Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 429

He gave him absolutely no face at all.

Fire Ghost Old Demon's expression turned unpleasant, yet neither Dark Demon Barbarian Lord nor Dark Tiger Demon Lord picked up on his mood. They simply spoke among themselves.

"In that case, I'll take the south side. What about you, Brother Dark Tiger?"

"I'll head to the north."

Wang Yu had departed toward the east side of Black Mountain Pass—that is, the front. The task of ambushing from the rear was thus left to Fire Ghost.

This position carried some danger. After all, if the Vast Righteous Sword Chief and Granny Silvermoon chose to retreat, they would surely flee from the rear. The two of them passing right overhead might decide to strike him hard on the way out.

Who could say for certain?

Unfortunately, the three of them moved too quickly. With a flash of their figures, they vanished, showing little respect for him as their senior.

At this point, there was nothing to be done.

If blame must be assigned, it could only fall on his own poor judgment. He had failed to notice that the three had secretly reached an agreement. Moreover, he still harbored private grudges against Moon Gazing Palace and dared not reveal any of his trump cards for fear of drawing Granny Silvermoon's attention.

He could only hope that his disguise technique was effective enough. Without exposing his abilities, Granny Silvermoon should not recognize him based on appearance alone.

Once the four of them were in position, the demonic cultivator teams they had brought remained hidden even farther away. Those forces could not participate in a battle at this level and were mainly intended for mopping up afterward.

After Black Mountain Pass fell, the Nascent Soul experts would disperse on their own. Then it would be up to those teams.

At the same time.

On the main battlefield in front of Black Mountain Pass, Evil Soul Ancestor, whose body had merged with the thousand-zhang Ghost Emperor Dharma Aspect—suddenly stirred. He had sensed the arrival of Wang Yu and the others.

"Now we are only waiting for the Commander of the Blood God Guard... just a little longer..."

His gaze fixed on the Vast Righteous Sword Chief, who had just broken free from the breach. Blood trickled from the corner of the Sword Chief's mouth, and one leg twisted at an unnatural angle. His condition was extremely miserable.

The Divine Might Dharma Aspect did not belong to the Nascent Soul stage in the first place.

It was a technique only Spirit Transformation Venerables could wield. For Evil Soul to use it as his trump card was already quite impressive.

But for him, it still fell short.

"Evil Soul, since you refuse a toast and insist on drinking the punishment wine, today I shall let you witness what true Vast Righteous Qi truly means."

"What is this barking?"

Evil Soul's mocking reply caused the Sword Chief's face to stiffen. The suppressed rage was plain for anyone to sense.

"How arrogant!"

"What Vast Righteous Qi? A bunch of fame-chasing hypocrites pretending to be full of righteousness? Wouldn't that make anyone who knows the truth laugh their teeth out!"

Words were useless when they did not align. After realizing he could not out-talk Evil Soul in verbal sparring, the Vast Righteous Sword Chief threw his head back and let out a long howl.

A pillar of seven-colored light suddenly pierced through the overcast sky. Noon sunlight poured down, inherently weakening all yin-ghost entities by one level.

The sun's essence scattered naturally, embodying the order of the Great Dao.

It could be resisted, but not altered.

The dramatic entrance of dark clouds blanketing the sky was likely no coincidence, Evil Soul had probably cast it deliberately. He too was a cunning old fox.

After reversing the environmental disadvantage, the seven-colored Vast Righteous Qi coalesced into multiple giant treasure swords. Arranged in sword formation, they stabbed successively around the Ghost Emperor Dharma Aspect's body.

It was as if the ground had been drawn into a prison. Sword qi rose to encompass heaven and earth.

The cage formed in an instant!

Evil Soul's heart jolted. Since the Vast Righteous Sword Chief dared to claim the title of number one below Spirit Transformation, his strength was naturally not so simple.

Ten thousand souls howled as they gathered into a Ghost Emperor Fist.

It smashed fiercely against the sword-qi prison. Though the cage trembled violently, no cracks appeared. The Sword Chief's power was evident from this alone.

"Even the power of a Dharma Aspect cannot overcome it?"

The life-bound treasure, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, appeared in the Ghost Emperor Dharma Aspect's hand at some unknown moment. Wielded like a spear, a few casual swings stirred up thousands of ferocious souls.

