Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 488

The moment Yellow Cloud Ancestor made his suggestion, it was immediately shot down. While everyone was still stunned, a figure walked in from outside the hall, it was none other than Red Cloud Ancestor, who had disappeared from Ice River Pass.

Seeing him, rage surged in every heart.

Only Yellow Cloud Ancestor, who was also at Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul, dared to rebuke him openly.

“Red Cloud! Do you realize that because of you, Ice River Pass has fallen? Now the Color Cloud Mountain Range is engulfed in the flames of war and our ancestral foundation is under threat. How do you still have the face to spout such nonsense here?!”

Red Cloud Ancestor had already prepared his response.

He retorted with equal fury:

“What nonsense! Yellow Cloud, you’re standing there talking without any pain in your back. The Northern Demon Race suddenly joined the war and you had zero prior information. Where is Soul Spirit Origin Lord?

“You sent him to the Northern Demon Race to probe their stance, and this is the attitude you got? Turning from ally to enemy, you bear the greatest responsibility!”

Shifting blame was his specialty.

In truth, neither he nor Yellow Cloud was primarily at fault; the Northern Demon Race’s own ambitions were the root cause. But he could still frame it this way.

The massive accusation landed squarely on Yellow Cloud Ancestor, darkening his face further.

“Spouting blood from your mouth! What does this have to do with me?”

“And what does the fall of Ice River Pass have to do with me?”

Red Cloud Ancestor spoke rapidly.

“The Nether Mountain Sect sent twenty to thirty Nascent Souls in a direct assault, while the entire Northern Demon Race poured out of the Severed Boundary Mountain Range. Caught between two fires, was I supposed to stay and fight to the death at Ice River Pass before you’d be satisfied?”

“I didn’t mean it that way…”

Yellow Cloud Ancestor explained with a grim expression.

Red Cloud Ancestor surviving was actually great news for the Azure Cloud Sect.

But he had been the newly appointed supreme commander at Ice River Pass. Fleeing at the critical moment had dealt their side a near-fatal blow. Besides himself at Great Perfection, there were also the many cultivators of the Azure Cloud Sect and the Blazing Flame Sect. When the Blazing Flame Sect demanded answers later, there would be no way to explain it.

How many people had even managed to escape alive was still unknown.

Every time he recalled the grand scene in the council hall with over thirty Nascent Soul experts discussing strategy, and compared it to the desolate sight of only the seven Supreme Elders of the Azure Cloud peaks remaining now…

How tragic it was!

This was the true source of his fury toward Red Cloud.

If this wasn’t Red Cloud’s fault, then whose was it?

Just as Yellow Cloud Ancestor was about to reorganize his words and attack from another angle, Red Cloud suddenly dropped his aggressive stance and let out a deep sigh.

“Sigh…

“To be honest, I didn’t want this either. But the situation is critical. The fighting has already reached the Color Cloud Mountain Range. We no longer have time to waste on discussion.

“We must request reinforcements from the Sword Sect, but we also have to defend the mountain gate at all costs!”

With that.

Red Cloud swept his gaze across his fellow elders and said in a low voice: “If I were truly afraid of death, I would never have come back. Wouldn’t it have been better to simply leave the Azure Cloud Four Prefectures and seek shelter with the Sword Sect? The reason I rushed back is to preserve my useful self.

“Using the power of the seven peaks to activate the sect’s foundational reserve the fifth-rank spiritual treasure, the Azure Cloud Sky Cauldron!”

The other ancestors immediately understood what Red Cloud meant.

The Azure Cloud Sky Cauldron was different from ordinary Spirit Transformation spiritual treasures. As the sect-anchoring artifact, it originated from the ancient Rainbow Cloud Sect. It belonged to a rather niche path of cultivation.

The ancient Rainbow Cloud Sect had never been as prosperous as today, yet it had still produced a Spirit Transformation Venerable. The Azure Cloud Sky Cauldron was the life-bound treasure refined by that very Venerable.

It required the combined power of seven different Cloud Dao techniques to unleash its full strength. Without Red Cloud Ancestor, they would lose even their final trump card for a desperate last stand.

