Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 420

Ever since the sect master of the Blood Reversal Sect recovered his sanity five years ago, the overall strategic direction he established had been simple.

Use orthodox methods to defeat cunning tricks. No matter how sly and fox-like the enemy was, crush them with overwhelming strength.

It was a straightforward brute-force approach. The premise for victory was that the Blood Reversal Sect truly had to be able to suppress the combined assaults of multiple factions and win fair and square.

If one counted all the top experts from every opposing force, then following this path, there was a ninety-nine percent chance of failure.

However, judging only from the experts that had appeared on the Maple Prefecture and Cloud Ridge Prefecture battlefields, the reinforcements sent afterward were enough to form an overwhelming advantage.

Even if Yellow Springs Monastery and Nether Mountain Sect dispatched one or two major cultivators, it would not change the overall situation. Their strategy was one of boiling a frog in warm water, gradually eroding the Blood Reversal Sect’s territory.

And they had already been executing this plan for over thirty years.

On the Exalted Sect’s side, aside from frontal suppression, there was also an intention to exploit information gaps.

That was, at moments when the enemy could not possibly mobilize their full strength, they would suddenly launch a fierce attack, sweeping through like an autumn wind scattering fallen leaves and decisively determining the battle.

What they were aiming for was a lightning war at the level of high-end combat power.

Unfortunately, there was a problem here.

Although the young sect master had been brought back by Wang Yu, he himself had connections with Yellow Springs Monastery. Back in Maple Prefecture City, Wang Yu had openly captured him in public.

As a result, the element of surprise for a lightning war no longer existed.

When the enemy was already on guard, how could things possibly develop according to the original plan?

Thus, the war in Cloud Ridge Prefecture was not going smoothly.

On the contrary, because Great Cultivators of the same level had suddenly appeared, the brutality of the conflict rose by several levels. The two sides were locked in a bitter struggle and remained in a stalemate.

The situation in Maple Prefecture was much better. Large numbers of small forces had been pacified, leaving only a few major invading groups, such as Taihu, Yellow Springs Monastery, and Nether Mountain Sect.

After barely achieving the initial strategic objectives, the Exalted Sect hastily transferred more manpower to the Cloud Ridge battlefield, further intensifying the fighting there.

On the surface, it seemed that the Blood Reversal Sect was being toyed with and led around in circles.

But in reality, their true focus lay at Black Mountain Pass.

It lay in their secret cooperation with the Heaven Refining Demonic Sect.

Layer upon layer of schemes, plots within plots. Nothing could describe it better.

Half a month later.

Bringing along four confidants of varying ability, Wang Yu met up with Dark Demon Barbarian Lord and Dark Tiger Demon Lord.

He had good private relations with the Wei Clan. Although Dark Demon Barbarian Lord was the ancestor of Wei Shanze’s branch, and they were nominally split into two families, their relationship was still extremely close.

The purpose of dividing the clan was to appear weak, and also to redistribute resources.

It allowed them to avoid the covetous eyes of peer clans like the Feng Clan of Hidden Valley, and to reasonably allocate clan members as “assets”.

When facing disasters that could implicate the entire clan, they could also cut losses in time and preserve one lineage, preventing total annihilation.

The benefits were endless.

It was no coincidence that people said the Wei Clan often produced clever individuals.

Wei Hao’s ability to rise again from being a discarded true disciple was largely thanks to Wang Yu, not to mention the favor of gifting him a corpse.

Although the demonic corpse had been sold to Wei Hao, considering its rarity, obtaining it had been a matter of luck and opportunity. The favor was still owed.

Moreover, if Wei Hao had not failed at the Corpse-Fighting Tournament, he would never have obtained this life-bound corpse. One could only sigh at fate and timing.

His future instantly brightened by several levels, and he gained the chance to contend for the Nascent Soul realm.

For these reasons, Dark Demon Barbarian Lord was extremely friendly toward Wang Yu.

“Hahahaha! I have long heard of Fellow Daoist Profound Pill’s great reputation. Seeing you today, it truly lives up to the name.”

Upon their first meeting, Dark Demon Barbarian Lord immediately began praising him.

