Chapter 120: Resolving the Undead Crisis Is Within Reach

Apart from Daoist Yuling, the other six attendees included a man and a woman who were descendants of the Shangqing Sect; both were personal disciples of Daoist Yuling and possessed the cultivation of the Mid-Yinshen stage. The remaining four were cultivators from the Chunyang Sect of the Quanzhen tradition, hailing from the "Chunyang Palace" in Taiyuan Commandery, Jin Province. Among them, one was at the Late-Yinshen stage, two at the Mid-Yinshen stage, and one at the Early-Yinshen stage. The Chunyang Sect honors the Pure Yang Immortal, Lü Dongbin, as their founding patriarch, primarily preserving his path of the Sword Immortal.

The majority of the cultivators stationed here were disciples of the Chunyang Sect, as the ancient battlefield of Changping lies within Jin Province, making it their home turf; the rest were primarily from the Shangqing Sect of the Maoshan School. Other Daoist sects, such as the Tianshi Dao of Mount Longhu, the Lingbao Sect of Mount Zaoge, and the Shenxiao, Tiandao, and Sangui sects of the Maoshan School, were each responsible for their own respective ancient battlefields. As for the five generals present, they included the Group Army Commander, the Political Commissar, the Deputy Commander, the Deputy Commissar, and the Chief of Staff.

After brief introductions, Ziwei arranged for everyone to be seated. He Ming returned to his place, while Li Yunfei and his two companions were temporarily seated behind the five generals. Though the others could not discern Honghong’s true nature, Ziwei and Daoist Yuling saw through it at a glance, yet they chose not to speak up. It was evidently more appropriate to let some things remain unspoken.

"The current situation is highly unfavorable for us," Ziwei began. "The army of the dead has retreated, waiting for the arrival of the 'Triple-Break Day,' rendering our modern weaponry ineffective. Our manpower is insufficient to execute a decapitation strike, and our comprehensive strength does not give us the advantage. If any of you have sound suggestions, please feel free to propose them so we may discuss a viable plan."

Silence filled the conference room for a moment before the Late-Yinshen disciple of the Chunyang Sect, Xie Liuyun, spoke: "The undead armies at all major battlefields are currently in a defensive crouch. In my opinion, we should concentrate all our high-end combat power and launch a thunderous strike against them. If we can eliminate Zhao Kuo and his ghost generals, the problem will essentially be solved."

Zhou Ming, one of Daoist Yuling’s personal disciples, sighed: "That won't work. Although the undead armies are hunkered down, ghost kings from various locations lead small elite squads to harass us every day. What appears to be inconsequential harassment is actually a probe. Once they discover that the high-level experts guarding a site are absent, these probes will turn into a full-scale offensive. Without high-end combat power to hold the line, the Iron Siege Formation cannot withstand the ghost kings and ghost generals for long; it will be breached quickly. If even one ancient battlefield suffers a lapse, the situation we have struggled to maintain will collapse, rendering all our efforts meaningless. Any breakthrough by an undead army would lead to immeasurable consequences, with countless civilians being slaughtered."

"Furthermore, once they break out, we will be unable to contain them and will be forced into a highly passive position, while the ranks of the undead army will only continue to swell."

Xie Liuyun frowned. "We cannot simply drag this out. The situation has been deadlocked for over half a month with no progress. If we do not make a decision now, two months will pass in the blink of an eye. When the Triple-Break Day arrives, there will truly be no room for maneuver. Are we really going to pay the price with over ten thousand square kilometers of land? The land resources of the Great Xia are already becoming increasingly scarce. If these ten thousand square kilometers were merely desert or wasteland, that would be one thing, but they happen to be fertile fields and populated areas. Alas..."

Ziwei looked at Li Yunfei and asked, "Yunfei, do you have any good suggestions?"

Li Yunfei pondered for a moment before saying, "My suggestion is similar to Senior Xie's. The sooner the undead crisis is resolved, the better; a full-scale war against the ghost army is inevitable. However, Brother Zhou is also right—we cannot withdraw high-end combat power from other battlefields, or we will end up neglecting one thing while attending to another."

Ziwei nodded. "Indeed. Unfortunately, our overall strength is insufficient. Even with you, Honghong, and the siblings A-Bao, we are still lacking and can at most maintain a stalemate."

Li Yunfei’s mind stirred, and the Yellow Wind Gourd he had refined flew out from his crown, landing gently on the table before him. Everyone looked at the gourd with curiosity. He Ming asked with anticipation, "What is this?"

Li Yunfei replied, "This is a magical treasure refined by a Yellow Immortal (a weasel spirit). I obtained it after slaying the creature. Perhaps it will be of some help to the situation."

Yang Lianzhen, a female disciple of Daoist Yuling, asked, "Is the 'Yellow Immortal' friend Li speaks of a weasel?" Since she and her senior brother Zhou Ming were not of an age to be considered Li's seniors, they addressed him as a fellow Daoist.

Li Yunfei smiled and nodded. "Precisely. It was a weasel demon that had attained human form; it certainly had the qualification to be called a Yellow Immortal. As everyone knows, the farts of a weasel can cause a person to faint, and the farts of this Yellow Immortal specifically target the primordial spirit and soul, causing confusion and dizziness. If a cultivator's soul strength is not strong enough, they may even fall into a coma. As for this Yellow Wind Gourd... well, let us not dwell on how it was refined. In short, it can spew a yellow wind that covers a vast area. Any being with a soul, once touched by the yellow wind, will inevitably fall into a state of dizziness—even skeleton monsters are no exception."

"I am not sure if it is effective against those above the Golden Core stage, but for those below, even if they are at the peak of the Yinshen stage, they will certainly be incapacitated if caught in the yellow wind."

Upon hearing Li Yunfei’s words, the expressions of the group became peculiar as they looked at the gourd. Weasel farts were notoriously foul, and the farts of a weasel demon were even worse. This was a "fragrant" gourd indeed.

Noticing their reactions, Li Yunfei immediately understood what they were thinking and laughed. "You need not worry. I have tested it; the yellow wind sprayed by this gourd has no foul odor. It seems the stench was removed during the refinement process, leaving only the soul-confusing effect."

"Haha..."

The group chuckled, and Ziwei said with interest, "If this gourd truly has the effect you describe, it will indeed be of great help in breaking the deadlock. But how can you ensure that the yellow wind only affects the enemy and not our own people?"

Li Yunfei flipped his hand, revealing a bottle of Yellow Immortal Pills. He placed the bottle on the table and said, "These are Yellow Immortal Pills. After taking one, one becomes immune to the yellow wind for three hours."

The group felt relieved, and joy appeared on their faces as they looked at Li Yunfei with admiration. The problem that had plagued them for over half a month seemed to have a potential solution the moment Li Yunfei arrived. Although it had not yet been put into practice, if Li Yunfei's description was accurate and not exaggerated, then the resolution of the undead crisis was within reach.

Ziwei pondered briefly and exchanged a glance with Daoist Yuling. Daoist Yuling nodded in understanding and said to Li Yunfei, "Yunfei, please test the yellow wind on me to see if it is truly effective against a Golden Core cultivator."

Li Yunfei was also eager to know the answer. He rose and said, "I suggest we go outside to avoid filling the conference room with the yellow wind and causing unnecessary inconvenience."

"That is a good idea. Let us go!"