Therefore, his words did carry some truth.

But in reality these were two entirely separate matters. By deliberately mixing the issues together, Red Cloud made it impossible for anyone to argue clearly. They could only condemn him on moral grounds.

After all, this was the classic “save the big or save the small” dilemma.

It was the classic trolley problem. Red Cloud had chosen to let the train run over the smaller group, preserving the greater interests of the Azure Cloud Sect.

How could anyone condemn him for that?

“So that’s how it is…”

Green Cloud Ancestor muttered to himself, then quickly regained his spirit and said:

“In that case, let’s stop wasting time. Summon the Azure Cloud Sky Cauldron! Let those beasts taste the power of a Spirit Transformation spiritual treasure!”

“Exactly as it should be.”

“Well said.”

“I had the same thought.”

“I will go arrange the request for reinforcements from the Sword Sect.”

The meeting ended. The ancestors immediately set about their tasks. Red Cloud Ancestor secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he had gotten through it, that was enough.

Whether those high-sounding reasons were true or false, only he himself knew. The Azure Cloud Sect was one of the seven righteous sects; its value in assisting his cultivation was beyond doubt.

If he wanted to break through to Spirit Transformation, the Azure Cloud Sect could not be allowed to fall!

And he himself could not die. The remaining old fellows all had less than three hundred years of lifespan left. If they could not nurture a large number of new Nascent Soul experts within that time, even if they survived this tribulation, the Azure Cloud Sect would be replaced by rising new powers.

Only with the Sword Sect’s support could the Azure Cloud Sect maintain its transcendent status.

Otherwise, it would end up being replaced by those top-tier first-class forces.

Cultivation was difficult. Managing a sect was even harder.

…

…

At the same time.

The Color Cloud Mountain Range was engulfed in fierce battle. Flying beasts and land monsters rampaged everywhere, completely ruining the beautiful environment the Azure Cloud Sect had meticulously cultivated.

The cultivators stationed at the mountain gate were dying in droves.

Heavenly Roc King revealed his true form. His demonic beast body was a golden-feathered Heavenly Roc several thousand meters long. As he soared across the sky above the mountain range, the violent winds he stirred could rip Qi Refining cultivators to pieces.

His powerful demonic physique charged forward recklessly, crushing anything it touched. Formations and restrictions were completely useless. Among cultivators at the same Great Perfection realm, the advantage of demonic beasts only grew larger in the later stages.

At the same realm, their near-crushing physical bodies granted them the ability to employ all kinds of tactics. Just like Wang Yu’s dual cultivation of law and body, fighting across minor realms was simply the norm.

The Color Cloud Mountain Range was vast. Aside from the main cluster of buildings, many peaks belonged to the private Dao fields of the Azure Cloud Sect’s Nascent Soul cultivators. Unfortunately, their owners were either missing after the disaster at Ice River Pass or stationed elsewhere guarding towns in other prefectures.

Over thirty battlefields had sprung up, and the demonic beasts held the advantage in every single one. Within merely an hour, they had all been breached, leaving only the main architectural complex of the Azure Cloud Sect’s mountain gate untouched.

The sect-protecting grand formation had already been activated, shielding the terrified low-realm cultivators. The sect-guarding spirit beast, the Color Wing Heavenly Snake at late fourth rank, coiled atop the highest peak.

It stared across at Heavenly Roc King. In the brief moment their gazes met, countless messages seemed to pass between them. In the end, the Color Wing Heavenly Snake did not attack. Instead, it tore off its own colorful wings at the cost of severe injury, severing its contract with the Azure Cloud Sect. It transformed into human form and secretly embraced the demonic beasts’ side. Although it did not raise a hand against the Azure Cloud Sect, its betrayal was so swift that it left everyone sighing: the Azure Cloud Sect’s fate was truly sealed!

Another incense stick of time passed.

A demonic cloud drifted in from the distance, its demonic qi so dense it nearly disrupted the spiritual energy of the entire region. Beside it floated another demonic cloud.

