One step outside the gate, one step inside—two entirely different worlds.
The great hall rose majestic and towering, steeped in a deep, murky gloom. Only upon stepping within could one truly grasp its vast and magnificent scale. It was like gazing at distant mountains without fathoming their height, knowing their towering sheer of thousands of feet only once standing at their base.
From the outside, this realm's grand hall appeared large enough to hold an entire city. Only when Wei Yuan stepped through did he discover that a city truly was concealed inside.
The interior reached hundreds of feet into the air, far taller than it seemed from without, evidently harboring the profound mysteries of folded space.
Dim nether lights flickered across the vaulted ceiling like sparks of starlight, illuminating the world within. A small town indeed lay settled here, looking as though it housed several thousand shaman folk. One by one, they ceased their labors and turned their eyes toward Wei Yuan—some with dull, wooden expressions, some with anger, and others brimming with dread.
A thoroughfare stretched before Wei Yuan, leading straight to the center of the town, where an estate stood. Its main building appeared to have only three stories, a dwelling that even well-to-do families in ordinary towns could easily afford.
Wei Yuan opened his umbrella and walked toward the estate, utterly indifferent to the gazes of the shaman folk flanking the way. Beneath the canopy, he seemed like a specter, his face veiled in shadow, impossible to discern.
As Wei Yuan halted before the entrance, a somewhat diminutive shaman stepped out from within. Greeting him with the etiquette of the human race, the shaman bowed and said, "Our master's avatar has fallen. You must be the new master of this place, yes? Please follow me. My master left instructions beforehand."
Without the slightest hesitation or fear, Wei Yuan calmly walked into the manor and followed the shaman to the study. The shaman presented two maps and explained, "This one is a map of the realm, marking the mineral resources and several key locations. However, the master noted that this map is not exhaustive; many areas have never been thoroughly prospected.
"The second map is of the town inside the hall. It was built according to shaman custom. The master conveyed that should you dislike it, you may tear it down and rebuild at will. The shaman folk within this city exist purely as primordial spirits, possessing no physical bodies in the outer world. If you find their presence distasteful, you may cast them outside the realm to fend for themselves.
"These records detail the resources and industries within the hall. There are three shaman treasure refinement chambers, ten chambers for nurturing shaman treasure embryos, and three medicine gardens, one of which is dedicated solely to cultivating Nethergleam Grass. In addition, there is one alchemy workshop, two blacksmiths, three craft workshops, and two distilleries. As for storerooms, there are three, though they hold relatively few items."
After examining each item in turn, Wei Yuan asked, "What is your name?"
"This humble one is named Wu Li."
"Wu Li, take me on a tour of the town."
"Please follow me, My Lord."
Wei Yuan first visited the shaman treasure refinement chambers. Two were smaller, while one was exceptionally vast. Within the large chamber lay a fire pool several yards across, inside of which burned dim, black flames.
Strangely, the chamber held no trace of heat; instead, it exuded tendrils of piercing cold. Seven seats were arranged in a ring surrounding the fire pool. When necessary, the shaman formation here could accommodate seven refinement masters forging at the same time.
At this moment, Yu Zhizhuo's voice rang out: "The craftsmanship of this shaman formation is exceedingly high; whoever created it surpasses even me. Even placed within our Hall of Heavenly Craft, it would count as a top-grade refinement chamber. With slight modifications, it could forge our human magical treasures. Furthermore, the peculiar environment here drastically lowers the difficulty of refining magical treasures of the yin and nether attributes. Certain treasures that were once nearly impossible to forge might just succeed in this place."
Hearing this, Wei Yuan could not help but feel tempted.
The Palace of Grand Beginning differed from other sects; it did not place exceptional value on magical treasures. After all, once a cultivator attained the Scenery Command realm, ordinary magical treasures offered negligible utility, requiring corresponding spirit treasures instead.
Moreover, for a magical treasure to unleash its true might, it demanded years of patient nurturing. Cultivators from minor sects often spent a century nurturing a treasure just to bolster their combat strength. The prodigies of the Palace of Grand Beginning sneered at such methods. Every one of them believed they were destined to achieve Scenery Command, so they charged fiercely forward, roaming the world relying on their Dao Foundations and dharma idols, with no leisure to painstakingly nurture magical treasures.
This Shu Li was clearly a grandmaster in the craft of magical treasures; Wei Yuan had experienced firsthand how formidable an adversary draped in them could be. If magical treasures could be made like ordinary magical tools—ready to wield without nurturing, simple to manufacture, and capable of mass production—that would naturally be ideal.
The most valuable element of this refinement chamber was undoubtedly that pool of inexhaustible nether fire. According to Yu Zhizhuo, this was likely a natural fire vent, which was why the refinement chamber had been erected here in the first place.
