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

Originally, the central area of Immortal Trace Valley was exceptionally tranquil.

Li Lan commanded the spirit bean soldiers to diligently mine spirit stone ore underground.

The old Zitan tree stood there quietly, absorbing spiritual energy.

Both sides didn't interfere with each other, which was quite harmonious.

But just as Li Lan was preparing to recall the spirit bean soldiers,

this five-hundred-year-old Zitan tree suddenly seemed to go crazy and began to undergo new changes.

At the base of the tree,

the black, almost mystical vines grew wildly, spreading in all directions.

The underground space nearby, temporarily hollowed out by the spirit bean soldiers, was not very stable to begin with.

Now, stirred by these vines, it immediately became somewhat precarious.

Scattered gravel and soil kept falling.

The surrounding and overhead earth began to crack open, and sunlight from the surface penetrated through.

Waves of rumbling sounds echoed in his ears.

Initially,

Li Lan didn't know what was happening.

It wasn't until later that the commotion in the central area grew louder and louder.

The entire underground space near the spirit stone mine collapsed, creating a small basin around the Zitan tree.

The spirit bean soldiers were buried deep in the ruins,

and Li Lan only understood the reason when he sensed the outside movements through his five senses.

In mid-air,

three figures each displayed their own unique abilities.

Many fire-type spells that Li Lan couldn't even name emerged endlessly.

All kinds of magical artifacts, like locusts, continuously flew and circled around them.

Orange-red flames and golden-yellow lava poured down from the sky.

In an instant,

this place was dyed into a sea of fire.

In Li Lan's current state,

those Xuan vines with Foundation Establishment stage aura were already extremely terrifying.

But now, seeing the real Foundation Establishment stage experts take action,

he once again broadened his horizons.

Under the effect of attribute counters,

those black Xuan vines, upon coming into contact with these flames,

immediately emitted "sizzling" sounds.

Like hot oil poured on snow,

the flames spread rapidly along the roots,

burning them black, losing all signs of life.

The air was filled with a burnt smell, and even from a distance,

the spirit bean soldiers could still feel a scorching heat wave coming towards them.

Is this the strength of a Foundation Establishment stage expert?

It's indeed far from the Qi Refining stage.

Faced with such overwhelming power,

Li Lan felt for the first time how small his current realm was.

But he didn't become ashamed or give up; instead, such pressure triggered his indomitable will.

He silently set a goal in his heart: whether his talent is poor or his cultivation speed is too slow, no matter how difficult the future may be, even if he has to put in ten or a hundred times more effort than ordinary people,

he must break through to the Foundation Establishment stage in this lifetime.

Li Lan pondered for a moment,

and ultimately didn't let the spirit bean soldiers act rashly.

The three Foundation Establishment stage experts were already in front of him; rashly retreating would only expose him faster.

It would be better to stay under the roots of the Zitan tree,

using the abundant spiritual energy of the spirit stone mine to conceal his own Qi Refining first layer mana fluctuations.

And the most important reason was that

those with lower cultivation realms,

watching cultivators with realms far higher than their own fight,

can not only increase their understanding and application of magical artifacts and spells,

but also greatly benefit their own cultivation.

Moreover,

such an opportunity to observe Foundation Establishment stage experts up close is something ordinary cultivators can hardly encounter even once in their entire lives,

and Li Lan naturally didn't want to let it go so easily.

Furthermore,

the outer sect disciples of Guangji Temple were scattered around the periphery of Immortal Trace Valley, wandering around and arresting people.

Now was obviously not the best time for him to escape.

Therefore, after a period of weighing the pros and cons,

Li Lan finally chose to wait and see.

While he was weighing the pros and cons in his heart,

the massive battle in the central area of Immortal Trace Valley continued.

Although the Zitan tree hadn't developed intelligence,

it instinctively sensed the threat from the three people.

Its thick trunk swayed slightly,

and the leaves on the branches rustled, as if issuing a silent, angry roar.

Countless Xuan vines burst out of the ground again.

Twisting and entangling with each other, like giant waves, stretching endlessly,

they fiercely rolled towards the three people in mid-air.

The Fire Spirit Peak elder with white beard and white eyebrows snorted coldly upon seeing this.

"Monster! Being used by this Daoist is your blessing, yet you are so ungrateful and dare to try to resist?"

He waved his sleeve, and the orange-red gourd hanging behind him instantly shone brightly.

A more intense flame spewed out from the mouth of the gourd.

This flame initially looked like just a thin red line.

But at the moment it was about to touch those Xuan vines,

it rapidly expanded,

and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a surging pillar of fire, sweeping away.

Instantly,

moisture evaporated and hissing sounds were endless.

Those seemingly fierce Xuan vines crackled as they were roasted.

At this moment, they were like venomous snakes cut in half, constantly twisting and struggling in the sea of fire.

But no matter how they struggled, it was to no avail.

In the end, they were all completely turned into charcoal and ashes under the scorching flames.

However,

although the Zitan spirit tree was suppressed quite miserably,

the Xuan vines seemed inexhaustible,

still surging towards the three people like layers of waves.

It seemed to want to win by quantity, using this to exhaust the Fire Spirit Peak elder's mana.

The situation became deadlocked for a time.

"Damn Jian Chen, why aren't you taking action yet?

Do you just want to keep watching me put in the effort?"

While casting spells, the Fire Spirit Peak elder saw that Jian Chen was still watching the show, and he immediately became angry.

"I cultivate water-based techniques; taking action now would probably not help, but only add to the chaos."

Elder Jian Chen leisurely drove his magical artifact, flying back and forth in mid-air.

Wherever he went,

the sharp magical artifact cut off many wildly extending vines like harvesting wheat.

However,

although his magical artifact was sharp, the speed at which it dealt with these vines was obviously far behind that of fire-type spells.

"Great Elder, how should we harvest this spirit plant that has become a spirit?

Could it be that we're just going to keep stalemating like this, dragging it out until it can no longer use its power to cast these demon vines?"

Elder Jian Chen frowned as he looked at the seemingly endless Xuan vines.

"This old tree is backed by a spirit stone mine; relying on delaying tactics alone, even ten more Foundation Establishment stage cultivators wouldn't be able to drag it out until its mana is exhausted."

The petite girl flipped her hand,

taking out several small flags from her storage bag.

"Go and delay it for a while; it would be best if you could cut off all of its roots wrapped around the spirit stone mine.

If not, wait for me to set up the Spirit Severing Array, cut off its connection with the spirit stone mine, and then we can take action.

But remember, no matter what, don't damage the tree trunk too severely; those are all excellent materials for refining an external avatar."

The two nodded in agreement.

Elder Jian Chen waved his hand,

and a slightly rough yellow paper talisman appeared between his two fingers.