Two days later, on the day of the Mountain-Sea Prohibition Decision.
The venue was a towering peak in Daosheng Heaven, with three circular array platforms at its summit. Each platform was presided over by a Daotian Master.
Nanyan was guided to stand on one of the platforms. As the Daotian Master droned on about the history of the Mountain-Sea Prohibition Decision, she took the opportunity to survey her surroundings.
The three platforms were divided into factions. Nanyan’s side represented the four righteous States of Yin, Mao, Chen, and Wei. The other two were occupied by neutral and evil factions respectively.
Nanyan noticed Mo Xingzhen, in contrast to his usual smooth demeanor, seemed distracted. When the Daotian Master before him scolded him, he lifted his head and, as if mustering courage, asked:
“Forgive me, Master. I just wanted to know why Xuanzai isn’t present?”
He didn’t try to conceal his question, but his voice was low. Nanyan’s keen ears picked up only fragments of the Daotian Master’s response:
“…just returned from battling a powerful enemy in the outer States… then encountered chaos at the Soul River behind the mountain… exhausted from suppressing it… had to enter seclusion… As his direct disciple, you should understand…”
Nanyan’s heart ached. She had barely managed to suppress and seal that heart demon using all the power of the Sin Cleansing Scripture. This seal was recorded in the Seven Buddha’s Karma Book, and she was certain few in the world could break it.
Yet her opponent was one of those rare individuals.
Time was running short. She had already sent a message to her uncle. If he received it, he could take her mother away before the heart demon’s seal was broken. But at the same time, they had to accept the fact that Nan Rao was already dead.
Even Nanyan herself felt a sharp pain in her heart just thinking about it.
At that moment, Nanyan sensed a gaze piercing through the crowd and landing on her face. But when she looked up to find its source, there was no trace.
Would Shaocang be here?
Nanyan dared not search the crowd too boldly, as three Daotian Masters hovered before them. These weren’t ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, but elders of Daosheng Heaven who had surpassed the late Nascent Soul stage and entered the Third Decline. Each could annihilate all these provincial prodigies with a single breath.
She paid special attention to the Si State team, but unfortunately, apart from Li Chi and Li Mian (who had regained his original appearance), all their cultivators wore bronze masks and black robes, making them difficult to distinguish.
Finally, after the long speeches concluded, the three Daotian Masters waved a cloud of light and called out names simultaneously:
“Prince of Chen State, Mu Zhanting!”
“Prince of Si State, Li Chi!”
“Mo Xingzhen of Zi State!”
These were the representatives of the three factions. As they stepped forward, each Daotian Master distributed jade rings in black, white, and yellow.
One Daotian Master explained, “These are the Rings of Will. Once imprinted with your divine sense, they can identify the aura of others from your State, allowing you to regroup.”
Nanyan observed that the righteous faction received white jade rings, the evil faction black jade rings, and Mo Xingzhen’s group from Zi, Shen, and Hai States received yellow jade rings.
Though unsaid, this implied they were meant to fight each other.
Senior Brother Zhenheng advised each Mao State cultivator, finally turning to Nanyan: “Sister, although you’re the youngest, your innate spiritual power is greater than ours. You’ll consume and exert as much as we do, likely being most affected by the Mountain-Sea Prohibition Decision’s energy. If we’re separated inside, remember that survival is paramount. Avoid confrontations if possible.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother.”
As cultivators from each State whispered warnings about the dangers within the Mountain-Sea Prohibition Decision, the moment arrived. At high noon, a bell rang from distant mountains, signaling the start of the battle for supremacy in the cultivation world.
The first Daotian Master pointed to the sky: “Mountain!”
Suddenly, a golden light burst from the sun above, transforming the sky into a mirror-like surface reflecting layered peaks and valleys.
The second Daotian Master formed a seal towards the ground: “Sea!”
In an instant, the sound of ocean waves arose. It was as if an invisible, massive wave surrounded them from all directions, causing those with weaker minds to retreat in fear of nature’s might.
Finally, amidst this shifting scene of mountains and seas, the Daotian Master on Nanyan’s platform stamped his staff, expressionlessly uttering the last word: “Decide!”
Golden light erupted from all three platforms, wrapping around each participant in ribbons of light. These transformed into talismans that slowly consumed them, starting from their feet.
The sensation wasn’t painful, but watching one’s body gradually disappear into light was unsettling. Just as the transportation talisman was about to consume Nanyan completely, she faintly heard an angry shout nearby:
“…How dare you return! Seize them!”
What?
Before she could process this, like all participants in the Mountain-Sea Prohibition Decision, Nanyan’s vision went black as she lost consciousness.
Time passed indeterminately. Slowly, Nanyan regained awareness in the darkness. Her first sensations were the cool dampness of a valley after rain, followed by the chirping of birds and buzzing of insects, far removed from the clamor of the mortal world.
As the scent of fresh grass filled her nostrils, Nanyan opened her eyes. A purple light shimmered on her face like ripples. Suddenly, she felt something wet on her cheek. Looking to her right, she saw a small deer, about two feet tall, lying beside her, gently licking her face.
Where was this?
She sat up groggily, momentarily stunned. She found herself in a shaded grove, surrounded by unfamiliar trees. The ground was covered in soft leaves, resembling the lair of some gentle beast. Yet, everything in sight was tinged blue-purple, as if the entire forest were underwater.
Nanyan raised her gaze skyward, confirming this impression. High above the treetops, sunlight seemed to pierce through a sea surface, filtering down through the branches in an eerily beautiful and mysterious way.
