The preceding conversation had touched upon matters of the real world, which the Nightmare Space had deliberately shielded. At Fang Senyan's call, Old Mulbor snapped to attention as if awakened from a dream: "What!"

Fang Senyan spoke with earnest gravity: "Although the passage of time causes many truths to be lost, distorted, or even erased through generations of oral tradition, eventually becoming lies, my extensive prior investigations uncovered a startling commonality: was the downfall of the Masak tribe caused by drought?"

Old Mulbor recalled this carefully before nodding hesitantly: "Yes."

Fang Senyan continued: "In the history of our race, apart from man-made calamities, we have suffered many disasters, but ultimately, they boil down to floods (snow), severe drought, locust plagues, and pestilence. Two of these major catastrophes are directly related to water! The surface area of water and land on a planet cannot be mutually accommodating; if the area dedicated to oceans and rivers is larger, the land area naturally shrinks. Therefore, the contradiction between them is absolutely irreconcilable and unfixable! It's impossible to achieve compatibility!"

Pausing here, Fang Senyan went on: "So, if I hypothesize that Mother Earth, Eva, is likely the collective consciousness of some form of fungus across the entire planet, then it is highly probable that the Mother of Water is the collective consciousness of the planet's algae. Consider the bizarre topography of the Windstone Plateau—it’s clearly a volcanic crater, yet its summit boasts a flat layer of rock crust! It’s as if something is being deliberately concealed. Only now, having entered this place, have I realized with sudden clarity: if I'm not mistaken, this must be a spectacle crafted single-handedly by another powerful life form on Pandora!"

Hearing this, Jiao Shi's expression shifted to sudden comprehension, and he interjected: "Are you suggesting that... that's right, on Earth, the craters of some long-dormant volcanoes form natural lakes; some of these lakes are quite famous, like Tianchi in China's Changbai Mountain, Lake Taupō in New Zealand, or Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. Could the power of the Mother of Water be so immense that she could form a layer of rock across the lake's surface, then drain the water, naturally creating the spectacle before us!"

Fang Senyan stated firmly: "Why not? Think about the power of the Mother of Earth, and this scenario no longer seems as difficult as one might imagine. The Mother of Water never needed to form actual rock. I observed just now that what supports the summit of the Windstone Plateau isn't entirely rock; its lowest layer consists of something like the tough kelp found in the sea—material woven together by vines. A bit higher up is a light yet sturdy support layer composed of the materials that form conch shells and bivalve shells; those supporting pillars are formed from this as well."

"As for the topmost layer of soil, the Mother of Water didn't need to expend any effort there at all. The wind and dry climate here would naturally cover it with dust and silt. In just a few decades, perhaps a century, the Windstone Plateau before us would successfully form!"

Mogansha suddenly asked: "Then where did the water that was originally here go?"

Fang Senyan raised a single finger: "A good question, and precisely what I was about to discuss... Once the surface of the volcanic lake was completely covered by the water weeds and the hard shells, the Mother of Water dispatched a highly capable subordinate still in its youth—likely holding a position in the sea analogous to the Reaper Beasts or the Toruk Makto on land."

"This capable subordinate was a colossal conch shell. This creature probably possessed abilities similar to terrestrial barnacles. It began penetrating the earth from nearby subterranean rivers using its shell, drilling all the way beneath this dormant volcano. This must have been a long undertaking; the conch performing this task might have tirelessly exhausted several generations of life before it finally pierced the lake bed, allowing the water from the volcanic lake to flow out through the channel it bored—that's the water vent in the small lake we see now."

"This conch then remained stationary in this spot, continuing to grow. The Mother of Water's immense power continuously provided it with sustenance and nutrients. Its body gradually swelled until it reached the size we see now before it died. Its giant shell perfectly protected this small lake and the passage, forming a dual layer of cross-protection with the Mother of Water's hidden psychic energies distributed around the Windstone Plateau, effectively shielding or disguising it from the Mother of Earth's detection!"

Jiao Shi nodded: "I understand most of it now, but there is one final question: Why would the Mother of Water create such a hidden space?"

Fang Senyan suddenly smiled: "A magnificent question, but let me counter with one of my own: Why did Great Britain maintain so many colonies overseas?"