These were the Five Colors Holy Lord, High Priest Youpeng, and the other experts who had rushed over after the battle at Ice River Pass ended. The number of Nascent Soul experts besieging the Azure Cloud Sect’s mountain gate instantly surpassed one hundred!

Among them were several Great Perfection cultivators. Even the Azure Cloud Sect at its peak would have faced certain death in such a situation, let alone its current heavily damaged state.

Although Wang Yu was not present in person, he had received permission to attach a strand of his divine sense to Ice Soul Fairy’s shoulder. Like watching a grand movie, he observed the fiery battlefield with great interest.

He felt a slight twinge of regret, but no remorse.

This place was simply too dangerous for him. If he ran into a righteous-path Spirit Transformation Venerable… he dared not even imagine the outcome.

Meanwhile, back at the Northern Demon Race’s territory, with Thunder Qilin King and Fire Crow King present, it was extremely safe.

Right at that moment.

—Dong!!!

A deep, majestic bell chime suddenly echoed across the entire Color Cloud Mountain Range. A cyan pillar of light shot straight into the sky from a certain enshrined hall. Those with sharp eyes could see a small cauldron rising and falling within the light.

An extremely terrifying pressure spread outward.

Countless demonic beasts dropped to the ground in terror, trembling uncontrollably.

“It’s here.”

Beside the Five Colors Holy Lord, Heavenly Roc King, High Priest Youpeng, and an old white rat demon with red pupils gathered together. These were the four Great Perfection Nascent Soul experts for this battle.

The white rat demon was known as Swallowing Heaven King, one of the Northern Demon Race’s hidden foundations from the Heart Beast Tower. His bloodline came from a mutated individual of the Gold-Devouring Rat clan, and he had named his race the Swallowing Heaven Rat.

In his youth he had been a ruthless figure. Thanks to the Heart Beast Tower’s life-extension and mind-calming effects, he still had about sixty years of lifespan left. He was the type who could go all out in a critical moment.

The Five Colors Holy Lord had long anticipated the existence of the Azure Cloud Sky Cauldron. Since he had set his sights on the Color Cloud Mountain Range, he naturally would not fight unprepared.

He immediately spoke to the Swallowing Heaven Rat:

“Old Bai, I’ll have to trouble you to take action.”

The Swallowing Heaven Rat felt no dissatisfaction toward this young successor who had become Holy Lord. He only regretted that no Holy Lord selection had been held in his own youth.

With a hint of regret, he patted his chest and said:

“Rest assured, Holy Lord. The divine abilities of the Gold-Devouring Rat clan specifically counter gold-type magic treasures, and this cauldron falls into that category. Combined with the Heaven-Swallowing Art I created myself, while I cannot guarantee destroying the cauldron, I can at least make it lose effectiveness for a quarter of an hour. That window of time will be your opportunity. If you fail to seize it… then we can only talk about it next time.”

There was only one chance.

But he could adapt according to the situation. Unless absolutely necessary, the Swallowing Heaven Rat would not rashly choose to sacrifice himself.

The moment his words fell, the cyan light pillar vanished.

The tiny black dot that was the cauldron rapidly enlarged. With every blink it grew several times larger until it blotted out the sky and covered the sun.

The Azure Cloud Sky Cauldron was a three-legged, two-eared vessel.

Cloud patterns and an ancient ode praising the myriad forms of clouds were carved upon it. Legend said this ode concealed a Cloud Dao Spirit Transformation inheritance, but no one had ever deciphered it, not even the Azure Cloud Sect itself. Whether it was true or false remained unknown.

After all, it was a Spirit Transformation spiritual treasure. Inscribing such an article seemed pointless unless it had been the previous owner’s personal preference, which was somewhat possible.

At this moment, the Azure Cloud Sky Cauldron hovered upside-down in the sky.

Its size was even more exaggerated than Heavenly Roc King’s true demonic body. The spiritual intelligence inherent to the treasure could assist its wielder, allowing them to display the cauldron’s full power more effectively. It also provided automatic protection for its owner and reduced mental strain.

It was likewise a convenient tool for inheritance, mitigating the exclusivity of life-bound treasures. The closer the relationship with the owner, the easier the inheritance became.

