Junior sister, I really need to control you.

On Xuanzhen Peak, in front of the array that steals spiritual energy.

Faced with Li Yinsheng's threat, the five people from Huanghe Temple, after their initial shock and confusion, all revealed a ridiculous and laughable expression.

Senior Brother Yang raised his sword, which had been hanging down, again, shook his head, and chuckled, "Fellow Daoist Li is quite witty..."

"Buzz—"

The dazzling blade light flashed and disappeared in everyone's eyes.

Senior Brother Yang's magic sword flew high into the air, its shimmering blue light flashing a few times before extinguishing like a candle flame and falling to the ground.

Senior Brother Yang's arm, which was holding the sword, was like a withered branch in a gale, forming an extremely unnatural angle and trembling violently.

At the same time, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and dark bloodstains quickly spread across his gray-yellow sleeves.

Senior Brother Yang stared at Li Yinsheng in utter shock.

He didn't even see what had just happened. He only saw a flash before his eyes, and then he lost control of his magical weapon. His arm holding the sword went numb, and his magical power was shaking violently, causing him to suffer severe internal injuries.

As for whether the person in front of him was using some kind of profound magic or a high-grade magic artifact, he had no way of knowing.

Before Senior Brother Yang and the four people behind him whose expressions had suddenly changed could speak, Li Yinsheng pressed down with his backhand, and his object manipulation technique landed on them.

The five people suddenly felt an immense pressure on their bodies and collapsed without a sound, their magical artifacts falling to the ground.

Logically speaking, the art of manipulating objects is only for the convenience of daily life and is difficult to use against enemies, but when the difference in cultivation levels between the two sides is large enough, it becomes an exception.

Li Yinsheng paid no attention to the scattered mid-grade magic weapons. Instead, he raised his hand and took the high-grade magic sword that had fallen to the ground and lost its luster into his palm.

My top-grade magic artifact! Don't break it! It's worth hundreds of thousands of talisman coins!

While probing the magical artifact with his divine sense, Li Yinsheng also glanced at his seriously injured senior brother Yang with great disdain.

Dude, how come you're so weak?

If my superior magic weapon is damaged because you are too weak, I will never forgive you!

Fortunately, after a thorough and meticulous inspection, Li Yinsheng confirmed that the magic sword in his hand was completely unharmed.

Although the user was a useless person, causing the sword to be knocked away in an instant, it was still a high-grade magic weapon, and its sturdiness was beyond question.

As for the extinguishing of its precious light, it was simply because its master was seriously injured and unable to maintain it.

Only after confirming that the superior-grade magic sword was unharmed did Li Yinsheng breathe a sigh of relief—this thing was much more expensive than the array he had bought on credit.

The immense magical power poured into the sword, and within a few breaths, it completely dispelled the restrictions left by the original owner. Senior Brother Yang, who was lying on the ground, spat out another mouthful of blood due to the backlash.

Li Yinsheng roughly refined a portion of this superior-grade magic sword. With a thought, a bright blue sword light, several times stronger than before, shone forth, as if illuminating the entire sword body.

He released his grip, and a blue light, like a swimming fish, swept across the heads of the five people from Huanghe Temple, passing back and forth more than ten times in a single breath.

The shimmering blue sword energy swirled and flowed around, and even from a distance of ten feet, the grass on the ground was torn and rolled up by the crisscrossing sword energy.

The five members of Songhe Temple lying on the ground had their Taoist robes torn to shreds by the sword energy, and each of them had more than a dozen crisscrossing wounds on their backs, with blood flowing freely.

Li Yinsheng recalled the Dharma Sword, his face beaming with joy.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a top-grade magic artifact!

This sword doesn't even need any additional incantations; just a few flicks and its power surpasses that of melee combat.

The sword energy that had just surrounded the sword could not even be considered a real attack; it was merely the residual power that had spontaneously dissipated.

Just like how a tiger's fur feels rough and prickly to the touch of an ordinary person, this is only because human hands are too delicate compared to a tiger's. In fact, this fur is not a means for tigers to fight and hunt.

If Li Yinsheng had truly unleashed the power of his magic sword, the five people, even if not sliced ​​into minced meat, would have been scattered all over the ground.

Of course, Li Yinsheng did not intend to actually kill them.

Firstly, the precepts of the Zhengyang lineage are very strict. While simply stealing treasure might be somewhat acceptable, killing someone to steal treasure is far too heinous, and the lineage will definitely hold them accountable.

This is also the main reason why, despite the decline of Xuanzhen Temple for so many years, no one has dared to openly bully their widowed uncle and nephew.

Secondly, if we really kill them, how will we get the ransom?

He put the magic sword back into his Qiankun bag, raised his hand and took the Qiankun bags of the five people on the ground, as well as their scattered magic artifacts, into his palm. He erased the original owner's mark and began to examine the contents of the Qiankun bags.

A moment later, Li Yinsheng gave them another look of utter disdain.

