In the Western Robbery Sea, amidst a vast expanse of desert sand and wind.
“You thought you could scheme against me? I’ll teach you a lesson!” Mu Zhanting, looking like a haggard refugee, plunged the heads of two demonic cultivators into the sand. Suddenly sensing something, he leaped into the air to dodge. Almost immediately, something slithered beneath the sand, dragging the two cultivators into its depths.
After two faint screams echoed from below, two clusters of elemental essence—one gold, one fire—emerged from where the cultivators had vanished. Each cluster enveloped a black jade ring as they flew towards Mu Zhanting. With a wave of his hand, he absorbed the fire essence and stored the earth essence in a spirit bead. He then tapped the two black jade rings with his white jade ring, instantly absorbing them. The sensing range of his white jade ring doubled.
Rings of different colors could absorb each other after their owners were killed. Mu Zhanting quickly examined the rings with his divine sense, detecting only one yellow jade ring about 500 miles to the north.
Mu Zhanting had crash-landed in the great desert of the Western Robbery Sea. For the first five days, he nearly became prey to a nest of sand lizards due to his depleted spiritual energy. Fortunately, he stumbled upon a small oasis and gradually recovered.
The vastness of this world between mountains and seas was overwhelming. He had no idea where Nan Yan had been teleported. Before arriving, he’d heard that the distribution of elemental essence followed a pattern: water in the north, wood in the east, fire in the south, and metal in the west, each ruled by one of the four great beast lords. The central Ten Professions Mountain, however, was the domain of the ghost race.
The Western Robbery Sea desert where he now stood was the territory of the Golden-winged Xuancang Beast. Were it not for the ongoing war between the beast and ghost races, human cultivators would have no chance of escape.
However…
The Sovereign of the Cultivation State was originally chosen through rotation. After several candidates perished in the Mountains and Seas Prohibition, a competitive system was introduced. Crown princes from various states could now vie for the Mountains, Rivers, and Seas Crown, with some advantages given to the state whose turn it would have been under the old system.
Mu Zhanting took out a compass he had brought with him, a special privilege granted to Chen State by Daosheng Heaven. It could locate essence wells. Without hesitation, he chose to find a fire essence well.
“South… south…” he murmured.
As night fell, Mu Zhanting finally spotted some greenery. His ring also detected traces of other cultivators nearby. Upon investigation, he found a group of battered neutral-faction cultivators.
“What happened to you?” he asked.
As he approached, he noticed one cultivator covered in a silvery sheen. Upon closer inspection, he saw that most of the cultivator’s body was covered with tiny, silver-backed, six-winged insects. The others were carefully burning these insects off with spirit fire.
“Ah it’s the Crown Prince of Chen State,” they said, recognizing Mu Zhanting. Though not necessarily allies, they wouldn’t start trouble. They bowed and explained, “He’s been engulfed by these insects. They multiply rapidly. If we don’t burn them off soon, he’ll turn into a silver statue.”
Mu Zhanting crouched to examine the situation. “Your fire isn’t strong enough. Let me try.”
Confident in his fire control skills since absorbing the Great Sun Fire Essence, he summoned a ball of intense crimson flames. The injured cultivator rolled on the ground, howling in pain, but the silver skin began to peel off, forming a metallic substance.
“Thank you for your help, Crown Prince!” the man said. Though half his skin had been burned off, his life was saved. After taking a flesh-regenerating pill, he began to recover with the help of his companions.
Mu Zhanting tapped the metal on the ground, surprised by its hardness. “What kind of insect is this? It’s incredibly tough.”
“We’re not sure either,” one of the cultivators replied. “After entering the Mountains and Seas Prohibition, we landed in the Southern Robbery Sea. We met some fellow Daoists and found a silver forest rich in elemental essence. We’d never seen trees like that before, with silver fruits. We thought they might be rare spirit herbs, but they turned out to be clusters of these strange insects.”
He continued, his face showing fear, “My seventh junior brother was the first to touch one of the fruits. He was immediately surrounded by the insects and turned into a silver statue. Fortunately, we encountered Senior Brother Mo Xingzhen from Zi State, who lured the insects away, allowing us to escape.”
“Where is this place?” Mu Zhanting asked.
“About 700 miles to the southeast, in a swamp that glows silver. It’s extremely dangerous. Crown Prince, please don’t venture there without gathering allies first.”
Mu Zhanting nodded. His compass pointed in the same direction. The Nan was associated with fire so that strange insect forest likely housed the fire essence well he sought.
“Have you seen Zhengyuan on your journey?” he inquired.
The cultivators paused, recalling a nun they had seen during their studies in Daosheng Heaven who had caused a commotion in the Treasure Pavilion. “We haven’t seen her, but we found some beast corpses with traces of Buddhist power in that silver forest. We’re not sure if the insects brought them from elsewhere or if some Buddhist cultivators entered.”