Although Wang Yu had named himself Supreme Law Profound Pill Demon Lord, only the title “Profound Pill” had gained widespread recognition, so most people addressed him by that name. Only close friends would call him “Brother Wang” or “Fellow Daoist Wang”.

Wang Yu responded with a smile and exchanged a few polite remarks.

Dark Demon specialized in the Six Styles of Dark Demon Fist, walking a Half-Body-Refinement path. Although he lacked divine marrow spirit bones, he had Nascent Soul support.

His body was nearly three meters tall, even more exaggerated than Blood Axe’s.

His skin was dark cyan in color, his brow bones protruded, and he had no eyebrows or body hair. He looked ugly yet heroic at the same time, which was the origin of the title “Dark Demon”.

Ugly, handsome, muscular old man.

As for the other person, Dark Tiger Demon Lord, he cultivated the Yin Beast Dao.

As everyone knew, the orthodox lineage of Yin Beasts was in Nether Mountain. The Fierce Nether Peak, one of the nine peaks, had no late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivators.

Dark Tiger Demon Lord and the Fierce Nether Mountain Lord had always had little presence within the Sacred Sect.

His life-bound Yin Beast was a Nether Tiger at peak early fourth-rank. Yin Beasts were born in the netherworld and were said to be pure yin ghost beasts from the land of reincarnation.

They were similar to ghost-path cultivators, but the Yin Beast Path followed an elite route. One would never cultivate more than six Yin Beasts. Usually, only one or two served as main combat beasts, while the rest provided support.

Compared to the orthodox Nether Mountain lineage, Dark Tiger Demon Lord was somewhat lacking. Only this single Nether Tiger could fight at the Nascent Soul level.

With his own strength added, he could contend with mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

That was not weak.

Together with fifty elite Core Formation cultivators, heading to support Black Mountain Pass, this was a considerable force.

Dark Tiger Demon Lord had a slender build and sat astride his Nether Tiger. His temperament was cold and aloof. He merely nodded to Wang Yu as a greeting.

After incorporating the four attendants into the team, everyone boarded a medium-sized speed-type flying vessel and headed toward Black Mountain Pass.

…

…

Outside Black Mountain Pass.

A gigantic black banner, towering like a mountain, was planted into the sandy, desertified earth. One skull after another hung from the banner’s surface, their hollow eye sockets emitting an eerie green glow.

A figure stood atop the black banner.

His withered white hair was braided into a single plait, casually draped over his shoulders.

Though his face was covered in wrinkles, one could still vaguely see that in his youth, he had been a man of remarkable bearing.

He was none other than Ancestor Evil Soul, of the Zuoqiu Clan, a Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivator.

A Giant of the Ghost Path!

His true name had long been forgotten. Only the title “Ancestor Evil Soul” remained. Five hundred years ago, during the war between righteous and demonic factions, he had already displayed terrifyingly powerful methods of warfare.

Today… was no exception.

“From the Joyous Union Sect to Yellow Springs, then to Maple Prefecture, nearly thirty years of accumulation. My Ten Thousand Souls Banner has long gathered enough living souls. If not for being held back by my realm, advancing it to a fifth-rank spirit treasure would have been effortless.”

He spoke these words toward his side, his voice extremely low.

There was clearly no one there.

Yet a response came.

“Evil Soul, you know very well what must be done to reach Spirit Transformation. Capturing Black Mountain Pass is the priority.”

“Nether Blade is restrained by that old woman from Moon Gazing Palace and cannot win. My Ten Thousand Souls Ghost Legion is also suppressed by Righteous Sword Qi. Are you people from the Heaven Refining Demonic Sect really unwilling to act unless there is profit in sight?”

“Watch your words. If you want to walk our sect’s path, you must understand that mantra.”

“Refine Gu, refine people, and refine heaven itself.”

“Achieve the Dao and become Spirit Transformation in an instant!”

“If you want to avoid demonic contamination, you must refine and digest this pollution. Since you came seeking our sect’s help, a little sacrifice is only proper.”

“Hmph!”

Ancestor Evil Soul stopped speaking.

He yearned for Spirit Transformation, and he also wished to break free from the cage of the Ice Prison Realm. If not for the Yellow Springs Monastery’s methods being too extreme, and the Joyous Union Demonic Sect following the old paths of past sages, the Heaven Refining Demonic Sect would not have been his ideal partner. The disparity among top-tier experts meant he might end up as cannon fodder without receiving proper returns.

