Xu Yunfan’s pupils constricted. As the little figure struggled in the net, the faint golden ginseng threads around its wrists writhed as if they were alive.

Even stranger, where its feet touched the ground, a few withered blades of grass sprouted new shoots at a speed visible to the naked eye. This was clearly the "Spring from the Soil" Anomaly of a Ginseng King, as recorded in the Hundred Herbs Scripture from the Celestial Craft Cave’s Scripture Pavilion.

This was a phenomenon that only occurred after a Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng took on a physical form. Even during the era of Primeval Spirit Prosperity, with its endless stream of Limit-Breaking Powerhouses, this would be considered an exceptionally rare treasure.

Seeing the little doll emerge from the rock face as if using an Escape Technique, Xu Yunfan couldn’t help but ask in astonishment.

"This is the ginseng you were talking about?!"

The Ginseng Doll suddenly let out a piercing shriek like a wailing infant. Three of its ginseng threads snapped taut, and the net wrapped around it looked as if it was about to tear open.

"The Golden Rattan Cage!"

With no time to answer Xu Yunfan, the Lamp Master bellowed, and four Bei Mang disciples carried out a hollow wooden cage that stood half as tall as a man.

The inner walls of the cage were lined with bronze spikes, each tip coated in an amber-colored resin.

Xu Yunfan caught the pungent scent of Sichuan Aconite Juice, his eyes fixed intently on the Ginseng Doll.

The Lamp Master threw out seven Bronze Bells. Their clappers were actually made of Magnetic Stone, and they landed in a perfect Big Dipper Formation.

The doll in the net suddenly went rigid. The once-lively ginseng threads were pulled ramrod straight by the magnetic force. This Ten Thousand Year Ginseng King’s root system was buried deep in iron ore, so its body had long since developed Magnetic Essence.

Xu Yunfan’s eyes glinted, a thousand thoughts churning within him, but he didn’t step forward to intervene. Instead, he watched everything unfold in silence.

The rock face suddenly exploded with spiderweb cracks. In response, the Bronze Bell in the Lamp Master’s hand shattered into seven pieces.

The doll kicked off the ground, using the falling rubble as footholds to leap into the air. The ginseng threads on its wrists shot out like Silver Needles, embedding themselves in the rock wall as it tried to leverage them for an escape.

"Dui Position!"

At the Lamp Master’s roar, four Bei Mang disciples pulled hidden triggers simultaneously. Eight bronze pillars wrapped in red string shot up from the ground, and the Magnetic Stone lanterns atop each one lit up in response.

The Ginseng Doll slammed into the wall of interwoven red string. When its ginseng threads touched the knots, which had been soaked in sulfur water, they immediately gave off a plume of green smoke.

In the next instant, seven red strings soaked in Red Nitrate Water shot out from cracks in the rock, yanking the Ginseng Doll back just as it was about to escape into the ground. The Bei Mang disciples, working in pairs, grabbed the ends of the ropes and took off at a run.

A bell polished from Magnetic Stone hung from each knot in the rope. As the net tightened, the infrasonic vibrations from the clashing bells made the Ginseng Doll’s body tremble.

This was the "Earth Dragon Lock," a technique passed down through generations of Bei Mang Mountain’s Tufu Zi, designed specifically to disrupt the echolocation-like abilities of earth-aspected Spiritual Objects. With the recent surge of the Primordial Spirit, it had finally recovered some of its former power.

The Ginseng Doll squealed, "SQUEAK! SQUEAK!", its arms and legs flailing. Its round little face even took on a human-like, pitiful expression.

"Don’t be fooled by its pitiful act. A ginseng that can take on a physical form is always a ruthless terror in these mountains!"

The Lamp Master added quickly, afraid that Xu Yunfan might suddenly be moved by pity and intervene. As he spoke, however, he saw Xu Yunfan standing off to the side, his expression cold and his posture relaxed.

He felt a pang in his chest. How could he not see that Xu Yunfan was preparing to swoop in and claim the prize for himself?

Even so, the Lamp Master was unwilling to give up. Ever since the Empress had jolted the Earth Vein Primordial Spirit loose, a bit of Spiritual Qi had returned to the world, passively awakening these Spiritual Objects that had been hidden deep within the earth.

His group had practically been living like wild men in these mountains, all for this one Ginseng Doll. How could they possibly give up now?