It stabbed toward the sword-qi prison once more.

The interval between the two attacks was short, yet it gave the Vast Righteous Sword Chief enough time to gather power—again using the Giant Sword Technique.

But this time the flavor was different. The seven-colored giant sword descended vertically as if to cleave the heavens. With Vast Righteous Law Intent amplifying it, the power had multiplied several times over. The righteous sword qi struck with particular focus.

"Boom!!!"

A deafening explosion rang out. The Ghost Emperor Dharma Aspect dropped to one knee. Its shoulder was nearly severed completely. The giant sword remained lodged in the Dharma Aspect's body, as if determined to finish the cut.

The Ten Thousand Soul Banner spear had indeed pierced through the sword-qi prison, but it had no strength left to counter this strike.

If the situation continued like this, once the Ghost Emperor Dharma Aspect dispersed, Evil Soul Ancestor might very well die at the hands of the Vast Righteous Sword Chief. Sword cultivators' offensive power was simply too overwhelming, and Vast Righteous Qi truly suppressed the ghost path.

He had lost because of the path he walked, not because Evil Soul himself was weak.

Against Dark Blade Demon Lord, he could probably have beaten him into submission.

The opponent was simply too strong!

"Now!!!"

Evil Soul Ancestor suddenly roared. Wang Yu and the others immediately realized—the shout was meant for them.

Though hesitation flickered in his heart, Wang Yu's movements were not slow at all.

In fact, he could be said to have reacted the fastest. The Yellow Springs Earth Resentment Puppet carried him bursting out of the sand-covered ground. The pitch-black, reddish formation-breaking nail was hurled forth by him.

The south and north sides lagged by a beat. The rear western side under Fire Ghost's responsibility was the slowest, but even then it was only half a beat behind. All four formation-breaking nails activated simultaneously.

The already heavily damaged protective grand formation shattered in an instant. Black Mountain Pass lay completely exposed, with no defenses remaining.

"As expected—you've come. I've been waiting for you!"

Thunder suddenly boomed in the sky. A figure both familiar and unfamiliar materialized from the lightning. It was none other than Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord!

One of the few Nascent Soul Great Perfection powerhouses in the Thunderfire Temple.

His most famous divine ability was the perfected [Heavenly Capital Divine Thunder].

The moment he appeared, his target pointed straight at Wang Yu.

Without any wasted words, a purple-golden thunder pillar crashed down from above Wang Yu's head like heavenly punishment.

Wang Yu sensed the astonishing speed of the thunder—there was no room to dodge.

He immediately threw out the Thunder Fiend Coffin, using both the treasure and the thunder corpse's power to withstand it head-on. Both had extremely high resistance to lightning; one strike absolutely could not kill him.

Even so, a trace of anxiety stirred in his heart. Demonic essence circulated rapidly within his body, raising layer after layer of defenses.

Fortunately, Evil Soul Ancestor was not one to act without purpose.

Having them make their move now meant that reinforcements had already arrived. He had long been on guard against Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord.

A flash of blood-colored light streaked by.

A golden-red long spear flew in from the horizon, scattering the Heavenly Capital Divine Thunder. It plunged fiercely into the ground. A cultivator clad entirely in blood-colored heavy armor stood there proudly.

“The Commander of the Blood God Guard, at the ninth layer of Nascent Soul—only one step away from Great Perfection.”

Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord landed on the ground and pointed at Wang Yu.

“You intend to protect him?”

“Nonsense.”

The Commander landed with his spear in hand. Privately, he sent a transmission to Wang Yu, while outwardly he addressed Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord.

“How could a pillar of our Exalted Sect become someone a mere wretch like you can covet?”

As for the contents of the private transmission:

He briefly explained the matter of the Blood Demon Hall Master. The Hall Master was none other than the Sect Master himself. The reason he had arrived so promptly was in part due to the Sect Master.

Wang Yu had dared to show no mercy and kill Violet Lightning outright.

The truth was that after this operation, he planned to return to the sect and enter secluded cultivation. In the great war between righteous and demonic paths, every disciple of the Exalted Sect had to contribute effort and rack up a few major merits for themselves.

It was far better than being assigned tasks by rivals.

Completing one such mission would grant him a long period of peace and stability. He could return and use the time to deduce and advance his Human Pill Art, then consume the sealed Nascent Souls stored inside the Glazed Iceheart Pagoda to boost his cultivation.

