Chapter 184: A Bad Thing and Limb Regeneration

He swallowed hard, his throat feeling a bit constricted. "Brother, don't scare me. Is he really going to form a Nascent Soul?"

"How could that be fake?!" Zhuo Shouqing's eyes widened. Just as he was about to continue, the maid who had gone out to order food returned, and a group of people swiftly brought in a large table and chairs.

Bowls, chopsticks, napkins, and drinks were all neatly set out.

Freshly prepared spiritual food from the large restaurant was quickly served. Zhuo Shouqing's appetite was greatly stimulated. He was originally a person who enjoyed pleasures. After ten years apart, his cultivation was still stuck at Foundation Establishment Stage Three.

When Wang Yu first met him, Zhuo Shouqing was already at this stage. At that time, Wang Yu was only at the Qi Cultivation stage.

"Let's talk while we eat. Come on! Fourth brother, let me toast you first."

Perhaps he had been stifled during his journey, but Zhuo Shouqing's true nature was now on full display, incredibly uninhibited and unrestrained.

Seeing this, Wang Yu could only instruct the maid to have Yunmeng Pavilion send over a few virgin cultivation vessels that evening.

His mind was also pondering.

If he was about to form a Nascent Soul, innate talent should be of little use to him, right? Those who could form a Nascent Soul were all incredibly talented individuals.

Even if there were a few lucky ones, their originally inferior aptitudes would have been continuously transformed to a level comparable to Heavenly Spiritual Roots.

If one wanted to aid the cultivation of a Nascent Soul, one must possess a special physique. At that stage, the effectiveness of the Demonic Embryo Profound Origin Secret Incantation would likely be minimal.

Wang Yu thought this to himself and asked about it aloud.

To his surprise, Zhuo Shouqing's eyes widened.

"Did you think we hadn't considered that? If it were that simple, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to find you; the journey was terribly boring."

He picked up another piece of thigh meat from a flying swan demon beast, and chewed it as he mumbled, "I secretly asked True Monarch Nine Evils in private. Out of respect for the Guifang Zhuo clan, and knowing about my failed Bloodspring Evil Art, he told me the true secret of the Demonic Embryo Profound Origin Secret Incantation."

Zhuo Shouqing had once been secretly harmed, which led to the failure of his Innate Blood Spiritual Root formation. This matter had caused a huge stir, but Wang Yu was unaware, as it had happened nearly a century ago.

"He said: If the Profound Origin Secret Incantation can be cultivated to perfection, it can forge a special physique, called the Post-natal Demonic Embryo Physique, which grants divine assistance in cultivating demonic arts and provides powerful aid even at the Nascent Soul stage."

"Of course, perfecting the secret incantation isn't true perfection. One must devour a similar Profound Origin Demonic Embryo to have a chance at completing oneself. The more mature the demonic embryo, the better the effect."

Wang Yu suddenly understood.

He remembered that the ancient texts recorded four cultivators who had mastered the secret incantation. Two died during the Foundation Establishment stage, and one perished during the Core Formation stage, leaving only one alive.

Thinking the worst, this person must have known the secret of this method very early on, and those three must have died by his hand. If he knew that Wang Yu had also mastered the secret incantation... this was indeed bad news!

"Alas—" Zhuo Shouqing sighed.

"True Monarch Nine Evils himself didn't cultivate this secret art. When he passed the method on, it might have been with the intention of verifying its authenticity."

Wang Yu's heart stirred.

"Are you saying that person was intentionally left behind by True Monarch Nine Evils?"

"It's just a possibility. Methods for cultivating special physiques post-natal are exceedingly rare. I don't believe True Monarch Nine Evils wasn't tempted. Since he didn't cultivate it, there must be some hidden danger."

"There's some truth to that."

The evil thoughts of heavenly demons are not easy to deal with. He had avoided various side effects by relying on the 'placement slots' feature. Even then, when casting the spell to seize spiritual roots, he could still hear whispering in his ears.

