As night fell, Wei Yuan received a fresh piece of intelligence: the Xu family was secretly reinforcing Hanyang Pass and had already amassed an army of over three hundred thousand men. Furthermore, they had dispatched more than a dozen small detachments westward from Hanyang Pass to destinations unknown.
Wei Yuan frowned slightly. The Xu family truly clung to him like a haunting ghost. Yet with the war against the Shamans at such a critical juncture, he had no time to spare for the Xu family's petty maneuvers. For now, two eminent national grandmasters, Xuanjizi and Canglongshi, were residing in Qingming. They enjoyed towering prestige and far-reaching connections, so the Xu family was unlikely to try any blatant tricks at a time like this.
Even so, even if Xu Wangu made no overt moves, Wei Yuan could not afford to drop his guard. Any immortal possessed godlike means; if Wei Yuan foolishly assumed the man would do nothing, he might not even realize how he died when the moment came.
Although the Shamans had withdrawn their forces this time, their offensive posture had not lessened in the slightest. They continued excavating a canal toward Qingming, already pushing it out toward the hundred-li mark.
At present, the Qingming Domain had expanded noticeably in other directions, all exceeding five hundred li, but in the northwest alone, it remained severely compressed to a mere four hundred li. The entire Qingming Domain now resembled a crescent moon with a chunk carved out of it.
The Shaman vanguard had already deployed along the hundred-li perimeter and fanned out entirely, throwing up fortifications on the spot to intercept Qingming's scouting cavalry. The heaven-and-earth power of the Wu domain surged with them, shielding their movements from prying eyes. Beyond three hundred li, everything was now veiled from sight.
Wei Yuan moved on two fronts: redeploying troops to reinforce the defensive perimeter while rushing the construction of fortresses.
The past three major battles had proven that low-profile, cannon-equipped small redoubts offered outstanding defensive utility. The Shamans often had to pay three times the price in blood to take a single one. Even after capturing one, they continued to pay dearly; after all, the redoubts' locations were fixed, allowing missiles to bombard them at top speed and scour clean any Shamans occupying them.
Yet a grave issue loomed before Wei Yuan: gunpowder was being consumed far too fast.
The past three great clashes had burned through 1.5 million jin of gunpowder, with each battle using more than the last. Now, less than a million jin remained in the domain. At this rate of consumption, a mere thousand or so missiles would exhaust the entire supply.
This concern had weighed on Wei Yuan's mind for a very long time, but there was no immediate solution. The raw materials for gunpowder were limited. Aside from spirit wood, which could be procured in bulk at high prices, the rest could not be bought even if one had the wealth.
Wei Yuan had originally thought his gunpowder stockpile would suffice for four or five large-scale campaigns, never expecting that the Land of Rain would attack with all its might. Over a million Shamans had already perished in battle, yet they showed no sign of pulling back, continuously raising the stakes instead.
The Palace of Grand Beginning had little stock remaining as well; what Wei Yuan requested was simply too obscure, and in quantities far too vast. The only thing the Palace had in abundance was spirit wood, and Wei Yuan had taken a million jin in one go, completely emptying their warehouses.
Sun Yu had specially assigned ten cultivators to experiment with new gunpowder formulations, but such work could hardly yield results overnight.
By the time Wei Yuan finished handling various logistical and military affairs, it was already late at night. As he flew from an encampment toward the main peak, a low voice suddenly sounded in his ear: "Domain Lord Wei, do you have time for a word?"
Wei Yuan's heart tightened. To approach him within Qingming during wartime and transmit voice without alerting several Scenery Command experts was no small feat!
Yet within his own domain, Wei Yuan had nothing to fear. Guided by the voice, he arrived at the boundary of the domain. Here, amidst swirling mist, a figure concealed beneath a black robe stood atop a knoll, waiting for him.
Though wrapped entirely in the black robe, the silhouette visible from outside did not seem entirely human. Moreover, the robe's peculiar fabric leaked not a trace of aura, and Wei Yuan's perception could not penetrate it to discern what lay within.
"You are not of the human race, are you?"
The mysterious black-robed figure said in a low voice, "Shaman."
"What do you want with me?" Wei Yuan asked bluntly.
It let out a string of unintelligible gurgles, then said, "Though I would love to devour you right now, you are still very useful. A certain exalted lord does not wish to see you lot survive, but wishes even less to see Hongye succeed. Therefore, we will offer you some aid. I hope you will not disappoint our lord's goodwill."
"What aid?" Wei Yuan asked.
"Tomorrow morning, a caravan from the Desolate Ancestor Tribe will arrive. They bring two million jin of thunder sand. It seems you have an urgent need for this of late."
Wei Yuan was startled inside, though he maintained a calm exterior. "It is indeed desperately needed."
The black-robed figure gurgled again, seemingly struggling to control itself.
It adjusted its voice several times before speaking clearly: "Our lord says that if you wish to weaken the Nether Shamans, you must enter the Nether Cold Realm. The lord has erased the remaining karma binding you to the Nether Cold Realm; you may now enter once more without alerting the Nether Shamans. Here are the locations of several Nether Shamans of the Land of Rain within the Nether Cold Realm."
A slender, elongated finger emerged from the black robe and lightly tapped the air. Instantly, a peculiar map appeared before them—boundless, with neither beginning nor end, save for three stars marked upon the celestial vault.
