The Eternal Way

In the central plains, traveling south for countless miles, there lies the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. Within these mountains, there are hundreds of small kingdoms that practice witchcraft and veneration of countless deities. This place is called Baiyue.

In Baiyue, there are innumerable gods; village shrines are plentiful. Mountains have mountain spirits, waters have water monsters, most of which are transformed from local people with some magical abilities, ghosts, demons, and spirits, who have been worshipped by locals, thus becoming mountain gods or water gods.

This differs greatly from the Central Plains, where all gods and temples are officially sanctioned by the government rather than formed through worship.

"Even if we fled to this place from the Central Plains, could the imperial court still command Baiyue?" The delicate woman stood up, her expression uncertain, murmuring to herself.

After much contemplation, her expression changed several times before she finally decided to stand up, saying to herself, "These shamans are no longer the original shamans of Baiyue..."

"The Tang Dynasty governs with humanistic principles, spreading across the land, even reaching the various kingdoms of Baiyue, establishing counties and dividing official roles. The original temples, shamans, great diviners, seers, and various priests are no longer the absolute controllers of Baiyue as they once were. If the Tang Dynasty issues an order, it would be normal for the Great Deer region to respond."

"But... the Bull Strength Technique, this is a technique of the Great Priest. Have even the Great Priests of Baiyue become lackeys of the Tang Dynasty? Or should I go see for myself before drawing any conclusions." The woman paced back and forth inside the temple, ultimately unable to let it go, and left the dilapidated shrine to investigate personally.

There are myriad cultivation techniques in the world, but most can be traced back to various traditions. Though not entirely distinct, each tradition carries very distinctive features. For those who have reached a certain level of cultivation, one glance can reveal the origin and lineage of a particular technique.

Countless cultivation methods, when traced back, inevitably stem from these major traditions.

The Bull Strength Technique is one such example, originating from the witchcraft tradition of Baiyue's Great Priests. Initially developed to invoke immense strength, it blesses the user with divine power, making it one of the foundational techniques in witchcraft.

Due to its fundamental nature, this technique is widely applied, combining defense, strengthening, and offense into one practical method.

Baiyue's Great Priests particularly excel in the "Strength of Ten Thousand Beasts," which includes not only bull strength but also tiger strength, elephant strength, eagle strength, serpent strength, and hundreds more.

Baiyue worships many gods, most of whom are spirits transformed from worshippers. Thus, the Great Priests of Baiyue traveled throughout the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, visiting hundreds of accomplished deities, using various means to eventually gather their powers, forming the series of techniques known as the "Strength of Ten Thousand Beasts."

Upon invocation, one can draw divine power from one of these deities, granting extraordinary abilities to the physical body.

The origins of the "Strength of Ten Thousand Beasts" lie here.

Because of this origin, it is impossible to accidentally cultivate such a technique. Without receiving the divine intent of a priest, invoking the "Strength of Ten Thousand Beasts" would be ignored by the deities. They agreed with the Great Priests to lend their power, so anyone else attempting it, even with correct steps, would fail to borrow the power and might even suffer backlash.

The woman stealthily entered the black mist, which did not resist her presence but instead enveloped her tightly.

She secretly observed Li Qi and others' battle.

Li Qi and the burly man had significantly reduced the volume of the black mist by a third through relentless attrition, yet the mist was powerless against them.

They fought with all their might, but whenever they showed any weakness, the merchants and ADu behind them would immediately step forward, driving back the mist and restarting the battle.

Li Qi and his companions could afford mistakes without fear, knowing their teammates would cover for them instantly, placing them in an almost invincible position.

Within five to six minutes, the black mist already seemed ready to retreat.

The woman hid within the mist, carefully observing the battle outside.

After watching for a few minutes, she sighed in relief.

"It shouldn't be. If it were truly a Great Priest... they wouldn't send a mere pawn to scout." She thought to herself.

A Great Priest, responsible for six types of calamities, six prayers, six forms of speech, nine types of sacrifices, nine forms of worship, holding fire and water to serve gods and make wishes, excels in divination and rituals, often accompanied by deities and blessed with numerous divine powers. If they truly knew her location, they would directly confront her.

Moreover, a Great Priest wouldn't come looking for someone like her; they should be seeking the Empress...

Relieved, she prepared to leave the black mist.

But at that moment, she sensed danger!

What was happening? The practitioner of the Bull Strength Technique was fighting that beast just now. Why was he suddenly coming towards her?!

---

Meanwhile, on Li Qi's side,

he had been closely observing his surroundings,

mainly focusing on the movements of the black mist to prevent any sneak attacks.

However, halfway through his observation, he noticed a new progress bar labeled "Observing: 1%."

He immediately understood that the main culprit had arrived.

It might be the mastermind behind the black mist or the caster of the spell.

For instance, the black mist could be part of their magic.

Regardless, sneaking in quietly and hiding within the mist indicated that this person wasn't friendly.

Thus, while pretending to continue battling the black mist, Li Qi suddenly turned direction and shouted, "Over here!"

Hearing this, the burly man knew something was up and didn't hesitate to shout to those behind him, "Follow me!"

Two strong men charged in one direction, followed by over a dozen singing and clashing machetes, creating a chaotic scene.

Even the black mist didn't react in time, being suddenly overwhelmed by the crowd.

Li Qi swiftly grabbed what felt like a human figure, likely a woman or child due to the smooth skin, unlike a man's rough texture.

Of course, some men also have smooth skin, but Li Qi preferred to believe he caught a woman.

"I got her!" Li Qi shouted loudly.

Though the person struggled, his strength of 6,800 jin held her firmly, beyond the reach of ordinary escape.

"Good!" The burly man roared, slashing around to disperse the surrounding black mist.

Just as the mist attempted to counterattack, the sound of clashing weapons drove it back.

With the mist weakened, Li Qi pulled hard, dragging a human figure out of the black mist!