Chapter 7: The Great Shaman
To the west of the 㹏 continent, on the other side of the vast ocean, is the 䜥 continent for the people of the Quaternary today.
Some time ago, in the heart of the Starfall Continent, the Valley of Ancestors, the highest holy place of shamanism, which was usually hidden in powerful restrictions, was now open to the people of this land for the performance of ancient sacred ceremonies.
After hearing the call, shamans from all tribes across the Starfall Continent led their spirits and followers on a long journey and came here to gather, creating the largest shaman gathering since this era.
At dusk, the setting sun in the western sky illuminated the magnificent Ancestral Valley. Countless tents in the style of the Starfall Continent tribes were built in the vast valley, and wisps of smoke were rising from the tents and floating into the sky. In the valley, more than a dozen shamans from all over the continent were camping in their own camps, meditating attentively on the huge totem pole in the center of the valley, preparing for the upcoming ancient ceremony.
At the edge of the valley, on top of a towering cliff, in a wood a little away from the center of the valley, a smaller ceremony was taking place at this moment, ahead of the Great Wilderness Festival. Most of the participants in this ceremony were shamans.
In an open space in the forest, a large "Silence" magic circle was drawn on the ground, emitting a faint light. At the edge of the "Silence" magic circle, there were figures sitting around. Looking closely, they were shamans with different clothes and appearances. They sat cross-legged on the ground with their eyes closed, muttering silently. Around the shamans, there were several powerful spirits in different animal shapes. These were the spirits of the wilderness called by the shamans. They faced the magic circle in front of them, emitting strange light, and seemed to be involved in this.
At this moment, sitting cross-legged in the center of the large magic circle was a beautiful woman with dark skin. This was Nefernis. She was now meditating in the powerful spiritual field as the center of the ritual. Amid the shamans' chanting and the vortex of the powerful spiritual field, Nefernis closed her eyes with a solemn expression. Fine beads of sweat flowed down her forehead, and she seemed to be enduring something.
In front of Nefernis, there was a translucent spirit-like object floating. If you look closely, you can find that it is an ancient wine glass with some signs of breakage on it. In the wine glass, a ball of dark green light was swirling at high speed. If you look closely, you can find that there were many human faces looming in the halo, and there seemed to be sharp howls coming from it.
The spirit-like wine glass floated in front of Nefernis, then slowly moved closer to her, and finally melted into her body from her chest. After that, the light of the magic circle under her couldn't help but become brighter, and the chanting of the surrounding shamans also became louder for a moment.
The progress of the ceremony seemed to have entered a critical stage. During this period, Neveu, who was at the center of the ceremony, could not help but become more and more uglier with a solemn expression. Her breathing became more rapid, and she sweated more. The unbearable feeling was obviously deepening, but Neveu still tried her best to persist.
This situation lasted for three or four minutes before it finally ended. The whole ceremony began to draw to an end. As the light of the magic circle gradually dimmed, Neveu's breathing slowly calmed down, and her originally wrinkled brow began to relax. When the chanting of the shamans stopped, the entire magic circle dimmed and disappeared completely. Neveu couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief.
"Huh...finally..."
After taking a few deep breaths, Neveu calmed herself down, then slowly stood up from the ground and walked forward. In front of her, the shamans who were performing the ceremony were also standing up one by one. The leader of them also walked towards her. She was a female shaman with exaggeratedly painted body, a bone crown on her head, loose black hair, and a long robe. Under the protection of a leopard-shaped wilderness spirit, she looked at the arriving Neveu.
"The ceremony is over. According to Uta's request, we have put the soul into a vessel and implanted it into your body. The next step is up to you, stranger.
"Always be careful, stabilize the spell in your spirit body, and suppress those souls, otherwise the consequences will be quite serious."
"Ah... Thank you, Shaman Larry, thank you all..." When she came to the front of the female shaman, Neveu said thank you in spiritual language. When she saw the other shamans who had gathered here, Neveu also went up to thank them one by one.
