Chapter 168: Notorious

After a long moment.

After the commotion settled, Wang Yu touched the Earth Origin Cauldron, and it shattered into pieces. He couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

The Earth Origin Cauldron had never been properly used since he refined it. This was arguably its first actual use, and it shattered immediately.

At the scene, within a hundred-meter radius centered on Bai Zhuzhu, almost everything had turned into nothingness. Houses and buildings looked as if a monster had taken a bite out of them, leaving neat circular gaps, with not a speck of wood debris remaining within the area.

The ground was also gouged out, forming a large pit, with its deepest point about three zhang (approximately ten meters) deep. The Secret Art of Reversion and Disintegration was truly terrifying!

He knew there would be no spoils of war from the Third Elder. When he turned to check on the Second Elder, who was on the verge of death, the Second Elder had been killed by the aftershocks.

Collecting the body and taking the storage bag was done seamlessly, like an assembly line.

There were also many bodies of the Bai family disciples on the scene, but a significant portion was missing, having been caught in the self-detonation and even vaporized.

Wang Yu opened his mouth and inhaled.

"Soul Devour!"

The remaining living souls were unaffected. The weakened malevolent spirits on the Black Fiend Armor revived, ensuring Wang Yu could use them for a long time, and their strength increased considerably.

After taking the pre-prepared second-tier healing elixir and spirit recovery elixir, Wang Yu did not intend to confront the Bai family's First Elder, who was at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment.

Simply put, he couldn't defeat him!

Moreover, he keenly noticed that many people were missing from the Bai manor. The death-qi trump card he had prepared specifically for the Bai family patriarch went unused, a fact he also realized when he secretly cast the Mind Control Demonic Sound at the beginning.

There were only over six hundred full-time cultivators in the Bai manor. After he controlled them and they consumed each other in pairs, their numbers were halved, and ultimately, all died in Bai Zhuzhu's self-detonation secret art.

This contradicted the intelligence that spoke of nearly a thousand full-time cultivators. A contingent must have left beforehand, and it was highly probable that the Bai family patriarch was among them. But Wang Yu wondered why.

There were too many possibilities. It couldn't be that they feared his power and actively went into hiding, could it? That was unrealistic.

Today's lesson was significant enough, even escalating to a fight to the death. The missing members of the Bai family had likely left Guiling City, and there was nothing he could do about them for now.

As for the Bai family's First Elder, honestly, he didn't want to let him go.

Yet, he still couldn't do anything. Perhaps this was the confidence that came with absolute power.

Shortly thereafter, Wang Yu returned to the front courtyard of the Bai manor and deactivated the Blood Mist Concealing Spirit Array. At this moment, the Bai family's First Elder was on the verge of breaking free from the Moon Illusion Realm; he was about to awaken.

In fact, he had been trapped in the Moon Illusion Realm for less than half an incense stick's time, and the Bai manor had already been reduced to this state. Without external interference, his speed of escape was not slow.

After a moment of contemplation, Wang Yu chanted the Demonic Embryo Profound Origin Secret Incantation.

A wisp of Heavenly Demon's malevolent thought emerged from his body and was planted within the First Elder. This act would not only instantly mature and warp the First Elder's mind once he awoke and fell into despair, but also allow Wang Yu to pinpoint his location. As long as the First Elder was within a hundred kilometers of him, Wang Yu would immediately sense his presence.

Being able to cultivate to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment in an environment like the Bai family, and still having a considerable lifespan, the First Elder had a chance to attempt Core Formation. Therefore, after the demonic embryo emitted a devouring desire, Wang Yu decisively planted the second wisp of demonic thought in his life.

As expected, it was indeed a dual spirit root, specifically fire and metal. This would allow his short metal-element spirit root to grow. As for when he could deal with this person...

The best scenario would be for him to awaken, have his mind twisted by the demonic thought due to extreme grief, and then recklessly attack the City Lord's Mansion, allowing Wang Yu to subdue him instantly with the power of the formation.

