Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 427

Just a stare, and bam, straight to pounding!

Demonic cultivators were like this.

As multiple battlefields concluded, even though the other demonic Nascent Soul cultivators had not personally intervened, the pressure on “Violet Lightning” grew immense. He understood that killing Wang Yu for offending him was no longer possible.

Even retreating intact was nearly impossible.

Did he need to sever his arm to survive?

Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord’s face darkened. He pulled his hands apart violently. Thunderclouds spread behind him for who knew how many miles, transforming into a thunder prison as violet lightning rained down across the sky.

The target was the silver chains that had sealed the void.

Seeing this, how could Wang Yu let him succeed?

With a thought, the fearless Thunder Corpse charged straight into the thunder prison. It unleashed its ability to summoning thunder and lightning to the fullest, acting like a lightning rod. Nearly half of the descending bolts abruptly reversed direction and poured into the Thunder Corpse’s body.

With its extremely high lightning resistance, it was the perfect sandbag against a cultivator like Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord.

In fact, it was even more stubborn than Wang Yu himself. That was one of the main purposes of its existence.

The heavens and earth turned into a blinding expanse of silver-white light.

Just as “Violet Lightning” prepared to retreat, he suddenly felt an invisible mountain pressing down on his physical body. Something had felt wrong earlier, but the strength domain triggered by Silver Moon divine power was invisible and intangible.

Layered together with the flesh-and-blood demonic sword, it had gained another layer of concealment.

Only now did he belatedly realize that this newly advanced Demon Lord was also a pure fourth-rank body cultivator. This was completely different from the so-called Body Cultivators of Barbaric Ghost Peak.

This was true dual cultivation of two paths, making him extraordinarily troublesome.

He had no weaknesses.

Restricted by the Force Domain, it felt as though he had fallen into water. Every movement was influenced by the surrounding environment. Within the ten-mile range of the Lock of Heaven, his body felt wrapped in thick, viscous liquid. His escape technique was suppressed to an unbelievable degree.

Wang Yu, however, was like a dragon returning to the sea. In his own domain, he was completely unaffected.

As a result, the slightly inferior Aurora Escape Technique actually crushed “Violet Lightning’s” Lightning Escape Technique. Once his speed surged ahead, the terrifying offensive power of the flesh-and-blood demonic sword became utterly lethal.

Sword light interwove into a dense web of blades. This time, there was no room left to dodge.

“Violet Lightning” stared at Wang Yu expressionlessly.

“I will personally take your life.”

The moment he finished speaking, sword qi carrying spatial cutting properties shredded his physical body into neat, square chunks of flesh. The Nascent Soul inside him had only just awakened from its dazed state when it realized that death had arrived.

Violet Lightning did not understand what had happened, nor did he have time to react. He was directly taken into the bottom level of the Glazed Iceheart Pagoda and instantly suppressed into unconsciousness.

The battle was over.

Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord’s final words had little effect on Wang Yu, but they deepened his understanding of the man. If he remembered correctly, Violet Lightning was that man’s direct son and his most promising heir.

He had broken through to Nascent Soul at a young age, with limitless potential ahead.

Now that he had died at Wang Yu’s hands, enmity was inevitable. But whether he offended him or not hardly mattered. After all, he was not a member of the Blood Reversal Sect.

With the battle at Withered Leaf City concluded, they would return to reinforce Black Mountain Pass, attacking from both sides to secure final victory.

Once Black Mountain Pass fell, the strategic objective for this phase would be complete. Wang Yu could then return to the mountain gate and enter seclusion for a period of time.

After collecting all the spoils, he also retrieved Liuying’s Nascent Soul from within the Thunder Corpse and sealed it inside the Glazed Iceheart Pagoda.

His life-bound treasure now suppressed four Nascent Souls. Its ferocious reputation was bound to spread.

It was foreseeable that after today, his name would echo throughout the world.

Just like the famous figures who had risen to prominence during the previous righteous-demonic war, he would shine brilliantly.

He regrouped with his fellow Demon Lords.

Fire Ghost Old Demon’s expression was strange.

“You truly are not afraid of Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord. What are your plans now?”

