Chapter 167: Return to the Origin Secret Method

Outside the Bai family mansion.

The crowd of onlookers, who had dispersed at dusk, were startled awake by the commotion here. Many curious individuals gathered again, pointing and gesturing at the illuminated formation patterns.

"What is the Bai family doing?"

"Indeed. In the evening, there was the 'fire dragon burning the granary,' and now in the middle of the night, they've activated their clan protection formation. Could it be that some fierce marauding cultivator broke into their treasury?"

"That's impossible. This is Gui Ling City, after all. The rules of the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect must still be followed."

"But you can't just rely on a name! Everyone knows that the current Gui Ling City Lord's Mansion is run by a cultivator in the early Foundation Establishment stage."

"What can he protect? Who's afraid of him?!!!"

"Impudent! You're trampling on the Sacred Sect's dignity."

"The City Lord can represent the Sacred Sect's dignity? Who the hell are you?"

Two onlookers exchanged sharp words, arguing back and forth. In no time, they started quarreling, even resorting to blows, causing a commotion among the gathered crowd.

Among the crowd, the Guan family, the Jiang family, and the three Core Formation sects operating in Gui Ling all dispatched their informants. With such a major event unfolding at the Bai mansion, and a faint scent of blood drifting from it, they couldn't sit still. Each employed their own methods to relay the news immediately to their respective leaders in the rear.

The Guan Mansion.

The head of the Guan family, who had interacted with Wang Yu twice, suddenly received the news and immediately guessed that Wang Yu had made his move. He recalled the disgraceful 'fire dragon burning the granary' stunt from that evening. He quickly summoned his steward and had a copy of the backup ledger transcribed that very night.

He had made two preparations for this matter. If the Bai family succeeded, then his Guan family's accounts would also be "burned clean." If the City Lord's Mansion won, it would show that his Guan family acted cautiously, always having backups for everything, and the taxes due would naturally be paid in full. He would still be a great loyal subject!

However, according to the intelligence relayed by his informants, the smell of blood was very strong. Wang Yu was alone, and even if his blood ran dry, it wouldn't be much. Therefore, there could only be heavy casualties in the Bai family. Feeling uneasy, the Guan family head had no mind for cultivation. He simply sat quietly in the hall, awaiting the latest news.

Many others in the city were like him, including local magnates and various powerful figures. This matter was relevant to everyone.

Meanwhile.

Outside the Bai family ancestral hall.

The Second Elder and Third Elder were drenched in sweat, exhausted from dealing with the younger generation, who were being controlled by the demonic sound. They couldn't harm them, nor could they restrain them. They had tried to bind them using ropes formed from true essence. But these individuals seemed to feel no pain at all; they would break their own bones to free themselves and launch suicidal attacks against the two elders.

"This mind-bewitching technique is too overbearing! Can it even control a person's survival instincts?!!"

"Could this be a secret technique passed down by the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect?" Third Elder Bai Zhuzhu gritted her teeth.

"If nothing else works, sever their limbs."

"Alright." Making this impromptu decision, both felt pain and sorrow. The vast Bai family was actually powerless against a mere thief in the early Foundation Establishment stage.

"After this crisis, we must find a secret art that can clear the mind and sharpen the spirit, to prevent anyone from exploiting such loopholes again."

"Heh heh—"

"You won't get the chance."

Suddenly, Wang Yu appeared behind Bai Zhuzhu. As he threw his punch, the Yin Nether Demonic Dragon coiled around his arm, and the immense power from his divine strength corpse arm combined with the Corpse Demon Bone's strength immediately unleashed a terrifying, surging divine power. The air vibrated with a deafening boom, and Wang Yu's punch forcibly created a white ring of air waves.

Bai Zhuzhu subconsciously activated her protective True Gang, and a golden ring-shaped second-tier high-grade magical artifact appeared behind her. Her reaction in the face of danger was almost instantaneous and perfect. However, the protective True Gang was incredibly fragile; it shattered upon mere contact with the force. Fortunately, the golden ring artifact blocked the fatal sneak attack for her. She was sent flying backward, colliding with all the Bai family disciples controlled by the demonic sound on her path, turning them into minced flesh. A bloody mist filled the air, and blood rained down.

