In ancient times, the first Human Sovereign burst upon the world, hewing a path through blood and brambles. One after another, the Heavenly Shaman of the Shaman Clan and the Heavenly Khagan of the northern snowfields fell beneath his blade. In that era, he had virtually no equals, and none could withstand his edge. Naturally, having slain those immortal cultivators of other races who walked the same realm, he came to learn the secret of the world's origin.
At that time, the Unity Realm Supremes of the Wuyu Clan and the Vast Sea Liao Clan stepped forward together to invite the Human Sovereign to a banquet. Their original intention was to accept humankind into the ranks of the world's great races, while simultaneously binding humanity to share the burden of resisting the Heavenly Abyss.
Yet for reasons unknown, the meeting did not simply end in discord—both sides came to blows. A clash of immortals instantly reduced the surrounding thousand li to the Shattered Lands.
The Human Sovereign fought his way out, returning grievously wounded. He then urgently summoned all the immortals of the human race and persuaded them to join forces to alter the fabric of heaven and earth, sealing away every shred of news concerning the Heavenly Abyss. That was why Wu Li could speak of it, yet Wei Yuan could not hear it.
Listening to Hongye unfold these ancient secrets one by one left Wei Yuan thoroughly shaken. Compared to the present day, the savagery of conflicts in antiquity was truly beyond imagination. Unity Realm Supremes frequently entered the battlefield in person, and everyone below Scenery Command was mere cannon fodder.
"If I weren't here," Hongye said, "you wouldn't hear the words 'Heavenly Abyss' at all. It isn't that Wu Li never spoke them, but that you were utterly incapable of perceiving them."
A chill ran through Wei Yuan's heart. He asked hurriedly, "Why is that?"
Hongye explained, "The Human Sovereign was able to reign supreme across his era and cow the world precisely because he drew upon the human karmic luck of countless common mortals. Mortals are frail. To seek shelter, they offer up their own karmic luck, relying on the strong to contend against other men, against heaven, and against earth to wrest a sliver of life. But how could that ever be without a price?
"When your fate is placed in someone else's hands, you can only endure in silence whatever they choose to do. Think of the mortals within your Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World. As things stand, you are no different from them. Let alone merely keeping you from hearing certain words, even far more outrageous things could happen."
Speaking of the mortals in the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, Wei Yuan felt he treated them quite well; there was nothing to fault.
Yet looking upon the fiend before him—vast as a mountain, and still only in its juvenile stage—Wei Yuan could not help feeling uneasy. He quietly calculated: once the world of the Shattered Lands restored itself, should he just pull up the Patriarch's boundary stone and take off?
Against such a terrifying fiend, Wei Yuan had zero confidence, let alone the notion of suppressing it. Although he was now over two hundred years old, he considered his mental age stuck firmly at eighteen. He still wanted to enjoy the bustling splendors of the mortal realm—he hadn't had enough of life yet. The shoulders of a youth could not shoulder such a heavy burden.
Still, to be safe, Wei Yuan decided to get the details first. "Tell me," he said, "how exactly is a fiend like this meant to be suppressed?"
Hongye replied, "Suppressing such fiends does require technique. It's impossible to stand against one by solitary strength alone. You must borrow the power of the Nether Cold Realm and forge it into chains. What I am imparting to you now is the version of the Spirit-Locking Formation developed over generations by Nether Shamans. However, your domain is different from a shaman realm; in the future, you will have to adapt it using your own domain's power."
With that, Hongye flicked a maple leaf, which landed squarely between Wei Yuan's brows.
In an instant, an endless torrent of knowledge surged into Wei Yuan's sea of consciousness, an amount of information rivaling tens or even hundreds of thousands of popular storybooks. Faced with such a colossal influx, an ordinary cultivator's Dao Foundation would likely collapse in a breath, causing their primordial spirit to explode in death. An early-stage Dharma Idol cultivator would surely suffer grievous wounds, and even a powerhouse at Dharma Idol perfection would endure a bout of splitting headaches.
