Beyond the inner sea, turmoil brewed. After flying for over a hundred miles, night had fallen. With no stars above and no landmarks below, the entire Demon Sealing Array’s sea area appeared exceptionally dark and terrifying.
Nan Yan’s wheelchair had carried its third passenger today. After nearly three hours, Yin Ye remained unconscious, with only a vague sense of overwhelming demonic power growing in his meridians.
Following the dispersal of her spirit projection, Nan Yan’s spiritual power was nearly depleted. Amidst the intense demonic energy, she sensed that the time for her Core Formation was approaching.
Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment were considered lower-tier realms in the cultivation world. These two stages merely required accumulating spiritual energy to break through. However, after Core Formation, cultivators needed to explore their own Great Dao.
There were fifty Great Daos, with Heaven controlling forty-nine. Every significant sect in the cultivation world had its own Great Dao.
Nan Yan’s understanding of the Reverse Dao was limited. She felt that her “Reverse Dao” wasn’t as brutal as rumored. She had once asked her Eating Bitterness Master about it. Crimes like slaughtering mortals, soul possession, demonic cultivation, and unorthodox marriages could be mitigated. Only the Reverse Dao was unforgivable. Those who created or inherited a Dao outside the forty-nine recognized by Heaven were deemed heretics. The Righteous Law Palace in Zi Zhou and Heaven’s Dao would dispatch enforcers to eliminate them.
The “Emperor” was the highest decision-maker recognized by the cultivation world for handling such matters.
Thinking of this, Nan Yan glanced at Mu Zhanting. Her elder brother, as an imperial son, would soon participate in the “Mountain and Sea Forbidden Decision” with other imperial sons from various regions. The victor would claim the “Emperor” position.
“Only Core Formation cultivators can participate in the Mountain and Sea Forbidden Decision,” Mu Zhanting explained. “It’s essentially a battle royale. The last surviving imperial son becomes the overlord of all regions, gains the Mountain River Sea Crown, receives the destiny of twelve regions, and advances directly from Core Formation to the Nascent Soul stage, adding 500 years to their lifespan. The only requirement is to govern from the Righteous Law Palace for 100 years before abdicating to the next Emperor.”
“You’ll govern?” Nan Yan asked, surprised.
“It doesn’t matter if you know nothing about governance. The ‘Mountain River Sea Crown’ will infuse all the world’s knowledge into your spirit platform. Even an illiterate beggar could become a literary master,” Mu Zhanting explained, his face full of anticipation. “I want to be a literary master.”
“No, you’re already a literary master,” Nan Yan replied.
“Really? Then let me recite a new poem I’ve pieced together.”
As Nan Yan, still recovering from her injuries, desperately sought an excuse to interrupt his poetic flow, the captive dark cultivator spoke up.
“The Destroying Iron is nearby.”
Nan Yan looked up to see a crescent-shaped island emerging from the night. Unlike other places, this island was covered with vines bearing blue fruits. Through the mist, star-like points of light flickered.
“Frost Origin Fruit. I’m impressed that you Si Zhou dark cultivators found such a treasure.”
Huo Wuji’s eyes flickered. “Indeed. Frost Origin Fruit is a key ingredient in refining the Nascent Soul Pill. It only grows in extremely cold places and is priceless outside the array.”
There were thousands of Frost Origin Fruits of various sizes. If Si Zhou obtained them, they could produce numerous Nascent Soul cultivators within a few years, greatly disadvantaging the war effort.
While this seemed like a heaven-sent opportunity, everyone remained cautious, refraining from hasty action.
“Could the Great Solar Fire Essence be here?”
“Extreme yin generates yang, so it’s possible. Look at how mist rises from the sea in this frigid place. If the Great Solar Fire Essence is beneath the sea, it would explain this anomaly.”
Seeing that they weren’t distracted by the Frost Origin Fruits, Huo Wuji added, “Before the fire essence extinguishes, it will release all its fire energy, turning this area into a sea vortex and destroying these Frost Origin Fruits. We should harvest them now.”
As he spoke, he assessed everyone’s situation. Mu Zhanting was at the peak of early Core Formation, possessing a strange fire that somewhat suppressed his blood demon techniques. He had already experienced this and knew it was unwise to target him.
Ji Yang, who dared to impersonate Si Zhou’s imperial son, wielded the Illness, Wine, and Qin. His cultivation level was unclear, but given his perfect impersonation of Li Chi, he must be at Core Formation or higher. His earlier oath to protect the dark cultivator if the female Buddhist tried to eliminate him had earned him occasional glares from her, suggesting some conflict between them.
Finally, Huo Wuji turned his attention to Nan Yan.
The female Buddhist had kept her face veiled throughout the journey and didn’t seem particularly revered by her companions. He assumed she was unremarkable.
Having made his decision, Huo Wuji secretly gathered his energy. Even a small fragment of a Tribulation Passing cultivator’s spirit was far superior to an ordinary Core Formation cultivator. He prepared to strike at the right moment.
