Junior sister, I really need to control you.

The entrance to the main hall of Xuanzhen Temple.

The two disciples stared in disbelief as their master bowed respectfully towards the hall, then raised their two Qiankun bags with both hands and offered them up.

Li Yinsheng slowly walked out of the main hall, his Taoist robe now black with silver thread patterns.

Senior Brother Yang's pupils contracted.

No wonder Master was only wearing his inner robe; it turns out even his ceremonial robes had been taken away.

Li Yinsheng raised his hand, took the Qiankun bag from the Huang surname cultivator's hand into his palm, and casually hung it on his waist.

"Senior, including the Qiankun bag I have in your hand, all the belongings of the three of us are here." The cultivator surnamed Huang had a bruised and swollen face, but his expression was full of respect.

"And this robe was custom-made at the Casting Furnace Temple. The silver threads on it are the life-bound silk spun by a hundred-year-old silver silkworm when it is transforming into a cocoon. It took three years to refine it. Once activated, it will protect the body with silver light. In addition to being afraid of fire, it can even withstand some of the effects of high-grade magic weapons."

"Hmm," Li Yinsheng nodded, tugging at his Taoist robe, "Your robe is nice, but it's a bit small."

The Taoist robe fit the tall and thin Huang-surname cultivator perfectly, but Li Yinsheng was half a head taller and much stronger, so the robe didn't fit him well.

"Senior, this garment has its own magic formula, which allows it to be adjusted to fit different body shapes," the cultivator surnamed Huang immediately said.

As he spoke, he demonstrated several spells. Li Yinsheng watched them once, and without him casting any spells, his robes automatically changed, lengthening by half a foot and broadening his shoulders.

"Good, this fits perfectly," Li Yinsheng nodded in satisfaction. "It truly lives up to its reputation as a Dharma robe."

The two disciples from Huanghe Temple exchanged a glance, both seeing the disbelief in each other's eyes.

Although the master was the deputy abbot, it was mainly because his ambition was not to manage the Taoist temple, but rather to devote himself to cultivation.

In terms of actual cultivation, the master is slightly better than the abbot, and is truly the number one person below the True Person in Huanghe Temple.

How could we have lost to them!

And they lost so quickly and so quietly!

The two fellow disciples were questioning their existence, while Mu Xiaoyu, who was not far away, stopped practicing her skills and watched the wicked old man's pathetic state in front of her senior brother, her eyes sparkling.

Wow, you're amazing! You beat that guy into submission so easily!

"It's a pity that although Vice Abbot Huang brought compensation, he didn't bring the ransom," Li Yinsheng said with a smile. "We can only ask you and your disciple to stay in the temple for a few days while your abbot comes to redeem them."

"Of course, of course," the cultivator surnamed Huang nodded repeatedly.

The pale-faced cultivator standing to the side was struck dumb, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Am I to be taken hostage too?

Senior Brother Yang, who was standing to the side, reacted much less strongly.

After all, this is the second time already; practice makes perfect.

He even felt a little happy.

Although both his and his senior brother's Qiankun bags were taken away, there wasn't anything good in his Qiankun bag.

Because his Qiankun bag was already stolen by Li Yinsheng yesterday.

Now, his new Qiankun bag contains only some worthless odds and ends, apart from the magic net artifact given to him by his master.

But my senior brother is different; his Qiankun bag truly contains all his wealth.

Thinking of this, Senior Brother Yang even felt a sense of satisfaction.

Serves you right! You mocked me all along, and now you're doing the same thing to me!

Just as Senior Brother Yang was about to observe the expressions on his partner's face, Li Yinsheng suddenly turned his head and looked at him.

His legs suddenly went weak, and he almost knelt down.

"I remember, this young friend's surname is Yang, isn't it?"

Facing the middle-aged cultivator who was almost twice his age, Li Yinsheng said.

