“Ha, stand still!”

In the Shamanic Tribe’s small settlement, within the icy pine forest.

Several hundred strong-bodied men and women, clad in beast skins and wielding mostly damaged weapons, charged forward, intending to hack these evil ‘demons’ to pieces with their blades!

This despicable poisoning method had exploited their Shamanic Tribe’s weakness for meat. They had fallen for it too many times before, and they absolutely would not be fooled by such low-level trickery again!

The Shamanic Tribe would never be fooled!

However, the bearded male ‘demon’ in armor chuckled softly, swept his left hand, and a water-blue ripple spread through the forest, freezing all the charging figures in place…

Immobilization technique.

Thus, these several hundred Shamanic Tribe members, maintaining their charging postures, could only watch as the two ‘demons’ feasted and drank with great pleasure.

Several hundred tribesmen were filled with righteous indignation, tears of grief and anger trickling from the corners of their mouths!

Such bullying of the Shamanic Tribe!

Li Changshou and Zhao Gongming continued chatting and laughing, paying no attention to the several hundred frozen tribespeople beside them;

However, when the dozen or so Shamanic children came charging over with huge rocks, yelling and shouting,

Li Changshou casually tore off more than ten pieces of roasted meat, wrapped them in immortal energy, and stuffed them into these children’s mouths from a distance.

The tribe was shocked!

But they could only express their anxiety through their eyes!

The children all paused in their movements, initially wanting to spit out the roasted meat to show the spirit of the Shamanic children, but…

It was simply too delicious.

These little ones blinked simultaneously, dropped their stones, and began gnawing at the roasted meat in their mouths.

They finished the meat in a few bites and gathered around the grill, each one biting their fingers…

Generally appearing less clever than human children.

“Go over there,” Li Changshou said gently, as three paper figures flew from his sleeve and transformed into two men and one woman, quickly busying themselves in the clearing nearby, setting up grills and arranging meat.

Soon, the forest rang with the exclamations of these little Shamanic children;

The several hundred tribespeople stared with wide eyes, unable to understand what was happening.

Quickly, deep footsteps sounded from all around as large groups of Shamanic Tribe members came running from the north, northwest, and northeast!

But this somewhat ‘strange’ scene in the forest left the gathered tribespeople somewhat bewildered;

Though the Shamanic Tribe was generally simple-minded, there were a few with decent intelligence, and those with good minds typically held some authority in the tribe…

Several great shamans immediately called out in low voices, and the incoming tribespeople stopped several hundred zhang away, watching the situation from afar.

Li Changshou’s immortal consciousness swept out and discovered figures rushing toward this location from the wilderness across ten thousand li.

The Shamanic Tribe still maintained good vigilance and responded very quickly.

Zhao Gongming, drinking wine, frowned slightly and said quietly:

“Be careful, some Shamanic experts are coming too.”

Li Changshou looked at the dozen or so children feasting heartily and smiled: “Elder Brother, why don’t you release the immobilization spell?”

“Very well.”

Zhao Gongming pushed gently with his left hand, and the several hundred frozen tribespeople simultaneously stumbled backward, almost falling backward rather ungracefully.

Just then, the earth trembled slightly, with ‘thump thump’ sounds coming from deep underground, and the two to three thousand gathered tribespeople all lowered their heads.

An elderly woman leaning on a walking stick walked out from a stone house thousands of li away. Looking incredibly ancient, she took two steps forward with her stick, and the earth slid rapidly beneath her feet.

In just two steps, this elderly woman appeared in the forest here, crossing thousands of li as if it were nothing…

Li Changshou raised an eyebrow, this was…

Ground-Shrinking Step?

No, this wasn’t the Space-Traversing Method.

The Shamanic Tribe couldn’t use spells, but they had divine abilities. The Twelve Ancestral Shamans once controlled twelve principles of Heaven and Earth, somewhat similar to the divine authority of today’s Heavenly Court.

This Shamanic elderly grandmother was using Shamanic battle techniques, similar to the power to control the earth;

Just this one divine ability could be called… masterful.