"If you want to thank someone, thank Shaman Uta. If it weren't for his request, we wouldn't have thought of helping a stranger from the sea." After hearing Nef's thanks, a male shaman said so, and another shaman who looked more rough also spoke.
"Strangers from the outer sea usually bring us only disasters and suffering. Since Shaman Uta is willing to help you, it proves that you are different from those other strangers."
"That's right. Uta Shaman once said that you have contributed to the harmony of this land. We are naturally willing to help you. After the ceremony you are about to perform is over, remember to release those souls."
Surrounding Neif, several shamans were communicating with Neif, and Neif responded one by one, treating the shamans who had just helped her quite politely.
The main purpose of Nephnesse coming to the continent was to complete her own promotion ceremony. The high-standard spiritual field, soul resonance, thousand soul suppression, and many other ritual processes required for her promotion ceremony were all easily found in the continent. Therefore, before Dorothy discovered the vision of Frisian, Nephnesse had already embarked on a journey to the continent. After arriving in the continent, Nephnesse happened to catch up with the rare Great Wilderness Festival, so she could perform her own ceremony more conveniently, so Dorothy did not ask her to go back.
Catching up with the Great Wilderness Festival was extremely lucky for Neveu's promotion. As the highest holy place of Shamanism, the Ancestor Valley would only lift such a large-scale ban during the Great Wilderness Festival and was almost completely open to the public. It could be said to be the highest-standard spiritual place in the world, far exceeding the requirements of Neveu's promotion ceremony. Even her ceremony did not require the best location in the center of the Ancestor Valley, but only the marginal area. Originally, Neveu was thinking about whether the mainland could contact a place for the Wilderness Festival as the ceremony site, but she did not expect to be able to enter a holy place like the Ancestor Valley to hold the ceremony.
After arriving at the Ancestral Valley, Uta began to help Neveu arrange the ceremony without stopping. The first process of the ceremony, the resonance with the Red Chengjie soul, was presided over by Uta himself. He channeled the ghost of Rahman, and Neveu resonated with Rahman as the target. Under Uta's support and the blessing of the extremely favorable spiritual environment of the Ancestral Valley, the resonance ceremony was successfully completed.
After the resonance was successful, Uta took Rahman, who became tired during the ceremony, away and asked him to go to other places in the Ancestral Valley to recover. Renef stayed at the scene and immediately started the next step of promotion, which was Thousand Soul Suppression.
In order to help Neveu complete the process, Uta directly invited a number of other shamans who were closely related to him from the camp in the valley to help Neveu complete the ritual process.
It was extremely difficult for Neveu to suppress a thousand souls at the same time within a period of time, and Neveu alone could not do it. Even with the blessing of a super-standard spiritual field and the assistance of a shaman and their wilderness spirits, it would take a lot of time and energy to prepare for the ceremony. However, the opening time of the Ancestor Valley was limited, and the shamans had to participate in the Great Wilderness Festival later, so they did not have time to make so many preparations, and they needed to find another way.
After discussing with the shamans, Neveu came up with a method, which was to use the Netherworld Lamp, which had not yet been fully repaired, to participate in the ceremony. The shamans first channeled a thousand souls from the shallow layer of the netherworld, and then guided and sealed these souls into the Netherworld Lamp, which was a divine object. The Netherworld Lamp combined with the power of the shamans first built a seal to seal the souls, and then the Netherworld Lamp spirit body was melted into Neveu's soul. Although the Netherworld Lamp was still a little damaged, it was still possible to seal a thousand ordinary souls with the help of the shamans.
This whole operation is equivalent to putting a thousand souls under a seal and then stuffing them into Neveu's soul, which makes Neveu's pressure in suppressing the soul much smaller. The whole ceremony went very smoothly, and now the sealed soul combination has been successfully suppressed by Neveu into her own spirit body, and it only needs to last for a few hours.
