Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 493

The appearance of two brand-new Spirit Transformation Venerables brought enormous changes to the structure of the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain.

The most obvious sign was this:

The Blood Reversal Sect and Yellow Springs Monastery publicly announced the formation of a Demonic Path Alliance. Its members included the Joyous Union Demon Sect, the Nether Mountain Sect, and even the Northern Demon Race. The alliance’s headquarters was temporarily established in Night Jewel Prefecture.

The irony was that the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect was not part of this alliance.

At the same time, the righteous-demonic war had stalled. The Blood Reversal Sect and Yellow Springs Monastery, who had been forced to serve as the vanguard, refused to continue. They openly demanded that the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect provide sufficient “death compensation” before the war could proceed. It was outright price gouging.

Now that they possessed real confidence, they could finally do things they had never dared to do before.

Resisting the absolute hegemony of the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect had always been the common demand of the other four demonic sects. Persuading the Joyous Union Demon Sect and the Nether Mountain Sect to join was partly driven by this very reason.

On the other hand, they themselves harbored ambitions for the Spirit Transformation realm. Times had changed. In the past, the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect had kept too tight a grip on them, making breakthroughs extremely difficult. Now, with two newly ascended Spirit Transformation Venerables backing them, they could attempt breakthroughs without any obstacles. The process was far simpler than before.

The relaxed external environment also made it much easier to explore ruins and secret realms that might contain Spirit Transformation opportunities. Once this crack opened, unless the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect used thunderous force to swiftly kill Yellow Springs Venerable and the Blood Demon Hall Master, the gap would only continue to widen.

More Spirit Transformation Venerables would emerge from the demonic path outside the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect.

A Spirit Transformation eruption was about to occur—the inevitable result of long years of brutal suppression.

As the news spread, the Taihu and Crimson Kite regions boiled over once again, following the extermination of the Azure Cloud Sect. This time, the Taihu cultivation world was seized by even greater terror. The sudden addition of two Spirit Transformation Venerables to the demonic path created a destructive imbalance in combat power.

They could only place their hopes on the Sword Sect making an adequate response.

Meanwhile, at the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect’s mountain gate.

A discussion was currently taking place among the Spirit Transformation Venerables. The sect possessed four Venerables in total, ranked by strength as follows:

Heaven-Refining Demon Venerable — the leader of the demonic path, at the peak of Spirit Transformation, in control of a quasi-sixth-rank Heaven-Refining Demonic Flame. His combat power was unmatched and nearly without rival.

Wuji Demon Venerable — sixth-layer Spirit Transformation, a alchemy pill dao expert who commanded fifth-rank blood pill and human pill techniques. He was proficient in the refinement of demonic path spirit pills.

Earth Fiend Demon Venerable — fifth-layer Spirit Transformation, who had refined an Acquired Fiend Demon Body. His physique was comparable to a Body Refiner of the same realm, and he excelled in all kinds of fiendish dao divine abilities. Few in the same realm could match him.

Crimson Heaven Demon Venerable — third-layer Spirit Transformation, famous for his signature divine ability, Crimson Heaven Demonic Light.

These four formed the powerhouse lineup of the Heaven-Refining Demon Sect. Aside from the Sect Master’s title, which was inherited, the other three were Spirit Transformation Venerables born in this era.

With such a lineup, they were fully capable of suppressing the current unrest if they truly wished to do so. After all, Yellow Springs Monastery’s Venerable and the Blood Demon Hall Master were only newly ascended Spirit Transformation Venerables at the first layer. They still needed time to elevate every aspect of themselves to match the proper standards of the Spirit Transformation realm.

Newly gained power also required time to master and digest.

Right now, however.

Crimson Heaven’s forehead veins bulged with rage. He spoke furiously: “These damned bastards! The moment we take our eyes off them, they pull something like this. Sect Master, Senior Brother, shall we kill these two? This one is willing to lead the charge.”

Heaven-Refining Demon Venerable glanced at him and calmly shook his head.

