Over the past several decades, the beast legion in Shu Li's realm had suffered heavy losses, yet more than a thousand beasts still remained. These represented the combat power of over a thousand Dao Foundation cultivators, a force Wei Yuan dared not take lightly.
After deliberating with the cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning, Wei Yuan decided on a swift and decisive battle. His aim was to eliminate Shu Li's avatar and the core strength of the beast legion as quickly as possible while seizing the great hall, lest delay breed unexpected complications.
Beneath the great hall lay the realm's spiritual pivot, which served a purpose akin to a boundary stone. The stronger the spiritual pivot, the larger and more prosperous the realm, and the greater the power of the Nether Shaman. A territory like Shu Li's, possessing production sites for two top-grade spiritual resources—nether iron and the Nether Spring—could be ranked in the middle tier among Nether Shaman realms.
If the realm were destroyed, Shu Li's strength in reality would suffer another devastating blow. He would end up like the old Nether Shaman of Leize whom Wei Yuan had encountered before, his power tumbling to somewhere between a Nether Shaman and a Great Shaman. That would serve as payback for the invasion by the Land of Rain.
With their plan decided, Yu Zhizhuo brought all his junior brothers from the Hall of Heavenly Craft into the Nether Cold Realm. Upon arriving, after a brief period of adjustment, every one of them was bursting with excitement.
Wei Yuan, meanwhile, used the Yin-Yang Melting Pot Great Array to refine nether iron. His efficiency surged, and as block after block of nether iron was handed over to the cultivators of the Hall of Heavenly Craft, they quickly turned them into component parts.
Yet once manufacturing began, Yu Zhizhuo roped in Zhang Sheng. Previously, Zhang Sheng had possessed only a single Immortal Sword Zhanxu, but now he commanded over five hundred immortal swords. Although their grade did not match Zhanxu, such high precision was not required here anyway. Even if there were gaps as thick as a finger when piecing the components together, Wei Yuan did not mind in the least.
Zhang Sheng had wanted to refuse, but since this was Wei Yuan's undertaking, he had no choice but to step forward with a sullen face. Soon, more than a dozen immortal swords took to the air, dancing and wheeling without pause.
In half a day's time, Wei Yuan completed his preparations. The first war apparatus rolled out, charging toward the beast legion opposite them.
This war apparatus resembled a Tianqi war chariot, mounted with two cannons. The difference lay in its propulsion system, which was powered by eight of Wei Yuan's Dao Foundation warriors.
A single Dao Foundation warrior was not as strong as a Power Shaman. Back then, Tianyu's war chariot, driven by six Power Shamans, had been able to run like the wind and even truly fly. Driven by eight Dao Foundation warriors, this chariot could manage only a brisk jog.
As the chariot set out, Wei Yuan mounted cannons and unleashed a furious barrage on the beast legion. At the same time, Dao Foundation cultivators bearing city-wall-sized shields marched forward behind the chariot, advancing steadily.
The beast legion grew restless. Dozens of beasts surged forth to launch a probing attack. Their claws and fangs were sharp, rivaling Dharma artifacts, but the chariot's hull was forged of nether iron; their bites could not penetrate it at all.
Moreover, the Dao Foundation cultivators inside the chariot were not merely there to propel it; they were also responsible for close-range defense. Eight Dharma swords wheeled back and forth around the chariot, slicing the approaching beasts until they were covered in wounds.
A faint glow shimmered over the chariot. From his fortress far to the rear, Xu Wenwu used his Dao Foundation to bolster the chariot and remotely steer it. This was a feeling he was thoroughly familiar with from his time in the otherworldly realm.
The chariot's artillery roared without pause, blasting the beasts in all directions. The shield-bearing cultivators followed behind, executing the wounded beasts one by one. These beasts had initially moved like the wind, but against human cultivators who formed tight shield formations and continuously fired flying-sword guns in all directions, they found no opening to strike. In the blink of an eye, the beasts suffered grievous casualties.
Enraged, Shu Li's avatar flicked his fingers and loosed several God-Slaying Shaman Arrows at the chariot. To everyone's shock, they punched clean through the armor, wiping out half of the Dao Foundation warriors inside.
