Chapter 189: The Calm After the End

Or perhaps, this phenomenon was triggered by them in the first place.

Wei Shanze, Ding Ming, Xie Xie'an, and Jin Miaoshan were all present, along with several individuals Wang Yu didn't recognize but whose origins he could discern, such as the cultivators from Yellow Spring Temple shrouded in the ghost mist of the Yellow Springs.

Or the protectors of the Nether Mountain Sect, riding on flying spectral pythons.

The Nether Mountain Sect was renowned for its legacy of controlling spectral beasts, a practice strikingly similar to the Ferocious Nether Peak lineage of the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect. In fact, there was a certain connection between the two.

Both originated from the Beast Taming Dao, but they specialized in controlling unique creatures known as spectral beasts.

These were bizarre creatures capable of shifting between ghostly and corporeal forms. In ancient times, they were only found in the desolate ancient plains, but now they were quite widespread.

Regions such as the Dead Silence Desert, the White Sand Arid Sea, the Broken Realm Mountains, and the Wind-Swept Gobi.

Wherever there were desolate lands with Yin energy veins, spectral beasts were sure to be found!

According to legend, spectral beasts were beings born in the Underworld, feeding on Yin energy and living souls, possessing innate talents to traverse the paths between Yin and Yang and frolic in the Yellow Spring River.

However, no one had ever seen a spectral beast with such abilities.

The so-called Underworld had never been found in this realm; it was merely considered an external legend, much like the Fiend Demon Realm. Ding Ming also practiced the path of controlling spectral beasts.

Wang Yu wondered if his intelligence had played a role. The scramble for opportunities in the Dongjijing Ruins had clearly reached a fever pitch, and he was intensely curious.

Yet, he suppressed his restless heart, quietly awaiting new projection stones from his intelligence officers. He watched the fierce battle unfolding three thousand kilometers away, as if viewing a film.

Whether it was a legacy or not didn't matter. The vast ancient ruins clearly held more than just this one opportunity; it was simply that no one had triggered the right moment. Observing more and accumulating experience was always beneficial.

With his abundant financial support, Wang Yu had tinkered with many interesting gadgets. He continuously acquired projection stones, one after another, observing the distant intense combat.

“Ohh—”

“A Core Formation cultivator has attacked! Gui-water Yin Thunder? Is it a divine ability… It seems to be someone from the Yin Gui Palace, a first-tier force with only one or two Nascent Soul cultivators, below the overlords.”

“As expected of the Demonic Path cultivators, a Core Formation cultivator ambushing a Foundation Establishment one. The unfortunate victim is… Xie Xie'an! Amusing~”

In the projection, due to the distance of the recording personnel, Wang Yu couldn't analyze all the cultivation techniques and divine abilities. He could only accurately identify those with distinct characteristics and significant movements.

City Lord Wang reclined on a couch, leaning against a warm large snow fox, snacking on candied fruits and other treats, muttering to himself with boisterous exclamations.

“Little Xie, what trump card did you use? You’re still alive… Woah! There’s also a talisman treasure.”

This wasn't the first time Wang Yu had seen someone use a talisman treasure; he had also seen one in Liu Jinxian's possession.

These items required the depletion of a Core Formation cultivator's natal magic artifact essence to refine. Each talisman treasure could be used a maximum of three times and was one of the common trump cards for second-generation disciples.

Given that Wicked God Peak had only three true disciples, it was perfectly normal for them to be highly regarded and possess talisman treasures.

Compared to Liu Jinxian's control, Xie Xie'an's utilization and manipulation of the talisman treasure were almost at their peak.

That black divine light not only dispersed the Gui-water Yin Thunder but also struck down the ambushing Core Formation cultivator, who vanished into the ground. The counterattack was highly successful.

At this moment, Wang Yu glimpsed another scene.

Jin Miaoshan, one of the competitors, threw out a handful of unknown spherical objects. Immediately, the area around the blood-red light pillar was filled with explosions of green flames, affecting a radius of over a thousand meters.

Cultivators who couldn't escape in time, even those who deployed protective measures, were still incinerated, falling like rain as charred corpses.

A devastating weapon!

“Zzzzz—”

Just as Jin Miaoshan was about to vanish into the blood-red light pillar, the image suddenly cut off. Wang Yu quickly called out.

“The third one! Has the third projection stone been delivered yet?”

“Coming, City Lord!”

“Beep—”

The image resumed, and the intense and thrilling battle escalated further.

Because of the slight delay as the intelligence officers retrieved and then restarted recording with the stones, the footage skipped a few breaths.

When the scene reappeared, the blood-red light pillar representing the Asura was rapidly dimming. It seemed Jin Miaoshan had acquired the legacy. Upon realizing this, the cultivators who had been fighting each other immediately reacted.

They all ceased their combat and began setting up formation flags around the blood-red light pillar, clearly intending to ambush and kill her.

In contrast, beneath the gray light pillar representing the Rakshasa...

...it was a chaotic scene of demons dancing wildly. Sky-darkening spectral souls and fierce spirits slaughtered each other. Sometimes, an underhanded trickster would launch a sneak attack, and there was no particularly dominant presence, just utter chaos.

If a cultivator only controlled one or two, they probably wouldn't even be able to find their own ghost servants. The eerie mist of the ghost realm completely shielded spiritual sense.

Ghosts flew chaotically in the sky, while zombies and spectral beasts battled on the ground. Occasionally, the earth would crack open, and a black coffin would emerge, swallow someone, and then retract back into the depths.

This wasn't a treasure hunt; it was a free, nutritious buffet, a chance for their own spirit-beasts to replenish themselves with high-quality blood food!