"Pills, talismans, magic tools, medicinal herbs... You have quite a lot of things in your bags, but why don't you have much money for talismans?" Li Yinsheng shook his head repeatedly.

The five storage bags, although the contents of each bag were worth tens of thousands of talismans in total, contained very little cash, totaling just over thirty thousand.

Those who aspire to cultivate by accumulating talisman coins need cash in hand.

Previously, Li Yinsheng gave Mu Xiaoyu a Qiankun bag, but the savings section didn't increase at all.

"Don't you guys have any habit of saving money at all?" Li Yinsheng looked at the five of them, shaking his head repeatedly, his tone filled with a hint of exasperation: "You should know that you only realize how little money you have when you need it."

The five people on the ground stared wide-eyed, wanting to say something, but under the suppression of the object manipulation technique, they couldn't utter a sound at all.

Otherwise, their screams would have blended together when the sword energy was crisscrossing.

Li Yinsheng slightly released the suppression of the object manipulation technique on Senior Brother Yang, allowing him to speak.

"Fellow Daoist Li...no, no, no, Senior Li, Senior Li!" Senior Brother Yang, lying on the ground with his face covered in blood, cried out in a panic, "We were blind and offended you, Senior!"

"We know we were wrong. We offer up all our possessions, begging only that you spare our lives, senior! We beg you!"

Even while lying on the ground, Senior Brother Yang didn't forget to kowtow as he spoke, his face stained with blood and dirt.

"Relax, do I look like a bloodthirsty person?" Li Yinsheng smiled. "You're the leader of this group, right? Do you remember what I just said?"

"The senior said... said... compensation! Compensation for stealing the Spirit Essence! And ransom, ransom!"

Senior Brother Yang seemed to have grasped at a straw and hurriedly said.

"Senior! I'm willing to relay your message! Please seal the meridians of my four junior brothers and sisters and take them back to be detained! I will definitely convey your words to the temple and have them bring talismans and money to apologize and redeem them!"

He sensed from Li Yinsheng's disdainful complaints that Li Yinsheng probably preferred talisman coins to valuable treasures.

As soon as Senior Brother Yang spoke, the four people behind him who had been panicking immediately glared at him angrily, gritting their teeth.

If he weren't speechless, he probably would have already started cursing.

But there was nothing Senior Brother Yang could do.

As the unlucky guy who took a direct hit from a melee attack, even though the attack only struck his magic sword, he was still seriously injured by the shockwave.

In addition, the backlash from having his magical artifact and Qiankun bag erased from their bondage twice has left him feeling like his meridians are in complete disarray, with his arm injury being particularly severe. If he doesn't return to the Guanzhong Hospital for treatment soon, he fears it will leave him with serious long-term health problems.

So he had no choice but to sell his junior brothers and sisters.

As for what decision the abbot and the stewards will make after he returns to the Taoist temple and explains the situation—whether to let the matter rest or to retaliate—that is beyond his control.

All he wants to do right now is run away.

"You're quite sensible," Li Yinsheng smiled. "Good, it's always better to be sensible than not."

Senior Brother Yang suddenly felt the pressure on his body ease. He had been squeezing his meridians and circulating his magic power to hold on, but suddenly felt relaxed and spat out another mouthful of blood.

But he didn't even bother to wipe himself; he quickly got up and bowed, saying, "Thank you so much for sparing my life, senior. I'll go and deliver the message right away! I'll go right away!"

After saying that, he turned to run away, but Li Yinsheng suddenly said, "Wait."

Senior Brother Yang immediately stopped and turned around to bow to Li Yinsheng.

Li Yinsheng took out the superior-grade magic sword again and asked, "What is the origin of this sword, and what is its name?"

"My sword..." Senior Brother Yang paused halfway through his sentence, then quickly corrected himself, "No, no, no, it's Senior's sword, Senior's sword."

"As far as I know, your sword was custom-made at the Forging Furnace Temple. It was refined from three thousand catties of cold iron and infused with a six-hundred-year-old blue stone."

"Therefore, this junior named it... no, it was the senior who named it... that's not right either..." Senior Brother Yang stammered, his head covered in cold sweat.

"Alright, just tell me your name," Li Yinsheng said.

"The Cold Bright Sword!" Senior Brother Yang exclaimed immediately.

"Alright, I understand. You can go now." Li Yinsheng sheathed his sword and waved his hand.

He felt a bit emotional, not expecting that this sword had a similar name to his previous magic sword, "Frosty Leaf Sword." It seemed they really were destined to meet.

"This junior takes his leave! This junior takes his leave!" Senior Brother Yang fled in panic.

Li Yinsheng looked at the remaining four people. The four people who had just been glaring angrily at Senior Brother Yang did not dare to look at Li Yinsheng at this moment, and all buried their faces in the ground.

But if they dared to raise their heads, they would see that Li Yinsheng also looked somewhat troubled.

If we want to bring these people back to Xuanzhen Temple, we'll definitely have to seal their cultivation.

However, he does not possess the magic to seal a person's cultivation level.

Or... break their limbs? And cut out their tongues?