But all of this required gaining the recognition of the artifact’s spirit.

This point was crucial.

At the same time.

The appearance of the sect-anchoring spiritual treasure greatly boosted the Azure Cloud Sect cultivators’ morale. They began calling out to friends and allies, hoping to repel the invading demonic beasts and demonic cultivators.

Led by Red Cloud Ancestor and Yellow Cloud Ancestor, the seven Supreme Elders known as the Color Cloud Seven Ancients stood in a line along the rim of the Azure Sky Blue Cloud Cauldron.

They overlooked the entire Color Cloud Mountain Range.

The youngest and weakest among them, Purple Cloud Ancestor, felt slightly nervous. He was only at the peak of the seventh layer of Nascent Soul. The pressure he faced in such a scene was immense.

He worried about dragging everyone down, yet he also feared for his own life and possessions.

In truth, he had supported retreating first.

The enemy was powerful, but not more powerful than the Sword Sect. The core purpose of this war was to consume excess population. Anyone who had reached Nascent Soul basically understood this point.

It was hardly a great secret.

The main targets of this population consumption were mortals with fragmented spiritual roots and some low-realm cultivators. Even though the Azure Cloud Sect was one of the seven righteous sects, it was still included in the calculations.

From a macro perspective, the spiritual energy of the Ice Prison Realm had a total limit. Taihu’s spiritual energy also had an upper bound. From this, one could deduce the maximum number of cultivators the realm could sustain.

This was precisely why the timing of the righteous-demonic wars remained so stable, artificial regulation to birth more powerhouses.

If it were not for the fact that almost no one from the Ice Prison Realm could ascend, every person who left would take away an astronomical amount of spiritual energy. Over time, the golden age of cultivation would decline until it entered the Age of Dharma Decline.

Back to the present.

Purple Cloud Ancestor asked worriedly:

“Fellow Daoists, has there been any clear news from the Sword Sect?”

Everyone glanced at him in surprise.

Yellow Cloud Ancestor replied in a heavy voice:

“Sword River Venerable has agreed to come personally. In exchange, after the matter is settled, Water Cloud Prefecture must hand over thirty percent of its spirit stone revenue to the Sword Sect for a period of three thousand years.”

Thirty percent was neither too much nor too little, but three thousand years was quite long. Even Spirit Transformation Venerables only had a lifespan of three thousand two hundred years.

And those who broke through to Spirit Transformation were all over a thousand years old to begin with.

Still, losing a piece of flesh was better than the extermination of the sect. They could only grit their teeth and agree for now; there would be room to haggle later.

Upon learning that the Venerable had accepted, Purple Cloud Ancestor immediately relaxed. His timid demeanor vanished, replaced by soaring heroism. With a grand wave of his sleeve, he declared:

“Then let’s begin! The Azure Cloud Sky Cauldron specializes in breaking group-attack tactics. I refuse to believe these evil demons and heretics can withstand it!”

Everyone fell silent for a moment, but no one contradicted Purple Cloud Ancestor’s face. After knowing him for so many years, they understood his personality well enough to know this was simply how he spoke.

“Then let’s begin. Pay attention to the Five Colors Holy Lord’s side.”

Buzz——

A crisp humming sound rapidly spread across the Color Cloud Mountain Range. As the seven different Cloud Dao powers were injected, a pitch-black vortex suddenly appeared at the mouth of the Azure Cloud Sky Cauldron.

A massive suction force swept across mountains, rivers, and earth.

Like a tornado descending, towering ancient trees along with soil and rock were sucked upward into the black vortex, ground into powder by spatial forces or directly swallowed into the cauldron.

Rivers displayed the spectacular sight of water dragons being drawn upward, all surging toward the cauldron’s mouth. Countless demonic beasts and demonic cultivators were caught in the pull as well.

Unable to control their bodies, they were dragged into the sky and reduced to dust on the spot, almost powerless to resist.

If this continued, aside from those at Nascent Soul realm, everyone else would be completely wiped out.

“Old Bai!”

“Leave it to me.”