—Post-natal Demonic Embryo Physique!

After a moment of thought, Wang Yu regained his composure. It was just a minor difficulty. When he was a spirit slave, he had no help and no information, relying entirely on gambles.

At that time, not gambling was not an option. Only by winning could he escape his status as a spirit slave and escape that abyss.

Now, with so many better conditions, it was just a Core Formation peak cultivator who hadn't yet formed a Nascent Soul. There was no reason he couldn't start dealing with him.

Moreover, this was a hypothetical enemy. The other party might not even know of his existence. He still had time to build up his trump cards.

"Brother Zhuo, tell me about it. What's this person's identity, background, and experiences, and where is he now?"

Putting down his chopsticks, Zhuo Shouqing took out an intelligence scroll from his spatial ring and tossed it to Wang Yu.

"It's all in there; take a look yourself."

Wang Yu quickly examined it.

Fu Xiao, 523 years old, Core Formation peak cultivation. From Sanshan Village, Taoxiang, Liuguang County, Yeqiong Prefecture. At twenty years old, with miscellaneous spiritual root aptitude, he was taken in as a handyman in Yeqiong Prefectural City...

At thirty, he was favored by Young Master Duan Yang of Xiangshan. He entered Xiangshan as a personal attendant. His eloquence and debate skills were formidable. He obtained cultivation resources from Young Master Duan Yang... at fifty, he broke through to mid-Qi Cultivation... then fell out of favor!

At sixty, he killed Young Master Duan Yang with 'Stone Scorpion Poison,' acquiring his storage bag, which contained countless resources and... the Demonic Embryo Profound Origin Secret Incantation.

In his later years, at one hundred, he broke through to Foundation Establishment. Using the secret incantation, he devoured some of his blood relatives from Sanshan Village. He formally joined the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect as an outer sect deacon...

His cultivation became increasingly rapid. Before his three-hundred-year deadline, he fortunately formed a Core. In just over two hundred years, he reached the peak of Core Formation. He is currently traveling in Vermilion Bird Divine Mountain, seeking an opportunity to form a Nascent Soul!

The level of detail in this intelligence left Wang Yu speechless.

Not only did it include his past experiences, but it also recorded Fu Xiao's common methods, all the missions he had undertaken, his performance, and so on.

It had to be said that the Guifang Zhuo clan's intelligence gathering capabilities far exceeded Wang Yu's expectations.

"Thank you, this intelligence is very helpful to me."

"No problem. Since I've recognized you as my fourth brother, Brother Zhuo will definitely help you find a solution to your troubles."

Whether his words were true or false, they went beyond the Styx River contract. Speaking them now made them effectively true, and Wang Yu had to acknowledge this favor.

He remembered Zhuo Shouqing's greed and ruthlessness, but he also needed to remember this assistance. Regardless of whether there were other motives behind it, a favor was a favor, irrespective of a person's character.

Even a great villain who had committed countless murders, if they raised you or saved your life, you still owed them gratitude.

Wang Yu, for one, feared this kind of situation.

An overt plot was indeed the most irresolvable scheme in the world.

"Alas—"

After Wang Yu composed himself, Zhuo Shouqing continued. "Currently, I have two solutions. One is for you to go to the heartland of Guifang and not show your face for a century. This method is the safest, though you might encounter some troubles that originally belong to me.

"The second is to continue spreading the news that you established your foundation using the Great Foundation Seizing Art, to conceal the anomaly of your cultivation speed. This will only work until you break through to Core Formation at most. If Fu Xiao pays even a little attention to your past, he will definitely discover the problem."

Honestly, both solutions were rubbish. Wang Yu asked, puzzled, "Can't we just summon some powerful cultivators from the Guifang Zhuo clan and kill him directly?"

Zhuo Shouqing rolled his eyes. "I'm a good-for-nothing young master. Fu Xiao is a Core Formation peak expert. If I could summon people to kill him, why would I have signed the Styx River contract with you? Am I playing games?

