Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 439

Not far east of Jade Spirit City lay the ancient ruins—Eastern Extreme Capital. This was not Wang Yu’s first visit. In the past he had relied on this extremely popular ruin to fill his pockets to bursting.

But times had changed.

What counted as an enormous sum of spirit stones for Foundation Establishment or Core Formation cultivators was now nothing more than a minor detail to him. In fact, aside from supreme-grade spirit stones, those low-grade ones had already lost all meaning.

Even exchanging them upward would only yield superior-grade stones, which were of almost no use.

At this moment, A colossal crater had appeared where the ruins once stood, its depths impossible to see through at a glance. It was divided into four concentric rings: outer city, inner city, palace city, and imperial city. The dense clusters of palaces lay at the very center of the city.

The architectural style was extremely archaic, or rather, the closest to the Immortal Palaces of the Upper Realm. The outer city was split into hundreds of residential wards. Their spiritual light was faint, already more than half decayed by the passage of time.

Ancient corpses roamed everywhere inside, wandering about on withered, dried-up bodies.

The inner city was filled with soaring yin fiends. Zombies and yin ghosts ran rampant without restraint, and extremely rare demonic creatures had even been born there. For example, the three-eyed corpse infant was a variant zombie comparable to a Nascent Soul.

There were also ferocious plants that had lived in darkness for countless years.

Blood-devouring demonic vines, yin-illusion man-eating flowers… and so on. Just the things exposed in the outer and inner city areas already indicated that this place was extremely dangerous.

The palace city, packed with official residences and immortal mansions, was constructed entirely from azure jade stone. This material could remain indestructible for ten thousand years, and with the protection of restrictions and formations, only a small portion had collapsed. Most areas remained intact.

The most mysterious section was the imperial city area. That was the true residence of the ancient imperial clan.

The palace of the ancient Human Emperor!

It could be said to be the place closest to immortals. The value of the things inside needed no further explanation.

This time, the full emergence of Eastern Extreme Capital would inevitably draw a large number of Nascent Souls from the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain to explore it. Even the forces from Taihu might not be able to hold back.

Nascent Souls would be the main force in exploring Eastern Extreme Capital this time.

Even Spirit Transformation cultivators from the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect might come. This was far more attractive than a single Spirit Transformation inheritance. The hidden secrets and ancient immortal treasures inside were all objects that countless cultivators would fight over.

When Wang Yu arrived, half a month had already passed.

The peculiar thunder he had swallowed inside his body had been mostly refined on the way here. Its true identity could now be confirmed.

It was precisely the [Black Demon Thunder] recorded in the ancient texts!

This thunder belonged to the yin category and possessed the property of corroding all things. Its destructive power was extremely strong. Once subdued, it was fourth-rank. Inside his dragon spine, a yin thunder spiritual root comparable to a Heavenly Spirit Root had been born.

It matched the Yin Nether Demonic Dragon Art perfectly. Wang Yu might be able to use it to push this technique to the fifth rank, as long as he could perfectly integrate the Black Demon Thunder. There would be no problem.

He planned to attempt this the next time he entered seclusion.

Alternatively, he could wait until he broke through to Spirit Transformation before trying. Deriving techniques at a higher realm would give the Idle Slots a bird’s-eye-view bonus.

Combined with the various “accessories” that increased comprehension, it was worth trying. The thunder-swallowing secret art had unexpectedly opened the path of Body Refinement for him. It was truly a pleasant surprise.

The trip to Thunder Amassing Mountain had not been in vain. The fact that no one had discovered the secret that white thunder was actually the dispersed state of Black Demon Thunder was a little hard to explain with luck alone.

There might be another story behind it.

However, he had no time to think about it right now. With Eastern Extreme Capital fully emerged, arriving early meant exploring early. He planned to stay outside for half a month. Only after completely refining the Black Demon Thunder would he go in to investigate.

He could also observe from outside for a while and see which Nascent Soul fellow Daoists had arrived.

And so.

Another half month passed in the blink of an eye.

With the Black Demon Thunder perfectly refined, Wang Yu’s Body Refinement cultivation advanced by a small step, roughly equivalent to the peak of the first layer of Nascent Soul.

