The colossal ancient tree transformed into blueprints for troop buildings.
Archpriest Mu Chunrou and the other four priests were shocked and visibly tense.
"Lord, is our Mother still here?"
Mu Chunrou was naturally referring to the maiden Mu Ya, the spirit of the ancient tree.
She worried that if Mu Ya disappeared, the ancient tree would lose its soul and become an empty shell.
"Of course, she is! I did not obliterate her spirit. You will soon see her in my Immortal and Demon Tribe."
Hearing Xiao Mo's confident words, Mu Chunrou and the five woodman priests' expressions turned excited.
"Thank you, our most respected Lord! You will surely lead our woodman tribe to prosperity."
Concurrently, their loyalty values towards Xiao Mo surged rapidly, only halting as they approached the ninety-point mark.
As their loyalty increased, the loyalty of all tribe members also soared.
It could be said that the entire woodman tribe now held immense respect and admiration for Xiao Mo.
This was the loyalty of the woodman tribe.
Just as the matter of converting troop buildings was settled, someone reported to Xiao Mo that all equipment had been inventoried and organized.
Xiao Mo instinctively reached out to connect with Chong Tian Que using his Lord's will, but then smacked his forehead.
"Since they are all going to be auctioned anyway, why must they be transported to the territory? How foolish of me!"
Xiao Mo muttered to himself, then directly listed over three hundred pieces of equipment on the [Myriad Races Trading Platform].
Forty-six sets of intermediate-grade equipment were placed in the sales section, to be exchanged for wood, stone, and iron essence.
The remaining three hundred and thirty sets of advanced-grade equipment were bundled into ten sets each and placed in the auction section. The traded resources were also wood, stone, and iron essence, with an auction duration of six hours.
Exchanging for only these three resources was to facilitate the upgrade of the Immortal and Demon Tribe to an intermediate-grade tribe.
Once all these equipment pieces were sold, the harvested resources, combined with previously stockpiled materials, would not only be sufficient to construct the ancient tree but might even directly allow for the tribe's upgrade.
This batch of standardized equipment from the woodmen immediately caused a stir in the [World Chat Channel].
Some speculated that Lord Qianmo was collaborating with the woodman tribe in the trade of standardized equipment.
Others claimed that Lord Qianmo's Immortal and Demon Battle Team had wiped out another woodman tribe, thus acquiring a large haul of spoils.
Regardless of the speculation, everyone's tone conveyed envy, jealousy, and hatred towards Lord Qianmo.
With the equipment matters resolved, Xiao Mo glanced at the sky.
He then turned his gaze to Mu Chunrou, a slight curve forming on his lips.
"It's time for that territorial force to disappear from this world!"
As the Archpriest, Mu Chunrou understood Xiao Mo's intentions.
This clearly indicated his intention to attack the territory that had previously harassed the woodman tribe.
Mu Chunrou respectfully acknowledged Xiao Mo and immediately issued an order for all woodman warriors of fifth-tier and above to assemble.
Within two minutes of the order, all fifth-tier and above warriors, except for those on patrol or essential for tribal defense, were gathered.
The total force reached fifteen hundred men.
Among them were twenty ninth-tier Lord-level woodmen and a significant eleven tenth-tier King-level woodmen.
Subsequently, the Woodman Guard Regiment, under Mu Chunrou's command, marched out in grand fashion.
"Krak... krak... krak..."
The woodman troops moved with a unified sound, demonstrating excellent training.
Moreover, each woodman warrior was clad in fine equipment, with the lowest being intermediate-grade, and over eighty percent wearing advanced-grade gear.
From these two points alone, it was evident that this woodman unit possessed formidable combat strength.
The woodman forces also exhibited a strict hierarchy and a highly organized structure.
The largest contingent consisted of warriors specializing in close combat, making up sixty percent of the entire force.
The next thirty percent were woodman archers, who, as their name suggested, were responsible for long-range sniping.
There were also five percent Hunters, equivalent to special forces, moving like phantoms, catching enemies off guard.
The remaining three percent were mages, and two percent were woodman healers.
Such a well-divided force would be capable of slaughtering not just a mere territorial force, but even the Immortal Slaying Demon Extermination Alliance, if they were to appear.
Along the way, at Xiao Mo's request, the woodman troops hunted demonic beasts as they marched.
Although Mu Chunrou and the other woodman priests did not understand why Xiao Mo ordered this, they could not refuse their Lord's command.
After traversing fifteen kilometers of forest, Mu Chunrou and the priests were astonished to find many woodman warriors glowing with brilliant golden light.
"Lord! What is this golden light?"
Mu Chunrou asked, her face filled with confusion and apprehension, fearing the golden light might harm the woodman warriors.
Xiao Mo smiled and waved his hand, signaling the priests not to worry.
"Don't be nervous! That is merely an omen of strength enhancement. Each ray of golden light signifies a woodman warrior advancing a tier in strength!"
"Advancing a tier in strength?"
Hearing Xiao Mo's words, Mu Chunrou and the other priests exchanged astonished glances.
They had never heard of such a phenomenon – that simply hunting demonic beasts could lead to a tier advancement.
Seeing the surprise on the woodman priests' faces, Xiao Mo smiled faintly and said in a humble tone:
"There's no need to be so surprised! As long as they are soldiers under my command, killing my enemies allows them to enhance their strength tier!"
Killing enemies to enhance their strength tier?
The five priests exchanged looks, their bodies trembling slightly.
This method of advancement filled them with dread.
After all, it was rumored that the demonic beings from other worlds in ancient times had also enhanced their strength through slaughter.
And the undead race, generally disliked across the continent, also improved their strength by devouring the soul fire and soul power of their enemies.
This ability filled them with fear, even terror, yet also a subtle flicker of anticipation.
Anticipation arose from the universal desire of all living beings to possess overwhelming, fearless power.
Fear stemmed from the terrifying nature of this power derived from killing.
The temptation of immense strength could potentially transform the naturally peace-loving woodmen into bloodthirsty killing machines.
In such a scenario, the woodman race might lose its innate nature and embark on a dark, irreversible path.
"Is this truly possible? If so, will it...?"
Mu Ling, the spirit-tier female priest, whispered, her lips trembling, her gaze filled with struggle.
The expressions of the other priests, including Mu Chunrou, were equally conflicted.
On one hand, there was the abhorrent concept of killing that the woodmen detested; on the other, the powerful strength that they all craved.
This choice was agonizing, causing them to hesitate and fall into intense internal debate...