A mountainous area on the western end of the Zephyr Mountains.

This was the hunting area under the Basking Moon Sect’s control, also called the Nature Zone.

Every year, the Basking Moon Sect would have numerous missions that concerned hunting fiends, both to obtain resources and to temper its disciples.

Fiend beasts weren’t stupid, and they naturally thought of ways to deal with cultivators, some of them even laying traps to fight back against and kill their foes. For this reason, one could catch a good show at the hunting area almost every day if one was looking for it.

While the fiends failed the vast majority of the time, they occasionally succeeded.

For this reason, every cultivator that entered the hunting area had to be ready for failure and death.

Thundercrack Ridge.

This place was on the southern end of the hunting area, and it was where Thunder Wolf packs were most often spotted.

Tang Jie walked through a dense mountain forest, followed by Yiyi and Shi Jingzhai. The three moved around casually, like they were just taking a stroll.

Thunder Wolves weren’t easy to find, and when they reached Mind Opening, they became even more cautious. But with his Celestial Eye, Tang Jie didn’t have much of a problem. As he moved around, the vertical eye in the center of his forehead saw all in his surroundings.

“Two kilometers to the east, there’s a small pack of around twenty wolves. Three kilometers to the west is a pack of forty,” Tang Jie said.

“Which one should we exterminate first?” Yiyi asked.

Tang Jie considered the question. “The smaller pack. This trip is mostly for testing, not for making money.”

The trio moved to the east.

It wasn’t long before they reached the small wolf pack. From a distance, they saw a large and muscular Thunder Wolf leading a pack of Thunder Wolves around the mountain. When the pack spotted Tang Jie, it didn’t immediately attack. Instead, the wolves backed away, wariness in their eyes.

In these years they had spent in the Zephyr Mountains, they had long ago come to understand that they were the hunted, not the hunters. The appearance of every human meant potential disaster.

That wolf king saw Tang Jie approaching and suddenly said, “Sir, have you come seeking wolf horns? How many do you seek? If you are willing to spare our lives, we are willing to resolve this matter without a fight.”

Tang Jie was taken aback by these words.

Fiends had savage natures, and even when they reached Mind Opening, they rarely begged for mercy. Their intelligence mostly manifested in battle, not diplomacy. Most fiends didn’t have the personality to suffer in silence.

But this fiend wolf leader had seemingly been enlightened, and Tang Jie’s view of the world was broadened once more.

In any case, his primary goal today wasn’t hunting, so after some thought, he nodded. “Since you suggested it, give me three wolf horns. In addition, I want your strongest wolf to fight a battle with me, though it doesn’t need to be to the death.”

When the Thunder Wolf leader learned that only one Thunder Wolf would die at most, it turned and roared. A muscular upper-grade Thunder Wolf stalked out from the pack.

Tang Jie smiled and took out the blood bean. Instead of throwing it out, he first put a drop of his blood on it and cast a blood controlling curse. This blood bean was different from the others. It could only be used with a controlling spell, or else it would attack its owner.

Tang Jie then tossed out the bean, using the Sowing Beans into Soldiers spell art. In mid-air, the blood bean turned into a small person.

But unlike the other beans, this one had a blood-colored crown and golden armor, and it held a scepter in its hand. It truly did appear rather like a king.

The moment the bean king landed, the first thing it did wasn’t to deal with the Thunder Wolf, but instead to look around and then start shouting at Tang Jie in an infuriated tone, as if lecturing him. Everyone was left dumbfounded, even that Thunder Wolf, which was so surprised that it didn’t attack.

Tang Jie looked at the bean king and then asked Yiyi, “What is it doing?”

Yiyi replied, “He seems to be asking for soldiers. He says that he’s a king, so he can’t be sent out for just any battle.”

“Holy **!” Tang Jie’s vision blurred, and he almost fainted from anger.

If I give you soldiers, then what do I need you for?

The Thunder Wolf grew impatient. It charged out with a howl, swiping at the bean king.

The bean king was clearly caught off guard and was sent flying.

But he was rather sturdy. Even after being swiped at by an upper-grade Mind Opening fiend wolf, he simply shouted angrily.

As the Thunder Wolf charged again, the bean king pointed his scepter, and a thunderbolt shot out and struck the Thunder Wolf, bowling it over.

Tang Jie narrowed his eyes. “Interesting—he can use spell arts.”

