Why hadn’t the Shaman Tribe discovered the anomaly in the earth’s veins for ten thousand years?
Upon careful analysis, there could be many explanations: the Shaman Tribe’s innately insufficient divine soul power, their lack of a complete ‘medical’ concept, their unfamiliarity with such formations, or the numerous and complex earth veins beneath the Northern Continent… and so on.
However, after walking through several Shaman tribal settlements, Li Changshou discovered the true reason.
The Shamans had accepted their fate.
When they discovered the shortage of newborn Shamans, they likely tried many solutions. But after repeatedly hitting dead ends and failing to find the cause, they attributed it to heaven’s punishment – to the world’s rejection of the Shamans – and silently endured.
The Shaman Tribe were already the losers of ancient times.
When Emperor Xuanyuan fought Chi You, the Shaman Tribe rashly chose to support the Shaman Human tribes, exhausting their last remnants of fortune. Their gradual extinction in the Northern Luzhou Continent was a destiny they had already accepted…
This was the fundamental reason why the Shaman Tribe had never found the root of their problem.
When a race cannot find its place on the stage of the primordial world and loses its drive to struggle, what awaits them after encountering hardship is endless decline.
Objectively speaking, those Demon Tribes who still held hopes of revival had more fighting spirit, and thus more vitality.
Of course, for the Human Race, the Demon Tribes were also more threatening.
If one day the Human Race similarly lost their way, not knowing why they existed, or lost sight of their destination, would they also be replaced as the protagonists of heaven and earth by other races?
Perhaps.
Complex thoughts flashed through Li Changshou’s mind, but he quickly suppressed them and began considering the current priority!
Urgent!
How to satisfy the leader’s curiosity for “primordial world exploration” without drawing attention?
The Jade Emperor had already developed a strong interest in this matter. The two had just entered the earth vein formation…
“Changgeng, look quickly, there’s a peculiar dao rhythm within these earth veins!”
They hadn’t traveled twenty zhang through the earth’s veins when the Jade Emperor excitedly called out…
“Look, there are signs that these earth veins have been altered, and there are some restrictions here guiding spiritual power!”
After traveling northward along the earth’s veins for roughly an hour…
“Changgeng, why is there such abundant water spiritual energy ahead? Could we have already reached the critical point of the earth’s veins?”
Li Changshou could only calmly respond:
“Your Majesty, the Northern Sea is ahead. We’ve… gone in the wrong direction.”
Zhao Dezhu laughed embarrassedly, and they turned back from beneath the Northern Sea, traveling southward along the earth’s veins.
Thinking carefully, Li Changshou realized the Jade Emperor had it quite tough.
In ancient times, when the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother first gained consciousness, they were taken in by the Dao Ancestor.
After taking form, the Jade Emperor was confined in the Purple Void Palace, cultivating while serving tea and water as an attendant, interacting only with uninteresting powerful beings—like the Six Sages and Demon Emperors.
Then suddenly one day, the Jade Emperor was notified to officially take his post, taking over… the Three Realms of Heaven and Earth.
The pressure was indeed immense.
So although it was only an avatar experiencing these novel matters now, for the Jade Emperor, this was quite a precious immortal life experience!
Li Changshou secretly pondered whether he should design a few scripts and invite some actors to let His Majesty experience more of life.
It was possible, just requiring some extra effort.
But…
It would cost too much money.
Currently, he was taking a third-rank divine position’s merits, doing more work than the second-rank divine official Dong Gong, and bearing the risks of a first-rank divine position’s “faction representative.” It was already quite challenging.
Better not add extra scenes for himself!
The two traveled stealthily through the earth’s veins. With Li Changshou’s current earth-traversing technique concealing them, though not as secretive as Duobao Daoren’s earth tunnels, it was still beyond what ordinary Golden Immortals could detect…
Returning to their starting point and heading south for over ten thousand li, Li Changshou and the Jade Emperor’s avatar Zhao Dezhu simultaneously discovered some anomalies.
“Changgeng, this section of earth veins seems to have been reconnected.”
“Your Majesty, please look, there are spirit stream patterns within the earth’s veins, and these patterns don’t match up front and back.”
The two exchanged glances.
Zhao Dezhu smiled: “Now we can be certain the problem lies in these earth veins!”
