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

Several miles away in a mountain forest, a thick stench of corpses permeated the air, accompanied by gusts of eerie wind.

Five members of the Li family stopped at the edge of the poisonous miasma, staring at the churning gray-black fog in front of them, their legs trembling.

A tall, thin guard swallowed hard and cautiously approached the team leader.

"Boss, are we...are we really going in?"

"This is the territory of the Corpse Demon Sect! If the evil cultivators inside find out, they'll turn us all into zombies!"

Another man with a scar on his face next to him also sighed, his face full of bitterness.

"That's exactly right, I don't know why our ancestor suddenly issued such an order!"

"The Corpse Demon Sect's lair isn't so easy to infiltrate."

"Besides, we're just the weakest members of the clan, with low cultivation levels. We'd be easily discovered by the patrolling corpse puppets if we went in!"

"Even if we're lucky enough not to run into anyone, with this mountain covered in poisonous miasma, we might become mindless zombies from the corpse poison within a short time!"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man in black who led the group gave a cold glance to everyone and hissed, "Shut up, all of you!"

"How dare you or I disobey the orders of the family?!"

Seeing that his men's faces had turned pale, the leader in black softened his tone slightly and took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket.

"Although I don't understand why the clan insists we bring the talisman to break through the Corpse Demon Gate, since we've been ordered to do so, we have no choice but to comply!"

"Here are some poison-avoiding pills distributed by the tribe. Take them and eat them!"

As he spoke, he uncorked the bottle and poured out several grayish-brown pills, which he then distributed.

The guards took the pills, exchanged glances, and sighed in unison.

In the Li family, clan orders are paramount. They all have bloodline restrictions and dare not disobey the ancestor's decrees.

Without another word, the group swallowed the poison-avoiding pills, then took out a specially made cloth mask, put it on their faces, and braced themselves to step into the thick poisonous miasma ahead.

Time passed by, second by second.

The sunset gradually enveloped the entire forest, and the light in the woods dimmed accordingly.

The rustling sound of footsteps on leaves came from afar and grew closer.

Uncle Nine and Lin Xuan walked side by side through the dense forest and quickly came over. They immediately saw the churning corpse mist at the entrance of the valley ahead.

Lin Xuan stopped and looked around, his brows furrowing slightly. "Master, why would the Li family members be hiding in such a gloomy place?"

"Although they have the unique blood of the dragon-snake protecting them, the corpse poison here is so potent. Aren't they afraid of being turned into zombies by the corpse energy entering their bodies?"

Uncle Nine stood to one side with his hands behind his back, gazing intently at the mist ahead, and said in a deep voice, "These wicked fools are probably trying to shift the blame."

"Having suffered repeated losses, they know that the Li family alone cannot defeat us, so they intend to use the power of the evil cultivators here to fight against us!"

Hearing this, Lin Xuan's expression turned slightly serious, and he turned to ask, "Master, judging from this atmosphere, how many evil cultivators are there inside?"

Uncle Nine nodded slightly, his expression becoming more serious.

"Judging from the way the corpse energy is condensed and doesn't dissipate, forming a hidden array, this is probably the headquarters of a heretical sect that cultivates corpses!"

"The number of evil cultivators inside must be considerable, especially the number of zombies they raise and refine—it's probably astonishing!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Xuan nodded and gestured with his right hand towards the void.

With a soft hum, a long altar table, which had been prepared in advance, appeared out of thin air in the open space in front of the two.

On the altar table, incense, candles, the Three Pure Ones Bell, the Dharma Sword, and two straw figures were all neatly arranged.

Uncle Nine glanced at the objects on the altar and asked with some curiosity, "Ah Xuan, are you preparing to hold an altar and summon generals here?"

"Yes, Master." Lin Xuan nodded as he tidied the yellow cloth on the altar. "Just as you said, there are quite a few evil cultivators in this valley."

"If we really start fighting, it will be difficult for me to deal with those evil cultivators and the horde of corpses all by myself."

