Guardians of Mountain and Sea - Chapter 11

What is civilization?

Civilization is the sum of all treasures left behind by an era.

It is not just the economy; it encompasses moral ethics, religious beliefs, codes of etiquette, art and culture, innovative skills, cities and nations, tools and classics. The bedrock of civilization is humanity and the written word.

The White God once visited this continent. He took away the civilization of an entire era and erased every trace left by the humans of that time.

In the current epoch, no one on this continent even believes it once existed.

No, it is not even a matter of disbelief, for there is simply no one left who knows of it.

The white-haired woman’s voice was heavy, as if weighted by the mass of an entire era.

She said, “The White God succeeded. He wiped out the civilization that birthed me. Before His death, my deity manifested in this world, using His dharma body to create this pocket realm independent of the outside world. His final act of mercy was to lock me away within this realm, allowing me to survive into the new era.”

The white-haired woman emphasized, “The world is now in its Third Era.”

Apu fingered the Peace Lock around her neck and asked softly, “So, the Peace Lock is this pocket realm? Were those divine statues carved by you?”

Priestess Granny nodded and continued, “The White God’s devouring and erasing of civilization is a complete purging within the Three Thousand Worlds at the level of the Great Dao. Although this realm is an independent heaven and earth, I still found myself beginning to forget.”

“For the first ten thousand years, I wrote desperately. I recorded every word, classic, cultivation method, and formation map I remembered. But ten thousand years later, I forgot it all. I did not recognize the words I had written; I could not understand the images I had drawn. Eventually, I even forgot my own name.”

“As the written classics faded, I began to carve statues of all the gods I remembered. My faith prevented me from looking directly at my own god, let alone carving His likeness, so I carved the other gods first. In the end, I carved those statues but forgot my own faith.”

Civilization was taken; faith was destroyed. The words and images stored in Priestess Granny’s mind were forcibly erased. In this realm, she went from agony to madness, and finally to a state of hollow silence.

First, she could not write. Then, she could not draw. Finally, even when she opened her mouth, only unconscious syllables emerged; she could no longer speak.

By the time the Third Era began, she had completely forgotten her own god, save for a hazy, general impression.

At that point, every concrete trace of the realm’s original master had been utterly wiped from existence. The god’s restriction ended, and she was finally able to leave.

The woman who had endured eons in the pocket realm appeared aimlessly in an entirely unfamiliar mountain forest. The pocket realm transformed into a gray, ordinary-looking stone.

The world was still the same world, but the civilization that had raised her was gone. Unable to find a single trace, the weeping woman’s hair turned white.

“I relearned the language of the Third Era and spent ten thousand years traveling the continent. Truly, not a trace of the Second Era remains. So, I returned to Mang Mountain, took ‘Priest’ as my surname, and lived among the clans.”

Apu gripped the Peace Lock tightly and asked, “Are you waiting for the White God to return?”

Mo Xianjun’s expression was heavy as she interjected, “He has already returned.”

Apu had actually realized this the moment the words left her mouth.

The civilization of the Second Era, the Age of Gods, had been erased, yet the current cultivation world still knew of the Divine Priesthood lineage. This was clearly wrong.

Priestess Granny lived in seclusion in Great Mang Mountain. The outside world believed the priesthood was a lost lineage from the First Era that had declined into town superstitions and charlatanism.

This slander was certainly not a narrative spread by Priestess Granny during her travels.

There was only one possibility: the White God had returned in the New Era. He had plucked a lineage from the destroyed civilization that actually existed in this world and allowed His followers to hide under that identity, waiting for the right day.

Priestess Granny nodded in confirmation. “My lineage is lost. My manipulation of spiritual power and formation spells is based entirely on instinct. I cannot pass it on to disciples, nor can I continue to improve. I would never mention my origins to just anyone. I have no evidence; no one would believe or care. So, during those ten thousand years after leaving Mang Mountain, I never spoke of my civilization to a soul.”

“The first time I heard the outside world speak of the Divine Priesthood lineage, I knew the White God had returned. I have a chance to seek vengeance for my god and for the civilization of that entire era. The White God is my enemy, and the enemy of all civilizations.”

She looked up at Mo Xianjun.

“In this era, you will eventually face the White God as well. But your enmity is one thing; my revenge is another. I am practically a broken woman now, so I intended to choose a child to carry the weight of that erased civilization and seek revenge. That child needs to learn great skills and reach the pinnacle of this world.”

The white-haired woman patted Apu’s back and continued to Mo Xianjun, “The gods protected me; I found a good child. And then, the gods guided me to meet you.”

This was the law of karma in the world.

Mo Xianjun nodded. She lowered her eyes in thought for a moment and then smiled.

She released her sword, and the Red Ribbon longsword floated automatically behind her.

The True Lord paced around Apu, inspecting her. The red ribbon on the hilt of the sword behind her danced, resting on its master’s shoulder as if it too were scrutinizing the girl.

Apu felt uneasy under the gaze. She looked down at herself and asked timidly, “Senior?”

“Mhm.”