“Of course we reinforce Black Mountain Pass and take it down.”

Dark Tiger hesitated, as if wanting to speak but stopping himself.

He was not thinking about strategy. He was wondering whether Wang Yu would share one of the Nascent Souls with him.

After all, if he had not gone all out, whether against Xiao Fulong or Purple Cloud, the course of the battle could have been drastically affected, perhaps even reversed. Especially when fighting Xiao Fulong, those flames had truly burned painfully.

With one misstep, he might have been seized and slain.

After all, he was only at the third layer of Nascent Soul. Only by fusing with the yin beast Nether Tiger could he barely contend with a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Xiao Fulong, however, was at the sixth layer of Nascent Soul. The pressure was immense.

The fact that he had managed to hold him back likely meant the other side had not even used full strength.

“Recall all personnel. Collect as many valuable spiritual items as possible. We will first withdraw into Withered Leaf Marsh to rest for a day, then depart for Black Mountain Pass.”

The orders were issued calmly, as though the slaughter just now had been nothing more than routine.

Dark Demon Barbarian Lord, as the nominal commander, might look like a brute at first glance, but as a member of the Wei Clan, he truly had some skill.

No one objected to this arrangement.

After the crowd dispersed, Wang Yu and Dark Tiger moved aside to speak privately. Though he felt a bit of heartache, the other party had indeed rendered great merit. Wang Yu summoned the Glazed Iceheart Pagoda and handed Liuying’s Nascent Soul over to Dark Tiger.

The small Nascent Soul was wrapped in black ice, sealing runes spreading across its entire body. It was completely cut off from external perception, and its consciousness was in a dormant state.

Wang Yu had considerable experience handling such matters.

Seeing that Wang Yu had genuinely given him a Nascent Soul, Dark Tiger Demon Lord was overjoyed. The way he looked at Wang Yu was like looking at a sworn brother, and even his form of address grew more intimate.

“Many thanks, Brother Wang, for this gift. As expected, you are the one worthy of trust.”

Wang Yu curved his lips into a smile. Since he had already given it away, he naturally had to appear generous and complete the favor properly.

“There is no need for such courtesy. What I value most in my growth until today is credibility. In the Battle of the Twin Prodigy, my disadvantage was so great, yet I still gave it my all and lost by a single misstep.

“Since I gave Brother Dark Tiger my word, I will naturally fulfill it.”

“Brother Wang is truly righteous!”

Dark Tiger Demon Lord was filled with admiration and offered several more compliments.

“I have also heard of the Battle of the Twin Prodigy. It was that man’s incompetence, not your fault, Brother Wang.”

Once the war at Black Mountain Pass concluded, Dark Tiger could exchange the gains from these major battles for breakthrough resources. After another period of closed-door cultivation, it was highly likely he would emerge with mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation.

Wang Yu’s foundation within the Blood Reversal Sect was still shallow. Building connections had to be done step by step. Moreover, it was wartime, and with Dark Tiger Demon Lord’s strength, he possessed significant strategic value.

“By the way, I have yet to hear which Ancient Demon the Yin Beast Path cultivators inherit from, nor where its sealing ground lies.”

At the mention of this, Dark Tiger’s expression turned somewhat sour.

“It is the sealing ground of ‘Nether.’ It lies within the Nether Mountain Sect. All Yin Beast Path cultivators are subject to their control. Otherwise, I would not have gone to such lengths collecting Nascent Souls.

“I intend to borrow the influence of the Heaven Refining Demon Sect and forcibly exchange with the Nether Mountain Sect for a Nether Demonic Spirit Stone. Only then will I have the confidence to break through the mid-stage Nascent Soul bottleneck.”

The so-called Nether Demonic Spirit Stone and Frozen Demonic Spirit Stone were essentially the same thing. The latter’s sealing ground remained within the Endless Ice Plains, and its gatekeeper tribe had been allied with the Blood Reversal Sect for generations.

Thus, breakthrough resources of that type were not lacking. Dark Tiger clearly did not enjoy such treatment. Everyone had their own difficulties.

“I see.”

After chatting a bit longer, Qingyang, Yang Xiong, and the others approached excitedly and paid their respects to Wang Yu.

