Chapter 134: The Undead Crisis Resolved, Returning Home

In the afternoon, Ziwei convened a meeting to allocate personnel for support missions across various regions.

After discussion, it was decided that Daoist Yuling would lead the disciples of Shangqing Sect to assist at Chibi. That area was managed by the Maoshan Sect’s Tiandao faction and the Shenxiao faction. Since both belonged to the Maoshan lineage, their cooperation would be smoother.

Chibi had no Ghost Kings, only six ghost commanders—all well-known and named generals from Cao Cao’s army: Zhang Nan, Jiao Chu, Cai Zhong, Cai He, Ma Yan, and Zhang Kai.

Unlike the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, history does not record that Cai Mao and Zhang Yun died in this battle. How they actually died is not documented, but it certainly wasn’t from some “counterintelligence scheme” at Chibi.

Otherwise, given their status and abilities, they’d likely have become Ghost Kings, which would have made the troubles at Chibi even worse than at Changping.

Chibi had no Ghost Kings or skeleton monsters; only 200,000 shadow soldiers. Due to the great fire at Chibi in ancient times, the shadow army there included fire ghosts and water ghosts.

The Tiandao faction specialized in the Five Elements techniques, effectively countering the shadow army at Chibi, while the Shenxiao faction’s Five Elements Divine Thunder was particularly effective against water and fire ghosts. Hence, these two factions were assigned the task.

Chibi’s situation was unique, quite different from Changping. Changping was a nationally funded 5A-level scenic area, with Han-style architecture and even a “Three Kingdoms Film City.”

The shadow army mainly camped within the film city.

Therefore, heavy artillery bombardment was not an option, as it would leave only ruins, causing significant economic losses to the nation.

Hence, more cultivators were deployed here, but none at the Golden Core stage. The army primarily used firearms for defense. At most, mortars could be used to bombard the Yangtze River when dealing with water ghosts.

Although the total area here was only about 124 square kilometers, less than half the size of the ancient Changping battlefield, the inclusion of the Yangtze’s waters posed challenges for deploying the Iron Encirclement Formation.

Fortunately, the title of “Infrastructure Maniac” for the Great Xia was well earned. In a short time, an iron fence was constructed on the water, effectively establishing the formation.

Though it was impossible to build bunkers on the water, watchtowers were set up, connected by walkways above the iron fence. Soldiers fired on attacking water ghosts from these towers.

After suffering several defeats attacking the Iron Encirclement, the shadow army at Chibi, like at Changping, retreated into the film city and ceased fighting, awaiting the arrival of the third “break day.”

The Shenxiao and Tiandao factions’ leadership resorted to a gradual attrition strategy: sending small groups of experts daily to eliminate some shadow soldiers bit by bit.

As for the six ghost commanders at Chibi, they were not loyal heroes determined to die with honor.

Among them, Zhang Nan, Jiao Chu, Ma Yan, and Zhang Kai were originally generals under Yuan Shao who had surrendered to Cao Cao.

Cai Zhong and Cai He were members of the Cai family, cousins of Cai Mao, originally generals under Liu Biao of Jingzhou.

They were all surrendered generals, so loyalty was hardly to be expected.

They only believed their strength was sufficient to hold out until the third break day, hoping to turn the tide. Among these six ghost commanders, at least one likely hoped to ascend to Ghost King status on that day—each still harboring illusions.

Once Daoist Yuling, a Golden Core master, arrived and crushed them with overwhelming strength, they would have no choice but to surrender. Recruiting them would then be a natural outcome.

After the surrender of the Chibi shadow army, the Ten-Thousand Souls Banner was entrusted to Daoist Yuling, reflecting Ziwei’s trust in him.

As for Li Yunfei and Honghong, they naturally followed Ziwei to support the ancient Feishui battlefield.

The Ghost King there, Fu Rong, was a heroic figure in life and a ghostly hero in death. Recruiting him would not be easy.

He was the son of Fu Xiong, Emperor Wenhuan of Former Qin during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, and brother to Emperor Xuanzhao, Fu Jian.

Historical records describe him as handsome, both literate and martial, known for his sharp judgment, held in high esteem in Former Qin.

It was said he was filial and cared deeply for his soldiers—a weakness that could be exploited.

When several Golden Core masters arrived, they planned to beat him down, then reason with him, showing that they were not opposed to the existence of shadow armies.

