Chapter 603: Carrot

Wherever the Qilin went, even this dead zone of the world burst forth with vitality.

Where the Qilin’s hooves trod, though it was a dead, desolate zone of the world, spring breezes flowed, withered trees sprouted branches, stony deserts grew new shoots, green trees embraced verdant twigs, and blooming flowers formed welcoming arrays.

Green mountains and clear waters, ethereal birds embracing spring—the dead zone of the world burst forth with vitality, yet the Qilin continued to run unhurriedly towards Shen Shuibi.

The Qi of the world would not harm the Qilin; this was the nature of the benevolent Qilin. As a Divine Beast that brought vitality, auspiciousness, and beauty, the Qilin was favored by all Qi.

Cha Xike, indeed, was worthy of being one of the two leaders of the People of No Return, standing out among numerous Rank Five cultivators. He truly had some tricks up his sleeve.

Presumably, Gou Lou on the other side should be no less capable.

Facing the charging Qilin phantom, Shen Shuibi tentatively cast some offensive spells.

The spells grazed past the auspicious Qi around the Qilin, then landed behind it, smashing several floating asteroids. Judging by their appearance, these asteroids were once mountains of some world before its collapse.

The massive mountains shattered with a boom, reduced to dust by a casual wave of Shen Shuibi’s hand, but from beginning to end, not even the flying debris managed to harm the Qilin.

However, Shen Shuibi keenly noticed that the Qi waves still sprayed onto the Qilin’s body and were not deflected by the auspicious Qi.

Hmm, not being harmed doesn’t mean being free from physical limitations.

Shen Shuibi suddenly flicked out a long sleeve, which swirled in the sky, transforming into a covering veil, then slowly descended.

The covering clouds floated far, past mountain peaks, and the spraying rain swelled the long river.

Though seemingly a light veil, it was like an iron net or a copper sieve, subtly reaching up to the heavens. The covering was divided into three layers, each with its own Bagua Qiankun, veiled in crimson gauze, with a large circle made of rope, layer after layer.

The Qilin burst forth with Qi, beginning to charge left and right, colliding within it.

However, the light veil had no offensive properties; it merely covered, not interfering with the Qilin’s own movements.

Moreover, it was slowly shrinking.

Sleeve of Qiankun.

This kind of spell was a specialty of Daoist Earth Immortals. In the past, even the Great Sage of the Demon Race found it difficult to escape, only to be trapped and rage within, yet they could never break through a thin veil.

Within the light veil in her hand, it continuously bulged and then receded, but no matter how much it struggled, the light veil kept shrinking, constricting the Qilin phantom, causing it to thrash about.

Further down, the Qilin had to compress its body, otherwise the shrinking of the light veil could truly suffocate it.

The Qilin roared continuously within the sleeve, its bovine roar shaking Shen Shuibi’s sleeve, causing it to flap wildly, but it still couldn’t escape.

It gradually shrunk, until it reached the size of a normal sleeve, and the Qilin’s body was also compressed to the size of a fist, held in her hand like a cute pet.

But this cute pet was a bit fierce, constantly roaring, yet unable to escape her palm.

Shen Shuibi flicked her sleeve, and the Qilin was flung away, crashing into a floating mountain range several thousand miles away before stabilizing itself.

This series of battles lasted no more than a minute, but it was already enough to show the disparity.

Cha Xike did not attempt to continue fighting, because battles between Rank Five cultivators usually lasted for a very long time. Now, he hadn’t even lasted a minute. Although he had other means, it was already enough to illustrate the gap between them.

Cha Xike stood still, not launching another attack. Although he didn’t speak, in everyone’s eyes, he had already conceded.

Although he was a Daoist, the one sent by Shaman Dao… was truly a strong individual.

The other practitioners of the People of No Return could naturally see the difference.

The disparity in strength was too great; there was no point in fighting.

This, surprisingly, made Gou Lou, who was watching from afar, calm down a bit.

Being this strong at least showed that Shaman Dao wasn’t fooling them. They were also powerful individuals in the outer domains, the kind who had seen and experienced much, so they naturally knew what a strong individual of this Rank represented.

This must at least be a Legacy of the Dao, and a core Disciple at that, otherwise it would be impossible to be so powerful.

Although not a Shaman…

In the hearts of others, more or less, this feeling also arose. At least it was much better than the previous despondency of ‘a Daoist has come,’ and they no longer felt abandoned.

This was also what Shen Shuibi wanted to convey.

Before coming, the Rabbit knew that due to her identity as a Daoist practitioner, she would inevitably face questioning, and people would feel that Shaman Dao was insincere, trying to trick them into dying, and so on.