Ji Yang spoke, “Friend, we’re grateful for this opportunity you’ve presented. However, there seem to be demon beasts lurking beneath these Frost Origin Fruits. Do you have any methods to deal with them?”
As soon as he spoke, Huo Wuji felt uneasy. “Everyone knows demon beasts guard Frost Origin Fruits to absorb their cold energy. That’s why we sent many cultivators into the Demon Sealing Array, but you’ve killed them all. How would I know what to do now?”
Nan Yan focused her divine sense and realized that the star-like lights near the crescent island were countless strange fish with scales. Though fish-like, they had a pair of fin-like hind legs and floated motionlessly just below the surface, their slightly open mouths revealing hook-like tongues.
“These fish are even more troublesome than that giant whale demon. The whale was at the Yuan Ying stage and couldn’t leap out of the water, but these fish are a mix of Foundation Building and Core Formation stages. Judging by their tongues, they seem capable of jumping out of the water to drag people into the sea.”
After observing for a moment, Ji Yang said, “The Great Sun Fire Essence shows no signs of appearing yet. I can play the ‘Quiet Night Lullaby’ to put these demon fish to sleep temporarily. Would you like to go and pick the Frost Element Fruits while I do that?”
Mu Zhanting responded with great satisfaction, “Excellent! A-Yan was so good at playing Go as a child. If we let the fox spirit learn painting, we’ll become the Four Talents of the cultivation world in zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting. During festivals, we can challenge pedantic scholars like Zi Zhou at the Dao discussion meetings. We’ll surely stand out… By the way, won’t you feel lonely playing solo? Should we leave someone to accompany you?”
Ji Yang: “…”
Nan Yan replied expressionlessly, “A cruel and cunning demon cultivator destroyed my wooden fish, and I lost my Qiankun pouch in the inner sea. Now I don’t even have a vajra to strike.”
Before they went to the inner sea, they had only taken illusory projections of their magical tools. Nan Yan had specially packed items she thought were important, like the wooden fish, incense, and kasaya, into a Qiankun pouch attached to her spirit-hosting body. After Yin Ya’s attack, neither of them had escaped unscathed.
Mu Zhanting felt quite regretful but could only grab the demon cultivator and let Ji Yang play the “Quiet Night Lullaby” as they waited for an opportunity to sneak onto Crescent Moon Island.
…
It was now midnight, and the Frost Element Fruits on Crescent Moon Island were ripening. Occasionally, demon insects flying nearby would suddenly slow down, their vibrating wings permeated by the cold air, gradually freezing and shattering into crystal dust.
A thin layer of frost covered the island’s soil, freezing and solidifying any living creature that landed. Among the hook-toothed fish, only a few exceptionally powerful late Core Formation stage ones dared to climb onto the island, snatch a Frost Element Fruit in a flash, and return to the sea. The rest could only stay in the nearby waters, relying on the array’s spiritual energy to avoid freezing while absorbing the spirit-rich cold air.
Today, the cold air released by the Frost Element Fruits reached its peak. The hook-toothed fish greedily absorbed it, with some smaller ones constantly advancing in rank.
Moments later, a faint zither sound echoed from afar.
Some Core Formation stage hook-toothed fish immediately retreated to the seabed, warily watching the surface. However, the lower-ranked ones began to lose focus.
These creatures were still mindless demon beasts, not demon race members. Soon, they began to drift with the music, becoming drowsy.
They failed to notice someone taking advantage of the thick night mist to land on the island.
“Hiss—”
As soon as Nan Yan landed on the island, she felt a bone-chilling cold beneath her feet. The frost on the ground seemed to sense the heat above and wove an icy net, immediately numbing the feet of the three people. Fortunately, Mu Zhanting acted quickly, sending a flame around their hovering position to escape the danger.
Nan Yan immediately flew higher and tapped her storage bag to release two high-grade fire-attribute defensive talismans. These barely provided protection, but would only last about twenty to thirty breaths.
Without wasting words, they rushed towards the Frost Element Fruit vines. Nan Yan chanted “Amitabha” while conjuring a thousand-armed Guanyin illusion, each hand reaching for a Frost Element Fruit.
However, the fruits were extremely cold objects that froze everything. As soon as the Guanyin’s illusory hands grasped the fruits, the arms froze completely. By the time they were placed in jade boxes, only twenty to thirty fruits had been collected out of a thousand attempts.
Even so, Nan Yan thought her speed was quite fast. But when she heard a rumbling behind her and turned to look, she saw her brother wielding a massive flame blade, scooping up the Frost Element Fruits along with their vines and a layer of soil.
Nan Yan: “Brother.”
Mu Zhanting, while stuffing the soil into his Qiankun pouch, replied, “What?”
Nan Yan: “Nothing, I just suddenly realized you’re wiser than you look.”
Well… his method wasn’t wrong, and it even preserved the fruits better.
Of course, he could do this because his Qiankun pouch was larger and could store living things. Nan Yan had several pouches, but they were small. If she packed them like that, the fruits would wither within an hour. So she could only continue picking them one by one and storing them in jade boxes.
