Chapter 763 : The Great Shaman

To the west of the Main Continent, across the vast ocean, lies the New Continent, an unfamiliar land to the people of the current Fourth Epoch.

Some time ago, deep within the Starfall Continent, the highest and most sacred land of the Shamanism, Ancestral Valley, normally hidden behind powerful restrictions, was temporarily opened to the people of this land once again for the sake of an ancient and holy ritual.

Shamans from various tribes across the Starfall Continent, upon sensing the summons, set off with their spirits and attendants, journeying from all directions to converge here, forming the largest shamanic gathering seen in this epoch.

At dusk, beneath the dimming sunlight in the western sky, the grand and magnificent Ancestral Valley was illuminated. Countless tents, bearing tribal characteristics of the Starfall Continent, were erected throughout the wide valley, with threads of smoke rising gently from within, drifting into the sky.

Within their encampments scattered across the valley, over a hundred shamans sat in focused meditation toward the colossal totem pole at the valley’s center, preparing themselves for the upcoming ancient ritual.

At the valley's edge, atop lofty cliffs, and within a forest slightly removed from the main gathering, a smaller-scale ritual was already underway—a preliminary act ahead of the Great Wild Rite. Its participants were mostly shamans as well.

In a clearing amidst the woods, a large Silence ritual array glowed faintly on the ground. At its perimeter, six figures sat cross-legged in a ring—six shamans, each with distinct clothing and features, eyes closed as they chanted in low murmurs. Surrounding them hovered several spirit forms in the shape of beasts—powerful wild spirits summoned by the shamans—each emitting ethereal light as they gazed at the ritual array, seemingly taking part as well.

At the center of this array sat a dark-skinned, beautiful woman, Nephthys. She now served as the focal point of the ritual, deep in meditation within a powerful spiritual field. Amidst the shamans’ chants and the swirling vortex of spirituality, Nephthys kept her eyes tightly shut, her face tense as beads of sweat rolled down her brow. She appeared to be enduring something intense.

Floating before Nephthys was a translucent, spirit-like object—an ancient goblet, faintly cracked in places. Within it, a spinning greenish glow swirled at high speed. On close inspection, numerous human faces seemed to flicker within the light, their faint, piercing screams echoing out.

The spirit goblet floated steadily toward Nephthys, eventually merging into her body through her chest. At that moment, the ritual array beneath her flared with brilliance, and the surrounding shamans raised their chants in intensity.

The ritual had clearly entered a critical phase. Nephthys’s expression grew increasingly strained, her breathing ragged, sweat pouring freely. The sensation of barely enduring something grew sharper, but she persisted with all her will.

After three or four minutes of this, the climax passed, and the ritual began to conclude. The array’s glow gradually dimmed, and Nephthys’s breathing slowly calmed. Her tightly furrowed brow finally eased. When the shamans’ chants came to a stop, the array faded completely and vanished. Nephthys exhaled deeply in relief.

“Phew... finally…”

After taking a few deep breaths, Nephthys steadied her emotions and slowly stood up. She stepped forward toward the shamans who had conducted the ritual. One of them now walked toward her—a female shaman wearing long robes, her body covered in vivid ceremonial paint, a bone crown on her head, and wild black hair cascading down. At her side stood a spirit in the form of a leopard, guarding her as she addressed Nephthys.

“The ritual is complete. Per Uta’s request, we’ve implanted the soul—sealed within the vessel—into your spirit body. From here on, what happens is up to you, outsider.

“Be ever cautious. Stabilize the ritual marks within your spirit body and suppress the souls. Otherwise, the consequences could be dire.”

“Ah… Thank you, Shaman Lari. Thank you, all of you…”

Nephthys replied in Spirit-Glyph language as she came before the female shaman. Seeing the other shamans who had gathered nearby, she extended her gratitude to them one by one.

“If you wish to thank someone, thank Shaman Uta. If not for his request, we’d never have considered helping an outsider from across the sea,” one male shaman said bluntly.

