Chapter 107: Safe Despite the Fright

Wang Yu was fleeing, but he deeply knew that his speed was a weakness with no quick fix, and he would eventually be caught. Therefore, he paid close attention to the Foundation Establishment cultivator pursuing him, as his ability to escape depended on it.

He fled towards Spider Mountain partly because of its proximity. If he couldn't defeat the Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could use Spider Mountain's defensive formation to save himself. Then, calling out the Foundation Establishment late-stage veiled female cultivator would resolve the crisis. However, doing so might mean he couldn't keep the Flood Dragon's inner core he possessed.

"First, fight. If I can't win, then run."

"Drag it out as long as possible. This person just went through a major battle; their True Essence reserves must be low, and their consumables like talismans are almost depleted."

The reality was exactly as Wang Yu had predicted, even more favorable to him. He used the Black Scale Shield to block the energy spears periodically shot from behind, cleverly using the impact waves to boost his speed by thirty percent. However, the high-grade magic tool couldn't withstand many attacks from a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and the distance between them steadily closed.

After dragging it out for almost half an hour, it finally gave out. The Black Scale Shield was completely ruined, resembling a twisted piece of scrap metal after one particular block. Wang Yu felt no pity; he wouldn't even buy such an item. It was all stolen loot, so its destruction was of no consequence.

Soon after, during the next attack, Wang Yu retracted his flying sword and dropped from mid-air into the dense forest, making the pursuer behind him finally sigh in relief. Wiping sweat from his face, the pursuer rushed into the forest. But upon entering, the thick canopy blocked out most sunlight, leaving only a few dappled rays. Wang Yu's figure had already vanished.

"Hmph, playing clever tricks? Don't you know the spiritual sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator..." He suddenly stopped speaking, realizing he couldn't sense Wang Yu's presence. His mental state fluctuated, revealing a momentary flaw.

Just then, terrifying cold flames attacked from above. The air temperature dropped rapidly, yet the core temperature was strangely high, creating a low-temperature environment suitable for his own combat.

The pursuer instinctively formed a small True Gang defense above his head, indicating insufficient True Essence.

After cultivators reach the Foundation Establishment stage, they gain two instinctive supernatural abilities, or characteristics, like innate limbs. Physical flight is one. The second is that after spiritual energy transforms into True Essence, they gain the innate ability of True Gang Protection, which can be conjured with a thought, even acting instinctively before conscious control. This is the marvel of Foundation Establishment, providing significant protection against various sneak attacks. In contrast, Core Formation and Nascent Soul stages also have different supernatural points, like new talents or organs that appear at different stages of life evolution.

Generally, Qi Refining cultivators can hardly defeat Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, when one party is at their lowest point and the other is at their peak, possessing remarkable strength and means beyond their cultivation level, challenging and defeating an opponent of a higher stage doesn't seem so difficult, does it?

From within the blue flames, a dark, bluish-black arm suddenly shot out. Its fierce punch shattered the protective True Gang and struck the person's jaw forcefully. "Crack—" The sound of dislocated bones was clearly audible. The body flew horizontally like a rag doll, plowing a long furrow in the ground before finally crashing into and breaking an ancient tree, bringing it to a halt. He coughed up blood incessantly.

"You...who exactly are you?!?" Clearly, he was stunned by Wang Yu's divine strength, having never seen a Qi Refining cultivator with such power.

However, Wang Yu had no intention of answering him.

The Illusionary Steps created ten illusory figures, attacking from different angles. The man again swung his spear, while his other hand formed a seal. Three breaths later, a circle of golden light radiated outwards from him. Black Fiend Armor instantly appeared on Wang Yu's body, enveloping him completely.

With a wave of his hand, the Ice Coffin Charm and the improved Ice Sword Art were simultaneously cast. Thick ice prisms, like a cage, descended from the air, slightly angled, trapping the man.

He stomped his foot heavily on the ground, cracking the earth for several meters around. Leaping up, he twisted his waist and hips, delivering a perfectly executed flying kick that almost split his enemy in two. As the ice prisms shattered, the man's upper body bent backward at an eerie obtuse angle. He collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth and nose. His life force was rapidly fading. His eyes, filled with resentment and extreme reluctance, fixed on Wang Yu, but he could no longer utter a word. In silence, he simply breathed his last.

"Soul Devour!" Without hesitation, Wang Yu immediately cast the spell. He currently had no means to directly destroy souls, but the Soul Devouring Evil Armor Art could directly consume Yin souls. This recently deceased person was naturally within the range of Soul Devour.

The Black Fiend Armor extended a long snake of black smoke, reaching into the target's body and extracting a semi-transparent Foundation Establishment soul. The soul was slowly dissipating as faint grey-white specks of light. Without the aid of Earth Yin, it would soon dissipate. He had no chance left.

Ignoring the soul's malevolent expression, Wang Yu directly pulled it into the Black Fiend Armor. Besides the initial Steward Xu, another resentful human face appeared on the armor. The power of this wondrous art immediately received a significant boost.

"Demonic arts are indeed sinister."

As for the potential after-effects of soul consumption, with the current low consumption, the impact was negligible. He just needed to control the quantity. If controlled properly, it could even be used to refine his own spiritual sense.

This time, it was a close call but without major mishap. Taking all the remains and the storage bag, Wang Yu continued towards Spider Mountain, activating the Night Concealment Charm to its maximum. The Five Yin Peak steward had suffered a backlash and could not have survived his elder brother's retaliation. As for this current man, he had been on the verge of suffocating to death at that critical moment; after escaping the illusion, he was gasping for air and hadn't seen Wang Yu at all. He had too many potential problems to worry about; he doubted they could simply lock onto enemies from thin air.

As for the gains from this trip, what was lost in one area was gained in another. The only minor complication was the third-tier Flood Dragon inner core, which was more suitable for peak Foundation Establishment cultivators to use as a substitute for Core Formation spiritual items when breaking through to the Core Formation stage. He didn't know what cultivation method that man intended to practice by directly consuming the inner core. It was a pity he couldn't get the Five Yin Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator's storage bag, which surely contained opportunities and secrets.

On his way back, Wang Yu ran at full speed. He barely made it to Spider Mountain by sunset, changed back into the attire of an outer disciple, and unhurriedly used his token to verify his identity, attracting no attention. Only after entering the stone house at the edge of the spiritual field and setting up the Blood Mist Concealment Array did he finally relax.

He lit a Mind-Calming Incense stick, then bathed and changed clothes. Sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion, he rubbed his hands together. "Let's see how much a rogue Foundation Establishment cultivator is worth~"

"Spirit stones...only eight thousand? That's a bit low, even less than a wealthy Qi Refining cultivator."

The low-grade second-tier magic tool, the Hundred Strike Spear, was of very ordinary quality, almost at the bottom tier among its kind. Its effect was to infuse spiritual energy to create a hundred energy spears for attack. There were no talismans, a few bottles of pills, and various miscellaneous items.

However, to Wang Yu's surprise, it contained cultivation techniques, spells, and secret arts.