Another Shaman army appeared in the distance, marching in formation straight into the domain.
Wei Yuan felt a jolt of alarm, but he soon noticed something unusual about this army's deployment. Though their numbers appeared astonishing, troops occupied only the outer perimeter. The center was entirely hollow, save for several dozen Shaman strongmen pushing a siege tower. A grand banner was planted atop the vehicle, constantly billowing with martial qi that enshrouded the entire host.
From afar, it seemed an army of at least one hundred thousand, but the moment they stepped into the domain, Wei Yuan saw through their reality—there were at most ten thousand.
Yet with the battle having raged to such a point, ten thousand fresh troops were more than enough to turn the tide of the entire field.
Wei Yuan looked grim. Though he knew the true decisive clash was likely taking place beyond the firmament, the ground battle still had to be fought by their own hands. It would not do for the True Monarch to return victorious from the heavens only to find every mortal on earth wiped out.
Another Shaman captain hoisted the battle standard and assumed command, becoming the eighth commanding general in this battle.
With the banner raised, horns sounded through the Shaman ranks. The Shaman troops still locked in combat on the front lines began a slow withdrawal, pulling back to their main formation to await the arrival of their reinforcements.
Wei Yuan glanced to his left and right. Of their original ten thousand main troops, only about three thousand remained, with another thousand wounded lying behind the lines. Of the fifteen hundred elite cultivators Cui Yu had led, only six hundred were left, and of the hundred-plus Dao Foundation captains, barely thirty were still alive. The heavy cavalry under Wei Yuan's direct command retained seventy riders, while the thirteen young masters and mistresses were still relatively intact.
With merely these few thousand men, going up against the Shaman army of over twenty thousand would be nigh impossible without Ephemeral Multitude.
The sole sliver of possibility rested on Wei Yuan himself. Looking at his wounded subordinates, he said habitually, "Don't worry, this battle will be easy! I'll make a charge first, and you all just watch—"
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. Squad after squad of human soldiers emerged from the surroundings, swelling in the blink of an eye to tens of thousands!
Only as they drew near did it become clear that the vast majority were ordinary mortals, all clad in tattered garments and completely devoid of armor. Most held farming tools in hand, with scarcely any blades or spears. The ranks held not only able-bodied men, but also the elderly, women, and half-grown youths.
An old man shouted a rallying cry, and from every squad stepped forth countless gray-haired elders, each grasping a sharp blade—their armaments surprisingly better than those of the young men.
The old man was tall and broad-shouldered. Though advanced in years, he possessed immense mettle. Raising his blade, he called out loudly, "Domain Lord Wei, we've talked it over! Those over fifty will go first to perish alongside the Shamans! If you still have immortal power, please bestow it on us when the time comes—three breaths will be enough! Once we old fellows are all dead, the rest will charge!"
The Shaman general had joined forces with the reinforcements, but watching the tens of thousands of mortals suddenly materialize, his expression turned solemn as well. Though these people appeared to be mere commoners, throughout the bloody fighting he had seen more than once mortals suddenly gain incomprehensible might, wreaking horrific casualties on the elite northern warriors in an instant.
His world-class elite army had possessed superior numbers, yet they had still lost nearly forty thousand men. A thought suddenly crossed the Shaman general's mind: the remaining twenty-odd thousand could not be squandered further. Otherwise, stripped of its backbone, this army could never be rebuilt. In any case, the master's scheme had already succeeded, and this battlefield was no longer of any significance.
With this thought, he blew the horn, and the Shaman army tightened its formation, shifting from offense to defense. Soon after, a dozen Shaman squads ventured out of the ranks and began scouring the battlefield for surviving comrades, carrying them back one by one. Wei Yuan had no wish to fight further either, so he waved his hand, dispatching several small squads of his own to retrieve the wounded.
A short while later, the Shaman army wheeled around and withdrew from the domain.
After a moment of silence, cheers erupted across the entire domain. Countless people leaped for joy, and even more wept with relief, prostrating themselves on the ground to kiss the blood-soaked earth.
