Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 453

The moment the application was approved, three figures instantly appeared at the Celestial Star Tower’s entrance. One belonged to the Blood Reversal Sect—Barbarian Ghost Peak’s true disciple, Zhou Lingjun.

His face was full of confusion. He had been hiding safely on the first floor and had no idea why he was suddenly ejected. Could it be that he had stayed too long and the tower spirit could no longer stand it?

The other two were cultivators from Yellow Springs Monastery, one peak Core Formation heavens chosen and one early-stage Nascent Soul. Their fate needed no explanation.

They were instantly crushed to ashes by Scorching Sun Old Demon.

This time, however, he had held back. He deliberately preserved both their souls and used a soul-searching secret art to forcibly extract their recent memories.

Without touching Yellow Springs Monastery’s core inheritances, the soul-searching technique still proved quite effective. At the very least, he now knew how Master Youming planned to respond.

There were two unexpected plans.

The first was to use the shattering of jade tokens as a signal. At the critical moment, everyone would exit the tower together to catch Scorching Sun Old Demon off guard. However, since he himself had not appeared, something had clearly gone wrong.

The second was to use a secret method to send a message to the Yellow Springs Monastery Lord and the child attendant beside the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect’s Spirit Transformation Venerable. They would claim that a Spirit Transformation opportunity existed inside the Celestial Star Tower and lure even stronger experts to contend for it.

The first was a strategy of unity. Unfortunately, demonic cultivators had never been good at using such tactics. The second was a desperate, scorched-earth plan. Once a Venerable arrived, no matter how heaven-defying the opportunity, it would have to be handed over obediently.

Unless it had already been digested, of course.

“Filthy bastards full of pus.”

After finishing the soul search, Scorching Sun Old Demon could not help spitting in disgust.

He did not know how much Cold Bone had managed to accomplish before dying. Plan One was manageable, but he feared Plan Two had already been set in motion.

Scorching Sun Old Demon’s expression flickered between light and dark. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said, “Little friend Wang, follow this old man into the imperial palace. Let those filthy Yellow Springs animals have this damned Celestial Star Tower.”

Wang Yu asked in surprise.

“What about the Nine Peaks true disciples, and Daoist Brothers Dark Demon and Dark Tiger?”

“Yellow Springs Monastery’s people are coveting the opportunities inside the Celestial Star Tower. They will not exit at the same time. Whether they live or die will depend on their fate. This is a step they must experience to become true experts.”

Wang Yu fell silent. As for Ice Soul Fairy and the others, there was basically no need to worry. After all, they were top-tier experts among the great cultivators. No matter who died, it would not be them. That was why Scorching Sun Old Demon could make such a swift decision.

Whether right or wrong, the fact that he could abandon the Celestial Star Tower opportunity on a whim for the sake of the Blood Reversal Sect, and could also place the sect and clan before personal gains when the situation changed, showed his character.

For the imperial palace opportunity, he was willing to ignore his fellow sect members and disciples.

Countless thoughts surged through Wang Yu’s mind.

It was difficult to judge Scorching Sun Old Demon’s temperament from such brief contact, so he could only follow the old man’s lead.

After all, Scorching Sun was indeed one of the forces he could rely on.

No matter how he looked at it, the other party had no reason to harm him.

“Then I’ll follow Ancestor Liezu’s words. As for Zhou Lingjun…”

“No need to worry about him.”

Glancing at the bewildered young cultivator trapped inside the azure bamboo formation, Scorching Sun casually tossed him into the inner city of Eastern Extreme Capital. Then he wrapped Wang Yu in a streak of blood-colored escape light and shot straight toward the imperial palace.

He knew Wang Yu possessed the token, which meant they would have the initiative.

Weighing the situation, opportunities naturally took priority.

Although Wang Yu was more interested in the Nascent Souls of the Yellow Springs cultivators, he could not overpower the old man’s decision. Moreover, if a Spirit Transformation cultivator truly arrived, slipping into the imperial palace one step ahead while the others were still inside the Celestial Star Tower was actually an excellent choice.