Therefore, upon arrival, the first thing was to dispel such doubts, at least to prove that she had status and was not just someone Shaman Dao randomly recruited to fool them.

For this, she had to display her strength.

Thinking this, the Rabbit scanned her surroundings.

Well, it seemed that the display of strength was sufficient, so… next, she had to demonstrate the level of importance.

First, display strength to show that her identity was noble enough and powerful enough, to reassure them.

Then, what needed to be done was to distribute benefits, telling them that they were very important.

Thinking this, Shen Shuibi floated in mid-air and said to the People of No Return members, who were standing or flying everywhere in the dead zone of the world: “I know you are still a bit flustered, perhaps even feeling some injustice, but it doesn’t matter. In our future cooperation, you will understand many things.”

After speaking, she waved her hand, releasing a Grotto-Heaven.

The Grotto-Heaven opened, and suddenly millions of Spiritual Artifacts flew out of it!

Moreover, they were full sets, and although they were standardized weapons and armor, the quantity was truly considerable. The lowest was Rank Seven, and every Rank Six and every Rank Five received at least one set.

This was truly a grand gesture!

So many sets of Rank Five Magic Treasures—even Li Qi would find it difficult to produce these. These were even allocated from the military supplies of Shaman God Mountain.

Countless Spiritual Artifacts, like falling stars, landed in the hands of the People of No Return members.

Then, Shen Shuibi lifted both hands, and a phantom Pill Furnace emerged. From within the Pill Furnace, countless sparks burst forth, and then, a rich, fragrant scent suddenly wafted out.

Upon opening the furnace again, many Rank Seven Returning Medicinal Pills, personally refined by Shen Shuibi, flew out, precisely landing in everyone’s hands along with the Spiritual Artifacts.

These Medicinal Pills were also in sets: there were poisons, healing medicines, Qi recovery medicines, cultivation Breakthrough medicines, even those for desperate potential activation, and even self-detonation ones.

As always, one set per person.

This left the People of No Return members dumbfounded, and all their disdain vanished.

It wasn’t because such a grand gesture was impressive; after all, with Shaman Dao being so powerful, it was normal for them to be able to produce these.

The problem was, how did this Daoist know the exact number of people?

This was the key point.

In other words, the other party was not only powerful but also highly valued them, having conducted a thorough investigation upon arrival, knowing the exact number of people.

At this point, saying that the other party didn’t care no longer held water.

To be able to cultivate to Rank Seven meant they were all exceptional individuals, Dragons among Men in their respective worlds. They certainly weren’t foolish. Even if they did foolish things, it was because their intelligence and information were not on the same level, but definitely not because of low IQ.

They could all see that Shaman Dao truly cared about this, but… they still didn’t understand why it was a Daoist?

After all, they were still outsiders, not on the same path as Shaman Dao.

Just then, facing the crowd, Shen Shuibi once again produced a proclamation.

The scholarly Qi within the proclamation dispersed, spreading to everyone.

A proclamation appeared before everyone’s eyes.

This was written by Li Qi, and everyone immediately understood. The information within the scholarly Qi told them Li Qi’s identity, that is, the commander of the vanguard battle zone.

“Written and sent to the People of No Return, hoping to resolve my concerns.

Since the war between humans and witches began, I have done my utmost, but situated above billions, governing thousands of worlds, the multitude of tasks is almost impossible to manage alone. I cannot extricate myself, yet I have no intention of involving others. Therefore, I have sent my wife as my representative; seeing her is like seeing me. I hope the People of No Return will respond to my repeated requests for counsel, hoping to rectify any shortcomings. This is my true intention.”

“Since the war began, countless memorials have been submitted, and I have always listened with pleasure. If what was said was appropriate, it was implemented immediately. If it was inappropriate, no blame was ever assigned. This is known to all. Occasionally, some people’s words were overly radical, often not based on facts, yet they did not affect my heart.

However, many were those who sought to flatter me, submitting memorials to feign integrity and seek fame. Although there were punishments, there were also prior reasons. Yet, since then, those who speak have become fewer. Is it because there is nothing left to say, or do they harbor self-preservation schemes and have retreated into silence…?”

“Since the war has been unfavorable and Yin and Yang are out of harmony, there must be fault. How can there be nothing to say? Yet, all worlds only think of preserving themselves. How can this be loyalty? I am also very helpless; I have never ceased to reflect, yet I can do little.

Now, fortunately, there are you, civil and military officials, each striving to exert yourselves, offering your excellent strategies and plans. Regarding military affairs, if there are benefits yet to be achieved, or drawbacks yet to be reformed, or orders that are inappropriate, I hope all of you will speak frankly, without being deterred by past events, and focus on the grand strategy.”

