Chapter 123: An Unexpected Victory

Li Yunfei knew that Daoist Yuling’s cultivation was far superior to his own, so he stopped holding back and poured his spiritual power frantically into the purple-gold hammers.

The purple radiance on the hammers flared intensely, and their flight speed increased, making them appear almost like true purple lightning hammers.

However, in the hands of a high-level cultivator with divine sense, speed is largely meaningless; no matter how fast an object moves, it can be tracked by divine sense. Nevertheless, high speed can force an opponent into a defensive frenzy, consuming a vast amount of their focus.

Li Yunfei temporarily severed the flow of spiritual power to the Yellow Wind Gourd. Since the gourd’s yellow wind had proven ineffective, he stopped wasting his efforts on it. Instead, he directed the purple-gold hammer that had been shielding the gourd to join the assault on Daoist Yuling.

At this moment, Daoist Yuling finally experienced the same frustration Li Yunfei had felt when facing the Great Immortal Huang; when one lacks as many magical artifacts as their opponent, one’s movements become restricted. Because the Myriad Spirit Divine Talisman Ruler was both offensive and defensive, possessing infinite utility, he had not refined any other offensive artifacts, focusing instead on one item dedicated to defense and support while mastering the use of the Divine Talisman Ruler. He had not expected the power of Li Yunfei’s artifacts to be so immense; the power of talismans below the Yin Spirit realm could not block them at all, requiring the direct use of the Divine Talisman Ruler itself. Otherwise, he would be forced to deploy defensive artifacts and chant high-level incantations that only a Golden Core cultivator could command.

In truth, if the purple-gold hammers were not so formidable, Li Yunfei would have been defeated long ago.

With no other choice, Daoist Yuling paused the Myriad Spirit Divine Talisman Ruler’s Heavenly Thunder Spell to block the hammers and deployed his second artifact. A circular mirror flew from his crown, hovering above his head and manifesting a Taiji Bagua diagram about a yard in diameter, casting a golden light shield that enveloped him. The mirror was crafted from white jade, with a golden Bagua diagram engraved on its surface—evidently of the same origin as the Divine Talisman Ruler, both carved from ten-thousand-year-old spiritual jade. This was an advanced, high-spec version of the Bagua mirror, known as the "Bagua Vast Heaven Mirror." Its primary function was defense, though it also possessed auxiliary capabilities such as tracking, dispelling evil, and binding.

After securing his defense, Daoist Yuling recalled the Myriad Spirit Divine Talisman Ruler and condensed his divine sense, locking it firmly onto Li Yunfei, who was darting around him like a fly. He allowed the purple-gold hammers to strike his protective spiritual shield, ignoring the rapid depletion of his spiritual energy as he formed hand seals and chanted: "Puhua Heavenly Lord, God of Thunder, Generals of the Five Thunders, thunderbolts roar, shaking the world for ten thousand miles, illuminating the cosmos..."

Although he realized that the purple-gold hammers were devastatingly powerful and significantly accelerated his spiritual consumption, they could not break his defense in the short term. Once his "Five Thunders Smite" spell was unleashed, this sparring match would be over.

However, because he had constricted his divine sense to lock onto Li Yunfei, he failed to notice that the Yellow Wind Gourd, which had temporarily gone silent, was sneaking quietly into the center of the whirlwind.

The Yellow Wind Gourd suddenly spewed a thick cloud of yellow gas at Daoist Yuling’s back.

"Five Thunders Smite, body turns to dust, quickly... uh... oh no..."

Just as Daoist Yuling was about to finish his incantation, the yellow gas suddenly engulfed him. A shockwave targeting his primordial spirit sent his consciousness into chaos. The incantation broke off, and his lock on Li Yunfei was severed. The spiritual energy he had been circulating with such ease stalled; his protective shield vanished instantly, and the Bagua Vast Heaven Mirror retracted into his crown.

Daoist Yuling understood immediately that in his carelessness, he had been successfully ambushed by Li Yunfei. What frustrated him even more was that this yellow gas was truly effective even against a Great Golden Core cultivator.