"You were the one who relayed my message last time. As the saying goes, one shouldn't trouble two people with the same matter, so please make the trip again this time and relay a message back to Huanghe Temple, how about that?"

"Since you have given your order, senior, I will obey!" Senior Brother Yang hurriedly bowed, wishing he could bow deeply to the bottom.

As Li Yinsheng waved, Senior Brother Yang hurriedly ran towards the yellow paper crane.

"Hey, young friend Yang, your master and I hit it off immediately. He's already given me that paper crane," Li Yinsheng said leisurely from behind. "I'll trouble you to use your wind-riding technique to go back on your own."

The old man surnamed Huang felt his heart bleed as his noodles twitched.

He never said anything like "sending cranes away".

The yellow paper crane was made using the unique secret method of the Yellow Crane Temple. It cannot be considered a magic weapon, but in terms of function and value, it is superior to many high-grade magic weapons.

Aside from being a daily mode of transportation, the most important thing about this yellow paper crane is that it is powered by the essence of blood, which can increase its speed several times over.

When encountering a powerful enemy, this item is extremely useful for escaping, and can be considered one of the key assets of Huanghe Temple.

Although this loss was only of a talisman crane, not the method of refining it, it was still a huge loss, considering that there were less than ten talisman cranes in the entire Yellow Crane Temple.

If it weren't for the truly terrifying aura emanating from the young cultivator beside him, he would have taken the risk of jumping onto the talisman crane and fleeing for his life.

Of course, no matter how much his heart ached, upon hearing Li Yinsheng's words, he quickly exclaimed, "That's right, I have already presented this item to you, senior!"

"This... Master, Senior," Senior Brother Yang said with a bitter expression, "I have always used magical artifacts to fly..."

But now his magical artifact has fallen into Li Yinsheng's hands.

He bent over, looked up at Li Yinsheng, and his eyes held a hint of hope that he could retrieve the magic weapon.

"It's alright," Li Yinsheng said without changing his expression. "I will give you a skill called Armored Horse Technique to help you chase the wind and lightning. Go back and observe it quickly."

Senior Brother Yang opened his mouth wide.

Armored Horse Technique?

Is this human talk?

You're making me run all the way back!

No... You're a senior who's even stronger than my master, at least give me the Zhang Fuyao Talisman, right?

What's with this "Jia Ma" technique? Don't I know this spell myself?!

No matter how much he complained in his heart, Senior Brother Yang didn't dare to say it out loud. He could only swallow his frustration and bow to express his gratitude.

Li Yinsheng pointed, and Senior Brother Yang suddenly felt as if his body was so light that it had no weight at all.

hiss……

I really don't know this kind of magic.

"This technique has a three-hour time limit, young friend, go quickly," Li Yinsheng said.

Senior Brother Yang bowed again, then turned around and tried to run a couple of steps. He shot off like an arrow and crashed hard into the distant courtyard wall.

"Pfft... Hahahaha!" Mu Xiaoyu burst into laughter.

Ignoring the pain, Senior Brother Yang leaped over the wall and ran towards Huanghe Temple.

Li Yinsheng raised his hand and took the talisman crane, which was resting in the open space, into his palm.

Sensing the extraordinary materials used in the talisman crane, as well as the complex restrictions and inscriptions contained within it, his gaze toward the cultivator surnamed Huang became somewhat more friendly.

"Fellow Daoist, this item seems quite complicated. If you have the time now, why don't we go back into the hall and have a chat about this talisman crane?"

The cultivator surnamed Huang gritted his teeth inwardly, but still obediently replied, "...Yes, sir."

Li Yinsheng turned and walked into the hall.

The cultivator surnamed Huang followed closely behind, glaring at the pale-faced cultivator: "You come too, pour tea for me and the senior!"

The pale-faced cultivator followed behind his master with a bitter expression.

"By the way, take off your Taoist robe and give it to me."

"..."

Seeing Li Yinsheng lead the two people into the hall again, Mu Xiaoyu's eyes darted around.