If he managed to abandon the idea of immediate revenge, he would quickly leave Guiling City. Later, when Wang Yu sought him for revenge, he might reveal the whereabouts of the surviving Bai family members, helping Wang Yu to completely eradicate them.

Wang Yu could accept both possibilities; it was merely a matter of when revenge would be exacted.

He wasn't worried at all.

Silently casting an invisibility spell and a breath-concealing incantation, his unseen figure soared into the air. Besides the storage bags he had taken immediately, the Bai manor also contained a treasury, scriptures, and other resources.

He had no time to search for them now; he would do so after the First Elder left.

And so, after concealing his presence, Wang Yu quietly stood at the highest vantage point of the Bai family residence. From there, he could observe not only the First Elder's reaction but also the crowd gathered outside.

Before long, "—No!!!"

Anyone who heard that wail would get goosebumps.

The First Elder, eyes bloodshot and breathing heavily like an ox, flickered into existence at the entrance of the Bai manor. He stood there, dazed and petrified, the gruesome images of his clansmen's deaths replaying endlessly in his mind.

It was like reliving the terrifying nightmare from the Moon Illusion Realm, but... this time, it was real!

He felt on the verge of collapse, wishing he could kill the "wise" self who had uttered "I have a plan" back then. He finally understood the patriarch's emotions at that time.

Utter defeat—so this is what it feels like...

No wonder the patriarch forbade him from gambling; winning would merely bring slight improvement, but losing meant eternal damnation!

The Bai family was already one of Guiling's three prominent clans; why take such a risk? Fortunately, he always liked to keep a contingency plan, forcibly moving the patriarch and the third branch back to the ancestral home. That was the only reason he hadn't gone insane yet.

But... a sinner like him.

Did he even have the face to return to the ancestral home and face his ancestors?!!!

The urge to seek death swelled within him. The Heavenly Demon's malevolent thoughts, visible only to Wang Yu, surfaced on the First Elder's body. What was merely a single wisp when planted now erupted into thousands of demonic thoughts.

The seed had matured!

From his high vantage point, having made this judgment, Wang Yu prepared to speed towards the City Lord's Mansion. However, the Bai family's formation was still active, and he couldn't leave for now.

He wondered if the First Elder would think of it.

"He probably won't," Wang Yu thought. "The demonic thoughts have eroded his rationality."

Just as he was inwardly mocking the Elder, the First Elder let out a long howl to the sky.

"Wang Yu, I will surely kill you!"

With that, under the gaze of countless onlookers, he slammed into the Mountain Marsh Turtle Shell Array, creating a gaping hole, and flew towards the City Lord's Mansion. The crowd erupted in an uproar. They were immensely curious about what had transpired during this time.

Wang Yu also frowned deeply. With a sigh, he could only rush towards the City Lord's Mansion, hoping no one would sneak in and steal his belongings.

However, as fate would have it, he had barely taken three steps in pursuit and hadn't even emerged from the hole in the formation yet.

He saw the Bai family's First Elder, who had just rushed out, suddenly enveloped by a golden-yellow mist radiating extreme chill.

"Yellow Spring Ghost Mist! A high-grade second-tier evasion and concealment technique, and also one of the core inheritances of the 'Yellow Spring Monastery'! It's said the monastery also possesses the Yellow Spring Escape Art, corresponding to Core Formation divine abilities!"

Having come to Guiling City, Wang Yu naturally had to understand information about the Yellow Spring Monastery; he would have to deal with them sooner or later.

Before long, the Yellow Spring Ghost Mist vanished, and the irrational Bai family's First Elder disappeared along with it. Wang Yu couldn't help but clench his fists.

The duck he had served up... had flown away?

He would remember this grudge!

"Hmph—"

As the night passed and dawn broke, the Bai manor's formation completely dissipated due to a lack of spirit stones. The greedy crowd finally couldn't hold back and surged inside.

To their astonishment, they found no bodies inside the manor apart from bloodstains, though plenty of battle marks remained.