Li Changshou pondered briefly and said:
“Your Majesty, nothing in the world is absolute. To be safe, we should investigate thoroughly.
Why don’t we have Ao Yi escort Princess Longji back to the Heavenly Court first, then bring Ox Head and Horse Face to follow behind us?
This way, if we encounter trouble, we’ll have backup outside.”
“Excellent!”
Zhao Dezhu agreed, carefully extending his divine sense along the earth’s veins.
His spirits were strangely high.
Li Changshou quickly made arrangements…
As the saying goes, the old direct the big, and the big direct the small.
Li Changshou now placed a series of heavy responsibilities on Ao Yi’s shoulders!
Under his Elder Brother’s Sect Leader’s arrangements, Ao Yi first had to escort Princess Longji back to the Heavenly Court, then mobilize the Heavenly River navy. After completing these tasks, he still needed to return to the Northern Continent to pick up Ox Head, Horse Face, and six other Shaman experts, following Li Changshou and the Jade Emperor’s avatar through the air.
Ao Yi didn’t hesitate, directly transforming into his true Azure Dragon form, carrying Longji on his back as he flew hurriedly toward the Northern Sea, rushing to the Northern Heaven Gate…
When Ao Yi hastily returned and picked up the eight Shaman experts, they had a rare experience of riding a dragon through the sky.
Ao Yi’s considerations were quite thorough.
To avoid detection by the Demon Tribe, he carried the eight Shaman experts around through the Northern Sea to high altitude, then used the dragon tribe’s divine abilities to wrap themselves in clouds, quietly traveling through the sea of clouds.
Soon, Ao Yi heard the paper figurine’s voice transmission beside him, adjusting his flight direction and speed to slowly catch up.
However, what surprised Li Changshou, Zhao Dezhu, and Ao Yi was…
They had originally thought the problematic earth vein’s endpoint would be at the border between the Northern Luzhou Continent and the Central Divine Continent.
—That was where the Demon Tribe’s forces were strongest, with many ancient demons remaining, truly a tough nut to crack.
These old demons gathered at the border between the Northern Continent and Central Divine Continent precisely to strike at the Shaman Tribe at any time!
But that earth vein kept being reconnected, winding and meandering deep underground, actually extending to the border between the Western Oxen Continent and Central Divine Continent, then making a big turn, continuously extending southward!
Just the engineering work required to move these earth veins was enough to prove this matter was no small affair!
Zhao Dezhu sighed: “How much must the Demon Tribe hate the Shaman Tribe to use such a secretive plan of extinction.”
Li Changshou said solemnly: “Your Majesty, perhaps your avatar shouldn’t continue.
According to my calculations, what lies ahead might be a tiger’s den.
My avatar method takes shortcuts, destroyed ones can be refined with treasure materials, but if your avatar is damaged, it might harm your own dao cultivation…”
“No matter, it’s a small thing,” Zhao Dezhu smiled slightly, “If this avatar is damaged, it only costs some merit.
My divine soul has the Lingxiao Treasure Palace’s protection, impervious to ten thousand laws, nothing can harm it.”
“Then, I can rest a bit easier.”
Thus, the Heavenly Court special operations team composed of two avatars set out again, hiding within the earth’s veins as they traveled south.
After traveling who knows how many tens of thousands of li, reaching the border junction of the Southern Jambudvipa Continent, Central Divine Continent, and Western Oxen Continent, layers of blood-colored barriers appeared within the earth’s veins…
Li Changshou and Zhao Dezhu exchanged glances, emerged from the earth’s veins, circled these barriers, tunneled underground for three to four hundred li, and saw a protective grand formation.
This formation was four thousand zhang underground, enclosing a “sphere” with a diameter of a hundred li, its sturdiness several times that of the Crossing Immortal Gate’s mountain-protecting formation!
Through the formation, they could faintly detect a huge underground universe behind it…
A golden-glowing sword appeared in Zhao Dezhu’s hand as he transmitted: “Changgeng, shall we force our way in?”
Li Changshou stared at Zhao Dezhu’s sword for several moments, somehow feeling that this sword’s heavenly dao power was several times more concentrated than the Heaven Emperor’s Demon-Slaying Sword he had once used.
“This minor deity should be able to break this formation. Let’s go in and take a look,” Li Changshou replied with a smile, then slowly moved forward, taking out a circular disc from his sleeve.
