Uncle Nine: Scattering beans to create soldiers? I'm using plants and trees to create soldiers.

"He's dead?!"

Lin Xuan stood behind the altar, watching this scene with a somewhat strange expression.

This leader of the Yellow Heaven Sect sacrificed five fellow disciples to forcibly break through to the Grand Master realm. He had previously appeared arrogant and ready to fight Uncle Nine to the death.

As a result, his master only released the pressure of a mid-stage Earth Master, and he was scared to death on the spot.

"Master's Taoist cultivation is profound!"

"No need to draw a sword; the mere aura is enough to kill a grand mage. My disciple has truly broadened his horizons today!"

Lin Xuan spoke sincerely, his voice filled with respect and envy.

Uncle Nine, who had been calm, raised his eyebrows slightly upon hearing this.

If it were Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai praising him instead, he would most likely just think that these two brats were trying to cheat and get away with punishment by saying a few nice words.

But if Lin Xuan said those words, it would be a completely different story.

Lin Xuan was his most valued disciple.

With extraordinary talent and a bright future, becoming a Celestial Master in the future is practically a certainty!

Listening to Lin Xuan's compliments, Uncle Jiu felt relaxed and comfortable!

However, in front of his disciples, he maintained his dignity as a master and simply waved his hand dismissively.

"This person practices heretical methods, and his foundation is fundamentally weak."

"Just now, he forcibly extracted the vital essence from the five internal organs of five fellow disciples, attempting to break through to the Great Mage level. Although his cultivation level seems to have increased dramatically, in reality, his five internal organs are out of balance, and evil forces are clashing."

"I merely used my aura to suppress him, causing the evil power within him to spiral out of control prematurely."

Uncle Nine looked at Lin Xuan, his tone becoming more serious.

"Ah Xuan, there are no shortcuts on the path of cultivation. Even if there were, there would always be a hidden price to pay!"

"No matter what opportunities you encounter in the future, you must stay true to yourself and not go down the evil path that harms others and yourself for the sake of a little bit of cultivation in the present."

"Disciple understands." Lin Xuan nodded slightly.

He possesses the Myriad Spirits Seed Dao System, which grants him a wealth of insights and cultivation each time he harvests plants!

These insights always lead in the right direction, which makes Lin Xuan's foundation become increasingly solid, and he doesn't have to worry about going astray.

As for the shortcut Master mentioned... what shortcut could possibly yield a faster return than planting your own crops?!

However, Uncle Nine's advice was well-intentioned, so Lin Xuan naturally wouldn't refute it.

Immediately, Lin Xuan's gaze swept across his surroundings.

The five Huangtian Sect alchemists who had participated in the earlier siege were all dead. As for the four scaly infants, they escaped into the darkness while she was dealing with the evil cultivators.

Now, their whereabouts are unknown.

"Master~~ those four water monsters escaped while we weren't paying attention."

Lin Xuan spoke up.

"They're just four water monsters at the Taoist realm, and they're injured. They can't go far." Uncle Nine didn't seem to care when he heard this. "You stay here and guard the altar. I'll go and catch them."

As soon as he finished speaking, Uncle Nine lightly tapped his foot.

Swish!

It was like a gray afterimage flashing through the rain.

The next moment, he had already covered more than ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) and disappeared at the village entrance in a few flashes.

Lin Xuan looked in the direction where Uncle Nine had left and sighed to himself.

The gap between the realm of a geomancer and the realm of a Taoist priest is indeed as vast as an insurmountable chasm.

He is now a late-stage Taoist, with three perfected body spirits within him, abundant Taoist energy, and a physique superior to other cultivators of the same level!

If we also consider the numerous methods such as the Water Palace Army, the Golden-Patterned Soul-Suppressing Vine, Little Gold, the Golden Light Mantra, and the blessing of the altar, etc.

Even when facing an ordinary early-stage mage, Lin Xuan was confident that he could hold his own and even defeat him!

However, it is still a long way to go if one truly possesses the resources to thrive in chaotic times!

However, Lin Xuan was not discouraged.

Given enough time to cultivate the spiritual plants in the backyard to maturity, not to mention a geomancer, even a celestial master or a true immortal might not be unable to achieve that level in the future.

Boom!

A streak of lightning suddenly flashed across the distant horizon.

Lightning illuminated the mountains and forests outside the village.

Faintly, a sharp, piercing scream seemed to come from the depths of the rain.

Clearly, Uncle Nine has caught up with the escaped baby monster.

Lin Xuan withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the distance not far away.

Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai were still lying in the mud.

The two men's acupoints were sealed by the incense master's evil energy, rendering them unable to move and leaving them only able to watch helplessly.

Especially his literary talent.

