In ancient times, the boundaries between spiritual beasts and ordinary animals were not clearly defined. After the emergence of humans, those who were benevolent and helpful to people were considered spiritual, while those who harmed humans and caused chaos were deemed demonic. As for ancient, extinct creatures like dragons, phoenixes, and qilins that had never been seen, they were regarded as celestial.
The Nine-Colored Deer was a type of spiritual beast. Legend had it that those who saw a Nine-Colored Deer would receive unexpected good fortune.
However, Nanyan dared not assume this. Her divine sense was currently compressed by the energy of the Mountain-Sea Prohibition Decision, preventing her from discerning the Nine-Colored Deer’s strength. Seeing the adult Nine-Colored Deer’s imposing two-zhang-tall figure, she instinctively felt that if a conflict arose, her death would be certain.
The small Nine-Colored Deer pranced to the feet of the adult ones, bouncing back and forth, seemingly recounting recent events.
As Nanyan watched them communicating, she was initially bewildered. Suddenly, a golden light seeped out from the phoenix gold thread on the Vermilion Bird Crying Heavens Skirt in her storage ring, entering her body of its own accord.
To her surprise, Nanyan found she could vaguely understand what the Nine-Colored Deer were saying.
Nine-Colored Deer: “Chirp? Chirp chirp chirp? (… She fell in your area, why didn’t you eat her?)”
Small Deer: “Yew… yew yew yew. (She’s even smaller than me, I couldn’t bear to. But she smells nice, I licked her several times.)”
Nine-Colored Deer: “Chirp, chirp… (Indeed, there’s the aura of a high-level demonic beast. I’ll chat with her…)”
Understanding their conversation, Nanyan looked at the clear, pure eyes of the large and small Nine-Colored Deer, feeling quite unsettled.
She took half a step back: “… If there’s nothing else, please excuse me.”
“Wait.” This voice came from the Nine-Colored Deer, a mesmerizingly gentle female voice. Seeing Nanyan’s astonished face, it gazed at her with gentle, pure eyes and spoke in human language.
“Don’t be alarmed. Nine-Colored Deer understand the voices of all things, including human language.”
Nanyan was stunned for a long moment before saying, “What can I do for you, Elder Deer?”
Seemingly pleased with the title “Elder Deer,” the Nine-Colored Deer’s voice softened further: “You carry the bloodline of the Chongming Bird, a noble descendant in our demon world. We can consider you as kin and allocate you a territory for you to settle and propagate.”
Nanyan: “… Propagate what?”
The Nine-Colored Deer gently replied, “To settle and multiply, of course. Chongming Birds are rare in the world. If you prefer, you can also select humans to enter your territory.”
Nanyan coughed violently, then said, “… There’s no rush for that. I’ve just arrived here and don’t know the lay of the land. Could Elder Deer provide some guidance?”
The Nine-Colored Deer gracefully stepped beside her and explained, “This place is between mountain and sea. We are in the Nine Tribulation Sea, with the Ten Karma Mountain at its center. The sea is for demons, the mountain for ghosts. They used to coexist peacefully, but after a long-ago incident, spiritual energy wells appeared in the Nine Tribulation Sea. Demons and ghosts began to fight over the source of spiritual energy, constantly battling in the Nine Tribulation Sea… Of course, humans occasionally come here too, but they can’t stay long.”
… So the protagonists here weren’t the humans participating in the Mountain-Sea Prohibition Decision, but the demon and ghost races who were the original inhabitants.
“Besides me, has Elder Deer seen other… humans?” Nanyan asked. The other Nine-Colored Deer seemed to like her, beginning to lick her head as they would a young fawn.
The largest Nine-Colored Deer continued, “This mountain and sea realm is vast and boundless. If your luck is poor, you might not find anyone even after ten years of searching. However, when I arrived, I caught the scent of human blood near the Silver Silkworm Mother. Someone likely became its snack upon arrival.”
… Someone might have already perished.
Nanyan pressed the white jade ring on her index finger. She could sense that it indicated most of the others were in a southern direction, though extremely distant and impossible to pinpoint precisely.
She tentatively asked, “When large groups of humans enter the Nine Tribulation Sea like this, do the demon races specifically come out to hunt them?”
