, the flying carriage came to a halt, hovering silently in the sky. Hundreds of paces ahead, seven or eight high-ranking magical beings stood firmly in the path. These beings each bore a pair of green, flesh-like wings, dressed in feathered robes, with crimson eyes, their appearances particularly fierce and imposing. Behind them, a dense throng of two-headed magical birds swayed, each about a zhang in size, their bodies vividly colorful, each crowned with a black single horn—numbering no less than five or six hundred. "Which wave is this?" Han Li asked calmly, standing at the front of the carriage. "Senior, this is the seventh wave," Zhu Guo'er replied cautiously. "Hmph. It seems the high-ranking magical beings in charge haven't yet received sufficient reprimand. Then let us eliminate them all. Once this wave is cleared, I believe the area will finally achieve lasting peace." Han Li narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly. Then, with a sudden motion, he shook his sleeves, and a cascade of shimmering green light surged forth—seventy-two slender, miniature green swords, each about an inch long. Han Li raised one hand and pressed a seal, then pointed his finger at the green swords. Instantly, a clear, resonant sound like a dragon's cry erupted from each sword. As the sound rippled through them, the swords began to split—first into two, then into four, then into eight—and soon, the sky was filled with countless green blades, densely packed, numbering well over a thousand. The high-ranking magical beings on the opposite side were stunned by this display, yet seemed bound by some unseen command, neither retreating nor fleeing. Instead, they gathered black energy in their hands, shaping it into a variety of magical weapons, and roared loudly, sending powerful gusts of black wind straight toward the flying chariot. Meanwhile, the several hundred magical birds trailing behind immediately flapped their wings, emitting loud, chaotic calls, and surged forward in a mass, following closely behind the few high-ranking magical beings. Han Li saw this situation, a flash of fierce intent passing briefly through his eyes, then coldly murmured. At the same time, the small blue sword trembled and instantly burst forth into a cascade of sword beams, each stretching a dozen paces. In an instant, a continuous series of sharp rushing sounds erupted, the entire sky lost its blue hue, and within a single flash, several high-ranking magical beings and hundreds of magical birds were completely engulfed. A wave of screams followed immediately! Blood and severed limbs poured down from the heavens, and the magical beings and birds were instantly cut down by the thousand sword beams. Han Li merely shook his sleeve once more, and the distant sword beams flickered and surged back, vanishing into the sleeve. At this point, beyond the thick layer of blood and gore floating in the sky, not a single living creature remained. Han Li glanced briefly, then without further words, urged his flying chariot forward, transforming into a streak of brilliant blue light and swiftly moving on. The journey ahead indeed unfolded exactly as Han Li had anticipated, with no further magical creatures or monsters appearing to intercept them. However, as the flying carriage passed through various dense forests, the towering black-and-green trees kept appearing periodically, as if such magically infused trees were widespread throughout the entire Woodfolk domain. Even more astonishing was the fact that, despite having traveled such a great distance, Han Li had not encountered a single Woodfolk person—seeming as though the entire Woodfolk race had vanished. Then, without waiting for any expressions of surprise from the wooden-clad people, he directly revealed his human origin. Thus, leveraging his alliance with the wooden clan, he finally learned from the elder of this small wooden clan settlement about the recent developments within the wooden clan's spiritual realm, and suddenly understood everything. It turned out that, around five or six years ago, when the allied forces of various clans and the demonic army had reached a stalemate following several decisive battles, the demonic forces had unexpectedly executed a masterstroke—what could be described as "building a path while secretly advancing"—and had quietly withdrawn nearly half of their main forces from the original battlefield, which had been the primary domain of the human and animal clans, and instead transferred them through spatial channels to the wooden clan's territory, launching a sudden assault. Under the overwhelming surge of the demonic army, the wooden forces, which had previously been able to hold their own against the demons, were swiftly defeated in seven battles, suffering seven consecutive reversals and losing most of their troops. For this development had come entirely unexpectedly, leaving the other allied races