Moments later, Nan Yan’s fire-attribute defensive talismans had thinned to their last layer, which would break within three breaths. Having collected over a hundred Frost Element Fruits, she immediately flew upward.
Just then, a vine suddenly shot out like a snake from among the Frost Element Fruit vines. Unlike the others, this vine was purplish-black and covered in thorns. In an instant, it wrapped around one of Nan Yan’s hands and feet.
“Blood Thorn Vine! Keep running!”
A vine called Blood Thorn grew alongside the Frost Element Fruit vines. It would ensnare and kill anyone attracted by the fruits, dragging them back to freeze and become nutrients.
Fortunately, as a Buddhist cultivator, Nan Yan instinctively activated her Golden Body when her hands and feet were pricked. She forced out the poison and struggled to fly in the opposite direction. Mu Zhanting, who was about to leave, reacted instantly. He threw a red flame that burned along the Blood Thorn Vine. The vine writhed and emitted a faint, beast-like shriek as it burned, desperately trying to drag Nan Yan back.
In this critical moment, a tremor suddenly shook the mist over the sea, as if something terrifying had stirred in the depths.
The Blood Thorn Vine loosened its grip on Nan Yan and quickly retracted. The nearby hook-toothed fish were also affected, breaking free from the Quiet Night Lullaby’s control and scattering in all directions like panicked ants.
The water at the center of Crescent Moon Bay sank inward, revealing a deep red glow beneath as if the sun were burning underwater.
“The Great Sun Fire Essence has appeared…”
Clouds rushed towards the whirlpool, and everything around was compressed by an immense force, drawn into the deep sea.
At this moment, the Blood Thorn Vine’s poison took effect. Nan Yan felt her limbs go numb. As Mu Zhanting reached to pull her to safety, a sharp laugh echoed from afar—
“You fools deserve to burn in the Great Sun Fire Essence! When you reach the Yellow Springs Underworld, remember it was I who granted you a swift death!”
Before falling into the sea, Nan Yan could only watch as Mu Zhanting was engulfed by a red mass of water and pulled toward the core. She then plunged into the water, but instead of being drawn to the center, something like an iron chain caught her, dragging her elsewhere in the deep sea.
…Ah how unfortunate. Were Shao Cang and Second Brother ambushed by that demon cultivator?
Buddhists say that in this vast world, one can attain nirvana anywhere.
But after sending so many people to nirvana, there might be no place left for her. Perhaps she was destined for hell.
Her mind was in chaos, she saw flashes of her mother, her meditation hall, and scenes of her slaughtering demon cultivators.
Having taken a water-repelling pearl earlier, she wouldn’t drown. With her last bit of strength, she opened her eyes. In the deep blue sea, ghostly shadows flickered.
Then, a pair of arms embraced her from behind, trying to swim upward. But the lurking chains around them had sensed their presence, surrounding them from all sides and binding them tightly…
…
“Hahaha, you brats dare to humiliate me like this!”
Before the sea vortex changed dramatically, Huo Wuji forcibly absorbed some elemental energy and struck Ji Yang into the deep sea with one palm. He thought that even if Ji Yang didn’t die, he’d be severely injured, and with countless sea monsters, this group had no chance of survival.
However, he still needed to know the location of the exit, so he kept one person alive for soul searching. Grabbing the unconscious Yin Ya’s head, he said hatefully, “So you’re a nightmare fox. No wonder you’re so arrogant. Hmph! Let me send a signal to inform my disciples that the Great Sun Fire Essence is about to emerge… Then I’ll kill Nan Yi first and seize the Destruction Iron!”
His eyes flashed coldly as he casually cut Yin Ya’s face, drawing fresh blood. Using his last bit of spiritual power, he drew a blood talisman that immediately transformed into a bat and flew away.
“Now, for the soul search.” As Huo Wuji pressed his five fingers on Yin Ya’s crown, he coldly imagined how he would torture Nan Yi. Suddenly, he felt an icy sensation penetrate his soul.
Looking up, he saw countless gray ghostly shadows surrounding him in the deep mist, blotting out the sky.
“These are… Yin Zhu!”
Huo Wuji’s face changed abruptly, and he turned to flee frantically.
“What kind of creature are you? How can you control Yin Zhu?!”
His Blood Demon Division technique essentially split his primordial spirit into separate bodies. If this fragment of his primordial spirit were devoured by Yin Zhu, creatures that favored living souls, when his primordial spirit returned, it would bring the Yin Zhu back into his main body.
Then his main body’s primordial spirit would…
He used the last drop of essence blood from this corpse to perform a blood escape technique, but more and more Yin Zhu appeared before him, all showing great interest as they surrounded him.
Huo Wuji felt unprecedented panic. Among the gray shadows behind him, a voice seemed to linger, sounding both mocking and pitying.
“I heard the senior was punished for body snatching. I wonder… have you ever experienced being fought over by ten thousand Yin Zhu for possession?”