"Besides, I'm not sure if he has any connection to True Monarch Nine Evils, so we can't take that risk."

True. Wang Yu pondered. "It's better to remain still than to act. Since you have such powerful intelligence capabilities, then have someone keep an eye on Fu Xiao. Isn't he currently looking for opportunities in Vermilion Bird Divine Mountain?

"He certainly won't be back anytime soon. Until then, we just need to stay vigilant; there's no need to intentionally conceal anything."

Hearing this, Zhuo Shouqing nodded. "Fourth brother is indeed sharp, but with the family's intelligence system, I can only access a part of it and mobilize minor figures, you see..."

"Haha, Brother Zhuo must have other means."

Wang Yu rubbed his hands, got up to pour wine and serve dishes, acting like he was waiting on a venerable elder, which immediately made Zhuo Shouqing squint his eyes in comfort.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the two men, who had been chatting idly instead of discussing serious matters, watched as night gradually fell outside the window.

Outside the door.

"Master, Senior Chao Yunniang has sent four beauties."

"Let them in. You may withdraw."

"Yes."

Hearing this, Zhuo Shouqing, who was beside him, let out a chuckle. "As expected, fourth brother understands me. You have no idea how stifled I've been on this journey."

"Go, go, stop bothering me."

"Care to join?"

Seeing Wang Yu about to leave, Zhuo Shouqing grabbed him, chuckling oddly, "It's fine if it's within the sect, but you've never joined your brother before."

"You're drunk, I—"

Wang Yu wanted to refuse, but seeing the four delicate beauties entering through the door, his body suddenly stiffened.

How long had it been?

Yes, just today, his Corpse Demon Secret Art had been completed to the second stage, and his physical body had further integrated with it. Although some minor side effects still lingered, they were no longer as severe.

Instantly, his appetite was greatly stimulated. He glanced sideways at Zhuo Shouqing, thinking it truly was a well-chosen moment.

"Brother Zhuo, it's not that I'm unwilling, I'm just afraid I'll outshine you."

"What nonsense are you talking about? I am a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

"Alright then."

*Click*—

As the palace door closed tightly, figures flickered in the lamplight, creating a hazy beauty. There were exactly two for each of them.

"My Lord~ please cherish Wanwan fully."

The next day.

The morning light was faint.

Wang Yu, feeling refreshed, instructed the maid to take good care of Zhuo Shouqing, then left the main hall alone, returning to his private chamber to continue what he hadn't finished the day before.

Regrowing a severed limb!

He had waited for this day for a long time. Counting the days, since he embarked on the path of cultivation at sixteen, he was now over fifty-four years old. Compared to mortals, he had already lived through two-thirds of a lifetime.

He had forgotten what it felt like to move his left arm for too long.

"I have to try."

His consciousness sank into his body. The Corpse Demon Secret Art began to circulate. The two 'Yin Blood Pills' that had been nurtured within his marrow blood were transferred to the stump of his left arm.

Wang Yu repeatedly tapped with his right hand, and the two secret pills shattered simultaneously.

Concentrated Yin and corpse energies, mixed with the special vital blood within his body, erupted.

"Ugh—"

An unprecedented sensation of numbness and itchiness concentrated on the stump of his left shoulder. First, bones of an unusual color began to grow, followed by meridians, muscles, and blood vessels.

When the secret energy of both Yin Blood Pills was completely exhausted, what ultimately appeared was an arm of flesh and blood, devoid of skin. Wang Yu smiled bitterly in resignation.

"As expected, it's still a bit short, but I just need to continue condensing Yin Blood Pills."

He temporarily switched all five placement slots to the Corpse Demon Secret Art.

Immediately, a continuous stream of power flowed back, accelerating the condensation of Yin Blood Pills.

In just one day, a new secret pill was successfully formed.

He repeated the previous procedure.

Tender, new skin began to regenerate. Soon, Wang Yu experienced the sensation of having a complete limb.