A demonic cultivator had infiltrated the whaleship. Nan Yan’s first thought was of the sinister aura she had sensed on the first night.
“I don’t think that guy was any good. Let him be dead,” Yin Ya said lazily, sprawled on a couch, drowsy from the ship’s gentle swaying. He advised Nan Yan to avoid getting involved.
Nan Yan waited patiently for over ten days, but the law enforcement cultivators never questioned her again, and Yuan Feng’s death seemed to have been forgotten.
“I just find it strange. If a demonic cultivator infiltrated the ship, why act now?”
“This is a Chen State ship with a Nascent Soul cultivator on board. Let them worry about it,” Yin Ya said, stretching and rolling over to continue sleeping.
Nan Yan noticed Yin Ya’s recent unusual behavior and cautiously asked, “Second Brother?”
“What?” Yin Ya replied lazily.
Nan Yan sensed Yin Ya’s spiritual energy was on the verge of overflowing. “Are you about to advance?”
Yin Ya kicked Nan Yan away angrily. “Can’t you speak properly? You’re the one about to give birth! Can’t a demon get seasick?”
Nan Yan asked caringly, “You’re seasick? Does your stomach hurt? Should I get you a hand warmer and some ginger tea with brown sugar?”
“Nan Ball Ball, are you asking for a beating?”
“No, no.”
After leaving, Nan Yan couldn’t shake her concerns about the recent events. Yuan Feng had been a Core Formation cultivator, and if he was easily killed, it wasn’t something she, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, could handle. Her thoughts then turned to the Yingyue Sect’s senior and junior disciples.
“I’m going downstairs for a bit.”
Nan Yan left and went to knock on Chu Jing and Meng Ying’s room. Soon, someone opened the door.
“Fellow Daoist, this humble nun has some questions.”
Meng Ying opened the door, blinked at her, and stepped back to let her in. She poured Nan Yan a cup of spirit tea and said, “My senior brother is out. What can I help you with?”
Nan Yan’s spiritual sense swept the room, noticing something interesting. Lodgings on the whale ship were expensive, and Meng Ying and Chu Jing shared a room. They claimed to be a couple, but the main bed in the inner room only had Meng Ying’s belongings, while a pair of men’s boots sat by a couch in the outer room. It seemed they slept separately.
This was common in the cultivation world – even long-term Dao companions often had separate caves. However, given the ship’s poor spiritual environment, it was odd for a couple to be so distant.
Nan Yan found an excuse: “Yesterday in the market, I tried to sell some spiritual materials. Being unfamiliar with the area, I sought help from a broker named Xu. He introduced me to a cultivator who bought my materials.”
At the mention of the Xu broker, Meng Ying’s eyes flickered briefly, but her face remained puzzled. “And then?”
“The transaction went smoothly, but when I returned and checked closely, I found half the spirit stones were fake. I went back to confront the Xu broker, but he said he couldn’t find the buyer. He only remembered introducing him to you and Daoist Chu, as we were all traveling together.” Nan Yan looked directly into Meng Ying’s eyes. “It was a cultivator in a black cloak with one finger replaced by a mechanical prosthetic.”
Meng Ying’s heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained calm. “My senior brother and I are alone and helpless. We’ve been selling some treasures from our sect for travel expenses. We’ve dealt with many buyers, mostly mysterious cultivators in cloaks. I didn’t notice the person you described… But thank you for the warning. I’ll check all our spirit stones.”
Nan Yan pressed, “Daoist Meng truly doesn’t remember?”
Meng Ying lowered her head coyly. “I’m all alone and rely on Senior Brother Chu for everything on this journey. Please don’t trouble me further.”
“I see.” Nan Yan smiled slightly, rising to leave. “I won’t disturb you any longer. Farewell.”
Meng Ying was very guarded. After leaving, Nan Yan thought for a moment, then asked a Qi Condensation stage attendant for directions. She put on a veiled hat and went to a spirit wine shop across the street.
Cultivators generally avoided alcohol, but some enjoyed brewing extremely potent spirit wines. When drunk, cultivators had a tiny chance of experiencing illusory trials.
But Chu Jing wasn’t one of those. When Nan Yan arrived, he was slumped drunkenly in a corner, surrounded by several bottles of spirit wine. As she approached, she heard him muttering incoherently.
“…BAh poisonous woman. If I hadn’t taken a fancy to you that night, would you still be alive? Would you have access to the treasure vault? You dare to lord it over me.”
Nan Yan sat quietly across from him, observing for a while before lowering her gaze to recite a short sutra.
As soon as she finished, Chu Jing sobered up, looking around in confusion. “Daoist Zhengyuan?”