Once he broke through to mid-stage Nascent Soul, only then could he truly rest easy.

Cultivation at this stage was simply too difficult.

With the Commander stepping forward, the battle at Black Mountain Pass was essentially over.

The formation-breaking task complete, Wang Yu swiftly retreated. Dark Demon Barbarian Lord and Dark Tiger Demon Lord also circled in from the sides. Fire Ghost's whereabouts remained unseen for the moment.

“Such arrogance!”

Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord and the Blood God Guard Commander clashed in an instant.

…

…

Moonlight Sea Domain.

Although Granny Silvermoon's focus remained primarily on Dark Blade Demon Lord, her divine sense still paid attention to the situation outside. When she realized that even with the addition of Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord, the tide could not be turned, retreat naturally formed in her heart.

Within the silver ocean formed by moonlight, Dark Blade Demon Lord swung his life-bound treasure, the Netherworld Demon Blade, unleashing countless Netherworld Blade radiance.

He severed the heads of every silver-moon dragon that assaulted him, easing the pressure on himself. Though suppressed, he too kept an eye on the external situation.

He immediately burst into laughter.

“Granny Tong, why continue these futile struggles?”

“You crawling insect, what business is it of yours?”

“Hmph… If you don't show some real skill, you truly think this lord is a soft persimmon you can squeeze at will.”

Dark Blade Demon Lord could no longer endure the humiliation. After releasing a wave of harsh words, he raised the blade vertically in front of him. His forehead lightly touched the back of the blade. A surging, compressed blade intent, like a tightly coiled spring, stood ready to erupt into a heaven-shaking slash at any moment.

Though he came from the Yu Clan, he had never cultivated within the Blood Reversal Sect.

All his blade arts were inherited from an ancient Demon Lord of the distant past. The origin of his path held no Ancient Demon.

Instead, it was a method created by later generations, perfected across generations until it reached its current grandeur.

He did not comprehend Dao Intent. Instead, he used Blade Intent in place of Dao Intent to strengthen his Nascent Soul. This intent was named [Netherworld]!

His life-bound divine ability was likewise the Netherworld Blade Dao.

Every form, every slash, fell within the scope of his divine ability.

Netherworld Three Forms.

“Exterminate the Soul!”

His Dao was the Dao of Soul-Slaying—emphasizing intent over form.

The plain and unadorned blade edge swept across the Moonlight Sea. It appeared to cause no ripples, yet it firmly locked onto the will behind it—locking onto Granny Silvermoon's true body.

The moment this move was unleashed, Granny Tong's voice fell completely silent.

“Soul Destruction!”

The second slash tore open cracks in the sky above the Moonlight Sea.

“Netherworld!”

The third slash shattered the entire isolated domain with a thunderous collapse.

In the outside world.

That mysterious silver light orb suddenly exploded. Dark Blade Demon Lord stood with one hand holding his blade, the other behind his back, body turned sideways toward the crowd, revealing only his sharply defined profile.

“Impressive.”

“Cool!”

Dark Demon Barbarian Lord and Dark Tiger Demon Lord’s eyes lit up. Wang Yu also watched curiously, feeling that this person carried an overwhelming aura of dominance.

Back during the Nascent Soul meeting at the sect, he had already sensed this man was no ordinary figure. To see him today actually overpowering Granny Silvermoon was simply unbelievable!

He remembered the battle reports clearly stating that the man had been suppressed quite badly. How had he suddenly turned the tables?

He truly had some skill.

On the other side.

Evil Soul Ancestor saw the Moonlight Sea Domain shattered and Granny Silvermoon landing pale-faced on the walls of Black Mountain Pass. He cursed inwardly.

What the hell? Are you acting against me?

Sometimes he really felt helpless. With a teammate like this, his Ghost Emperor Dharma Aspect was about to be chopped apart by the Vast Righteous Sword Chief, yet he didn’t even have the spare moment to scold a few words.

The angrier he got, the more strength surged in his body.

With a sudden roar, he ignored his nearly severed arm and punched fiercely toward the Vast Righteous Sword Chief.

This left the opponent somewhat stunned. How was he getting stronger the more he fought?

Wasn’t he heavily injured? Shouldn’t the Dharma Aspect be collapsing by now?