He lay face down by the puddle, two rotten blades of grass that had somehow washed up on him, still clinging to the corners of his mouth.

He looked incredibly disheveled.

Lin Xuan strode forward, grabbed one of them by the collar with each hand, and pulled them out of the puddle like two drowned chickens.

"Hold on tight."

Golden light appeared in Lin Xuan's palm, and he patted the backs of the two people. The gentle and pure golden light entered their bodies through their meridians.

The evil energy remaining in the two people's acupoints melted away as quickly as ice and snow meeting the blazing sun the moment it came into contact with the golden light.

"Ahem!"

As soon as Wen Cai regained his mobility, he immediately lay down on the ground and spat out several mouthfuls of muddy water mixed with grass and leaves.

"vomit!"

"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!"

He kept vomiting while frantically wiping his tongue with his hands, his whole face scrunched up.

Qiu Sheng wiped the mud off his face, moved his sore and numb wrists a few times, and first respectfully bowed to Lin Xuan.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

After he finished speaking, he caught a glimpse of Wencai lying on the ground spitting out water, and the corners of his mouth immediately curled up uncontrollably.

"Wencai, I never knew you had this kind of hobby."

"Have they gotten tired of the well water at the mortuary and switched to the muddy water from Lingxi Village?"

"If you like, I'll find a water tank when we get back and fill a few buckets for you. I guarantee it'll be enough for you to drink until the New Year."

Wen Cai was already seething with anger, and upon hearing this, he immediately jumped up.

"Qiu Sheng, stop gloating!"

"Who was it that was just thrown into the puddle like a dead dog?"

"You were just lucky you landed with your mouth shut!"

Qiu Sheng crossed his arms, looking smug.

"Luck is also a part of strength."

"Besides, I'm not like some people who fall down and then try to catch water in their mouths."

"You!" Wen Cai's face flushed red, and he rolled up his sleeves, ready to make a move.

Lin Xuan's face darkened as he saw that the two were about to start arguing again.

That's enough.

The sound wasn't loud, but it froze Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai in place.

"Stop making a scene!"

"Go, collect all the magical artifacts from these evil cultivators. Also, search them to see if they have anything else usable."

Lin Xuan pointed to the several corpses on the ground and spoke.

"Yes, Senior Brother!"

Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai quickly lowered their heads and said.

Then, the two exchanged a glance, each snorted coldly, and turned to walk in different directions.

Lin Xuanze came to the body of the incense master. Although the incense master was dead, his soul had not yet dissipated.

Next, Lin Xuan took out a Soul-Collecting Talisman from his system inventory.

With his left hand forming a mudra and his right hand holding the talisman, he chanted a spell in a low voice.

"The spirit leaves the body, and the soul returns to the talisman."

"receive!"

The talisman trembled slightly.

A grayish-white aura slowly rose from the body of the incense master, transforming into a semi-transparent soul.

The moment the soul appeared, it tried to struggle, but a cinnabar rune lit up on the soul-collecting talisman, forcibly drawing it into it.

A blurry, distorted human face appeared on the surface of the talisman. Lin Xuan folded the soul-gathering talisman and sealed its opening with Dao Qi.

When Uncle Nine returns, we can interrogate this person and see if we can find the location of the Yellow Heaven Sect's branch altar.

After doing all that, he turned his gaze to the yellow celestial fire lamp beside him.

The lamp lay fallen in the mud, but its pale yellow light did not go out.

After the changes just now, the wick became a deeper yellow, with a faint hint of blood.

The attribute panel appeared before Lin Xuan's eyes.

[Huangtian Tai Huo Deng]

[Quality: White]

【Special Qualities: Huangya Dafa (Yellow Sprout Great Method) - Incomplete, Fetal Fire Eroding the Spirit】

......

Within the white light representing quality, a green that is now more pronounced than before has emerged.

The incense master had just used this lamp to extract the essence and remnant souls of five alchemists, which not only strengthened himself but also greatly benefited the Yellow Heavenly Embryo Fire Lamp.

Given the current situation, if this artifact absorbs the souls and essence of a few more evil cultivators of the same origin, it might truly transform into a green-quality artifact.

Once it completes its transformation, Lin Xuan will find a way to dispel the evil energy within it, which can then be used as a medium to enlighten the spiritual plant.

Lin Xuan raised his hand and put the Yellow Heavenly Fire Lamp into his system inventory.

Not long after, Qiu Sheng came over carrying two items.

A yellowed wooden sign and a small stone tower.

"Senior Brother, we've found just these two items."

"That wooden sign was just punched by a water soldier, and it looks like it's cracked."

Lin Xuan took the wooden plaque and examined it.