The main hall door wasn't closed this time, but the main hall of Xuanzhen Temple was very large. After the three of them went in, Mu Xiaoyu couldn't see them from her angle, and she couldn't see outside from inside either.

So Mu Xiaoyu tiptoed toward the shady corner of the tree.

"I've been worried about my senior brother all day, I'm so anxious and I don't have any strength left. And I'm wearing this Qi Refining Lock on me, it's so heavy."

Mu Xiaoyu muttered to herself in a voice only she could hear, "Since my senior brother is inside the hall, it shouldn't be a problem for me to rest for a little while..."

"Junior sister," Li Yinsheng's voice came from inside the main hall, "if you slack off, your senior brother will eat today's snacks for you."

Mu Xiaoyu opened her mouth wide and blinked.

Then, dejected, he walked back to his original spot and continued practicing.

……

Inside the main hall.

Li Yinsheng and the monk surnamed Huang sat facing each other across a long table.

The monk surnamed Huang had already put on his Taoist robe, while his disciple was only wearing his undergarments, serving tea to Li Yinsheng and his master.

He actually had a change of clothes in his Qiankun bag, but since the bag was in Li Yinsheng's hands, he really didn't dare to ask for them.

Above the long table, the crane, now shrunk to a wingspan of only three inches, hovered quietly.

The cultivator surnamed Huang sat opposite Li Yinsheng, constantly reciting the incantation to control the talisman crane, and occasionally even demonstrating it himself.

A moment later, Li Yinsheng flicked his left hand, and the quietly floating talisman crane suddenly came to life as if it had come to life.

First, it circled around Li Yinsheng from bottom to top, then flew straight to the roof of the main hall, nimbly weaving between the roof beams and pillars, looking more like a little swallow.

The cultivator surnamed Huang appeared respectful, but was inwardly horrified.

Although these yellow paper crane talismans are quite useful, they are made using secret methods, and the techniques for controlling them are very complex. Moreover, if one's cultivation method is not from the Yellow Crane Temple lineage, it will be even more difficult to control them.

The person in front of him had only listened to the explanation once, yet he could control the talisman crane so naturally. In terms of comprehension and talent, he had never seen anything like it in his life.

However, he soon realized that his idea was somewhat ridiculous.

The person in front of me not only possessed talent that I had never seen before, but his cultivation level was also extraordinary.

He estimated that the young cultivator in front of him was not far from becoming a True Person.

When he thought about it, he himself felt it was a bit outrageous.

Although some cultivators, due to their cultivation methods or secret techniques, cannot be judged by their appearance.

However, Huanghe Temple was quite clear about how long Li Yinsheng, the only disciple of the neighboring Taoist temple, had been a disciple and how many years he had been practicing.

He is only twenty-three years old, and his cultivation time is definitely no more than fourteen years!

The White Rainbow Immortal of Xuanzhen Temple, who was once famous throughout the lineage but whose cultivation has now been completely destroyed, must not have had such extraordinary talent when he was young!

Looking at Li Yinsheng, the cultivator surnamed Huang couldn't help but think, what if this young man had participated in the Shaoyang Dao Examination three years ago...

Forget about getting an A grade, he'll definitely get first place!

Although disciples of the Dharma lineage are far superior to disciples of the Taoist temple, it is absolutely impossible to find someone under the age of twenty with such abnormal cultivation and talent.

Moreover, this person cultivates the body cultivation path, which is recognized as having formidable combat power but slow progress!

When he first followed Li Yinsheng into the main hall, he had already secretly activated the protective effect of his silver silk robe and held his personal magical artifact in his hand.

Such caution was to prevent this young man from lacking martial ethics and launching a sneak attack, which could lead to our own downfall.

As it turned out, this young man seemed to be a bit too martial-minded. He didn't use any fancy moves at all and walked over aggressively with his fists clenched.