Wei Yuan, however, simply threw open the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World and absorbed the knowledge wholesale, storing every scrap of it away in the blink of an eye.
What Hongye had transmitted was not merely a Nether Spirit-Locking Formation, but all the requisite materials and related knowledge needed to lay it down. Taking into account that Wei Yuan was not of the Shaman Clan, Hongye had held nothing back, conveying every supporting concept Wei Yuan needed to understand. It was like charting a complete path of study for Wei Yuan, allowing him to advance from total ignorance all the way to laying down a grand Nether Spirit-Locking Formation on his own.
Wei Yuan marveled inwardly. This was practically a complete discipline leading straight to the Scenery Command Realm. Delving even a step further would be enough to open an independent hall in the Palace of Grand Beginning to teach it. Hongye had been remarkably generous!
And so, Wei Yuan blinked and asked brazenly, "Is there more? I feel like I haven't fully digested it."
Hongye stared at Wei Yuan with deep suspicion. "Your head doesn't hurt?"
"Not at all! Doesn't hurt one bit!" Wei Yuan answered decisively.
Assuming Wei Yuan was just posturing and bluffing, Hongye said, "I don't have much time left. Hear me out."
Having absorbed the knowledge of the Nether Spirit-Locking Formation, Wei Yuan could now clearly discern the structural layout of the shamanic array. Looking up, he saw countless massive chains extending from the void, binding the fiend tight. As the formation lore described, these chains were coalesced from the power of the Nether Cold Realm, serving as the core mechanism to suppress the fiend.
The fiend would slowly accumulate strength, periodically spawning swarms of avatars that launched frenzied assaults against the grand formation. Whenever that occurred, the suppressor had to go all out to slaughter the avatars to keep the formation firm and unbroken.
Furthermore, at regular intervals, the power of the Heavenly Abyss would surge abruptly. At those times, the fiends grew exceptionally perilous and their avatars even more formidable. Whenever such a tide arrived, countless experts from the Shaman Clan, the Liao Clan, and the other major races would perish on the battlefield.
There should have been a century left before the next Heavenly Abyss surge. Yet nineteen years ago, for unknown reasons, the abyss's power had flared without warning. Caught unprepared, Shu Li was gravely injured in the fierce struggle against the fiend, losing three avatars in one fell swoop, and had yet to fully recover from his wounds.
Then, through a strange twist of fate, Wei Yuan ended up trapped beneath Nether Mountain. The moment Wei Yuan broke out, Shu Li knew he could no longer defend his realm.
Hearing this, Wei Yuan couldn't help asking, "If Shu Li's situation was so dire, why did none of you go to help him?"
Hongye sighed. "Shu Li was my subordinate. In that situation, whoever dared help him would be openly defying Long Zhe. Moreover, Shu Li's strength was severely diminished; helping him meant helping him suppress an extraterrestrial fiend.
"The previous Heavenly Abyss tide had just passed, leaving all the realms in shambles. Everyone was licking their wounds and resting to recover. Who had the spare strength to aid someone else?"
Hongye went on to explain that suppressing the fiend wasn't something to be done only when avatars spawned. In normal times, one also had to find ways to deplete and refine away its demonic qi, which could effectively delay the avatars' assaults.
Beyond that, there were various insights and minor techniques passed down by Shaman ancestors. Rather than detailing them all aloud, Hongye inscribed them onto a maple leaf and handed it to Wei Yuan. He then said, "I have told you most of what needs saying. Lastly, let us speak of your benefits.
"The greatest benefit is that resisting the fiends shares the burdens of heaven and earth. The Nether Cold Realm will grant you the empowerment of heaven-and-earth power; exactly how much depends on your performance.
"Therefore, in the beginning, you will receive only a modest boost, and when you return to your native realm, the empowerment will be discounted somewhat. But the longer you hold out, and the more severely you weaken the fiend, the greater the heaven-and-earth empowerment you will receive."