Another, rougher-looking shaman followed up.

“Outsiders from across the sea usually bring nothing but misfortune and pain. But if Shaman Uta is willing to help you, it proves you’re not like the others.”

“Indeed. Shaman Uta said you once contributed to the harmony of this land. Naturally, we are willing to aid you. When your ritual is over, be sure to return those souls.”

Several shamans spoke with Nephthys, and she responded courteously to each, showing due respect to those who had just aided her.

Nephthys had come to the New Continent with the sole purpose of completing her advancement ritual. The components required, high-grade spiritual fields, soul resonance, Thousand-Soul Suppression, and other complex ritual procedures, were far easier to perform here. Thus, even before Dorothy noticed the anomalies in Frisland, Nephthys had already set out on her journey to the New Continent. And once she arrived, fortuitously coinciding with the once-in-an-era Great Wild Rite, she found the perfect opportunity to carry out her ceremony. Because of that, Dorothy hadn’t called her back.

To Nephthys, the timing of the Great Wild Rite was incredibly lucky. As the most sacred land of Shamanism, Ancestral Valley only lifts its restrictions and opens to the outside world during this event. It is the highest-grade spiritual field on the entire planet—far exceeding the requirements of Nephthys’s ritual. In fact, her ceremony didn’t even need to be held at the valley’s center; the outer edge was already sufficient. Originally, she had only hoped to find a suitable wilderness site on the New Continent, never expecting she’d be allowed to perform her ritual in such a sacred place.

Once in the Ancestral Valley, Uta wasted no time in helping Nephthys prepare. The first stage—resonating with a Crimson-rank soul—was personally overseen by Uta, who summoned the spirit of Rachman. Nephthys used Rachman as her resonance target, and under Uta’s guidance, empowered by the valley’s superior spiritual environment, the ritual was a smooth success.

Afterward, Uta took the exhausted Rachman away to rest elsewhere in the valley, while Nephthys remained behind to begin the next step of her advancement: the Thousand-Soul Suppression.

To aid her, Uta directly summoned six shamans he was close with from the valley encampment to help Nephthys complete the process.

It would be nearly impossible for Nephthys to suppress a thousand souls simultaneously for any extended duration using her own power alone. Even with the aid of a high-grade spiritual field, six assisting shamans, and their accompanying wild spirits, the process would normally demand extensive time and effort for ritual preparation. However, the Ancestral Valley was only open for a limited period, and the shamans still had to participate in the upcoming Great Wild Rite. They couldn’t afford the luxury of lengthy preparations. A different approach was needed.

After consulting with the shamans, Nephthys proposed a solution: to incorporate the still-damaged Goblet of Nether Guidance into the ritual. The shamans would first successively summon a thousand souls from the shallows of the Nether Realm, then guide and seal them within the divinely protected Goblet. Using the Goblet, they could jointly construct a seal to contain the souls. Then, the Goblet would be transformed into a spirit form and merged into Nephthys’s soul. Though the Goblet remained damaged, with the shamans’ assistance, sealing a thousand ordinary souls was still feasible.

This method was akin to pre-sealing the thousand souls before placing them within Nephthys’s spiritual body, greatly reducing the burden she would have otherwise had to endure during suppression. The ritual progressed smoothly, and the sealed souls were successfully contained within Nephthys’s spiritual body. She now only needed to maintain the suppression for a few more hours.

After the ritual concluded, Nephthys bid farewell to each of the shamans who had assisted her. When she reached the last one, the female shaman Lari, accompanied by her leopard-shaped wild spirit, she suddenly froze slightly. Having just heard a familiar voice within her mind. Following its instruction instinctively, she turned and asked Lari.

“By the way, Shaman Lari, since you all came to help me because of Shaman Uta’s request, and were willing to assist a stranger from overseas just on his word, you must be quite close to him, right?”

Hearing this, Lari paused briefly, then replied frankly.

“Close? I wouldn’t go that far… what we hold for Shaman Uta is respect, rather than personal intimacy.”

