Chapter 124: The Subterranean Kin

“Did you know that everyone living deep in the East City District has been evacuated? I heard it’s because of some disturbance in the Divine Tree Sanctuary. The King feared it might harm ordinary people.”

Almost everyone in the business district was talking about this. The news of the Divine Tree Sanctuary’s anomaly quickly spread throughout the city, becoming a hot topic among common folk and a deeply hidden concern for the Evolvers.

“Sigh, I just don’t know how big this disturbance is. Hopefully, it won’t affect us.”

Nearly everyone in the Green Forest Main City knew the entire city was built around the Divine Tree Sanctuary. Every movement of the Sanctuary was a matter of great concern to its residents, as it was intimately tied to their lives and fortunes.

In the early morning, Purple Star Academy remained eternally silent. Occasionally, a few hurried footsteps passed by, but no greetings were exchanged; politeness seemed a luxury they couldn’t afford.

Since the onset of the Dark Era, summers had grown hotter and winters colder. As time slowly passed June and approached late July, the end of the scorching season seemed to bring relief to the entire world.

On the broad road bathed in the morning sun, a man walked forward. A gentle breeze teased the stray hairs on his forehead, and his bright eyes seemed to rival the brilliance of the blazing sun above. A smile played on his lips as he headed toward the library.

The man found the book he wanted on the shelf and turned around. As expected, she was still there. He gently pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.

“You’re here.”

The woman had already known he was coming as he approached. She didn’t ask what he had been up to recently—only a simple greeting, keeping emotions and manners in check.

“Mm.” The man was Ye Bai, and the woman was Mo Li.

“‘Record of Collected Artifacts’,” Mo Li glanced at the book in Ye Bai’s hands and smiled knowingly. “What’s the matter? Planning to dig for rare treasures in the Divine Tree Mountains and soar to greatness, ending the Dark Era?”

Ye Bai gazed into her starry eyes, somewhat captivated. Ever since the first time he saw Mo Li in the library, he had come every morning, unsure whether he read more books or admired her more.

Ye Bai couldn’t deny the irresistible attraction Mo Li held for him. It was like the rich wine brewed by Xiao Mo’s insight—occasionally a hint of fragrance escaped, but only after it matured would it fully burst forth.

Mo Li was just like her name—unwilling to leave lightly. She sat quietly as if in another world, her loneliness palpable. Ye Bai longed to accompany her and be her confidant.

“Just joking,” Ye Bai said, opening the book and looking at Mo Li. “I found something near Yang City. Not sure what it is, so I brought it here to see if we can uncover its true nature.”

He then placed a dark blue-black fragment, which he had picked up at the Purple Marten District Guard Station, between them on the table.

Mo Li glanced briefly at the piece, not focusing too much on it. After all, items brought from outside might be rare treasures; staring too intently would be disrespectful.

But once she clearly saw the fragment, she gently closed her book and asked, “Where did you get this?”

As soon as the question left her lips, Mo Li slightly regretted it—heroes never ask about origins, let alone items like these.

Ye Bai didn’t mind and gave a somewhat embarrassed smile. “Not that you’ll laugh, but I found it at the Purple Marten District Guard Station. Have you heard anything about what happened there?”

Mo Li lowered her head to think for a moment. “A little. But they say it was a growth-level mutant beast. How could you possibly...?”

Her expression shifted slightly, disbelief evident.

“You’re right. Someone else dealt with the mutant beast at the guard station first. Only then did I go in and pick up this thing.”

“Do you know what it is?” Mo Li gestured, asking if she could hold the fragment.

“I have some idea.” Ye Bai had checked his data brain but found some details didn’t quite add up.

“If I’m correct, it should be a fragment of a tree core crystal. But... the color seems off.”

Ye Bai flipped to the page about tree cores. It stated that the tree core crystals were entirely emerald green; the higher the tree’s rank, the more solid and brighter the crystal. Not the blue-black piece before them.

Mo Li held the tree core fragment, closing her eyes to sense the faint tingling and occasional pain it emitted.

“If I’m right, this tree was polluted before it died. At the very least, it had contact with a high-purity pollutant.”

This sensation was all too familiar to Mo Li—deep in her memory was the darkest, most painful feeling she thought she would never forget.