Unable to determine Nan Yan’s location from this information alone, Mu Zhanting asked, “Did Mo Xingzhen mention anything else?”
“We wanted to travel with him, but he said he needed to find someone and couldn’t accompany us. He suggested that once we all recover to Foundation Establishment level spiritual power, we should meet at Ghost Gate at the end of the Nine Robbery Seas in a month.”
Who could he be chasing? Mu Zhanting wondered.
Meanwhile, in the southeast Robbery Sea, Chiqiu Mountain Canyon…
Starlight from above shimmered on the sea’s surface, its clear moonlight creating blue ripples that merged with the faint, ghostly glow around them. Despite the breathtaking scenery, no one had the leisure to appreciate it.
“Break!” a voice commanded.
Elemental magnetic force whipped up a five-colored magnetic wind, crashing into the five-colored elemental essence seal at the top of the ground cave. The seal shook violently, shattering like glass.
“What impressive elemental magnetic holy light! It can not only sense essence wells but also break through the five elements’ chaotic flow. No wonder the other crown princes don’t want to offend him. He’s practically invincible in this Mountains and Seas Prohibition,” someone commented.
Yuan Ang exerted all his strength. After throwing a jade ruler to prop open the breach, he urgently said to Nan Yan, “Zhengyuan, it’s up to you now. We’ll assist from the side.”
“Understood,” Nan Yan replied.
It was her first time witnessing such an extraordinary sight. As Yuan Ang tossed down an illuminating treasure, Nan Yan peered into the depths of the cave. The light revealed numerous holes of various sizes, from which green ghost energy began to seep. The ground beneath their feet started to tremble.
Yuan Ang warned, “Everyone, take your positions. The first wave of ghosts is coming!”
The wood elemental essence in the air was so dense it nearly solidified. A sound like boiling water emerged from below, and Nan Yan’s eyes widened in anticipation.
In the Western Robbery Sea, amidst a vast expanse of desert sand and wind.
“You thought you could scheme against me? I’ll teach you a lesson!” Mu Zhanting, looking like a haggard refugee, plunged the heads of two demonic cultivators into the sand. Suddenly sensing something, he leaped into the air to dodge. Almost immediately, something slithered beneath the sand, dragging the two cultivators into its depths.
After two faint screams echoed from below, two clusters of elemental essence—one gold, one fire—emerged from where the cultivators had vanished. Each cluster enveloped a black jade ring as they flew towards Mu Zhanting. With a wave of his hand, he absorbed the fire essence and stored the earth essence in a spirit bead. He then tapped the two black jade rings with his white jade ring, instantly absorbing them. The sensing range of his white jade ring doubled.
Rings of different colors could absorb each other after their owners were killed. Mu Zhanting quickly examined the rings with his divine sense, detecting only one yellow jade ring about 500 miles to the north.
Mu Zhanting had crash-landed in the great desert of the Western Robbery Sea. For the first five days, he nearly became prey to a nest of sand lizards due to his depleted spiritual energy. Fortunately, he stumbled upon a small oasis and gradually recovered.
The vastness of this world between mountains and seas was overwhelming. He had no idea where Nan Yan had been teleported. Before arriving, he’d heard that the distribution of elemental essence followed a pattern: water in the north, wood in the east, fire in the south, and metal in the west, each ruled by one of the four great beast lords. The central Ten Professions Mountain, however, was the domain of the ghost race.
The Western Robbery Sea desert where he now stood was the territory of the Golden-winged Xuancang Beast. Were it not for the ongoing war between the beast and ghost races, human cultivators would have no chance of escape.
However…
The Sovereign of the Cultivation State was originally chosen through rotation. After several candidates perished in the Mountains and Seas Prohibition, a competitive system was introduced. Crown princes from various states could now vie for the Mountains, Rivers, and Seas Crown, with some advantages given to the state whose turn it would have been under the old system.
Mu Zhanting took out a compass he had brought with him, a special privilege granted to Chen State by Daosheng Heaven. It could locate essence wells. Without hesitation, he chose to find a fire essence well.
“South… south…” he murmured.
As night fell, Mu Zhanting finally spotted some greenery. His ring also detected traces of other cultivators nearby. Upon investigation, he found a group of battered neutral-faction cultivators.
“What happened to you?” he asked.
As he approached, he noticed one cultivator covered in a silvery sheen. Upon closer inspection, he saw that most of the cultivator’s body was covered with tiny, silver-backed, six-winged insects. The others were carefully burning these insects off with spirit fire.
“Ah it’s the Crown Prince of Chen State,” they said, recognizing Mu Zhanting. Though not necessarily allies, they wouldn’t start trouble. They bowed and explained, “He’s been engulfed by these insects. They multiply rapidly. If we don’t burn them off soon, he’ll turn into a silver statue.”