Is that safe enough?

Spells like the Blade Technique can be used as long as one has magical power; there's no need to perform hand seals or chant incantations.

Suddenly, Li Yinsheng slapped his forehead.

How could he forget that the three people behind him were fellow Daoists from the Jade Altar Temple! Could a formation master not know a spell to seal someone's cultivation?

Thinking this, he ignored the four people on the ground, turned around and walked towards Meng Yu, who had remained silent, and cupped his hands in greeting:

"Fellow Daoist Meng, thank you for speaking up for me just now."

When Meng Yu looked at Li Yinsheng, her eyes were initially blank, then flashed with a strange light, and after a long while she returned the greeting as if she had just woken up from a dream.

"It was just a small favor, no need to be so polite. But Fellow Daoist Li... your cultivation is profound, truly admirable..."

She hesitated for a moment, but still didn't change her address to "senior".

Li Yinsheng shook his head and laughed, "It's just a minor trick, enough to deal with a few petty thieves."

This is not modesty; the two spells he just used were truly "minor tricks," it's just that his magical power was relatively profound.

"Everyone who finds it gets a share," he said with a smile, taking out five storage bags he had picked up. "Fellow Daoist Meng, take a look and see if there's anything you like inside. Pick whatever you like."

The male disciple behind Meng Yu's eyes widened immediately—this was stolen goods!

Senior Sister is the direct disciple of the Abbot; how could she share the spoils with others!

Meng Yu shook his head: "I did not contribute anything, so I should not accept any reward without merit."

"What a coincidence! I was just about to ask Fellow Daoist Meng for help!"

Li Yinsheng pointed to the four people on the ground and laughed, "I am not very interested in spells that seal cultivation, so I have never dabbled in them."

"I beg Fellow Daoist Meng to take action and seal the cultivation of these four people for me."

Meng Yu raised his hand, and a white light shot out from the center point on the jade chessboard, shining on the four people respectively, and their auras weakened.

Even after Li Yinsheng withdrew his manipulation technique, they remained motionless.

"I sealed their magic and meridians. For a month, they will be unable to cast spells and their movements will be restricted," Meng Yu said.

Li Yinsheng glanced at the jade chessboard and pondered, "Although both are top-grade magic artifacts, this chessboard is probably slightly better than the Hanming Sword, right?"

"Fellow Daoist Meng, please choose one," Li Yinsheng said, lining up the five Qiankun bags in a row.

"It's nothing, it's too much trouble," Meng Yu shook her head.

Seeing that she refused again, Li Yinsheng did not press the matter, and put away his Qiankun bag, saying, "Then consider it a small favor I owe Fellow Daoist Meng."

Meng Yu was taken aback.

If we're really talking about it, she felt that the "small favor" from this fellow Daoist in front of her, who seemed to be a few years younger than her but whose cultivation was unfathomable, might be more significant than a mid-grade magic artifact.

She was about to refuse when Li Yinsheng spoke first.

"Fellow Daoist Meng, please don't say 'I can't accept a reward without merit' or 'It's just a small favor,' because I have another matter to ask of you."

He pointed to the spirit-gathering array at Huanghe Temple that stole spiritual energy: "If this thing is dismantled and the materials are sold to Yutan Temple, how much would it be worth in talismans?"

"This is stolen goods!" a male disciple from Yutan Temple blurted out. "Yutan Temple has rules; we can't accept things of dubious origin!"

Li Yinsheng smiled and looked at the other party: "What stolen goods? This is clearly compensation from Huanghe Temple to my Xuanzhen Temple after they stole the spiritual essence."

The male disciple remained silent, inwardly thinking, "How could something you stole not be stolen goods?"

But he didn't dare say it out loud, after all, the four people from Huanghe Temple were still lying on the ground, half-dead.

Meng Yu did not answer Li Yinsheng immediately. Instead, she walked to the spirit-gathering array, carefully examined it, and then spoke.

"These materials are of varying quality, some good and some bad, and together they amount to approximately 127,000 talisman coins."

Li Yinsheng's eyes lit up.

The five people had over 30,000 coins in their Qiankun bags, which, together with the 127,000 coins, totaled over 160,000.

In addition to what he had left, he had 170,000 talisman coins, all in cash.

In addition, the four mid-grade magic artifacts, along with some miscellaneous items in the Qiankun bag, are worth at least tens of thousands of talisman coins.

However, selling stolen goods is a troublesome matter.

As the male disciple of Yutan Temple said, most Taoist temple shops do not like to accept items of unclear origin, and even if they do, they will offer a significant discount.

Even if he temporarily disregards these troublesome matters, the talisman coins he has are enough to claim the rewards corresponding to the "30,000 talisman coins" and "100,000 talisman coins" in the cultivation plan.

That's twenty and thirty years of cultivation respectively, totaling a full fifty years!

And that's not even counting the compensation and ransom that Huanghe Temple is going to send.

Oh right, there's also a high-grade magic sword that's quite valuable.

This is truly an overnight fortune!