Then, with three punches, he smashed through the protective silver light of the silver silk robe.

He had no chance to retaliate and could only desperately try to use his magical artifact to block a few more punches. As a result, even the artifact was shaken and could not operate properly.

Then several punches landed on him.

Fortunately, he was highly skilled in cultivation, and his cultivation technique had a protective effect. In addition, Li Yinsheng did not have any killing intent, otherwise those few punches would have taken his life.

Damn you, you wicked disciple! How could you forget to mention such important information as this person being a powerful body cultivator!

Thinking of his wayward disciple who had been sent back by Li Yinsheng to deliver a message, the cultivator surnamed Huang felt a burning hatred in his teeth and vowed that if he could return to the temple this time, he would definitely punish this wayward disciple severely!

This is really harmful!

After playing with the talisman crane to his heart's content, Li Yinsheng put it into his Qiankun bag.

Then he took out a palm-sized brass incense burner from his Qiankun bag.

The incense burner looks antique, and it is decorated with patterns of yellow cranes flying in the clouds. The three incense sticks inserted in it are also made of brass, but the tips of the incense sticks slowly emit a wisp of yellow smoke.

This is the magical artifact of the cultivator surnamed Huang.

Li Yinsheng has already erased the mark of recognition and begun the initial refining process.

In his perception, the quality of this brass incense burner was a cut above that of the Hanming Sword, and it was roughly on par with the jade chessboard of that fellow Daoist Meng Yu.

The wisps of yellow smoke emanating from the brass incense burner can serve as both a protective shield and a weapon to strike enemies. It can even transform into a nimble yellow crane with an extremely sharp and strong beak.

Unfortunately, during the duel today, Li Yinsheng suddenly had a whimsical idea and wanted to test his True Blood Secret Manual, which he had mastered for over eighty years, so he raised his fist and punched.

As a result, he failed to control his strength. Although he did not damage the silver silk robe he was wearing, he accidentally hit the brass incense burner, causing the artifact to vibrate and temporarily reduce its power.

It was through this battle that Li Yinsheng realized that although his True Blood Secret Manual only had a foundation of over eighty years, he was, after all, a true master and could not be discussed in the ordinary sense.

There is no distinction between Body Refining True Person and Qi Refining True Person; as long as one breaks through, one becomes a True Person.

Whether it's in terms of Qi cultivation or body refinement, the benefits are the same.

To be honest, in terms of body refinement, the only difference between him and a cultivator who achieved true immortality solely through body refinement is that his foundation is slightly weaker.

It's a pity that this brass incense burner was wasted.

It was punched in the body, leaving a shallow fist mark. The damage was to its core, and its power was reduced. It was probably about the same as the Cold Bright Sword.

I wonder if this kind of damage, with more rest and recuperation, can fully recover.

However, even if he cannot fully recover, he will not be too disappointed, because the Qiankun bags of those two Huanghe Temple disciples gave him an even bigger surprise.

Ignoring the complex expression on the Huang-surnamed cultivator's face, Li Yinsheng put away the brass incense burner and took out two magic net artifacts from his Qiankun bags.

Two crystal-clear spider webs landed in Li Yinsheng's hands. They were much finer than ordinary spider webs, with gaps between the threads no bigger than a grain of rice.

Compared to a spider web, they look more like two pieces of silk handkerchiefs.

In his perception, the two spider webs were very strange.

In terms of the quality of the ritual implements, they should be no less than the brass incense burner in its undamaged state.

But it seems to be different from ordinary high-grade magic artifacts.

"Fellow Daoist, what is the origin of this item, and what is its purpose?" Li Yinsheng asked the cultivator surnamed Huang.

"This...this thing is called 'Net,' and it is an extremely special magical artifact. It is not divided into three grades: superior, middle, and inferior, and it has no grade at all," the cultivator surnamed Huang explained.

