The Big Stick

At this very moment, in the heart of the Unreturning Disciples' stronghold, these Unreturning Disciples are having a discussion.

Just as Li Qi was nothing more Unreturning Disciples, the Unreturning Disciples also harbored some distrust towards those who came from the Shaman Path.

They couldn't discern the purpose of the Shaman Path; what if Li Qi was just using them as cannon fodder?

They were tricked into dying, partly to fulfill a secret of Shaman Path.

Not all Shaman are good people.

At the center of the discussion were two fifth-rank cultivators, who were also the two most powerful among the Unreturning Disciples.

It's not that there aren't other fifth-rank individuals, but these two are the strongest and represent two different viewpoints among the Unreturning Disciples.

One of them was a martial artist, and it was the four-legged gray-blue octopus that had previously received Li Qi's reconnaissance team.

He originally had a name of his own, but... some time ago, he gave up that name and used his own world as his new name.

If his name is Gou Lou, then his world is called Ding Si Liu Gou Lou Jie, with Ding Si Liu being his number.

Gou Lou held the idea of "believing in Shaman Path," and it was precisely because of his choice to accept Li Qi's signal and personally show up to accept the Shaman Path's reconnaissance team that Li Qi was able to send Shen Shuibi.

Those Unreturning Disciples were with Gou Lou believed that if they wanted to win, they had to rely on the power of Shaman Path, and that they could not possibly win against Human Path by fighting alone.

We should actively embrace Shaman Path so that Human Path will pay a terrible price.

The other faction, on the other hand, doesn't trust either of them.

Their world has been destroyed by Human Path, and isn't Shaman Path just as dangerous as Human Path?

Believing in Shaman Path is essentially letting Shaman Path drive you. The Unreturning Disciples, but they are also being used as pawns and expendable resources. In the end, Human Path may not get any revenge, but instead they will be manipulated and applauded by others.

These Dao Lineage are all unreliable!

Only by relying on ourselves and doing these things can we truly achieve revenge against Human Path and avoid being used as pawns.

The leader of this faction is a humanoid creature named Cha Xike, who looks very much like the Human Race of the world. He cultivates the unique Daoist Dao Lineage of his world, which is similar to the Reason Way. It mainly involves discovering the laws of things, then using those laws to create tools, and then using those tools to control them.

His physical body is weak. Although he has reached the fifth rank, his combat strength may not be able to defeat a sixth rank. However, he is able to pilot the last large fifth-rank artifact in the world.

This kind of tool puts a tremendous strain on cultivators; even ordinary fifth-rank cultivators find it difficult to control. Only the Cha Xike has mastered the ability to control such a tool. All their cultivation involves learning how to incorporate external forces into their tools, rather than relying on their own bodies to fight against them.

It is precisely because of this characteristic that the Cha Xike civilization places great emphasis on unity. At its peak, this civilization was even able to transcend the limitations of the world and create a massive machine at the half-step fourth rank by relying on the collective wisdom and strength.

However, this thing has been dismantled by Human Path, along with their world, so he harbors immense hatred for Human Path and also harbors some doubts.

If Li Qi were to describe his suspicion of everything in the outside world, it would be like a combination of PTSD and paranoia. He felt that these powerful Dao Lineage might be trying to harm him for their own reasons.

It may sound absurd, but to be honest, there are quite a few people who have this mentality.

Thus, a group of people gathered around Cha Xike who did not trust Shaman Path, or more accurately, they distrusted everyone except the Unreturning Disciples, and only wanted to cause trouble for themselves.

However, before he knew it, Gou Lou had already received the scouting party of the Shaman Path. By the time Cha Xike realized it, the scouting party had already appeared in front of him.

Cha Xike had no choice but to accept the intervention of the Shaman Path.

Thus, the scene that unfolded here came about: Cha Xike and Gou Lou, along with many Unreturning Disciples, were clearly divided into two factions, yet both were waiting for the same person.

This refers to Shen Shuibi is expected to arrive today.

"They haven't arrived yet after all this time. Could they have been ambushed on the way?" Cha Xike crossed his arms and looked toward the edge of the World Dead Zone.

The edge was desolate.

Actually, it wasn't like this before. Not long ago, you could see many World-Class Giant Ships and personal flying boats in the outer void here, and you could also see various worlds in operation. If you got close, you could even see the flashes emitted by the worlds.

But now, everything is gone.

If one were to strain one's eyes to see as far as possible, one could only see the colossal War Fortress of Human Path, like a continent of light floating in the void, shimmering with magnificent light, and one could also see the pavilions, towers, sword towers, and forests of spears on it.