“A polluted tree core fragment?”

Ye Bai had heard of the Fallen—those who willingly sell their souls to demons. They slaughter in darkness for resources, sometimes wiping out entire guard stations. But he’d never heard of mutant beasts being polluted.

“Mm.” Mo Li looked at the fragment with a pained expression. “This pollutant can infect both humans and mutant beasts. As far as we know, nothing except supernatural beasts can escape its spread.”

Mo Li carefully placed the fragment back on the table, her expression slowly easing. “Though the fragment is small, I suggest destroying it. Polluted tree core crystals can be absorbed by elemental forces, temporarily boosting combat power, but the price is becoming polluted oneself.”

Ye Bai stared at the unassuming fragment before pocketing it, his mood complicated.

“Hey, Ye Bai, have you heard about the academy selecting five people to explore the new spatial realm?”

Suddenly, Mo Li changed the subject, seemingly wanting to break the tense atmosphere.

“I know.” Ye Bai replied. The day after returning, Yaoling had mentioned it, but it seemed unrelated to him, so he hadn’t paid much attention. New spatial explorations hardly involved someone as low-level as him.

“But I heard a small space appeared, and the King and the Earthcore Clan agreed to have the younger generation undertake this exploration.”

Ye Bai was puzzled. “Earthcore Clan? What’s that?”

Mo Li chuckled lightly—she wasn’t surprised. Few had heard of the Earthcore Clan, let alone met them. She herself had never seen an Earthcore member, only learning of their existence when the selection criteria were announced. It turns out this world wasn’t just home to humans; deep within the earth lived another group of people.

They had lived underground for generations. Humans first discovered the Earthcore Clan after the Dark Era. Their external appearances were similar to humans, though Earthcore members looked paler.

The first Earthcore person rescued to the guard station was initially ignored. But once he spoke, people realized his language was unlike any known on earth.

What seemed minor caught the King’s attention when he passed by the guard station. The Earthcore member was brought to him, but even the King couldn’t understand his speech.

Only after the King invaded the Earthcore member’s consciousness did people realize that Earth was home to more than just humans.

Mo Li explained this to Ye Bai, knowing the Earthcore Clan would remain a secret to ordinary people.

“Our rapid survival expansion on Earth owes part of its success to the Earthcore Clan. There were only three Kings in the world then, but mutant beasts were countless, both on land and in the oceans. Many Kings were born among them. Fortunately, the Earthcore Clan had many main-level experts who helped humans on the surface win a foothold.”

“Then why don’t the Earthcore Clan come to live on the surface if they’ve helped humans?” Ye Bai asked.

“I don’t know. I only read about it in books. There might be secrets. But now, Earthcore members guard the sanctuaries of the three main cities. It looks a bit like a deal.”

Mo Li shared her speculation from extensive research but was interrupted when her data brain beeped.

She smiled apologetically at Ye Bai. “Sorry, I have something to attend to. What I just said is partly conjecture, so don’t take it too seriously. But you must destroy that polluted tree core fragment as soon as possible.”

She tidied the books on the table, returned them to the shelf, and left in a hurry.

“Earthcore Clan?” Ye Bai tapped the table lightly, deep in thought. After a moment, he clenched the polluted tree core fragment and turned away from the library.

As soon as Ye Bai returned to his dormitory, his data brain received a message from instructor Zhang Jian.

Yaoling had mentioned the appearance of spatial fish deep near the border of the two major schools—a new space had emerged. Ye Bai had initially thought it irrelevant to him, so he hadn’t paid it much mind.

But now, he was drawn into what he once believed was unrelated to him.

Instructor Zhang’s message roughly outlined the matter, matching what Yaoling and Mo Li had said, except the personnel were not selected through a trial.

According to Zhang Jian, only three freshmen could join this spatial exploration. After discussions among the three instructors, these spots were given to the top student in each of their groups—Ye Bai was first among Zhang Jian’s students.

Finally, Zhang Jian reminded Ye Bai that a week later, there would be a meeting in the school’s main auditorium. Together with others, they would enter the new space to participate in the sanctuary exploration.

Zhang Jian’s message did not mention the Earthcore Clan’s involvement. Whether it was oversight or deemed unnecessary to mention, Ye Bai did not know.