They would then leverage their power, using his tens of thousands of shadow soldiers as bargaining chips, making surrender inevitable.

Afterward, the Ten-Thousand Souls Banner for the Former Qin shadow army would be managed by Master Zhang, while the skeleton warriors would remain under Li Yunfei’s command.

Since skeleton warriors lacked memories of their former lives and were mere cannon fodder, they had no issues with era or faction, allowing for unified management.

With arrangements made, everyone set off early the next day.

The Feishui ancient battlefield lay near Bagong Mountain by the East Fei River in Shouchun County, Jiuzhou, Anhui Province, about seven miles from Shouchun city. It was not large, making defense easier.

Upon arrival, Li Yunfei and his party first surveyed the battlefield situation and became acquainted, then decided on a strategy of first subduing, then recruiting.

Master Zhang had already been informed about Li Yunfei by Ziwei and was quite surprised upon learning that this young man had become a Golden Core master at just 23 through his own cultivation.

Though in the era of spiritual energy’s resurgence, age no longer strictly mattered for cultivators—young talents often had better innate aptitude—this rule did not apply to major sects.

Within sects, practitioners had been cultivating methods not relying on spiritual energy before its resurgence, such as Taoist breathing techniques for longevity, physical exercises, and martial arts.

Moreover, their lifelong study of Taoist scriptures gave them a deeper understanding of the Dao than ordinary folk.

Thus, older sect members had a more solid foundation and could advance rapidly once spiritual energy returned.

With the nation’s resources supporting them, only three reached the Golden Core stage in a short time.

Li Yunfei’s youth indicated he was destined to surpass the older generation in advancement speed and reach.

Therefore, Master Zhang treated him with great respect—not as close or warm as Daoist Yuling, due to different lineages, but still friendly.

The Tiandao tradition was diverse, with the sword, seals, and talismans as its three treasures.

Its main tools were various seals; it was also skilled in sword techniques, and Tiandao talismans formed a unique school.

With plans settled, Ziwei wasted no time. That afternoon at Feishui, he led Master Zhang, Li Yunfei, and Honghong into the formation to challenge Fu Rong.

He Ming followed behind with an empty Ten-Thousand Souls Banner—among these Golden Core masters, he was merely a subordinate.

Though four Golden Core masters were present, the battle became Li Yunfei’s solo showcase.

Ziwei deliberately let Li Yunfei shine before Master Zhang, to demonstrate his prowess, having Li Yunfei duel Fu Rong alone while Ziwei, Master Zhang, and Honghong supported and suppressed the shadow army.

Li Yunfei was an early Golden Core, and Fu Rong was about mid-stage, so Li Yunfei didn’t even use his Yellow Wind Gourd.

With two purple-gold hammers and a bloodthirsty flying sword, Li Yunfei had Fu Rong struggling to defend.

To completely subdue Fu Rong, Li Yunfei abandoned his magical treasures at the height of his advantage, donned a protective arcane armor, and drew the Eight Immortals Sword from Qingcheng to engage in close combat.

This gave Fu Rong some chance to fight back, but his swordsmanship was straightforward and suited for battlefield skirmishes, not for dueling a martial arts master.

Initially, they traded blows, but as Li Yunfei’s mastery of the Eight Immortals Sword deepened, Fu Rong could no longer keep up.

Ultimately, Li Yunfei single-handedly subdued Fu Rong, and Ziwei seized the opportunity to persuade him to surrender, achieving instant success.

Thus, Great Xia recruited one Ghost King, ten ghost commanders, over 1,300 ghost generals, 180,000 shadow soldiers, and 120,000 skeleton warriors.

Previously, Feishui had 250,000 shadow soldiers and 170,000 skeleton warriors, some of whom had been eliminated beforehand, so these numbers were impressive.

Fu Rong’s true spirit was absorbed into Ziwei’s Ten-Thousand Souls Banner. Because his soul was dense and no longer vulnerable to sunlight, his appearance was nearly indistinguishable from a living person.

Therefore, Ziwei kept him close to learn modern language and basic knowledge.

Once trained, Fu Rong could instruct the Former Qin shadow army, saving much trouble.

Most importantly, a Ghost King, equivalent to a Golden Core master, was a formidable combat asset to keep nearby.