Mu Zhanting crouched to examine the situation. “Your fire isn’t strong enough. Let me try.”
Confident in his fire control skills since absorbing the Great Sun Fire Essence, he summoned a ball of intense crimson flames. The injured cultivator rolled on the ground, howling in pain, but the silver skin began to peel off, forming a metallic substance.
“Thank you for your help, Crown Prince!” the man said. Though half his skin had been burned off, his life was saved. After taking a flesh-regenerating pill, he began to recover with the help of his companions.
Mu Zhanting tapped the metal on the ground, surprised by its hardness. “What kind of insect is this? It’s incredibly tough.”
“We’re not sure either,” one of the cultivators replied. “After entering the Mountains and Seas Prohibition, we landed in the Southern Robbery Sea. We met some fellow Daoists and found a silver forest rich in elemental essence. We’d never seen trees like that before, with silver fruits. We thought they might be rare spirit herbs, but they turned out to be clusters of these strange insects.”
He continued, his face showing fear, “My seventh junior brother was the first to touch one of the fruits. He was immediately surrounded by the insects and turned into a silver statue. Fortunately, we encountered Senior Brother Mo Xingzhen from Zi State, who lured the insects away, allowing us to escape.”
“Where is this place?” Mu Zhanting asked.
“About 700 miles to the southeast, in a swamp that glows silver. It’s extremely dangerous. Crown Prince, please don’t venture there without gathering allies first.”
Mu Zhanting nodded. His compass pointed in the same direction. The Nan was associated with fire so that strange insect forest likely housed the fire essence well he sought.
“Have you seen Zhengyuan on your journey?” he inquired.
The cultivators paused, recalling a nun they had seen during their studies in Daosheng Heaven who had caused a commotion in the Treasure Pavilion. “We haven’t seen her, but we found some beast corpses with traces of Buddhist power in that silver forest. We’re not sure if the insects brought them from elsewhere or if some Buddhist cultivators entered.”
Unable to determine Nan Yan’s location from this information alone, Mu Zhanting asked, “Did Mo Xingzhen mention anything else?”
“We wanted to travel with him, but he said he needed to find someone and couldn’t accompany us. He suggested that once we all recover to Foundation Establishment level spiritual power, we should meet at Ghost Gate at the end of the Nine Robbery Seas in a month.”
Who could he be chasing? Mu Zhanting wondered.
Meanwhile, in the southeast Robbery Sea, Chiqiu Mountain Canyon…
Starlight from above shimmered on the sea’s surface, its clear moonlight creating blue ripples that merged with the faint, ghostly glow around them. Despite the breathtaking scenery, no one had the leisure to appreciate it.
“Break!” a voice commanded.
Elemental magnetic force whipped up a five-colored magnetic wind, crashing into the five-colored elemental essence seal at the top of the ground cave. The seal shook violently, shattering like glass.
“What impressive elemental magnetic holy light! It can not only sense essence wells but also break through the five elements’ chaotic flow. No wonder the other crown princes don’t want to offend him. He’s practically invincible in this Mountains and Seas Prohibition,” someone commented.
Yuan Ang exerted all his strength. After throwing a jade ruler to prop open the breach, he urgently said to Nan Yan, “Zhengyuan, it’s up to you now. We’ll assist from the side.”
“Understood,” Nan Yan replied.
It was her first time witnessing such an extraordinary sight. As Yuan Ang tossed down an illuminating treasure, Nan Yan peered into the depths of the cave. The light revealed numerous holes of various sizes, from which green ghost energy began to seep. The ground beneath their feet started to tremble.
Yuan Ang warned, “Everyone, take your positions. The first wave of ghosts is coming!”
The wood elemental essence in the air was so dense it nearly solidified. A sound like boiling water emerged from below, and Nan Yan’s eyes widened in anticipation.
As the elemental essence began to thicken within the cave, malevolent ghosts emerged from the smaller holes. Their eyes, burning with eerie green ghostfire, locked onto Nan Yan, the sole Buddhist cultivator. With a roar, they charged towards her.
Yuan Ang watched Nan Yan’s feet intently as if waiting for something. To his surprise, instead of retreating, she advanced. Her long Buddhist beads ignited with white elixir fire as she swung them at the first approaching ghost.
“Clang!!!”
Though ghosts were typically formless, these entities seemed to match Nan Yan’s power level. When struck by her beads, they resonated like temple bells, instantly consumed by Buddhist flames and exorcised.
After dispatching nearly fifty ghosts, Nan Yan finally spoke up, “Are you all just going to watch me perform alone?”
The other demonic cultivators coughed awkwardly before joining the fray. Though less effective than Nan Yan’s Buddhist methods, their efforts helped repel the first wave of ghosts back into the pits.
