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

Upon noticing this subtle movement, the villagers who had been tentatively gathering around suddenly changed their expressions and retreated in a flash.

"It moved! The snake demon has come back to life!"

"Good heavens, this beast is too tough! It survived being punched like that by the Taoist priest and still isn't dead?"

"Back off quickly, get away from the pool, or it might jump up and bite!"

Several timid villagers scrambled to hide behind a tree, their lips trembling so much they couldn't utter a sound.

In the mud pit, the demonic scale water snake flicked its forked tongue and emitted a low hiss.

It slowly opened its pair of emerald green vertical pupils, its gaze locking onto Lin Xuan, who was standing close by. Its thick snake body was also quietly swimming in the mud, as if it wanted to find an opportunity to suddenly attack and hurt him.

"You beast, how dare you act so violently!"

Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes, and his body was enveloped in azure True Martial Intent.

Immediately afterwards, he raised his right foot and stomped heavily on the flat snake's head, the immense force instantly pressing the snake's head, which had just been raised half an inch, back into the depths of the mud pit.

At the same time, a vast divine might that surpassed that of mortal aquatic creatures surged forth from the True Martial Emperor's Dharma Image within Lin Xuancun's sea of ​​consciousness.

Under the divine might of Zhenwu, the giant serpent beneath his feet trembled violently, and the ferocity it had just gathered was instantly suppressed.

The remaining bloodlust in its vertical pupils quickly faded, replaced by an instinctive awe and fear.

Only now did it come to its senses from its agitation and realize that the human Taoist priest before it was far beyond its ability to provoke.

Lin Xuan did not rush to move his right foot, but continued to press his True Martial Intent onto the snake demon, observing it intently for a moment.

The snake demon in the mud pit slowly withdrew its demonic energy, and its thick snake body gradually relaxed, even its raised tail sinking into the mud.

Once Lin Xuan confirmed that the beast had temporarily given up any intention to harm anyone, he nodded in satisfaction and withdrew his right foot from the snake's head.

Seeing this, the villagers watching from afar were not at ease; instead, their hearts were in their throats.

"Oh dear, young Taoist priest, why did you move your foot?"

An elderly villager stamped his feet anxiously, wishing he could personally step forward and remind Lin Xuan.

"That's right, it's a ferocious demon! What if it takes the opportunity to pounce?"

"These two Taoist priests are highly skilled and daring, but if we ordinary folks were to get even a scratch, we'd all lose our lives!"

"A beast is still a beast; who would dare gamble their life on whether it will obey?"

The villagers looked at each other, none daring to approach the ferocious creature, and immediately retreated several feet.

Just then, Uncle Nine walked over and stopped beside Lin Xuan.

He looked down at the scaled water snake lying obediently in the mud pit, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

"This snake demon, in terms of physical strength alone, has actually managed to hold its own against you for several rounds; it does have some skill."

"Indeed, quite remarkable."

Lin Xuan nodded, his gaze sweeping over the snake demon's thick body.

"This beast has thick skin and great strength. Among the mountain spirits, its natural endowment and physical constitution are top-notch."

At this point, Lin Xuan couldn't help but recall the line of description on the system panel.

Devouring the shed scales of a great demon?

Looking at the dark brown scales covering the snake demon's body, a thought suddenly popped into Lin Xuan's mind.

Could the remains of the great demon that this water snake swallowed years ago be related to the blue-quality demon scales that the Li family worships?

Two scales from the same demon?!

The waterways within a radius of a hundred miles are interconnected, and the Li family is secretly refining water seeds and polluting the waterways. To say that the two are completely unrelated would be too much of a coincidence.

Seeing Lin Xuan staring at the snake demon in deep thought, Uncle Nine could easily guess what his disciple was thinking, and immediately asked him.

"What, Ah Xuan, you want to take this big guy back to the mortuary to raise him?"

"This beast is quite large; ordinary food probably wouldn't be enough to fill its belly. Its appetite must be enormous."

Lin Xuan turned to look at Uncle Nine and asked with a smile, "I do have this plan, Master. Do you think it's feasible?"

Uncle Nine frowned slightly upon hearing this, and after a moment's thought, he slowly nodded.

"If it has truly developed sentience and can understand human speech, it wouldn't hurt to take it back and raise it. With your uncle and me watching over it, it won't be able to cause any trouble."

"As for food, the chickens in our backyard spirit field are enough for it. If not, we can raise more. Anyway, with the nourishment of spiritual energy, they will grow quickly."

Hearing his master's approval, Lin Xuan's lips curled up slightly, and his gaze returned to the mud pit.

"It has had intelligence for a long time."

Lin Xuan looked at those emerald green vertical pupils and said in a calm tone, "I just don't know if this beast knows what's good for it."

From the moment Uncle Nine approached and struck up a conversation, the demonic scaled water snake remained quietly lying in the mud, with only its forked tongue flicking in and out uncertainly.

Upon hearing Lin Xuan's admonition, the giant snake's vertical pupils blinked several times, its gaze sweeping over Uncle Nine and Lin Xuan, a hint of struggle flashing in its eyes.

After a moment, it seemed to finally make a decision. Its huge head, which was stuck in the mud, carefully lifted up and slowly reached towards Lin Xuan, touching the mud surface.

This movement immediately alerted the villagers who were on guard outside the perimeter.

"Two...two Taoist priests, watch your step!"

A sharp-eyed villager pointed to the edge of the pool and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"That beast moved again! It's going to pounce!"

The villagers' faces were filled with terror, and some had even turned around, ready to run for their lives at any moment.

Despite the giant snake's actions, Lin Xuan and Uncle Jiu remained calm and stood motionless in place.

The two had already noticed the submissive look in the snake demon's eyes, and they didn't sense any murderous intent from it, so they simply decided to wait and see what the beast was going to do.

Under the tense gaze of everyone, the demonic scale water snake moved its head out of the mud pit and slithered all the way to Lin Xuan's feet.

The villagers held their breath, not daring to even exhale.

The giant snake first lowered its vertical pupils to look at Lin Xuan's right foot, then restrained its ferocious appearance and gently touched the tip of his cloth shoe with its mud-covered snout.

Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow, but did not stop it from doing what it was about to do.

Seeing that he didn't make a move, the demonic scale water snake became bolder. It took the opportunity to burrow its flat head under Lin Xuan's feet, slowly lifted his right foot, and placed it back in the center of its forehead.

The surroundings fell silent instantly.

The villagers stared wide-eyed at the scene before them, gasping in astonishment.

The villagers: "???"

"Good heavens, am I seeing things?"

"This ferocious snake demon actually lifted the young Taoist priest's feet onto its forehead?"

"What is it doing? Is it asking for a beating?"

"Idiot, can't you see? This beast has been subdued by that young Taoist priest's beating and is now willingly acknowledging him as its master!"

"Hiss... This thing is truly sentient; it can even understand the conversation between the two Taoist priests!"

The villagers present looked at each other, their faces blank and horrified, unable to recover for a long time.