unable to offer timely assistance. Thus, the Wood Clan's Grand Elder, who had been scheduled to remain at the heart of their sacred precincts, was forced to step forth and personally confront the enemy. Yet another surprise unfolded! As soon as the Grand Elder appeared at the battlefield where the two clans were engaged in combat, he was immediately surrounded by three of the Magician Clan's Saint Ancestors, who had been secretly stationed and had all moved in unison. Though these three Saint Ancestors were not on the level of primordial beings such as Yuan Yan or Liu Ji, this time they did not appear as avatars—they manifested as their true, authentic bodies. As soon as they launched their attack, they dealt a severe blow to the Grand Elder, nearly claiming his life on the spot. Fortunately, at the critical moment, the Grand Elder summoned a sacred, spirit-awakened tree that the Wood Clan had nurtured for countless tens of thousands of years. With the tree's power, he managed to escape with his life, though he sustained such a loss of magical energy that he no longer possessed the strength of a Great Stage cultivator. Without the support of their Grand Elder from the Wood Clan, the Wood Clan's morale plummeted to its lowest point, and they lost all capacity to resist the Magian invasion. Within just a few years, they had lost seven out of every ten territories. At this critical moment, reinforcements from the other clans finally arrived at the Wood Clan's lands. However, under the combined pressure of three Magian Sage-Ancestors, the arriving forces and the remaining Wood Clan troops could only barely hold onto the surviving territories, with no ability to reclaim their former lands. Previously scattered Wood Clan tribes naturally began relocating to the protected zones of the other clans. Yet, some tribes received the news later or acted too slowly, and thus found themselves directly encircled by the advancing Magian armies in the recently occupied regions. Forced to take refuge in remote areas, these tribes managed to survive only by holding on, hoping that the forces of the other clans would eventually succeed in driving the Magians back. However, after the magian race's repeated searches and campaigns over the years, the number of surviving tribes has dwindled significantly. This is precisely why Han Li had not seen any wooden race members since emerging from the passage. The small tribe that Han Li had rescued was originally part of a larger wooden race tribe, which had fragmented and scattered as its original settlement was exposed. Now, even in this fragmented state, the wooden race people were once again discovered by the magians—had it not been for Han Li's timely encounter, they would have inevitably been either wiped out or enslaved. "Senior, all that I have said is true," said an elder of the wooden race, currently at the stage of Lingxu, who, after recounting their entire story, began earnestly pleading with Han Li, "I humbly request that, in light of our alliance, you could help us return to our current sanctuary." After a quick glance at these Wood Clan members, Han Li noticed that two-thirds of them—women, children, and the elderly—were already among them. He paused thoughtfully before slowly saying, "I certainly have no objection to taking you all along. However, I must warn you: on my journey here, I've already defeated several waves of the Magic Clan. The Magic Clan must have taken notice of me by now. It's only a matter of time before their high-ranking members come to find me. Once they do, your safety will be even more precarious while staying with me. With so many of you, if any of you begin to fight, I won't be able to protect everyone." "Very well, I'll relay your message. But at this moment, I'm not entirely clear about the current distribution of the magical army. Do your tribe have any records or maps on this matter?" This time, Han Li agreed promptly and added a question. "Although we have been constantly on the move, we still possess some records—though not very detailed, only a general overview," the elder of the Wood Clan replied promptly. "That should be sufficient," Han Li smiled slightly, showing clear satisfaction. After receiving the records and relevant maps from the elder, he immediately took off and flew away. Naturally, the Wood Clan members also dared not remain in place any longer and quickly began moving eastward toward another emergency refuge point. …Several days later, as Han Li was urging his flying chariot to pass overhead a vast expanse of emerald-green lake, the lake water suddenly parted effortlessly on either side without any prior sign or warning. A massive green hand flashed out in a lightning motion and instantly seized the flying chariot in its grasp. With only a slight pressure from its five fingers, a sharp crack echoed, and the flying chariot shattered into a swirling mass of bright green flame.