Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

"Lord Bai, this opportunity is not easy to come by, is it?"

Two guardians blocked Bai Donglin's path from the front and back. They had been watching the battle from this spot for about fifteen minutes.

In their view, the magistrate's cultivation level had indeed not improved at all, remaining at the third level of the Foundation Establishment stage.

The two guardians themselves had only recently broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage. In the Short Life Realm, even a difference of just one level was a significant gap.

Although Bai Donglin was helpless against the strange heavenly lightning, if people really started fighting, they probably wouldn't gain any advantage either.

One of them said, "Since you, sir, cannot accept this opportunity, why don't we join forces?"

Cooperation?

Bai Donglin was somewhat surprised. He had already broken ties with the ancestral hall, but these two protectors wanted to cooperate with him. Something was wrong... something was definitely not right...

After careful consideration, Bai Donglin revealed a sly smile, and said:

"It seems you two have lofty ambitions. Very well! I will cooperate with you."

The three reached a consensus, and one of the protectors immediately took out several talismans from his sleeve and handed them to Bai Donglin.

He took several sheets of yellow paper covered with various runes. "Firebird runes?"

"This willow tree itself can generate fire, so I'm afraid it's useless."

But the two protectors leaned close to his ear and whispered:

"No matter how strange this willow tree is, it's not just one willow tree..."

"If we just burn down the surrounding forests, and the fire spreads, how can those willow trees grow legs and run away?"

Bai Donglin understood immediately. "Okay, this plan will work!"

There's no need to confront the willow tree directly; simply staying behind and observing from the sidelines is enough. Even if this plan fails, the only loss will be a few talismans.

He and the two protectors immediately sprang into action, traversing the dense forest according to their plan.

Every mile along the way, a firebird talisman was detonated, and instantly, flames filled the sky behind Shuitian Village.

Crimson flames climbed high to the mountaintop, illuminating the silent night as bright as day.

Chen Hong and the villagers of Shuitian Village looked at the blazing fire, and some of them began to feel afraid and hurriedly said:

"Let's escape first... If we stay here, we'll probably be burned to ashes!"

For a moment, panic gripped the crowd, but Chen Hong grabbed Li Laosi and shouted to the crowd:

"You go first, we, the Chen family, swear to follow Lord Xianliu to the death!"

He seemed to see himself in the blazing firelight, transforming from an ordinary farmer into someone who, through the guidance of the immortal willow, was able to embark on the path of cultivation.

Chen Hong wouldn't leave, but his resolve failed to persuade the others to stay. This hastily assembled group was now either fleeing or scattering...

Soon, only he and Li Laosi remained on the shore, completely surrounded by the raging wildfire.

The two ran to the willow tree, and several willow branches immediately and consciously wrapped around them.

A layer of bluish light gradually appeared on the emerald green willow branches. Chen Hong and Li Laosi felt a cool sensation flow into them, and they felt more confident in the face of the wildfire that was about to burn them.

"Sir, is there anything we can do for you?"

"Stay here and watch carefully."

Ye Xuan's words were utterly calm, as if he could extinguish the raging wildfire in an instant.

Countless willow branches swayed without wind, appearing extremely eerie from a distance, as if the willow tree had suddenly gone mad.

Bai Donglin and the others, who were watching the wildfire spread, naturally did not know what Ye Xuan was planning. They still believed that even if a willow tree could cause some celestial phenomena, it would not be able to easily extinguish the fire.

However, the next moment.

A faint blue halo appeared on countless willow branches, and in the calm lake, the water suddenly changed with the willow branches and surged violently!

The thickest willow branch, like Ye Xuan's arm, swung freely in mid-air.

The surging lake water swayed along with the willow branch.

Before their very eyes, the lake water surged skyward! A deluge of water rained down on the raging fire, quickly extinguishing the blaze…

Chen Hong and Li Laosi were overjoyed, exclaiming, "Lord Immortal Willow is incredibly powerful!"

Bai Donglin and the others looked extremely grim. He didn't know if he had truly seen through Liu Shu's weakness or if he was just bluffing.

"Using such magic, the willow tree must have suffered some loss..."

Bai Donglin muttered to himself, but the next second his expression became incredibly resolute, "Go!"

He rushed out first, and Bai Donglin stood on his sword, once again arriving in front of that unpredictable immortal willow.

He saw Duan facing forward, his fingertips radiating spiritual energy, a flash of cold light appearing.

At the same time, the two guardians stopped being stunned and detonated the talismans in their hands. Two huge firebirds then circled around the willow tree.

The three took their positions, and their spells fell simultaneously!

Bai Donglin thought he was about to succeed, but then he saw three bolts of heavenly lightning strike straight down on them before they could generate their new strength.

The spells on both sides exploded almost simultaneously, instantly creating a cloud of dust. Although Bai Donglin and the others had activated their spiritual power to protect themselves, they were still knocked back several meters.

"Um?"

When the smoke cleared, the willow tree stood there peacefully, without the slightest damage...

A sense of fear instantly arose in the hearts of the three, a fear of being powerless despite their best efforts.

Bai Donglin prided himself on being worldly-wise, but faced with the willow tree before him, he was so astonished that he couldn't utter a single word, finally managing to utter two slow, deliberate words—

"Fairy Willow..."

He had initially thought that the story of the immortal willow was just an exaggeration by his servants, but after experiencing it firsthand, he realized that it was indeed no ordinary thing!

The fear in Bai Donglin's heart gradually disappeared, and instead, he showed signs of madness.

Looking back on his years of cultivation without any progress, he never believed it was due to a lack of talent, but rather because he hadn't encountered the right opportunity.

Now that such a tremendous opportunity is right in front of us, how can we give it up so easily?

He took out a brown pill from his pocket, swallowed it, and the last glimmer of light in Bai Donglin's eyes disappeared.

Seeing this, the two guardians realized that Bai Donglin was going to fight to the death, so they quickly fled to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Ye Xuan silently observed the group, feeling somewhat bored. "If you can't beat them, you take drugs?"

He was quite curious to see what the pill Bai Donglin had swallowed would turn it into—would its muscles and tendons swell up, or would it grow fur and become a wild beast?

But after the series of trivial matters just now, the spiritual power contained in the willow was not much left, so he picked up a willow branch.

The next second, a thick willow branch flashed past and pierced through Bai Donglin's chest!

A blue halo spread across the magistrate's chest, and a celestial seed appeared, instantly being buried within his flesh and blood.

After a few breaths, Bai Donglin gradually lost his breath, and the immortal seed in his body had broken through his flesh and blood, sprouting new tender shoots.

The two guardians watched from across the river as the tender shoot grew larger and larger, increasing in height by an inch almost every second...

Before long, a fairy seed grew into a willow sapling.

After Bai Donglin fell to the ground, the roots of the willow seedling pierced through the flesh on his back and sank deep into the soil.