He spoke only one sentence: “In another five hundred years, the lifespan this venerable has extended will once again reach its limit. There are almost no longevity treasures left in the Ice Prison Realm that can still affect me.”

In other words, this righteous-demonic war was different from all the previous ones.

It had to achieve his goal. He no longer had the time to wait for the next war.

The appearance of the two new Demonic Venerables had greatly strengthened the overall power of the demonic path and could share much of the pressure for him. For this reason, bending the rules of the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect was acceptable.

Crimson Heaven fell silent at once.

Wuji Demon Venerable, who had the appearance of a benevolent immortal elder with an immortal air, spoke calmly as well:

“The Sword Sect has been acting strangely these past few years. I suspect they may also be using the power of Ancient Demon corpses.”

Someone like Sword River could never have broken through to Spirit Transformation on his own ability. When Crimson Heaven had fought him as fellow Venerables, he had sensed a faint same-origin aura deeply hidden inside the man. It felt similar to demonic tainting, but far weaker.

It was slowly influencing Sword River Venerable in a subtle, gradual way, constantly changing his personality.

The effect was extremely slow, perhaps taking a thousand years to show results—yet it was real. It was very different from the direct demonic corruption that came with demonic path Spirit Transformation inheritances.

Crimson Heaven had already shared this intelligence with the other three upon his return.

Now that Wuji Demon Venerable had brought it up, Earth Fiend Demon Venerable began counting on his fingers with a serious expression.

“Below the three old-generation Venerables Taixu, Dan Chen, and Chen Yang, the Sword Sect has produced three more Spirit Transformation Venerables in recent years: Sword River, Fu Ling, and Miao Zhen. The next one should be that Vast Righteousness Sword Chief.

“According to the pattern of time, it should happen within two hundred years.”

The Sword Sect currently possessed a full six Spirit Transformation Venerables. Aside from Taixu Venerable at the peak of Spirit Transformation, Dan Chen and Chun Yang were only at the fifth layer. Sword River and Fu Ling were at the third layer, both having advanced a thousand years ago with only average potential. Whether they could break through to mid-stage Spirit Transformation in this life was still unknown. As for Miao Zhen, who had advanced several hundred years ago, he remained at the second layer.

The Sword Sect had more Spirit Transformation cultivators than most, but their overall strength was relatively weak. They could only fight the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect to a draw. If Crimson Heaven had been a bit more capable, the demonic path might have established a clear advantage. Unfortunately, his comprehension of Dao intent was slightly lacking.

Hearing this, Heaven-Refining Demon Venerable said:

“Accept both the demands of Yellow Springs Monastery and the Blood Reversal Sect.

“Crimson Heaven, set aside your personal grudges with them for now. Once this venerable achieves his goal and deals with the Overseer from beyond the heavens, we will all have a future.

“If we fail, the existence of the Ice Prison Realm will no longer matter. Even if a flood engulfs the heavens, it will have nothing to do with us.

“This time, Earth Fiend will lead the team. Take some supreme-grade blood pills from Wuji’s pill vault. Allow the Blood Sect to join the Demonic Path Alliance and continue the second stage of the war… capture Moon-Gazing Palace!”

With that, he vanished from the great hall in a flash, paying no further attention to the others’ reactions.

The remaining three exchanged glances but said nothing more.

Every generation of Heaven-Refining Demonic Venerable inherited the sect’s hidden secrets and an extremely powerful secret art, almost always stabilizing at the peak of Sprit Transformation.

They had long coveted the realm above Sprit Transformation.

After several generations of research, the Sect Master’s goal had become an absolute will they must obey. They had no ability to question it.

“Then it is decided. Crimson Heaven will continue to follow the demonic cultivation army and push the frontline. Earth Fiend and I will first head to the pill vault. You may arrange the timing of the envoy mission yourself.”

Wuji Demon Venerable gave a simple arrangement.

The Sprit Transformation council ended quietly.

…

…

One month later.

At the Demonic Path Alliance headquarters in Night Jewel Prefecture, representatives from six factions gathered: the Heavenly Roc King of the Northern Demon Race, Earth Fiend Demon Venerable, Yellow Springs Venerable, the Blood Demon Hall Master, High Priest Youpeng, and the Yin-Yang Demon Lord of the Joyous Union Sect.