Moreover, it constantly nourished his five organs and six viscera, automatically refining his body through a gentle, erosive method. It could be called a cheat device for Body Refinement.

As for the Nascent Soul fellow Daoists.

Just the ones he recognized included the Elder Xuanyan, the Yanluo Demon Lord, and the Luofu Female Lord, the two masters of the Ghost Market. The first had a grudge against him, while the latter two were veteran peak mid-stage Nascent Soul experts.

As for the Nascent Souls from Yellow Springs Monastery, seven or eight had already arrived one after another in just this half month. There were also experts from the Blood Reversal Sect, the Joyous Union Demon Sect, the Nether Mountain Sect, and the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect.

All five great demonic sects had gathered here. Even the righteous-demonic war had been temporarily set aside. This showed just how attractive Eastern Extreme Capital was.

The two old comrades he had cooperated with before, the Dark Demon Barbarian Lord and the Dark Tiger Demon Lord, were nowhere to be seen. He did not know whether they were still in seclusion attempting a breakthrough.

But quite a few late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivators had also arrived.

There were so many that he could not count them on his fingers. It was truly a gathering of heroes, an absolutely historic major event. There were even more cultivators below Nascent Soul.

The number of Core Formation cultivators alone exceeded ten thousand. Countless elites had converged here, each displaying their own methods. Conservatively speaking, after this exploration ended, many more people would make a name for themselves.

At the edge of the deep crater of the underground city, Wang Yu quietly descended from the clouds. Three-inch golden light flashed in his eyes. It was the feng shui secret art Golden Vision of Qi Observation.

Legend said that the art of feng shui was created by the ancestor of earth masters. This person had been the State Preceptor of the ancient immortal dynasty in his early years. In his later years he went mad and disappeared during the heavenly phenomenon of the Nine Stars in a Line.

But when the Immortal Dynasty built its cities, the ancestor of earth masters must have participated.

During this half month, Wang Yu had been both refining the Black Demon Thunder and using the feng shui techniques from the Earth Mother Scripture to observe.

As the saying went, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.

When he had learned the mystical arts of feng shui, it was precisely so that he could gain a terrain advantage when exploring ruins like this.

Back then, Long Yiran had been able to borrow the Nether Tiger Prison-Suppressing Formation of the ancient Heavenly Soul Sect to instantly kill Core Formation cultivators. Now that he had perfected the Earth Mother Scripture, his attainments had already surpassed those of Formation Master Long at that time.

Once he saw everything clearly, he would also be able to utilize some of the terrain advantage and turn this place into half a home field.

At the same time, he had to be careful. Since he knew feng shui mystical arts, others might know them too, or they might team up with cultivators proficient in this path… all of which were possibilities he needed to guard against.

The full emergence of Eastern Extreme Capital had given him a complete view of the overall layout.

After observing with the Golden Vision of Qi Observation secret art for this period of time, Wang Yu discovered that the layout of Eastern Extreme Capital was one he had never seen before. The Records of Heaven Earth Strategic Arrangement contained all phenomena, yet this place’s layout was missing.

But to say it did not exist was obviously impossible.

Wang Yu frowned in deep thought.

“According to the regulations of dynasties, there are capital cities in the southeast, northwest, and all directions. If the ancestor of earth masters arranged the odd formation while overlooking the entire realm from one city… then it would make sense that the local layout cannot be seen.”

But if that was truly the case, he would need to enter the formation personally and observe from the details. Perhaps he could find some clues from the traces left behind.

In this regard, the Earth Mother Scripture had been created by a disciple of the ancestor of Earth Masters. It was of the same lineage. Entering the formation to observe would give him a greater advantage than other feng shui earth masters.

After hesitating for a moment, Wang Yu transformed into a streak of pitch-black lightning.

He instantly dove into the deep crater.

…

…

Eastern Extreme Capital, outer city area.

The ancestor of the Gui Water Demon Palace, the Yin Gui Demon Lord, held a token in his hand. Three peak Core Formation cultivators wearing yin-yang daoist robes followed beside him. He transmitted via divine sense:

“Legend says that each of the four capital cities of the ancient Immortal Dynasty had a Heavenly Yin Water Pool. After nurturing for tens of thousands of years, countless Heavenly Yin Divine Pearls would be born. This treasure can help me break through to late-stage Nascent Soul. Have the three of you found anything?”

