From the unreserved gaze, Kou Beiyue perceived a complex array of emotions—full of anticipation, tinged with vigilance, and flickering with confusion. He then turned to the others, the restless, defiant ones now all fixed upon him. Before returning, Yuan Shishen had solemnly cautioned him: speak as little as possible, keep it simple, and follow your inner sense. Kou Beiyue lifted his chin and said, "He agreed to form an alliance." Bai Wu Jinan asked, "He just agreed like that?" Kou Beiyue, with a look of unyielding confidence, replied, "Hmph. I only asked him one question—would he dare ally with us. At once, Yuan Shishen was struck silent and promptly agreed." The others exchanged glances, and the cautiousness in Bai Wu Jinan's eyes slightly softened. He glanced at Hong Wei, who nodded in affirmation. Bai Wu Jinan's mind now had its answer. The alliance suits both parties' interests and benefits everyone. Such a wise figure as Yuan Shi Tian Zun must have long harbored these intentions. Kou Bei Yue's proactive visit precisely aligns with his expectations, which is why the agreement was so readily reached. After confirming the meeting location with both parties, Hongwei said, "The members of the Mountain God's faction must have employed special means to hold the monsters at bay. Since Kou Beiyue hasn't been attacked, we no longer need to hide beneath the cloaks. I propose that we take a brief rest, drink and eat, and adjust our states before heading to the agreed-upon location." Her suggestion was unanimously accepted. Immediately, several enchanting spirits set out to hunt, the fire master took charge of grilling, and only I, as the sole water spirit in the group, was responsible for providing fresh, clean drinking water. Once everyone had enjoyed a bite of the sizzling grilled meat and no thick mist had arrived nor any monster attacks been observed, their confidence in Kou Beiyue grew stronger. The plump one chewed on his grilled meat and exclaimed, "I told you! My leader is blessed with strong fortune—unlike my previous leader." Hong Wei ate with grace, glancing at him and saying, "Fat one, why are you so eager to seek out the leader? With your capabilities, you could easily be the leader of anyone." The young fat man huffed, "We're all freelancers—each of us has our own preferences. What can I do about it?" After a satisfying meal, the members of the Mountain Spirit faction followed Ku Bei Yue to their agreed-upon destination. Considering the possibility of ambushes by the Mountain God faction, they assigned Ku Bei Yue to lead the group, with the Wood Spirits guiding the animals in close pursuit, while the main body of the group trailed behind at a safe distance. Not long after, they arrived at the destination. From the animals' perspective, the Wood Spirits spotted Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun standing atop the abandoned bus, along with the various members of the Mountain God faction gathered beside it. "Most of them have arrived—there should be no ambush," said a Wood Spirit from the Mountain Spirit faction. Bai Wu Jinian nodded slightly, "Then, let's proceed." Soon, the two factions gathered near the bus, totaling fifty-seven people, standing several dozen meters apart, guarding and observing each other. Zhang Yuanqing stood atop the bus, surveying the crowd, and declared loudly, "The lead representative on the other side, come forward and speak." Bai Wujie paused to think for a few seconds, then said, "A 4th-level Fog Sovereign possesses the Eye of Persuasion, can mark targets, enters a bloodthirsty, rage-driven combat state, and has formidable close-range capabilities. It moves like a ghost through thick fog—unseen, undetectable—capable of sensing the position of its targets even through the subtle vibrations of the fog itself. Your Night-Wanderers' invisibility abilities become utterly meaningless in such conditions. To a Sovereign of the Extraordinary Realm, such a being is merely a mere slice-and-dice target. "To defeat it without relying on lives as expendable, we must break through the fog. As far as I know, the Rain Sovereign's ability to summon wind and rain is the most effective counter to the Fog Sovereign." Zhang Yuanqing waved his hand. "The Rain Sovereign is the master of the realm. If we possess that ability, there's no need to fear even a mere Sovereign." A brief silence followed. To combat the monsters, breaking the fog is essential—otherwise, we'd have to pay the price of countless lives, which would be too costly. Moreover, even against a fourth-rank enchanting spirit-being, even the top-tier masters such as Zhang Yuanqing, Ai Yi, Zhao Chenghuang, and Wei Wo Dú Zūn could only manage survival tactics—there remained a significant risk of falling short in the end. However, the means to dispel the thick fog were beyond the reach of these elite Lingjing travelers. Just as everyone was struggling, the Japanese high school girl, Shallow Reo from the island nation, raised her hand gently and said, "Perhaps we don't necessarily need the Rain Lord to intervene—we could create wind ourselves." Members from both factions turned to this delicate, elegant high school girl. Zhang Yuanqing was astonished, "Do you have any tools for that?" Generating a gale was a Master-level skill, and the corresponding tools would likely be of superior quality to those of a Saint. Shallow Reo shook her head, "No." The others stared at her with a look that could only be described as "what on earth are you talking about?" Asaoka Ryō quickly added, "But, but, creating strong winds isn't difficult at all. I can activate the 'Frostfall' skill to generate a cold current, while the fire master produces warm air. When cold and warm air meet, air flows from high pressure to low pressure—this movement of air is wind." That's scientific wind-making! The spiritual travelers present brightened up. "That sounds plausible, doesn't it?" "Indeed, I recall such a concept—my textbooks mentioned it, though I can't quite remember the details. It must be quite advanced knowledge." "Such a young girl, with such rich knowledge—this method is truly effective." The spiritual travelers from the Mountain Spirit and Mountain God factions were