Chapter 188: Distant Uprising

As a True Disciple of Barbarian Ghost Peak, Wei Shanze's body was incredibly robust. With his true essence protecting him and the augmentation of his peak Foundation Establishment cultivation, he was no weaker than a body refiner of the same level. He was even more formidable; otherwise, the benefit of combining the two paths would not have been significant. The whole point was to surpass those who cultivated a single path, and the difficulty of cultivation was also considerably reduced.

However, there was one crucial prerequisite: he had to be able to use his true essence! In terms of pure physical strength, he was actually inferior to Wang Yu, who was at the mid-second stage. The Soul-Sealing Life-Exterminating Grand Array integrated binding, sealing, killing, and defense. As a large-scale, mid-third-tier magic array, one of its primary functions was to seal off true essence!

Ding Ming, who stood nearby, gradually gaped, clearly not expecting Wang Yu's counterattack to be so direct. His gaze toward Wang Yu now held a hint of apprehension. Wang Yu truly had no fear. Meanwhile, Wei Shanze, amidst continuous cries of pain, gradually lost consciousness and eventually fell into a coma.

The wind and thunder gradually ceased. After experiencing the Wind-Thunder Secret Art and the surging power of his physical body, Wang Yu waved his hand, releasing the Golden Steel Chains. He then casually pulled off Wei Shanze's spatial ring. Ignoring Wei Shanze's purplish-blue body, Wang Yu grabbed his arm, spun him around for leverage, and threw him into the distance as if discarding trash. Only then did he clap his hands and walk towards Ding Ming.

“You… what do you want to do…?”

“Nothing.”

Wang Yu chuckled, "Wei Shanze actively attacked me, completely ruined the banquet I meticulously prepared, and even destroyed my table made of ten-thousand-year-old precious wood. It's only reasonable that I take this spatial ring as compensation, wouldn't you agree?”

“Ten-thousand-year-old precious wood…” Ding Ming nervously rubbed his fingers. His eye twitching, he looked at the wooden fragments on the ground, unable to articulate the feelings churning within him. If he had known this, he wouldn't have helped Xie Xie'an. This damn den of dragons and tigers—whoever wants to brave it, can.

“Hand it over.”

Seeing Wang Yu's outstretched hand, Ding Ming suddenly remembered. “Ah, the friendship restoration fee, right? If I give you 50,000 spirit stones, will we be friends?”

“We were already friends,” Wang Yu replied. “You offended me and damaged our harmonious friendship. Shouldn't you pay some spirit stones to repair our relationship?”

Wang Yu's smile remained, but Ding Ming decisively paid, understanding City Lord Wang's implicit message: this was the fee for information.

“It's convenient dealing with intelligent people. To be frank, I don't know how the story ends, and neither does Zhuo Shouqing, but… if you can gather a complete set of bloody shackles and fetters, and then enter the Jingzhao Suppressing Evil Prison, you should find a bloody treasured sword. This item is very likely to have belonged to that ancient sword cultivator.”

Ding Ming's eyes lit up, then he looked at Wang Yu with a hint of resentment: “Junior Brother Wang, you know so much; have you tried it yourself?”

“No.” Wang Yu shook his head, his face sincere. “This is my deduction based on the current intelligence from Eastern Capital City, combined with the information Zhuo Shouqing shared with me. There's a 70% probability it's correct; you'll know once you try.”

If the information were truly accurate, it wouldn't be sold for only 50,000 spirit stones; the price would at least double. Wang Yu's purpose in telling Ding Ming was, naturally, to have him scout ahead. After all, he was genuinely interested in the relic's treasures, but the timing wasn't right for him. If this speculation could be verified, then the two top Soul Transformation inheritances would certainly be within the Jingzhao Suppressing Evil Prison. This ancient ruin was truly formidable; he wondered what the imperial city at its core would be like.

The transaction was complete. Ding Ming then left, giving him a warning before he departed. “Wei Shanze holds grudges intensely. The Wei clan also has a Nascent Soul ancestor residing in the Saint Sect, making them a first-rate powerful clan, second only to the Ghostfang Zhuo clan. They wield significant influence within Barbarian Ghost Peak.”

Wang Yu was noncommittal, and he replied: “Oh? — What if they were to face the Ghostfang Zhuo clan, the Saint Mountain Yu clan, or the Xianyin Zuoqiu clan?”

Ding Ming had nothing more to say.

The matter involving the two True Disciples was merely a minor interlude. Since Wei Shanze was still alive, the spiritual imprint he had left on his spatial ring remained incredibly resilient. Even someone with a powerful spiritual sense like Wang Yu would need several days to break through the seal and see what was inside.

A few days later, Wei Shanze came to his door alone, tearfully lamenting that the spatial ring contained all his important possessions. Among them was his most favored weapon, the Purple Lightning Twin Axes. Without this top-grade second-tier magic artifact, his strength would be significantly diminished. There was also the third-tier spirit pill, the Heavenly King Life-Saving Pill, which could save his life at death's door. Additionally, there were two third-tier Void-Fleeing Talismans, five third-tier Restriction-Breaking Talismans, and various high-tier items given to him by his Wei clan elders, including array flags, spirit pills, magic artifacts, and more. The list was endless; most of these items were prepared specifically for this expedition. Now that Wang Yu had stripped him bare, he dared not venture into Eastern Capital City. Because of this, he had even been mocked by Ding Ming for days. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he returned to Wang Yu to admit his mistake.

To be honest, Wang Yu dreaded situations like this. He was just a hair's breadth away from erasing the imprint on the spatial ring, at which point all the treasures inside would have become his. With Wei Shanze revealing everything inside, particularly the life-saving trump cards left by his Wei clan elders, Wang Yu truly couldn't just take them. Otherwise, it would certainly lead to significant trouble later. Even as compensation for the offense, it was a bit excessive. These second-generation cultivators, after all, weren't ordinary commoners; their backgrounds had to be taken into account.

