"Who has their eyes on us? A Great Shaman?" Xiaoyu asked.
"The impression is very faint, but it definitely isn't a Great Shaman. It's far more terrifying than a Great Shaman." Ji Liuli hesitated, closing her eyes to sense it for a moment before saying, "It might be this world itself."
"This world?" Both Xiaoyu and Sun Yu were taken aback.
As a newcomer, Sun Yu looked at the others, rather dazed. Things have already escalated this far?
Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng did not panic; after all, it was hardly the first time master and disciple had been targeted by a realm's heaven and earth.
Sun Yu realized belatedly, saying, "In other words, a massive army will soon be bearing down on us."
At that, he turned to Bao Yun and Xiaoyu. "You two arrived even earlier than I did, so why has it only been the two of you this whole time? Where are your guards? Where is the support from your clans?"
In truth, Wei Yuan had thought of this long ago, but with his natural sharpness, he had refrained from asking. Likewise, neither Zhang Sheng nor Ji Liuli had brought up the subject since arriving.
Xiaoyu started to speak, then hesitated, simply letting out a sigh.
Bao Yun said calmly, "There's nothing we can't talk about. We both received word from our families: there will be no reinforcements whatsoever, and we can only rely on ourselves. If things truly reach a critical juncture, our clans can intervene once, but in exchange, we must return to our families immediately and not set foot in the Western Regions for ten years."
Ten years. Both Zhang Sheng and Ji Liuli had anticipated such a timeframe.
Sun Yu was dumbfounded, never having imagined this answer. Not knowing what to say, he could only manage, "How could it be like this?"
Zhang Sheng said blandly, "The great families under heaven are all one family. There is nothing hard to understand."
"Then how did the two of you come here?" Sun Yu was still somewhat confused.
Xiaoyu gave a heavy huff and did not reply.
Bao Yun, graceful and poised as ever, said, "We are classmates with Wei Yuan. This is friendship among the younger generation. We came because we wanted to; our families can't control it, nor do they care to."
Sun Yu sighed. "Turns out there are decent people among the prominent clans after all. It seems I was narrow-minded."
Those words grated harshly on Xiaoyu's ears, and she glared fiercely at Sun Yu.
Sun Yu realized his blunder a moment too late. He rarely associated with descendants of powerful clans, so he tended to speak without a filter. He offered Xiaoyu an apologetic smile.
Xiaoyu snorted and turned her head aside, signaling that she wouldn't lower herself to argue with such a blockhead.
It seemed that even if the major noble clans weren't openly siding with the Xu family, they were at least keeping out of the fray and strictly restraining their juniors from taking part without permission.
Bao Yun added, "When I left, my great-grandfather specifically told me that the northern situation is critical right now. The Liao barbarians have launched a massive invasion, and some commanderies have already fallen completely. Personnel in the palace are stretched very thin. If the Perfected Persons head west, they would have to wear themselves out against the Xu family, whereas heading north faces no hindrance. So don't hold out too much hope for reinforcements from the palace either."
Still, that the Palace of Grand Beginning had sent over the Hall of Merits at such a moment was already a massive wager, costing the life of Perfected Ningxi. Wei Yuan had nothing to complain about. With the Hall of Merits, they had the foundation to sustain warfare through war itself; the key, therefore, remained whether they could win.
Night had fallen by now, and everyone dispersed.
After making a round through the domain, Wei Yuan felt a lingering sense of unease. After some thought, he went to look for Ji Liuli.
Ji Liuli had chosen her dwelling along the edge of the canyon behind the main peak, far from everyone else. Even so, she didn't stay there often, frequently wandering about at night so that it was often impossible to find where she was.
Her dwelling consisted of two stone huts fronted by a small courtyard. She had casually forged it herself, and it was virtually empty inside. Wei Yuan stood at the courtyard gate for a moment before Eldest Senior Sister materialized behind him like a ghost, teasing with a smile, "What are you looking for me so late for? Want to cleanse and temper your foundation again?"
Wei Yuan's face turned beet-red at once, and he coughed repeatedly.
"Look at how scared you are." Ji Liuli gave Wei Yuan a shove from behind, pushing him into the courtyard, then shut the gate behind her.
Shoved into the room, Wei Yuan saw lights illuminate automatically upon entering, revealing a foot-tall figure in red sitting on the table reading jade paper.
Gong Yufeng? Why was she still here?
Ji Liuli fetched a wine bottle and two cups from who knew where, handed a cup to Wei Yuan, and said, "You've drunk wine before, right? Try mine."
Taking the cup, Wei Yuan felt refreshed just from catching the aroma, so he drained it in one gulp. The moment the wine hit his stomach, heat surged through his entire body; every single pore felt as though it were spewing fire.
His stomach churned, and he couldn't help letting out a burp—whereupon he genuinely belched a mouthful of flame.