“Respect?” Nephthys echoed.

“Yes. Shaman Uta is widely esteemed among the tribal shamans. He often mentors the younger generation. You may have noticed that most of the shamans who helped you this time are relatively young—they’re part of the younger generation of tribal shamans. Back when we were still journeying and training before becoming shamans, we each visited Shaman Uta’s tribe and received some degree of guidance from him.

“As a learned and experienced elder, his teachings were invaluable to us at the time. His guidance played a pivotal role in helping us ultimately complete our training and become shamans.”

As Lari spoke, recalling the past, Nephthys’s expression grew thoughtful.

“Guidance… So all six of you were once taught by Shaman Uta?”

“Yes, and not just us. Shaman Uta’s wisdom and knowledge are renowned throughout the Eastern Lands. Many apprentices in the midst of their training make long journeys just to seek his advice. The six of us were merely among those who received extended guidance. We could be considered, in some sense, his half-disciples. So when Shaman Uta asked us for help today, none of us hesitated.”

Lari’s words piqued Nephthys’s curiosity further.

“Shaman Uta… does he hold that much influence? Is this kind of standing common among tribal shamans?”

“Not at all,” Lari said directly.

After a brief moment of thought, she continued.

“Shaman Uta is probably the most influential shaman in the Eastern Lands. In his youth, his breadth of knowledge, spirit-summoning experience, and skills in communion with spirits already far exceeded those of most elder shamans from other tribes. In the East, the only one who might rival him in such abilities would be the Great Shaman of the Eastern Wilderness Lands, Onayda.”

As Lari spoke, Nephthys’s eyes lit up. She immediately followed up with another question.

“Then does that mean Shaman Uta possesses the qualities of a Great Shaman? Do you know where such qualities come from? Does he have a chance of becoming one?”

“You mean where his extraordinary wisdom comes from? That I don’t know… I only know that he was already famous for his intellect when he was still young. As for whether he might become a Great Shaman… I’d say there’s a possibility, but not in the near future.”

Nephthys immediately asked, “Why not?”

“Because currently, there are no vacancies among the Four Great Shamans,” Lari explained, then continued upon seeing Nephthys’s puzzled look.

“As a foreigner, you may not know—among us, the appointment of the Four Great Shamans is managed solely by the True Spirit Shaman, whom we revere above all. The Four Great Shamans serve as guardians of the four regions of the Wilderness Lands. Only when a seat becomes vacant does the True Spirit Shaman begin selecting a successor.

“When a vacancy appears, the True Spirit Shaman sends word to the tribal shamans in that region. Those interested must travel to the Ancestral Valley. Those who pass the initial trials here have their qualifications recorded. Then the True Spirit Shaman reveals to them the path of cultivation required to become a Great Shaman. From there, they begin a pilgrimage across this vast land, guided to hidden realms, undertaking perilous trials, refining themselves through adversity, and uncovering mysteries in order to rapidly grow and surpass their peers.

“These trials are incredibly dangerous. Each one is a gamble with death. It’s said that every step is a near-death experience. Only those with unmatched talent and perseverance can complete them all, return to the Ancestral Valley ahead of the rest And with the True Spirit Shaman’s aid, complete the final step of their cultivation to become a Great Shaman.

“As such, the opportunity to attain Great Shamanhood only arises when a seat is vacant. All four seats are currently filled, and not much time has passed since the last succession. While Shaman Uta is certainly capable, he does not currently meet the conditions required.”

Lari patiently explained all this to Nephthys. Hearing it, Nephthys nodded in understanding, then asked another question.

“I saw the Four Great Shamans earlier, those positioned closest to the great totem, right? One of them looked rather young. Is he the most recent Great Shaman?”

Lari raised an eyebrow slightly at the question and answered.