“Daoist Meng said you’d been out for a while and was worried. I was passing by and thought I’d check on you.”
Her voice was clear and melodious. Chu Jing felt a surge of clarity wash over him. He sat up straight, his gaze on Nan Yan becoming slightly entranced. Just as he was about to thank her, Nan Yan sighed softly.
“This humble nun has a favor to ask.”
Chu Jing quickly replied, “Please, if I can help, I won’t hesitate.”
“This nun recently battled demonic cultivators for days, nearly destroying all my magical treasures. After boarding the whale ship, I hoped to purchase some new ones, but the prices here are far too high for a Buddhist cultivator, given this ship comes from the prosperous Upper State.”
It was common knowledge that Buddhist cultivators were poor, bound by precepts that restricted their behavior. Killing for treasure would harm their cultivation… though Nan Yan, who killed demons to prove the Dao, was an exception. She said this only because she saw Chu Jing was drunk and wanted to deceive him a little.
Seeing her lowered gaze, Chu Jing, still affected by alcohol, didn’t think too deeply about it. He hurriedly said, “I have many magical tools from my sect. If you see anything you like, we can certainly discuss the price.”
He set up a barrier to prevent others from prying, then opened his storage bag. Seven or eight top-tier Foundation Establishment magical treasures floated in the air.
“This Thunder Dragon Pestle can release a fragmented thunder dragon soul. For thunder attribute cultivators, its power is doubled! And this Misty Gauze can both protect and ensnare enemies. Which one interests you, Daoist friend?”
The Thunder Dragon Pestle belonged to the Yingyue Sect’s leader, and if Nan Yan remembered correctly, the Misty Gauze was the treasure of the leader’s daughter.
Nan Yan pondered briefly, then said, “These treasures are indeed excellent, but unfortunately, they don’t match my spiritual roots. By the way, do you have any Foundation Establishment pills? I’m asking for a friend.”
“Yes, yes!” Chu Jing didn’t even blink as he took out a pill and opened it in front of Nan Yan, eagerly explaining, “A Foundation Establishment pill refined by a third-grade pill master. Are you satisfied, Daoist friend?”
Nan Yan knew how much the Yingyue Sect valued these pills. Even the sect leader would face criticism for obtaining one. For Chu Jing, an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, to casually produce one… She thought she understood the situation now.
The story likely unfolded as follows: When Fu Lang and others perished in the Filthy Valley, the Yanyue Sect lost many talented disciples. Chu Jing, who hadn’t gone to the valley, narrowly escaped this fate. One day, he presumably lusted after Meng Ying and dragged her outside the sect with nefarious intentions. However, at that moment, the Yanyue Sect suddenly faced powerful enemies—or rather, law enforcers from the Upper State.
By the time they returned, the Yanyue Sect had been annihilated. Seizing the opportunity, Meng Ying took charge. Without hesitation, they stole the sect leader’s corpse, used soul-searching techniques to access the sect’s treasure vault, and looted it completely. Among the spoils were numerous Foundation Establishment pills. After successfully advancing their cultivation with these pills, they hastily fled to Chen State, fearing potential complications.
This explains why they carried the sect leader’s head. Soul-searching techniques require a recently deceased cultivator’s head. Moreover, as this was a demonic cultivation method, they had to remove the head to prevent the sect leader’s spirit from becoming a vengeful ghost. By separating the head, they made it difficult for the soul to gather, thus avoiding future cultivation obstacles caused by mental demons.
Once in Chen State, even if law enforcers discovered these two survivors, they wouldn’t dare to pursue and kill them indiscriminately. After all, Chen State was the land of true dragon descendants.
As Nan Yan pondered these details, she found an excuse to part ways with Chu Jing and wandered the streets, deep in thought. Though she now understood the incident’s cause, she wondered why the law enforcers had chosen to annihilate the entire Yanyue Sect. According to Chu Jing, they claimed the sect was harboring someone who had stolen another’s body, yet they seemed unwilling to find this person and opted for destruction instead.
Who could warrant such drastic measures from the prestigious Hall of Righteous Law? The Hall, located in the Upper State Emperor’s domain, was the most revered institution in the cultivation world. When major “Five Rebellions” crimes occurred, the Emperor would order law enforcers to capture or execute the offenders after a trial.
Having cultivated in the Mortal State until now, Nan Yan wasn’t well-versed in upper-state affairs. She decided to consult Yin Ya. As she headed back to the inn, the ground beneath her feet suddenly shook, startling the Mortal State cultivators around her.
“What’s happening? An earthquake?”
“We’re at sea. It’s not an earthquake—the whale-ship has stopped.”