Could this be a final burst of life before death?!

If the Dharma Aspect collapsed, Evil Soul Ancestor wouldn’t die on the spot, but he would suffer severe backlash.

Among the three battlefields, his side was the most dangerous.

Neither Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord nor the Blood God Guard Commander had gone all out yet, but their destructive power was still not to be underestimated. It was not something Wang Yu and the others could casually interfere in.

Between Granny Tong and Dark Blade Demon Lord, it appeared the latter held the advantage.

Yet that stance remained unmoving, as if holding back for some reason. Wang Yu and the other two wanted to help but found no good opening to join in.

Moreover, making a move would definitely carry the risk of falling.

They had already achieved such a great merit by resolving the formation’s protection. Black Mountain Pass would fall sooner or later. There was truly no need to take further risks.

One should act according to one’s level.

The three exchanged glances and all saw the same signal: slack off.

They then settled in comfortably to watch the show.

The outcome was still undecided, and there was more fighting to come. Dragging it out too long might not be favorable. The Blood Reversal Sect had the advantage of proximity in reinforcing Black Mountain Pass. If it developed into a decisive battle among powerhouses, the losses would outweigh the gains.

The other side was likely thinking the same.

Granny Silvermoon transmitted to the Vast Righteous Sword Chief, her voice extremely calm.

“The overall situation is set. Dragging this out benefits us nothing. Let us retreat.”

“No.”

The Vast Righteous Sword Chief was somewhat worked up. He gritted his teeth and said, “No matter what, this Sword Chief must shatter this beast’s Dharma Aspect and inflict heavy injuries on him. Afterward, retaking Black Mountain Pass will be far easier.”

“There is no need.”

Granny Silvermoon tried every way to persuade him.

“That Dark Blade Demon Lord feels off. It seems he has also cultivated Mind Dao techniques. The Netherworld Blade Intent wounds the soul too severely. If you suffer serious damage in that aspect, neither of us will have any chance of ascending to divinity.”

The so-called ascension to divinity meant reaching the Spirit Transformation realm.

Since it concerned their Dao path, the Vast Righteous Sword Chief hesitated for a moment. He stared doubtfully at the arrogantly side-facing Dark Blade Demon Lord.

“Is that true?”

“Of course. Besides, temporary gains and losses mean nothing. The Blazing Sun Sect and Crane Return Valley have already entered the fray. Taihu has an enormous number of cultivators. This war still has a long way to go.”

Looking at the bigger picture, temporary setbacks were indeed unimportant.

The advantage of Taihu cultivators lay in sheer numbers. The advantage of Crimson Kite cultivators lay in their ability to grow stronger through battle. Every major righteous-demonic war produced a crop of new talents.

While their success rate appeared much higher than Taihu’s, it was actually the advantage of demonic cultivation in wartime: the battlefield provided endless materials.

Souls, blood, bones, corpses, baleful qi, resentment... all kinds of resources greatly accelerated demonic cultivators’ growth. New rising stars naturally emerged in far greater numbers.

Even rogue cultivators viewed war as an opportunity. This showed the fundamental nature of Crimson Kite demonic cultivators. They could be suppressed but never eradicated. It was determined by their inherited methods—no one could change it.

Black Mountain Pass sat right at the entrance to Blood Abyss Prefecture and served as the Blood Reversal Sect’s main stronghold. They had the clear advantage in reinforcements.

Once the formation broke and mid-to-low-level cultivators could no longer contribute, if the number of powerhouses evened out, even with a slight edge, they would eventually be worn down by endless reinforcements. Reaching that point would no longer be a matter of temporary gains and losses.

Who knew how many powerhouses would be lost? The other battlefields also required powerhouses to hold the line.

Most crucially, this war should be a place for mid-to-low-level cultivators to risk their lives exterminating demons. It should not become a desperate struggle for old monsters like them.

Everyone’s life was precious!

Reversing heaven and earth like this was unacceptable. On the other hand, it was also about cutting losses in time.

“I understand.”

After the three Taihu Great Perfection cultivators exchanged glances, they erupted in unison, each using their techniques to withdraw from the battlefield.

Wang Yu and the others also breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s over.”

“We can go back and claim our rewards.”

“Thanks to Brother Wang’s brilliant foresight.”

“You flatter me, everyone!”