"This net-like magical artifact is no less difficult and costly to forge than a high-grade magical artifact. However, its function is singular; it cannot be used for both combat and aerial maneuvering like an ordinary high-grade magical artifact."

"Its sole purpose is to bind the enemy. It has no other function. But precisely because of this, its effectiveness in binding the enemy is unparalleled."

Li Yinsheng looked down at the two nets in his hand and nodded thoughtfully.

"So it's a good thing after all."

He smiled at the cultivator surnamed Huang and said, "Did you bring this here specifically to capture me?"

Nonsense! If we don't arrest you, are we going to arrest me?

The cultivator surnamed Huang inwardly grumbled, but his face showed a look of fear as he lowered his head and said repeatedly, "How dare you, senior, you flatter me."

Li Yinsheng didn't hold it against him, after all, he had gained a lot this time and was in a good mood.

Even if this brass incense burner can't be repaired, it's no worse than the Cold Bright Sword.

Although the two net-like magical artifacts have a single function, they should be extremely powerful, and they just happen to make up for his current lack of means to trap and seal enemies.

The only pity is that this Huang surnamed cultivator didn't have much cash in his Qiankun bag. It seems that it's a tradition for people at Huanghe Temple not to like saving money.

Li Yinsheng rubbed his chin.

……

Inside the Yellow Crane Temple.

Senior Brother Yang knelt in front of the main hall, panting heavily.

The abbot's beard bristled, his eyes widened, and he asked in a mixture of shock and anger, "What you just said, is it all true?"

"This disciple utters not a single lie! Master and my senior brother have been detained!"

Senior Brother Yang was covered in tattered clothes and looked extremely disheveled.

The magic of armored horse that Li Yinsheng used on him was too fast. He was difficult to control as he ran, and often accidentally crashed into dead branches and bushes, tearing his clothes and leaving several bloody cuts.

What's most frustrating is that he's running so fast that he can't concentrate and can't even cast a protective spell.

"How dare you! How dare you!" The abbot roared in fury. "Such an insult to my Yellow Crane Temple... This junior, this junior, is utterly disrespectful!"

But after his initial shock and anger, he felt a pang of guilt.

Even the junior brother has lost this time, so what can Huanghe Temple do to the other side?

Although Huanghe Temple has even more ruthless methods, such as the special altar soldiers in charge of magical duels and killings...

These altar soldiers are essentially vengeful ghosts or demons, subdued by powerful figures and bound with incantations and talismans, then lured with incense and offerings, thus becoming ferocious creatures that are driven by them. They are called "rampant soldiers".

Although a single soldier is not particularly strong, there are hundreds of them in the field. If they form a killing formation, they will be invincible.

However, this is a method of protecting the Dao, a trump card that Huanghe Temple uses when facing a major crisis that may damage the Daoist tradition. It is by no means a means that can be used under normal circumstances.

Putting aside the question of whether it's worthwhile to send out the elite troops, the very existence of the Dharma lineage itself is an insurmountable barrier.

If someone dares to lead a troop of unruly soldiers to attack another Taoist temple, their lineage will surely send someone to hold them accountable within a few hours.

At that time, won't the Dharma lineage treat Huanghe Temple like a spinning top and whip it around?

Just as the abbot was in a dilemma, a voice as ethereal as the wind and clouds rang out directly in his mind.

"Xiao Gao, what happened? Why are you so agitated, and why are you holding the talisman to mobilize the barbarians? Hmm, speaking of which, you have this talisman in your hand. Could it be that you've become the abbot?"

The abbot trembled and hurriedly put away the talisman, looking around in a panic.

It took a while to see that on the roof of the main hall stood a young cultivator who looked to be in his early thirties, with a handsome face and wearing a sand-yellow cloak.

The abbot immediately stepped forward, knelt down, and kowtowed, bowing his forehead to the ground in respect.

"This unworthy descendant pays respects to our ancestor! We humbly welcome our ancestor upon his return from seclusion!"