But Thunder Wolves could also use lightning, so despite that thunderbolt’s power, it hadn’t done much. The wolf was enraged and lowered its head. Lightning gathered on its silver horn, and a brilliant bolt shot out.

The bean king yelped and jumped here and there to dodge. He then angrily glared at Tang Jie and continued to shout. Apparently, he resented Tang Jie for not giving him any soldiers.

“How useless!” Yiyi unhappily folded her arms.

After spending all that time, she had ended up cultivating this good-for-nothing who had more bark than bite. She was extremely displeased.

But Tang Jie seemed to finally understand. “King, general, soldier… Could it be?”

He reached into his bag and sowed some beans.

Upon seeing the beans, the bean king happily shouted. Before Tang Jie could cast the spell, those beans turned into bean soldiers on their own, circling the bean king.

Unlike the bean soldiers that Tang Jie created through the spell, these bean soldiers weren’t naked and holding only a saber. Some had swords and shields, others had spears, and some had bows, and all of them wore green armor.

The thirty-some beans Tang Jie had taken out assembled into three different types of soldiers, even taking up formation.

Tang Jie and Yiyi were dumbfounded. They had never imagined that there were so many types of bean soldiers. This was the real way of sowing beans into soldiers! Perhaps these beans didn’t even need a cultivator for the last step.

And this wasn’t the end of it. The bean king threw his head back and shouted, and then he pointed his scepter at the soldier at the front. This bean soldier immediately doubled in size, its body brimming with muscle. Its armor turned from green to black, and it even somehow produced a green warhorse!

Of course, even though it was double the size and riding a horse, the bean soldier still didn’t reach Yiyi’s height, which made the whole scene rather comical.

“A general,” Tang Jie muttered.

He now completely understood. When there was an army, there was naturally a general to lead it, but only a king could appoint this general. From the look of it, this probably wasn’t the extent of the variety of soldiers and generals the beans were capable of. It was just that Tang Jie hadn’t given enough for the bean king to work with, so he could only make this small force.

As the general appeared, the bean king began to give off a red glow.

Under the glow, the thirty-some bean soldiers also began to give off a red light. They crazily howled, and their auras grew more powerful and killing intent appeared in their eyes.

That Thunder Wolf was rather baffled by all that it was seeing.

As it was wondering what was going on, the bean king pointed his scepter at the Thunder Wolf.

A moment later, the black-armored bean general roared and led the charge at the Thunder Wolf, followed by the thirty other bean soldiers.

Swish! Swish! Ten green arrows flew through the air, striking the wolf. The arrows were small, but sharp, and they oozed green liquid upon entering the wolf. They were poisoned arrows!

Awooo! The Thunder Wolf howled in pain and unleashed a lightning bolt.

As the lightning bolt came down, a shield bean soldier jumped into the air, raising the shield in its left hand and blocking the bolt.

The powerful lightning bolt struck the shield and sent the soldier to the ground. But the bean soldier simply shouted and then stood back up.

Tang Jie and Yiyi were stunned, and the Thunder Wolf leader narrowed its eyes.

A shield soldier had so easily taken the strongest attack of a Thunder Wolf, and it had barely seemed troubled by it.

Meanwhile, the mounted bean general charged, and as its warhorse was passing by the wolf, the general swept its saber at one of the wolf’s forelegs. The Thunder Wolf wailed as it flopped to the ground. Before it could stand up, the other bean soldiers charged in, instantly creating several dozen wounds on the wolf.

In just one charge, this upper-grade Mind Opening fiend wolf was rendered completely incapable of fighting.

Tang Jie had a clear understanding of how strong the bean soldiers were.

With their former strength, thirty bean soldiers working together might be able to win against a single upper-grade Mind Opening fiend, but they would suffer heavy casualties in the process, and probably only a few would survive. But now, with one charge, they had finished off the foe while suffering no casualties.

It was clear that the bean king’s true ability wasn’t in his combat power, but in his ability to empower his subordinates.

From this point of view, Shi Jingzhai hadn’t been using soldiers before, but civilians. Only under the guidance of a king could the civilians become soldiers, and soldiers could become generals. Only with a king could the beans truly improve and show their use.

The bean general turned its horse around in preparation to charge at the Thunder Wolf again. Tang Jie shouted, “Enough. Stop.”