Every time he saw it, it made Cha Xike grit his teeth.

"If we're really intercepted, that's fine too. At least then we won't have to argue," Gou Lou said calmly, his four octopus legs swaying around him.

To be honest, as Unreturning Disciples, they didn't have any personal conflicts. They empathized with each other's experiences and knew that the other was trustworthy.

However, due to the recent issues surrounding Shaman Path, arguments have become quite frequent.

However, Gou Lou always believed that the messenger who descended from the Shaman Path would surely convince Cha Xike.

There was no particular reason; it was simply a martial artist's instinct.

As I was thinking this, a vortex of Yin Qi suddenly appeared in the sky.

The two stood up solemnly together.

Even Cha Xike knew the power of the Shaman Path. Although he didn't trust the other party's sincerity, he also knew that the Shaman Path was definitely not simple, so he dared not be too negligent.

Without any extra special effects, the vortex of Yin Qi quickly dissipated, transforming into a radiant moon that shone on a small asteroid in the dead zone of the world, taking the shape of a human.

It was Shen Shuibi.

She floated down and landed in front of the Unreturning Disciples.

The rabbit glanced around and nodded slightly.

These Unreturning Disciples were more numerous than she had imagined, probably around four or five million.

This number isn't large in a battlefield measured in global terms, as they are mostly survivors, but their quality is quite good. They are the kind of people who can survive large-scale, devastating attacks by Human Path, and the lowest rank is seventh grade.

After all, to survive in the void, one must be at the seventh rank.

Among them, there were more than a dozen fifth-rank soldiers and tens of thousands of sixth-rank soldiers. Although they were all a motley crew, unable to form formations and with different Dao Lineage, making them unsuitable for large-scale battles, they were perfect for small-scale guerrilla raids.

Let's look at the two leaders.

That four-legged gray-blue octopus, that must be Gou Lou, right? The other party seems very happy.

The other person, who was more wary, wore a dark red robe, had weak cultivation and physical strength, and had short hair, was Cha Xike.

While Shen Shuibi was sizing them up, Cha Xike and Gou Lou were also sizing her Shen Shuibi.

My first reaction was, how come this is a Daoist priest, not Shaman?

As fifth-rank officials, they naturally knew that the Daoist sect was generally neutral.

This neutrality does not mean 'absolute neutrality', but rather that the Daoist sects generally do not have fixed allies, and various Dao Lineage exist. Furthermore, Daoists have always been the type who most enjoy traveling alone to other realms. In many worlds, there are independent Daoist cultivators traveling around, which they call 'traveling in the mortal world'.

Daoist priests often appear on the Human Path side as well.

But... this is, after all, an important meeting between the Shaman Path and them! On such an important occasion, when they would be willing to risk their lives for the sorcerers, the Shaman Path actually... sent a Daoist priest?

Gou Lou's heart sank instantly.

It seems that Cha Xike is right. The Shaman Path didn't take them seriously at all; they were just fooling around. It was their own decision-making that was wrong.

Cha Xike even sneered. The Human-Shaman War was said to be so important, but they sent a Daoist priest to fob them off. It was clear how little sincerity they had.

Seeing their expressions, Shen Shuibi didn't react much. Instead, she quietly landed in front of them and said directly, "You two must be the leaders of the Unreturning Disciples, right? To coordinate with the upcoming operation, I'd like to test your strength. Is that alright?"

Cha Xike scoffed, "We haven't even said anything yet, and you're already testing our strength? Who do you think we are?"

Shen Shuibi calmly replied, "No matter what you are, if you want to do something, it ultimately comes down to strength. After all, we are participating in a war, and I need to have a corresponding understanding of each of you."

These words made Gou Lou frown slightly.

Cha Xike, already harboring resentment, didn't waste any more words. His anger flared up, and he stomped his foot on the ground, producing a red bead in his hand with what appeared to be a faint Flood Dragon's mark on it.

This is a Flood Dragon Pearl a dragon!

But then a belt with a missing piece appeared at his waist. He pressed the Dragon Pearl onto it, and the Flood Dragon's Qi and Blood within surged forth violently! It covered his body, forming a layer of blood-red armor!

The blood-red armor unleashed boundless power from his body, accompanied by the roar of a dragon, before striking Shen Shuibi fiercely!

This is the unique cultivation method of his world. They can extract the energy from the outside world, study its laws, store it, and finally manifest it on their special 'tools' to gain the abilities of other things.

"Dragon blood? Flood Dragon?" The rabbit glanced at it and drew two lines in the air with its finger.