“Oh… you must mean the Western Great Shaman—Pasadiko. Yes, as far as I know, he is the youngest among the current four. He became a Great Shaman just over forty years ago. The previous Western Great Shaman, Chabakunka, was expelled for falling into the corrupted shamanic path. Pasadiko was selected through the trials to succeed him. He was already very young when he ascended, and since becoming a Great Shaman, his aging has slowed considerably. So even after forty years, he still appears younger than the others.”

Lari responded to Nephthys in this manner. After listening, Nephthys fell into brief thought, her gaze tightening slightly, then she said to Lari.

“I see… Thank you, Shaman Lari. The culture of this continent truly is fascinating…”

Nephthys remarked, and after exchanging a few more words with Lari, she formally took her leave. Lari mounted her leopard-shaped wild spirit in its spiritual form and swiftly headed back toward the valley encampment.

Once all the shamans had departed, Nephthys remained alone. She briefly tidied the ritual site before also making her way toward the valley camp. On her way there, she encountered her escort, Kapak.

“How did it go, Miss Thief? How was the ritual?”

Kapak asked frankly upon seeing her along the forest path. Nephthys immediately answered.

“It went alright… The sealing ritual was a success. As long as I release the souls after a few hours, it’ll be fine. Now I can start considering how to carry out the final stage of the advancement ritual.”

Kapak's expression relaxed slightly at her words, then he spoke with a more serious tone.

“Regarding the final phase of your ritual, Miss Thief, Master Uta has just been discussing it with some of his other acquaintances. A preliminary consensus has been reached.”

“A preliminary consensus? Do tell.”

Nephthys asked with interest, and Kapak continued.

“According to Master Uta, to return from the depths of the Nether Realm—especially from a place so close to the Great Soul—there are only two necessary conditions: a powerful spirit body and strong mediumship.

“The closer the spirit gets to the Great Soul, the more it’s affected by its pull. At first, it’s passively dragged in, and then the will itself starts to erode, willingly returning to the Great Soul. The only way to resist this is through sheer spiritual strength. If the spirit body is strong enough, it can shake off the pull and return to the material world. But this level of spiritual strength is far beyond that of an ordinary shaman—or, as they’re called in your land, White Ash-rank Beyonders. Without any special methods, returning on one’s own is impossible.

“Therefore, for your ritual, Miss Thief, the best option is to rely on a strong mediumship force. Not only can it guide your soul through the Nether Realm, but it can also reel your spirit back into the material world from here—that’s how we can support you from this side.”

Nephthys began to ponder upon hearing that.

She had researched the final phase of her advancement ritual—the return ritual—and had looked into various methods. According to the confession of the imprisoned leader of the Corpse-Sand Society, Garib, the thieves’ syndicate had their own approaches: some would summon Inner Realm creatures from the Nether Realm, offer them compensation, and form contracts for assistance in returning; others used dark rituals to devour vast numbers of souls and artificially boost their soul strength in a short time.

But for Nephthys, most of those methods were not viable. Fortunately, she had the connections of New Continent shamans. As long as the ritual was properly arranged, the shamans could use their strong mediumship to “fish” her soul back from the other side.

“These shamans… are really too useful…”

Nephthys couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Then she smiled and said to Kapak.

“Hah, I’ll be troubling those shamans again, huh… I feel a bit guilty. So, when does Shaman Uta plan to hold the final phase of my ritual?”

“That… probably after the Great Wild Rite concludes. To generate a mediumship force strong enough to guarantee your successful return, Miss Thief, we’ll need even more shamans than today. That’ll take more time and negotiation from Master Uta. So the gathering will likely happen after the Rite.”

As they walked, Kapak explained. Nephthys nodded in understanding.

“No problem. Time isn’t an issue… It’s just that I hadn’t expected Shaman Uta to hold such influence here on the New Continent. Without him, I imagine my advancement ritual would’ve been far more difficult…”

Nephthys spoke with heartfelt appreciation, and Kapak echoed her sentiment.

“Indeed, it’s been a great blessing for our tribe to have Master Uta as our shaman. Over the past forty years, he’s truly given us so much.”