"Bind the Ginseng Root!"

The Lamp Master flung out three Red Rope Darts, the knots at their tails spinning of their own accord in mid-air.

The red string was woven from the shed skin of a century-old female python from Southern Sichuan and had been soaked for a full forty-nine days in a solution of Rooster Blood and Cinnabar. Now, upon contact with the juices seeping from the Ginseng Doll’s wrists, it coiled around the ginseng threads as if it were alive.

The doll’s left foot had just touched the ground when the Ginseng Root bound by the red string suddenly went rigid. It turned out that the magnetic powder within the rope’s core repelled the Magnetic Essence in its body, severing its connection to the Earth Vein.

"It’s bound! It’s bound!!!"

A nearby Bei Mang disciple couldn’t help but shout, overjoyed.

If they could capture it, their names would be recorded in the annals of the Bei Mang Sect. Their status would change forever.

Xu Yunfan watched closely. The Bei Mang disciples held thirty-six red strings among them, weaving them into a net according to the positions of the Nine Palaces.

Every time the red strings crossed, the knots sprinkled a powder of Magnetic Stone mixed with sulfur, forming a layer of "Red Sand" on the ground that blocked the Earth Qi.

The Ginseng Doll tried to use its earth-shrinking ability several times but was thrown back to the center by the barrier of red strings. The Red Nitrate clinging to the soles of its feet gradually hardened into a shell, leaving it to dart about like a headless fly. It squealed and thrashed, trying to break free, but no matter how it struggled, it could not escape the ever-tightening crimson prison.

But the most ingenious tool was the red cord coiled at the Lamp Master’s waist. Woven from Miaojiang Hemp and Magnetic Iron Ore Threads, this red string could turn from soft to hard with a flick of his wrist.

As the doll tried to dart toward the Xun Position, the Lamp Master whipped the rope into a loop. The Copper Pendant at its end struck the back of the doll’s head with pinpoint accuracy. Mandala Seed Juice sealed within the pendant seeped into the ginseng’s body, making its movements sluggish for three full breaths.

In those three short breaths, the thirty-six red strings were woven into a dense net.

The disciples suddenly twisted their wrists in unison. All the red strings snapped taut, forming a six-pointed star that suspended the doll three feet above the ground.

Its ginseng threads could no longer touch the earth or stone, completely sealing its Earth Escape Divine Techniques. It could only kick futilely at the red strings, which were now coated in magnetic powder. With every struggle, a little more of the Sichuan Aconite Juice soaked into the ropes seeped into its body.

"Cage it!"

Hearing the command, the four disciples carrying the spike-lined cage moved swiftly. They opened the cage door, shoved the Ginseng Doll inside, and sealed it shut. Then, the outer wooden layers of the cage peeled away, section by section, revealing a smaller, birdcage-sized Bronze cage that held the Ginseng Doll securely.

"Success!"

Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow, his hand falling to the grip of his Thunderfire Qilin Hammer. He glanced at the Lamp Master, whose gaze met his at that exact moment, wearing an expression that said, ’I know exactly what you’re planning.’

Xu Yunfan grinned, baring his white teeth.

’To reject a gift from the heavens is to invite disaster.’

’These Tufu Zi from Bei Mang Mountain are all grave robbers who look destined for an early grave. Taking them out would be a service to the public.’

’The strongest among them is just the Lamp Master, who is only at the Flesh Refining Realm. And while I don’t know the full extent of my own power right now, I know it can’t be measured by ordinary standards.’

Having casually found his justification, Xu Yunfan prepared to make his move.

"Wait, I have something to say!"

Seeing Xu Yunfan raise his hammer to charge, the Lamp Master shouted in alarm, not daring to hesitate. But just as he was about to speak, the ground suddenly trembled violently.

A sinister, evil aura erupted from an unknown source, instantly washing over everyone. Even Xu Yunfan’s expression flickered. The Pure Yang Inner Breath, dormant deep within his flesh, was stimulated into action, reactivating to drive out the chilling presence from his body.

From deep within the cracked earth, two blood-red lanterns lit up. They were the eyes of a thirty-foot-long Corpse-Rot Tiger Demon. Its crimson-filled eyes darted about frantically, scanning everyone present before finally fixing on the Ginseng Doll locked in the Bronze cage.