[Huangya Town Dirty Brand]

Grade: Gray (damaged, originally white)

[Description: Made from century-old locust wood, soaked in the essence of the five internal organs, and then carved with the Yellow Heaven Secret Text...]

[Entry: Huangya Dafa (Remnant)]

......

Sure enough, there were several obvious cracks on the surface of the card, and much of the inner meaning had dissipated, causing its quality to drop from white to gray.

However, the foundation is still there. If it is gradually nurtured with incense and Taoist energy, it should be able to return to its white color.

The stone tower was in much better condition.

Although the surface was covered with a lot of mud and water, the internal structure was perfectly intact and still maintained its white quality.

The Five Yin Qi Refining Tower

Grade: White

[Description: A seven-tiered pagoda carved from the dark stone of a tomb, with runes for refining the Qi of the five internal organs engraved inside...]

[Entry: Huangya Dafa (Remnant)]

......

Lin Xuan put both items away.

At this moment, Wencai also returned carrying a five-colored banner.

Upon seeing Qiu Sheng, he let out another heavy snort and turned his head to the other side.

Not to be outdone, Qiu Sheng also turned his head away.

Lin Xuan glanced at the two of them, shook his head slightly, and reached out to take the five-colored banner.

Five distorted human figures were embroidered on the banner, and faint traces of soul energy remained inside.

【Five Qi Soul-Capturing Banner】

Grade: White

[Description: Made primarily of yin silkworm silk, it contains five essences corresponding to the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys...]

[Entry: Huangya Dafa (Remnant)]

......

Looking at the soul banner before him, a thought flashed through Lin Xuan's mind.

If in the future a similar soul banner could be crafted from herbs and wood, and then incorporating terms like spirit dwelling and soul nourishment, perhaps a herb version of the "Ten Thousand Soul Banner" could be created.

Ordinary Ten Thousand Soul Banners are refined using human souls as offerings, making them extremely insidious.

But his grass and wood spirit banner can be used to contain evil spirits and nourish rampant soldiers.

The rampaging soldiers usually reside there, nourished by incense and the spiritual energy of plants.

When encountering the enemy, Lin Xuan would then wave the banner to mobilize troops.

As the banner unfurled, wild grass and trees unleashed their army in formation.

Its power might not be inferior to the White Lotus Sect's "Yuandun Precious Scroll".

Lin Xuan noted this idea in his mind and put the Five-Colored Banner into his system inventory.

Then, he went to the wall and removed the Five Qi Soul-Destroying Bell, putting it away with him.

Finally, Lin Xuan returned to the altar.

The crab general still stood to one side, and within its transparent body in the water, a palm-sized yellow clay demon statue was sealed.

Lin Xuan raised his hand and made a gesture.

The water inside the crab's belly surged and transformed into a golden chain, delivering the small clay figure into Lin Xuan's hands.

Lin Xuan examined the yellow clay evil embryo statue closely; it was quite similar to his own grass-root soldier magic.

They all use external objects as carriers, then infuse them with Dharma intent or spirituality, transforming them into puppets capable of fighting.

That clay figure, which was taller than a person, was indeed quite powerful.

Not only is it extremely powerful, but it can also absorb the surrounding soil to continuously repair its body.

If it weren't for the fact that the shrimp soldiers and crab generals received multiple buffs from the white-quality "Golden Light Mantra," the Water Vein Diagram Domain, and the Golden Pattern Soul-Suppressing Vine, it wouldn't have been so easy to shatter them head-on.

The reason it could unleash such power, besides being enhanced by the Five Yin Killing Array, was primarily due to the incomplete "Yellow Sprout Great Technique".

Huang Tianjiao, the alchemist, nourished the evil embryo with the essence of the five internal organs, causing the clay statue to grow continuously like a medicinal seedling.

The five internal organs correspond to the five elements, and wood is one of the five elements, which governs growth and development.

Plant growth is achieved by drawing water and soil energy from the earth's veins and then using the essence of the sun and moon to complete the cycle of the five elements.

If the part of the "Yellow Sprout Great Method" that plunders the essence of flesh and blood could be removed and replaced with incense, spiritual liquid, earth energy, and one's own Dao energy to nourish plants, it might form a cultivation technique specifically for promoting the growth of spiritual plants and strengthening their original essence.

It can even be applied to grass soldiers, which can further enhance the carrying capacity and combat power of grass soldiers.

Moreover, the Yellow Sprout Great Method originated from the internal cultivation method of the five internal organs.

If Lin Xuan can harvest the complete Dao Fruit, he might be able to use it to harmonize his five internal organs and advance the next stage of his cultivation of the "Huang Ting Jing".

Currently, all six evil artifacts have this entry. Once it is fully developed, the proficiency level will definitely increase significantly!

My anticipation grew stronger; I needed to find a suitable plant quickly and dispel the evil spirits emanating from it.