The six parties signed a formal pact, officially establishing the Demonic Path Alliance. They then held discussions regarding the matter of Moon-Gazing Palace.

To be clear.

The Heaven-Refining Demon Sect’s participation had not been part of their original plan. The reason they had promised benefits to the Northern Demon Holy Lord was partly to borrow the “momentum” of the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable, thereby achieving a certain balance of high-end combat power. Both Yellow Springs Monastery’s master and the Blood Demon Hall Master understood this clearly in their hearts.

Breaking through to Sprit Transformation did grant them the qualifications to challenge the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect. However, if they truly fell out, they could only flee far away while protecting their own lives, abandoning the foundations built by generations of their predecessors and becoming rogue cultivators.

After all, the existence of Heaven-Refining Demon Venerable at the peak of Sprit Transformation was like a noose hanging over their necks, ready to tighten at any moment. Their tough stance was simply an attempt to secure greater benefits and more freedom.

They no longer wanted to obey the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect’s every command as they had in the past. In essence, they were carving out a share of the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect’s hegemony. The fact that the other side could tolerate even this condition showed that their ambitions this time were far greater than imagined.

After seeing Earth Fiend Demon Venerable off.

Everyone present breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Blood Demon Hall Master, who had only recently broken through by luck, spoke up.

“It seems our demonic path leader has already found a way to break the Ice Prison cage. The key probably lies with the Ancient Demon [Life]. Compared to the other Ancient Demons, what exactly makes Him so special?”

Ancient Demons were existences beyond their comprehension.

Their physical bodies were sealed inside the Ice Prison Realm—a specially modified prison—yet they could still exert power capable of easily influencing Sprit Transformation cultivators. They were inconceivably strong.

Yet looking back through history, the Blood Demon had broken its seal multiple times, only to ultimately fall short against the immortals of the lower realm. As for the Life Demon, there was no record of it ever breaking free.

So what exactly made Heaven-Refining Demon Venerable so certain that the Life Demon’s existence could help him shatter the Ice Prison cage?

This doubt belonged not only to the Blood Demon Hall Master, but to everyone present. Unexpectedly, the Heavenly Roc King offered an uncertain answer.

He spoke with slight hesitation.

“The Blood Demon’s power lies in the concept of [Blood]. The Life Demon’s power, then, lies in the concept of [Life]. Perhaps Heaven-Refining Demon Venerable simply wants this life force to ensure he can survive?”

The moment these words were spoken, everyone’s minds turned to Yellow Springs Monastery’s plan—the complete destruction of the Ice Prison Realm’s spiritual qi, leading to the total extinction of the cultivation world.

The rules and seals that depended on spiritual qi would naturally dissolve. Once countless Ancient Demons emerged, the Ice Prison Realm would be destroyed along with them.

The cage would be opened. The only difficulty was how to keep themselves alive during the process. If Heaven-Refining Demon Venerable was thinking the same thing…

“Impossible!”

Yellow Springs Venerable rejected the guess outright.

“Destroying an entire realm is not that simple. Even after ten thousand years of accumulation, Yellow Springs Monastery has only managed to create a tiny lifeless zone like the Dead Silence Desert.

“What must be clearly understood is that even if spiritual qi disappears, the world itself will not be destroyed. The real question is how we ensure our own strength does not decline. We abandoned that plan long ago.”

Everyone immediately understood and dropped the topic.

“It is still too early to speak of such things. Let us wait until we win the righteous-demonic war.”

“Well said. Fellow Daoists, I hope that when the time comes for us to watch over and assist one another under this alliance pact, none of you will be stingy with your sect’s forces. Sacrifice is for a better future. We shall meet again at Moon-Gazing Palace!”

“Safe travels, fellow Daoist.”

As the first batch of founding elders of the Demonic Path Alliance departed one after another.

The second stage of the righteous-demonic war began in full force!

Five years later.