equally enthusiastic, exchanging excited glances and discussing the idea fervently, all convinced it was an excellent strategy. Asaoka Ryō, hearing the enthusiastic reactions, waved her hands modestly and said, "It's not exactly advanced knowledge—this is simply what I learned in fourth grade." Suddenly, the entire room fell silent. Everyone went still, their smiles gradually fading. Rei Shōno immediately became alert and reserved, unsure of what he had said wrong. "Ah, ah!" Zhang Yuanqing cleared his throat and said, "Then it's settled. In half an hour, I'll draw the monster over. Everyone, prepare what needs to be prepared, and set up what needs to be set up." As the awkward atmosphere eased, everyone began to move with quiet coordination, as if nothing had happened at all. Guan Ya summoned her rifle and rushed toward a nearby skyscraper, selecting a vantage point for sniping. The shamans began setting up traps and preparing poisons. The fire mages scattered across the city, searching for combustible and explosive materials. Others briefly set aside their factional tensions, exchanging tactical ideas back and forth. Zhang Yuanqing did not join in the conversation. He was thinking: the monster—formed from a fusion of resentment and corpses—was a wise, dry-bodied entity, essentially falling within the realm of yin and magical beings. Could the shattering power of the *Fúmó Chù* inflict any actual wound upon it? It might work—if effective, it wouldn’t cost us much to kill it… Zhang Yuanqing thought. Half an hour passed swiftly, and a wood spirit on guard called out, “It’s here—it’s come!” Everyone turned to see a thick, dense mist drifting from the west. Before the mist stood a young woman dressed in a magnificent robe, with refined features and a graceful, well-proportioned figure. Given the urgency of the situation, everyone was tense; otherwise, with that woman’s appearance and figure, the evil-class members would have been hard to keep quiet, offering plenty of teasing remarks. Zhang Yuanqing looked at Ai Yi and the others, and said firmly, “We need to hold it steady, give our companions time, and generate strong winds.” This was a clear reminder to the evil-class members—this step was crucial; they should not play smart or try to sneak through. With that, he summoned his Hou Tu boots and put them on, then pulled out a bright yellow copper staff, driving it firmly into his thigh. As the golden light erupted, purifying himself, Zhang Yuanqing advanced with a heavy, determined stride, thudding forward toward the thick mist, passing by the Blood Rose. At that moment, he took the Yin-Yang robe from her and donned it himself, while his red dance shoes automatically detached from the feet of the Yin corpse and followed him into the charge. Clang! With a powerful thrust of his legs, Zhang Yuanqing drove forward with the bronze mallet, charging at the mummified corpse. Thud! The yellow light surged, and the monster could not withstand the blow, staggering back. Zhang Yuanqing used the momentum to step back, gaining distance. As soon as he retreated, another figure surged into the mist, heading directly toward the monster, arching his body and delivering a powerful punch that sent the creature reeling again. This was Zhao Chenguang's 4th-level Yin Shi. Immediately following, the two spirits of persuasion—Bai Wu Xijin and Tian Xia Jie Bai—followed the path of the 4th-level Yin Shi, approaching the monster. Strange, distorted patterns appeared in their pupils, causing the already staggering monster to momentarily lose focus. "Hum-hum…" A sound of wingbeats rose from above, as if the mist had been struck by a strong wind. A-one vibrated his thin wings and descended, his palm transforming into a sharp, bone-like long sword, cutting down with the force of momentum from above. While the elite warriors engaged the monster, Shina and the group of fire masters had already plunged into the mist. Jiang Jingwei lifted a fire ball the size of a large basin in her palm, then sharply twisted her arms. The fire ball drifted out, landed, and immediately spun rapidly, transforming into a spiraling flame vortex. Fire engineers throughout quickly imitated her, generating one after another flame vortices that drew in oxygen, growing stronger and taller with each passing moment. Instantly, the already scorching summer heat intensified, the air distorting as waves of hot air surged upward. Far away, the people breathed in air so intensely hot that the blazing wind swept across their faces, their sweat glands pressing out large droplets of sweat through their pores. Seeing this, Asano Reo drew forth the ice essence blade, etched with intricate patterns of ice crystals, and raised it high above her head. "Frost and ice are descending!" As soon as she spoke, the blade's crystalline patterns began to solidify into a thick layer of ice, radiating a visible chill. Her skin instantly took on a dreamlike ice-blue hue, and her long hair flowing down her back rose and spread out without a breeze, each strand adorned with shimmering ice crystals. When the chill of the frost had accumulated sufficiently, Mizuno Ryō flicked his wrist and planted the Ice Soul Blade before him. Instantly, frost descended, sweeping out waves of frigid air reminiscent of the far north, raging in all directions. Where they passed, the ground solidified into icy shells and wild grasses turned pale with frost. This pervasive, freezing current collided with the warm air nearby, instantly forming a broad, spiraling vortex that rose upward. "Whoa—!" The powerful wind surged, lifting dust and swirling it into thick fog, hurling it skyward. At the same time, a steady rain of swirling gusts fell. From a distance, this upward current spanned nearly a hundred meters, the fog rotating and ascending like a dust storm, creating a magnificent sight. Within just a few seconds, most of the fog was swept and torn upward by the airflow, leaving only a few stubborn remnants on the ground—now barely enough to obstruct the view. "Clang!" The bone-spined longsword struck hard against the monster's head, sending sparks flying. Ayi's attack failed, but the spiritual realm practitioners present gained great confidence.