Chapter 383: Rare Beast: The Crying Deer

In the blink of an eye, Yan Buji saw a strange seaweed growing on the stone wall; though called seaweed, it resembled a bamboo tube, with many roots sprouting from its mouth, writhing continuously with the water flow, seemingly emitting an inexplicable aura.

"This looks like...."

Yan Buji swam up and plucked one to examine closely.

Its multicolored body twisted incessantly, as if it were a living creature, yet in fact this thing was a mushroom that grew in the sea.

Yan Buji had seen this in the Shark People tribe; it should be a third‑tier Spiritual Material called 'Soul‑Sealing Grass', primarily used to refine a tribe‑specific Soul‑Stabilizing Pill, which can aid in breaking through the Core‑Binding Stage.

But that wasn't the point.

Yan Buji turned his head and said, "You stay here and don't come in."

"Yes."

Yan Buji thought carefully while collecting these Soul‑Sealing Grass: "According to the Shark People, where the Soul‑Sealing Grass grows, there may also be a peculiar sea‑dwelling rare beast!"

Yan Buji followed the stone wall, wandering along, and indeed discovered a narrow stone cave that could only fit one person, and entered it.

The Soul‑Sealing Grass grew denser around, and Yan Buji frowned, picking up a mineral from the ground.

"An unrefined Spiritual Stone ore... Looks like I've actually found a treasure!"

This Spiritual Stone ore wasn't the usual sky‑blue crystalline form; instead its surface was pitted and hollow, with occasional specks of sky‑blue crystal—most Spiritual Stone ores look like this and require smelting and recasting.

But that's not difficult; the fact that such an ore can be found in this tunnel indicates that the reserve of Spiritual Stone ore Yan Buji discovered is astonishing, possibly with multiple veins, otherwise this place shouldn't have such a thing.

Continuing forward, Yan Buji's left eye twitched, and he stopped in his tracks.

Covering his left eye, Yan Buji raised an eyebrow: "Mutant Force?!"

No, what exactly is ahead?

Yan Buji pondered, summoned an Accumulation Device to activate a Fiend‑Qi Armor and a spiritual shield, and moved forward slowly.

A white light gradually appeared before his eyes; Yan Buji advanced toward it, feeling the Mutant Force grow stronger.

In the blink of an eye!

A massive underwater pit opened before Yan Buji, its surroundings filled with white crystals; among the crystals faint black shadows flickered, and within a two‑meter‑tall white crystal stood a deer‑person!

"Mutant Source Stone, Rare Beast—Crying Deer!"

Yan Buji's pupils contracted; the Crying Deer, still rather humanlike, blinked at him with a pleading expression as if begging to be released.

But Yan Buji made no move; such a concentration of Mutant Source Stones is unheard of, and he only knows that Mutant Zones are where Mutant Source Stones appear, which are also the source of the cultivation world's gambling stones, so what is happening here?

Could a powerful Abnormal Beast have perished here, its released Mutant Force shaping this scene?

Yan Buji lowered his head, his eyes brightening as he immediately crouched:

"This is... a Spirit‑Gathering Formation? No, not a simple Spirit‑Gathering Formation." Yan Buji circled the pattern, looking at the central Mutant Source Stone.

"Someone actually buried an Abnormal Beast here? This formation is interesting."

Yan Buji took a jade tablet and recorded these patterns for future study.

After confirming there was no danger, Yan Buji carefully approached the rare beast Crying Deer.

It seemed to have entered by mistake, but because the Crying Deer possesses an extraordinary innate talent, it is an extremely rare beast in the cultivation world.

Unlike demonic beasts, such heaven‑and‑earth nurtured precious beasts are born with great power and innate talent. Moreover, the Crying Deer wields the most dangerous Soul‑Path talent, capable of emitting soul waves; anyone who senses the waves may be killed outright by it.

From this, it appears the Crying Deer may have discovered the miners, seeking rescue, but those people were too weak, unable to withstand its soul call, and instead were sealed by its second talent, 'Soul‑Calming', imprisoning their souls.

Fortunately this creature had no intention of harming anyone; otherwise those Dragon People would have truly died.

Yan Buji looked at it and said nothing.

He drew a Dividing Gold Blade Cross Jade Sword and, in three swift cuts, sliced the Mutant Source Stone, freeing the Crying Deer.

"Woo‑woo!"

"Showing gratitude? Then there's no need. Do you know what place this is?"

"Woo‑woo!"

The Crying Deer emitted a marvelous soul wave, guiding Yan Buji toward the center of those Mutant Source Stones.

Yan Buji walked over and discovered a human corpse that had been sealed!

Hm?

The corpse showed extensive mutation: its skull sprouted three slender, infant‑like leg bones, while its ribs and torso were enlarged far beyond a normal human, and other mutated parts were also severe.

The reason it could still be identified as a human cultivator was that its clothing remained intact, bearing patterns Yan Buji had seen before.

"A cultivator from Sun‑Moon Palace?"

The garment's embroidered design was the Sun‑Moon Palace's Sun‑Moon Unity Pattern, the most recognizable formation across the Dongxing Sea Region.

That was puzzling.

How could a Sun‑Moon Palace cultivator, lost in a turbulent sea, end up here?

The Crying Deer let out a few woos, indicating Yan Buji should look below.

"Storage Accumulation Device?"

Yan Buji cut open the source stone, removed the Storage Accumulation Device's imprint, and examined it.

"The Spiritual Material pills have lost their efficacy; this must be someone from long ago... Sun‑Moon Mountains and Rivers Illuminated? Golden Core Stage cultivation method?!" Yan Buji exclaimed, picking up several jade tablets.

The Golden Core Stage cultivation method might not be this person's main practice, and the Sun‑Moon Mountains and Rivers Illuminated contains many techniques, but the core Sun‑Moon method must originate from Sun‑Moon Palace.

Among the other jade tablets, what caught Yan Buji's attention was a technique called Earth Fiend Divine Ability!

"Earth Fiend Divine Ability—Deng Chao!" Yan Buji was shocked.

Although many Earth Fiend Tian‑Gang Divine Abilities circulate in the cultivation world, few have actually seen one; not because the ability is rare, but because the cultivation method is cumbersome.

Most people prefer to modify it themselves or use high‑fidelity copies rather than waste time mastering the Earth Fiend Tian‑Gang Divine Ability, since its cultivation differs from spells and requires three steps.

For the Deng Chao technique, even a Golden Core Stage cultivator can achieve it, but it demands the steps 'Comprehension Opening', 'Embedding Spiritual Material', and finally 'Borrowing Objects to Cast', three steps to fully wield the Earth Fiend Divine Ability Deng Chao!