High above Ding'an City, Bao Yun and Wei Yuan stood aloft in the air, watching the final contingent of scout cavalry leave the city and gallop toward the distance.
In the Scout Battalion, less than ten men remained behind to guard the vital storehouses.
Bao Yun said, "Isn't it a bit early to stake such a heavy bet right now?"
Wei Yuan said, "For the Scout Battalion that we worked so hard to build up, yes. But for the whole of Qingming, it isn't. When it comes to the Shamans, the stakes we've put forward might still be far from enough."
Bao Yun looked at Wei Yuan and said, "Perhaps it would be more fitting for me to go, just like before."
Without a second thought, Wei Yuan shook his head. "I cannot risk you! The Shamans are likely playing for keeps this time. There will definitely be Nether Shamans lurking in ambush—we just don't know how many. With your current cultivation, once you're discovered, to say nothing of Nether Shamans, a single Great Shaman bolstered by military qi would be enough to kill you."
"It's dangerous if I go, but not dangerous if you do?"
"I am different. Even if a Great Shaman were empowered by the military qi of a hundred thousand soldiers right now, they wouldn't be able to kill me. While I can't beat a Nether Shaman, I can escape one."
Wei Yuan then turned toward Bao Yun and said sternly, "No matter how intense this war becomes, you are not to take a single step outside the realm boundary. On this matter, I am not negotiating with you!"
Bao Yun stuck out her tongue. Just as Wei Yuan found her radiant and endearing, that little tongue curled slightly, licking her upper lip.
Wei Yuan drew a deep breath, fighting an urge to bring his palm down against her… body.
"You seem to care about me an awful lot right now, yet you won't do anything about it. Why?"
Wei Yuan fell silent for a moment before speaking. "I brought you here, yet I can't give you what you want. That's already irresponsible enough, so I cannot let any harm come to you."
Bao Yun smiled softly and said, "The Shamans are mobilizing on an extraordinary scale this time. Aren't you afraid that by the time the fighting ends, even if you want to give me what I want, I won't be around to take it?"
Wei Yuan furrowed his brow and snapped, "Don't talk nonsense!"
"Hahaha, I'm just kidding!"
"Not even as a joke!"
Wei Yuan's gravity caught Bao Yun off guard. After a moment, she said, "Why so serious?"
Wei Yuan naturally couldn't tell her that her karmic luck had visibly dropped the instant she uttered those words. Weighing his phrasing, Wei Yuan said, "Right now, we must be wary of anything that could affect karmic luck and feng shui. The war… has already begun."
Bao Yun's expression turned solemn, and she nodded.
Wei Yuan said, "Time is about up. I have to go. You and Master will arrange the rest."
Wei Yuan's figure flickered as he flew toward the direction where the scouts had vanished.
Bao Yun flew straight to the main peak. In the council hall, the Palace of Grand Beginning cultivators and Li Zhi were already waiting.
Entering the hall, Bao Yun said to everyone, "Wei Yuan just told me that the war has already begun."
Li Zhi frowned slightly. "How is it that I didn't sense anything at all? Dammit, my cultivation is still lacking far too much!"
Li Zhi's Dao Foundation was extraordinarily peculiar, highly sensitive to shifts in karmic luck, particularly the state fortune. It frequently turned misfortune into blessing for him and granted sudden premonitions whenever true danger loomed. Yet for some reason, whenever he was inside Qingming, Li Zhi discovered that his intuition was exceptionally sluggish and frequently proved mistaken.
Standing beside the map with a slight frown, Zhang Sheng tapped a few spots on the parchment with her finger and said, "We cannot fight alone right now; we must secure reinforcements. First is the Western Jin court—at the very least, we must take over the garrison troops in both Bianning and Anzhao commanderies, useless though they might be. Next is the State of Zhao…"
As Zhang Sheng pointed at the map, many people in the room became slightly entranced. That hand seemed to be glowing with light.
Zhang Sheng's voice continued echoing through the council hall: "…Send someone to Marquis Xiang immediately. Wei Yuan carries the prestige of an imperial relative by marriage after all, so they must contribute their share. Oh, and don't forget the eunuch faction—those gentlemen are quite formidable in battle…"
Zhang Sheng proceeded to lay out the war preparations. She spoke with blinding speed, so swift that even dharma idol cultivators like Cui Yu and Perfected Chuhe found it strenuous to keep up. In the blink of an eye, she rattled off nearly a hundred mobilization directives, taking barely the time to drink a cup of tea.
Once finished, Zhang Sheng knocked on the table. "Good, that is all. Everyone get to work!"
With duties assigned, the cultivators dispersed, but Bao Yun remained. Only when no one was left in the hall besides her and Zhang Sheng did Bao Yun ask, "How many reinforcements will there be?"
Zhang Sheng said calmly, "No reinforcements."
"None at all?"
"Not unless the Palace can deploy troops from the Northern Mountain Gate, but the Shamans will never give us that chance. All they need to do is pull some troops from the border facing the Liao Clan and reassign them here. The Liao Clan will naturally understand their intention and step up their offensive against the Northern Mountain Gate accordingly," Zhang Sheng explained.
Bao Yun said, "Then I will go call my great-grandfathers over."
Zhang Sheng said, "We can use the same strategy the Shamans used last time. This place is part of the Shattered Lands, so as long as otherworldly monstrosities are drawn here, no Scenery Command cultivator will dare make a move lightly. It's just that the two who draw their gaze will pay a price."
At this point, Zhang Sheng glanced at Bao Yun and said, "But I don't believe those great-grandfathers of yours will be willing to pay that kind of price."
Bao Yun fell silent, the glow on her face dimming instantly.
Zhang Sheng gave a soft sigh and said, "I originally intended to tell you this the last time you came to see me. Still, it's not too late now; I had to tell you sooner or later anyway."
Bao Yun forced a faint smile and said, "Don't worry, I don't let things get to me; my Dao heart will be fine. I need to head back and inspect the city defenses."
Once Bao Yun left, Zhang Sheng returned to her residence, lay down on the bed, and began processing military intelligence dispatches one by one.
***
Deep within the Wu domain, atop that massive tree stump spanning hundreds of zhang, there were no longer merely a few Nether Shamans present, but several hundred thousand Shamans assembled. Among the Nether Shamans, one robed in white stood out conspicuously, possessing a demeanor completely distinct from the surrounding environment.
The white-robed Shaman sat side by side with a Shaman whose features were deeply set. Curiously, although the latter's aura was merely that of a Great Shaman, all the Nether Shamans treated him with profound reverence.
One Shaman after another stepped before their seats to report the latest military developments.
"Our warriors are ready; they have specifically drilled in the new assault formations."
"The supply of the new Divine Arm Bows is sufficient. We have trained ten thousand archers whose range is double that of the past."
"The war beasts are all prepared. The three newly bred varieties have joined the ranks, and the existing war beasts have been adjusted by the shamans to withstand their bullets."
…
Just like that, several dozen Shaman commanders reported their latest progress one by one, thoroughly pleasing the two Shamans seated high on the dais.
The deep-featured Shaman draped in the red cloak stood up and declared loudly, "Very good! Our warriors are now assembled, and our preparations are complete! The cracks in heaven and earth must be mended, and the thieves must be punished!
"In the previous wars, we encountered minor setbacks, but this time, those pests and thieves will not have a single chance! We will thoroughly erase those vermin of heaven and earth from the world…
"Using their own methods!"
Chapter 471