It was only because they arrived early that the old Taoist priest hadn't yet refined the essence and soul; otherwise, even a great immortal wouldn't have been able to save the people of the county.

Even so, some people still could not be saved.

It's already so difficult for Yin Yue to reshape her body. No matter how capable Fang Ruotang is, it's impossible for her to reshape the bodies of so many people in the entire county.

All she could do was send those people to the underworld, say hello to the Ghost King, and give them a chance to be reborn into a better life in their next life.

Chu Yangyang and her group immediately took action.

Huo Zhige stared at the old Taoist priest, fearing he might have another trick up his sleeve, but he was also worried about Fang Ruotang, so he spoke to her through a small mirror.

[Can your body withstand the spell you're casting now?]

"It's alright, you know I don't have any bottlenecks in my cultivation."

Whether it's improving one's cultivation level or absorbing spiritual energy, everything happens naturally.

In fact, the so-called good or bad spiritual roots and the strength or weakness of aptitude refer to these things.

When you first start drawing in Qi, your body can only absorb a little bit of spiritual energy. Once you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, your meridians will widen, and you will be able to absorb more spiritual energy.

It's like having the same book laid out in front of you. A top student can master all the contents of the book in a day, while a poor student can only remember the first two pages even if they try their best.

This is why, despite giving so many spirit stones and herbs to her family, their cultivation wasn't progressing quickly; the daily absorption rate also depends on individual aptitude.

"Don't force yourself. We can trap the person first, and then use our magic to save them once you've recovered."

Huo Zhige wasn't indifferent to the lives of ordinary people; it's just that those people were already in this state, so it didn't matter whether it was a moment earlier or later.

After all, in his eyes, no one's safety could be more important than Fang Ruotang's health.

It's okay! I'm fine again.

As Fang Ruotang answered, she stood up, and the spirit stones placed around her turned into powder and scattered with her movement.

What level of cultivation is this Taoist priest?

[Nascent Soul Great Perfection.]

Fang Ruotang seemed to be deep in thought. Based on her understanding of the Nascent Soul stage, even if the physical body was destroyed, as long as the Nascent Soul was not destroyed, one could still possess another body and be reborn.

It's impossible for evil cultivators not to know such methods, and not only that, they must also have hidden tricks up their sleeves, which is why they are so calm at this moment.

Yes, the old Taoist priest was very calm.

What is he up to?

[Don't be afraid! After all, he has three sons.]

【Um?】

Fang Ruotang was a little confused. Why did she suddenly bring this up?

All three children are vessels for him; even if you kill him, he can be resurrected in his sons.

Fang Ruotang: ...

She lives in a loving environment, and it's hard to imagine what it would be like for parents not to love their children, especially in this case where the child is merely a backup plan to continue life.

[Didn't you say that the higher one's cultivation level, the more difficult it is to conceive? The best time to have children is during or before the Foundation Establishment stage. Once your cultivation level rises further, it becomes much harder to have children. How could he possibly have three at once?]

It is precisely because having offspring is so difficult that cultivators care so much about having children.

It's also possible for parents to be ancient figures, thousands of years old, while their children are only teenagers or in their twenties. The parents may have ascended to heaven or passed away before the children have even grown up.

Take Yin Yue for example; she's in that situation.

"You imprisoned a dozen mortal women, so could you; it's all a matter of probability." Little Mirror felt a pain in her eyes when she saw that scene.

He couldn't let himself be the only one injured, so he generously shared his view with Fang Ruotang.

Fang Ruotang was so angry that her blood rushed to her head and she blurted it out.

"brute!"

"Not human!"

"He's an absolute beast!"

The women he abducted lived worse than poultry in a pigsty.

Moreover, this beast not only forces women to give birth, but also extracts their souls afterward to refine them, wasting nothing at all; he practically sucks the marrow from their bones.

"Ha! This unclaimed land and these mortals are fortunate to be of use to me. I advise you not to meddle in other people's business."

The Taoist priest stared at Fang Ruotang with a sinister look, as if trying to memorize her face. His gaze was so strange that it sent chills down one's spine at first glance.

Huo Zhige stepped to the side and threw a lightning talisman.

A thick bolt of lightning struck the old Taoist priest's body.

Ignoring the conductivity of lightning, Huo Zhige swiftly gouged out his eyes with his sword.

"ah!"

The old Taoist priest let out a miserable scream.

Huo Zhige threw the sword he was holding with all his might, plunging it deep into his eyeball, leaving no possibility of recovery.

Why isn't this person resisting at all?

Fang Ruotang sensed something was wrong.

The little mirror explains.

[The Blood and Flesh Altar, once activated, must be completed. After all, he has absorbed so many souls; if he relaxes his guard and is bitten in return, his soul could be torn to shreds. Therefore, he cannot leave the core of the array, or he will suffer a backlash.]

[Is this backlash worse than if I killed him?]

[Without the three containers, he would have been killed far more severely, but he didn't. He would rather escape with his soul intact than risk a wounded soul to fight us.]

He thinks he can escape unscathed? He's dreaming.

Fang Ruotang caught him off guard and directly shattered his abdominal cavity. The old Taoist priest suddenly looked up and sent a burst of spiritual energy toward Fang Ruotang.

Fang Ruotang took out the Xuanwu Divine Shield and blocked the attack. At the same time, the sword energy of the Jinghong Sword pierced into the old Taoist's body again.

After stirring things up, Fang Ruotang, holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, cautiously took a step back before speaking to the little mirror.

The nascent soul is not inside the body.

His nascent soul had already escaped from his body the moment you broke the illusion array.

Fang Ruotang was furious. If the timing hadn't been so bad, she would have dragged Xiao Jingzi out and given him a good beating to wake him up.

【You're only telling me now that it's so important?】

[But I told you back then that you couldn't catch him anyway, and I've been monitoring him the whole time. I know the direction his Nascent Soul cultivator escaped in. We can kill him after we've dealt with things here.]

The little mirror offered a hurt explanation.

There was a large array set up by the old Taoist priest here. From the moment they stepped in, he could sense that the Nascent Soul had already escaped when Fang Ruotang broke the illusion array.

Whether he said it or not, Fang Ruotang had no choice.

[Bullshit! You said it before, I can also release shadows to hunt down enemies! You're so stupid, don't make decisions for me next time.]

The small mirror froze.

The entire artifact became dull and lost its luster.

The adult has suddenly developed a brain; he's under so much pressure!

Please give me directions quickly.

Fang Ruotang didn't have time to lecture the little mirror with grand principles. After learning the direction in which the old Taoist's nascent soul had escaped, she immediately released her shadow to chase after it.

Fang Ruotang felt that every extra moment of this wicked cultivator's life was polluting the air.