These words were actually quite mild, even somewhat ‘placating.’

It meant, the people on my side are unreliable. Now, to break the deadlock, I can only rely on you. To show my importance, I have sent my wife to personally handle this matter, hoping everyone will cooperate well and work together against our common enemy, humanity.

This was Shen Shuibi’s plan.

First, engage in a fight to awe everyone, demonstrating her noble status and profound cultivation.

Then, offer benefits, giving a sweet treat after a blow, indicating that she didn’t intend for them to sacrifice their lives, but if they did, the price for their lives was ready.

Finally, present this proclamation to convey Li Qi’s attitude.

One layer after another, doing these things as Li Qi’s wife, even Cha Xike was speechless.

At this point, Shen Shuibi’s identity as a Daoist no longer mattered.

Even if someone had an opinion, they couldn’t say much now; this combo was very effective.

So, Shen Shuibi descended again and looked at Gou Lou.

Hmm… this was the person responsible for liaising with Li Qi’s reconnaissance team. His attitude should be better than the previous one.

“Gou Lou, that’s the name, right?” Shen Shuibi said.

“Greetings, Madam.” Gou Lou’s octopus leg made a bow: “It is indeed I.”

“No need to be so formal. By the way, are all the People of No Return members here?” Shen Shuibi asked.

“Yes, they are all here,” Gou Lou replied.

Beside them, Cha Xike, who was several thousand miles away, also returned.

He, too, had acquired some Spiritual Artifacts and Medicinal Pills. Looking at these, and then at Shen Shuibi, he was at a loss for words.

Shaman Dao… was indeed very strong. Just one person coming here had increased the combat power of the entire People of No Return by at least thirty percent.

He couldn’t bring himself to tell the other party to leave, and besides… the sincerity was also very genuine.

Let’s just bear with it for now and see what these powerful Dao Orthodoxy want to use the People of No Return for.

However, Shen Shuibi saw him coming, paused the conversation, and said: “Your method… is very interesting. You don’t seek a deep understanding of the Dao path, yet you can utilize external forces in a clever way. Would you like to try this?”

Saying this, she extended a hand, and her cultivation within moved, transforming into countless moonlight, attaching itself to a fragment of the Greater Yin.

This was a fragment of the Greater Yin of the world.

Then, this fragment automatically polished smooth, turning into a bead, while its internal structure also changed. In just a few seconds, it became usable.

Cha Xike’s eyes widened.

How could this be!

These beads looked simple, but in reality, they all required complex processing to be effective. Their essence was to transform external objects into a part of their tools. Once inlaid, they could directly change the attributes of the Inner World, thereby changing the nature of the Physical Body and cultivation, achieving the effect of enhancing combat power.

This processing method was only known in Cha Xike’s world.

Now… only Cha Xike himself knew how to do it.

But Shen Shuibi, after just one fight and two glances, had actually comprehended the method of making these precious beads, and even crafted one on the spot?

What kind of… monster was this?

“Your method is very interesting and has great potential, but the secrecy isn’t very good. Many of the circulating runes are exposed… Hmm, they shouldn’t have been exposed before. Has it been a long time without maintenance, falling into disrepair? After the civilization disappeared, even supplies became a problem, didn’t they? This bead might be able to help you.” Shen Shuibi said, then threw the Greater Yin Orb in her hand over.

Cha Xike accepted the orb with mixed feelings, but didn’t speak.

The Rabbit didn’t care. All she wanted was for the People of No Return members to suppress their initial thoughts of resistance, because if the first wave couldn’t rise, then the subsequent ones wouldn’t either.

“Alright, let’s get back to business,” the Rabbit said, waving her hand.

Suddenly, a star map projection appeared in the sky, visible to millions of People of No Return members.

“This is the known human defense map,” Shen Shuibi said. “You haven’t gone out to fight yet, probably because you’re blind and don’t know where to strike. With this, everyone should have a clear idea of where to act. However… it’s only useful at first. After we make our move, these will quickly change. At that time, it will rely on you all to gather intelligence and figure out the situation.”

“Shaman Dao’s deep-behind-enemy-lines reconnaissance teams will maintain contact with the People of No Return as much as possible, but logistics require our joint efforts. Large-scale delivery of supplies can probably only be done by Rank Five cultivators, but having Rank Five cultivators deliver goods… the front line’s combat power isn’t redundant to that extent yet.”

“Now, let’s discuss future development and how to deal with humanity.”

Shen Shuibi’s voice calmly spread out.