Chapter 319 Reconnaissance Plan

The air in Nanzhou was filled with the smell of gunpowder. Although the invasion of the demons had receded, the wounds left by the major forces were obvious. The Nirvana Sect was just established, with scarce resources and a difficult life. Ye Fan sat in the center of the meeting hall, his eyes like torches, scanning the core disciples and elders gathered around him. He had made a decision in his mind, but this plan involved the future of the entire sect, so he had to think it over carefully.

"Master Ye, why did you summon us here?" an elderly elder asked in a deep voice, with a look of worry on his face. Although the Nirvana Sect was beginning to gain momentum, it was short of resources and its disciples' fighting power was uneven. If it expanded forcefully, it would probably cause even greater trouble.

Ye Fan stood up calmly, looked around at everyone, and said in a low and firm voice: "Everyone, I called everyone here to decide the next move of Nirvana Sect. Now the South Province is devastated. If we only rely on the existing resources, it will be difficult to restore the peak, let alone catch up with the geniuses in the Central Province. Therefore, I decided to attack the Western Region."

As soon as these words came out, the entire meeting hall fell into silence. Afterwards, whispers arose one after another, and many disciples and elders looked at each other, obviously shocked by this decision.

"Sect Master Ye," a young core disciple couldn't help but speak with some hesitation in his tone, "Although the Western Region is weaker, it is a complete region after all. Like us, it has not been invaded by the demons. If we attack rashly, I am afraid it will cause resentment from other regions."

Another elder also frowned and said, "Sect Master Ye, although the sect in the Western Region is not strong, their sect master, Daojun Cangshuang, is a strong man at the peak of the Condensation Pill Realm. His combat power should not be underestimated. If we attack by force, the risk of failure is not small."

Ye Fan waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet. His eyes were firm, with a hint of irresistible majesty: "Everyone, if Nirvana Sect wants to rise, it must face the challenge head-on. We can't just sit and wait for resources to come. The Western Region is the weakest of the five regions, and like the Southern Region, it has suffered from the exploitation of the Central Region. Their defense is far less than before. If we don't take action now, I'm afraid we won't even have such an opportunity in the future."

Ye Fan paused, his tone gradually became sharp: "As for Daoist Lord Cangshuang, I have my own way to deal with him. Although he is strong, he is not invincible. Moreover, if we do not seize the opportunity to expand our resources, our Nirvana Sect will be trapped in the ruins of Nanzhou forever. Everyone, cultivation is against the will of heaven, and now is the critical moment for us to break through."

Everyone lowered their heads in thought. Ye Fan's analysis undoubtedly hit their pain points. The Nirvana Sect was just established and urgently needed a lot of resources to support it. The Western Region was indeed a suitable target. Although there were risks, if successful, it would bring endless benefits.

Ye Fan's words made everyone fall into deep thought. A young disciple stood up, his eyes gleaming with determination: "The sect master is right! The road of cultivation is full of dangers and challenges. Since the Western Region is the most suitable target, why don't we go all out? As long as we can take over the Western Region, the sect's future is promising!"

Another elder frowned and added: "That being said, we cannot underestimate the enemy. Although the Western Region is not as powerful as other regions, there are still several second-rate sects joining forces. In addition, Daoist Lord Cangshuang is in charge, so the battle is bound to be fierce."

Ye Fan nodded, with a hint of approval in his eyes: "Your concerns are reasonable. But we are not going to confront the entire Western Region head-on, but to adopt a sophisticated strategy. First, we will target several core resource points in the Western Region, such as their spiritual mines and medicinal fields. These places have relatively weak defenses, but are vital to their sects. We only need to disrupt their resource supply to make the Western Region fall into disarray."

At this point, Ye Fan's eyes were burning: "Secondly, we can use their fear of the demons to guide the conflicts and suspicions within the Western Region Sect. No matter how powerful Daoist Cangshuang is, he cannot protect the entire Western Region alone. As long as we take the initiative, victory is expected."

Everyone was gradually moved by Ye Fan's plan, and the atmosphere began to become heated. The core disciples expressed their willingness to follow the sect leader to fight, and although the elders had concerns, they had to admit that this was the most realistic option at the moment.

Seeing that everyone's emotions were gradually rising, Ye Fan said while the iron was hot: "Everyone, the rise of Nirvana Sect depends on this! This is not just a battle, but also a test that concerns the future of the sect. We need everyone to go all out!"

He walked to the center of the meeting hall and said in a deep voice: "Next, I will deploy the tasks. The elders will be responsible for coordinating the overall situation and ensuring the stability of the sect's defense line. The core disciples will form the vanguard and attack the resource points in the Western Region. As for Daoist Lord Cangshuang, I will personally meet him."

"The Sect Master is going to fight in person?" An elder said in astonishment, with a worried tone, "This is too dangerous. If the Sect Master fails, the Sect may not be able to bear the consequences."

Ye Fan smiled slightly, with a hint of confidence in his eyes: "It's okay, I know my limits. Besides, this battle is not only for the Nirvana Sect, but also for me to take an important step on the road to becoming a strong man."

Seeing Ye Fan so confident, everyone was infected by him and expressed their support.

