Three flying projectiles plunged toward the altar inside the Shaman array, falling in a near-straight line.
In an instant, dozens of heavy arrows rose into the air, some flying straight, others tracing distinct arcs to intercept the trailing projectiles. Yet the first projectile suddenly detonated midair. The shockwave blew away every incoming heavy arrow, and the two projectiles behind it crashed onto the altar like meteors, demolishing it in an instant.
Concealed and suspended in midair, Wei Yuan observed the movements within the Shaman army's encampment. With the forward camp's altar destroyed, large numbers of off-duty Shaman soldiers rushed out from their tents to rescue the wounded and clear the ruined altar.
Wei Yuan swept his gaze over the camp. Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World automatically analyzed the visual information and reached a conclusion: the forward camp was currently manned at only forty percent capacity.
Wei Yuan turned and departed, relaying this intelligence to Cui Yu and Bao Yun.
The frontline Shaman forces had yet to be replenished. Under normal circumstances, they would be unable to launch a full-scale offensive for at least four or five days. This gap gave Wei Yuan the perfect opportunity to enter the Nether Cold Realm and raid the Nether Shamans' home base.
Returning to his residence on the main peak, he found all defensive measures in place. In the courtyard, Xu Henshui had erected a meditation chamber to serve as the core of the defensive array. Wei Yuan left behind a Wisdom-Enlightened dharma idol and a dragon guard to stand watch, then retired to his room and sat down quietly. A moment later, his spirit traveled outward, once again activating the mark he had left in the Nether Cold Realm.
Wei Yuan felt a brief spell of dizziness before the surroundings turned gloomy and damp, bitingly chill, shrouded in total darkness.
A point of Daoist light shone above Wei Yuan's head, illuminating his surroundings. Only then did he realize he was inside a rock fissure. The environment was completely different from when he had left last time; the entire subterranean geological structure had changed.
Wei Yuan inspected his condition, and suddenly a colossal will swept across the realm, stirring Maiden Yin-Yang within Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World.
Maiden Yin-Yang froze instantly, stiff as a lifeless object, but that brief fluctuation had already been sensed by the will. A moment later, another cold, massive will laden with murderous intent swept across this underground world.
This time, however, Wei Yuan was prepared. He forcefully suppressed the activity of every immortal plant in Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, issuing an exceptionally stern warning to a certain immortal plant with platinum branches and pale red petals that was itching to unleash a few sword qis to clash with the will.
At the same time, Wei Yuan brought down multiple bolts of heavenly lightning one after another, striking savagely upon a certain spot on the sea and beating the newborn immortal plant beneath the waves into a near-death state, rendering it utterly unable to make waves.
Seeing the miserable state of that usually lawless plant under the sea, the other immortal plant finally came to terms with reality, learned who was the real boss, and dutifully withdrew all of its sword qi.
This time, the colossal will found nothing.
Judging by the intensity of the will, it was undoubtedly a Nether Shaman. Yet while a Nether Shaman's will was formidable, the area of heaven and earth it monitored was vast, leaving its focus at any specific point rather lacking.
Once Wei Yuan suppressed the troublesome immortal plants, the Nether Shaman's will could no longer detect his tracks. It swept over Wei Yuan several times without noticing a thing.
Wei Yuan stretched his limbs, materialized two shovels, and began digging rapidly underground, tunneling all the way toward the surface.
Meanwhile, far away in the Nether Shaman domain, a deep voice suddenly resonated: "An outsider has entered the Nether Cold Realm. Find him, and kill him!"
Within a somber grand hall at the heart of the domain, a pool situated in the center bubbled with black froth. With a sudden pop, it burst open, releasing thick ribbons of black mist. The swirling mist coalesced into an image.
Over a dozen figures stood ringed around the pool, watching a curled-up silhouette on the water's surface. Though the image was indistinct, the outline vaguely resembled a human.
Beside the pool, a female Great Shaman suddenly cried, "It's him! Wei Yuan! Hurry, notify Lord Shengxin!"
The Great Shamans beside her started in surprise. "Huixin, are you sure you're not mistaken? Isn't Wei Yuan at war with us right now? Why would he run off to the Nether Cold Realm? Lord Shengxin is currently attuning to heaven and earth—the final step in his ascension to Sacred Shaman. If we disturb him at such a time without sufficient reason, I fear his lordship will be furious."
"I could never mistake his aura! It is him! Go, now!" Huixin said through gritted teeth.
The surrounding Great Shamans dared not speak, and two of them hurried away.
Then the deep voice rang out once more: "I have pinpointed his general vicinity. Feiying and Xuesha will also send the subjects of their domains to assist. The secrets of the Nether Cold Realm must never fall into human hands!"
Huixin said, "Rest assured, my Lord. No matter how strong Wei Yuan is, he is only one man!"
The voice said, "When necessary, I grant you permission to deploy the legions."
***
As Wei Yuan dug with all his might, he suddenly felt a familiar, faint summons. Struck by a thought, he answered the call. A moment later, a beautiful woman dressed in bright red bridal robes emerged from the earth right before him.