“Yes, to have…”

Nephthys began to respond, but just as she started her sentence, that familiar voice echoed urgently within her mind again, cutting her off mid-speech. She froze slightly, prompting Kapak to raise his brow in concern.

“What’s wrong, Miss Thief?”

“It’s… nothing… ‘She’ is contacting me again. She wants me to ask you. How long has Shaman Uta been with your tribe?”

Nephthys looked at Kapak with a slightly more serious expression and asked directly. Though initially confused, Kapak's face grew solemn upon hearing the words “she,” and he replied earnestly.

“Before I was even born, Master Uta had already settled in our tribe… As far as I know, he’s been with us for nearly forty years.”

“Forty years… Then do you know how he came to your tribe? Was he originally from your people?”

Nephthys followed up. Kapak responded after a moment of thought.

“Well… I remember Master Uta once said he wasn’t originally from the Tupa Tribe. He was a wandering shaman from the western regions. Forty years ago, while still young, he became weary and lost during his long journey of training. So he settled in our tribe, and has been with us ever since… Honestly, it was pure luck that we met him.”

Kapak continued, but as Nephthys listened, that familiar voice echoed again inside her mind. Her expression changed slightly.

“Quick… Kapak, we need to return to the camp immediately. There’s something I must confirm with Shaman Uta.”

With that short and urgent statement, Nephthys quickened her pace toward the camp. Though visibly confused, Kapak didn’t ask further and followed closely behind.

The two moved swiftly through the forest path. Before long, they encountered two figures ahead, native warriors holding spears, glaring at them sternly.

“Stop… Outsiders. Just now, there was an unusual soul disturbance in this area. The Great Shaman has ordered us to investigate. Please cooperate and come with us.”

The lead warrior addressed Nephthys and Kapak directly. Upon hearing this, Kapak turned and whispered to her.

“These seem to be the Great Shaman’s men. Probably sensed the fluctuation from the ritual just now and were sent to check it out. We should go with them and explain. That ritual didn’t endanger the Ancestral Valley or the Great Rite. Once they understand, it’ll be fine.”

Kapak reassured her. Hearing that, Nephthys relaxed slightly and opened her mouth.

“I see, then we’ll—”

But before she could finish, the voice in her mind interrupted again, this time with urgent warning. Nephthys stiffened, her eyes suddenly widening.

“The Great Shaman… No. No, we can’t go with them. Run. Now!”

Even as she spoke, Nephthys turned sharply and bolted in the opposite direction. Seeing her sudden reaction, Kapak froze in shock. A heartbeat later, though still unsure what was happening, he followed without question, spinning on his heels to run after her.

However, the two of them had barely run a short distance when a figure suddenly descended from the sky, landing directly in their path.

He wore a black robe adorned with feathered decorations. His long staff was strung with numerous rune-etched cloth strips, and brown markings in the shape of a hand were painted over his youthful face. His long black hair was tied into several braids with a headband and hung loosely behind him.

Appearing before Nephthys and Kapak now was a young man in shaman’s attire—someone both of them had seen earlier beside the great totem pillar within the valley. He was none other than Pasadiko, the youngest among the Four Great Shamans and successor to Chabakunka as the Western Great Shaman!

“G-Great Shaman…”

“Run!”

Seeing Pasadiko appear so suddenly, Kapak recoiled in shock. Nephthys, however, reacted with urgency, spinning around and bolting in another direction. Pasadiko only cast them a cold glance before silently lifting his hand.

“Soul Bind.”

With his murmured incantation, several spirit-formed cords burst forth from the ground beneath them, swiftly binding Nephthys and Kapak. As the cords wrapped around them, both felt an overwhelming force suppressing their souls. That soul-level suppression was transmitted into their bodies, rendering them completely immobile.

“Damn…

“Such overwhelming suppression… So this is the power of a Great Shaman? He feels even stronger than the presence I faced in Rachman’s tomb…”

Bound in an instant, both Nephthys and Kapak struggled with all their might while grappling with the gravity of the situation. Kapak, struggling, looked desperately at Pasadiko and cried out.

