When Wei Yuan returned to Qingming, a detailed report on Shu Li's realm was already resting on his desk.
This intelligence report not only covered the realm's map and the layout of key locations, listing the basic dossiers of all major figures, but also cataloged crucial magical treasures and even detailed the differences in disposition and divine abilities among Shu Li's three avatars.
This significantly changed Wei Yuan's opinion of Lei Dong's abilities. Previously, the lad had been hesitant and awkward in his work, but ever since submitting that first batch of intelligence, he had cast off his inhibitions, handling things with ever-greater precision and clearly unburdened by psychological baggage. The intelligence before Wei Yuan clearly demonstrated the effort Lei Dong had poured into it, with an attitude noticeably different from before.
Furthermore, certain parts of the report were worthy of deep reflection. For instance, the distinctions between the divine abilities, temperaments, and magical treasures of Shu Li's three avatars were not information an ordinary person could uncover. To provide such data, there was a high likelihood that a Nether Shaman intimately familiar with Shu Li was secretly assisting him. In other words, Lei Dong had genuinely won over a Nether Shaman.
His ability to recruit a Nether Shaman now was primarily due to Lei Dong himself, bolstered by a slight touch of karmic luck. This was unlike the four Nether Shamans from the Leize Tribe earlier, who had only followed Lei Dong because of his karmic luck and would turn hostile the moment that luck waned.
These Nether Shamans were all crafty old foxes who understood children of karmic destiny all too well. Whether they genuinely liked Lei Dong or merely wished to hitch a ride on his karmic luck was something outsiders had no way of telling.
Shu Li's realm was vast, spanning roughly three thousand li. Within the kingdom were three crucial nodes: Nether Iron Mountain was one, while another was Nether Spring, which produced three drops of spring water every hundred years—water that was a treasure capable of enhancing a Shaman's physique.
These two places were the foundation Shu Li intended to pass down to his descendants.
The third was naturally the realm's most important site: the main hall. It was said that several centuries ago, Shu Li had begun plotting a major affair at the main hall's location, and only then did he construct the hall itself.
However, several decades ago, Shu Li's scheme evidently failed, causing his strength to plummet drastically until he nearly fell out of the ranks of Nether Shamans. In the end, it was Hongye who stepped in to help him stabilize his realm, even arranging for the Little Princess to train in Shu Li's kingdom.
Had the Little Princess succeeded in her cultivation, Shu Li could have borrowed her karmic luck to potentially regain his past peak. Yet no one could have anticipated that an accident would befall the Little Princess right in his kingdom.
This matter provoked the wrath of the Heavenly Shaman in the City of Heaven. After searching fruitlessly for the Little Princess, he punished Shu Li along the way. It was said that a few years ago, Shu Li had encountered a mysterious, formidable enemy who severely wounded him, destroying three of his avatars in one go.
After finishing the report, Wei Yuan fell into deep thought. Shu Li's karmic luck was clearly highly abnormal. Regardless, a weakened enemy was undoubtedly the ideal opponent.
The end of the report noted that the great hall of Shu Li's realm surely harbored a secret; otherwise, why would the Shaman Little Princess run off for no reason to train in the kingdom of a backwater Nether Shaman? However, the object hidden within the hall had clearly had its karmic ties erased by a supreme powerhouse, making it impossible to remember, impossible to see, and forbidden to speak of.
Wei Yuan's interest was piqued at once. As the storybooks would say, this meant the treasure was quietly awaiting someone fated.
Shu Li's three avatars possessed distinct divine abilities and vastly different temperaments. If not for originating from the same true body, outsiders would have thought them three entirely distinct Shamans.
However, two of the three avatars had already perished by Wei Yuan's hand. One of them had not even displayed his innate divine ability before being blown to bits by Wei Yuan's human bomb.
The second avatar possessed rather distinct traits; his innate divine ability was the forging and nurturing of magical treasures. Shu Li had dedicated this avatar specifically to crafting treasures, and he was unsuited for combat, which was why in past wars this avatar had always remained behind to guard the realm.
Precisely because he was inept at fighting, Feng Tingyu had been able to kill him with a single close-quarters blow, rendering all the backup plans Wei Yuan had prepared useless.
The scroll was indeed mentioned in the records of major treasures. Titled *Picture of Dwelling in the Jade Echo Mountains*, it was reportedly refined from the fragments of an immortal artifact, containing a world of its own and possessing infinite wonders.