Several other God-Slaying Shaman Arrows shot toward the shield-bearing cultivators. The gray mist easily pierced the massive shields and the Dao Foundation warriors behind them, throwing the shamanic battle array into disarray.
The legion beasts immediately pounced toward the breach, dragging several heavily wounded Dao Foundation warriors out of formation and tearing them to shreds in moments.
Wei Yuan felt several dull twinges in his consciousness. He promptly increased the intensity of the cannon fire, while another wave of a hundred flying swords rained down. Knitting into a sword array midair, they slammed into the ground with sweeping sword qi, instantly slaying over a dozen legion beasts trapped within.
This was Zhang Sheng's second strike, the equivalent of instantly killing a dozen cultivators of the same rank.
Afterward, under the cover of artillery and Dao arts, Wei Yuan withdrew the battered chariot and the surviving cultivators.
Two hours later, new Tianqi war chariots appeared once more—this time two of them, both reinforced with a thick layer of additional armor. Though their movement had grown sluggish, their defenses had visibly improved.
Shu Li's avatar fired another volley of God-Slaying Shaman Arrows, but this time they failed to pierce the chariots. Wei Yuan's spirits rose, and he immediately ordered the shield-bearing cultivators to charge. This time, additional armor had been welded onto their massive shields as well.
With a grim expression, Shu Li's avatar loosed more arrows. Although they still managed to pierce the heavy shields, they could only kill the Dao Foundation warrior holding the shield, no longer punching through the entire formation as they had before.
Hardening his resolve, Wei Yuan sent nearly a hundred shield-bearing Dao Foundation warriors forward, advancing layer by layer behind the chariots, their spearhead pointing straight at the great hall.
Shu Li had naturally taken part in the war against Qingming and was no stranger to Qingming's battle formations. Yet he had never imagined that he would witness this manner of warfare inside his own realm.
The problem now was that the great hall was simply too close to Nether Mountain—only about a hundred li away. With a sustained offensive, Wei Yuan could very well fight his way to the hall's front gates.
Shu Li's avatar pointed to the sky, and patches of shadow materialized overhead, drifting down toward the army below. But Wei Yuan also pointed toward the heavens, summoning clusters of floating fiery clouds that incinerated the shadows.
No matter what curse Shu Li's avatar employed, Wei Yuan waved his hand to disperse it. Although he was inside an enemy realm and consumed far more Dao power than Shu Li's avatar, Wei Yuan possessed vastly more Dao power to begin with. In a war of attrition, he had the confidence to outlast his foe.
The two war chariots rampaged forward, pressing their advantage step by step and leaving fields of slaughtered legion beasts in their wake. Even though Dao Foundation warriors were slain by beasts from time to time, Wei Yuan had turned utterly ruthless, disregarding casualties entirely—for every Dao Foundation warrior lost, he replenished another.
Just like that, the two sides fought fiercely for several hours. Wei Yuan pushed the front line forward by several dozen li, until they were less than thirty li from the great hall.
The realm's great hall stood grand and towering, soaring a hundred zhang into the sky. Its rooftops were now visible from a distance.
Shu Li's avatar looked increasingly grim, his hand rising repeatedly only to slowly fall back. Shaman scholars, Great Shamans, and legion beasts rushed in from all corners of the realm, throwing themselves into the fray.
Wei Yuan led several hundred cultivators who, together with the two war chariots, formed a mobile iron fortress that advanced with unwavering resolve. The cannons atop Nether Mountain thundered incessantly, delivering shells to the battlefield dozens of li away.
The one manning the cannons at this moment was Perfected Chuhe. Because the battlefield was now tens of li away, he had to guide each shell with his divine sense so it could reach the front and land accurately around Wei Yuan's battle formation.
Shaman scholars and Great Shamans fought with complete disregard for their lives. Many were dragged off the field by their companions only after sustaining grievous injuries, returning to reality to recuperate.
Under the suicidal onslaught of shamans and beasts, the casualties among Wei Yuan's Dao Foundation warriors mounted rapidly, making further advance increasingly arduous. In the midst of this stalemate, Wei Yuan's army formation suddenly shifted: Bell Orchid Fairy, the Gold Essence Mysterious Bird, and the Tripod-Bearing Heavenly Scorpion appeared one after another, while twelve Liuren Heavenly Soldiers charged in all directions.