With Scorching Sun Old Demon’s speed, it took only half a cup of tea’s time for them to fly low along the main avenue of the palace city, streaking past countless buildings and palaces like flowing light through a maze.

The imperial city of Eastern Extreme Capital was the absolute core.

Not only were the buildings constructed to the same standards as the capital city, even the imperial steps, the great hall for court assemblies, the emperor’s sleeping quarters, the rear palace halls, the royal villas… everything from official duties to daily food, clothing, shelter, and transport had been built according to capital specifications. If he ever had the chance to visit the capital region of the Ancient Immortal cities in the future, this experience might prove useful.

The entrance Scorching Sun Old Demon chose was called the Eastern Dragon Gate.

The imperial palace walls were not particularly tall, their meaning was more symbolic than practical—but the formations and restrictions had never been sloppy. They were all built to the highest standards.

Immortal dynasty cultivators placed extreme importance on the concepts of circulation and eternity.

Perhaps because they bore the heavy responsibility of permanently suppressing Ancient Demons, the restrictions and formations they favored were those that could absorb heaven-and-earth spiritual qi and operate on their own.

Self-repairing capability would be even more perfect.

The formation covering the imperial palace was an extremely rare fifth-rank grand formation. Wang Yu could not identify it, but Scorching Sun Old Demon spoke with deep emotion.

“I had long heard that the Ancient Immortal Dynasty used the [Nine Capitals Dragon Suppression Formation] to guard the four capital palaces. Seeing it today, it truly lives up to its reputation. Even a Spirit Transformation Venerable would find it extremely difficult to break a fifth-rank grand formation.”

No wonder those old monsters were in no hurry.

The last sentence only echoed in Scorching Sun Old Demon’s heart—he would never say it aloud.

He was lucky.

Because he had Wang Yu, the one who possessed the token, by his side.

“According to the strength of the Nine Capitals Dragon Suppression Formation, even if the correct method to break it is found, it would still take a Spirit Transformation Venerable more than ten days to open it. That period of time is our opportunity.”

Wang Yu’s mouth twitched. He could not help saying,

“How about I give you the token, Ancestor? This junior still wants to wait for Dark Demon and Dark Tiger.”

“That won’t do. The token was bestowed by the Celestial Star Tower. If there are any unknown rules that cause it to lose its effect, it would be troublesome.”

“Very well.”

Approaching the Eastern Dragon Gate, he pressed the token against the layer of spiritual light. It immediately parted like water, opening a path wide enough for one person.

Wang Yu glanced back once, then stepped inside first.

Scorching Sun Old Demon followed closely behind, transforming into a streak of blood light that flew alongside him. The imperial palace’s formation showed no unusual reaction, which allowed the old man to breathe a great sigh of relief.

As long as they successfully slipped inside, the next step was simply choosing their target.

Scorching Sun Old Demon turned to Wang Yu and asked.

“Fellow Daoist Wang, do you have any particular target in mind? Why don’t you come with this old man? We can look after each other.”

Wang Yu immediately fell into thought.

Cultivators of this era actually had very weak concepts of dynasties. After all, this was an era ruled by sects. The lords of every spirit city were dispatched by the ruling sect of that region.

Only highly cultivated experts who had excavated relics possessed some understanding of the so-called Ancient Immortal Dynasty. But asking them about the specific functions of each department or what they usually did was impossible. One major characteristic of cultivators exploring ruins was destructive development. Their focus was always on various treasures.

They had no interest in the culture, system, or livelihood of the Immortal Dynasty.

Of course, the mysterious stone steles that recorded the secrets of the Ice Prison Realm were an exception.

Theoretically speaking.

Somewhere in this imperial palace, there must be stone steles left behind by powerful experts of the Immortal Dynasty. The secret information recorded on them was priceless. He should still look for them and try to glimpse a few truths from the ancient era.

The events surrounding the fall of the immortal dynasty remained a mystery to this day!

“I want to take a look at the Human Emperor’s Scripture Pavilion.”

Wang Yu’s answer surprised Scorching Sun Old Demon slightly.

“You want a normal Spirit Transformation inheritance?”