Mo Xianjun seemed to have finished her inspection. She cleared her throat, her face stern but her eyes clearly dancing with amusement. She asked clearly, “Lin Pu, I wish to accept a disciple on behalf of my Master. Among the first generation of disciples of the Yushan Sword Domain, I would have you be the seventh. Are you willing?”

This was an incredible stroke of luck. Only a fool would refuse.

Apu agreed immediately. “This junior is willing!”

Only after accepting did she ask excitedly and carefully, “You mean to take me as the Daoist Lord’s disciple, your junior sister?”

The True Lord laughed heartily and nodded. “Yes, Little Junior Sister!”

There was nothing more to be said.

Apu knelt with a loud thud and kowtowed repeatedly. This caught Mo Xianjun off guard. She stepped aside and waved her hand, managing to set out Daoist Lord Lingque’s memorial tablet before the girl finished her third kowtow.

After kowtowing, the little girl remained kneeling on the ground and asked, “Senior, is there any other ceremony?”

Mo Xianjun shook her head with a smile. With a gentle lift of her right hand, a soft force raised Apu to her feet.

“We are cultivators. There is no need for so much tedious etiquette. Just change how you address me.”

“Senior Sister!”

With Priestess Granny and this world as witnesses, the apprenticeship ceremony was complete.

Apu sat obediently on a prayer mat. The True Lord chanted a spell, and seven spheres of light of different colors appeared out of thin air. These spheres circled the young girl like flames.

“Our Master has ascended to the upper realm. I shall pass on His teachings in His stead.”

“The old man mastered seven different paths. These are the seven techniques derived from the Five Elements plus the Yin and Yang energies. Choose one for yourself.”

The little girl looked at the floating spheres and hesitated. “There are seven of us in total including me. Master likely intended for all seven paths to be passed down, right? I will just take whichever one is left.”

To be this sensitive and sensible at her age… Mo Xianjun smiled. “Master did have that intention, but you needn’t overthink it. Every time He took a disciple, He brought them into the sect first and then let them choose by instinct. There have been no exceptions.”

Priestess Granny also stroked the girl’s head affectionately. “The Daoist Lord is no ordinary man. Since He had the thought of seven techniques for seven disciples, it is a matter of destiny. Just choose according to your heart.”

Apu cast aside her distractions and closed her eyes to feel.

At that moment, all was void before her eyes. Just as she was about to open them, she felt a surge of heat within her bone marrow, driving her right hand to reach out and grab something.

When she opened her eyes, the surrounding spheres had vanished. In her right hand, she held a warm jade pendant glowing with a faint golden light. On it, several large characters were written in ancient seal script: “Vast Starry Sea.”

Mo Xianjun smiled. “As expected. Jade is gentle, yet it is the most unyielding sovereign of the Earth element. Positive Earth gives birth to Positive Gold. You have chosen Master’s final Geng-Gold technique.”

Apu focused on the four characters. With a flash of gold, the jade pendant projected a river of stars into the air. Tiny floating characters rippled like water with a faint golden glow.

On the left, several large characters shimmered with silver light: “The myriad phenomena of Shinra; the starry sea of the nine heavens.”

Moving her gaze to the smaller text on the right, she recognized the words, yet she could not remember a single one.

Apu blinked and read them word by word, but as soon as she spoke one, she forgot the one before it. She could not memorize them at all.

As the little girl struggled, the white-haired woman patted her head and smiled. “There is no need to try. This is a restriction set by a Great Power. It is forgotten the moment it is seen; you cannot memorize it.”

Mo Xianjun smiled and formed a seal. A sharp pain hit Apu’s chest, and a drop of heart’s blood seeped out, dripping onto the jade pendant.

The flowing characters in the air instantly brightened. The light curtain expanded a hundred fathoms before vanishing in a flash.

Just as Apu was about to ask what happened, the stars in the sky began to twinkle brilliantly. Suddenly, they transformed into millions of meteors and crashed down. The stars trailed fire as they roared downward, turning into a massive torrent of arrows that curved and rushed straight into her chest.

The fierce wind whipped her clothes. The rain of arrows whistled as it sank into her heart and disappeared.

Apu touched her chest in surprise. Everything felt normal. She looked up and asked, “Senior Sister, is this a Geng-Gold archery technique?”

Mo Xianjun nodded and manifested an exquisite arrow feather out of thin air. Each fiber was visible and lifelike. She pinched the feather between two fingers and said, “Master’s Gold-element technique is the ‘Vast Starry Sea.’ The name is ‘Vast Phenomena,’ and the method is the ‘Starry Sea Arrow Art.’ It is a path of the divine bow.”

“You saw the celestial phenomenon just now. According to Master, when this technique is practiced to its absolute pinnacle, it can trigger a response from the stars of the heavens, transforming them into billions of feathered arrows. Each arrow is a phantom of a star, powerful enough to destroy worlds and slay immortals.”

Seeing the little girl’s eyes light up with excitement, the True Lord flicked her finger, dissipating the arrow feather. Her gaze drifted slightly.

Although Daoist Lord Lingque mastered seven paths, he was not an expert in all of them. This “Vast Starry Sea” was one technique he had never reached the pinnacle of, so all of that was merely the Daoist Lord’s theoretical claim.

But there was no need to say that and dampen the child’s spirit.

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