Plague—a terrifying concept.
For an organization like Hydra, unleashing a plague was hardly something worth hesitating over. In their eyes, life was nothing more than a number. To achieve their goals, they had created mountains of corpses and oceans of blood more than once. A plague was merely a more insidious, inhumane method.
"No," the White Cloak said, shaking his head."A conventional plague won't affect Great Yi. Everyone in Great Yi cultivates. Ordinary plagues are completely ineffective on cultivators.
Unless it's a plague that targets cultivators specifically, it won't work.
And we don't have anything like that."
Cultivators, once they embarked on the path of cultivation, underwent a fundamental transformation—their life essence evolving far beyond the mundane.
In Great Yi, only ordinary mortals ever got sick. Among cultivators, common illnesses like fevers or colds simply didn't exist.
They were naturally immune to such afflictions.
Only a plague that could bypass cultivator-level constitutions would pose any real threat—and such plagues were exceedingly rare.
"No, I'm not targeting the humans of Great Yi,"the Green Cloak said with a sinister grin."I'm targeting their flora—spiritual plants, herbs, spiritual rice, spirit fruits, and so on."
"If we ruin Great Yi's agricultural base, causing massive crop failure and herb extinction, their society will crumble.
As the saying goes: 'Food is the heaven of the people.'
Even if every citizen is a cultivator, they still need to eat.
Sure, they can fast or survive on dew and wind—but those newborn children can't!
Starve the realm, and chaos will follow.
Even if we can't destroy Great Yi, we'll at least deal it a grievous blow—halting its expansion cold."
This was the true venom.
Rather than target people, target the very foundation of their society—the lifeblood that sustained them: their food and medicinal resources.
If it worked, chaos was guaranteed. Even if civil war didn't erupt, Great Yi would be so occupied dealing with internal collapse that expansion would become impossible.
No food, no war. That had always been the case.
As ancient strategists said: "Before the soldiers march, the grain must first be ready." Without food, there could be no campaigns. Without food, there could be no morale.
"Brilliant idea!"exclaimed the Red Cloak, eyes lighting up."Green Cloak, do you have the means to pull this off?
Can you wipe out all spiritual plants and food sources in Great Yi in one strike?"
This was a massive strategic opportunity.
If executed properly, it could cause damage far greater than any direct confrontation.
"Relax," Green Cloak said with a chilling laugh.
"This is my specialty. As long as we find a way to introduce the plague into Great Yi, the rest is assured.
Just sit back and enjoy the show."
Green Cloak cultivated in poison, plagues, and parasitic insects. He had countless varieties of toxin-beasts and plague-insects, all nurtured in secret. One particular strain was specially bred to destroy spiritual flora.
It was almost undetectable, had extreme resilience, and was incredibly hard to eradicate.
Once it infiltrated, it would mark the beginning of a feast of ruin.
"Excellent. It's all in your hands now, Green Cloak."
The others nodded in satisfaction.
They were all eager to witness the chaos unfold.
"Don't worry. You'll see just what I can do."
Green Cloak laughed again, full of confidence and malice. He was certain that, once he acted, Great Yi would fall into turmoil, public sentiment would collapse, and Yi Tianxing would be forced onto the back foot—his name forever marked by this event.
"All for Hydra. All for Eternal Night."
"Eternal Night is eternity. Hydra is immortal!"
Time passed quietly…
Before they knew it, over a month had gone by.
It was now the 3rd day of the 10th month, Year 50 of the Eternal Calendar.
The Dead Sea Realm...
Here, one could sense an oppressive air of death and shadow energy. Ordinary people wouldn't last long—just being here would give them chills or even make them sick.
The air was filled with a gray miasma—death aura.
Across the land: bones, graves, wandering skeletons locked in eternal battle, their shattered frames clashing and scattering pieces across barren ground.
Floating coffins soared overhead. Vengeful spirits on ghostly horses charged across phantom battlefields.
This place was truly a realm of the dead.
It was no exaggeration to call it a ghost domain.
"Astrologer-General, all sectors are in position.
The formation inscriptions have been carved. We can activate at any moment."
Within a valley of the Dead Sea Realm, black-robed figures gathered, reporting rapidly. They were all Feng Shui masters of the Celestial Observatory (钦天监).
At the center stood none other than Jiang Ni, the Astrologer-General of Great Yi.
To set up this massive formation, tens of thousands of Feng Shui practitioners had been mobilized. Though most were only beginners, their sheer number made it an unprecedented feat.
"Excellent," Jiang Ni said, his eyes glowing with fervor.
"All that remains is for the Sacred King to give his command."
This was a historic moment.
They were about to activate the Yin-Yang Cycle of Life and Death Grand Formation (阴阳生死转轮大阵), built across the entire realm.
The Dead Sea Realm was steeped in extreme Yin energy. It teemed with ghosts, ghouls, and death spirits.
This formation could invert Yin into Yang, creating a brief surge of pure Yang energy, enough to slaughter 90% of all undead in the realm.
Even though the Yang surge would only last for a few breaths before balancing into Yin-Yang equilibrium, it would completely change the realm's spiritual climate.
From then on, it would no longer be purely inhospitable to the living—still gloomy, yes, but survivable.
It was to become the primary trade hub between the living and the dead, and General Invincible's Fengdu City was already preparing to relocate there.
"Gentlemen," Jiang Ni said with a faint smile.
"Once the Sacred King approves, we launch.
This will earn you great merit—some of you may even be granted titles in the future."
Inside the Sacred King's Palace...
In the Heavenward Hall, Yi Tianxing sat with his ministers. On the desk before him lay a memorial from Jiang Ni.
"My lords," Yi Tianxing spoke calmly,"Jiang Ni reports that the Yin-Yang Cycle Grand Formation in the Dead Sea Realm is complete.
It can be activated at any time.
Are we ready?"
This wasn't merely a strategy—it was a war, a campaign to conquer an entire realm.
Seizing land wasn't enough—they had to truly control it, transform it, and integrate it into Great Yi.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty," said Pei Ju,"Fengdu City has been fully expanded—its construction follows imperial capital standards, capable of housing over 50 million citizens.
It will serve as the Dead Sea's central city, guarding the Yin-Yang Interworld Gateway."
"Additionally," he continued,"18 immortal cities—all built to royal city standards—are prepared to deploy throughout the realm, each 300,000 li apart.
They'll be populated mainly with the Lingren Tribe, a human offshoot with spirit-sensing abilities ideal for Yin environments."
Each city was named after one of the Eighteen Hells: Tongue-Pulling City, Scissor City, Iron Tree City, Mirror of Karma City, Steaming Cauldron City, and so on.
These cities would become the pillars stabilizing the Dead Sea Realm.
"The Academy of Eternal Engineering has already selected spiritual rice strains for cultivation,"reported Xu Zhicai.
"Such as: Mystic Ice Sword Rice, Asura Blood Rice, and Soul Rice.
These strains thrive in extreme Yin environments, and their yields will even increase under such conditions."
"Good. If all is ready," Yi Tianxing said with a calm smile,"then let us officially incorporate the Dead Sea Realm into our empire.
My lords, come—let us witness how a realm is devoured whole."
He stood and led the ministers out of the palace.
Soon, they arrived at the Rainbow Bridge. Before them was Xuanhuang City, now stationed at the very edge of Great Yi's territory—right beside the Dead Sea Realm.
Beyond lay a realm barrier—a strange, illusory boundary between worlds, filled with chaotic spatial currents and twisting laws.
Crossing it was inherently dangerous—unless one possessed a realm-suppressing formation…