After the ceremony, Neveu thanked and said goodbye to the shamans who came to help one by one. When she saw off the last person, the shaman Larry who brought the leopard wilderness spirit, Neveu was suddenly startled and heard a familiar voice in her mind. Then she skillfully followed the instructions of the voice and asked Larry.
"By the way, Shaman Larry, all of you decided to come and help me because of Shaman Uta. Because of his words, you are able to help a stranger from the foreign sea like me. You must have a close relationship with him, right?" As Larry was about to leave, Neve looked at him and asked. Listening to Neve's words, Larry couldn't help but pause slightly, and then spoke frankly.
"Dear... not really... We have more respect for Uta Shaman than any close relationship with him."
"Respect?"
"Yes, Uta Shaman has a high reputation among the shamans of the tribe and often likes to instruct the younger generation. You should have noticed that the shamans who came back to help you with the ritual are generally young, and can be considered young people among the shamans of the tribe. When we were traveling and practicing as shamans before becoming shamans, we all visited Uta Shaman's tribe and received his guidance to varying degrees.
“As an extremely knowledgeable old shaman, his guidance was very useful to us at that time. We were able to complete our training and eventually become shamans. The guidance of Uta Shaman played a key role.” Larry recalled while listening to Neveu’s story. After hearing Larry’s words, Neveu’s expression froze and then she spoke again.
"Instruction... Have you and the other one... been taught by Uta Shaman?"
"Yes, and not just us. Uta Shaman's experience and knowledge are well-known throughout the East. Many apprentices in the process of cultivation will come from afar to visit him and seek advice. We are just the ones who have been taught by him for a long time. In a sense, we are half of his disciples... Today, Uta Shaman has something to ask of us, and we will naturally not refuse."
Larry responded to Neveu, and Neveu asked curiously while listening.
"Uta Shaman...does he have such a great influence? Is this common among ordinary tribal shamans?"
"Not often," Larry answered bluntly, then thought for a moment before continuing.
"Shaman Uta is the most influential shaman in the entire East. When he was young, his extensive knowledge, experience in spiritualism, and skills in getting along with spirits were beyond the reach of many old shamans from other tribes. In the East, the only one who can compare with Shaman Uta in these abilities is the guardian of the Eastern Wild Spirit Land, the great shaman Oneida."
Larry said so. Listening to Larry's words, Neve's eyes lit up, and then she asked again.
"So, besides strength, Uta Shaman also possesses the qualities of a great shaman? Do you know where such qualities come from? Is it possible for Uta Shaman to become a great shaman?"
"Are you asking where Uta Shaman's extraordinary wisdom comes from? I don't know that... I only know his wisdom. He was famous for this wisdom when he was young. As for whether Uta Shaman has the possibility of becoming a great shaman... I can only say yes, but the possibility is not great at this stage." Larry responded to Neveu's words anxiously, and Neveu immediately asked after hearing it.
"Not likely...why?"
"Because at this stage, there are no vacancies among the four great shamans..." Larry looked at Nefernis and responded. Then, seeing the confusion in her eyes, he continued speaking.
“As a stranger, you don’t know that here, the way the four great shamans are achieved is controlled by the most respected True Spirit Shamans. The four great shamans guard the deserted spiritual lands in all directions. Only when the position of the Great Shaman becomes vacant will the True Spirit Shamans begin to select his successor.
"When there is a vacancy among the four great shamans, the True Spirit Shaman will notify the tribal shamans in the vacant area and ask those who are interested to come to the Ancestral Valley. Those who have passed the initial test here will leave a record of their entry. Then the True Spirit Shaman will tell these qualified people how to become a great shaman and let them start to travel and train on this land. The qualified people will use their own talents and go through various unknown secret realms under the guidance of the Lord. After going through trials, they will hone themselves to gain experience, explore secrets, and grow rapidly and gradually.