Still, after the righteous-demonic war five hundred years ago, the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect’s Crimson Heaven Demon Venerable had obtained his Spirit Transformation opportunity during that war. His cultivation of the [Crimson Heaven Life-Seizing Demonic Art] was closely tied to a refining secret method.

It also required locating the Ancient Demon that was the source of the inheritance.

Only by combining the two could the best results be achieved.

And since the three clans of the Blood Reversal Sect were bound together like branches of the same tree, the Zuoqiu Clan was responsible for deepening cooperation with the Heaven Refining Demonic Sect and obtaining the refining secret art.

The Yu Clan followed the sect master’s lineage and continued striving toward the role of “jailers.”

As for the Zhuo Clan, their task was the most special. Even he only knew fragments of it.

But once it succeeded, the ones who would benefit the most would be the Zhuo Clan’s secret plan.

There was no point in thinking too much about it now.

A ferocious aura erupted from Ancestor Evil Soul’s body. Black clouds covered the heavens, instantly transforming the world into a ghostly domain. Yin winds howled, and malicious spirits wailed.

On the thousand-zhang-high walls of Black Mountain Pass, countless figures appeared.

At the forefront stood two people.

The first was the Granny Silvermoon of Moon Gazing Palace. Having consumed numerous lifespan-extending pills, she was already seventeen hundred years old, exceeding the natural lifespan of the Nascent Soul realm.

However, due to her special cultivation technique, every one hundred and twenty years she would transform into a child and sleep for sixty years, slowing the loss of her lifespan. According to rumors, her ultimate limit was around two thousand years. She was currently the oldest known cultivator alive, with Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivation.

The second was the Righteous Sword Chief of the Void Heaven Sword Sect, head of the Righteous Qi Hall, also at Nascent Soul Great Perfection.

His Righteous Sword Art specialized in suppressing yin, ghosts, demons, monsters, and all manner of evil entities.

The Righteous Qi Nascent Soul he condensed possessed the property of resisting all techniques. He feared neither curses nor corpse-ghost arts, was immune to possession, and resisted illusion techniques.

Its functions were numerous, and its power overwhelming.

He was hailed as the strongest combatant below Spirit Transformation.

With these two giants guarding Black Mountain Pass, Ancestor Evil Soul and Demon Lord Dark Blade were firmly suppressed. Even reckless assaults that ignored casualties had ended in failure.

Otherwise, given their personalities, they would never have sought reinforcements.

At this moment, Ancestor Evil Soul coordinated with the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. The “Ten Thousand Souls Ghost Legion” he mentioned earlier referred to the countless vicious spirits sealed within it.

Amid the darkened sky, innumerable evil ghosts surged out of the banner.

Howling and screaming, they charged toward Black Mountain Pass.

On the thousand-zhang cliff, runes lit up one after another, forming a pale yellow spiritual light barrier. Formation masters rushed to the various nodes of the formation and personally took control, resisting the assault of countless evil ghosts.

At that moment, the Dark Blade Demon Lord, dressed in black with black hair, appeared in midair. Ruthless and sparing no words, he drew his blade and slashed.

Pitch-black saber light surged forth like it was splitting heaven and earth, tearing space into distortions. With unstoppable momentum, it sliced straight through the barrier, parting it down the middle.

One strike shattered the formation. His offensive power was unrivaled!

Evil Soul Ancestor snorted coldly. The gigantic banner, towering like a mountain, slammed heavily into the ground. In an instant, nine mid-stage fourth-rank Ghost Kings with green faces and fangs appeared, tearing open an even larger breach in the barrier.

From this alone, one could see the foundation of the Zuoqiu Clan and the depth of Evil Soul Ancestor’s strength.

This was something they had never revealed in previous assaults.

On Taihu’s side, the Righteous Sword Chief, his temples streaked with white like snow-dusted hair, let out a helpless sigh. During the previous attack, the formation at Black Mountain Pass had been tampered with by demonic formation masters.

They had secretly modified it.

As a result, the defenders could no longer attack through the formation and could only watch helplessly as it was destroyed.

It was like a bunker whose firing ports had been sealed with cement.