“The Mountain-Sea Prohibition Decision…” Nanyan felt an unusual chill. Cultivators typically regulated their spiritual energy to resist cold, yet she now felt the chill acutely. After a brief internal examination, she couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at her situation.
Indeed, as others had warned, during her period of unconsciousness, seven-tenths of her spiritual energy had dissipated to maintain her body temperature, and it continued to diminish without the ability to replenish.
Her current spiritual energy level barely matched that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator at their peak. She estimated it would drop to the Qi Condensation realm within five or six hours.
Nanyan attempted to consolidate her spiritual energy, but it was like trying to douse a fire with a cup of water. At this moment, she noticed the small deer beside her making soft bleating sounds, trying to get her attention with its large, moist eyes. The deer had tiny jade-green antlers just sprouting on its head, and a thin wisp of white spiritual energy encircled its hooves.
That white spiritual energy must be the source energy they spoke of, automatically absorbed upon slaying a beast.
“Amitabha,” Nanyan murmured a Buddhist phrase, reaching out to scratch the deer’s chin. As she rose to leave, the deer followed. Reluctantly, Nanyan carried it back to its nest. “I have a disciple named Ruyi, a monkey, who’s as… innocent as you. The outside world is treacherous. You’re still so small; stay in your nest and don’t come out. Remember to protect yourself.”
After tucking the deer back in, Nanyan stepped out of the deer’s lair, facing a vast, deep sea forest.
This place resembled the sea yet wasn’t quite the sea. She could breathe and move freely, but no matter how high she flew, she couldn’t get any closer to the supposed sea surface above. Moreover, flying consumed ten times more spiritual energy than in the outside world… and that was considering her abundant spiritual power compared to ordinary cultivators.
Nanyan dared not waste more spiritual energy and even temporarily withdrew her divine sense, relying only on her five senses to perceive her surroundings.
As she did so, she detected an extremely sinister demonic aura approaching the deer’s lair. This aura was equivalent to the early Core Formation stage.
Her original intention had been to test herself against a Foundation Establishment level beast. Facing an early Core Formation beast head-on, especially if it excelled in defense, could leave her at its mercy once her spiritual energy was depleted.
After a moment, Nanyan sighed softly, “Every sip and peck is cultivation; all things in nature are living beings. When one should save, one must save.”
When she returned to the vicinity of the deer’s lair, she saw a giant python, its tail tip wrapped in a circle of deep blue source energy. It flicked its purple-red tongue, arching its body with a ferocious gleam in its eyes, ready to swallow the small deer cowering in the corner of the nest.
Nanyan breathed a slight sigh of relief. She unfurled her Buddhist prayer beads, murmuring softly, “Nature has its order; the weak are prey to the strong. Today I create karma; one day I shall receive this karma.”
Though her words were compassionate, her actions were not gentle. In an instant, she teleported behind the giant python. Her prayer beads wrapped around its tail, twisting sharply and forcefully throwing it out of the deer’s nest onto a nearby tree stump.
“Hiss–!!”
The giant python, enraged, immediately shifted its predatory focus. It lunged at Nanyan with its gaping, blood-red maw.
Nanyan’s face paled slightly. As Zhenheng had warned, she was accustomed to using spiritual power lavishly. That single move had cost her another tenth of her spiritual energy. At this rate, she might soon perish.
She needed to end this quickly.
Locking her gaze on the python, Nanyan immediately employed the opening move of the Sin Cleansing Scripture.
“Buddha’s Sin Suppression!”
The suppression technique sent scales flying from the demonic creature. Blood streamed from its eyes as it shrieked, its body along with Nanyan’s Buddha-finger technique deeply embedded in the ground. However… it wasn’t dead. Instead, it began to bizarrely regenerate its flesh using the earth’s energy around it.
Seeing this, Nanyan’s pupils contracted. Gritting her teeth, she retrieved the scabbard Meng Xiaolou had given her years ago, which contained sword energy capable of slaying a Nascent Soul cultivator. Just as she was about to activate it, the small deer suddenly leaped out of its nest, charging straight at the giant python.
“Don’t–” Nanyan cried out in alarm, but the next moment left her stunned.
The small deer, barely knee-high and no larger than a dog, eagerly rushed towards the severely wounded python. With a single bite, it effortlessly crushed the regenerating skull of the python. As the python writhed in agony, the deer directly plucked out its core, crunched it, and swallowed it whole. Then, with a blood-covered face, it pranced back to Nanyan’s feet, wagging its short tail.
Nanyan: “…”
She finally realized something was amiss. No wonder there was no mother beast protecting such a young creature. This wasn’t a deer’s nest; it was this small deer’s dining table for luring prey.
Nanyan and the small deer stared at each other for a while. Feeling it probably had no designs on her brain, she carefully moved to the python’s side and touched the blue spiritual energy at the tip of its tail.
Instantly, the blue energy seeped into her body like flowing water, perfectly adhering to her dantian without any need for refinement.
“So this is… source energy?” Nanyan couldn’t help but let out a soft, pleasurable sound. This sensation of her entire being merging with nature was comparable to breaking through to a new realm. Moreover, this spiritual energy wouldn’t dissipate; even if used, it would gradually replenish itself like her original spiritual power.
This was the benefit of the Mountain-Sea Prohibition Decision!
Just as she involuntarily showed joy, the small deer beside her, tilting its head and trying hard to look cute, called out towards the distance with a soft bleat. Moments later, three or four sacred silhouettes gracefully emerged from the dark, distant woods. As they slowly approached, Nanyan’s eyes widened suddenly.
“Nine… Nine-Colored Deer.”