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

Seeing Wang Li rushing towards him, Lin Xuan stood still without even lifting his eyelids.

The next second, Lin Xuan released his internal energy, and a powerful pressure swept forward.

The moment he sensed this aura, Wang Li's pupils contracted sharply, and his forward-moving figure froze on the spot!

His eyes widened, his chest heaved violently, and his breath caught in his throat.

How is that possible?!

How could this kid's aura be so strong?!

Under Wang Li's perception, Lin Xuan was like a towering mountain, exuding an aura as vast as an abyss, which was something that Wang Li, a late-stage mage, could not possibly contend with!

This kid in front of me is at least a late-stage mage, no, he might even have reached the peak of the mage realm?!

The monk... has reached perfection?!

Upon thinking of this, Wang Li's heart skipped a beat, and his scalp tingled.

A little over a month ago, when we were by the Beiqing River, this kid had only just broken through to the Taoist realm.

How could his cultivation level have skyrocketed to the peak of the Mage realm in just over a month?!

This breakthrough speed is ten times faster than when they consumed the Blood Soul Ointment. Who the hell is the evil cultivator here?!

Could it be that this young Taoist priest has been possessed by some reclusive old monster?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but Wang Li didn't have the slightest courage to fight back. He turned and fled out of the town.

Seeing this, Lin Xuan's lips curled slightly, and he pushed off with his feet to catch up.

Hearing the whooshing sound rapidly approaching from behind, Wang Li's heart pounded, and a cold sweat instantly broke out all over his body.

This kid is too fast. With my cultivation level, I probably won't be able to escape tonight.

Before Wang Li could run ten steps, Lin Xuan had already caught up to him, standing about a meter behind.

Just as Lin Xuan raised his right hand, preparing to smash the other's skull with a slap, a sudden change occurred.

With a muffled thud, Wang Li turned around and collapsed to his knees in front of Lin Xuan.

Immediately afterwards, he braced himself with both hands on the ground and slammed his forehead against the bluestone slab repeatedly.

"Boss, I was wrong. Please, have mercy and spare my life."

"You...you can just treat me like a fart, please...let me go..."

A pool of glaring blood quickly appeared on the bluestone slab. Wang Li's forehead was cut open, but he still dared not stop.

Lin Xuan stopped and looked down at the man pounding garlic in front of him. "Let you go? Do you think that's possible?"

Wang Li suddenly raised his head, his face covered in blood, and shouted urgently, "Boss, I know a huge secret, as long as you..."

However, before he could finish speaking, a large hand crackling with lightning slammed down in his face.

With a muffled thud, Wang Li's eyes bulged out, the whites of his eyes instantly becoming bloodshot, and he collapsed limply to the ground, lifeless.

After dealing with the two, Lin Xuan took out two yellow soul-collecting talismans from his sleeve and flicked his wrist.

Two ghastly green lights flashed, and the souls of Wang Li and the yellow-robed Taoist priest, which had just left their bodies, were completely trapped into the talisman.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Xuan bent down and pulled off the green bamboo slip from Wang Li's waist, then casually put the two warm corpses into his backpack.

The remains of these two guys can be taken back and crushed to fertilize the fields, and their souls, after being interrogated, can be given to Yuanbao as a snack.

As for this green-quality Yuandun Treasure Scroll, although it contains good Dharma meaning, this one piece alone is not enough to enlighten the Pure Yang Peach Tree.

It seems I'll have to find a way to borrow some more equipment from a few more fellow practitioners of the Yuandun School.

After doing all this, Lin Xuan made a hand seal and poured his true essence into the white bamboo scroll in his hand.

With a soft snap, the eerie restriction on the surface of the bamboo slip shattered, and hundreds of grayish-white souls flew out one after another.

Lin Xuan pointed his fingers, and the fragmented souls transformed into streaks of light, each flying back to the brows of the townspeople on both sides of the street.

In a short while, the townspeople, who had been staring blankly, trembled and their eyes regained their clarity.

The middle-aged man who had been knocked down earlier burst into tears of joy when he saw his elderly mother slowly open her eyes. "Mom! You're awake?! That's wonderful!!"

Then, the man turned and knelt down in Lin Xuan's direction, crying, "Immortal Taoist Master! Thank you so much for saving my life!"

When the people around them came to their senses, they realized that it was this young Taoist priest who had saved them, and they all surrounded him to express their gratitude.

"Thank you for your help, young Taoist priest!!"

"I never imagined that guy was actually a heretical cultivator! I thought he looked kind and was a Taoist priest!"

"Young Taoist priest, thanks to you! This old man was able to escape unharmed. Thank you so much, young Taoist priest..."

Lin Xuan waved his hand and, under Uncle Jiu's cover, quickly walked out of the noisy crowd and turned into a quiet, deserted alley.

Deep in the alley, Lin Xuan took out the soul-collecting talisman that sealed Wang Li's soul, and a pure yang golden light shone from his fingertips.

"If you don't want to experience the feeling of your soul being scattered, then honestly explain why you came here," Lin Xuan said calmly.

The Wang Li soul inside the talisman sizzled as it was roasted by the golden light, screaming in agony without daring to hide it.

"Master Daoist, spare my life! I'll tell you everything..."

"We came here because of the evil ritual sacrifice in Guhuai Village tonight."

"In the ancient locust village, there is a century-old locust tree that is spiritually connected. Its material is a rare soul-gathering wood that can hold hundreds or thousands of living souls."

"As long as the living soul is injected into the tree, and then combined with the secret sacrificial method of our sect, a highly nourishing pure soul pill can be condensed."

Wang Li took a breath and continued to explain in a trembling voice.

"In order to refine this batch of Soul Pills, our Yuandun Sect has brought many experts this time."

"Besides us, there's also... Li Chengfeng from the Yellow Heaven Sect brought a group of followers here to get a share of the pie."

"Tonight at midnight... once midnight arrives, they will officially set up the altar and seal the village for a blood sacrifice!"

Upon hearing Wang Li's confession, a glint flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes, and his heart skipped a beat.

A century-old locust tree imbued with spiritual energy—its value far surpasses that of a few scrolls of bamboo slips used as magical artifacts.

If we could uproot this old locust tree and plant it in the spirit field, wouldn't our own soldiers have another precious place to cultivate?

Moreover, so many heretical cultivators from the Yuandun Sect and the Huangtian Sect have gathered in Guhuai Village tonight; it's practically a gift of experience and enlightenment materials delivered right to our doorstep.

Thinking of this, Lin Xuan put away the talisman and turned to look at his Ninth Uncle, who was standing with his hands behind his back.

"Master, it seems we'll have to go to Ancient Locust Village tonight!"

"When they're all gathered, we'll trap them like turtles in a jar!"

Hearing this, Uncle Nine stroked his beard and nodded in agreement. "The Yuan Dun Sect steals people's souls, and the Huang Tian Sect wreaks havoc in the countryside. These two evil sects are in cahoots. Since we've run into them, there's no reason for us to let them stay overnight!"

The master and apprentice had made their decision and immediately turned around and walked out of the dark alley. At the street corner, they stopped an old man who was about to pack up his stall. After asking him about the location of Guhuai Village, they sped away.