Secondly, a shaman formation capable of holding seven people at once was extraordinarily rare. Although the Hall of Heavenly Craft possessed a grand formation that could accommodate twelve, that had been left behind by the founding Immortal Monarch; none among subsequent generations had been able to replicate that immortal feat. Beyond that, the hall had only one nine-person and one seven-person refinement formation.
When refining magical treasures, this shaman formation offered a certain chance of elevating treasures below the Heaven Tier by a full grade. Consequently, Yu Zhizhuo estimated its value at five hundred fang. Were it sold to the Hall of Heavenly Craft, it would fetch precisely that price. This single refinement chamber was enough to recoup Wei Yuan's losses from the battle; the two smaller rooms were essentially free bonuses.
Wu Li could not hear Yu Zhizhuo's words, for Yu Zhizhuo's divine sense was transmitted entirely from within the umbrella.
Shielded beneath his umbrella, Wei Yuan followed Wu Li to the incubation chambers for shaman treasure embryos. This place thoroughly showcased shaman style. Rows of shaman treasure embryos were kept here: some soaked in independent pools on the floor, swimming incessantly; others lay quietly inside cocoons suspended in midair; still others crawled along the branches of miniature trees.
These shaman treasure embryos looked almost living, bearing no resemblance to inanimate objects. Wei Yuan could also see that they already possessed a touch of spirituality; once forged into shaman treasures, their quality would certainly be superior.
Wu Li added, "Over here lies a secret chamber the master reserved for his personal use. Please follow me."
Wei Yuan followed him to an empty clearing where nothing stood save for two trees. As Wu Li chanted an incantation, a rippling portal of water appeared between the trunks, and he stepped through first.
Wei Yuan did not follow immediately. A Dao Foundation warrior appeared beside him, stepping through the portal ahead to confirm there were no abnormalities or ambushes before Wei Yuan stepped inside.
The space behind the portal was not large. An intricate shaman formation was inscribed across the floor, boasting as many as thirty-seven nodes of varying sizes, with different shaman implements or spiritual items resting on each. At the center of the formation stood a transparent vat filled with a pale red liquid resembling diluted blood, within which floated an embryo. It looked like a young human maiden, yet three long tails coiled behind her, a pair of wings lay folded upon her back, and her entire form was curled into a ball.
Seeming to sense Wei Yuan's gaze, it slowly raised its head and opened its eyes, scrutinizing him with vivid crimson pupils.
Wei Yuan frowned slightly. He could distinctly feel that this so-called treasure embryo was watching him, seemingly deep in thought.
"This is a shaman treasure embryo? Is it alive?"
"It has life force and spirituality, so it is indeed a living creature. Then again, most shaman treasure embryos are living beings, at least here with us," Wu Li replied.
"Martial Uncle Yu, does crafting treasures from living creatures defy the natural order?" Wei Yuan asked via divine sense.
"Not at all!" Yu Zhizhuo answered briskly. Then, feeling his reply had been somewhat hasty, he added, "To be precise, the crux lies in how you treat the materials. Many immortal metals and spiritual irons come with their own spirituality, and some even harbor life force. By that standard, they too could be considered living things. If even that counted as defying the natural order, you might as well ask Henshui how many herbs in the Monastery of Creation's medicine vaults are alive."
Xu Henshui chimed in, "Whether the medicine is alive isn't what matters; the key is properly resolving karmic debt. Most medicines do not produce karmic debt, and even if they do, there are ways to address it. We alchemists of the Monastery of Creation possess a secret art for Karma-Dispelling Pills, specifically crafted for this purpose. That said, this pill actually uses karmic debt as its medicinal ingredient, making it exceptionally difficult to refine, and one must refine it personally for it to be effective."
The two bantered back and forth at length. Wei Yuan grasped the heart of the matter: in the end, it all came down to eliminating karmic debt. However, none of them could identify what rested inside the vat, and Wu Li was equally ignorant of its purpose. Thus, Wei Yuan left the chamber and sealed the entrance, then hurried off toward the medicine gardens under Xu Henshui's persistent urging.
The medicine gardens were situated on the opposite side of the small town, requiring a trek straight through it. Wei Yuan followed Wu Li through one narrow alley after another until they finally arrived before the garden gate. Wu Li turned and remarked, "My Lord truly possesses unmatched daring. Aren't you afraid this humble one might have arranged death squads to stage an ambush?"
"I trust you," Wei Yuan said.
A subtle expression crossed Wu Li's face, as if to say, *Even I wouldn't trust myself*, but he naturally refrained from speaking those words aloud.
Wu Li pushed open the gate to the medicine garden and took the lead, with Wei Yuan following closely behind. Wei Yuan certainly had no intention of telling him that this umbrella concealed several formidable cultivators, as well as a demonic blade and an immortal sword. As long as he held the umbrella aloft, he had nothing whatsoever to fear.
Chapter 638