"These trials are extremely dangerous and require one to risk one's life. It is said that passing one of them is a matter of life and death. Only those with superhuman talent and perseverance can complete all the trials, complete their own growth, and be the first to return to the Ancestral Valley ahead of everyone else. With the help of the True Spirit Shaman, they can complete the last step of cultivation and become a Great Shaman.
"Therefore, the opportunity to become a Great Shaman will only appear when there is a vacancy in the four major shamans. Now the four major shamans are all healthy, and the time interval between the end of the last trial and now is not too long. Although Uta Shaman has the ability, he does not have the conditions to become a Great Shaman."
Larry listened to Neve's patient explanation and after listening to Larry's words, Neve nodded in understanding and then continued to ask.
"I've seen your four great shamans before. They're the four closest to the Great Totem, right? There's a very young one among them. Is he the one who became the Great Shaman recently?"
Hearing Neve's question, Larry raised his eyebrows slightly, and then answered.
"Oh... you mean the Great Shaman of the West, Pasadeco. As far as I know, he is indeed the youngest of the four great shamans. He has only been the Great Shaman for more than forty years. It is said that he was the successor chosen through trials after the previous Great Shaman of the West, Chabakunka, fell into the evil ways of witch spirits and was expelled. He was young when he became the Great Shaman, and his aging speed slowed down after he became the Great Shaman. Forty years have not changed him too obviously, so he looks younger than the other Great Shamans."
Larry listened to Neveu's response. After hearing this, Neveu couldn't help but pause for a moment as if thinking about something, and then continued to talk to Larry.
"So that's how it is... Thank you so much, Shaman Larry. The culture of this continent is indeed very interesting..." Neveu said this, and then she had a brief exchange with Larry for a few more words before formally bidding him farewell. Larry used his ability to ride on the leopard, the spirit of the wilderness, and rushed towards the valley camp first.
After all the shamans left, Neveu, who was left alone, first dealt with the ceremony site a little, and then walked towards the valley camp. Halfway there, she met Capak who came to pick her up.
"How is it? Miss Thief, how did the ceremony go?" On the road in the forest, Kapak saw Neveu in front of him and asked directly. Neveu answered immediately.
"It's okay... The sealing ceremony was successful. We just need to release these spirits after a while. Now we can consider how to perform the final stage of the ceremony." Neveu said to Capac. Capac's expression relaxed at first after listening to Neveu's words, and then he spoke in a slightly serious tone.
"Regarding the final stage of Miss Thief's ritual, Mr. Uta just discussed it with his other friends, and they have reached a preliminary conclusion."
"Preliminary results...what do you say?" Neve asked with interest after listening to Kapak's words, and the other party continued to answer.
"According to Teacher Uta, if one wants to return to the world from the depths of the netherworld, extremely close to the position of the great soul, only two conditions are needed: a strong spiritual will and a strong psychic power.
"The closer the spirit is to the Great Soul, the more it will be affected by the powerful force of return. At first, it will be pulled by the Great Soul involuntarily, and then its will will be slowly worn away, and it will be reluctantly waiting for the Great Soul to return. During this process, only the strength of the spirit itself can barely resist this process. As long as the spirit itself is strong enough, it can get rid of the force of return by itself and return to the real world. However, this kind of spirit strength is not something that ordinary shamans... that is, what you usually call the Cretaceous extraordinary people on your land can have. Without using other special methods, it is impossible to complete the return by itself.
"Therefore... Miss Thief, your ritual probably requires the assistance of powerful psychic power. A powerful enough psychic power can not only guide your soul from the netherworld, but also pull your soul up from the real world. This is a way to assist you in completing the ritual from the perspective of the real world." Capac said this to Neveu, and Neveu couldn't help but start thinking in her heart after hearing this.
As for the last item of her promotion ceremony, the method of entering the return ceremony, she had learned about various ways of entering before. According to the confession of the prisoner, the leader of the Haisha Society, Ghalib Church, the Treasure Stealing Society had its own ideas for completing this ceremony. They either summoned the creatures of the underworld in advance, gave them rewards and signed contracts, and let them assist them in entering and returning, or devoured a large number of souls through evil methods to enhance their soul strength in a short period of time...