With Li Yunfei’s additional 120,000 skeleton warriors, his Bone Spirit Banner now commanded 380,000.

The situation at Feishui was settled in a day; Chibi was even simpler.

Upon arrival, Daoist Yuling led a group of experts above the Spiritual Movement stage, projecting the aura of a Golden Core master, and stormed into the shadow army camp.

The ghost commanders dared not resist and surrendered promptly.

The following period saw Ziwei sweeping through various ancient battlefields.

At Julu, Guandu, Gaixia, and others, they recruited 400,000 shadow soldiers and 310,000 skeleton monsters.

The only regret was failing to encounter the ghost of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu, at Gaixia.

Because Xiang Yu did not die at Gaixia but committed suicide by the Wujing River 500 miles away.

He died alone, unable to reach the dark land altered by the magnetic field, and thus the legendary hero vanished from the world—a true loss.

Having quelled the undead crisis, Great Xia suffered almost no casualties but recruited a total of 980,000 shadow soldiers and 690,000 skeleton warriors.

This was the most profitable campaign in history: low cost, minimal casualties, and a massive army of 1.67 million gained.

Moreover, this undead army required no rations or pay, and even training them was far cheaper than raising the same number of living soldiers, while offering superior combat strength.

The campaign’s early stage was tense, the middle phase fraught with pressure, but the latter stage was purely a harvest.

The turning point was the arrival of one man—Li Yunfei.

His name echoed throughout Ziwei within a single week; everyone knew this unprecedented great victory was thanks to him.

Li Yunfei was awarded first-class merit by Ziwei, and no one questioned his appointment as Elder of the Earthly Branches.

As the only Golden Core master among the Earthly Branch elders, and with the Dragon being the most kingly zodiac sign, he unquestionably became the leader of the twelve Earthly Branches.

A week later, the undead disturbance at ancient battlefields was completely pacified. Members of the Ziwei Heavenly Team were dispatched nationwide to quell local undead uprisings.

Especially those wielding the Ten-Thousand Souls Banner: at every city, they released all shadow soldiers to secretly scour the city, eliminating all vicious spirits and restless souls, while capturing wandering ghosts as reinforcements.

The Great Xia territory was combed thoroughly; except for some remote mountain villages, no historical lingering ghosts remained at the township level or above.

Newly appearing ghosts were dealt with by local stationed Ziwei members, eliminating the need for large-scale Heavenly Team deployment.

Li Yunfei did not participate in the nationwide ghost-clearing operations. Shadow soldiers could hide, but skeleton warriors could not.

Releasing skeleton warriors to hunt ghosts might cause chaos.

In such large-scale actions, his presence was neither necessary nor missed.

Thus, at the campaign’s start, Li Yunfei had already returned to Yudong County with Zhang Ziying, Honghong, and the little companion Abao.

Before leaving, Li Yunfei returned two sets of Sun-Moon Golden Wheels to Ziwei, putting his mind at ease.

His reason for leaving was entirely justified, and Ziwei could not object.

Previously, all Ziwei Heavenly Team members had concentrated at ancient battlefields, unable to spare forces for ghost troubles in remote mountain villages.

During that period, local Yin-Yang masters self-organized to handle the disturbances.

However, Yin-Yang masters had limited abilities. Even with special weapons supported by Ziwei, some problems remained unsolvable.

Before returning home, Li Yunfei called Yin-Yang masters Master Yang and Master Chen, whom he had met while resolving ghost troubles in his hometown, Daping Village.

But their families, not the masters themselves, answered the calls.

They had died tragically on the spot while confronting a powerful ghost in a village.

Liu Bin and Jiang Rui, stationed in Yudong County, mostly operated in rural areas. As martial artists, they had limited means against ghosts capable of flight and teleportation.

Fortunately, Ziwei headquarters provided them with special weapons, enabling them to kill ghosts.

Being martial cultivators, their strength surpassed Yin-Yang masters, and with effective weapons, they were nearly invincible.

Yet, Yudong County was vast, with 32 townships and hundreds of villages. How many could they manage?

Even at full effort and decent efficiency, it would take four to five months to resolve all village issues.

Yudong County’s rural population exceeded 200,000. Mass relocation was impractical. People lived under the protection of anti-ghost talismans, not daring to venture out after 7 p.m.

Li Yunfei’s proposal to return home to solve his people’s problems was beyond objection.