Wei Yuan felt as though a gossamer veil had draped over his mind, his spirits soaring with it. It seemed as if nothing in this world could trouble him anymore—even if an Immortal Monarch stood before him, he could topple them with a single thrust of his spear!
Then the Immortal Monarch's face abruptly transformed into Eldest Senior Sister's. A cold sweat broke out over Wei Yuan, instantly snapping him back to his senses.
Only then did Wei Yuan realize: was that the legendary state of drunkenness? No wonder he had dared to harbor thoughts of spearing an Immortal Monarch.
"Want another cup?" Ji Liuli asked.
Wei Yuan hurriedly refused. This wine was clearly not meant for someone in the Dao Foundation realm. Wei Yuan's Dao power was already several times greater than that of an ordinary late Spirit Nourishing cultivator, yet he had still been floored by a single cup; how could he dare have another?
"What did you come to see me for?" Ji Liuli asked.
Wei Yuan said, "I've thought it through carefully. What we should fear right now isn't an army of Shamans, nor is it long-range blood curses, but rather two or more Great Shamans attacking at the same time. The more I think about it, the more likely it seems. However, the higher a Shaman's rank, the more they fear death. That might be something we can exploit."
A withered branch appeared in Wei Yuan's hand. He said, "This is a genuine immortal object. I've used it to slay two dharma idols. I was wondering if there's a way to draw out a bit of its aura and leak a sliver during the Shamans' next assault, making the Great Shamans believe we still possess an Immortal Monarch's methods. That might scare them out of showing their faces."
Ji Liuli's eyes lit up. "Great idea! If two Great Shamans arrive at once, as long as we make them believe whoever shows their face first dies, they most likely won't dare come out and will only dare stage sneak attacks from behind the scenes!"
"They might not even attempt sneak attacks—more likely they'll constantly send cannon fodder to probe and wear us down. At the very least, it can buy us some time." Having dealt with the Shamans for so long, Wei Yuan was already quite familiar with their ways.
Taking the withered branch, Ji Liuli spat a mouthful of wine onto the table, traced an array with her fingertip, and laid down several spiritual items. Thus, a simple feng shui formation was complete.
Placing the withered branch inside the formation, she said, "Having slain two dharma idols, it carries two threads of karma. I'll draw out a portion of these karmic threads and use the feng shui formation to nurture and amplify them. Any dharma idol sensitive to feng shui and fortunes will perceive it. A Great Shaman is even more sensitive, so there's no need to worry about him missing it."
In just moments, Ji Liuli extracted the karma from the withered branch, then handed it back to Wei Yuan. "Life is already gestating inside this withered branch. The Immortal Monarch was actually willing to give this to you?"
Wei Yuan froze. Life gestating? Why hadn't he sensed it?
"Why wouldn't he give it to me if it has life?" Wei Yuan asked.
"Without life, it's merely an immortal-grade material. In the future, it might be crafted into an immortal treasure, but more likely just a magic treasure. But with life, it has the potential to revive. No matter how slim the chance, once it revives, it will be an immortal tree. Even Immortal Monarchs would fight over such a thing—do you think he would just hand it to you?"
Hearing this, Wei Yuan also felt it made sense. Could it be that Immortal Monarch Tinghai had misjudged it back then?
"Don't leave just yet," Ji Liuli called after Wei Yuan. She drew the red-robed Gong Yufeng into her hand and asked, "Did little Wei Yuan do anything strange today?"
Gong Yufeng said, "He spanked Feifei's butt, and Feifei wasn't wearing a skirt at the time."
"Eldest Senior Sister!" Wei Yuan's face flushed crimson with shame and exasperation.
Ji Liuli laughed heartily, completely ignoring Wei Yuan's protests, and waved her hand, sending him outside the courtyard.
Far to the west, an immense altar towered into the clouds. Coiled atop the altar was a figure a hundred zhang tall, enveloped in swirling green mist. Beneath the altar, surges of blood qi churned unceasingly, rising layer upon layer to pour into this mountain-like form.
At that moment, above the cloud layer, thick bolts of green lightning materialized out of thin air and struck violently down upon the altar! The figure let out an agonizing roar that shattered clouds across hundreds of li. Blood qi and green mist dispersed continuously under the lightning strikes, and the mountain-like body shrank by degrees, losing over ten zhang in the blink of an eye.
The emerald lightning persisted for a full quarter of an hour before gradually dissipating. The green mist around the figure had dissipated by more than half, while the blood qi was entirely gone, and its entire body was reduced to merely sixty-odd zhang.
Below the altar, hundreds of thousands of Shamans knelt prostrate on the ground in a dense, dark expanse. Yet compared to this colossal altar spanning a hundred li across, they occupied only a tiny patch of ground before it, utterly insignificant.
At that moment, an incomparably tyrannical voice echoed into the consciousness of every Shaman: "A flaw has appeared in the heaven and earth of the east! Find it, mend it, and slaughter everything that caused it!"
Chapter 147