“Y-you must be Great Shaman Pasadiko! Please release us—this is all a misunderstanding! We can explain everything!”

But Pasadiko didn’t respond immediately. He simply stared at them with an icy gaze before speaking indifferently.

“Whether this is a misunderstanding or not… you both know the answer. Carrying what you shouldn’t have, die.”

With that cold declaration, Pasadiko activated his ability, intending to directly kill them at the soul level, stripping their souls from the living and turning them into dead spirits.

Realizing there was no intent to negotiate, Nephthys’s eyes widened in terror. In that desperate moment, she activated a hidden power within her soul. A ripple of spiritual fluctuation emerged, and Pasadiko’s expression visibly tensed. He immediately halted his execution gesture.

“Hah… hah… Please don’t act rashly, Great Shaman. If you move against me here, everyone in the valley will sense what happened. You wouldn’t want to expose your plans before they’ve even begun, would you?”

Panting, Nephthys locked eyes with Pasadiko and made her threat. He stared solemnly at her for a moment, then slowly lowered his hand. As he examined Nephthys and Kapak, he said in a cold tone.

“There’s something like this inside your soul? Interesting…”

What halted Pasadiko’s lethal attack was the Goblet of Nether Guidance within Nephthys—a divine artifact sealed with over a thousand souls. At the brink of death, she had overloaded the Goblet’s spirituality. If her soul suffered any major harm—death, separation, or serious damage—she would lose control of the overloaded goblet. The result: detonation.

A divine artifact detonating with a thousand souls would trigger a massive soul catastrophe. Even though Pasadiko’s strength seemed to exceed even typical Great Shamans and he might not be seriously harmed, the explosion would certainly draw the attention of every shaman in the Ancestral Valley.

The other three Great Shamans, and perhaps even the still-unrevealed True Spirit Shaman, would rush to investigate. Even if Pasadiko managed to talk his way out of it, suspicion would inevitably fall on him, and he would face constant scrutiny from then on.

From what “she” had told her, Nephthys knew that Pasadiko was no benevolent force. He was not truly on the side of the Shamanic faith. He was planning something during the Great Wild Rite. If the True Spirit Shaman or other Great Shamans began to suspect him, his plans could collapse.

With this understanding, Nephthys used the overloaded Goblet of Nether Guidance to threaten self-detonation and succeeded in halting Pasadiko’s attack.

But just because Pasadiko couldn’t kill her directly didn’t mean he was out of options.

“Don’t get cocky… woman…”

He muttered coldly, raising his hand again. Changing gestures, he made a casual swipe, and beneath Nephthys, a ritual array aligned with Silence lit up. Within it, her body began turning transparent. Pasadiko’s power was forcibly shifting her into a fully spiritual form!

“What is this?!”

Nephthys gasped as her body transformed. Pasadiko waved his hand once more, and the array beneath her feet darkened, morphing into a black void, like a bottomless pit leading underground.

“Banishment.”

With that quiet incantation, a powerful suction force erupted from the void. The now-spiritual Nephthys was dragged downward into the darkness with a scream.

“Miss Thief!”

Kapak, horrified, tried to grab her, but he was still immobilized and failed. All he could do was watch helplessly as Nephthys fell into the black pit, which then reverted to a ritual array, and vanished.

Banishment to the Nether Realm—that was Pasadiko’s solution to the “spiritual bomb” Nephthys had become. Since he couldn’t kill her, couldn’t disperse her soul, nor strip her consciousness, he chose to remove her from this world entirely.

Using a powerful inverse-mediumship technique, he cast Nephthys into the deep Nether Realm—somewhere unreachable. Even if she detonated there, the material world would feel nothing. That was Pasadiko’s answer.

After disposing of Nephthys, Pasadiko turned toward the still-bound and furious Kapak.

