Chapter 521 - 503: Advent of the Ancient Divine Deer Ancestral Spirit

Lanqi City’s central plaza, once a leisure spot for its citizens, was now a sea of people, the atmosphere heavy.

A temporarily constructed high stage stood in the center, with Gu Ming and Mr. Tree seated on opposite sides.

Below the stage were an expectant audience and media outlets with their cameras and long lenses set up.

Gu Ming glanced around and was surprised to see Elder Huo, who should have been in the Capital for the New Year, in the crowd. After a moment of shock, he clasped his hands in a distant greeting, wishing him a Happy New Year.

The elder gave a casual wave of his hand and glanced at his phone.

The number of online viewers for the livestream had long surpassed one million.

As the discourse began, Mr. Tree maintained his customary look of profound compassion. He took the offensive, his gentle voice carrying across the entire plaza:

"Young friend Gu Ming, your doubts about the Cyan Pine Unmoving Technique stem from a misunderstanding of the pure, natural way.

"All things in heaven and earth move in endless cycles. Humanity’s arrogant attempt to impose its ego upon nature is the root cause of today’s environmental degradation and restless society.

"What we seek is a return to the origin, to coexist with all of creation.

"The Cyan Pine Unmoving Technique simply allows one to emulate the Cyan Pine, to possess the Willpower to remain unshaken in the face of risk. In essence, it is no different from the Cultivation Techniques you all practice."

His words carried a peculiar spiritual influence, causing many in the audience to nod subconsciously.

Gu Ming calmed his mind and focused, refusing to be disturbed by the man’s Spiritual Aura.

When Mr. Tree finished speaking, Gu Ming didn’t directly refute his philosophy. Instead, he brought out the materials he had prepared.

"Mr. Tree, let’s not discuss vague philosophies. Let’s stick to the facts."

Using the large screen on site, Gu Ming displayed the "ritual residue" Spiritual Fluctuation graphs from the hospital check-ups of Mr. Zhao and others, along with comparative statistics on the numerous cases of mental rigidity that appeared after practicing the original version of the technique.

’This is just sophistry,’ Gu Ming thought. ’He won’t admit anything unless I present some real evidence.’

"Tell me, if this is truly a ’blessing,’ why would it leave behind such a difficult-to-remove spiritual imprint?"

"And why does the Ancient Divine Deer Ancestral Spirit from that distant place possess a Power that annihilates one’s humanity?"

Gu Ming’s every word was like a knife, dragging the issue from the realm of ethereal philosophy back down to the safety concerns that directly affected every family and every Beastmaster.

Mr. Tree seemed prepared for this, smiling as he said:

"Since you suspect there is a problem with my Ancient Divine Deer Ancestor, very well. I will summon it here and now, and allow everyone to inspect its spiritual presence to see if it is harmful to people."

"However, I also have a question for you. Your Brain Array—what happens if you draw even one line incorrectly?"

"I’m guessing you’ve never tried to draw this Array. The Old Deng’s Health Array, even if drawn incorrectly, won’t affect the growth of one’s Sea of Consciousness. That’s the reason the Array was given that name..."

"You!"

Meanwhile, as the heated discourse continued—

Outside the branch and headquarter buildings of the "Friends of Nature" in major cities across the country, an entirely different scene was unfolding.

Angry parents held up signs and shouted slogans like "Give us back our children’s mental health!", "Stop the spiritual pollution!", and "Investigate the Friends of Nature!", completely blocking all the entrances.

Some of the more agitated parents even got into shoving matches with organization members who were trying to maintain order.

The local branches of the Beast Taming Administration Bureau had no choice but to dispatch large numbers of personnel to control the situation.

Media reporters weaved through the crowds, providing live coverage and pushing the public relations crisis for the "Friends of Nature" to its peak.

The Friends of Nature organization’s live discourse today was supposed to be the perfect opportunity to clear their name. However, just as Elder Huo had said before, you can’t wrap fire in paper—the truth always comes out.

Even though Mr. Tree pointed out the huge flaw in Gu Ming’s Brain Array Formation Technique during the livestream, the operations of the organization’s various branches were plunged into a massive crisis.

The immense public and social pressure caused the seemingly colossal organization to show signs of distress for the first time.

...

「On the high stage in the plaza.」

Mr. Tree learned of the chaos across the country through a Divine Sense transmission from his staff on-site.

The warmth in his gaze as he looked at Gu Ming slowly vanished, replaced by a cold, appraising stare.

’No matter the outcome, he and the organization behind him have already blacklisted Gu Ming. He is an enemy.’

"Young friend Gu Ming, you are... truly a force to be reckoned with."

Mr. Tree’s voice remained steady, but anyone could detect the chill within it.

"However, the path to truth has always been fraught with thorns.

"These present doubts are merely a test of my convictions."

Mr. Tree’s voice suddenly rose in pitch. He spread his arms as if welcoming the descent of some supreme being and chanted:

"O, great Ancient Divine Deer Ancestor!"

"Please, hear the doubts this world has cast upon you!"

"Descend upon this place and wash away the ignorance!"

"This old world needs your guidance!"

An invisible pressure began to permeate the air.

Gu Ming focused his gaze and saw the phantom of the Ancient Divine Deer next to Mr. Tree solidify, going from faint to distinct until it fully manifested.

A profound green light burst from its glacial eyes, and the giant antlers on its head grew wildly like ancient tree branches.

The totemic patterns carved into the antlers lit up one by one, emitting a vast and ancient radiance.

A distant cry, like the belling of a deer echoing across millennia, rang directly in the hearts of everyone present.

HUMMM—

The prophesied shadow of the Ancient Divine Deer Ancestor had descended.

Its massive, ancient body emanated a heart-stopping pressure. It had large, coral-like antlers, inscribed with patterns that evoked the imagery of Stars.

A pure, cold, natural divinity flowed over its entire body, instilling an irrepressible urge to prostrate and worship in all who beheld it.

Hidden in the crowd, Elder Huo’s expression was now extremely grim.

He could sense that this Ancestral Spirit was of an extremely high spiritual rank, far beyond what any ordinary Summoning Technique could achieve.

For his opponent to summon such an entity with only Four-star strength could not be explained by mere aptitude or ritual compatibility.

The only possibility was that Mr. Tree carried a relic of the Ancient Divine Deer from a previous era, using it as a medium to bridge time and drastically lower the threshold for summoning such an Ancestral Spirit.

"Do you all see?"

Mr. Tree’s voice held a trace of undisguised pride.

"This is the Ancient Divine Deer Ancestral Spirit that the Friends of Nature follow!

"It is pure and flawless, free of all distracting thoughts. Its only purpose is to spread the most fundamental Cyan Pine Visualization Realm to help others achieve Enlightenment!"

"The so-called ’ritual residue’ is nothing but alarmist talk from Gu Ming.

"Anyone here today who can feel the pure and vast aura of this Ancestral Spirit should understand that I speak the truth!

"The ritual itself is a blessing for humanity, not a disaster!"

In the livestream chat, the comments had already exploded.

"No way! That pressure is too intense!"

"Something feels wrong no matter how you look at it..."

"Do people get questioned like this just for doing a little charity nowadays?"

Comments of support and opposition clashed fiercely, scrolling by at a dizzying speed.

However, in contrast to the tense standoff in the real world, half of Gu Ming’s attention was focused on the system interface that only he could see.

’Logically speaking, Mr. Tree has already summoned the Ancient Divine Deer Ancestral Spirit,’ he thought. ’In the system’s eyes, this should count as both sides using their ultimate moves and clashing head-on, right?’