Jiao Shi gasped, momentarily stunned: "This..."

He certainly knew that Britain established colonies across the world to better plunder and control local wealth. His personal creed forbade him from lying, but his patriotic heart made it difficult to utter the truth aloud.

Fang Senyan continued with a light laugh: "Creating such a secret environment is akin to driving a nail deep into the territory under the Mother of Earth's dominion! Using this as a core, she can slowly beguile and peel away the Mother of Earth's followers, gradually consuming the opponent's strength, even using the enemy’s own forces against them in internal attrition! Look at the Dragon Girl Mo Ya's brother; he was likely a talented prodigy, yet he was still killed by Qil'uok'e!"

"There's a saying in our homeland: 'Water grinding takes time'—the conduct of the Mother of Water is like water itself: continuous, gradually seeping, a stark contrast to the immense solidity of the Mother of Earth. Moreover, her methods are clearly effective. Look at how the number of fallen tribes among the Na'vi is steadily increasing, yet the Mother of Earth cannot find any reason for it; it must be the result of the Mother of Water's slow infiltration. And someone as mighty as Qil'uok'e would rather die fighting here to protect the Mother of Water’s secret! This illustrates the immense power of her enchantment!"

By the time Fang Senyan finished speaking, there was no need for him to say more. Everyone understood that if they could deliver this information to the Mother of Earth—provided they could present sufficiently persuasive evidence, such as the limb segment from the underwater Soul Tree—they could reap enormous rewards. Perhaps even the matter of the Black Thorn Tribe uniting against Mother Earth Eva might be dismissed entirely! Because, no matter what, the Black Thorn Tribe posed no threat to the fundamental existence of the Mother of Earth, but the oceans and rivers could drown her!

Greed flickered in Old Mulbor’s eyes at this moment. The old man dreamt of greater power, more favor from the Mother of Earth, with replacing Mo Ya’s position being the ultimate aspiration. While the other Tsaheylu Riders could not resist the enchantment of the underwater Soul Tree, he, as a high priest of the Mother of Earth, could hold out for a short while.

Back then, Qil'uok'e, though a formidable priest of the Mother of Earth, had grown doubtful of Eva after witnessing his tribesmen perish one by one due to the severe drought. When he sought water, he came here, and because his heart already contained a crack, his corruption accelerated twofold.

They watched as Old Mulbor gritted his teeth, tugged fiercely at the braid behind his head, then lunged into the water, immediately drawing the bone dagger from his chest. With a savage slash, he severed a limb segment that was emitting a magnificent purple glow! Then, his face deathly pale, he scrambled madly back out, heedless even of his own Tsaheylu tribesmen whose faces were slack with dazed enchantment.

The moment that wrist-like limb segment, which had been drifting gracefully in the water, was cut away, the brilliant and eerie purple Soul Tree in the water instantly faded, vanishing completely as if dissolved into the water! With the departure of the purple Soul Tree, all the Tsaheylu tribesmen snapped back to normal, their faces filled with bewildered confusion.

Seeing this, Fang Senyan sighed inwardly, realizing his cleverness had backfired.

Fang Senyan had revealed all this with a calculating, cynical mindset, intending to have Old Mulbor take the lead as a safety precaution—after all, this was a terrifying stronghold for completing the Golden Branch Quest; it would be foolish to expect no danger, requiring extreme caution and methodical steps. He never expected to alert the enemy and allow Old Mulbor to snatch the immediate benefit.

At this moment, all three felt the rock strata beneath them vibrating violently. How dared Fang Senyan and his companions linger? They too fled outward in a frenzy! By the time they reached the exterior of the giant conch shell, they saw massive cracks forming in the rock layer covering it, with light streaming in from above, and debris constantly falling. Clearly, the mysterious power belonging to the Mother of Water that had been supporting and protecting the entire Windstone Plateau had been withdrawn!

Old Mulbor shrieked. His massive black Banshee Dragon dared to dive down through the huge, fractured gap in the surface layer, snatching him up to soar high into the heavens. This selfish old brute, even at this moment, disregarded his own tribesmen.

Fang Senyan and the others felt the underground rock intensely hot, accompanied by waves of life-threatening pressure rising from below their feet. This volcano, presumably silent for millennia, was about to erupt!