Mindscape Interdiction was indeed an exceptionally powerful incantation, but using it in the Shattered Lands was utter waste. Within the Shattered Lands, no Scenery Command cultivator dared to manifest their mindscape world; doing so was equivalent to delivering a meal straight into the mouths of otherworldly monsters.
Immortals could occasionally manifest theirs briefly to execute some techniques, but they had to flee immediately after.
In this respect, an immortal deploying their mindscape world meant nothing more than either believing they could flee fast enough or trusting that their hide was thick enough that otherworldly monsters could not bite them dead in a single mouthful.
Therefore, when the Shamans suddenly paid a tremendous price to interdict mindscape worlds across the entirety of Qingming, many Scenery Command cultivators beyond the celestial firmament found it bizarre, unable to fathom what madness had overtaken the Shamans. Did they possess so much sacrificial power that they simply had to squander it lavishly, lest the accounts fail to balance?
Beyond the firmament, True Monarch Xuanyue suddenly said, "What madness has seized the Shamans? No, I must go down and see."
The Hall Master of the Bright King wore a grave expression and said, "Though the Shamans are not brilliant, neither are they fools. They would not burn sacrificial power for nothing—something must have happened. I will accompany you!"
"Good! I'll remember this favor—" True Monarch Xuanyue flew some distance toward Qingming, but suddenly felt something was amiss. Turning around, where was there any trace of the Hall Master of the Bright King?
Looking back further, he discovered that the Hall Master of the Bright King was already far from Qingming, flying further and further away.
The Hall Master of the Bright King shouted from afar: "I can't! I can't control myself—I can't go down! I'm going to find Yanshi right now! Be extraordinarily careful; whatever you do, do not push your luck! While the green hills last, there'll be no—"
The voice trailed off in an instant, and the rest was lost to the distance.
Xuanyue cursed, "Absurd," and ignored the Hall Master of the Bright King. After a moment's thought, he still flew toward Qingming, snorting, "If I can't even protect my own disciples and grand-disciples, what kind of immortality am I cultivating? What Dao am I seeking?"
Even so, he raised his spiritual perception to its peak, concealed his presence, and slipped stealthily into Qingming. A peril dire enough that even the Hall Master of the Bright King dared not descend was one Xuanyue knew he could not withstand either, so he naturally dared not be careless.
Yet as he circled through Qingming, he found everything completely normal.
The front lines were fighting as usual, the battle raging fiercely, with people falling at every passing moment. The cities in the rear were brightly lit, cultivators working around the clock to produce military supplies to provision the front.
Everything was operating in an orderly fashion, showing not the slightest hint of anomaly; the vast majority of the Palace of Grand Beginning's dharma idol cultivators had not even felt the grand interdiction curse just cast.
Yet after a full circle, True Monarch Xuanyue still failed to find Wei Yuan, nor was Zhang Sheng anywhere to be seen.
Xuanyue questioned several disciples of the Palace of Grand Beginning, but whether it was Bao Yun, Yu Zhizhuo, Xiaoyu, or Feng Chutang, none knew Wei Yuan's whereabouts. Inquiries sent through the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World went unanswered as well. The Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World was still functioning normally, but that proved nothing—with or without Wei Yuan, its operation continued unaffected.
True Monarch Xuanyue grew increasingly anxious, but this was not something haste could solve. He searched back and forth, yet found no trace of Wei Yuan or Zhang Sheng.
***
High above Immortal Heaven lay a small pocket realm, holding only a modest courtyard, a few fruit trees, and two mu of meager fields.
Immortal Monarch Yanshi was laboring in the field when he suddenly looked up, a puzzled expression crossing his face. Laying down his hoe, he briskly returned to the courtyard and walked over to a pool of clear spring water in the corner, staring intently into it.
Within the spring water, countless images flickered incessantly. As Yanshi watched, his expression changed drastically.
He let out a heavy snort and reached out through the void. Of the four immortal swords floating beside the Patriarch's statue at the Palace of Grand Beginning's mountain gate, one suddenly vanished, reappearing in Yanshi's hand.
Yanshi walked into the main hall, bowed before the hanging portrait of the Patriarch, and said, "Your unworthy disciple Yanshi humbly borrows the Patriarch's precious weapon today. The enemy is formidable, and your disciple's strength is inadequate. Should I prove no match, I have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure. Patriarch, grant your blessing!"
The plain, lusterless iron sword suddenly blossomed with immortal light, transforming into a jade sword shimmering with five radiant colors. Though still sheathed, chilling killing intent already emanated from it!
Holding the sword, Yanshi felt that with a single thought, even an immortal within ten thousand li would lose their head!
Yet a sigh rose from the depths of Yanshi's heart. This sword could only be unleashed once; after its use, it would reduce to a mundane object. Of the Patriarch's four swords back then, two had already been used. If he drew upon one today, only a single sword would remain for future generations.
Yanshi closed his eyes slightly. Many young faces flashed across his mind. This small realm suddenly became bathed in brilliant sunshine, and a smile touched his lips.
"With so many candidates, surely a few will surpass us old fellows, won't they?"
Only at this very moment did Yanshi finally understand a fraction of what the Patriarch had felt when leaving behind those four swords. In his youth, Yanshi could never understand why the Patriarch would rather fight three Heavenly Shamans until his passing than unleash the four mightiest swords, leaving them instead for posterity. But today, he understood a little.