The Nine-Colored Deer replied nonchalantly, “Human flesh and blood have impure spiritual energy, and they absorb very little source of spiritual energy here. We birds and beasts rarely actively hunt them, but the Silver Silkworm Mother tribe, rulers of the southern tribulation sea, are powerful and might be interested in hunting humans. Besides that, humans mainly die from killing each other.”
Nanyan: “Killing each other?”
“They come for the source of spiritual energy. Compared to killing demonic beasts and ghosts, killing humans is the simplest way to obtain a source of spiritual energy. After a while, if they don’t leave voluntarily, they’ll be wiped out by their infighting. No need to worry about them.”
With that, the Nine-Colored Deer opened its mouth and spat out a radiant crystal bead, offering it to Nanyan. It then said, “We Nine-Colored Deer are the rulers of the eastern tribulation sea. Granting you a territory is not impossible. This is the earth demon bead of Red Hill Mountain in the southern tribulation sea. Holding this bead allows you to command the demonic beasts of Red Hill Mountain. Consider it a welcoming gift.”
Nanyan, somewhat apprehensive, said, “I can’t accept such a gift without having done anything. Is there something Elder Deer needs me to do?”
The Nine-Colored Deer replied, “Ghost tides from the Ten Karma Mountain occasionally invade the Nine Tribulation Sea. Three spiritual energy wells have already been completely occupied by ghostly beings. The noble bloodlines of the demon race don’t actively hunt humans because they help us resist the ghost tides from Ten Karma Mountain, which is somewhat useful. However, you’re still young, so we can’t expect much from you. Just take care of yourself.”
Nanyan chatted with the Nine-Colored Deer for a while longer, during which half of her remaining spiritual energy dissipated on its own. Knowing she couldn’t wait any longer, she set off after gaining a general understanding of the situation in the Mountain-Sea Prohibition Decision.
Half a day later, Nanyan sat cross-legged on a green rock amidst the corpses of the lowest-level bone rats, regulating her breath. She had absorbed about a thousand bone rats but had only gained a trace of wood attribute spiritual energy, far less than the water attribute energy from the giant python earlier.
The advantage, however, was that her spiritual root encompassed all five elements, accepting the spiritual energy of any attribute. Mu Zhanting, with his single fire attribute spiritual root, might be in danger. If he were unlucky and didn’t encounter fire attribute demonic beasts, his speed of refining source spiritual energy would be greatly reduced.
Still not enough…
Nan Yan’s fingers were encircled by a wisp of green wood-attribute spiritual energy when a sudden idea struck her. If fire-attribute single-root cultivators could only absorb fire-attribute primal spiritual energy, yet encountered various types of prey, couldn’t she, being less picky, trade directly?
For instance, if a helpless fire single-root cultivator had a pile of unusable spiritual energy from other attributes, desperately seeking a solution, couldn’t she exchange one strand of spiritual energy for a large number of other attributes from them?
Muttering “What a sin,” Nan Yan turned her attention to a fierce wolf that had been lurking in the bushes. “Amitabha, how mercenary,” she sighed.
As night fell, the Nine Tribulations Sea grew more dangerous, with previously lazy beasts stirring to life. A pair of cultivators from You State burst through a group of strange frogs, their faces contorted with frustration.
“Just our luck! The Nine Tribulations Sea is divided into four regions, and the eastern part is full of wood and water attribute beasts. We You State cultivators mostly have metal and fire spirit roots. Even if we defeat many with our mechanical oxen, we can’t absorb their energy!”
The two cultivators felt bitter. Compared to those relying solely on spiritual power, they had a clear advantage with their mechanical oxen. However, driving these constructs still consumed spiritual power, albeit more slowly than their bodies would.
Suddenly, a thunderous elephant’s roar echoed from the direction they were fleeing towards.
“It’s an Ancient Demon Elephant!”
The two cultivators exchanged a hesitant glance.
“The elephant sounds young, probably at the peak of Foundation Establishment. It’s a metal attribute, which we could use… but our mechanical oxen are damaged, and those frogs are still chasing us. Our chances don’t look good.”
Despite their fear, these elite cultivators from You State gritted their teeth and followed the elephant’s cry. As they approached, a mountain-like elephant charged towards them, its armored trunk swiftly grabbing one cultivator’s mechanical ox and crushing it in its mouth.
“It’s a mutant! Run!”