The disc was carved with the yin-yang double fish pattern. When Li Changshou infused it with Supreme Pure immortal power, the pair of yin-yang fish seemed to come alive, gently rotating to form a faint Taiji diagram.
This wasn’t the power of a supreme treasure, but rather just a… little trinket from Li Changshou’s collection of trump cards.
The Taiji diagram merged into the formation wall without any resistance, leaving behind a circular hole.
Li Changshou took out a paper puppet from his sleeve and placed it outside the hole, then handed two talismans to Zhao Dezhu, entering the formation together with this avatar of the Jade Emperor.
This time, they had ‘accidentally’ stumbled into the lair of karmic demon lords…
The talismans on their bodies glowed faintly, their forms vanishing from sight. The Taiji diagram behind them slowly dispersed, and the formation wall hadn’t produced the slightest ripple throughout.
Zhao Dezhu silently gave his approval.
Looking ahead, a pitch-black mountain floated in the center of the underground cavity sectioned off by the formation.
At the mountain’s peak was a jade-green pond, surrounded by sixteen huge piles of white bones, emanating an eerie fluctuation.
Looking down from the peak, one could see numerous cave dwellings carved into various parts of the mountain.
What Zhao Dezhu saw on this demon mountain were beasts of shocking power;
What Li Changshou saw at a glance was a mountain full of merit!
“Your skill at entering formations, beloved official, can truly be called extraordinary!
What shall we do next?”
“Your Majesty, now that we’ve found this place, we should first investigate the Shaman Tribe matter, then eliminate the karmic demon lords here. Only then can we maintain the righteous path of heaven and earth and demonstrate Your Majesty’s might!”
The Jade Emperor’s avatar nodded, then asked: “There are hundreds of powerful demons here, are we their match?”
After speaking, Zhao Dezhu felt something wasn’t quite right and added:
“I don’t mind sacrificing this avatar, I just fear alerting them and letting these demons escape.”
“Though there are many powerful demons here, there are few Daluo realm dao fluctuations, and they’re all bound by karma and entangled fortune.”
Li Changshou smiled and said: “Your Majesty, rest assured, I have a small technique that can collapse this place in an instant, leaving not even their corpses!
However, to be prudent, we should first investigate and find the source of the Shaman Tribe matter, to give them a proper explanation.”
“Excellent!”
Zhao Dezhu’s eyes crinkled in a smile, “Then today, I shall witness beloved official Changgeng’s abilities.”
Li Changshou made a Daoist salute, “This minor deity accepts the command.”
Then turning to look at this underground mountain, his heart also felt somewhat eager.
Merit!
A huge amount of merit!
No need to risk life and limb!
Quietly burying a set of spirit-explosive paper puppets would easily let him take this merit home while destroying the source here, naturally resolving the Shaman Tribe matter!
At present, Li Changshou’s divine sense was stretched to its limit as he began multiple operations.
First, he notified Ao Yi and the others to hide a bit further away in the high altitude;
Then he released a paper puppet to thoroughly investigate the surface terrain.
Extending his divine sense, he discovered this was demon territory with numerous demons, and several fairly powerful Demon Kings were active on the surface.
—This should be the demons’ cover.
Li Changshou quickly targeted a patrolling minor demon, stealthily approaching with his paper puppet, and during the interval when the other was beating a wooden block and singing mountain songs, directly knocked him unconscious and carried him to the nearby forest.
Worth mentioning is that this was a male demon, and Li Changshou only interrogated him about the demon forces here, absolutely wouldn’t do anything strange.
Meanwhile, Li Changshou and Zhao Dezhu together snuck to the peak of the underground mountain, beginning to investigate that altar.
Even the Jade Emperor’s avatar hadn’t noticed that the underground formation here had again been melted through by the Taiji diagram;
A paper puppet specialized for [Spirit Explosion], carrying a set of Earth Fiend numbered paper puppets, quietly slipped into this mountain, fully concealing its tracks, hiding in the lower half of the mountain body.
All preparations were complete and ready to launch at any time!
Progress everywhere went quite smoothly, as Li Changshou and Zhao Dezhu stealthily reached the mountain-top pond, carefully investigating the arrangements here.