Wei Yuan looked closely at the woman. Her small face had gentle, full contours, delicate and pretty with a touch of innocence and charm. Her large, limpid eyes were lively as a fawn's, her dark brows delicately arched, and her lips red as blood, vivid and succulent. Only, her face was paper-pale, making for a somewhat eerie sight at first glance.
Wei Yuan adjusted the Daoist light above his head, shifting it from cool white to a warm hue. Now the girl looked far more agreeable.
He reached out and pinched her cheek. The flesh felt smooth and soft, showing no trace of artificiality save for being rather too cold. He said, "Is this your new puppet? It's much better than the ones last time."
The girl gave two cold chuckles. "This is me myself."
Wei Yuan was taken aback. "...Dream Eater?"
"Who else? If it were any other monster, you'd already be dead."
"Sorry, I didn't know you had come to look just like a puppet."
Dream Eater sighed. "Don't bring it up. A while back, two ruthless people showed up and forcibly smashed my Paper Bride game. Seventy to eighty percent of my puppets were destroyed, but that bastard Shu Li wouldn't compensate me at all! I had no choice but to take the field in person. I was right in the middle of a Paper Bride game when I sensed your aura and rushed over here."
Stirred, Wei Yuan asked, "There are people who can break your Paper Bride game? Who were they?"
Dream Eater said resentfully, "The first was a man, surnamed Su, I think. His eyes grew on the top of his head—he looked at everyone down his nose.
"He didn't fall into the game from the very beginning. I tried every trick in the book, but I couldn't pull him in. Instead, he traced the connection straight to my cave dwelling! I couldn't stop him, and the worst part was that Shu Li, that turtle's egg, saw things going south and didn't even show his face!
"After looking over my cave dwelling, that man decided it was boring and slashed it to pieces with a single sword strike, destroying dozens of puppets inside along with it!"
Wei Yuan's expression turned odd. The more he listened, the more familiar it sounded. If it truly was Su Xuejing, one could only say Shu Li was blind to insist on dragging him into the domain.
"Didn't you say there was another?"
"That one was even more infuriating! She entered just a few days ago. Originally she was only a newly advanced Dao Foundation, so I didn't think much of it. But in the blink of an eye, she shattered the game! Only then did I realize she was a woman—naturally, she had no interest in a paper bride!
"Still, since she broke my game the moment we met, I was unwilling to concede defeat. I tried to suppress her sea of consciousness, but who could have known that her sea of consciousness was completely filled with immortal swords! God knows how many there were! Caught off guard, I was stabbed into severe injury and had to flee. Then that vicious woman fired off a barrage of immortal swords everywhere and destroyed my newly repaired cave dwelling all over again!"
Wei Yuan's expression became even stranger. "What did this woman look like? Can you show me?"
Dream Eater waved her small hand, and an image of Zhang Sheng materialized before Wei Yuan's eyes.
Wei Yuan fell silent for a moment. He patted Dream Eater on the shoulder and said, "How about... you go burn some incense?"
Dream Eater didn't understand what Wei Yuan meant at first. After asking for quite a while, she finally grasped his point, looking pensive and rather tempted.
Suddenly she shuddered. "There's unusual movement in the Nether Shaman domain. They've awakened the legions!"
Startled, Wei Yuan pressed for details. Only then did he learn that some Great Shamans out for tempering would capture native demons and monsters of the Nether Cold Realm into the Nether Shaman domain, using the domain's power to suppress their wills and tame them.
The Nether Shamans had operated in the Nether Cold Realm for millions of years and had accumulated boundless experience. They selected ferocious, long-lived monsters that were easy to tame and domesticated them on a grand scale, forming an army of monsters—this was the legion.
Dream Eater said, "The legion has immense numbers of monsters, and those Nether Shamans have no shortage of lackeys. You are all by yourself and at a huge disadvantage, so you must be careful. I can only offer you a tiny bit of help, and it can't be discovered by Shu Li."
"Don't worry, I'll be careful." Wei Yuan nodded and resumed digging toward the surface.
As he dug, Wei Yuan felt progress was rather too slow. He summoned two Wisdom-Enlightened Dao Foundation warriors, handed them the shovels, and set them to dig toward the surface while he questioned Dream Eater about the Nether Shaman domain.
After a while, Wei Yuan still found the pace lacking. He summoned two more Dao Foundation warriors and had them use the Water Blade Art to carve through the earth toward the surface, leaving the original two Dao Foundation warriors behind them to shovel out the loose dirt.
Yet the Water Blade Art cut through the rock at remarkable speed, and two Dao Foundation warriors could not keep up with shoveling the loose soil. Wei Yuan then summoned another four Dao Foundation warriors. Now, with two excavating at the front and six shoveling behind, the workload was finally balanced.
Before Wei Yuan and Dream Eater, a fairly wide passage took shape, slanting upward and steadily extending.
Wei Yuan turned to Dream Eater, worry clouding his expression. "Tell me in more detail: just how many monsters are in that legion?"
Chapter 529