“The ghost tide won’t return immediately after being repelled,” Yuan Ang explained. “If we absorb the escaping elemental essence now, an even stronger wave will come.”
The group eyed the slowly rising elemental essence with excitement. “Wood essence makes up 80%, but there’s enough of the other elements to restore us to the early Foundation Establishment stage.”
As with all treasure-sharing situations among cultivators, the atmosphere grew tense. After a moment, Yuan Ang asked, “Zhengyuan, shall we stick to our original agreement? Whoever grabs it, keeps it?”
Nan Yan nodded, “Of course, as agreed.”
“Then we won’t hold back,” Yuan Ang declared. He wove a magnetic light net, clearly intending to capture everything without sharing. “Absorb!” he shouted.
The wood essence was instantly drawn up from the cave, locked by the magnetic force into a massive sphere over five zhang in diameter.
Just as Yuan Ang was about to claim his prize, thinking Nan Yan a fool for not acting, she made her move. With a single gesture, she cast a five-colored spirit net that encased his magnetic net. The five elements within her net cycled through creation and destruction, quickly dissolving Yuan Ang’s magnetic force.
To everyone’s astonishment, Nan Yan absorbed the enormous ball of essence into her palm. Her body immediately began to radiate a soft, wooden spiritual light.
After a moment of shock, Yuan Ang furiously struck out at her. Nan Yan, prepared for this, gracefully dodged.
“Let’s talk this through. Why resort to violence?” she asked calmly.
Yuan Ang exploded, “What are you doing? I captured that essence first!”
Nan Yan replied coolly, “Before we came, you only mentioned a simple ghost tide that any skilled Buddhist cultivator could handle. You didn’t say the first wave would have 500 ghosts. Even your state’s crown prince would struggle with that. How could I face the next wave without replenishing my strength first?”
As Yuan Ang’s face darkened with rage, Lu Sheng, his eyes glinting, intervened, “The next wave will have a thousand ghosts, all at late Foundation Establishment level. Let her recover to Foundation Establishment first.”
He then sent a mental message to Yuan Ang, “We have secret treasures from our elders. Even if she reaches Core Formation right now, we can still subdue her.”
Yuan Ang glared at Nan Yan and growled, “Continue!”
After the first wave of essence was absorbed, the second ghost tide arrived as expected. Nan Yan was surprised to find that the massive amount of essence she’d just absorbed—equivalent to half a month’s worth of hunting—wasn’t enough to restore her to the late Foundation Establishment. She silently wondered if her capacity for essence had somehow increased since entering the Mountains and Seas Prohibition.
As Yuan Ang once again dispersed the gathering of five elements of chaos, Nan Yan faced a new wave of ghosts. Though they matched her power level, she managed to repel them. As she did, she noticed a flash of dark green light at the bottom of the pit.
Suddenly, everything changed.
Lu Sheng struck first, seizing the moment while Nan Yan was focused on the ghosts. He pulled out a worn small hammer from his spatial bag and shouted, seemingly using all his spiritual power, “Lu Family Hammer, go!”
The hammer looked weak, but even as Nan Yan quickly summoned the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara’s phantom, she was sent flying by a single blow. Simultaneously, a magnetic net descended upon her.
As she fell towards the ghost-filled pit, Nan Yan heard Yuan Ang’s greedy, malicious voice: “Sacrifice the pure sacred blood to subdue the Ghost Marquis! With my magnetic holy power, absorb all spirits!”
Below her, a ghostly face spanning the entire dark pit bottom appeared, contorted in a grotesque expression.
“Wood Ghost Marquis, accept this sacrifice!”
The voice seemed to come from an ancient, distant past—gloomy and terrifying. It scared everyone at the cave mouth, including Yuan Ang, causing them to retreat dozens of steps. Only when the green light faded and silence fell did they cautiously approach to assess the situation?
Lu Sheng, clutching his chest and panting, said, “Brother Yuan, your family has many secrets. How did you know a Ghost Marquis was guarding the essence well, and that offering a sacrifice would grant spiritual power?”
Yuan Ang thought to himself that he’d never reveal to outsiders that his ancestors were among the first disciples Daosheng Heaven sent to the Mountains and Seas Prohibition. He sneered, “That nun was just unlucky. The ghost race detests Buddhist power, but Buddhist blood is irresistible to them. I initially considered the Confucian cultivators from Shen State—their righteous qi would have worked well too—but that stubborn Yun Nian refused.”
Lu Sheng, eyeing the now tenfold larger essence in the pit, rubbed his hands and said, “Then I’ll leave You State’s share to you, Brother Yuan.”
Yuan Ang snorted, “Of course—wait, what’s that sound?”
The joyful atmosphere suddenly froze as everyone noticed the surrounding blue light deepening. In the distance, the previously sleeping white snake reared up. Behind it came an even more terrifying sound—the buzzing of blood bees…