Chapter 133: Five Machine, Demon Land Incident

Wang Yu had no choice in this matter. He could only let it continue occupying a placement slot. It would take another sixteen years to derive the complete cultivation method, but there was nothing he could do about it.

If he wanted to speed things up, he could allocate more placement slots, as he had done to enhance the Cold Blood Art.

In just over a day, all injuries from his breakthrough had healed, and he stretched his body within the karst cave.

Wang Yu's mind stirred.

The nascent Yin-Nether Demonic Dragon Spine, a wondrous manifestation of his Body Refinement Foundation Establishment, was akin to the protective true essence or physical flight abilities of a typical Foundation Establishment cultivator.

It was like an instinct.

Every punch he threw was accompanied by the roar of a dragon; if imbued with spiritual power, it could even manifest the form of a demonic flood dragon.

Every strike and kick was accompanied by a flood dragon, unleashing immeasurable power.

The breakthrough itself had concluded, but his gains were just beginning.

Second-stage Body Refinement cultivators still couldn't fly, a limitation determined by their chosen path, but his strength had reached hundreds of thousands of jin, allowing him to effortlessly crush iron and stone into dust.

Every movement exuded immense power.

His life essence had also been elevated, granting him a maximum lifespan of three hundred years. Since he was only a little over thirty-six, his lifespan was still abundant.

"I've been cultivating for twenty years, and unexpectedly, it's my newly adopted Body Refinement path that has reached the Foundation Establishment stage first."

With a slight sigh of emotion, Wang Yu opened the placement slots to check the information.

Placement Slot 1: Cold Blood Spirit Ascension Art (Fully Derived)

Placement Slot 2: Cold Blood Spirit Ascension Art (Fully Derived)

"Cold Blood Spirit Ascension Art (45/100): 48 practices per day, completable in five and a half years."

Placement Slot 3: Profound Yin Hand. "Profound Yin Hand (50/100): 9 practices per day, completable in five years."

Placement Slot 4: Flood Dragon Strength (Deriving↑)

"Flood Dragon Strength (20/100): 96 practices per day, completable in sixteen years."

Placement Slot 5: Empty. Wang Yu clenched his fists, feeling excited.

The fifth slot, here it comes!

Without hesitation, Wang Yu immediately placed the Corpse Demon Secret Art into it. The displayed information momentarily blurred before new details appeared.

Placement Slot 5: Corpse Demon Secret Art (Completing↑)

"Corpse Demon Secret Art (20/100): 1,440 practices per day, completable in fifteen years."

Thus, none of these would change in the short term.

If he continued developing at this rate, he might even acquire seven placement slots by the time he reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, but he had a feeling this pattern wouldn't continue indefinitely.

The number of placement slots wouldn't be infinite.

Of course, this was just a premonition; if they were truly infinite, that would be for the best, and he wouldn't mind having more.

After completing his breakthrough, Wang Yu could consider leaving the Black Mountain Demonic Land and even heading towards the Scarlet Kite Demonic Domain.

However, after some thought, he decided to wait a little longer.

After all, his cultivation speed was currently very fast; in just another half a year, he could reach the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation. It wouldn't be too late to depart after achieving dual-path Foundation Establishment, and he would have more confidence in facing dangers.

One month later.

Black Mountain Demonic Land.

This border mountain forest, frequently visited by rogue cultivators, welcomed a team of cultivators, all elegantly dressed and spirited in appearance. Numbering a thousand, they each wore cloud-patterned white robes, had blue silk tied around their foreheads, carried sword sheaths on their backs, and rode flying swords, exuding an aura of righteous solemnity.

Aside from holding their heads 15 degrees higher than others, they seemed no different from ordinary people.

At the forefront of this thousand-strong team was a Core Formation cultivator with profound aura, clearly no ordinary person. Accompanying him were several individuals whose attire colors noticeably clashed.

They adopted extremely humble postures, even bowing and scraping, continuously leading the way while explaining something.

"Esteemed Senior of the Sword Sect, this is the Black Mountain Demonic Land. This map was drawn by our Black Bear City, and besides the dangers from demonic beasts, it also shows numerous restrictions and traps left behind by demonic cultivators during past wars.

"Some have been cleared, others remain. All notable ones are marked on the map. As for the place Senior is searching for, we truly do not know. Might we..."

"Hmph–––"

The Core Formation cultivator from the Heavenly Void Sword Sect snorted coldly.

He glared at the guides with slight displeasure.

"You are the local guides of this area. Until we find our objective, none of you are permitted to leave."

"This..." the middle-aged male cultivator retorted indignantly, arguing forcefully.

"The Heavenly Void Sword Sect prides itself as the leader of the righteous path. Is this how it disrespects the lives of us rogue cultivators?"

"Silence!" The Sword Sect Core Formation cultivator's eyes widened.

"Don't think I don't know what you're plotting. Has the cleansing over the past few years not been enough? What if you're in league with those demonic cultivators and reveal our information?!

"The Sword Sect was merciful enough not to completely purge you just now, sparing your lives. Did I spare your lives so you could argue with me!"

The rogue cultivators' faces quickly paled, and they hurriedly pulled back the middle-aged rogue cultivator who was still about to argue.

"Fellow Daoist, stop talking."

"Yes, it's just guiding the way, nothing bad."

"Words can bring disaster, Fellow Daoist."

This persuasion clearly worked. After a moment of silence, he spoke again, "Senior, regarding the place you seek, we generally know of five similar terrains, without considering passing through the Black Mountain Demonic Land."

"Should we search one by one, or send out separate teams for exploration?"

"Separate teams."

The Sword Sect Core Formation cultivator immediately began making arrangements, dividing the five Foundation Establishment cultivators he brought into five teams. He would lead one team, and the other four teams would each take two hundred people to search the mountains and subdue demons!

Within the team, a Foundation Establishment cultivator discussed:

"These rogue cultivators are increasingly oblivious to social hierarchy and status. The sect is still too benevolent."

"Ah, Senior Brother Mo, that statement is biased. All cultivators in the world are equal; there's only one life, how can we distinguish between nobility and lowliness?"

"You... forget it, I won't argue with you."

A large number of cultivators entered the mountains without any attempt to conceal their auras, instantly stirring up agitation among the demonic beasts. They instinctively rejected invaders entering their territory.

Battles erupted shortly after they entered the Black Mountain Demonic Land.

These individuals were all disciples of the Heavenly Void Sword Sect, whose cultivation methods, techniques, and magical artifacts far surpassed those of the rogue cultivators and ordinary demonic beasts from the outside.

In battles of similar cultivation levels, the fast ones could slay their opponents in a few moves, while the slower ones would still secure victory within fifty moves.

As a result, these five teams progressed extremely quickly. Even with a large number of demonic beasts in the outer perimeter, they swiftly pushed through to the vicinity of the demarcation line separating the inner and outer areas.

At this point, moving further inward posed the risk of encountering powerful Core Formation demonic beasts. The five teams further fragmented, breaking down into smaller groups of five to six individuals each, scattering widely.

They quickly dispersed into the jungle, attempting to find topographical features matching the information they had.

Meanwhile, Wang Yu was in seclusion within the Fissure Cliff Karst Cave, familiarizing himself with his surging power. He had originally been living in seclusion near the demarcation line between the inner and outer perimeters. With such a sudden influx of people and significant commotion, it was impossible for him not to notice.

After sensing the disturbance outside, a slight doubt arose in his heart, so he activated an invisibility spell and slipped out, intending to investigate what was happening.