"And what happens if the fiend is wiped out entirely?" Wei Yuan asked curiously.
Hongye smiled faintly. "The last Nether Shaman to successfully slay an extraterrestrial fiend was named Long Zhe."
"...Forget I asked," Wei Yuan said.
As a parting word, Hongye admonished, "Now that you have taken on the responsibility here, the other Nether Shamans won't make a move against you, at least for a while. Manage it well!"
Wei Yuan grumbled inwardly. His current domain was fragile as paper, practically popping at a poke. Any Nether Shaman who dared attack would be effectively releasing the extraterrestrial fiend, bringing upon themselves the wrath of heaven and earth. Who would dare come?
Seeing Hongye's figure about to vanish, Wei Yuan hastily asked, "What should be done with the shamans up above?"
"Do as you please." Leaving those words, Hongye vanished.
Wei Yuan stared blankly at the terrifying fiend bound by innumerable chains for a moment, then sighed heavily. According to common tropes in storybooks, every bound monster or demon king would inevitably break free one day.
At this moment, faint black ripples radiated around the fiend. Wei Yuan cautiously edged closer. The instant he made contact with the black vapor, a bone-chilling cold spread out, rapidly creeping up his body and eroding him recklessly.
Countless dusky yellow pustules instantly broke out across Wei Yuan's robes. Beneath the muscle of his face, countless worms seemed to squirm; his eyeballs bulged, and from deep within his pupils crawled tiny white grubs!
With a sharp bang, the flesh and clothing across the front of Wei Yuan's body detonated.
Wei Yuan scrambled back, escaping the range of the black vapor.
From the shattered rags and blasted flesh, countless grayish-white grubs swarmed out and scurried frantically. Finding no food, they eventually dissolved into black vapors and rejoined the dark ripples.
The area surrounding this extraterrestrial fiend was a weakened version of the Heavenly Abyss. A mere test had dealt Wei Yuan a severe blow. Every extraterrestrial fiend was akin to a walking miniature Heavenly Abyss.
Having experienced the Heavenly Abyss firsthand, Wei Yuan now had only one thought: an abyss was truly a bottomless pit.
Wei Yuan had labored to conquer a Nether Shaman's realm, thinking that such a monumental feat would surely be unmatched among the Perfected-level cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning. Once back at the palace, the Patriarch would certainly have him take the dais to lecture on his methods and give a full account of the battle—not just once, but at least once for every mountain gate.
Yet now, Wei Yuan had lost all appetite for it. What monumental feat? This was plainly an abyss of a pit!
By now, Wei Yuan's head was crystal clear. He knew that from the very moment he acquired the fragment of the Patriarch's boundary stone, Hongye had likely been scheming against him.
Shu Li had been severely injured by the extraterrestrial fiend nineteen years ago, knowing his realm was doomed to fall sooner or later. Once the fiend broke free, the heaven and earth of the Nether Cold Realm would be enraged, and Shu Li would certainly die.
Looking back now, that old shaman of the Leize Tribe whom Wei Yuan had slain not long ago probably hadn't simply run out of natural lifespan either; very likely, his own realm had fallen nineteen years ago, causing his lifespan to rapidly bleed away until only a few decades of lingering survival remained.
Now that Shu Li's realm had been taken over by Wei Yuan, Shu Li's lifespan remained long. He had the chance to rebuild his strength, cultivate new avatars, and establish a new realm in the future—effectively escaping a death trap.
No wonder Shu Li's avatar had lured Wei Yuan near the main hall and waited until the very last moment to release the guardian fiend.
Clearly, Shu Li knew that Wei Yuan was aware of his hidden card, and that using the domain to isolate the realm's power could easily destroy the guardian fiend. Shu Li had wanted Wei Yuan to plant the Patriarch's boundary stone near the main hall so that the domain would replace the realm in the shortest possible time, preventing Wei Yuan from discovering the truth and backing out of destroying the realm.