He also understood why Immortal Monarch Tinghai, fully aware of the tremendous danger ahead and with a vast immortal path still before him, had resolutely engaged the dying Xu Wangu in a decisive battle, all to carve out a sliver of heavenly opportunity for the younger generation.
Cradling the immortal sword in his arms, Yanshi walked out of the courtyard. The moment he stepped past the gate, he stopped in his tracks.
A few paces beyond the courtyard gate lay the void, and standing within that void were three whole immortals!
The three immortals consisted of a man, a woman, and a youth. Yanshi looked them over one by one, a cold smile appearing on his face. "Lu Changhe, Xu Youyi, Cui Zhengxing—the three of you arriving together could hardly be a coincidence, could it?"
Lu Changhe, in the guise of a youth, stared at the five-colored immortal sword in Yanshi's hands, clearly filled with trepidation.
The female immortal, Xu Youyi, appeared exceptionally beautiful, yet bore an unusual firmness and resolve upon her face. Her brows were sharp as swords; she was someone accustomed to brooking no dissent and meaning every word she spoke. Looking at the immortal sword, her brows knitted tightly, yet she did not yield a step.
Cui Zhengxing appeared relatively young, yet carried an air of maturity, distinct from Lu Changhe's youthful demeanor.
For the immortal ancestors of three great clans to arrive together was an extraordinarily rare sight.
While swiftly calculating various threads of fate and karma in his heart, Yanshi said, "The three of you usually have little contact with one another, yet who would have thought you were colluding in secret, long since allied."
Xu Youyi snorted. "There is no need to pry words from us. Our three families keep to ourselves in ordinary times, with no ties between us. But today's matter carries far too great an implication; we had no choice but to step forward and bar your way."
Yanshi burst into long laughter. "A Heavenly Shaman moves against a disciple of my Palace of Grand Beginning, and instead of resisting them, the three of you come to block me? Haha, what a colossal joke! Xu Youyi, I hear you are accustomed to tyranny. I always thought you only threw your weight around in your own tiny patch of turf, yet today you dare speak so boldly before me!
"Today, with our Patriarch's sword in my hands, what will you use to block me—your life?!"
Xu Youyi's face looked exceedingly unsightly, yet she dared not completely lash out. She merely glared at Yanshi, clearly harboring deep resentment toward him.
Lu Changhe said, "He is merely a junior disciple of your palace, not your kin of blood. Why make such a great fuss? I hear the new generation of the Palace of Grand Beginning abounds with outstanding talents—would one more or one less truly matter? Is it worth gambling your ancestral treasure and your own immortal path?"
Yanshi said calmly, "You do not understand, and you never will. I have nothing to say to a man naturally callous and faithless like you. That is precisely why you could never enter the Palace of Grand Beginning back then."
Lu Changhe surprisingly took no offense, merely smiling as he replied, "Those with different paths cannot make plans together; perhaps it was just as well that I never entered the Palace of Grand Beginning. I pride myself on having acted solely on profit and gain my entire life. While I cannot compare to you, I am still far better than most people in this world who mouth platitudes of benevolence and morality."
Yanshi nodded as well. "That much is true."
Then Yanshi turned toward Cui Zhengxing and said slowly, "Originally, I took Brother Cui to be an exceptional man. How is it that today you also stand outside my door? Could it be that what Brother Cui promised that junior was nothing but empty words?"
Cui Zhengxing gave a wry smile. "You have only recently attained immortality, so there are many matters you haven't had time to learn. Besides, I am not taking that junior's offerings for free. When the time comes, I will naturally intervene to grant him an extra chance of survival."
Yanshi shook his head. "A chance to live is never bestowed by others; it can only be forged by one's own hands! If a life could be preserved by begging, it would only prove that person was worthless, their life and death not worth mentioning. Unfortunately, our Patriarch was no such man, the Palace of Grand Beginning is no such sect, and Wei Yuan is no such person!"
Yanshi's voice turned increasingly severe: "Today I stepped out with our Patriarch's sword prepared to draw blood! I just never expected that what met me would not be a Heavenly Shaman, but Human Immortals of our very own human race! Good, very good, wonderful!
"Compared to Huiye, I would rather lop off your three dog heads first! If the Palace of Grand Beginning loses me, another immortal will soon take my place. But your three clans will be wiped from this world forever! Do you think the successors of our Palace of Grand Beginning will spare the feng shui of your ancestral graves?"
Xu Youyi's face darkened. "Why must you go to such extremes?"
Yanshi sneered. "Why wouldn't I? Leave your three families' feng shui intact so another immortal can emerge in the future to harm my Palace of Grand Beginning? Naturally, I will see to it that your lines are ended and your bloodlines severed!"
***
Within the lunar lake, the young girl said, "I will give you one more chance: come with me on your own."
Wei Yuan replied, "My thanks, Senior, but for now I have no need of chances. Senior had better carry me off with your own hands."
The young girl sneered. "Bluffing. What trump card could you possibly have left? Do you actually expect an immortal to come save you? How laughable! Once I resort to my final method, if you want me to give you a chance then, I fear you will have to beg on your knees!"
Wei Yuan's heart stirred, yet the smile on his face did not waver. "Whatever methods Senior possesses, feel free to display them."
Chapter 864