The bean general ignored him, but before it charged, the bean king called out, and all the soldiers ceased their attack.

Tang Jie was speechless. It appeared that though they had gotten stronger, he had lost his ability to control them.

“What a unique species.” Tang Jie was more certain now that these beans were actually a species with a very special mode of existence.

The Thunder Wolf leader was scared witless by this scene. It growled, “You promised that you would let us go if we handed over wolf horns.”

“Of course. What of the other two?” Tang Jie asked. Wolf horns were the lifeblood of the Thunder Wolves, and they were not handed over so easily.

The Thunder Wolf leader took a few steps back, and then it suddenly turned its head and chomped twice, killing two female wolves.

It looked at Tang Jie. “You have three now. The rest is a gift for you.”

Tang Jie smiled. “Interesting… You can leave now.”

The Thunder Wolf leader howled and led the remaining Thunder Wolves away.

Yiyi commented, “For some reason, I feel like there’s something off about this wolf.”

“Mm, wolves are proud and find it hard to suffer in silence. This Thunder Wolf was able to endure a little too much, so it’s probably plotting something,” Tang Jie replied.

“And you still let it go?” Yiyi remarked.

“First of all, I promised them, and a man has to keep his word. Secondly, those annoying bastards have followed, so we have to get rid of them first before satisfying our curiosity. Thirdly, sometimes, you have to follow behind to discover the truth.” Tang Jie smiled.

Yiyi rolled her eyes. “I knew you would say that.”

“Alright, let’s finish this battle quickly. The faster we finish off these pursuers, the faster we can find out what those wolves are up to.” Tang Jie grabbed a large handful of beans and threw them to the bean king. “When Han Xin is commanding the soldiers, it’s best to give him as many as possible. I’m giving you more soldiers, so let me see how many more tricks you have.”

—————————————

Five people flew through the sky.

Their leader was a scrawny figure, but he had energetic eyes that were constantly looking down.

Finally, the scrawny man said, “Found him. He’s at Thundercrack Ridge. He’s with that sprite and the brainless Shi Jingzhai.”

“Hmph, Tang Jie probably doesn’t have the confidence to go out on his own now that’s he in the Three Withering Tribulations. That sprite has cultivated for many years and has been carefully tended to by Tang Jie, so it’s already at peak Mind Opening. And while Shi Jingzhai might be an idiot, he’s still a Spirit Ring cultivator, so there’s no problem with treating him as a peak Mind Opening fiend. Tang Jie has his own tricks, so if the three of them work together, he can protect himself so long as a True Person isn’t sent after him.” The one who spoke this time was a robed and scholarly figure.

“But we still sent one. With the Scarlet Brow True Person here, Tang Jie won’t be able to do a thing!” another person added.

Everyone turned to the man in the center of the group of five.

This man had scarlet brows, a dark face, and a sword slung across his back, a strange appearance all around. Although he had said nothing, he was deeply respected by the others.

The Scarlet Brow True Person said, “Enough. Tang Jie isn’t easy to deal with, as everyone knows. Even though he’s in the Three Witherings, he still can’t be underestimated. We’ll proceed according to the plan. Fei Yu, you are good at hindering, so you will deal with the sprite and Shi Jingzhai. There’s no need to kill them. Just holding them down will be a huge contribution. Xiang Zhen, you’re good at seals, so lock down the area and prevent him from sending any messages, and help Fei Yu when he needs it. Chun Wei, you’re skilled at observation, so look out for any reinforcements. Fei Bai, your specialty is adaptability and responding to crises, so stay on the sidelines and come to the rescue if anyone is in danger. As for Tang Jie, I will deal with him personally.”

“Yes!” the other four replied in unison.

Unlike before, these five had come prepared. They had studied Tang Jie deeply, and many of Tang Jie’s hidden cards were of no use against them.

They flew above him and shouted, “Tang Jie, hurry up and accept your death!”

That man called Fei Yu was the first to attack, releasing four upper-grade Mind Opening refined beasts that lunged at Yiyi and Shi Jingzhai. It turned out that this person was from the Beast Refining Gate. Because of the Gu Changqing incident, Godhead Palace had lost many of their spies in Sageheart. They didn’t have many left, and so they had worked together with the Beast Refining Gate to deal with Tang Jie. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have even been able to get together five people.