The Yin Gui Demon Lord possessed sixth-layer Nascent Soul cultivation, yet he treated the three Core Formation cultivators with considerable courtesy. It was clear that these people had real ability.

One of the gray-haired cultivators replied:

“Senior Yin Gui, this token is called the Feng Shui Token. There are four in total: earth, water, fire, and wind. They were once the inherited supreme treasures of the ancestor of earth masters’ lineage. The one in your hand is precisely the Water Token.

“The Heavenly Yin Water Pool is related to the feng shui layout of the ancient immortal dynasty. This Water Token is the key to locating its position. The outer city holds little exploration value for Nascent Soul experts. Senior will surely obtain what you wish for.”

“Best if that is so!”

The Yin Gui Demon Lord said no more. Feng shui earth master treasures were different from ordinary magic treasures. They had to be used together with feng shui mystical arts to display their wondrous effects.

To ordinary cultivators, they were nothing more than ancient curios, Just like a feng shui compass, every feng shui earth master would craft one for personal use.

He handed the Water Token to that Core Formation cultivator. The group of four headed toward the eastern side of the outer city.

At the same time.

Wang Yu landed in the outer city area. His feng shui compass fully unfolded. The All-Heaven Star Track Instrument and the Heavenly Stems Earth Branches Disk responded to each other, helping him confirm the position within a certain layout.

His originally cold and stern expression showed slight ripples.

“Huh? A heavy treasure right after entering… and it’s still in the outer city…”

On the All-Heaven Star Track Instrument, the Water Virtue Star shone with unprecedented brightness, guiding him toward the location. The sensation felt as if it were a magic treasure perfectly matched with the feng shui compass. It was truly astonishing.

“Might as well go take a look.”

Given the sheer scale of Eastern Extreme Capital, one might not finish exploring it even after several years. With countless treasures present, encountering a suitable one was perfectly normal. After all, the quantity was simply too massive.

Half an hour later.

The group led by the Yin Gui Demon Lord arrived at a square courtyard. With casual swings, they cleaved the wandering ancient corpses in the vicinity into charred, viscous liquid. This place was the destination indicated by the Water Token.

The most famous divine ability of the Gui Water Demon Palace was the [Gui Water Yin Thunder]!

Though called thunder, its nature was similar to water, extremely viscous. Its appearance greatly resembled flowing asphalt.

The Core Formation feng shui master quickened his steps, walking back and forth inside the courtyard. After measuring the area, he forced out pure yang blood from his fingertip using his magic power.

He drew a blood talisman in the air and struck it into the ground.

Excitedly, he said:

“Senior Yin Gui, it should be right here. The rest is up to you. The ancestor of earth masters definitely left behind backup measures when arranging the layout. With our meager cultivation…”

“Stand back.”

The Yin Gui Demon Lord bluntly ordered the three to retreat. He stomped his foot.

A large amount of Gui Water Yin Thunder surged out from his loose sleeves and continuously seeped into the ground. It completely eroded the bluestone floor of the courtyard, causing the ground to begin sinking.

The three Core Formation cultivators exchanged glances. Each took out their feng shui compasses. The reaction on them was identical to Wang Yu’s.

The difference was that the Water Token had been embedded into the leading cultivator’s feng shui compass. The more mana they poured in, the brighter the Water Virtue Star became on the other two compasses.

What he was doing was self-evident.

They were not the only feng shui earth masters exploring Eastern Extreme Capital. Wang Yu was not the only one either.

The Yin Gui Demon Lord had used demonic methods to control these three precisely because he valued their outstanding feng shui skills, while their cultivation was weak and they were easy to manipulate.

Failing to control them would have been unworthy of his title as a Demon Lord.

“The time has come.”

The three twisted their feng shui compasses. Their bodies instantly transformed into flowing water and escaped into the ground. The Yin Gui Demon Lord suddenly raised his head, rage nearly bursting from his eyes.

“You’re courting death!”