Li Changshou dared not be arrogant, set down his wine cup and roasted meat, stood up, and made a Daoist salute to this elderly woman.

“I am a disciple of the Human Dao School and Water God of the Heavenly Court. Today I came at a friend’s request to pay a special visit. If there has been any offense, please don’t hold it against us.”

The elderly woman nodded slowly, first speaking a few words in the Shamanic language, and throughout the forest, most of the tribespeople turned and left, leaving only more than ten tribal leaders and contemporary great shamans, who walked toward Li Changshou and Zhao Gongming.

They subtly formed an encircling position.

Whistling sounds came from afar, and Li Changshou’s immortal consciousness detected that most of the tribespeople rushing toward this location had either stopped to wait or turned back to their respective settlements.

Those dozen or so little Shamanic children eating roasted meat were also carried away by their parents, though as they left, they managed to take the batch of seven-tenths done meat from the grill…

Truly simple yet cunning.

The elderly woman walked forward slowly, her figure hunched and eyes downcast, seemingly at death’s door, yet emanating a shocking wave of power.

Like a humanoid fierce beast that could tear apart the earth at any moment!

And these dozen or so Shamanic men and women who remained all possessed extremely powerful strength, each overflowing with blood energy.

Li Changshou roughly estimated that each of them could fight three to five and a half Empty Void Sect Leaders.

“Human Dao School, Heavenly Court… Heavenly Court,” the elderly woman spoke slowly in the common language of the primordial world.

Leaning on her walking stick, she slowly bowed to Li Changshou and said:

“News travels slowly to the North Continent. Has the human race’s Heavenly Court already risen to prominence? Are you the deity currently in charge of managing water power?”

“Great Shaman Priestess speaks wrongly. The Heavenly Court is neither a human race court nor like the ancient Demon Court, existing for any one race to rule all beings,” Li Changshou declared loudly.

“The current Heavenly Emperor is His Majesty the Jade Emperor, appointed by the Dao Ancestor, who oversees the Heavenly Court, maintains stability in the Three Realms, and protects all living beings in Heaven and Earth.”

Beside him, Zhao Gongming also stood up, cupped his hands to the Great Shaman Priestess, and smiled: “This poor Daoist is Zhao Gongming, outer disciple of the Severing Sect, my master is Sovereign of Enlightenment.”

— Directly stating a Sage’s title when introducing oneself was the best way for a Sage’s disciple to prove their identity.

The elderly woman immediately raised her head to look at Zhao Gongming, quickly changed to a Daoist salute, and her voice became much lighter as she said:

“So it’s a disciple of the Sage. Our tribe has been remiss in welcoming such distinguished guests. I am the Great Shaman Priestess of this branch of the Shamanic Tribe, you may simply call me Shaman Priestess.”

As she spoke, the elderly woman’s hunched figure slowly straightened, and her dry, wrinkled skin began to slowly swell;

Streams of blood energy enveloped her body, and she transformed directly from a ‘dying’ elderly woman into a middle-aged woman with proportionate features!

This difference in treatment…

Li Changshou felt somewhat rueful inside, thinking that the Heavenly Court still had a long way to go…

Zhao Gongming smiled again and said:

“Great Shaman Priestess, look at this Daoist beside me. He is the most trusted deity before His Majesty the Jade Emperor in the Jade Imperial Palace. Recently, he single-handedly brought about the Four Seas Dragon Tribe’s allegiance to the Heavenly Court. He is also highly valued by the Lord of Supreme Purity in Tusita Palace, calls the Grand Master of Jade Capital his senior brother, and is moreover a close brother to this poor Daoist! Today he comes here… Oh right, younger brother, what did you come to see the Shamanic Tribe about?”

Li Changshou continued: “I come at the request of my friends, the soul-collecting envoys Ox Head and Horse Face from the Netherworld, to see how the Shamanic Tribe lives in the North Continent. If you have any difficulties, Great Shaman Priestess, please feel free to bring them up; if there are any problems, please tell me clearly, and I will carefully consider them and do my best to help.”

