Adali

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Adali (阿达里)
Alias(es)	High Shaman; Great Shaman; Grand Shaman; Great Wizard
Gender	Male
Affiliation	All-Spirits Society
Occupation/Role	Leader of the All-Spirits Society; shaman; pharmacist
Status	Deceased; killed by Chu Hengkong after the collapse of his false-god authority in Deeproot Settlement 37
First Appearance	Chapter 27

Background / History

Adali was one of the All-Spirits Society's highest-ranking shamans in Jade Marsh District. By the time Chu Hengkong arrived in the Marsh, he had become the society's dominant leader, while Granny Sang Jia—once an important figure within the faith—had been sidelined. He seized the swamp's fertile fields through legal purchases, ultimately controlling roughly ninety percent of its medicinal herbs and profiting from the population's dependence on medicine. 27 32

He publicly cultivated an image of a compassionate religious leader, dispensing blessed damp tea that temporarily eased Light Poison symptoms. Privately, he dismissed Sang Jia's medicine as useless and treated the swamp's believers as an easily manipulated mass. 28 31 33

Adali acquired Glowing Corpses from a man in a white top hat, paying with thirty demon-possessed people. Although he initially sought a route out of Dragon's Return City, his arrangement with the man revealed his hatred of the City Lord's Manor and his willingness to use the Marsh's residents as pawns in a struggle against it. 31

When the Resurrection Corps exposed the limits of his Panacea and began curing Light Poison with its own “blessing” operation, Adali armed his followers and declared war on the City Lord's Manor. 34 35

Appearance

Adali normally presented himself as a staff-bearing shaman in religious garb. During his final battle, his true body was revealed as a bald, gloomy-faced, demon-like man with deep-purple skin and malformed lower limbs. 27 36

• Wore a white robe resembling a cassock. 36
• Carried a stone staff used to command Glowing Corpses. 37
• Altered his body into a living nest for venomous insects. 36
• Could disguise himself beneath the body of a Mud Glowing Corpse. 37

Personality

Adali was contemptuous, calculating, and deeply invested in controlling the beliefs of others. He considered the swamp dwellers weak, ignorant, and easy to command, treating faith as a tool for social control rather than a responsibility. 31 35

His hostility toward the City Lord's Manor was sincere but inseparable from his personal ambition. He believed the city concealed a fatal truth from its people and used that conviction to justify spreading Glowing Corpses and sacrificing residents to preserve his own power. 31

When his influence began to collapse, Adali became increasingly desperate. He chose open war rather than surrender, fearing that survival without his identity as High Shaman would leave nothing of value behind. 34 35

Abilities & Skills

Cornerstone

Adali was a Cornerstone, an Ascendant path specializing in the use of objects and surroundings. He relied on Relics, prepared terrain, followers, and Glowing Corpses rather than direct martial skill. 34 36

• Controlled large numbers of Glowing Corpses through his staff. 36 37
• Used environmental preparation and psychological suggestion to influence believers over time. 34
• Could not simply impose mass mental control without sustained suggestion, atmosphere, and environmental cooperation. 34

Glowing Corpse Manipulation

Adali purchased and deployed Glowing Corpses throughout Deeproot Settlement, using them as both weapons and sources of terror. 31 35

• Commanded Mud Glowing Corpses to surround and overwhelm opponents. 36 37
• Concealed himself within the Torchlight Corpse Heap during his battle with Chu Hengkong. 36
• Reassembled dispersed corpses into a giant torch-like corpse pile capable of explosion. 37
• Used a Mud Glowing Corpse disguise to blend in among ordinary corpses. 37

Heart-Boring Poison Hand

Adali wielded the Heart-Boring Poison Hand, an Asura Island technique strengthened by the poisonous insects living inside his body. 36