"Let's summon our generals now before we alert the enemy, so we can avoid being caught off guard and helpless when we're surrounded!"

Uncle Nine nodded approvingly upon hearing this, "That's true. Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit; it's always better to be cautious."

Lin Xuan didn't delay any longer. He picked up his brush, dipped it in cinnabar, and quickly sketched a rain-praying talisman on the yellow talisman paper.

After drawing the talisman, he tied the talisman paper to the tip of the peach wood sword, and immediately began to perform the Yu Step in front of the altar.

"By imperial decree, the winds and clouds have gathered, and the sweet rain must fall swiftly!"

As Lin Xuan pointed his peach wood sword towards the sky, the talisman instantly transformed into a cloud of pure energy that soared into the heavens.

Boom!

A muffled rumble of thunder suddenly echoed across the once clear evening sky, and dark clouds quickly gathered.

At first, it was just a light drizzle, but then the rain intensified, with large raindrops pelting down.

The rain poured down around the altar, but it was all blocked by a faint yellow light that appeared out of nowhere, and not a single drop of water managed to wet the altar.

Lin Xuan looked solemn as he lit three sticks of incense and placed them into the incense burner.

Immediately, he closed his eyes slightly and pondered the profound meaning of the "Water Mansion Military Command Talisman"!

hum!

The two kidney gods within Lin Xuan's body instantly emitted a bright blue light, and the vast aura of water veins flowed throughout his body, allowing him to enter a profound state of transformation.

"True Martial God vanquishes demons! Water Palace, heed my command! Elite troops and fierce generals, swiftly descend before the altar!"

As Lin Xuan chanted the incantation to recruit soldiers, the three sticks of incense in the incense burner ignited rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The wisps of smoke did not dissipate; instead, they twisted into two ropes and went straight into the bodies of the two straw figures on the table!

The next moment, the water on the ground outside the altar's light barrier seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, turning into droplets of crystal-clear water that flew up and continuously flowed into the bodies of the two straw figures!

The originally shriveled straw man quickly filled up and swelled, with layers of emerald green grass leaves adhering to the surface of the water, and in the blink of an eye, it solidified into a tough green grass armor!

The water and grass blades intertwined and shaped each other, quickly forming a slender and agile upper body, two arms covered with scales, and a ferocious snake-like face!

The snake's head was slightly open, and you could even clearly see its menacing fangs gleaming with a cold light!

Their lower bodies did not evolve into legs; instead, they coalesced into a long, thin snake tail, which coiled on the ground and moved flexibly.

Immediately afterwards, several sharp blades of grass spun rapidly in their palms and condensed, transforming in the blink of an eye into two spears that gleamed with a cold light!

This was the elite first echelon of soldiers that Lin Xuan recruited after breaking through to the Grand Mage level, relying on the authority of the Water Mansion generals—the Serpent Spear Scouts!

These troops are known for their speed, moving like lightning. They are extremely useful whether they are used to pursue enemy soldiers or to kill fleeing enemies on the battlefield!

Uncle Jiu, who was standing to the side, looked at the two imposing Water Mansion soldiers that Lin Xuan had summoned, a strange light flashed in his eyes, and he nodded to himself.

After Ah Xuan received the true teachings of Zhenwu, the power of this move was greatly enhanced once again!

The troops summoned now would be considered the elite of the elite among the Yin Army of the Water Palace!

Judging from the incredibly condensed baleful aura and water element fluctuations, even if they were to leave the altar and be without the support of any formations, these two serpent spear soldiers alone would be enough to directly confront some mid-stage Grand Master evil cultivators!

Lin Xuan put away the altar table and waved his hand. Two serpent spear soldiers immediately slid silently into the shadows on either side to protect him. The master and disciple then walked together toward the corpse mist ahead.

After the recent heavy rain, the dampness and poisonous mist in the mountains and forests have noticeably thinned out.

However, as soon as the two entered the valley entrance ahead, a fierce clash of magical artifacts and the sounds of fighting came with the night wind!

Following closely behind were deafening, ferocious roars of corpses!