When Wei Yuan opened his eyes again, he had already returned to the realm of Qingming.

Outside the window, the sky remained a clear, crimson hue, and Qingming continued to tremble incessantly. The blue qi he had infused into it had long since been depleted, and the pool of blue water within the realm stone was only half full.

There was no time to spare a thought for all the fortune he had lost. Wei Yuan injected thirty wisps of fortune in one go, visibly slowly the rate at which the water was depleting. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He stepped out of the room and surveyed his surroundings. Every great array was still intact, but the central peak was now deserted; the disciples of the Palace of Absolute Beginning had all left to reinforce them. The air was filled with swirling bands of red light, and even the slightest contact caused the arrays to tremble violently. Only with the disciples of the Palace of Absolute Beginning leading the defense could the arrays withstand such attacks without being easily breached.

According to the information revealed to him by Dream Eater, the Shadow Warlock who had launched this blood curse was named Shu Li. He was merely average among the Shadow Warlocks which was why Dream Eater had spoken of him with considerable disdain. At the moment, though, even the most average Shadow Warlock was far beyond Wei Yuan’s reach. Not only did he have no idea where his enemy’s true body was, a single lethal curse from seemingly tens of thousands of li away was enough to force out all of his trump cards.

Wei Yuan was not alone in this realm; many young geniuses from the Palace of Absolute Beginning were present as well. Yet, they could not hold out for even a single day.

A sudden thought struck Wei Yuan, and he flew down from the central peak, rushing into the dungeon. Only a few cultivators remained on guard at the moment; even Xu Wan’er had left to assist in defending the array modes.

Wei Yuan walked straight into one of the cells.

Lying on the cell’s bed was an exceptionally tall male Shaman. His long tail had been dragged across the floor and bound with three chains.

He rolled over when he heard the cell door creaking. Upon seeing Wei Yuan, he said with a scowl, “It seems only at a time like this can you manage to come to your senses.”

“Who is the caster?” Wei Yuan asked.

“It was either Shu Li or Lady Feng Ye—they are the only two Shadow Warlocks nearby. But neither of them has anything to do with me. If you’re thinking of using me for some sort of purpose, you’ve got the wrong idea.”

“What about your ransom? Is there anything you wish to say?” Wei Yuan asked.

“At this point, my ransom will only go down, not up! What are you thinking?” Tianyu sneered. Clearly, he was brimming with resentment toward Wei Yuan after being locked up for so long.

Wei Yuan paused for a moment before asking, “Convince your comrades to pull back?”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

“Get them to agree not to invade the realm again?” Wei Yuan probed again.

“Tianyu burst out laughing. “Do you really think I’m worthy of such a condition?”

Wei Yuan sighed. “If you can’t show any sincerity, I’ll have no choice but to rule out the possibility of accepting a ransom. I hope you don’t regret this.”

Tianyu replied coldly, “At worst, I’ll just die! Do you really think a Strength Warlock would be afraid of death?”

“Aren’t all you Warlocks pretty afraid of dying?”

Tianyu paused, seemingly taken aback, before spitting out, “Those ‘Warlocks’ are natural-born nobles who coast through life purely on their innate bloodline power. A true Strength Warlock must constantly push past their limits and transform into a higher form of Shaman! The process is a constant life-or-death struggle—that is why those who fear death can never become Strength Warlocks!”

Wei Yuan said indifferently, “Quite the temper you’ve got there. Anyway, time will tell.”

When he left the cell, the clear red glow in the air finally began to fade.

The blood curse was extremely potent, but it didn’t last long. It was even shorter than the previous two blood curses that had been cast by mere Great Warlocks. Despite this, it had drained half of Qingming’s nurturing energy. Had Wei Yuan not accumulated a vast amount of fortune[1], this single strike alone would have been enough to wipe out the vast majority of mortals within the realm.

That said, when it came to resisting the blood curse of a Shadow Witch, the power of fortune seemed much stronger than anyone could have imagined—even more potent than Qingming itself.

Gazing at the lingering red glow in the sky, Wei Yuan scattered some spirit objects around him and set up a simple fengshui array. This time, the array was oriented toward intuition. As the realm lord, Wei Yuan was naturally empowered by Qingming. This was why the effects of the array were especially potent.

Moments after the fengshui array took effect, Wei Yuan suddenly sensed an overwhelming pressure bearing down on him. It was as heavy as a mountain and permeating with the unmistakable aura of warfare.

A massive army was advancing!

His intuition was crystal clear. Setting aside the influence of the fengshui array, it was also because the Shamans had made no attempt to conceal their intentions.

The danger was approaching from the northwest. In that direction, Wei yuan had established a city capable of housing twenty thousand people. At the moment, the city was protected only by a single earthen wall that was several chi high. All of the mortals, led by cultivators, were digging tunnels day and night without rest. The city itself was nothing but a sprawling expanse of shanties, but the ground beneath it was nearly hollowed out because of their efforts.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. There simply wasn’t enough time to build defensive fortifications, so they focused on digging underground instead.