It was evident their harvest had been substantial. After a brief exchange, about two incense sticks later, Withered Leaf City had been thoroughly plundered. Combined with the fact that they had not encountered the Taihu reinforcements who were supposed to arrive alongside Violet Lightning and the others, the demonic cultivator forces formally withdrew into Withered Leaf Marsh.

Originally, occupying Withered Leaf City would have maximized their benefits. Unfortunately, the city was already ruined. Aside from the underground spirit vein, it held little value and lacked any defensive measures.

Occupying it rashly would only make them a target of all sides and possibly invite an immediate strike from Thunder Lord Heavenly Capital. Naturally, they could not linger.

Although the best-case scenario had not been achieved, accomplishing the secondary objective was still satisfactory.

Not long after Wang Yu and the others departed, a streak of lightning hurried across the sky.

A middle-aged man clad in a black robe patterned with lightning descended. His hair and beard stood upright in an unnatural fashion, countless drifting arcs of lightning circling around him.

With merely a cold snort, thunderous explosions echoed in the air.

It was Thunder Lord Heavenly Capital.

He muttered in a low voice,

“Well done Supreme Law Profound Pill Demon Lord. I will remember you.”

…

…

They retreated once more to the same valley they had used for temporary refuge before.

This time, with the additional forces brought by Fire Ghost Old Demon, the valley was nearly filled to capacity. Many had died in the battle of Withered Leaf City.

Even in a battle with overwhelming advantage, the casualty rate had approached fifty percent. Most of the dead were Qi Refining demonic cultivators, not worth mentioning.

Among the true main force, the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation casualties were minimal. Effective losses did not exceed twenty people, which was already acceptable.

Speed was paramount in warfare.

Before news of the battle at Withered Leaf City reached Black Mountain Pass, they had to coordinate with Evil Soul Ancestor and Dark Blade Demon Lord to launch a pincer attack.

Thus, they had only one day to recover their mana.

However, figures such as Thunder Lord Heavenly Capital and Granny Silvermoon were Nascent Soul Great Perfection experts of Taihu. Privately, they might possess advanced communication magic treasures.

Therefore, the pincer attack on Black Mountain Pass was an open scheme.

Even if the enemy knew, they would still have to respond.

There would have been no need to intercept the reinforcement team at the mountain pass otherwise. As long as the subordinates were wiped out and no one remained to preside over the defensive formation, Granny Silvermoon and Vast Righteous Sword Chief would be like fish that had swum deep into enemy territory.

Sooner or later, they would be strangled.

The existence of the dangerous pass would lose its meaning.

There was no need to stubbornly hold it.

While the others rested and sent transmissions, Wang Yu circulated his cultivation technique, absorbing the pure spiritual qi from supreme-grade spirit stones to restore his demonic essence. At the same time, he extended his divine sense to inspect the spoils of this battle.

The storage rings of Violet Lightning and Liuying were both in his possession.

The latter’s collection was rather ordinary. Among her belongings, several inheritances belonging to Moon Gazing Palace caught his interest. After all, that sect traced its origins back to the ancient Taiyin Sect.

He was extremely interested in that ancient sect.

Unfortunately, these were not core inheritances. As for wealth and resources, they were mediocre at best, roughly on par with the two old fellows from Hidden Valley. The Crescent Moon Shears, however, were quite decent.

“Truly poor.”

As for Violet Lightning’s storage ring, strictly speaking this was the second time he had taken it. If the man had not already perished, there might even have been a third time.

Violet Lightning’s storage ring did not contain much either. Perhaps he had not had time to replenish it. It was filled mostly with miscellaneous items and daily necessities, along with all sorts of tokens.

After obtaining a batch of supreme-grade spirit stones, the most valuable item was a fragmentary map.

It was a map Wang Yu had once acquired before, yet had been unable to match with the current cultivation world. It was called the Thunderfire Fragment Map.

Strictly speaking, this was a treasure map.

When the founding ancestor of Thunderfire Temple traveled across the Ice Prison Realm, he recorded the locations of various heaven-and-earth spiritual flames and special thunder sources on the map. It could only be understood when paired with an ancient-era world map.