Lin Xuan added the Yellow Mud Evil Embryo Image to his system inventory.

Just then, a whooshing sound suddenly came from afar.

He looked up.

Uncle Jiu's figure emerged from the village entrance, stepping through the rain.

The four scaly infants were strung together with a golden magic rope, each with a talisman affixed to its head, and were casually dragged behind Uncle Nine.

Uncle Nine arrived at the altar and flicked his wrist slightly.

Bang bang bang!

The four strange babies fell into the mud one after another and remained motionless.

"It's all here."

"They fled downstream, seemingly trying to escape along the waterways. If we had been any later, they might have actually burrowed into the underground river."

Lin Xuan glanced at the four strange infants, then took out the soul-collecting talisman that contained the incense master's soul.

"Master, I have captured Zhang Fan's soul."

"He is the leader of the Yellow Heaven Sect, so he might know the location of nearby branch altars."

Uncle Nine took the Soul-Collecting Talisman, a hint of approval appearing in his eyes.

"Well done."

He came to the altar, held the soul-collecting talisman between his fingers, and made a soul-questioning mudra with his other hand.

"The soul returns to the three inches, the spirit guards the altar."

"wake up!"

Uncle Nine pointed a finger at the center of the talisman.

hum!

The talisman trembled violently, and the twisted soul of the incense master slowly floated out of the talisman.

His expression was blank, his eyes were lifeless, and dark red evil patterns were wrapped around his body.

Uncle Nine infused a wisp of magical energy into his body and asked in a deep voice:

Where did the Yellow Heaven Sect establish its branch altars?

The incense master's lips trembled slightly.

"The branch altar...is located at..."

The moment he uttered those words, a dark red light suddenly shone from the depths of his soul.

A violent and unstable aura rose from within the soul.

Uncle Nine's eyes changed slightly, and he immediately pointed his finger at the center of the incense master's forehead.

Pure Dao Qi surged into the soul, forcefully suppressing the red light that was about to erupt.

"Soul-Sealing Spell!"

Uncle Nine frowned slightly.

"The Yellow Heaven Sect left a restriction deep within his soul."

"If any questions are asked about matters concerning the core of the sect, the restriction will immediately detonate the soul."

Lin Xuan looked at the four strange infants on the ground, thought for a moment and said, "Since we can't ask the Yellow Heaven Sect, let's ask these water monsters."

Uncle Nine nodded slightly and asked again, "Do you know the origin of these four water monsters?"

This time, the restriction deep within the soul did not immediately activate.

The struggle on the incense master's face lessened slightly, and his lips opened and closed intermittently.

"I...I know..."

"They...were attracted by the aura of the water vein diagram..."

"It's from the Li family... a type of aquatic seed..."

"The Li family?" Lin Xuan's gaze narrowed slightly.

He remembered the blurry character "木" (wood) on the bottom of the Xuan Turtle Water-Suppressing Stone.

He had suspected from the beginning that the character was incomplete.

If there are missing strokes above or below the character “木”, it is indeed possible to form the character “李”.

Could it be that the evil cultivator who set up the Xuan Turtle Water-Suppressing Stone and used corpses to refine gods in Beiqing River was also related to this Li family?

Uncle Nine clearly realized the problem and continued to ask, "Which Li family?"

The incense master's soul trembled violently.

"Yes...yes..."

"plum......"

Before he could utter the last word, all the dark red evil patterns in his soul suddenly lit up.

Uncle Nine's gaze darkened, and his vast Dao Qi swiftly enveloped the incense master's soul.

However, the restriction had long since merged with the soul.

puff!

A soft sound!

The incense master's soul exploded from the inside, turning into countless gray-white light spots.

The violent soul power impacted the Dao Qi barrier set up by Uncle Nine, only causing a few minor ripples before being completely obliterated.

A moment later, the incense master's soul completely dissipated.

Lin Xuan looked at the empty Soul-Gathering Talisman with slight regret.

"pity."

"We only managed to find out that the family is named Li, but we don't even know their specific background."

Uncle Nine retracted his fingers, his expression quite calm.

"It's normal that you can't get an answer from them."

"These cults have been able to survive to this day because they have methods to prevent their members from leaking secrets."

"If we could just grab any incense master and find out all the secrets, the Yellow Heaven Sect would have been uprooted by all the other sects long ago."

Lin Xuan nodded gently, "Master is right."

Although their specific identities were not obtained, the inscription "Li Family Water Seed" and the remaining characters on the Xuan Turtle Water-Suppressing Stone corroborated each other.

At least it can be confirmed that, besides the Yellow Heaven Sect, there is another force that is skilled in water magic and raises strange infants, hiding in the shadows.