“Not exactly. This junior is very interested in some ancient knowledge. It seems one can learn information about the Upper Realm and the [Immortal Palace] from it.”

“In that case, it is indeed quite important.”

The Immortal Palace was the main culprit behind the transformation of the Ice Prison Realm into an Ancient Demon prison. In truth, all the cultivators in the Ice Prison Realm today originated from the bloodlines left behind by the divine generals who once served the immortal who descended to the lower realm.

They were not native beings of the Ice Prison Realm.

Wang Yu’s desire to visit the Scripture Pavilion to check ancient records was not a random excuse. He was genuinely curious.

After hesitating for a moment, Scorching Sun Old Demon decided to split up.

“There are only the two of us here for now. Acting separately may not be a bad thing. This old man plans to take a look at the Longevity Medicine Vault.

“If little friend Wang obtains any ancient secrets, do not forget to share them with the sect. Everything can be converted into contribution points. As long as the sect has it, it can be given to you as a reward.”

Wang Yu immediately nodded and said with a grateful expression:

“Thank you for your guidance and nurturing, Ancestor Liezu.”

However, the moment the two separated and the latter disappeared around a street corner, Wang Yu’s face quickly turned cold. He let out an expressionless sigh.

The Longevity Medicine Vault was where the ancient Human Emperor collected the finest resources from across the world. Only the rarest and most potent spiritual items were placed inside. Its defensive level was definitely much stronger than the Immortal Officials’ Medicine Vault.

But the rewards would also be substantial. The lowest items were probably fifth-rank treasure pills. Obtaining just a few would already be an enormous gain!

However, Wang Yu was not optimistic about the old man’s chances.

The Human Emperor’s private treasury had defensive power even stronger than the giant fifth-rank formation protecting the imperial palace. Even with the Water Ancestral Token and permission token in hand, he himself did not dare enter.

He was afraid of dying inside.

The authority and methods of the ancient Human Emperor were definitely far superior to his own. Since even Scorching Sun could not forcefully break the imperial palace formation, one could easily calculate the odds.

The probability of Scorching Sun breaking into the Longevity Medicine Vault was less than one in a thousand.

The same logic applied.

If Wang Yu wanted to enter the Scripture Pavilion, there was an eighty percent chance he would not be able to open it either.

While pondering, his thoughts gradually became clear. He only had ten days to determine whether Cold Bone had successfully lured a Spirit Transformation Venerable according to the plan to break those overly powerful formation restrictions.

It was very possible that ten days would pass with no results. And if no notification was sent and the Spirit Transformation Venerable did not come, he would have plenty of time to break even stronger formation restrictions. Either way, he would not lose out.

Therefore, what mattered now was whether Cold Bone had any self-awareness.

After careful consideration.

Wang Yu chose a rather subtle location — the Eastern Palace!

The Eastern Palace was usually the residence of the crown prince. For an immortal dynasty, the Human Emperor was the most powerful and longest-living cultivator.

Only if one day the Human Emperor grew tired of the throne and wanted to experience life as an ancestor would he pass the position to the crown prince. Because of this, the status of the immortal dynasty’s crown prince was extremely awkward. While extremely noble, he held virtually no real power.

He was essentially the eternal crown prince.

Without a future, he could not gain the support of the ministers, nor did he have the resources and energy to decorate his own residence. Therefore, Wang Yu felt that the Eastern Palace was the most suitable place for him to break into within ten days.

As time passed, Wang Yu avoided the azure lion evil-suppressing stone statues along the way and successfully arrived in front of a magnificent and resplendent grand hall.

This was the Eastern Palace.

It was more solemn and elegant than Wang Yu had imagined, but its area was much smaller. It was even smaller than the Empress’s Pepper Room Palace, showing how little importance was placed on it.

As expected, when he tried to enter, he was blocked by the formation restrictions.

Wang Yu touched the back of his waist and took out a necklace strung full of storage rings. From it, he selected one. Countless looted “Forbidden-Breaking Talismans” surged out like dragons.

The lowest grade among them was third-rank.

“Break!”