After searching high and low, they couldn't even find a single spirit stone.

Even the more valuable furniture had vanished. Hmm... the Mountain Marsh Turtle Shell Array was still there, but this kind of clan-protecting formation, fixed to one location and not set up by formation flags, couldn't be taken away.

The disappearance of the Bai family was a mystery.

However, based on the Bai family's First Elder's final roar, it was clearly the work of their beloved City Lord.

This greatly astonished people, and at the same time, instilled immense apprehension and fear towards this Guiling City Lord.

After all, the Bai family, subtly regarded as the foremost of Guiling's three major clans, had fallen!

Last time, his show of power at the City Lord's Mansion was suspected of relying on the formation's strength and wasn't widely acknowledged. This time, however, was different.

He had not only actively entered the Bai family's compound but also committed a horrific massacre that wiped out the clan.

This sufficiently demonstrated that his strength had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, making him unbeatable unless one reached Core Formation.

Thus, Wang Yu's reputation spread throughout Yunling Province like a storm, becoming infamous!

The cultivators in Guiling City became remarkably well-behaved, especially in the wake of the Bai family's destruction; no one dared to cause trouble.

In the morning, Wang Yu, looking a little weary, returned to the City Lord's Mansion. Snow Jade, who was holding the City Lord's token in its mouth, immediately rushed over. It had been instructed to activate the formation at any moment as Wang Yu's escape route.

There was no need for vigilance now.

He carefully put away the token and chuckled as he stroked Snow Jade, who was constantly rubbing against his chest. His benevolent appearance showed no trace of having just annihilated the Bai family.

Just then, Xiangxiang's figure suddenly ran out from a nearby covered bridge and exclaimed happily, "Lord City Master, you've returned safely!"

Wang Yu nodded, remarking as if casually, "Indeed. You didn't leave last night?"

"No. The young talents you took in have just woken up and are cultivating in the plaza. I helped guide them for a while."

"Thank you."

After this brief exchange, Xiangxiang wisely took her leave. The Cloud Dream Pavilion, with his approval, had already gained immense benefits from dominating the North City District, so there was no need for special thanks regarding today's events.

A post-event appointment letter from the City Lord's Mansion would be more effective than anything else.

As for this batch of new recruits...

A month ago, the Guan and Jiang families completed their spirit-testing ahead of schedule. Guiling City, as a populous major city, also had numerous "child-delivery palaces" to ensure the survival rate of newborns.

The number of suitable talents it could provide each year exceeded that of Shihu City tenfold!

There were as many as five thousand individuals with four or five spiritual roots, slated to be trained as spirit farmers exclusively for the City Lord's Mansion.

Additionally, there were eight hundred individuals with three spiritual roots and one with a dual spiritual root.

These individuals were to be trained as guards and city patrolmen. Their numbers were far from sufficient, but Wang Yu would also recruit a group of rogue cultivators. As for whether there would be spies among them, it didn't matter at all.

Such things were unavoidable. Before spies revealed themselves, they were certainly usable talents.

Over the past month, he had often lectured to these young people, guiding them in their cultivation. For them to cultivate, they had to pass through three stages: Quietude, Sensing, and Spirit Absorption.

These three stages were also known as the Three Gates to Dao!

Quietude meant calming one's mind during cultivation and suppressing distracting thoughts. Sensing involved using one's spiritual root to perceive the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Spirit Absorption, as the name suggested, meant absorbing and attempting to refine spiritual energy.

The higher one's comprehension, the faster one entered the Dao. Generally, it would take them at least over a month, and those with lesser aptitude would need three months.

He, back then, had utilized the effect of the "placement bar," allowing spiritual power to first generate within his body, reversing the usual order, which is why he successfully entered the realm in a single day.

Of course, one could also quickly enter the Dao by using the Life-Burning Demonic Art.

The principle was similar to the "placement bar": spiritual power would first generate, then one would enter the Dao, provided they could understand the cultivation method.