By now, Wei Yuan understood both himself and the enemy regarding Shu Li's realm, leaving him free to act without reservation.
At this point, Xu Henshui returned to Qingming alongside Wei Yuan. He then arrived with a whole stack of jade boxes to seek Wei Yuan out, saying, "The immortal orchids are all here. Once you obtain an ancient immortal recipe, you can place it in the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World. I like to contemplate there."
"...Fine," Wei Yuan replied, feeling as though his mindscape world was practically turning into a public tourist attraction.
Just then, Maiden Yin-Yang sent a thought: "Let him enter. An immortal recipe has been found."
Wei Yuan paused, surprised, and immediately relayed this to Xu Henshui. Xu Henshui was overjoyed. He at once returned to his residence, lay down to sleep, and entered the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World.
Wei Yuan was already waiting inside the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World. He led Xu Henshui to a secluded spot outside the city, where a modest stone hall stood. Inside the hall rose a stone pillar; from its appearance, a craftsman had originally intended to carve something onto it, but had abandoned the work shortly after starting, leaving behind such a half-finished piece.
Seeing the stone pillar, Xu Henshui understood at once. As expected, where could Wei Yuan have gotten any pill recipes? It was clearly bestowed by that remnant immortal soul concealed in Qingming. It seemed this immortal still possessed plenty of pill recipes; he definitely needed to foster good ties with him.
Wei Yuan pointed at the stone pillar and said, "The ancient pill recipe is stored here. Let me demonstrate how to open it first."
With that, Wei Yuan bowed to the stone pillar, respectfully asking the senior to bestow the immortal recipe, and only then injected Dao force into it.
The stone pillar lit up in response, and over a dozen images manifested around it, all depicting ingredients completely unfamiliar to Wei Yuan. Xu Henshui examined them closely, but could not recognize a single one either.
Then, one medicinal ingredient shaped like a conch shell glowed, giving off waves of herbal fragrance. Xu Henshui was ecstatic and immediately sat down cross-legged, beginning to attentively contemplate and comprehend this ingredient.
Meanwhile, in another part of the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, over a dozen streams of immortal spiritual qi floated before Maiden Yin-Yang. Most came from various immortal plants, while two were the auras of the Gate of the Many Realms and the bizarre minor world, respectively.
In her hands she held several objects that looked like dice, except they had considerably more faces than normal dice.
Casually rolling the dice, she glanced at the resulting numbers, plucked a bit of the corresponding immortal spiritual qi for each, brought them to her lips, and gently blew. All the auras fused into a single new aura.
Flicking her finger, she sent this aura flying outward. Immediately, the second medicinal ingredient before Xu Henshui lit up and began emanating its aura.
Xu Henshui's spirits lifted. Waving a hand at Wei Yuan, he said, "Go attend to your business. I need to contemplate the immortal recipe. Call me when there's a battle."
Wei Yuan bid Xu Henshui farewell, but the man was already wholly immersed in the ancient immortal recipe, not hearing a word Wei Yuan said.
Wei Yuan departed once more for Shu Li's realm. By this time, Shu Li's third avatar had arrived at the head of an army, bringing over a thousand legion strange beasts and confronting Wei Yuan from afar.
However, the avatar's battle formation was set up far from the direction of the main hall, clearly intending to lure Wei Yuan away. Little did he know that Wei Yuan had already obtained accurate intelligence from Lei Dong. With a cold sneer, Wei Yuan immediately dispatched a small squad of cultivators to leave the fortress and advance toward the main hall.
Seeing this, Shu Li's avatar was shocked and hastily led his forces to intercept them. Yet he clearly had no concept of an artillery barrage; engulfed by Wei Yuan's cannon fire, the legion strange beasts suffered catastrophic casualties.
Consumed by fury, the avatar flicked out several streams of gray qi. Fast as lightning, they instantly obliterated several of Wei Yuan's cannons, their sharpness rivaling Zhang Sheng's power of Zhanxu.
This final remaining avatar was the most adept at combat among the three. The gray qi was known as the God-Slaying Shaman Arrow—fierce and peerless. A single arrow would heavily wound an ordinary Dharma Idol, and three arrows would leave even an immortal beyond saving.
Yet Wei Yuan now knew both himself and his enemy, and had an abundance of methods at his disposal. Unless this avatar possessed hidden trump cards beyond the intelligence report, Wei Yuan would be stepping inside the main hall for a look this very day.
Chapter 636