Tree Roots and Vines

If people knew that all the romantic experiences they had had were just them flirting in real life, Zhang Xuezhou felt that many would stop their philandering thoughts out of shame.

"And An Ran wouldn't act so submissive!"

As an independent woman, Ren Anran is destined to seek powerful alliances, but she will never give up on her own self-improvement.

The intellectual temptations that Zhang Xuezhou experienced were only superficial and difficult to penetrate to a deeper level.

As his body was repeatedly flushed with magical Law Power, Zhang Xuezhou finally noticed, in subtle ways, that he could feel his hands and feet again.

"Moonlight!"

In the brief moment after activating the Eye of the Bashe, his mind had fully returned to normal.

"Shangqing True Technique!"

Having dispelled his own illusion, Zhang Xuezhou quickly activated the Shangqing True Technique, attempting to use it to resolve the effects on Li Shaojun.

"Break!"

With a gentle reprimand, Li Shaojun steadied himself, and his gaze shifted from confusion to clarity.

Damn it!

The Six Ding Divine Fire was still burning in his hand, and Li Shaojun could feel that his hand bones had been deformed from being roasted.

If he didn't want to spend a fortune on medicine, dying was his best option.

"Grandpa will fight you to the death, you bastard!"

He used to cherish his health and was careful in using his magic, but now he's given up on everything.

The flames were still in his palm when Li Shaojun lunged forward and slapped the tendrils-covered vines.

"Sizzle!"

As if touched by a snake suddenly awakened, the countless vines and leaves instantly stood up, making a sound like a venomous snake, and the tendrils under the vines crawled wildly on Li Shaojun's body.

It is extremely difficult for vines to penetrate tree roots, but it is effortless for them to pierce Li Shaojun's skin.

In just a few seconds, the Six Ding Divine Fire in Li Shaojun's hand went out, and he was drained of his energy, leaving him looking like a dried-up corpse.

"Go!"

Zhang Xuezhou's eyelids twitched suddenly, and the Golden Crow Great Emperor's feathers he could use erupted with a final burst of fierce demonic fire.

The Golden Crow Fire and the Six Ding Divine Fire quickly ignited the underground space of tree roots.

Amidst the crackling and popping of the burning, the vines rolled and rolled on the ground, continuously drawing nourishment from the spiritual spring within the water hyacinth.

The tree roots that were holding the gourd in place seemed to be exerting their strength to pierce the gourd, trying to cut off the vines' escape route.

"Oh no, these tree roots can draw upon the abbot's spiritual spring to repair the demon's body!"

Whether it's Li Shaojun's Six Ding Divine Fire or Zhang Xuezhou's Golden Crow Demon Fire, both are extremely high-quality flames, capable of igniting even damp wood in one go.

As long as the flames continue, these rare and peculiar flames will burn like a persistent ailment until there is nothing left to burn.

However, combustion and flame retardancy are obviously relative. Zhang Xuezhou and the others did not know what they were burning. All they saw was a tree root that looked like a writhing dragon, and they did not know whether it could actually burn the main body.

Since vines can reduce damage by relying on the spiritual spring water in the water gourd, the demon occupying the abbot's spiritual spring can obviously also resist flames.

Using fire to control wood is the most effective method Zhang Xuezhou and Li Shaojun can come up with, but once this method becomes ineffective, they will face risks.

In the dim light, Zhang Xuezhou could already hear the sounds of the demonic tree wriggling closer.

He inwardly cried out in alarm, and for a moment even considered giving up.

"Li Shaojun, we don't have enough fire, why don't you get up and start another fire!"

Zhang Xuezhou called out, but Li Shaojun, who had been whipped to death by the vines, did not respond.

If the terrible risks posed by the vines cannot be eliminated, Li Shaojun will only continue to die even if he gets up.

They seemed to be facing only the demonic tree in this secret realm, but they were currently at their wits' end and almost in a perilous situation.

Zhang Xuezhou pointed, and the pressure of his realm emanated from his body, but a feeling of emptiness welled up in his heart. Zhang Xuezhou felt as if he was striking the air.

He was subjected to mind control twice, but Zhang Xuezhou was unable to find a worthy opponent, whether by breaking free of the influence or by taking the initiative to strike.

For them, the only target they could seem to attack was the tree root entwined with vines.

"I'll take your word for this cane this time, you sleepyhead, get up and get to work!"