White Heron Prefecture of Moon-Gazing Palace was breached. The Tiger Demon Clan, royal family of the Southern Demon Race, suffered heavy losses and withdrew from the righteous-demonic conflict.

The White Tiger Demon Venerable never appeared during the battle, causing Moon-Gazing Palace’s plan to fail completely. It was worth noting that because the Southern Demon Race had not selected a new Holy Lord, they could not unite all their forces the way the Northern Demon Race had. On the surface, their displayed strength was far weaker than the Northern Demon Race’s—not because they lacked power, but because they lacked unity.

Another five years passed. Lotus Prefecture fell.

Tens of millions of cultivators died. The demonic path camp unleashed boundless slaughter across Taihu. It was said that half the mountains, rivers, and lakes of Lotus Prefecture were dyed red with blood.

Yellow Springs Venerable and the Blood Demon Hall Master became infamous.

This massacre had been orchestrated by the two of them. Next came the main territory of Moon Gazing Palace—Moon Prefecture! The Sword Sect once again sent Sword River Venerable as reinforcement.

Unfortunately, this time Crimson Heaven and the two newly ascended Sprit Transformation Venerables were present. Outnumbered, the defenders held out for eight years before more than half of Moon Prefecture still fell.

At that moment.

Moon-Gazing Palace’s master, the Star Moon Fairy, stepped forward. She activated the [Immortal-Severing Divine Bow Grand Formation] that had been prepared years earlier, using the sect’s foundational spiritual treasure—the Moon Saint Bow!

She fired an Immortal-Severing Arrow. The Blood Demon Hall Master nearly perished on the spot. If not for the [Blood God Scripture] he cultivated granted him the terrifying immortality of “as long as the Blood Sea does not dry, the divine spirit does not die,” he might truly have ended up trading his life one-for-one with that junior.

After the Star Moon Fairy’s body and soul were both destroyed, Moon-Gazing Palace fell into complete defeat. The Sword Sect dispatched even more Venerables—Fu Ling Venerable and Daoist Miao Zhen—to assist.

They helped the surviving Moon-Gazing Palace cultivators retreat to Taihu territory, where they would lie low and wait for an opportunity to take revenge.

Two years after that.

The demonic path camp reorganized its forces and entered the third stage of objectives.

The first was to set up large numbers of positional warfare restrictions and formations around the Sword Sect’s territory, establishing fortress nodes everywhere to prepare for the difficult offensive and defensive battles against the Sword Sect’s main force.

This task was mainly left to the formation masters.

The second was the most difficult war of all… Thunderfire Temple!

Their geographical position could actually be ignored, but they could also easily influence the situation. If the demonic path overlooked them due to cultivator mobility, they could become a force capable of tipping the scales.

For the next forty years, the demonic path’s offensive fell into a Waterloo-like predicament for the first time. They became locked in a long, drawn-out war of attrition with Thunderfire Temple, a contest of who had more people and who could better endure the cost of death.

Sixty years had now passed since the extermination of the Azure Cloud Sect.

Once the sixty-year cycle ended, the situation gradually began to tilt in Taihu’s favor.

Meanwhile, deep within the Northern Demon Race’s territory.

Wang Yu’s cave abode, which had been closed in seclusion for many years, finally showed signs of activity.

Outside the mountain, wind and snow swirled. The land was covered in silver and white.

The north wind howled past. The long-sealed stone door rumbled open. Wang Yu stepped out with a calm aura. Blood light flickered in his eyes, and a thick, lingering scent of blood emanated from his body.

This was the side effect of consuming Blood Nascent Pills for years on end.

It would fade after a period of nourishing and calming his mind.

Standing at the entrance, he stretched his muscles and bones. His silver hair hung loosely behind him, swaying in the wind.

Over the years, the Five Colors Holy Lord had recorded outside events in divine sense jade slips and delivered them together with alchemy materials to his cave abode.

As a result, Wang Yu was well aware of the situation in the outside world.

Gazing at the snow-white distant mountains, Wang Yu murmured to himself.

“Cultivation resources have run out again…”