Most of these methods are ineffective for Nefernis now, but fortunately she has connections with the shamans of the continent. As long as the rituals are arranged properly, the shamans can use their powerful psychic powers to "fish" Nefernis' soul out.
These shamans...are really useful...
Neve sighed in her heart, then she looked at Kapak and said with a smile.
"Ha, I have to trouble those shamans again... I feel a little embarrassed. So when will Uta Shaman arrange the last ceremony for me?"
"As for this... I guess we have to wait until the Great Wilderness Festival is over. To ensure that you, Miss Thief, have strong psychic power so that you can return smoothly, we need more shamans to participate in the ceremony, more than today's. This will require Teacher Uta to spend more time to contact and negotiate. So we should have to wait until after the Great Wilderness Festival..." Kapak said as he walked forward with Neveu. After listening, Neveu nodded in understanding.
"It doesn't matter. Time is not a problem... But by then I will have to trouble Uta Shaman again. I didn't expect that Uta Shaman actually had such a status in this continent. If it weren't for him, my promotion ceremony would probably be much more troublesome..."
Neve said this with emotion, and at this time Capac also spoke in agreement.
"Yes, our tribe is very lucky to have Teacher Uta as a shaman. Over the past forty years, we have really received a lot of kindness from the teacher."
"Yes, it would be nice to have..."
Neve continued to speak while listening to Kapak's words. Just when she opened her mouth to speak, the familiar voice suddenly rang in her mind again, interrupting her words and making her startled. This made Kapak frown slightly after seeing this.
"What's wrong, Miss Thief?"
"No, nothing... That person contacted me and asked me to ask you... How long has Shaman Uta stayed in your tribe?"
Looking at Capac with a slightly serious look, Neve asked bluntly. Capac was originally confused, but after hearing "that one", he immediately answered solemnly.
"Before I was born, Teacher Uta had already been a shaman in the tribe... As far as I know, he has been in our tribe for about forty years..."
"Forty years... So, do you know how Shaman Uta came to your tribe? Is he an original member of your tribe?" Neve continued to ask Kapak, and Kapak answered while thinking.
"Well... I once heard from the teacher that he is not from our Tupa tribe, but a wandering monk from the west. Forty years ago, when he was young, he suddenly felt confused and tired after a long period of travel and cultivation, so he found a local tribe to settle down, and then he came to the present... In short, our tribe is lucky to meet Teacher Wuta..."
Capac then spoke to Neveu, and after Neveu finished listening to Capac's words, she heard the voice in her heart again, and her expression changed slightly.
"Hurry up... Capac, let's go back to the camp now. There are some things I need to confirm with Shaman Uta." After saying this briefly, Neve quickened her pace and walked towards the camp. Capac, who was standing by, looked puzzled after seeing this, but after a moment he didn't think much about it and just followed closely.
The two of them walked quickly along the road in the forest. When they had not gone far, two figures suddenly appeared in front of them. Looking closely, they found that they were several indigenous warriors holding spears. They were looking at Neveu and Capac with stern expressions.
"Stop...Stranger, young man, there has been an unusual movement of souls in this area. The Great Shaman of the West has ordered us to investigate. Please cooperate and follow us."
The leading warrior looked at Capac and Neveu and spoke directly. After hearing what they said, Capac turned around and whispered to Neveu.
"These seem to be the Great Shaman's men. One of the Great Shaman must have sensed the unusual movement during the ceremony just now, so he sent people to check it out. Let's go with them and explain the situation clearly. The ceremony just now is not harmful to the Ancestral Valley and the Great Wilderness Festival. Everything will be fine if we explain it clearly." Capac said to Neveu. After listening to Capac's words, Neveu couldn't help but feel a little relieved and spoke.
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