As soon as the blood curse had lifted, Wei Yuan immediately started mustering the troops. He gathered all elite forces at the center of the realm while entrusting the defense of each city to its respective garrison. At the moment, these so-called city defense forces were composed of cultivators who had to provide their own armor and mystic artifacts. In fact, many of them were no better than the late militia of Flying Sand Village—incapable of even mustering enough weapons, let alone proper armor. Unfortunately, circumstances did not allow for them to prepare. They could only press on regardless.

Wei Yuan sought out Cui Yu after issuing his orders. The eldest son of the Cui Clan was currently inspecting the city defense force of Yong’an, scrutinizing each recruit with particular care. Occasionally, he would pull out a few frail, seemingly underage children and send them back to the commoner ranks. The children looked extremely reluctant, but Cui Yu’s stance was unwavering.

Upon seeing Wei yuan arrive, Cui Yu handed the task over to his deputy and asked, “What are your orders, realm lord?”

Wei Yuan frowned slightly, but there was nothing he could do about this. In front of everyone, especially in front of the mortals, Cui Yu had always insisted on addressing him as the realm lord. His fellow disciple firmly believed that this was the only way to make the people of the realm understand who their true ruler was, to prevent the subordinate from upstaging the master, and to avoid giving opportunists the chance to take advantage of the situation.

Wei Yuan replied, “The Shamans are coming.”

Cui Yu was startled. “So soon?”

“They’re not here yet, but they can’t be far—perhaps less than a thousand li away.”

Cui Yu exhaled and said, “In that case, we still have time. At the moment, Yong’an’s city defense force can muster a force of three thousand men. They’ve all undergone basic training and possess some combat capability.”

Wei Yuan asked, “Can you use the Cui Clan’s connections to inform the royal court of the Shamans’ advance?”

Cui Yu replied, “Of course. Since the court has reestablished its administrative divisions, it naturally bears the responsibility to defend the land against the Shamans’ invasion.”

Cui Yu spoke the truth. At the moment, the Shamans were invading, and Western Jin’s forces were continuously being deployed to Ningxi. There was no way they could stand idle while the Shamans ran rampant. It was clear that another major battle was about to erupt in the Shattered Realm.

It was still too early to say who would win or lose this battle. Wei Yuan was also unaware of the specific strength of the invading forces. But one thing for certain, the attack was going to be anything but trivial.

Cui Yu took out a palm-sized piece of jade paper, wrote some instructions on it, and then tossed it into the sky. The jade paper instantly transformed into a paper bird, breaking through the clouds and flying off into the distance.

Even with Wei Yuan’s keen senses and the close proximity, he could only pick up some vague fluctuations of dao energy. The paper bird was swift, exceptionally stealthy, and capable of conveying a great deal of information—it was truly quite useful. The depth of a great clan’s heritage was evident in their exclusive Dao spells and mystic artifacts.

“If there’s nothing else, then I’ll resume mustering the troops.” Cui Yu went straight back to the camp without lingering.

Wei Yuan watched as Cui Yu departed. By now, his fellow disciple had lost a significant amount of weight, and his skin had taken on a suntanned color typically seen in people of lower social standing. His entire physique had become ruggedly defined as well. The elegant young nobleman he once was was nowhere to be found.

Wei Yuan felt a pang of sadness and wanted to call him back, but upon reflection, he didn’t have anything to say. So, he let him go.

By the evening of the following day, the Shamans’ vanguard finally appeared within Wei Yuan’s sensory range.

Wei Yuan and Bao Yun immediately flew out of the realm. They relied on Bao Yun’s Seven Wonders Exquisite Treasure Tree to conceal their forms while scouting the enemy’s strength.

The Shaman army approached from the northwest, marching along gentle slopes at the edge of the mountain range. The entire force was shrouded in swirling green qi, clearly bolstered by powerful shamanic arts that allowed them to march for extended periods and engage in battle at a moment’s notice.

Wei Yuan carefully avoided the elites of the army and, after a brief assessment, counted thirty thousand infantry and ten thousand cavalry.

Unlike the previous Shaman troops he had encountered before, every soldier in this force wore heavy battle armor. Many fighters were wearing helmets with fur linings underneath the metal as well. Their armor was grayish-white with patches of pale green painted on it—a stark contrast compared to the typical dark green armor of the Shamans. Besides that, their overall strength far surpassed any Shaman army Wei Yuan had encountered before.

From the commanding general at the head of the formation down to the rank-and-file-soldiers, an unmistakable aura of murderous intent radiated from every one of them.

Hardly anyone in the entire force spoke. They marched mostly in silence, striding forward like a massive, ancient serpent winding its way through the landscape.

Seeing this, Wei Yuan was almost certain that this force had been deployed from the north!