This was the unique cartographic method of the Nether Cold Realm, relying on invisible hidden stars in the sky for positioning. Typically, three such stars were enough to establish coordinates with great precision.
Wei Yuan did not recognize these three hidden stars, but presumed they should not be far off.
Committing the map to memory, Wei Yuan said, "Extend my thanks to your lord. What do you require of me in return?"
"The lord says that so long as you smash that Dharma treasure upon Hongye, it shall count as your repayment."
Wei Yuan nodded.
The black-robed Shaman added, "If you have any other demands, you may speak to the Desolate Ancestor Tribe. They will provide appropriate support during this period."
With that, white smoke abruptly billowed from all across the black-robed figure. It let out an agonizing shriek, trembling violently, and in the blink of an eye dissolved into a puddle of clear water.
Wei Yuan stood quietly for a while before departing.
The situation was growing increasingly bizarre. Clearly, someone among the Shamans did not want Hongye's power to swell, and had begun intervening.
Wei Yuan had previously purchased several hundred thousand jin of thunder sand from the Desolate Ancestor Tribe, a fact impossible to conceal from those who paid attention. With only slight testing, one could deduce that thunder sand was an ingredient in Qingming's new gunpowder.
Whether the black-robed Shaman spoke the truth or not would become clear tomorrow morning depending on whether the caravan arrived. As for the Nether Cold Realm, Wei Yuan intended to put it back on his agenda.
Presently, Qingming could only take blows passively, unable to strike far beyond the domain, leaving their strategic position far too restrained. If things were truly as that Shaman lord claimed and a counterstrike could be launched in the Nether Cold Realm, it might well provide a way out of the deadlock.
Just as Wei Yuan prepared to leave, a sudden ripple passed through his mind. The newly completed Zhou Tian Celestial Stars Array, augmented by his Peerless Dao Domain, functioned with doubled efficacy, allowing Wei Yuan to detect a faint anomaly.
Turning his head, Wei Yuan spotted another black-robed figure appearing at the edge of the domain in the distance, descending into the mountain woods below.
Another black robe?
Wei Yuan reined in his aura, layered concealment upon himself, and boosted his karmic luck. Shrouded within the Peerless Dao Domain, he flew toward the spot where the figure had vanished.
Within the mountain valley, countless boulders stood like pillars, and a stream ran through the valley floor before merging into a small river outside.
Amidst the rocks, an indistinct silhouette stood in the shadow of a massive boulder, appearing somewhat restless as it kicked at pebbles absentmindedly.
The black-robed figure descended among the boulders, approached the silhouette, and chuckled in a low tone. "I never thought the day would come when we'd meet again."
The other figure was also shrouded entirely in a cloak, completely concealing their clothes and appearance, and spoke in an utterly unremarkable middle-aged man's voice. "Why have you come looking for me again? I can't help you anymore."
"Who says you can't? You're still quite useful. But if you dare sneak off and disappear like that again next time, I won't be so polite."
The cloaked figure said coldly, "It ends here. This is our last meeting. Never show yourself before me again."
The black-robed figure let out an eerie, sinister laugh. A hand shaped like a bird's talon suddenly darted out, seized the person by the throat, and hoisted them into the air!
The talons clamped tighter and tighter. The person struggled frantically but could not break free, losing consciousness in the span of a breath.
The black-robed figure snorted, dropped them to the ground, and shot a streak of black qi from a fingertip into their body. The person curled up in agony, trembling uncontrollably, yet could not emit a single sound.
The black-robed figure waited several breaths before recalling the black qi, then said, "Consider that a small lesson. Dare disobey me again, and I'll drag you back directly. Your talent is decent; taking you back as breeding stock wouldn't be half bad. From then on, your descendants for generations will serve as sacrificial offerings, butchered as soon as they're grown!"
The threat appeared to work. The person slowly pushed themselves upright and asked, "What do you want me to do?"
"First, I want a sample of the gunpowder and its formula. Second, how Wei Yuan created that lifespan-slashing Dharma treasure, and what its properties are."
"I can give you a sample of the gunpowder, but I have no access to the formula, nor do I know when I ever could. As for that treasure, barely a handful of people in the entire domain know of it; if he hadn't brought it out that day, even I wouldn't have known it existed. I cannot do this. Just kill me!"
The black-robed figure's tone softened slightly. "I'm not forcing you to do the impossible, but you're so close to him, so there's certainly a chance. If all else fails, use your body! Word has reached me that the fellow is lustful and loves to mate. Mate with him often, and you'll naturally learn plenty of secrets."
The person's body shuddered slightly, seemingly overwhelmed by shame and fury. "You'd better just kill me!"
The black-robed figure sneered. "If you refuse, I'll take you back right now, and you'll be made to mate with all sorts of different creatures every single day! Is that what you want?"
The person fell silent.
The black-robed figure's voice turned softer. "We hold many treasures left behind by powerful humans of the past. Among them are three Supreme Profound Creation Pills, which can substantially temper and elevate the quality of one's Dao Foundation. With your aptitude, taking one will carry you straight to the peak of an immortal foundation. Don't you want that? Once this is done, I will give you one first."
"Do you keep your word?" The person slowly stood up.
"Of course. You still have great use. I hold high hopes for you, haha!"
The two parted ways, heading in different directions.
Up in the night sky, Wei Yuan's figure emerged from nothingness. Looking in the direction the silhouette had vanished, he was lost in thought.
Chapter 516