A fine drizzle suddenly began to fall within Wei Yuan's sea of consciousness, coalescing into strands of azure qi, with many threads of advanced azure qi forming alongside them.
Abruptly, his sea of consciousness trembled as clustered threads of rain converged toward a single point. Finally turning from ephemeral to real, they condensed into a perfectly round drop of azure liquid. This, too, was karmic luck, and a tier higher than even the thickest strands of azure qi!
Wei Yuan felt a pang of curiosity. Sensing it slightly, he discovered that this droplet of azure karmic luck actually originated from Cui Yu. Wei Yuan was somewhat astonished; that fellow normally looked down on everyone, so how did he possess this side to him?
The rain continued to fall, bringing more and more azure qi, and numerous wisps of misty azure qi merged together to gradually form advanced azure qi. By now, the sources of the azure qi could no longer be distinguished; it simply surged into his sea of consciousness in an endless torrent.
Meanwhile, Cui Yu split the remaining forces into two: one part kept watch to guard against a Shaman resurgence, while the other cleaned up the battlefield and tended to the wounded. Everything was handled with calm, methodical order, gradually revealing the bearing of a renowned general.
High up in the firmament, flowing fire and thunder abruptly spilled from the void. The old Daoist, Shu Li, and Feng Ye tumbled out together, every one of them in utter disarray. The old Daoist's two long brows were burned away entirely, and his Daoist robe was shredded to tatters, baring two sinewy, muscular arms.
With a face darkened by soot and fury, the old Daoist fumed, "You two are figures of renown, yet how can you be so devoid of martial virtue? Teaming up two-on-one is one thing, but to stoop to burning an old Daoist's eyebrows and tearing his clothes is shameless beyond belief!"
Shu Li snorted, saying coldly, "Who told you to insist on taking on two at once? Xuanyue, you old scoundrel, we might not have been able to finish off an old Daoist coot like you, but you haven't cultivated to an immortal body either. If we couldn't shatter your physical form, couldn't we at least pluck your eyebrows? You ruined our Shaman clan's grand undertaking; this was merely a slight punishment. And besides, that cheap Daoist robe of yours—not even a dharma idol would care to wear it. How could it withstand our clash? Can you really blame me for shredding it?"
True Monarch Xuanyue's weathered face flushed slightly, and he changed the subject: "And what grand undertaking did I ruin? Speak up and make me happy!"
Feng Ye snorted. "Once you know, you won't be laughing. The master's original intention was to ambush and slay Prince Cheng of Western Jin, who was hiding here. Who would have thought an old scoundrel like you possessed combat power far beyond the rumors, dragging even me into the fray? I was originally meant to join the encirclement against Prince Cheng."
True Monarch Xuanyue's expression gradually grew serious. "So you lot were plotting against a True Monarch!"
Shu Li said, "With Prince Cheng alive, your disciples and grand-disciples won't have an easy time ahead. Still, taking down seven of your dharma idols in one breath counts as a great victory. With such a bestowal of heaven and earth, the master might even take another step forward. Old scoundrel, you'd better pray your luck holds and you don't get caught by the master next time."
Xuanyue remained fearless. "My dharma body is now consummate—why should I fear your master? Let him make such grand boasts after he becomes a Heavenly Shaman!"
The three had long worked up true fury, glaring daggers at one another as they weighed whether to resume fighting. Just then, an enchanting crimson light flared in the distance, and an azure meteor shot out from within it, flashing swiftly away into the distance.
Shortly after, two towering figures emerged from the red glow, making no move to pursue.
Back in the domain, Wei Yuan was heading toward Sun Yu's courtyard to treat his injuries when he stopped mid-stride.
Bao Yun stood on the path ahead, waiting for him.
"Senior Sister, you..."
Bao Yun turned around and said placidly, "I have to leave. Scolding that old dog caused too much trouble, so my family is taking me back."
Wei Yuan parted his lips, momentarily at a loss for words. Looking at her empty sleeve, he asked, "Is your injury serious?"