The Golden Crow Demon Fire and the Six Ding Divine Fire burned many tree roots, but these two flames, which did not last long, only wilted the vines, while the tree roots wrapped by the vines were charred black.

The flames were still spreading, but Zhang Xuezhou felt that they weren't having a real effect.

He reached out and patted his clothes; the sleepy bug in his pocket transformed into a golden light and flew out as Zhang Xuezhou pointed.

Zhang Xuezhou wasn't using the Sleepy Bug to put the Demon Tree to sleep; he just wanted to use it to make a hole.

As a creature that feeds on spirit wood, the Sleepy Bug doesn't eat much, but it has an unparalleled advantage: it can burrow into wood, even ironwood like ironwood.

"I've drilled the hole for you. Whether you can find a chance to crawl in is up to you!"

Amidst the soft rustling sound of drilling, the bark of the tree root was cut open, and wisps of wood fell down.

It's like being bitten by a mosquito; the hole made by the drowsy insect is barely noticeable.

The tree root, shaped like a dragon, didn't move at all, but once the sleepy bug emerged and the tendrils of the vines probed in, the tree root began to twist and writhe wildly.

Here we go again!

As Zhang Xuezhou's vision blurred and he became mentally affected, the Eye of the Bashe, which he had seized beforehand, began to take effect, quickly restoring his senses.

When Zhang Xuezhou opened his eyes again, he saw that the gnarled tree roots in front of him had transformed into a ten-foot-tall elk with a look of pain on its face.

But in the blink of an eye, the deer transformed into a tiger, its paws pounding wildly against the gourd.

A moment later, the tiger transformed into a tall, strong man wielding an axe, which he then brought down.

The axe unleashed bursts of crimson light as it cleaved down with the force of a mountain collapsing.

After several axe blows, the man transformed into a scantily clad woman wielding a sword, her sword unleashing eighteen sword flowers.

Just as Zhang Xuezhou and others knew the source, this seemingly tree-demon-like creature also seemed to know the source of the vines' power, thus fueling its relentless destruction.

"These are probably animals native to Fangzhang Island, or perhaps they were brought here by explorers. These creatures were either seen or died here, which is why they were able to be transformed and simulated!"

Zhang Xuezhou took a deep breath.

Seeing that the monsters in this underground space were already overwhelmed with their own problems, he couldn't help but start jumping around, using the remaining light from the flames to dodge the tree roots that had burrowed into this underground space.

"Roar!"

When it manifested again, the woman with the sword had become the cyan dragon that Zhang Xuezhou was under the influence of the hallucination.

The dragon thrust its horns towards the gourd where the vines were, and the dragon's horns forcefully pierced into the gourd's opening.

In the brief moment it was pierced, the gourd rapidly increased in size.

"Oops!"

Zhang Xuezhou knew that the deer, tiger, and dragon were all figurines, more of an external deception.

But the gourd really did get bigger.

In just a short time, the gourd began to push upwards against the tree roots above, and the ground began to crack.

The gourd not only reduced the space Zhang Xuezhou could fit in, but also made Zhang Xuezhou realize another possible consequence.

"That's all fake, change back right now!"

Whether it's wielding a sword or an axe to chop, or being butted by deer antlers, slapped by tiger claws, or charged by a green dragon horn, these are all external manifestations. The real force that strikes the gourd is still the tree tendrils that gather beneath the gourd's body.

When the gourd is still small, these tentacles cannot harm it or penetrate it.

However, as the gourd grows larger, its defensive capabilities undoubtedly decrease rapidly.

Although the gourd appears to have grown larger, it has actually become weaker.

Zhang Xuezhou shouted, but the gourd and vines couldn't understand him.

Even Zhang Xuezhou hadn't expected that this change would affect the gourd's judgment; the impact of the dragon horn inserting into the gourd's mouth caused the gourd to keep growing larger.

When the gourd was nearly ten feet above the ground, Zhang Xuezhou heard a 'crack' sound from the bottom of the gourd.

The sound seemed to resonate in his heart.

He didn't get his hands on the treasure, but instead lost his precious possession. Zhang Xuezhou felt the same heartache as Li Shaojun.

But before Zhang Xuezhou could calm down, a violent wave of water surged forth.

The water stored in the water hyacinth, whose volume was difficult to determine, began to pour out like water from a dam, as if a valve had been opened.