At the beginning, I cleaned the Sutra Library and completed the incomplete skills.

Towering green trees blotted out the sky.

Sunlight struggled to squeeze through the gaps in the foliage, scattering patches of light.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves and moss.

Going deeper,

Dense spiritual energy, like a light veil, drifted slowly through the forest.

The unnoticed layer of fallen leaves trembled slightly.

As if something was moving through it.

Looking closely, one could discover.

It was a wooden, purple puppet.

This puppet was about six or seven inches tall overall.

Though small, it was perfectly formed.

The head, arms, legs, and other parts were all carved with lifelike detail.

Although it was carved from sturdy purple sandalwood wood,

Every movement and posture of the puppet was smooth and natural.

The intricate ink-like patterns on its wooden body added a touch of spirituality.

At this moment.

The purple puppet, like a true soldier,

Steadfastly carried out its master's orders, heading deeper into the jungle.

With each step the Spirit Bean Soldier took.

Li Lan focused intently, using its five senses to cautiously observe the surroundings.

He remembered very clearly.

The first time he came to this Immortal's Trace Valley.

It was when he sent the Spirit Bean Soldier so deep that he sensed the aura of that Foundation Establishment expert.

Subsequently, Li Lan received a warning from the Spirit Bean Soldier.

Although it was still unclear whether that Foundation Establishment stage expert was still present.

Li Lan had already made the worst-case scenario in his mind.

The surrounding jungle was silent, without even the chirping of insects or the singing of birds.

Only the rustling sound of the Spirit Bean Soldier parting the ocean of fallen leaves could be heard.

After traveling several more miles.

Still, no unusual situation occurred.

Just as Li Lan was secretly speculating whether that Foundation Establishment expert had truly left.

The sky suddenly darkened above.

A tall figure appeared in front of the Spirit Bean Soldier.

Li Lan's heart tightened.

He had already prepared to abandon this purple sandalwood Spirit Bean and quickly escape.

But before leaving.

He took a closer look at the figure in front of him.

The other party was not a living person.

This cultivator stood silently in place, like a cursed statue.

As if a specimen frozen in time.

Purple vines, like giant snakes with life,

Wound and coiled, layer upon layer, around his corpse.

The cultivator's life seemed to have been extinguished long ago by these deadly vines, leaving no vitality.

The once vibrant flesh was now shriveled and clinging to the bones.

The eye sockets were sunken like two empty holes, and the mouth was wide open.

The face was gaunt, but one could still vaguely see the horror and despair of that time.

Clearly.

Before his death, the other party seemed to have experienced something extremely terrifying.

He fled in panic towards the outer reaches of Immortal's Trace Valley, but ultimately failed to escape the poisonous clutches.

He was forever imprisoned here by these purple vines, like a cage.

Even without facing him directly, Li Lan couldn't help but hold his breath.

Although the cultivator had been dead for a long time.

Li Lan could clearly feel that these purple vines seemed to be still alive.

Before figuring out the situation.

He didn't want to rashly awaken these things.

The Spirit Bean Soldier stood quietly in place, motionless like a real wooden puppet.

Li Lan was not in a hurry to continue exploring deeper, but silently digested the information before him.

From a preliminary look.

This person should be a cultivator who, like Li Lan in recent years, had noticed the strangeness of this abandoned spiritual vein.

However.

His composure was clearly far less steadfast than Li Lan's.

Blinded by temptation, he rashly broke into the depths of this Immortal's Trace Valley.

And thus met such an end, his body perished and his Dao extinguished.

What made Li Lan even more curious was, why did the other party die?

And at whose hands did he die?

What kind of art were these purple vines?

Did he violate some unknown mechanism or taboo, or did he provoke an existence he shouldn't have provoked?

Li Lan did not get answers to these questions for the time being.

But he guessed.

This was likely related to the mysterious Foundation Establishment expert he had sensed back then.

Li Lan pondered for a while.

And finally chose to carefully bypass the other party.

Continuing to explore deeper into Immortal's Trace Valley.

However, just as he was manipulating the Spirit Bean Soldier to take action.

An unexpected change occurred.

Hearing the subtle movement of the Spirit Bean Soldier stirring the fallen leaves.

Those purple vines, like poisonous snakes after hibernation, all awakened.

Each raised vine tip, like the head of a snake arching its body, swayed gently in the air.

As if sensing the movements around them.

Instantly.

A vast, sea-like pressure fell on the small Spirit Bean Soldier.

Even after so many years, Li Lan still remembered it vividly.

This cold and heavy pressure was exactly the Foundation Establishment aura he had felt back then!

Li Lan never expected that.

The aura of that mysterious Foundation Establishment expert back then,

Was actually emitted by these seemingly inconspicuous purple vines.

These spiritual plants actually had cultivation realms?!

Even though Li Lan was always calm and collected,

At this moment, he couldn't help but feel a little scalp tingling.

No one had ever told him before that plants could cultivate like humans.

Surprised as he was.

Li Lan quickly responded.

He repeated his old trick, manipulating the Spirit Bean Soldier to run deeper into Immortal's Trace Valley.

While he pinched the Earth Escape Technique, preparing to leave Immortal's Trace Valley as quickly as possible.

However, just as Li Lan did so.

That pressure suddenly disappeared, as if it had never appeared.

The Spirit Bean Soldier ran for a while, but still showed no signs of being destroyed.

Out of curiosity.

Li Lan controlled the Spirit Bean Soldier to look back.

Although those purple vines had all awakened, they didn't seem to intend to chase the Spirit Bean Soldier.

Instead, they lazily shrank back, as if falling back into a state of hibernation.

Li Lan was confused and immediately stopped his escape.

After pondering for a moment.

He drove the Spirit Bean Soldier back to its original place.

This time, no matter how the Spirit Bean Soldier moved, these purple vines did not make the slightest sound.

Li Lan felt secretly surprised, and thoughtful in his heart.

Could it be…

These Foundation Establishment stage purple vines are only interested in lifeforms with high cultivation realms?

This palm-sized Spirit Bean Soldier,

The total mana of its whole body is not even enough to fill their teeth, so that's why they didn't make any movement?

As it stands now.

It seems that this is the only more likely possibility.

Li Lan thought for a while and decided to experiment again.

The small Spirit Bean Soldier came to the feet of the cultivator.

Climbing like a mountain peak, grabbing onto the other party's boots and pants legs, it began to climb up.

During this time, when it brushed against the purple vines, they reacted again.

But it still did not destroy the Spirit Bean Soldier.

Instead, like chasing away mosquitoes and flies, it pushed it aside and continued to sleep soundly.

Li Lan tried a few more times.

When facing the Spirit Bean Soldier, these purple vines seemed to become extremely good-tempered.

No matter how much it tossed and turned,

Even if it plucked the green leaves from the vines, it did not release that terrifying Foundation Establishment pressure again.