I work as a security guard at a cemetery, and I overhear the dead chatting about getting rich quick.

The first vine shot towards us almost skimming the ground.

It moves faster than a plant.

As soon as Cheng Fang raised his hand, the item was already drawn at the front of the line.

Qin Zhao stepped forward to meet him.

The embers in his palm exploded.

boom!

Crimson flames shot out instantly along the vines.

The smell of burning flesh filled the stone steps instantly.

The vine convulsed violently, as if a living thing were in pain, and suddenly shrank into the forest.

Available in the next second.

More vines began to move.

Not a dozen or so.

The whole forest began to hum.

rustle--

The tree canopy swayed.

One by one, the vines that had been coiled around the ancient tree hung down.

Within the forest's spiritual hearing, countless tiny streams of spiritual energy were simultaneously illuminated.

"Retreat to the center of the stone steps."

Cheng Fang did not hesitate.

The two technicians immediately retreated.

Xu Mian stood on a high point at the back, keeping the muzzle of her gun pressed against the trees.

Qin Zhao did not add any more fire.

That was just a test.

Nobody knows whether there are any formations, medicinal fields, or even other living people beneath this ancient forest.

If a single fire were to set the entire mountain ablaze, the consequences would be far more troublesome than those caused by vines.

A second vine fell from the tree canopy.

Cheng Fang took the hit head-on.

Snapped!

The cane lashed his raised arm.

A faint white mark was actually drawn out from the surface of the iron body.

Cheng Fang frowned.

"He's quite strong."

Lin Ye had already heard it.

"Three trees on the right."

"The roots are all connected."

Qin Zhao immediately turned around.

"Burning the roots?"

"Wait."

Lin Ye took half a step forward.

Ling Ting continued to press down.

The sound of vines is different from that of normal plants.

Before each twitch, there is a sound from the ground.

It's not a heartbeat.

It's more like spiritual energy flowing into the vines from the roots.

One.

It was divided into more than a dozen shares.

Then it erupted.

"They're not fighting their own battles."

Forest road.

"Below is a root system."

"Can it be broken?"

"Find the main root."

The voice just fell.

Three vines sprang up at the same time.

No one was drawn this time.

They went straight to the medical staff and technicians at the back.

Xu Mian fired the gun.

boom!

The first shot broke one.

The second shot hit the middle of another vine, and the bullet went straight through it.

The vine only tilted slightly.

The speed hardly decreased.

Tang Zhi did not come in.

No one can remotely pull people directly.

Cheng Fang turned around and rushed over, grabbed the technician's protective harness and swung him backward.

On the other side, Qin Zhao raised his hand.

The embers burned along the stone steps, creating a wall of fire.

As soon as the two vines pierced through, their bark immediately curled up.

But they stubbornly pushed their way through the fire.

Qin Zhao's eyes darkened.

The fire suddenly intensified.

I didn't keep any this time.

boom!

The two vines burned off on the spot.

Even after the broken piece hit the ground, it continued to twist.

One section even bounced up and became tightly wrapped around the positioning rod next to it.

It bent the metal rod in just a few seconds.

The technician's face tightened as he watched.

"If something like this appeared in the city..."

No one responded.

But everyone knows the answer.

If an ordinary person were to encounter this, they would have virtually no chance of escape.

Lin Ye had already moved forward along the side of the stone steps.

"Don't leave the formation."

Cheng Fang shouted.

"I didn't leave."

Lin Ye squatted down.

He placed his palm on a moss-covered rock.

Ling Ting followed the underground root system forward.

There's too much background noise.

When the concentration of spiritual energy is high, the entire mountain seems to breathe at the same time.

He could only peel it little by little.

Tree.

water.

Array patterns.

vine.

soon.

He caught a much thicker stream of spiritual energy.

It's not under those ancient trees.

To the left front of the stone steps.

A perfectly normal-looking empty lot.

"There."

Lin Ye pointed to the past.

"About two meters underground."

Qin Zhao did not set the fire directly.

Let's look at Cheng Fang first.

Cheng Fang nodded.

"Explode."

A field worker retrieved a portable obstacle-breaking device.

It's not a high-powered explosion.