There were countless schemes like this, each side countering the other. Among all the aftermath, formation problems were the most severe.

“We can only let the disciples fight with their lives.”

Upon hearing this, Granny Silvermoon waved her hand, scattering a thick, syrup-like moonlight. All Moon Gazing Palace disciples were instantly covered in pale silver gauze, and their overall strength surged.

“Kill!”

“Kill!!”

“Kill!!!”

Countless soul-devouring ghosts rushed in through the gap, colliding head-on with the defenders of Black Mountain Pass. The moment they met, brutal life-and-death combat erupted.

However, the number of soul ghosts was like the stars in the sky, endless and inexhaustible.

Each fallen disciple, on the other hand, was nearly impossible to replace. Without formation support to retrieve their souls, they would be devoured by the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and transformed into new ghosts within a few breaths, rejoining the battlefield.

The more they fought, the more enemies there were.

This was the terrifying advantage of ghost-path cultivators in warfare. Of course, there were also many ways to counter them.

The battle entered a fever pitch.

Seeing the nine Ghost Kings expanding the breach and preparing to strike at the elite defenders, the Righteous Sword Chief could no longer hold back.

“Righteous Qi Sword: Exterminate Evil!”

In an instant, pure energy filled heaven and earth.

Seven-colored light surged into the sky, piercing through the gloomy ghost domain. Warm sunlight poured down, bringing warmth and courage. Righteous qi could awaken the finest qualities in one’s heart.

Cultivating both mind and sword, the magnificent seven-colored sword radiance seemed poised to completely annihilate a Ghost King.

At the same time, the Dark Blade Demon Lord seized the opportunity and slashed out with a deep black saber glow.

But when it collided with the righteous sword qi, it was completely suppressed.

The saber light shattered. The seven-colored sword glow carved a bone-deep wound into the Ghost King’s chest before dissipating. In the end, part of its power had still been offset.

“Damn it.”

The Dark Blade Demon Lord frowned deeply. He felt like a low-grade imitation of the Righteous Sword Chief. Not only could he not compete in raw power, even his elemental attributes were being countered.

As for Granny Silvermoon, he did not even dare think about her.

Unfortunately, events never unfolded according to one’s wishes. Once he made a move, Granny Silvermoon would naturally intervene.

Granny Silvermoon’s silver hair was coiled into a peony-style bun, giving her an air of noble elegance. Though maliciously called an “old thing”, female cultivators habitually took youth-preserving pills.

As a result, her appearance was alluring yet not seductive, mature like a ripe peach, graceful and refined, yet bearing the weight of time, like an immortal who had gazed upon the mortal world for countless years.

The moment the Dark Blade Demon Lord moved, vast quantities of moonlight surged like water, isolating space and trapping him within a sea of moonlight.

This thick, syrup-like moonlight became harder than metal when struck with brute force, yet turned adhesive when slowly pulled apart.

Even his demonic blade could not cut through this seemingly endless sea.

This was Granny Silvermoon’s life-bound divine ability.

It could trap him, but it could not kill him.

This feeling of extreme frustration, of being unable to fight at full strength, was unbearable.

“Old hag, if you’ve got guts, let your daddy out!”

“You drown me in your mother’s filthy water every day, you unfilial daughter!”

With no one nearby and completely isolated, the Dark Blade Demon Lord cursed wildly, utterly lacking in decorum. Granny Silvermoon, however, remained unmoved, calmly controlling countless streams of moonlight water that transformed into drill-like shapes and repeatedly attacked him.

Outside. Evil Soul Ancestor glanced expressionlessly at the silvery giant sphere.

This was not the first time.

Every battle, Dark Blade would be taken out early.

Leaving him alone to face the Righteous Sword Chief’s righteous sword.

The bitterness of it was impossible to describe. If not for Yu Clan Ancestor, he would even have suspected Dark Blade of being a traitor.

With a cold expression, he clenched the shrunken Ten Thousand Souls Banner and clashed fiercely with the Righteous Sword Chief.

At the same time, Wang Yu’s fifty-seven-member team suddenly changed direction.

“Fellow Daoist Dark Demon, are you sure this information came from Senior Dark Blade?”

“Yes. The code phrases all match.”