Bao Yun waved the sleeve and said, "It's a bit troublesome. I nearly died back then. But once I return, it'll be fine. When it comes to immortal methods, our Bao family will only have more, never less. Don't worry."
"Right, that's good." Wei Yuan nodded somewhat numbly.
In truth, he knew Bao Yun would have to leave sooner or later. As the future hope of the Bao family, she naturally could not remain in the Western Regions for long. After all, Qingming centered on Wei Yuan; how could the Bao family tolerate their most outstanding junior acting as a subordinate to someone else?
Yet now that the parting had truly arrived, Wei Yuan realized their time together had felt so brief—it seemed as though they had only just met, and now they had to part once more. Wei Yuan suddenly recalled the letter he had written to Bao Yun, which opened with: *Years have passed since we parted, and I have missed you dearly...*
After this parting, how many years would pass before they met again?
At this moment, Wei Yuan could say nothing. All the ornate prose and rhetoric he had learned were cast to the winds.
Bao Yun suddenly extended her right arm and said, "Come, give me a hug!"
"Ah?" Wei Yuan's mind went blank. Mechanically, he opened his arms and shared a gentle embrace with Bao Yun.
Bao Yun said, "In the future, when you've achieved great things, remember to come to my family and take me away."
"I will." Though he did not understand why Bao Yun said this, since she had asked, Wei Yuan gave his solemn promise.
Bao Yun smiled brightly, her radiant joy bathing the surroundings in warmth, and then her figure vanished, leaving a single leaf fluttering slowly to the ground.
On the main peak, Ji Liuli let out a soft sigh. "Someone has finally left."
Zhang Sheng remarked placidly, "Along the ten-thousand-year immortal journey, there will always be those who come and those who go."
Ji Liuli frowned. "All right, all right, drop the melancholy! Please! When are you ever going to shake off that habit you picked up while cultivating Parting Sorrow?"
Zhang Sheng's face grew uncharacteristically flushed. "It has already become a part of my Dao heart; it's not so easy to change."
Ji Liuli suddenly felt a touch desolate. "With Bao Yun gone, it hit me that we've been away from the sect for so long. Things were still the most fun back when we beat up Xu Henshui together. What a pity—we might never have days like that again."
"The immortal path is still long, and we've only taken the first step. Besides, if we wanted to beat up Xu Henshui now, could he even fight back?"
Ji Liuli rolled her eyes at him. "The battles ahead will only grow larger, so you'll have to use your head more. How about it—wasn't my bluff a clever plan? You held back your final two sword strikes without releasing them, and I used the feng shui formation to magnify your presence infinitely, making any Great Shaman who approached feel as though imminent doom hung over them. Look, four Nether Shamans came this time, and even a Sacred Shaman stepped forth, yet not a single Great Shaman dared show their face in the domain."
Zhang Sheng had to admit that sometimes not unsheathing a sword was more effective than striking. Yet throughout this battle, he had truly been reduced to an ornament. Crucial though his role had been, an ornament was still an ornament.
Zhang Sheng sighed. "As for sealing the immortal sword, the time should be near, right?"
Ji Liuli silently calculated the heavenly secrets. A moment later, she beamed and said, "Congratulations, only three days left."
Zhang Sheng exhaled a breath of turbid air; at long last, a glimmer of dawn appeared in his miserable days.
At that moment, in the north, the mysterious Shaman Scholar of over twenty feet tall swept his gaze over the several Great Shamans kneeling before him, frowning as he asked, "Did you truly sense a peerless immortal sword incubating in the center of the domain?"
The Great Shamans hurriedly replied, "It is absolute truth! We are willing to swear by the Ancestral Shaman!"
"Then your fear of dying cannot be blamed on you. Hmm, a peerless immortal sword... a peerless immortal sword... The humans are indeed cunning. It seems while we wished to bait dharma idols, they also wished to bait Great Shamans. It was only because you few were too cowardly that they failed to catch you."
He stroked his chin, pondering for a moment before saying, "This matter indeed cannot be taken lightly. Go, prepare an altar. I will cast the rite in person and apply another immortal sword interdiction over that domain!"
Chapter 198