Chapter 6: Soul-Nurturing Wood (Part 2)

Li Ran smiled and said, “I don’t know exactly how to obtain it, but I do know that only by finding the main root system can one reap the greatest benefits. However… even if we can’t find the main root, cutting down the vines that extend out will still yield quite good Soul Vine Wood.”
Guo Shier said, “So… as long as we can get some branches and leaves, we’ll still gain something?”
Li Ran nodded. “That’s right. This stuff is extremely precious, and even its branches and leaves are invaluable. It just depends on whether you can get them.”
Guo Shier said, “Let me give it a try. Hehe, if it doesn’t come here, I’ll go there!” With that, he rode his altar and charged forward.
Li Ran warned, “Be careful!”
As Guo Shier approached the mutated Soul Vine Wood, the crystal-clear vines suddenly began to twist violently. The branches grew rapidly, expanding from arm thickness to bucket thickness, and lashed out with a whooshing sound.
The old man pointed at the Umbrella Tower Sacrificial Treasure and cast a spell, shouting, “Protect!”
In an instant, countless rune lights burst out from the edges of the Umbrella Tower Sacrificial Treasure, forming intersecting runes that acted like a net-like defense, expanding outward and tightly enclosing Guo Shier and the altar.
Bang! Bang! Snap! Snap…
The branches of the Soul Vine Wood struck the defense like raindrops. The Umbrella Tower Sacrificial Treasure continued to emit rune lights, sustaining the defensive network. Guo Shier shouted, “Cut!” The Moon Blade turned into a golden-red beam and slashed at a thick vine in a flash.
A green light flashed, and with a clear metallic clang, the Moon Blade was sent flying high into the air. Guo Shier was stunned—his Moon Blade couldn’t even cut through that not-so-thick vine, leaving only a crack about finger thick, with a few drops of green sap splashing out. This seemed to anger the Soul Vine Wood, as a vine as thick as a water tank suddenly shot out from the side.
With a loud crash, Guo Shier and his altar were violently flung back.
Guo Shier screamed in panic before finally managing to control his altar. Only then did he realize he had retreated back to Li Ran and the others. Stunned, he exclaimed, “Damn… it’s insanely strong! I couldn’t even injure it. It’s too powerful!”
Li Ran couldn’t help but laugh and said, “This is Soul Vine Wood—extremely tough. It’s not unusual to not be able to cut it.”
Yang Miluo said, “Let me try!” Instead of charging in like Guo Shier, he stayed in place, directing his Rotating Sacrificial Treasure to slash forward with a whooshing sound.

It spun into a disc of blade-like light and rushed into the vines. Guo Shier had seen the Spinning Sacrificial Treasure open a path before—its power was truly formidable. With a clanging sound, like that of blacksmithing, the Spinning Sacrificial Treasure was thrown into the air, nearly losing control. Yang Miluo cast several spells in quick succession to pull it back, exclaiming in shock, “So hard?” His attacks were slightly stronger than Guo Shier’s, causing several leaves of Soul Vine Wood to fall. Guo Shier was stunned; after a while, he asked, “Is this a plant?” Li Ran and Fan Zhen couldn’t help but laugh. Guo Shier held his head and muttered, “Damn, this is too exaggerated.” Yang Miluo stared at the swaying vines in disbelief and said, “If it’s that tough, we’re trapped… Can any of you deal with it?” He couldn’t understand—his own Spinning Sacrificial Treasure, his life’s treasure, couldn’t even cut through Soul Vine Wood. Could the mutated Soul Vine Wood be even more powerful than the Abnormal Talisman Beasts? Li Ran said, “Fan Zhen Tong, you give it a try.” Two professionals from the sixth-tier altar had failed; he wanted to see if those from the seventh-tier altar could cut through the Soul Vine Wood. Fan Zhen Tong replied, “Okay, I’ll do it!” His sacrificial treasure was a black axe-shaped artifact, the Milling Flame Axe, a seventh-tier sacrificial treasure. He unleashed a stream of black flames that swept down with a whooshing sound. Fan Zhen Tong cast thousands of spells in a row, causing the Milling Flame Axe to expand to a hundred meters in length before swinging down with earth-shattering force, its surface covered in a faint layer of black flames. It was a sacrificial treasure with soul flames—extremely vicious. Boom! This attack was different from those of Guo Shier and Yang Miluo; it instantly cut through several swinging vines. The Soul Vine Wood began to wildly sway, with countless vines extending from all directions—thick as buckets—fiercely pouring into the open space. Fan Zhen Tong found it extremely difficult to control the Milling Flame Axe. With a loud shout, the axe turned into a black shadow, slashing wildly among the vines. Vines flew everywhere, pieces of Soul Vine Wood shattered, and green sap sprayed out. Guo Shier was overjoyed. He slapped the top of the altar, and countless tentacles of ancient Xi Bi stretched out, plunging directly into the vines to quickly collect the broken vines and fallen leaves of Soul Vine Wood. The leaves were as big as palm fans, extremely thick, and were treasures in their own right. As for the sap, any tentacle that touched it absorbed it all. While others were fighting desperately, he was secretly gathering everything—he wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.