It's only enough to break ground.

The device is placed on the ground.

boom!

The soil exploded.

Soon, a tangled mass of dark red roots emerged from the ground.

It is as thick as a water vat.

The surface is covered with tiny cracks.

It looks like a mouth.

The technician was just about to approach.

Lin Ye suddenly said:

"Don't move."

next second.

The clump of roots suddenly swelled up.

All the cracks opened together.

It sprayed out a cloud of grayish-white powder.

Cheng Fang kicked over a metal box next to him to block the way.

Hold your breath!

Everyone quickly put on their masks.

The powder fell onto the weeds beside the stone steps.

Less than ten seconds.

The grass blades began to turn black.

The technician's voice was strained.

"It is corrosive."

"It's not just corrosion."

Zhou Xiao finally spoke.

He kept staring at that clump of roots.

"It's consuming spiritual energy."

Lin Ye turned his head.

"What do you mean?"

"These vines shouldn't be like this."

Zhou Xiao's face was very pale.

"There used to be protective vines on Cangfeng Mountain."

"They only eat mountain animals."

"They will not attack people on their own initiative."

"It will not grow a spirit-devouring root either."

Qin Zhao asked:

"Then why is that now?"

Zhou Xiao looked at the underground root system that had been blown open.

"I have no idea."

This was the second time he had said this since entering the mountains.

Also means.

This place was equally unfamiliar to him.

More than two thousand years of isolation.

It's not about pressing pause.

Even when people are asleep.

Things in the mountains are still changing.

Lin Ye looked at Qin Zhao.

"Will it burn completely?"

"The main root is fine."

"The underground tributaries are uncertain."

Wanling then spoke.

"Burn the main root."

"This kind of thing relies on the main root to gather spiritual energy."

"If the main root dies, the outer vines won't survive for long."

Lin Ye didn't ask it how it knew.

Qin Zhao had already moved forward.

The embers will not be spread out this time.

Instead, it was compressed into a ball.

It was poured directly into the cracks that had burst open in the rootstock.

boom!

The flames do not burn from the outside.

It exploded inside.

The dark red rhizome suddenly swelled.

Then the whole thing collapsed.

At the same time.

All the vines in the woods looked as if their bones had been removed.

One after another, they fell.

The rustling sound lasted for more than ten seconds.

It finally stopped.

Xu Mian did not lower the gun.

I waited a while longer.

It has been confirmed that there was no second wave of attacks.

Cheng Fang then allowed the technicians to come forward and take samples.

"Only take the dead roots."

"Don't touch it if it's alive."

"The samples were divided into three parts, and the contaminated area was sealed off separately."

The command was executed quickly.

No one considers this place an ordinary secret realm anymore.

A single purple jade grass can sell for millions.

Even a single leaf can be of research value.

But again.

Even a single vine can be fatal.

Resources and dangers are inextricably linked.

The group moved forward again.

This time, the drone flew even higher.

The route is no longer close to the woods.

Zhou Xiao walked in front.

He paused as he passed the scorched vine forest.

"This used to be the road."

"Outer disciples leave every day."

Lin Ye looked at him.

"And now?"

Zhou Xiao did not answer.

The answer has already been given ahead.

At the end of the stone steps.

A bluish-gray stone was stuck diagonally beside the road.

The size of a fist.

Inside the cracked stone skin, there was a milky white luster.

The Scripture of All Souls suddenly trembled.

"stop."

Lin Ye lowered his head.

"What's wrong now?"

Wanling's voice was noticeably more energetic.

"past."

Lin Ye walked over.

Squat down.

I just turned the stone over.

The milky white crystal inside was completely exposed.

The spiritual energy detector in the technician's hand jumped up instantly.

Zhou Xiao glanced at it.

His expression didn't change much.

It was like seeing something completely ordinary.

Wanling only uttered two words.

"Spirit Stones".

Lin Ye, however, did not move.

He stared at the stone in his palm that hadn't been completely peeled away yet.

A few seconds later.

Look up and see the entire valley ahead.

If you can find spirit stones even by the roadside.

Beneath Hidden Peak Mountain...

How many were buried exactly?