“Could the whale be hungry and trying to dive?”
As others speculated, Nan Yan felt an intense discomfort. Her expression changed as she took flight, reaching the city wall atop the whale’s back within moments. Looking out, she saw a vast ocean bathed in the sunset’s glow. From the setting sun emerged a snake-like shadow, its body covered in barb-like scales. Though not as enormous as the whale ship, it still stretched over a hundred zhang in length, resembling an ancient monster.
Instantly, numerous golden-scaled Chen State cultivators flew out from the city. Foundation Establishment cultivators hovered in the air, each deploying identical formation disks. Within moments, a jade-green light array covered the small city atop the whale ship like an inverted bowl.
The giant snake lashed its tail, splitting the sea into a golden path as it charged toward the whaleship. As everyone braced themselves, Nan Yan narrowed her eyes and noticed a figure standing atop the snake’s head. With hands clasped behind his back, the person exuded a terrifying aura that made even Nan Yan feel weak despite the distance.
It was a Nascent Soul cultivator.
The Nascent Soul cultivator stamped his foot, and the hook-scaled strange snake raised its head, opening its fang-filled mouth. Instead of attacking, it emitted a cry like a wailing infant.
As the cry reached their ears, Nan Yan felt her mind chaos erupt in her mind.
“It’s a Night Crying Snake! This is bad for the whaleship!”
All the cultivators on board, including those hovering in the air, faltered. The usually calm whale beneath their feet grew restless upon hearing the infant’s cry, seemingly intent on diving into the ocean depths with the small city on its back.
While most cultivators wouldn’t drown if the whale submerged, the important cargo and the city itself would likely be lost.
“Demonic cultivator! How dare you act so recklessly! Don’t you know this is the Ao clan’s whale ship?” a cold snort rang out from the city at this critical moment. A silver light shot into the sky—a silk scroll emitting divine radiance that enveloped the entire whale ship. The whale’s agitation immediately ceased, though it still hesitated to surface.
The Nascent Soul demonic cultivator atop the giant snake laughed heartily. “I am Pei Zhaogang, and today I’m here specifically to plunder the Ao clan’s whale ship!”
As he spoke, thousands of figures emerged from the surrounding sea, most riding strange sea beasts, their faces twisted with bloodlust as they eyed the whaleship.
Chaos erupted. The Mortal State cultivators in the city panicked, never expecting to encounter demonic cultivators midway through their sea journey.
Amidst the confusion, the Chen State Nascent Soul cultivator in charge of the whale ship transmitted a message to the city:
“Most Chen State law enforcers are maintaining the protective array. Any Mortal State cultivators willing to assist can earn early merit for the Chen-Si War!”
The prospect of earning early merit for the Chen-Si War was enticing. The Nascent Soul cultivators couldn’t directly engage in battle, as the enemy also had a Nascent Soul cultivator. If they fought, the whaleship and all the lower-level cultivators on both sides would perish.
Most of the Mortal State cultivators on board had come to participate in the Chen-Si War, drawn by the Dragon Lord of Chen State’s renowned generosity. The treasures promised in exchange for military merits were undoubtedly extraordinary.
As soon as the Nascent Soul cultivator’s words faded, several streaks of light shot up from the city, breaking through the protective array.
Thousands of demonic cultivators descended upon the whale ship’s back, charging towards the small city with a tide of demonic energy. Standing on the city wall, Nan Yan felt her Seven Buddha Karma-Creating Technique respond to this unprecedented demonic energy, igniting her fighting spirit.
Nan Yan had initially thought to call for Yin Ya, but remembering the fox’s seasickness and recent lethargy, she dismissed the idea. With a light push of her toes, she darted outward.
Other Mortal State cultivators joined her. Some recognized Nan Yan and couldn’t resist teasing her.
“Female Bodhisattva, be careful out there. Don’t forget to call for help if you can’t handle it~”
The other cultivators laughed, while seven or eight late Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators noticed the female cultivator among the first wave of defenders. Some even changed course to charge toward Nan Yan.
The demonic cultivator closest to Nan Yan, his eyes gleaming with malice, shouted when he was about ten paces away, “Beauty, why so coy? Let this master see what you’re made—”
His words were cut short by an explosion. The surrounding demonic cultivators halted abruptly, stunned to see the white-clad Buddhist woman barely raise her hand before the opposing cultivator’s head suddenly detached from his neck, bursting into a mist of blood midair.
In just one encounter, a formidable late Foundation Establishment cultivator had perished.
The nearby Mortal State cultivators gaped in shock before exclaiming in fear:
“I recognize her now—she’s the Bloody-Handed Guanyin!”