The Second Elder's eyes immediately turned red. "—No!"

Having been tormented for so long, the suppressed rage in his heart was already uncontrollable. Wang Yu's appearance at this moment seemed to offer the Second Elder a chance to vent. He watched Bai Zhuzhu crash through numerous buildings until she finally stopped, forced to halt by hitting the outermost Mountain-Swamp Tortoise Shell Array.

A cyan-green long spear appeared in the Second Elder's hand. Thrusting his spear—he lunged!

In an instant, thorny vines sprouted from beneath Wang Yu's feet, binding him in place. Yet, he showed no concern; instead, he revealed a triumphant smile. In a flash, the Second Elder felt a bad premonition, but his full-power attack was already irreversible.

"Pffft—pffft—pffft—"

The Cyanwood Spear repeatedly pierced through flesh. It was the Bai family disciples, risking their lives, who threw themselves forward, blocking the spear's path. With their Qi Condensation bodies, how could they withstand a full-power thrust from a Foundation Establishment Stage Seven cultivator wielding a second-tier high-grade magical artifact? At the brink of death, their self-awareness finally resurfaced, but they only had time to show a surprised expression, as if asking, "Second Elder, why are you killing me?!"

Clang! The Cyanwood Spear ultimately struck the Earth Elemental Cauldron that Wang Yu had summoned. While knocking the cauldron away, it slid across Wang Yu's body, where it was blocked by a layer of Bronze Armor Corpse Robe.

The Second Elder's face was distorted with rage, and two streams of turbid tears rolled down from his eyes. He roared: "Wang Yu, I will fight you to the death!"

"Gladly."

Just as the Cyanwood Spear was withdrawn and thrust forward again, with cyan spiritual light flashing to form a continuously coiling wooden dragon, the Second Elder suddenly grunted. His entire body was already engulfed by gray soul flames. It was the second-tier high-grade magical artifact: Glazed Soul Lamp!

After breaking through to Foundation Establishment, cultivators can simultaneously control two magical artifacts. Wang Yu's spiritual sense had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, allowing him to control three magical artifacts at once in combat. He used himself as bait, luring the Second Elder into continuous aggressive attacks. Ultimately, his sneak attack succeeded. As the accompanying magical artifact for the Ancient Soul Art, although it was seized, it could still unleash the full power of a late Foundation Establishment stage spiritual sense under Wang Yu's control.

Burned by the flames released from the Glazed Soul Lamp, though his physical body suffered no damage, the Second Elder felt a dizzy spell. His soul was being subjected to the torment of immolation. What agonizing pain this was!

This was a rare opportunity. The Profound Yin Hand, at its perfect mastery, was fully unleashed. This time, no giant gray-black hand appeared; instead, it returned to its original simplicity, fully merging into Wang Yu's single palm. The Profound Yin power, so viscous it was almost liquefied, caused Wang Yu's right hand to transform into a ghostly dark hand, which he slammed fiercely into the Second Elder's chest. His clothes burst apart, his chest caved in, leaving only a dark palm print. His head tilted back, and he uncontrollably vomited a large amount of blood. On the spot—blood splattered across the sky!

Though not dead, he suffered damage to his heart meridians due to the erosion of Profound Yin power and would not live for many more days.

At that moment, the staggering Third Elder Bai Zhuzhu rushed over from a distance, just in time to witness the Second Elder being struck by a perfected Profound Yin Hand. "No!"

Wang Yu rubbed his ears; he couldn't remember how many times he had heard the word 'no' that night. It was truly annoying. "It's your turn."

Bai Zhuzhu was at Foundation Establishment Stage Six, only in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Her spiritual sense was inferior to his. As long as he employed clever tactics and seized opportunities, Wang Yu was not unbeatable in a head-on fight. Moreover, there were obvious twisted marks on her side. Although the previous punch had been blocked by the golden ring, she had still sustained considerable damage.