• Poisoned opponents through close contact and venomous stingers emerging from his body. 36
• Could form piercing hands, venom needles, and blade-like strikes. 36 37
• His poison rapidly impaired Chu Hengkong's senses, strength, and consciousness. 36
• The insect-defense mechanism could be bypassed by triggering it with a probing attack before committing to a decisive strike. 37

Mutated Body

Adali altered his body to supplement his Relic-based fighting style. 36 37

• His head was hard enough to shatter a Relic staff. 36
• Mutated legs with insect-like joints granted him enough speed to chase an off-road vehicle. 37
• Could produce bone spurs from his shin during close combat. 37
• Despite his physical enhancements, his martial skill was far inferior to Chu Hengkong's Dragon Village Boxing. 37

Illusion Relic

Adali employed a Relic to project an image of himself during the Deeproot Settlement crisis. 37

• Used the illusion to urge residents to pray to him amid the chaos. 37
• Attempted to undermine the Resurrection Corps' operation by presenting himself as the settlement's protector. 37
• The illusion was destroyed by gunfire. 37

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Stone staff — Used to command Glowing Corpses; later shattered while Adali attempted to defend himself. 37
• Illusion Relic — Projected a false image of Adali to manipulate Deeproot Settlement's residents. 37
• Poison needles — Fired from his body to disable targets and damage vehicles. 37
• Medicinal herbs and Panacea supply — Controlled through his ownership of most medicinal fields in the Marsh. 32 33

Relationships

• Granny Sang Jia — Rival within the All-Spirits Society. Adali sidelined her, dismissed her healing efforts, and opposed her influence in the Marsh. 28 32 37
• Chu Hengkong — Primary adversary. Adali tried to kill him with poison, Glowing Corpses, and deception, but was ultimately defeated and killed by him. 36 37
• Ji Huaishu — Enemy and representative of the Resurrection Corps. Her “Doom Knight” reputation and the Corps' operation directly threatened Adali's authority. 31 34 37
• Lande — Shaman confidant who sought Adali's orders as panic spread through the Marsh. 34
• Man in the top hat — Supplier and temporary associate who sold Adali Glowing Corpses; the two disagreed over Adali's self-righteous justification for using them. 31
• All-Spirits Society believers — His followers and the foundation of his authority; Adali manipulated their faith through medicine, prophecy, and fear. 31 33 37

Story Role / Major Arcs

All-Spirits Society Investigation

Adali first confronts Chu Hengkong and Ji Huaishu when they seek Granny Sang Jia. Hostile over Alex's imprisonment, he reluctantly escorts them after Chu invokes his authority as a Senior Chief Inspector. 27

Light Poison Crisis

As Light Poison spreads through the Marsh, Adali distributes temporary relief through blessed tea while concealing his role in the larger Glowing Corpse scheme. His monopoly over medicinal herbs reinforces the population's dependence on him. 32 33

Marsh Divine Grace Spray Operation

The Resurrection Corps undermines Adali's religious authority by curing Glowing Corpses with a new Panacea disguised as a divine blessing. Unable to prevent infected residents from seeking treatment, Adali orders his followers to fight and personally enters the conflict. 35

Death at Deeproot Settlement

Adali poisons Chu Hengkong and uses corpses, explosions, illusion, and public prayers to maintain control of the battlefield. After Jie An's Panacea cures Chu Hengkong, Adali is exposed before the Marsh's residents, defeated in close combat, and smashed into his own bronze statue. 37

Notable Quotes

“We are preparing for war! The City Lord's Manor claims it will bring divine punishment, does it? Then let them drink the blood of their own city.” 34

“There is only one god of dominion: him, Great Wizard Adali!” 37

“You cannot... offend... a god...!” 37

Trivia

• Adali's name was removed from common discussion in the Marsh within three days of his defeat, with most residents instead turning toward the Dragon's Return God. 38
• Even after his death, Adali's herb fields remained dangerous: their vegetation was contaminated with the gold-colored venom used to cultivate Glowing Corpses. 38