Zhao Gongming blinked beside him and transmitted his voice to Li Changshou:

“This isn’t like your usual character, Changgeng. Why are you here delivering benefits to the Shamanic Tribe? Could it be you’ve taken an interest in some Shamanic battle technique?”

Li Changshou smiled without speaking, quietly waiting for the Great Shaman Priestess’s response.

The Great Shaman Priestess, now in the form of a middle-aged woman, though not particularly beautiful, radiated heroic spirit and steadiness.

She first frowned slightly and asked: “Ox Head and Horse Face?”

“Here are their portraits,” Li Changshou was prepared for this, taking out a scroll from his sleeve and slowly unrolling it to reveal paintings of Ox Head and Horse Face.

The uncovered head version!

The Great Shaman Priestess’s furrowed brows gradually smoothed, and then she sighed slowly, saying:

“So that’s how it is… Thank you for Water God’s trouble in coming here, but our Shamanic Tribe is doing fine now and has no requests.”

Li Changshou smiled: “Would the Great Shaman Priestess honor us by sitting down for a chat? Or perhaps you’re worried that the Heavenly Court wants to use the North Continent’s Shamanic Tribe to threaten the Netherworld? There’s no need for such concern.”

The Great Shaman Priestess’s gaze flickered slightly as she gave Li Changshou a bitter smile: “Water God doesn’t understand this matter. We don’t want to burden Later Ancestor’s lineage anymore…”

“The Great Shaman Priestess is mistaken again.”

Li Changshou sighed softly and said gently: “Let me speak plainly. The Heavenly Court needs the Netherworld to join its ranks to stabilize the balance of the Three Realms; The Netherworld also needs the Heavenly Court’s support and protection to maintain the Six Paths of Reincarnation from being violated. Currently, the Netherworld wants to submit to the Heavenly Court but doesn’t know where to begin; the Heavenly Court wants to show goodwill to the Netherworld and can only come here to find you all to improve the Shamanic Tribe’s situation. Great Shaman Priestess, please hear me out first. If what I say is wrong, you may drive me away, but if I’m correct, please have an open and honest discussion with me today.”

The Great Shaman Priestess asked: “What does Water God wish to say?”

Li Changshou looked at the Great Shaman Priestess, his gaze clear and serious, his voice forceful and measured, striking right at the core issue!

“Is the Shamanic Tribe currently… infertile?”

Pfft!

Beside them, Zhao Gongming, who had been smilingly drinking wine and watching the show, turned his head and spat out a mouthful of wine.

What situation was this?

Wasn’t this too sensitive a topic to bring up carelessly?

If the Shamanic Tribe went berserk and drove them out, wouldn’t that be a huge loss of face?

Unexpectedly, the Great Shaman Priestess frowned deeply, her gaze showing inner struggle, before raising her head with a sigh full of endless desolation and bleakness.

“You speak truly.”

Zhao Gongming’s beard trembled as he looked at the calm and confident Li Changshou, unable to express his amazement…

Well, after all, he was the man Second Sister thought highly of, his way of thinking was indeed extraordinarily unique.

Li Changshou made a welcoming gesture, and the Great Shaman Priestess walked forward slowly, sitting directly on the stone block Li Changshou had brought over.

Li Changshou also invited the dozen or so tribal leaders to sit nearby, and the paper figures began busying themselves again.

Soon, the forest was once again filled with the aroma of roasting meat…

But this time it was very quiet, with only the soft voices of Li Changshou and the Great Shaman Priestess’s conversation, and the ‘sizzling’ sound of roasting meat.

Zhao Gongming listened quietly nearby, and quickly opened the door to a new world…

Li Changshou spoke without reservation, maintaining his seriousness throughout.

He inquired about the Shamanic Tribe’s birth rates over the recent ten thousand years, the changes every hundred years, and also asked about the current number of Shamanic couples, as well as the tribe’s understanding of reproduction.

To be honest, for a race, this was indeed an incredibly serious and heavy issue.

But Zhao Gongming couldn’t help letting his imagination wander, feeling somewhat uneasy inside…

He felt that if his sister eventually became Dao companions with Changgeng, it definitely wouldn’t be the purely platonic type of relationship…

Then again, though Changgeng wasn’t very old, he truly knew a lot.