Li Ran couldn’t help but laugh again—the little guy was really good at seizing opportunities. Fortunately, Fan Zhen Tong didn’t mind; if they had met someone with a bad temper, arguments might have broken out. After a while of chaotic slashing, Fan Zhen Tong also felt overwhelmed. He realized that using the Milling Flame Axe consumed several times more souls than usual battles, and over time, it became unbearable. He quickly recalled the Milling Flame Axe and said, “Damn, this thing is extremely tricky. Senior, do you have any ideas?” By then, they no longer had time to search for the main root system of the mutated Soul Vine Wood; getting out of this forest was already a problem. Li Ran said, “Heh, there’s no other way but to fight hard. Guo Shier, Yang Miluo, you two don’t need to intervene. Fan Zhen Tong, work with me. Heh, let’s start harvesting the Soul Vine Wood.” Two golden hands descended from the sky, their fingers like hooks, forcefully gripping the vines. Li Ran calmly said, “Lift!” In an instant, countless intertwined vines were pulled up from the ground and suspended over thirty meters in the air. He turned and called, “Fan Zhen Tong!” Fan Zhen Tong pointed, and the Milling Flame Axe swept across the ground with a howl. The Soul Vine Wood struggled desperately, but under the control of the golden hands, it was all in vain. A thick root, five meters wide, appeared. Guo Shier and the others knew this wasn’t the main root but a lateral root—the one controlling the vines surrounding them. If cut off, the entire Soul Vine Wood would lose its power. The Milling Flame Axe spun frantically around the thick root, cutting swiftly. The Soul Vine Wood waved wildly but couldn’t break free—Li Ran’s strength was far too great for it to resist. The two golden hands firmly held the twisted vines, and with a crackling sound, the several-meter-thick root broke apart, causing the entire lifted Soul Vine Wood to stop writhing. Guo Shier rushed over like a bolt of lightning. Thousands of tentacles quickly pierced the ground, tightly wrapping around the broken root and pulling it out halfway. The old man with the handsome appearance cast hundreds of virtual talismans in succession, creating a powerful suction force that drew out the green sap from the broken root. A stream as thick as a bucket of water gushed upward, with dozens of Guxi Bi tentacles wrapping around a huge talisman vat as the green sap poured into it. A few minutes later, Guo Shier decisively told the old man to release the broken root and quickly retreated. Countless vines shot up from the ground again, chasing after Guo Shier frantically, with snapping sounds filling the air.

Li Ran quickly retracted his two golden hands and placed the cut soul vine wood on the altar. He said, “We’ll distribute it after we leave. For now… keep going!”
Flying high up was not possible here; the area over seventy meters above was a forbidden zone, even Li Ran didn’t dare to fly there, so not much soul vine wood could be harvested at once.
The group changed direction and continued harvesting soul vine wood. With Li Ran’s strength, the soul vine wood had no chance to resist. Since the ground was solidified, the soul vine wood couldn’t emerge from below to attack; it could only resort to encirclement. If Li Ran and his team failed to cut the soul vine wood, they would be trapped and die inside.
The soul vine wood employed a clever strategy—almost any creature that entered, whether human or mutated talisman beasts, was doomed. Countless mutated and aberrant talisman beasts had died on this land, turning into fertile nutrients absorbed by the soul vine wood. Over long years, this soul vine wood eventually mutated, becoming a rare variant plant.
But no matter how intelligent the soul vine wood was, it never expected that among those who intruded this time was a professional who surpassed the ninth-tier altar—a force it couldn’t resist. Professionals above the ninth-tier altar were the most elite beings in this world; there could be no stronger humans or beasts.
Li Ran and Fan Zhen, working together, were almost invincible. Their tactic was simple: one lifted the vines while the other cut them, harvesting large amounts of soul vine wood. Eventually, the soul vine wood retreated. In the blink of an eye, only ancient trees remained around, with not a single vine left. However, there were countless holes in the ground, evidence of where the soul vine wood had been.
Li Ran sighed and said, “We still need to find the main root system. This harvest… I’m very dissatisfied.” He distributed the collected soul vine wood. Guo Shier received a branch of soul vine wood, about four to five meters long, as thin as a thumb, along with many leaves.
Guo Shier casually picked up a small piece to examine. As the root was severed, the soul vine wood quickly changed from light green to brownish-yellow, still with a faint glow. It felt smooth in his hand, and the leaves on the vine were as big as basins, smooth and soft. He knew these leaves were naturally suitable as carriers for soul talismans; with proper processing, a single leaf could be used to create one.
Boom!
A loud explosion came from afar. Li Ran raised his head and smiled. “Someone has come in. Hehe, I was wondering how to lure out the soul vine wood. Who would have thought… someone else has already attracted it.”
Guo Shier asked, “Who is it?”

Li Ran smiled and said, “It’s too far. How could I possibly know… Hmm, there’s actually a mutated talisman beast ahead. Poor thing; it doesn’t even understand the rule of not chasing a desperate foe…”
Guo Shier smiled and added, “We should add another rule—don’t enter forests!”
Li Ran asked, “Huh, how did you know that?”
Guo Shier laughed loudly, “That’s the rule of the jianghu… It’s just like that.” The two laughed at each other. Yang Miluo and Fan Zhen were completely confused by this.