Thus, Wang Yu kept Wei Shanze waiting for another day. After erasing the spiritual imprint and confirming the veracity of Wei Shanze's claims, he took half of the treasures, including all 230,000 spirit stones and all the scattered precious herbs and spiritual gold. He left the other half for Wei Shanze, specifically avoiding those unique life-saving trump cards. In the end, True Disciple Wei could only leave with a resentful expression, taking his belongings. He even had to thank Wang Yu for acting appropriately. This approach ensured that the grievances remained limited to the two of them, significantly reducing the intensity and preventing it from escalating into a mortal enmity.

Of course, if Wei Shanze had been a rogue cultivator, the situation would have been very different. For rogue cultivators or first-generation commoner cultivators, resources were their lifeline, incredibly important. But for a young master, it was merely a few possessions.

With his wealth increasing yet again, Wang Yu intensified his efforts to collect various resources, high-grade talismans, and array flags. He had discovered that arrays were remarkably effective. Especially in duels, they were absolutely the supreme method for the weak to overcome the strong. The Soul-Sealing Life-Exterminating Grand Array of the City Lord's Mansion alone had already provided him with immense assistance. He also possessed a set of the Eight-Directions Spirit-Confusing Array. Although it was only a first-tier array, its potential was immense. If he could find the original array flags, it would become a portable third-tier confinement array, worth a fortune. He wondered where Old Man Ning had obtained such an opportunity.

After this incident, in addition to his cultivation, Wang Yu began to focus on the market in Guiling City. He adjusted the remuneration for alchemists, artificers, talisman makers, and array masters to attract more talented individuals to join the City Lord's Mansion. He steadily expanded the scale of the City Lord's Mansion's affiliated shops, aiming to capture a larger market share. The first batch of direct descendants cultivated by the City Lord's Mansion were gradually ready to assume their roles. Their cultivation generally hovered around the third level of Qi Condensation, though a small number of exceptional individuals had broken through to the mid-Qi Condensation stage. Notably, Xu Ruozhou, the sole dual-spirit root cultivator, saw rapid progress in his cultivation with the support of the City Lord's Mansion's resources. Wang Yu had long ago planted a demonic thought within him, not to seize his talent, but as a form of insurance. His four disciples were products of political alliances and could not become his true confidants. Rather than a master-disciple relationship, it was more akin to him fostering a few noble figures, whom he treated with utmost courtesy. Naturally, he cultivated Xu Ruozhou with the intention of making him part of the City Lord's Mansion's power structure. After all, Wang Yu held dominion over Guiling City for three hundred years and needed capable individuals under his command. If Xu Ruozhou proved sufficiently loyal, he would undoubtedly receive significant benefits once Wang Yu left Guiling. However, if he harbored ulterior motives, Wang Yu's Profound Origin Demonic Embryo would grow further, ensuring no loss on Wang Yu's part either way.

On this day, Wang Yu sat before a pill furnace. He gazed at the freshly refined, top-grade second-tier Demon Spirit Pill, feeling immensely satisfied. This was a cultivation pill he had specially prepared for Xueyu, and with its assistance, in less than two years, Xueyu would also be able to advance to the third level of Foundation Establishment.

“Eat this, and grow quickly. I don't ask you to be invincible at your cultivation level; it would be enough if you could assist me in battle~”

Wang Yu, in a good mood, suddenly reacted. Xu Ruozhou's voice came at the opportune moment. “City Lord, a major event has occurred! Anomalous phenomena have suddenly erupted at the Eastern Capital City ruins, and the cultivators exploring the site have started fighting. The news was delayed by half an hour.”

“Boom—”

The palace doors swung open simultaneously, and Wang Yu said with a hint of excitement, “Has the Record Stone captured the scenes?”

“Yes, they're all recorded. Our scouts will send follow-up reports in half an hour.”

“Very good.” The advantages of commanding a vast force were now abundantly clear. He could learn about events worldwide without leaving his home, and simultaneously earn substantial resources—it was perfectly suited for him.

As true essence was injected, the images within the Record Stone materialized, displaying the scene of the Eastern Capital City surface ruins. Initially, the area was peaceful, with cultivators scattered in small groups and temporary outposts established by various converging parties. But the calm didn't last long. Suddenly, two areas within the ruins collapsed, revealing bottomless pits. Two pillars of light, one gray and one red, shot up into the sky. They churned the clouds into whirlpools, as pure malice and killing intent permeated the heavens and earth. Gray-black figures and bloody figures materialized in the sky. One held a flag, the other a sword. They clashed fiercely. This was the newly triggered phenomenon—Rakshasa versus Asura!!!

At this sight, the entire Eastern Capital City immediately erupted into chaos. Several years had passed since the earliest anomalies first appeared. Some cultivators had departed, others had arrived, and the number of cultivators gathered here far exceeded ten thousand. After all, it wasn't a secret realm with entry thresholds; even Qi Condensation cultivators could come and try their luck. Once this phenomenon appeared, almost everyone in the scene rushed towards the light pillars. Fanatical expressions and ruthless tactics were ubiquitous. Blood was spilled across the ancient ruins, and slaughter spread in all directions. Those who ran fastest also died fastest; even those lagging at the very back were brazenly ambushed. These were opportunists, not seeking the relic's treasures or inheritances, but specifically targeting the wealth and lives of the explorers. Cunning and insidious, they were exceptionally adept at seizing such opportunities. This was an upheaval from afar!

Wang Yu intently watched the area beneath the two light pillars. As expected, several small dark figures were already there; they had been present from the very beginning.

(End of Chapter)