Without another word, he raised his hand and flung several streaks of ice sword qi. The Third Elder continued to summon her high-grade magical artifact, the golden ring. This object transformed into a golden shield, blocking all sword qi with 360-degree, flawless coverage. An icy mist permeated the air. Streaks of sharp metal sword qi flew out from within, precisely locking onto his position. Wang Yu activated his escape technique, Frost Moon Wings, and with a flutter, instantly moved far away from his previous spot.

He brought the Ghost Weeping Flute to his lower lip, and melodious, lingering notes resonated through the area. Bai Zhuzhu's figure wavered as she rushed out of the icy mist, and red light continuously flickered in her eyes—it was the Mind-Controlling Demonic Sound. However, under intense sorrow and rage, her state of mind, in that short time, held only two words: revenge! Revenge! Still revenge! The perfected Mind-Controlling Demonic Sound only served as a distraction. With a sudden burst of speed, Bai Zhuzhu charged close to Wang Yu, and the second-tier mid-grade magical artifact in her hand, the Sharp Gold Sword, cleaved down.

Yet, Wang Yu directly gripped the blade with his left hand. He couldn't help but grin, saying, "Fighting in close combat with this City Lord? You must have lost your mind." No matter how sharp a metal-element magical artifact was, even if it severed the fingers of his left arm, he wouldn't feel any pain. This thing wasn't his body to begin with. He pulled with his left hand, clenched his right into a fist, and the Yin Nether Demonic Dragon Spine once again exerted its force. The punch almost plunged into Bai Zhuzhu's abdomen, leaving her internal organs in disarray.

However, the opponent revealed a ruthless smile. The golden ring artifact suddenly expanded, then instantly contracted around both their waists, pulling the elder and the younger person face to face. The elder one had techniques to maintain her youth, retaining the figure of a mature, curvaceous beauty. The younger one was incomparably handsome, with a tall and elegant bearing. This made it appear as if the young man was embracing a woman in his arms.

Wang Yu felt extreme disgust, but then he heard the other party's soft chant, which made him lose his composure. "Return to Origin Secret Art: Disintegration!"

This was a self-detonation secret art, a truly extreme measure. Although demonic cultivators were accustomed to extremes, only a minority practiced self-detonation secret arts because the cultivation process was too dangerous, making it impossible to practice safely. A single lapse in concentration would lead to immediate self-detonation and death. The risk was enormous, with zero benefit. Only lunatics and suicidal fanatics would cultivate such a mutual destruction secret art, and it was a forbidden method among the Nascent Soul demonic forces. The fact that Bai Zhuzhu knew this art could only mean that she had suffered extreme psychological trauma in her past and had coincidentally encountered this method. It was perfectly suited for someone seeking death. Furthermore, the Return to Origin Secret Art was one of the well-known self-detonation secret arts of the demonic path, which Wang Yu had seen mentioned in the scriptures of the Sutra Hall.

In that critical moment, Wang Yu decisively activated the Corpse Demon Secret Art, severing his left arm from his body. This created a slight gap in the tightly locked golden ring. After pulling out his left arm, the gap widened further, allowing the immense power of his second-tier body refinement to burst forth. Meanwhile, cracks were continuously appearing on Bai Zhuzhu's face, with white light bursting from within. Under the immense force, her body was almost folded in half by Wang Yu. He forcefully extricated himself from the golden ring, then used his remaining right arm to hurl her away. Just as she flew a dozen meters, a tremendous explosion occurred.

The Earth Elemental Cauldron rapidly expanded, enveloping his main body. The next instant, cracks densely covered the cauldron's body. Wang Yu, hidden inside, was rattled and couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood. The Earth Elemental Cauldron met its demise. After all, it was only a second-tier low-grade magical artifact. Being too close, it was understandable that it couldn't withstand such a self-detonation.

(End of Chapter)