According to Li Changshou’s understanding of formations, those sixteen piles of white bones here were the formation bases, with the center of the pond being the formation eye, forming a peculiar flow of spiritual power connecting to that earth vein they had tracked for so long.
Of course, the formation arrangements here were extremely complex, with just the connection points between the ground and pond bottom having several layers of grand formations overlapping!
After briefly comprehending the spiritual power flow of these formations, Li Changshou had already concluded:
The overall arrangement here was like a ‘water pump’ that extracted true spirits, using the earth’s veins to attract true spirits from an extremely distant location to this place, trapping them in the pond!
All those complex restrictions Li Changshou and the others had seen along the earth vein corresponded distantly with the formation arrangements here!
This was the answer to the Shaman Tribe problem.
A demon plot to exterminate the Shaman Tribe lay before Li Changshou’s eyes!
Li Changshou silently took out several recording orbs, first preserving sufficient evidence.
What made Li Changshou feel the demons here deserved death were those piles of white bones refined into formation bases…
These had all once been mortal flesh and blood, imprisoned here tens of thousands of years ago, each skeleton placed under restrictions, their souls refined into evil spirits…
Though he didn’t know exactly what evil formation it was, it was utterly devoid of conscience!
Although humans and demons opposed each other, waging war year after year since ancient times, when human cultivators eliminated demons it was always quick and clean, rarely torturing demons.
But when demons dealt with defenseless mortals, they were often this cruel…
Li Changshou’s mouth twitched slightly as he had the paper puppet hiding outside the formation take out a second set of spirit explosives, burying them outside this grand formation, to be triggered together later.
Double spirit explosives to be safe, ensuring not even ash would remain of the demons here!
Just then, Zhao Dezhu transmitted: “Changgeng, the heavenly mechanisms show that the Shaman Tribe’s unborn children are trapped here by the formation.”
Li Changshou, who was about to say the words ‘take action,’ also startled slightly and immediately said: “There are still restrictions in this pond that we haven’t seen through.”
“I’ll do it,” the Jade Emperor’s avatar closed his eyes, threads of heavenly dao power quietly spreading out without alarming any beings here.
The Jade Emperor using heavenly dao to investigate could be considered giving these demons quite a bit of face.
Before long, the Jade Emperor pointed at Li Changshou’s paper puppet, a thread of heavenly dao power empowering Li Changshou’s paper puppet, letting him also see the hidden situation within the pond.
At the bottom of the pond sat three huge bronze toads, each spewing streams of jade-green flames from their mouths.
These flames ignored the pond water, enveloping a green sword that contained shocking vital spirit essence, making this scene feel thoroughly eerie…
On the skulls of those three bronze toad statues were three powerful demons.
Zhao Dezhu looked at Li Changshou and asked: “Changgeng, what should we do?”
Li Changshou frowned slightly, his heart also somewhat conflicted…
By now he had gained some understanding.
That sword contained the Shaman Tribe’s newborn children from ten thousand years, and though they likely couldn’t be saved now, there was still some possibility of sending these true spirits in the sword back to reincarnation.
Moreover, this sword should be an important treasure of the demon tribe, and those three old demons’ faces all wrote ‘I’m not easy to deal with’…
Seizing the sword before detonating would add variables, and there was an 80% chance it would just be a waste of effort, with a 30% chance of letting half the demons escape.
Not seizing the sword and directly leveling this place had a 98% success rate, and since those Shaman Tribe’s true spirits had already been refined by demons, it wouldn’t add any karmic burden to himself…
Li Changshou’s eyes narrowed, and he had made his decision almost instantly, saying softly:
“Your Majesty, this minor deity wants to try seizing that treasure sword, to see if we can release the true spirits within;
The Shaman Tribe entrusted this to me, and I must respond, not wanting to fail in my word like in the East Sea.”
The Jade Emperor immediately revealed a slight smile, slowly nodding: “My strategies don’t match Changgeng’s. Changgeng, arrange things as you see fit. Even if this avatar falls here, it’s no matter.”
Li Changshou felt warmth in his heart, then suddenly had inspiration flash, saying firmly:
“Your Majesty, rather than picking a day, we might as well seize this day. Such an opportunity is rare indeed. This time, why don’t we take the chance to spread the Heavenly Court’s authority and deal their demon tribe a major blow!”