Sometimes, those pushed to their limits would reveal their trump cards. Wang Yu saw one cultivator, who possessed a locust tree spirit, summon a hundred-meter-tall ghost tree. It had just unleashed its might, sweeping through a circle of enemies...

...only to be immediately overwhelmed by more attacks. This was even more chaotic than a mortal battlefield, akin to a battle royale where being too conspicuous invited concentrated fire.

Pretending to be weak? That would make one even more susceptible to a full-force sneak attack from an opportunist, getting killed on the spot and perhaps reincarnated as an actual pig in the next life!

As Wang Yu's eyes were opened, he also continuously absorbed experience. In this type of killing field, concealment was paramount; it was best to strike at critical moments. This major battle lasted for a long time. Due to the Rakshasa light pillar being enveloped by the ghost realm mist, Wang Yu couldn't tell who emerged victorious on that side.

On the Asura light pillar side, it was certain that Jin Miaoshan had won.

Upon emerging, she was surrounded by dazzling multi-colored formations, making it impossible for her to move even a single hair. It was her remaining protector who saved her, consecutively unleashing over ten "Tier 3 Forbidden-Breaking Talismans."

He completely shattered the layered formations, then used a spatial magic treasure and a "Tier 3 Void-Escaping Talisman" to successfully escape. Such a battle strategy, reliant on sheer wealth, was something others simply couldn't replicate.

Even so, both of them suffered severe injuries.

What surprised Wang Yu was that throughout the entire battle, no Nascent Soul cultivators made a move. This was a top-tier Soul Transformation legacy; wasn't anyone tempted?

He couldn't believe that something known by these juniors would be unknown to Nascent Soul cultivators.

Could there be an issue with the cultivation method? But that didn't seem right either!

Otherwise, the disciples from these major forces wouldn't have tried so hard to seize it. So, did Nascent Soul cultivators not need Soul Transformation cultivation methods?

This speculation was too preposterous; he didn't even believe it himself.

As his thoughts churned...

...another conjecture emerged.

Could it be a problem with the cultivation path itself? Yet, there were still Nascent Soul cultivators of the Soul Dao, and even more of the Sword Dao, such as True Monarch Nine Evils of his Inverse Spirit Blood Sect… None of them seemed tempted.

It seemed the hidden secret here was beyond the knowledge of someone at his level. He would ask Zhuo Shouqing later.

With the legacy indicated by the phenomenon concluded, the Dongjijing Ruins would revert to their usual state, transforming into a place for scattered small teams or lone cultivators to explore.

Ruins were typically like this.

Some ruins were fully developed, no longer attracting visitors.

Others were too vast and deep, with endless hidden dangers. The truly valuable items within them would often manifest as phenomena.

Whenever this occurred, a wave of exploration would ensue, and people would only depart once the item was acquired.

While secret realms were often controlled by various forces, making it rare for rogue cultivators to enter, ruins were excellent places for them to defy fate and change their lives.

However, when a lucky individual truly triggered a prime opportunity, the major overlord forces would then step in to claim it. This was a common phenomenon with opportunities in ruins.

Everyone was just waiting for the good pickings!

Several days later.

Remaining corpses and body parts were largely picked clean, and even fragments of magic tools damaged in battle had vanished without a trace. If one happened to find a piece of a magic treasure, they would strike it rich.

Essentially, all the low-level "scavenger" rogue cultivators cleaning the battlefield came with this very objective in mind.

Of course, before they arrived, spoils of war like storage bags and the corpses of high-level cultivators had long been taken away; they wouldn't be left for them.

The region gradually returned to calm after the battle. Even the foot traffic in Guiling City plummeted sharply, prompting Wang Yu to adjust the sales direction of his subordinate shops.

He decreased the proportion of combat consumables and increased the proportion of daily cultivation products.

The tranquil Guiling City was thriving!

Ding Ming, Wei Shanze, and the others did not return, and Jin Miaoshan also departed from the Guiling branch. All the turmoil receded, and true peace was restored.

However… Zhuo Shouqing did not leave.

In his words, enjoying oneself was the same anywhere, and he had grown tired of staying in the sect for too long, so experiencing something new outside was quite good.

Regarding why no Nascent Soul cultivators came to compete, Zhuo Shouqing's answer was intriguing.

He said that Demonic Path Nascent Soul cultivators had already begun absorbing demonic energy, and demonic energy itself had distinctions, much like spiritual energy was divided into Five Elements, Ice, Wind, Thunder, Yin, Yang, and so on.

There was also higher-quality demonic energy, and once refined, this power was irreversible. The source of demonic energy in this realm came from ancient demons who had been sealed away!

With that hint, Wang Yu mostly understood.

This piece of information needed to be considered in conjunction with what he already knew, such as... the Demonic Path legacies in this realm also originated from various ancient demons.

It was similar to his guess that one's primary cultivation path was difficult to change.

He had originally thought this restriction wouldn't be too absolute, and that one could always assimilate other methods to elevate their own path. However, it now seemed this wasn't feasible, at least not within the Demonic Path.

Its limitation lay in the demonic energy of different attributes.

For example, if Jin Miaoshan cultivated the *Asura Killing Saint Scripture*, then after breaking through to Nascent Soul, the Asura demonic energy she could absorb from heaven and earth would be exceptionally scarce, possibly even unobtainable.

The optimal solution would be to seek out a sealed land of 'Slaughter' in the desolate ancient plains, where 'Asura demonic energy' would undoubtedly dissipate.

Wang Yu couldn't pinpoint the reason for this peculiar restriction.

But... could the 'placement slot' provide him with the corresponding demonic energy? He thought it likely, considering it could even absorb Fiend Demon malevolence without side effects.

(End of Chapter)