Finally, Ye Fan said loudly: "Everyone, this is the Nirvana moment of the Nirvana Sect! We have been oppressed and exploited, but now, we have to fight for ourselves! For the future of the Nirvana Sect and for the revival of Nanzhou, let us go all out!"

A deafening shout rang out in the meeting hall: "Nirvana is immortal and will last forever!" Everyone's face was filled with fighting spirit and determination.

Ye Fan stood on the high platform with a deep gaze. He knew that this operation would be a huge test, but he firmly believed that as long as the Nirvana Sect was united, they would be able to create their own glory!

Ye Fan sat in the center of the meeting hall, looking at the map in front of him with a serious expression. On the map, the border between Nanzhou and the Western Region was marked with a red line, which was the natural border between the two regions. The terrain there was rugged, with large tracts of desert and a small number of settlements. Usually there were not many disputes, but because of the lack of resources, no one cared about it for a long time. However, what Nirvana Sect had to do this time was to use this uninhabited border to send an advance team to sneak into the Western Region to scout the enemy situation.

"The purpose of this operation is very clear," Ye Fan said in a deep voice, his eyes like knives, scanning everyone, "We need to clarify the distribution of forces at the junction of the two regions, as well as the defense situation of the Western Region in this area. But remember, no matter what, your identity must not be exposed, let alone cause a full-scale conflict between Nanzhou and the Western Region. What we want is precise and covert reconnaissance."

The meeting hall was completely silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on Ye Fan. Such a mission was of great importance. Once exposed, it would not only arouse the vigilance of the Western Region, but also lead to a war between the two regions. For a newly-started force like the Nirvana Sect, such a price was unbearable.

Ye Fan's eyes fell on a man in black. This was the disciple in the sect who was best at stealth and intelligence reconnaissance. His name was Ling Feng. Although he looked ordinary, he was as fast as the wind, good at hiding his whereabouts, and had completed difficult intelligence tasks many times.

"Ling Feng, you are responsible for this reconnaissance mission," Ye Fan said in a deep voice, "Select an elite team. The number of people should not be too large, preferably less than five. You must find out the terrain and distribution of forces on the border without revealing your identity, and focus on investigating the movements of resource points in the Western Region. The more detailed the better."

Ling Feng clasped his fists and saluted, and said with a firm look: "Master, rest assured, I will complete this mission."

Ye Fan nodded and continued, "Remember, although the Western Region is relatively weak, they are very alert to foreign forces. You must disguise yourself as ordinary merchants when you act, and you must not reveal any flaws. If you encounter danger, retreat immediately and do not take risks."

"Understood!" After receiving the order, Ling Feng immediately left the meeting hall and began to select team members.

On the morning of the second day, Ling Feng led four carefully selected disciples and quietly set out. They changed into ordinary merchant clothes, drove a shabby carriage loaded with some dry food and ordinary goods, and traveled along the path leading to the border. Their mission was to enter the border area as merchants and spy on the enemy.

Along the way, Ling Feng acted cautiously and tried to avoid any interactions with passers-by. When they passed through several small settlements, they only sold some ordinary items symbolically to avoid attracting attention. Under Ling Feng's leadership, the entire team acted secretly and in an orderly manner.

"Captain, it seems very quiet near the border. Is it true that there is no defense in the Western Region?" a team member asked in a low voice, with some doubt in his tone.

Ling Feng shook his head and looked around vigilantly: "Impossible. The quieter the place, the more likely it is to hide danger. Everyone, be alert and don't be careless."

When they reached the border, Ling Feng led the team to abandon the car and walk deep into the desert. The terrain of this area was complex, and there was a sense of solemnity in the desolation. They carefully shuttled through the rugged mountain roads, trying to avoid leaving any traces.

After several hours of reconnaissance, they finally found something unusual in a hidden valley. In the valley, they could vaguely see several monks wearing Western costumes, who were guarding a small spiritual mine. These monks were not very skilled, and were obviously just ordinary guards, but the existence of the spiritual mine confirmed Ye Fan's speculation - the Western Region did have resource points in the border area.

Ling Feng quickly gestured to the team members to hide. He used a special reconnaissance tool to record the location of the spiritual mine and the number of guards, and then continued to lead the team to explore other areas.

Just as the team was about to leave the valley, Ling Feng keenly sensed a powerful aura approaching not far away. He quickly waved his hand, signaling the team members to stop and hide behind a huge rock.

Soon, a monk from the Western Regions wearing a gorgeous robe appeared at the entrance of the valley. His eyes were like lightning, and he looked around, as if he was on guard against something. Ling Feng held his breath and thought to himself, "What a close call! This person's cultivation is at least above the Condensation Pill Realm. If he is discovered, the consequences will be disastrous."

Fortunately, the monk did not find their traces and turned away after a while. Ling Feng breathed a sigh of relief and led the team to evacuate quickly.

After three days, the team finally completed the reconnaissance mission and returned to the sect safely. Ling Feng compiled all the intelligence into a detailed report and submitted it to Ye Fan.

After reading it carefully, Ye Fan nodded with satisfaction: "Well done. This information is crucial for us to formulate the next plan. You have worked hard, go back and have a good rest."

After Ling Feng and the others left, Ye Fan looked at the mark on the map, his eyes gradually becoming sharper. He whispered to himself, "Western Region, it seems that you are not ready. In this case, don't blame us, the Nirvana Sect, for being rude."