These people weren’t Basking Moon Sect infiltrators. They had their own identities, but after this battle, the identities they had nurtured for so many years would be done for, and they would have to flee. Even so, Godhead Palace and the Beast Refining Gate had still decided to carry out this operation, such was their hate for Tang Jie.

As the four beasts attacked, that Xiang Zhen pushed a hand down.

As his hand pressed down, space became like glue, and the flow of spiritual energy slowed.

When a cultivator reached Cognitive Creation and entered the Transmission phase, they could transmit their will and influence the surrounding spiritual energy. Xiang Zhen was this sort of person. He excelled in slowing the flow of spiritual energy. This wasn’t particularly useful in a duel, but it was very useful for cutting off any messages so that an enemy couldn’t send for reinforcements.

Chun Wei and Fei Bai were on observation duty. One observed the surroundings to guard against reinforcements while the other observed the battlefield to react to any surprises.

This was the strength of five people, four at Cognitive Creation and one at Celestial Heart, and this was to deal with someone who had entered the Three Withering Tribulations! It was clear how much importance they placed on this mission.

Alas, Tang Jie’s strength still far surpassed their expectations.

As the Scarlet Brow True Person flew over to Tang Jie, he saw Tang Jie calmly looking up at him with a smirk on his face, as if he was already prepared for this. His heart jumped, but he ultimately muttered to himself, “Just forcing himself to remain calm.”

But he then spotted a little person wearing a golden crown on the large stone next to Tang Jie.

What is that?

Scarlet Brow was startled.

He then saw that crowned little person point at him.

A moment later, the Scarlet Brow True Person saw countless little green men emerge from bushes and trees and lunge at him.

Aghast, Scarlet Brow instinctively retreated, thrusting out his palms and unleashing a powerful gust of wind.

With his Celestial Heart strength, his sweeping blow should have been enough to obliterate these little people. But to his surprise, those little green men assembled into a formation in mid-air and unleashed their own mighty blow. Countless streams of air gathered together and slammed into Scarlet Brow’s gale, unexpectedly pushing it back.

Scarlet Brow sprinkled black powder into the air.

If one looked closely, one would discover that this black powder was actually venomous insects, tens of thousands of them flying down.

Upon seeing this, Tang Jie planned to intervene. However, the bean king waved his scepter in disdain, and the more than one hundred bean soldiers in the air stood firm.

Thirty-some bean soldiers loosed their arrows, sending volley after volley.

The little green arrows might have been too weak to deal with cultivators, but they cut down swath after swath of these bugs.

At the same time, the shield-and-saber soldiers raised their shields and swung their sabers at the air, releasing wave after wave of saber energy. Their saber energies weren’t particularly strong, but they were perfect for sweeping through the bugs.

The pikemen in the center stabbed their pikes, making each thrust with incredible accuracy.

Those venomous bugs that other people could only use large and sweeping moves to deal with were nothing more than an untrained mob to the bean soldiers, and they could kill as many as they wanted.

Thus, moments after that black cloud of insects had appeared, a black rain of insect bodies descended.

As the insects were cut down, the bean soldiers were like a veteran army, a steel wall that stood firm against the insect flood.

Meanwhile, three mounted little people charged out. One had black armor and wielded a saber, one had silver armor and wielded a spear, and the other had no armor, but was garbed in red and carried two scimitars.

The three mounted warriors galloped through the air as if they were crossing a plain, charging at the insect horde.

The black-armored general was like a savage bear. The attacks from the insects simply plinked off his armor, and every swing of his saber would slaughter a mass of insects.

The general in silver armor was like a bolt of lightning, charging with incredible speed. He didn’t intentionally seek slaughter, piercing through the horde like an arrow and then charging back in, repeatedly punching holes in the insect ranks.

But these two generals put together didn’t kill as many as the red-robed fellow.

That red-robed bean general charged into the insect horde, jumped into the air, and then began to spin like a top, his two scimitars turning him into a circular razor that sliced through all the insects that approached him.

Of course, although forgoing armor increased one’s mobility and lethality, the price was that this bean general’s defense was much weaker. Thus, he was the only general to be injured.

But when he was injured, the distant king waved his scepter, and the injuries instantly disappeared.

Thus, Scarlet Brow’s insects swiftly disappeared under the onslaught of the beans.

All shall before the mighty power of the bean army!