“You… are you also a traitor? One of those who betrayed the Great Soul? A member of that so-called… Nether Coffin Order?”

Kapak glared at him and shouted angrily, but Pasadiko ignored his words. He was carefully analyzing Kapak’s soul and found something unusual.

“So many soul-embedded safeguards… That’s nearly flawless defensive conditioning. You really had a good teacher, boy.”

To avoid triggering a backlash, Pasadiko studied Kapak’s soul in detail. He found a strange external linkage, a connection tying Kapak’s soul to another. The two were bonded through some complex ritual. Killing Kapak here would immediately alert the linked party and even reveal parts of Kapak’s final mental state.

This link resembled a variant of the Shamanic Soul Chain—a technique normally used to tether souls in unity. But this version was more sophisticated: long-lasting and capable of transmitting alerts upon major disturbances.

“What a brilliant invention… approaching Crimson-rank in sophistication… So it’s him. After vanishing all those years ago, he still took on disciples elsewhere…”

As he stared at Kapak, Pasadiko recalled a familiar face from the past. Remembering that man’s abilities, he decided not to kill Kapak—yet.

He needed time to figure out how to sever this soul link. Otherwise, murdering Kapak would leak dangerous information. Thanks to his teacher’s protection, Kapak narrowly avoided death. Pasadiko planned to deal with him after the Great Wild Rite. But first, he needed to strip Kapak of all agency.

Facing him, Pasadiko retrieved a bone shard from his robes and gestured upward. Kapak shuddered—his semi-transparent soul tore from his body and spiraled toward Pasadiko, fusing into the shard and sealing within it. Kapak’s now-soulless body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

Because the soul link kept part of Kapak’s spirit anchored to this realm, Pasadiko avoided Nether banishment—lest Kapak be easily summoned back. Instead, he opted for sealing, keeping Kapak’s living soul nearby, reducing fluctuations that might alert the linked party.

“Take this—along with the body. Find a place and reinforce the spiritual seal. I’ll handle him after the Great Rite.”

Pasadiko handed the bone shard to a group of approaching warrior-like subordinates. They saluted respectfully, lifted Kapak’s body, and departed.

Then Pasadiko turned, gazing back toward the valley, toward the towering totem pole in the distance.

And once again, he stepped forward.

…

Northern Main Continent, Frisland.

Late at night, inside a luxurious hotel suite in Aransdel, Dorothy slowly rose from her seat on the balcony. With a heavy expression, she walked to the railing and gazed solemnly toward the west.

“One of the Four Great Shamans… is actually a member of the Nether Coffin Order. This is bad…”

Rubbing the corner of her eyes, Dorothy thought grimly. By the time she realized there was likely a problem among the Four Great Shamans, it was already too late.

She had long taken an interest in Uta’s circumstances. As an elder possessing immense knowledge and experience, it was strange that he remained merely a tribal shaman. Even when an ancient warrior like Harald felt something was wrong, Uta himself still claimed nothing was amiss. That alone raised red flags for Dorothy.

So, after the Soul Suppression Ritual concluded, Dorothy had Nephthys discreetly inquire about Uta’s background from other shamans. From this, she learned about the Great Shaman selection process. Combined with what Kapak had told her, she immediately spotted the anomaly.

The Great Shaman selection only begins when a seat becomes vacant. Candidates who pass the preliminary trial before the True Spirit Shaman are sent across the New Continent to undergo pilgrimage trials. They venture into hidden realms, gain experience, study secrets, and grow rapidly under divine guidance. The first to complete all the trials and return to the Ancestral Valley is crowned the new Great Shaman.

The most recent selection occurred forty years ago for the vacant Western Great Shaman seat. According to Kapak, Uta arrived at the Tupa Tribe from the west forty years ago, appearing weary and aimless. It lined up perfectly. Uta was likely one of the participants in that selection!