Terrified, the two cultivators fled. The Ancient Demon Elephant, surprisingly fast, swung its trunk, knocking down several trees and catching the slower cultivator. As it was about to devour him, a Buddhist light descended from above.
“Purifying Perception Finger.”
In the blink of an eye, the elephant’s head was pierced from the side. It let out a long cry before collapsing, releasing two golden strands of primal spiritual energy. These flew into the hands of a white-robed female Buddhist cultivator standing on a treetop.
“Are you alright, fellow Daoist? Those strange frogs will be here soon. Let’s find a safe place quickly.”
Having narrowly escaped death, the two cultivators didn’t hesitate to follow her. Only after reaching the trunk of an enormous ancient tree did they catch their breath.
“Thank you for saving our lives, fellow Daoist.” They noticed their black jade rings heating up, indicating she was an orthodox cultivator, which made them somewhat uncomfortable.
Nan Yan conspicuously twirled the newly acquired mental attribute spiritual energy around her fingers, sighing, “I knew the situation was dangerous, but I didn’t expect it to be this perilous. If it’s this bad in the wilderness, I can’t imagine what it’s like near the spirit wells.”
Seeing her about to absorb the energy, the You State cultivators’ eyes reddened. “Wait, fellow Daoist! We desperately need that metal attribute energy. Could you spare it for us?”
Nan Yan immediately stepped back, cautioning, “Devotees, killing for energy is foolish. Accumulating virtue through good deeds is the righteous path.”
Joking aside, her earlier display of power in slaying the Ancient Demon Elephant made it unclear who would be the victor in a confrontation.
One of the You State cultivators helplessly explained, “My sworn brother and I are both single metal attribute root cultivators. I noticed you just absorbed wood attribute energy. Would you be willing to trade?”
Nan Yan retreated further. “But my main spirit root is a metal attribute, so…”
Most cultivators with three or four spirit roots focus on their strongest one, developing related techniques. They can absorb energy from their other roots, albeit more slowly.
Unorthodox cultivators excel at understanding business propositions. Cursing under his breath at the beautiful yet cunning female cultivator, one gritted his teeth and offered a pouch filled with wood attributed primal spiritual energy stones. “This contains three times the amount of primal energy you have. Would you trade?”
“Though we belong to different factions, we face the same beast threats. We should help each other,” Nan Yan replied.
Prioritizing survival over Buddhist principles, Nan Yan quickly agreed to the trade. She stabilized her cultivation at the early Foundation Establishment stage, capable of using the Purifying Perception Finger five times.
After absorbing the primal energy, color returned to the You State cultivators’ faces.
“We’re also searching for our State’s imperial son. Where are you headed, fellow Daoist?”
Nan Yan tugged at her earlobe, pondering. “The imperial sons from various States must be seeking spirit wells too. I plan to find one, hoping to meet others from my faction if I’m lucky. Do you know of any nearby spirit wells?”
The You State cultivator replied, “Currently, only Chen State’s imperial son has the exact locations of spirit wells. Yuan’ang, the imperial son of Wu State, possesses the Yuan Magnetic Holy Light, giving him an extraordinary perception of spirit wells. The larger States might have their methods. Generally, areas with higher-level beasts have a greater chance of containing spirit wells.”
Nan Yan nodded slightly and stood up. “Since our interests conflict, this humble nun doesn’t wish to cause trouble. Take care, fellow Daoists. May we meet again at the end of the Nine Tribulations Sea.”
With that, she gracefully flew away from the tree trunk.
The two You State cultivators exchanged glances. One grumbled, “I saw her during the Dao Gave Birth to Heaven event. She’s reportedly an outstanding Buddhist cultivator of the True character generation from Mao State. Who would have thought she’d be so cunning, tricking us out of our spiritual energy? I wonder who she’ll deceive next.”
The other cultivator’s gaze turned dreamy. “But she must be very beautiful. I forgive her.”
“…Where’s your resolve? What happened to not being swayed by beauty?” The two You State cultivators wrestled playfully for a moment before the cooler-headed one spoke again, “I deliberately withheld information from her. I didn’t mention that heading Nan leads to Red Hill Mountain, home to a swarm of millions of blood bees. Judging by the direction she left, if she encounters them, the orthodox faction will lose a formidable opponent.”