Chapter 531  Final Preparations 3: Ancient Banyan Tree

If there happened to be a spy among them, that person wouldn’t be able to secretly communicate through mental links to coordinate any schemes against them. Any communication would have to be done openly, or through suspicious movements that would immediately draw attention.

And if there were multiple spies planted among the different packs, they would still be forced to interact in the open if they wanted to cooperate.

That alone would make them stand out.

Zion and Maxwell had been quietly observing everyone throughout the journey. If anyone tried to slip away under some excuse or behaved oddly, they would quickly notice and narrow down their list of suspects.

In this way, any hidden spy would eventually expose themselves.

Most importantly, this would likely be the last opportunity for any spies planted by their enemies to make a move. If they wanted to sabotage the creation of the teleportation portal, they would have to act now.

However, disrupting Archmage Elric’s side would be extremely difficult. Archmage Elric himself was overseeing the construction of the teleportation portal and personally supervising every step of the process. With someone of his experience and vigilance guarding the procedure, any attempt to interfere there would almost certainly fail.

Because of that, the only realistic target left for sabotage was the material-gathering team led by Zion and Maxwell.

If the spies intended to disrupt the teleportation portal creation plan, then interfering with their mission to collect the final materials would be their best and perhaps only chance.

After hearing the mage’s report, Zion briefly glanced at Maxwell, who was running beside him. The two exchanged a quick look before Zion gave a short nod of agreement.

Their pace immediately slowed, allowing the werewolf carrying the mage to move ahead and take the lead. Guided by the mage’s directions, the wolf adjusted its course while the rest of the group followed closely behind.

It didn’t take long before they came to a halt in front of a massive banyan tree.

The sight alone was enough to make anyone pause.

The tree’s trunk was so enormous that it would likely take twenty tall men linking hands just to encircle it. Thick aerial roots hung down from the sprawling branches like countless twisting vines, each one as thick as a snake.

Under the dim canopy of the surrounding forest, the dangling roots swayed slightly with the wind, giving the unsettling impression that they were slowly writhing.

No matter where one looked, the tree carried an eerie presence, almost as if the ancient giant itself was alive and silently watching them.

“Here! This is it!” one of the mages exclaimed in astonishment.

He stared at the massive banyan tree, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement. “This is an ancient spiritual banyan tree! And judging by the density of mana flowing through it, there’s a high probability that an active mana vein lies beneath its roots.”

The mage could barely hide his amazement as he felt the strong waves of mana pulsing from the ancient tree. To him, it was like standing beside a natural fountain of magical energy, the air around it thick with power.

“Don’t get distracted,” the mage who appeared to be their leader reminded them firmly. “We don’t have time to admire it right now.”

He stepped forward as he continued, his tone turning practical. “For now, we’ll gather some of the tree’s bark and mark this location on our map. We can return later to harvest more. Once processed, the magical bark can be used to craft high-quality magic scrolls.”

His gaze briefly swept over the massive roots before he added, “And at that time, we can properly investigate whether there truly is a mana vein beneath the tree’s main root system.”

As he spoke, the mage walked toward the enormous banyan tree. From his pouch, he took out a small knife that resembled an ordinary fruit knife.

But before he began harvesting, he quietly started chanting an incantation over the blade.

Soft threads of mana flowed around the knife as the spell took effect. The enchantment ensured that when the blade cut into the bark, it wouldn’t damage the bark’s magical properties. Instead, it would immediately seal the mana along the edges of the cut, preventing it from leaking out.

Without such precautions, the separated bark would quickly lose its stored mana and become nothing more than ordinary wood, useless for magical applications.

“Right. Then focus on the gathering, we’ll protect you with a barrier,” one of the other mages said firmly.

The remaining mages immediately gathered together, raising their staffs as they began chanting a different incantation in unison.

Meanwhile, Zion, Maxwell, and the rest of the warriors shifted back into their human forms as they watched the scene unfold. At first, they were slightly puzzled by what the mages meant by protection.

They instinctively scanned their surroundings, their sharp senses searching for any hidden enemies nearby. Yet no matter how carefully they looked, they couldn’t detect any approaching monsters or lurking threats.

For a brief moment, Zion and Maxwell assumed the mages were simply guarding against the possibility of spies. It wouldn’t be strange if Archmage Elric had warned them beforehand to stay cautious.

However, that assumption lasted only a second.

The moment the harvesting mage stepped within the banyan tree’s range, the hanging aerial roots, those thick, snake-like vines surrounding the tree, suddenly began to move.

What had looked like ordinary roots now writhed violently like living serpents.

Then, without warning, they lashed out toward the approaching mage.

Hundreds of the vines whipped through the air simultaneously, striking toward him as if the tree itself were defending its territory and refusing to let anyone approach its trunk.

Fortunately, the barrier erected by the other mages held firm. Each lash slammed against the shimmering magical shield instead of the mage himself.

But the sheer number of attacking vines made the defense incredibly taxing. With hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of roots striking again and again, maintaining the barrier required immense concentration and mana.

At that moment, Zion and Maxwell finally understood why the four mages had joined forces to sustain the protective barrier.

“Hurry up with the harvest! We can’t hold the barrier much longer!” one of the four mages shouted through gritted teeth. His hands trembled as he struggled to maintain the spell, his mana draining at an alarming rate as the barrier flickered under the mounting pressure.

“On it! Just hold on a little longer!” the mage harvesting the bark shouted back.

Even as he spoke, a thin layer of sweat began forming on his forehead. The pressure was mounting quickly.

After identifying the banyan tree as an ancient spiritual tree, he already understood what they were dealing with. Such trees weren’t ordinary magical plants. After absorbing mana from the earth for centuries, they would gradually develop a faint sense of awareness and instinct.

And this particular one clearly knew how valuable it was.

Every part of its body, its bark, roots, leaves, and sap, was highly sought after by both mages and monsters. Not only did the tree constantly emit rich mana into its surroundings, but even fragments of its body could be refined into powerful magical ingredients.