These pilgrimage trials weren't just tests. They were part of the advancement itself. Under the True Spirit Shaman’s guidance, participants would enter obscure secret realms and undergo deadly trials. If one survived all that, they would essentially become a proto–Great Shaman, fully possessing the necessary traits. Returning to the Ancestral Valley likely marked the final ritual phase to complete their advancement.

And yet, Uta never returned. He wandered into the Tupa Tribe, lost and aimless, becoming a mere tribal shaman. The reason, most likely… was the Nether Coffin Order.

If the Nether Coffin Order wanted to ensure that their chosen candidate succeeded in the Great Shaman selection, what would they do? The most direct method would be to secretly eliminate the competition during the pilgrimage. But that’s risky. Candidates are scattered across the continent, and the True Spirit Shaman could potentially commune with the souls of the dead participants and uncover the truth. Murder would be too dangerous.

So instead of killing… the smarter approach would be to “make them forget,” using the power of the Forgotten King.

As long as they could obtain some information or a personal item from the other candidates—either in the Ancestral Valley or elsewhere—the Nether Coffin Order could use divine power to rob the most talented candidates of their purpose. Induce confusion. Make them forget why they were chosen. And with that, their own candidate would become Great Shaman with 100% certainty—unchallenged.

And then, forty years later, that candidate would stand at the heart of today’s Great Wild Rite, occupying the most crucial role in the ceremony…

“The Nether Coffin Order… what do they plan to do during the Rite? Their target is likely the divine eagle—Suun!”

At this moment, Dorothy saw the Nether Coffin Order’s intentions more clearly than ever. For the sake of this day, they had begun laying their plans for decades, or perhaps even centuries ago.

“I have to notify Uta immediately… about the Nether Coffin Order’s plot and Pasadiko’s true identity. But right now… both Nephthys and Kapak are immobilized… What should I do?”

Frowning, Dorothy anxiously pondered. When she first suspected Pasadiko, she had immediately instructed Nephthys and Kapak to seek confirmation from Uta. But unexpectedly, the other party struck first, intercepting them directly. From distant Frisland, most of Dorothy’s powers couldn’t reach them. They stood no chance against Pasadiko.

Nephthys and Kapak were her only points of contact in the Ancestral Valley. Dorothy hadn’t established a communication channel with Uta himself—his faith in the Great Soul was too devout. Kapak had once suggested he pray to Aka, but he refused to listen.

Now Nephthys had been banished into the depths of the Nether Realm, and Kapak was sealed. Dorothy had effectively lost all connection with the Ancestral Valley. Not just the ability to help, she couldn’t even send a message.

“…This is really… a headache.”

Pressing her forehead, Dorothy muttered bitterly. She glanced out once more at the night skyline of Aransdel, thought about Kramar’s purification plan and the surrounding conspiracies, then recalled the current state of the vanished city of Stinam.

Her troubles only mounted.

“The problem… isn’t isolated. The Nether Coffin Order has begun their scheme across multiple fronts at once…”

New Continent… Main Continent… Ancestral Valley, Aransdel, Stinam… Pasadiko, Kramar, Amanda, Sinclair…

Dorothy could now see it clearly. The Nether Coffin Order’s plot spanned centuries and wove together key locations and figures. These seemingly unrelated points were, in fact, all subtly connected, forming the outline of a grand plan crafted by the Nether Coffin.

If the Nether Coffin Order’s scheme was to strike from many fronts simultaneously, then Dorothy too, would need to break the formation from multiple angles.

Slowly, Dorothy returned to her seat. After calming herself, she began meditating, strategizing how to disrupt the plan.

Suddenly, a nearly forgotten piece of intelligence surfaced in her mind. As she contemplated it, Dorothy reached into her magic box and pulled out a photograph.

The photo showed a blurred mirror shard—an artifact Artcheli had once mentioned. It was discovered aboard the Twilight Devotion following the Tivian incident. Scrawled chaotically on the shard were the words: “Go to Stinam.”

Gazing at the photo, Dorothy’s thoughts drifted. A thread of connection wove itself, linking this object to the distant chaos unfolding in the Ancestral Valley.