With a thought, he immediately activated the Yin Thunder seeds planted in the three’s Golden Cores. However, there was no feedback whatsoever. This made him even more furious.

He had been played!

Yet he was certain the location was correct. Those three must have used the local feng shui formation to escape. It was even possible they had already entered the Heavenly Yin Water Pool.

Otherwise, there was no reason his methods could be blocked.

No matter how deeply he dug underground, he found nothing. His divine sense searched repeatedly but detected no issues.

This was a perfect example of “every trade has its specialty.”

A moment later.

The Yin Gui Demon Lord leaped out of the pit with an extremely gloomy expression. The moment he looked up, he saw a handsome silver-haired cultivator smiling at him.

Damn it… His moment of helpless fury had been seen!

Sensing that the other party’s cultivation had reached Nascent Soul, the Yin Gui Demon Lord quickly calmed down. “Fellow Daoist, were you secretly following me?”

“How could that be?”

Wang Yu raised the feng shui compass in his hand and said concisely:

“Is there a heavy water-attribute treasure here?”

The Yin Gui Demon Lord subconsciously thought he was referring to the Heavenly Yin Divine Pearls. Left with no choice, he nodded. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.

Staring at Wang Yu’s feng shui compass, he asked:

“Fellow Daoist is a feng shui earth master?”

“Naturally.”

“Then this is easy to handle. Has Fellow Daoist heard of the four tokens of earth, fire, water, and wind…? This place…”

The Yin Gui Demon Lord explained the entire situation in detail.

Finally, he said: “We’ll split the Heavenly Yin Divine Pearls equally. The Water Token will go to you. As for those three, this lord wants to personally extract their souls, refine their spirits, and torture them for three hundred years!”

“This matter is simple. I’ll go along with what Fellow Daoist said.”

The Heavenly Yin Divine Pearls were supreme water-attribute treasures, naturally yin and cold, making them very suitable for Wang Yu. They could also serve as the main fourth-rank material for refining cultivation pills or as a breakthrough spiritual item.

After exhausting his supply of Taiyin Demonic Essence Pills, he had gone a while without taking any pills.

To encounter such an opportunity right after entering Eastern Extreme Capital was truly a sign that his luck had arrived. His fortune recently had been ridiculously good, with everything he needed coming at the right time. Things were going exceptionally smoothly.

As for the Yin Gui Demon Lord, a sixth-layer Nascent Soul Demon Lord.

This was only a temporary cooperation. Even if they really fought, Wang Yu was not afraid. His chances of winning were not high, but a fifty-fifty split was absolutely no problem.

His accumulations were enough for him to fight across realms. Moreover, the fact that the Yin Gui Demon Lord could be toyed with by three Core Formation ants showed that his skill in schemes and plots was only average.

There was no need to worry too much. He would go in and see first.

Thus, their temporary cooperation was established.

Wang Yu said casually, “This is a multi-layered Bewildering Soul Formation, a common blinding technique used by feng shui earth masters. Divine sense is useless here. Only those with sharp intuition can find the correct path even with their eyes closed.”

The Yin Gui Demon Lord looked thoughtful.

“Can Fellow Daoist break it?”

“Simple.”

Wang Yu waved his hand and sent out a streak of spiritual light, bringing the Yin Gui Demon Lord along. Without needing to calculate positions, he stepped according to the Gang Steps, four left and two right. With a gentle stomp, both of them transformed into flowing water and merged into the ground.

Their vision went dark for an instant.

When light returned, the two had already appeared inside an underground palace. The view was quite vast. Numerous stone pillars stood on the flat azure jade square, with everlasting shark-oil lamps burning at their tops.

The Yin Gui Demon Lord suddenly let out a cold laugh.

“Three ants, die!”

A burst of Gui Water Yin Thunder suddenly erupted in the distance. Wang Yu’s brows twitched. He had a bad feeling.

He had guessed those people’s intentions. Bringing other feng shui earth masters over was nothing more than trying to make two tigers fight so they could stir up the situation and create a chance for survival.

However, they could not ignore the possibility of cooperation either.

Therefore, the moment they entered the underground palace, the Yin Gui Demon Lord attacked directly. The chance that this was a trap was extremely high!