Another Dao Foundation warrior suddenly swelled in size, extending a hand to snatch a Great Shaman before crushing him to death with a flick of the wrist. This warrior was actually Longying in disguise, having kept his cover until this very moment. Longying's cultivation was near peak Dharma Idol; handling a Great Shaman who had only just entered the Dharma Idol realm was as easy as slaughtering a chicken.
Only now did Wei Yuan reveal the dagger concealed within his scrolls.
With an expression of utter fury, Shu Li's final avatar reached into his robes, pulled out an object, and hurled it onto the battlefield!
Instantly, the entire realm shuddered. Vast quantities of nether power converged from every direction as an enormous demon coalesced out of nothingness. While still half-ethereal, it began radiating a terrifying aura, and from beyond the heavens, a pair of eyes seemed to slowly open, gazing down upon this realm.
Every single legion beast trembled in terror. The Gold Essence Mysterious Bird retreated directly into Yu Zhizhuo's body; it was sensitive by nature and harbored an instinctual dread of enemies separated by such a massive gulf in rank.
The Tripod-Bearing Heavenly Scorpion waved its dual pincers frantically, letting out low hisses as though warning the giant demon not to approach. Bell Orchid Fairy wore a look of dread, retreating step after step.
The massive demon writhed, drawing spiritual power from heaven and earth across the entire realm as it condensed into physical form. In the blink of an eye, it swelled to dozens of zhang in size. Though it was still only a squirming mass of black mist, one could already feel it coldly looking down upon all living beings like ants.
Every Nether Shaman's realm possessed its ultimate trump card, and this demon, formed by draining the power of the realm, was the final measure of Shu Li's realm. Once fully formed, its strength rivaled the late Scenery Command realm; even during Shu Li's prime, it had been a vital helper.
The realm required years of accumulation to activate the demon once. It was said to have been summoned just last year, and to call upon it again so soon would inflict lasting damage upon the realm's very foundation. Clearly, Shu Li's avatar was willing to sacrifice everything.
Under the demon's voracious siphoning, the entire realm shook continuously. Formations across the land flickered between brightness and gloom, and some smaller arrays even began to collapse. At the center of the demon's body, a mass of darkness as dense as physical matter appeared, expanding and contracting rhythmically with a deep, pulsing heartbeat.
An indescribable pressure began to spread. The legion beasts all collapsed prostrate on the ground, none daring to lift their heads.
Right at this moment, Wei Yuan suddenly shot forward, closing the distance to the demon in a single stride and pressing his hand firmly against the earth!
An astonishing blaze of light burst from beneath Wei Yuan's palm. In an instant, it shifted from blazing white to pale green, spreading rapidly and dyeing everything within its reach with a faint green hue.
This was a new domain—supremely clear and fiercely potent. Shu Li's realm collapsed almost on contact, and the pale green domain expanded swiftly, stretching ten li away in the blink of an eye and continuing to surge outward.
The demon was completely swallowed by the new domain, cutting off its supply of the realm's power. It instinctively inhaled a breath of the new domain's spiritual qi, but the effect was like a monster made of cotton inhaling open flame—in an instant, it began to burn from the inside out!
In a flash, the demon turned into a gigantic torch. It unleashed an agonizing screech of pure torment, the sound so violent that countless legion beasts bled from their ears and noses. Beasts farther away turned and fled in terror, completely ignoring the commands of Shu Li's avatar.
This sudden reversal left Shu Li's avatar frozen in shock. Immediately after, an ethereal blade shadow flashed through the air. His shaman head flew high, only to be incinerated midair by black fire!
A split second later, a barrage of attacks and Dao arts arrived, submerging Shu Li's headless avatar.
With that, Shu Li's final avatar perished. A fine drizzle began to fall across the entire realm, as though the heavens themselves were weeping.
Wei Yuan held open an oiled-paper umbrella, looked up at the ten-zhang-tall gates before him, and stepped through into the realm's great hall.
Chapter 637