In reality, while the yellow gas did affect Daoist Yuling, it only lasted for a fleeting moment. But by the time he struggled to regain his focus and shake off the vertigo, he found the two purple-gold hammers hovering right in front of him—one three feet above his forehead and the other directly before his chest.

A chill ran down Daoist Yuling’s spine. He felt a lingering sense of terror; if this had been a life-or-death battle rather than a sparring match, he would have been obliterated. Then again, if it had been a real battle, he would not have held back, and Li Yunfei would never have had the chance to ambush him.

"Senior, you concede."

Li Yunfei withdrew the hammers and the gourd, bowing deeply with cupped hands. "Your cultivation is profound and your artifacts are miraculous. If you hadn't been holding back at every turn, I would never have had the chance to win this match through trickery."

Daoist Yuling exhaled deeply. He used the Myriad Spirit Divine Talisman Ruler to cast a Xun Wind Spell, dispersing the yellow gas around him, before waving a hand at Li Yunfei. "You need not be overly humble. To be able to force me to reveal all my artifacts and even resort to Golden Core techniques with only a late-stage Yin Spirit cultivation level is something you can be proud of."

His mood visibly improved, and he smiled. "This sparring match proves that your Yellow Wind Gourd is effective even against Golden Core cultivators; that is of extraordinary significance. A solution to the undead crisis is within reach. If our Great Xia can be the first to resolve this crisis, restore social order, and return to steady development, we will undoubtedly lead the world. You have rendered a monumental service that will be recorded in the annals of Great Xia history."

Listening to Daoist Yuling, Li Yunfei felt an uncontrollable surge of excitement, though he maintained a composed expression. He bowed his head with a modest smile and said, "Senior is too kind. Doing what I can for the country is a pleasure for those of us in this path."

Daoist Yuling nodded repeatedly with admiration. "Let us head down. Once we resolve the undead army here, we shall talk at length."

"After you, Senior."

The two descended to the ground, where everyone broke into applause. Ziwei clapped while smiling, "Brilliant, truly brilliant. This sparring match was exceptional and exceeded everyone’s expectations. Who would have thought you would win, Yunfei?"

Li Yunfei quickly replied, "It was entirely due to the Daoist’s restraint. Otherwise, I wouldn't have lasted a single moment under his hand."

Ziwei chuckled. "You needn't be so modest. While the Daoist certainly held back, haven't you also been keeping something in reserve?"

Daoist Yuling was moved, asking in surprise, "What? You weren't giving it your all?"

Li Yunfei pondered, "I have indeed not exhausted all my means, but they are merely the unorthodox techniques of the Three Ghosts Sect, which might not be effective against you, Senior."

The group realized he was referring to his unused summons. The Three Ghosts Sect of the Maoshan School was legendary for its reliance on "babies"—using spirit-calling arts to summon ghosts and spirits for combat. They once possessed techniques for raising corpses and ghosts—such as Copper-Armored or Silver-Armored Corpses—which were powerful tools. However, those methods were considered too evil and harmful to the natural order; they had long been discarded, and anyone practicing them was labeled a practitioner of heretical ways. Zixiao could tolerate unorthodox methods, but it could not tolerate heresy.

Upon learning that this was the reserve power Li Yunfei spoke of, the group felt a sense of disappointment and lost interest in seeing what kind of ghosts he could summon. It was well known that the spirit-calling arts of the Three Ghosts Sect could not summon entities stronger than the master, or the user would lose control.

Ziwei addressed the group, "In that case, everyone go and prepare. Get a good night’s rest, adjust your state, and tomorrow morning, we shall enter the formation to challenge Zhao Kuo and execute our decapitation strategy. He Ming, Yunfei, come with me. We need to go through the official process for your induction into Zixiao."

The group responded in agreement and dispersed, leaving only He Ming, Abao, Xiaobei, and Li Yunfei to follow Ziwei toward his office.