Wang Yu was extremely interested in the Thunder Dao.

His Wind-Thunder secret technique had once brought him tremendous benefits. In addition, he possessed a Thunder-Devouring secret art that could help him acquire a Thunder Spiritual Root and wield lightning.

In the long run, its potential was remarkable. Thunderfire Temple’s most famous divine ability, the Heavenly Thunder Earthly Fire Seal, required both spiritual flame and extraordinary thunder to cultivate. Its power was boundless.

It enjoyed far greater renown than the series of Impoverished bankrupt divine abilities from Yellow Springs Temple.

The two fragment maps contained different sections, yet they could be pieced together. Over the passage of time, seas had turned to mulberry fields and terrain had shifted, so changes in geography were normal.

But some landmarks could not be altered even by time itself.

Such places often gathered extraordinary forces of heaven and earth.

At the junction where the two fragment maps aligned, inspiration flashed in Wang Yu’s mind. He seemed to recall such a place. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly realized.

Thunder Amassing Mountain.

This place lay in the southern part of Cloud Ridge Prefecture. After passing three thousand li of Reed Marsh and the Yanluo Ghost Market, and traveling another five thousand li south, it sat at the border between the Dead Silence Desert and Peach Prefecture.

Both regions belonged to Yellow Springs Monastery. However, part of Thunder Amassing Mountain also fell within Cloud Ridge’s territory. At present, fierce battles were ongoing there. It was not suitable for seeking thunder seeds.

Thus, Wang Yu only gave it a brief glance before setting the thought aside for now.

Besides extraordinary thunder, the Thunderfire Fragment Map also marked spiritual flames born of heaven and earth, rich in origin and boundless in potential. If he could obtain one or two to nourish his Ice Chi Pill Flame, it felt as though advancing that flame to fifth-rank would become a truly feasible path. For this reason, Wang Yu took this map very seriously and planned to return to the sect to compare it with an ancient map.

One day later, the rest concluded.

Without pause, the group hurried toward Black Mountain Pass. Along the way, they discussed what tactics to employ. After all, Granny Silvermoon and Vast Righteous Sword Chief were too famous.

The few of them felt somewhat uneasy.

Especially regarding Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord. If he truly rushed to Withered Leaf City and established contact with Black Mountain Pass, he might appear in this decisive battle.

And once the enemy gained an additional Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivator, the situation would reverse instantly. How to allocate high-end combat power and create localized superiority would be matters for Spirit Transformation venerables to consider.

Aside from Sword Sect and Heaven Refining Demon Sect, the other hegemon-level forces did not exercise particularly strong control over late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. It was more often suggestion and negotiation rather than command.

This created a degree of unpredictability.

One might establish unparalleled merit, or one might become a laughingstock, ruining one’s reputation overnight. Beings with excessive autonomy were, in truth, ill-suited for war.

To a certain extent, this was a distorted form of individual heroism. One step forward led either to heaven or to hell.

Dark Demon Barbarian Lord said, “Regarding the battle at Withered Leaf City, I have already advised the Exalted Sect and Evil Soul Ancestor through spirit resonance proclamation. They will take precautions against Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord. There is no need for excessive worry.”

Fire Ghost Old Demon nodded in agreement and glanced at Wang Yu’s calm expression.

“Look at him. Even our fellow sect member who killed Heavenly Capital’s son is not afraid. What do we have to fear?”

At these words, Wang Yu’s eyelid twitched and said, “Fire Ghost, perhaps you should think about Vast Righteous Sword Chief instead. I heard that during the last righteous-demonic war, you captured his personal disciple and sold her to those lewd demons of Joyous Union Sect.”

At once, the group fell silent. Fire Ghost Old Demon rubbed his ugly face, his features melting and reshaping into another appearance.

Even after being ridiculed, he did not mind.

“Many thanks for the reminder, Daoist Profound Pill. I nearly forgot to change my appearance.”

At the same time, within the camp outside Black Mountain Pass, Evil Soul Ancestor finished reading the intelligence transmitted back by Dark Demon Barbarian Lord and revealed a satisfied expression.

“Heavenly Capital is coming. Are we confident?”