Chapter 120: Killing Killing Killing

Solving one problem led to two more.

First, the matter of offering women as tribute was too complex, and Wang Yu decided not to delve deeper into it for now. Second, he was among the first batch of "spirit slaves" traded in Stone Lake City, meaning Old Man Ning was solely responsible for the whole affair.

Damn him! He deserves to die!

Now, he was alone in the city, his subordinates hidden at the bottom of Stone Lake, waiting to meet Old Man Ning after the spirit-testing day. This period was, without a doubt, the most opportune time for him to seek revenge. Without hesitation, Wang Yu, filled with murderous intent, headed straight for Old Man Ning's hideout in the city.

He was a man of swift and decisive action. If he had the power, why wait even a night for revenge? He wished he could pulverize his enemy to dust in the very next second.

Times had changed. Out here, away from home, he could kill anyone. Now that he knew the truth and his enemy was right before him, why would he hold back?!!

Kill! Kill! Kill!

Near Stone Lake City's Lord's Residence, not long after finalizing this year's spirit slave trade, Old Man Ning was in his secret stronghold, contemplating Wang Yu. He was considering whether to eliminate Wang Yu permanently. Many demonic cultivators were narrow-minded, and he was one of them, though more patient and cunning.

After long deliberation, he silently shook his head. He thought, "The Taihu Spirit Domain is too risky. If I involve my other plan, I'd be executed even if I returned successfully. The risk is too great; it's not worth it."

"The old City Lord failed in his attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, and Fatso Duan failed too. I'm not young either. As long as I complete this phase of the plan, a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill will surely help me overcome this hurdle. I will surely succeed..."

As Old Man Ning indulged in his self-assurance, his eyes suddenly widened. A figure, shrouded in black smoke and clad in armor, had just burst through the wall. A large hand, like an iron pincer, reached out towards him.

"Where did this lunatic come from!" In a mix of shock and rage, Old Man Ning instinctively cursed and flipped onto a roof beam. His magic artifact, a dao saber, was already in his hand. Upon recognizing the familiar aura, he grew even more astonished: "Wang Yu? Are you insane? Fighting me here, aren't you afraid of attracting righteous cultivators?"

"I am not Wang Yu."

Blocked by the Black Fiend Armor, Wang Yu's voice became muffled. He clumsily insisted he wasn't himself, yet his movements never stopped. He conjured the supreme-grade magic artifact, a begging bowl, for protection and continued to charge.

"Still denying it? I personally saw you seize this supreme-grade magic artifact from Fatso Duan!"

"I'm not!"

Boom—

He crashed through another wall, which appeared to be a load-bearing one, causing the entire stone-brick house to collapse. Amidst the swirling dust, Wang Yu activated his Grand Yin Ghost Eyes. He immediately locked onto Old Man Ning's vibrant soul fire and threw a precise punch. The air seemed to explode, and the terrifying force unleashed a white ring of shockwave.

Too late to dodge with a movement technique, Old Man Ning could only defend with his saber, turning offense into defense. As the two collided, the surrounding houses largely collapsed. Old Man Ning was sent flying backward, spitting blood, and became embedded in the ground's bluestone bricks.

"Wang Yu! How dare you try to kill me? Aren't you afraid of the sect's wrath?"

"What's that got to do with me? I'm just passing through on a mission."

"You admitted it! You *are* Wang Yu!"

Old Man Ning, overjoyed, saw the tall figure in black armor charge at him again, and panic set in. Wang Yu couldn't help but chuckle, "Yes, I'm Wang Yu. So what? You sold me as a slave to the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect back then, so what if I kill you now?" He had endured every hardship during his one hundred and thirty-seven days as a spirit slave in the stone house district, all thanks to Old Man Ning. If he didn't kill this man, a knot would forever remain in his heart.

"But without me, you wouldn't have today's opportunities!"

"What a joke! Do you expect me to thank you? Die!"

The second-tier, high-grade spell, Profound Yin Hand, a furious strike that consumed most of his spiritual energy and was amplified by his divine power corpse arm, sent Old Man Ning into a panic. A Qi Refining cultivator's spiritual sense could only control one magic artifact at a time. In that critical moment, he abandoned his dao saber artifact and pulled out a high-grade magic shield, using all his might to block.

Then he watched as the grayish-black giant hand tore through the shield's spiritual energy barrier, caving in the shield with a deep dent. The true arm, following close behind, completely pierced through the artifact. It then plunged into his chest and abdomen, seizing his spine.

The next moment, immense force erupted. Wang Yu brutally ripped out a spine, complete with the head still attached. Such was the raw, bloody violence of his unarmed combat. A venerable ninth-layer Qi Refining master, on the verge of grand completion and attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment, was slain by Wang Yu in mere moments.

It could be said he had to thank the arm he lost back then; otherwise, he wouldn't have resolved to cultivate the "Corpse Devil Secret Art," nor would he possess such an exceptionally powerful combat ability. He would have been at least a tier weaker and wouldn't have crushed Old Man Ning so overwhelmingly.

Settling two old grudges within a single day somewhat alleviated the heavy mood he'd felt upon receiving the grim news from the Wang family. Thus, apart from the loose ends he still needed to tie up at Stone Lake, only Wang Wu remained for him to deal with. Arriving in Stone Lake City less than a day ago, achieving such high efficiency was certainly satisfying.

He collected the corpse and the storage bags, not pausing to tally the spoils. Instead, he immediately activated the Night Stealth Charm, quickly exiting the city to hide. The commotion he had just caused was too great; nearby residents were startled awake, and the City Lord's Residence had surely noticed. Wang Yu hadn't yet fully understood the situation there. To be safe, it was best to retreat first.

An hour later, near Stone Lake, Wang Yu examined all of Old Man Ning's storage bags, a smile immediately spreading across his lips. Rich, so incredibly rich! He found a staggering twenty-three thousand low-grade spirit stones alone. He estimated that some of it was public funds from Cold Blood Peak, and now it was all his.

He also found one set of high-grade magic artifacts and one set of high-grade formation flags. Several pills, the most valuable being a life-saving pill worth at least five hundred spirit stones; various miscellaneous items; and a first-tier spirit beast bag containing a scaled horn flying horse used for pulling carriages, capable of flight.

Besides these, the most valuable items were two tokens. One was a pass for Black Mountain Pass, bearing the mark of the Azure Cloud Sect. The other was related to the secret behind him. It was a token inscribed with the character for 'desire.' Wang Yu hadn't yet figured out how exactly to use it, but he certainly wouldn't risk himself directly; his greatest strength was his willingness to heed advice. Since the old City Lord had taught him a lesson with his life, there was no need to disregard that goodwill. When it was time to retreat, he would retreat.

Old Man Ning's accumulated wealth was so substantial that even Wang Yu, with his own considerable assets, was satisfied, proving that he was among the top tier of Qi Refining cultivators in terms of resources.

After taking a supreme-grade Spirit Recovery Pill, Wang Yu ran for a few more minutes, and then he reached Stone Lake! The slave-capturing team had consisted of only a dozen or so people upon their arrival.