Wei Yuan still remembered vividly how, when Shu Li's avatar saw the fiend destroyed, the expressions crossing his face shifted unpredictably—from shock to despair, and then to numbness, layer by layer, nuanced and subtle. There had been no hint of acting whatsoever.
These Scenery Command experts truly were scheming old foxes; not one was easy to deal with.
And yet, calculating carefully now, nineteen years ago was precisely when Zhang Sheng had descended the mountain to seek dragons.
Wei Yuan gathered his thoughts and asked, "Martial Uncles, you all saw that, didn't you? Any suggestions?"
"We didn't see a thing."
"Divine sense blocked."
"Martial Nephew, are you speaking?"
Deadpan, Wei Yuan gave the umbrella in his hand a shake, tumbling Xu Henshui, Sun Yu, Yu Zhizhuo, and the others out. Now, the Palace of Grand Beginning cultivators could pretend to be blind no longer, each wearing a bitter smile.
Having seen the extraterrestrial fiend and knowing this was no place to linger, they returned together to Qingming to confer in detail on their next moves.
Upon returning to Qingming, Wei Yuan summoned Cui Yu and placed that complete strand of Dao profound qi before him. "All this time, I've had nothing good to repay you with. This strand of Dao profound qi comes a bit late, but it should still help you now, boosting your Dharma Idol slightly and securing it within the Heaven Tier."
Cui Yu started, then said, "Th-this is too precious! I cannot accept it!"
As a direct son of an illustrious clan, Cui Yu knew well how invaluable treasures that could enhance the quality of a Dharma Idol were. In the entire Cui family of Qinghe today, not a single one could be found. Although Cui Yu had labored long and achieved much, in his own view, he fell far short of deserving a complete strand of Dao profound qi.
Seeing Cui Yu decline, Wei Yuan smiled. "The road ahead is long. If Brother Cui can take another step forward, it will be a great boon to me as well." Under Wei Yuan's persistent urging, Cui Yu ultimately accepted the Dao profound qi. When he departed, his back was straight as a pine, like a general about to march to war.
After seeing Cui Yu off, Wei Yuan summoned Xu Yi, this time producing the thinner strand of Dao profound qi.
Xu Yi started at the sight of the Dao profound qi, her body trembling slightly despite herself. Though thin, this strand of Dao profound qi was sufficient to push her Dao Foundation to the pinnacle of Heaven Tier.
While it would not reach an immortal foundation, her chances of advancing to the Dharma Idol Realm would increase dramatically. Combined with the tempering of her spirituality by the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, Xu Yi—who had nearly reached the end of her path of cultivation—now saw the gates of Dharma Idol swinging open for her.
This was the grace of rekindling one's Dao!
"I... I..." Xu Yi tried several times, but could not bring herself to utter the words "I cannot take it."
If this strand of Dao profound qi were brought to the Xu family, all the direct heirs and geniuses would go mad for it. She knew she had just suffered a defeat and was truly unworthy of such an immense reward, yet for her, this Dao profound qi was simply too important—so important that refusing it was impossible.
Wei Yuan said gently, "You have been in Qingming the longest, braving life and death alongside us all these years. You deserve a strand of Dao profound qi. Take it. Once you reach the Dharma Idol Realm, the scenery in this world is still wonderful."
Xu Yi's eyes suddenly reddened. She asked, "Why?"
Wei Yuan only smiled without answering.
With the extraterrestrial fiend looming over his head, Wei Yuan now realized that the future was long and full of unforeseen turns; one never knew whether tomorrow or calamity would arrive first. Therefore, promises once made had to be fulfilled without delay; debts of gratitude had to be repaid immediately.
Not long after Xu Yi left, a thick, nearly tangible streak of azure qi gleaming with brilliant radiance plunged into his sea of consciousness like a shooting star.
Wei Yuan could only shake his head wryly. That girl Xu Yi really was practical.
Chapter 641