Soon, Zhao Gongming was also listening intently, becoming increasingly serious.

…

Thus and so, this and that.

Li Changshou talked with the Shamanic Tribe’s Great Shaman Priestess for a long time, all centered around the ‘major problem’ he had spotted at a glance.

Before leaving, Li Changshou left them an initial solution, asking the Great Shaman Priestess to first find two hundred pairs of ‘healthy’ Shamanic men and women to try the method and see if it would be effective.

After he returned, he would visit the Marriage Palace and the Netherworld to carefully investigate the root of this problem before making further arrangements…

The Great Shaman Priestess and the dozen tribal leaders immediately expressed their profound gratitude, even taking out some Shamanic specialties, insisting he take them for His Majesty the Jade Emperor to taste…

These were genuine local products, just some rare fruits unique to the North Continent.

Completely different in nature from the local products that batch of Shamanic people in the Netherworld had produced!

On the cloud path back, Elder Zhao Gongming hesitated several times, hemming and hawing for a moment before finally asking:

“Did Changgeng know about the Shamanic Tribe’s hidden pain beforehand?”

“No,” Li Changshou shook his head, “I had only heard rumors before that the Shamanic Tribe was declining, but I hadn’t imagined it was this serious. Elder Brother also saw that at the edge of those pine forests blocking the poisonous miasma, there were many abandoned villages, indicating that even after effectively blocking the miasma’s invasion, the Shamanic population still clearly decreased. In the tribe we visited, there were only a dozen or so children, and these children were all about the same age, with no newborn infants. At first, I thought they had hidden their newborns, but when those children came over to eat, I quickly discovered their small problem…”

“What small problem?”

“The Shamanic bloodline is no longer pure, almost human-shamanic hybrid.”

Zhao Gongming’s face showed sudden understanding as he said deeply: “Could it be that pure-blooded Shamanic people can no longer exist in Heaven and Earth?”

“Perhaps, which is why I held back today and didn’t say everything,” Li Changshou said, “The initial solution I gave them only increases the chances of conception. After all, I don’t know if someone is scheming behind this, it must be investigated thoroughly. In the Shamanic Tribe, 99.9% lack the strength for longevity. If this problem isn’t solved, after one great kalpa, there may be no more Shamanic people on earth.”

“Ah,” Zhao Gongming sighed, “Thinking of the Shamanic Tribe’s past glory… Well, it has nothing to do with our Severing Sect anyway. By the way, Changgeng, in that solution of yours, there seemed to be something about autumn palace diagrams…”

Li Changshou turned his head to look at Zhao Gongming, his gaze full of shock, even crying out in surprise:

“Elder Brother, you’re actually… interested in such matters?”

Zhao Gongming’s face turned red, “I’m not, I’m not… Don’t you dare! How dare you baselessly sully my reputation!”

“Hahaha!”

Li Changshou burst out laughing, and Zhao Gongming realized he’d been teased, angrily moving to wrestle with Li Changshou, but Li Changshou was quick, pulling out a treasure pouch from his sleeve.

“The Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals’ Autumn Water Traceless Diagram, I present it to Elder Brother!”

“Oh?”

Zhao Gongming’s spirit lifted as he took the treasure diagram, and the two men exchanged glances.

Zhao Gongming said seriously: “Only Heaven, Earth, the masters, and we know of this matter.”

Li Changshou immediately nodded, “And don’t let Immortal Cloud Roam see it.”

“Agreed!”

“Done!”

Thus, the two immediately hit it off, walking arm in arm as they rode their clouds toward the South Continent.

They had just arrived at Safe Waters City when a purple light flew out from the South Sea, stopping right in front of them and transforming into a slightly chubby Daoist.

The newcomer glared at Zhao Gongming and scolded anxiously:

“Aiya! Junior Brother Gongming! You! How could you develop such feelings for your grand-niece!”

Zhao Gongming was immediately bewildered, and Li Changshou was also completely confused.

What was this about now?