Two hundred thousand years had passed, yet the Shamans’ primary enemy remained the Northern Liao, not the humans. Their true elite forces were all locked in battle with the Liao in their northern frontier. In fact, every major battle that had taken place in Ningxi had been fought by their second-line troops—so why had they brought their northern frontier forces here?

Eavesdropping on the casual conversations among the troops, Wei Yuan learned that what he was seeing was merely the vanguard. The true main force was still a hundred li away in the rear.

“Let’s return and prepare for battle,” Wei Yuan said.

Judging by the vanguard’s route, regardless of the main force’s final destination, it was headed straight for the realm of Qingming—in other words, a major battle was inevitable.

Upon returning to the realm, Wei Yuan immediately summoned everyone from the Palace of Absolute Beginning to make final pre-battle arrangements.

Cui Yu arrived a bit later than the others, but he seemed very pleased. As soon as he came through the door, he immediately said, “I’ve just received word that Commander Yue Jinshan of Ningxi has already set out with an army of fifty thousand. He’ll be gathering reinforcements along the way and assemble a final force of eighty thousand. He plans to take the route north of the realm and strike directly at the heart of the Shamans’ main force. Based on their march schedule, they might also attack the gap between the main force and the rear force.”

“Are you sure?” Wei Yuan’s first reaction was one of disbelief. Would Western Jin really send troops to rescue the realm of Qingming?

“Absolutely.” Cui Yu hesitated for a moment before adding, “A few of the generals under Commander Yue’s command are spies belonging to the Cui Clan.”

Wei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. If Western Jin was willing to send troops, then there was still hope for this battle.

However, his relief didn’t last long. Suddenly, he realized that Bao Yun wasn’t present at the meeting. He had no idea where she had gone either. It left him with a vague sense of unease.

Bao Yun and Ji Liuli often went about their business independently, and Wei Yuan didn’t feel like it was his place to restrict them. As the military situation was urgent, he decided not to wait for Bao Yun and proceed with the meeting.

At a small stream dozens of li away from the central peak, Bao Yun was drinking downstream until she came to a stop by a small pond.

A whirlpool suddenly formed in the calm waters, and the figure of a middle-aged man rose from within it. He was quite handsome, though, he possessed a dark and brooding demeanor that inspired a sense of fear.

Upon seeing Bao Yun, a fleeting gleam flashed in the depths of the man’s eyes. He said calmly, “The Patriarch has ordered you to return immediately.”

“What is the reason?” Bao Yun asked.

The middle-aged man replied with a frown, “All orders from the Patriarch have their justifications”

Bao Yun replied indifferently, “My reputation would be ruined if I were to walk away at a time like this. If the Patriarch really is compelling me to commit an act of betrayal and desertion, he would have given me a proper answer. Or is it that the Patriarch never actually issued such an order, and someone is merely misinterpreting his will?”

The middle-aged man’s expression shifted slightly. “The elders are only looking out for your best interests.”

“Please thank them for me, and tell them to worry more about their own good-for-nothing offspring bringing shame upon the Bao Clan.

The middle-aged man could no longer keep a straight face. “As if you’re any better, hanging around with that penniless, rootless upstart! Where is your dignity?”

Bao Yun replied calmly, “My cousins certainly have backgrounds and have trained for several years more than a certain ‘upstart’, but I wonder if all of them combined could withstand even a single blow from him.”

The middle-aged man’s face twitched, but despite being an elder, he knew that he was no match for Bao Yun whether in wit or verbal sparring. Thus, he had no choice but to drop the argument. Reaching into his robe, he pulled out a jade pendant and tossed it to Bao Yun, saying, “These are the Patriarch’s exact words: If you wish to stay behind, then you must wear this pendant at all times. Should the elders sense anything amiss, they will whisk you away remotely. Furthermore, regardless of whether this pendant is activated or not, you must return home once this battle is over.”

Bao Yun took the jade pendant and sensed a thread of the Grand Elder’s perception within it. Through this pendant, the Grand Elder could constantly perceive everything that was happening around Bao Yun, allowing him to intervene from afar and save her in a moment of crisis.

Bao Yun didn’t leave. Instead, she asked, “Why?”

The middle-aged man grunted and replied, “So long as you’re here, they will always have to hold back or risk harming you. That’s why the King of Jin is extremely displeased; he has flown into a rage several times over this. If this state of things were to continue, it is impossible to say if he would do something reckless. Our Bao Clan has countless interests in Western Jin; no matter what, we cannot risk a complete fallout with the King of Jin just for the sake of a single junior. If you still care about the Bao Clan at all, then don’t make things difficult for us.”

Bao Yun stood there for a long while before replying calmly, “Please inform Grandfather that I’ll return once this battle is over.”

1. You see why I specifically avoided using the term “fortune” for wealth in this novel? It would’ve been so confusing lol. ☜