Dragon-Suppressing Talisman!

As soon as the talisman was cast, Cha Xike felt his body become incredibly heavy. The Flood Dragon blood all over his body quickly splattered out and sank to the ground. His armor turned pure white, and its power was greatly reduced.

But he immediately flipped his wrist, and a bead formed from pure Yang heavenly lightning appeared in his hand, which he then slapped onto his waist again.

His armor was instantly filled with pure Yang heavenly thunder, which resounded for thousands of miles!

Riding the clouds and thunder, soaring through the air, leaping across rivers on the wind and electricity! The heavenly lightning transformed into purple armor covering his entire body, instantly increasing his speed to five thousand times the Heavenly Way Limit, and he pounced on Shen Shuibi at an extreme speed that surpassed all mortal observation equipment and reaction!

Shen Shuibi reached out and tapped lightly.

Using Thunder Method in front of the Daoist sect?

Shen Shuibi drew several lines in the air with her fingers, revealing Yin-Yang trigrams. Suddenly, the phantom of the Western Great Dark Kun Subduing Thunder Emperor appeared behind her, accompanied by bursts of Yin Thunder. The projection of one of the Five Directional Thunder Emperors descended.

Shen Shuibi's method of summoning gods can also command the Thunder Emperor's Dharma body!

The illusory image of the Thunder Emperor's Dharma body appeared, as if sketched by lightning. Black clouds, like kiln smoke, quickly covered the sky, and rain poured down like ropes. Immediately, the wind howled and thunder roared. After a while, the wind rose, and the black mist spread, coiling and swirling around—

Several thunderclaps were heard, followed by a flash of light, Cha Xike was sent flying backward again, while the Heavenly Thunder Pearl appeared in Shen Shuibi's hand.

He was not discouraged, but his eyes became slightly serious, knowing that his opponent was no ordinary person.

Even if he's not Shaman, he's still one of the most powerful Daoists out there. He might even be from somewhere in the world.

Then, Cha Xike spread his fingers, held eight beads between his hands, and slapped them against his waist!

Shen Shuibi originally wanted to stop it, after all, she didn't want to make a big fuss or really get into Fire Qi with the other party, so it was better to stop it in advance.

However, when she tried to stop him, she discovered that he was being protected by some kind of Daoist principle.

It turns out... they couldn't stop it?

Even though the action of changing armor attributes is so slow, and it seems that it can be easily interrupted, the surrounding spacetime seems to be distorted. All actions that are 'interrupted' must be resisted, and one must be much stronger than the opponent in terms of cultivation to interrupt the opponent's actions.

Therefore, Shen Shuibi could only watch helplessly as the other party embedded the eight beads into the belt.

However, as she looked at them, she was able to discern the properties of the eight beads.

The White Lion Auspicious Beast Pearl.

The Pearl of the Five-Colored Deer's Charge.

The Black Tiger's Roar Pearl.

The Pearl of the Mythical Beast, a creature unlike any other.

A portion of the scale beads of the red snake.

The Pearl of the Mountain-Moving Divine Ox.

It devoured the pearl of the wicked bear.

Riding on auspicious clouds, the Heavenly Horse carries a pearl.

Shen Shuibi's pupils dilated slightly, and her expression began to show surprise.

Lion's head, deer antlers, tiger's eyes, elk's body, snake scales, ox's tail, horse's hooves, bear's waist—

Could these traits be...?

Before she could even form that thought, a phantom of a divine beast appeared, accompanied by a roar like a bull, and its aura surged tenfold!

In the ancient times, many different kinds of life were classified into five types of insects: naked, scaled, hairy, feathered, and burrowing.

Naked insects are creatures like humans, without hair or shells, and they take saints as their leaders.

Scaled creatures are those with scales, with the true dragon being the leader.

Caterpillars are creatures with hair, with the Qilin being the most prominent.

Feathered insects are those with feathers, with the phoenix being the most prominent.

Insects are those with shells, with the tortoise being the leader.

At this moment, the chief of the caterpillars, the Qilin, appeared!

The opponent actually managed to create a not-so-pure Qilin by relying on this trait!

A burst of auspicious energy erupted and began to surge outwards. Although its speed was not as fast as the heavenly thunder, it made Shen Shuibi's expression turn serious.

The auspicious aura of the Qilin is so powerful that all laws repel it and cannot approach. This is a protective magic even more powerful than the Immaculate Body, because the Qilin is a benevolent beast that brings good fortune, so none of the world's energies are willing to harm it.

In other words, it can't be stopped!