Chapter 194: Building Foundation Level Five, Fighting Relentlessly

Wang Yu hadn't expected Qing Yang to be such a remarkable person. Strictly speaking, they had only met twice; his detailed explanation of the situation was merely an agreement made after exchanging information during their first meeting.

The level of detail in his explanation clearly showed his sincerity.

Now, he had also promised to lend a treasure for Wang Yu's use. Regardless of whether it was true or not, the decisive tone with which he agreed indicated his good character.

Given this, Wang Yu no longer needed to hesitate.

"Brother Dao, after the matter of Dongjijing was concluded, most of the visiting cultivators had left, but some remained.

"A Tier 2 Yellow Crystal Iron Mine under Guiling City's jurisdiction had been occupied by a rogue cultivator at the early Core Formation stage from Youzhou. He had gathered a group and established a stronghold, intending to become a bandit or a predatory cultivator.

"Furthermore, a Tier 2 Jade Thunder Banana Plantation, located eighteen hundred li to the north, was also occupied by an early Core Formation rogue cultivator. Both of these locations had been managed by successive City Lords since the establishment of Guiling City."

In other words, these were unregistered private assets.

Whoever became the City Lord of Guiling would claim them. In previous years, they had always been managed by the younger generation of the Zhuo clan. Wang Yu was simply fortunate enough to temporarily have them under his control.

Once his term ended, they would still have to be returned intact to the Zhuo clan of Guifang. The banana plantation yielded fruit once every ten years and was not counted as part of his periodic income.

The yellow crystal mine, on the other hand, produced a brittle material mostly used as auxiliary material for various cultivation paths. It was difficult to mine and sold once every twelve years, also not counting towards his periodic income.

They were purely private assets, and he had to find a way to deal with them himself.

With the conversation reaching this point, Wang Yu's intention was self-evident, and Qing Yang understood. He now wore a troubled expression.

"Brother Wang, it's not that I don't want to help you.

"I've only recently formed my Golden Core. Firstly, I haven't yet refined my Natal Artifact, and secondly, I haven't cultivated my Natal Divine Ability. While I appear to possess the power of a Golden Core, in reality, I only have the realm."

His words were sincere. For a Core Formation cultivator to fully utilize the marvels of their spiritual power, a Natal Artifact and a Divine Ability are indispensable. Possessing both represents the complete form of a Core Formation cultivator.

As far as he knew, the reason those two rogue Core Formation cultivators joined the Fire Demon Sect was to learn a Natal Divine Ability.

Divine Abilities differ from regular spells. While they also have grades, once inscribed upon the Golden Core and transformed into a Natal Divine Ability, they gain room for growth!

Nascent Soul and even Soul Transformation Venerables utilize Divine Abilities. The higher the realm, the greater the power a Divine Ability can unleash. They are considered perfect dao-protecting techniques, and their cultivation requirements are diverse.

For a moment, he found it difficult to press the matter further.

Seeing Wang Yu's understanding, Qing Yang felt a little embarrassed. He probed tentatively.

"Brother Wang, if you have a trump card to deal with Core Formation cultivators, Qing Yang wouldn't mind helping. While I can't refine a Divine Ability in a short time, among the relics left by my ancestor, there is a high-grade magical artifact whose full power I can unleash."

Wang Yu: "..."

He understood now. He shouldn't have thought of Qing Yang as too straightforward. Even though Qing Yang's character was considered noble in the demonic cultivation environment, his earlier refusal was merely a test.

Seeing Wang Yu's inclination to give up, he spoke again to tempt him.

Wang Yu took a deep breath.

"For this battle, I have a 50% chance of success. I have a Tier 3 early-stage Malevolent Corpse, which is very suitable for ganging up on an opponent. With Brother Dao Qing Yang's assistance, our chances will increase to 80%.

"As for the spoils of war, we'll split them 50-50. If Brother Dao uses his ultimate trump card, you'll get an additional 20%... What do you say?"

Sure enough, Qing Yang had been waiting for him to mention compensation.

Upon hearing this, he immediately clapped his hands and praised the offer.

"Excellent! Brother Wang has a brilliant plan, and I shall certainly lend a hand!"

Wang Yu's primary goal was to reclaim the resource sites. Giving up a larger share of the spoils didn't matter much. Qing Yang was willing to take the risk, so he must also be lacking resources to refine his Natal Artifact.

The ancestor of the Water Ink Sect had lived a millennium ago. While magical artifacts and inheritances wouldn't decay, spiritual herbs and elixirs left casually might have already rotted away.

After all, time flows within the internal space of both storage bags and Cosmic Rings. While they are fine for short periods, long-term preservation requires specific magical techniques.

"Then let's prepare. We'll depart tomorrow morning at Sishi (9-11 AM)."

"Good!"

With the matter settled, Wang Yu also gave Qing Yang a copy of the intelligence he possessed. It wasn't overly detailed, but it included records of the divine abilities and magical artifacts the opponents wielded.

In battles between cultivators, intelligence plays a significant role.

Being prepared and unprepared are entirely different concepts. Sometimes, a single piece of intelligence can decide victory or defeat, as there are countless rare treasures and exotic artifacts in the cultivation world, and a way can always be found to counter you.

The most classic battle in history was when a Core Formation prodigy who commanded a wind-calling divine ability was insidiously killed by a Foundation Establishment junior using a wondrous treasure, the Wind-Calming Pearl. After his death, he became a laughingstock and a cautionary tale for countless others.

After arranging the personnel to be mobilized for tomorrow, Wang Yu summoned Xue Yu. This big fellow was also on the verge of a breakthrough, so it was a good opportunity for them to advance together.

During the first treasure exchange fair, Xue Yu was already close to a breakthrough. Refining the Malevolent Corpse had taken more than half a year, but its cultivation had not fallen behind. By now, the true essence within its body had condensed into 799 drops.

"Xue Yu, take this Frost Spirit Pill and break through."

"Awooo~"

Inside the main hall of the City Lord's manor, the Three-tailed Snow Fox coiled and lifted its head, its aura beginning to rise. Wang Yu also smiled faintly, his cultivation technique completing a major circulation.

His body trembled, and he smoothly crossed the threshold of 800 drops of true essence, officially entering the fifth level of the Foundation Establishment realm.

To break through to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, 1,400 drops of true essence are required. This time, it would take considerably longer; relying solely on passive accumulation would require at least sixteen and a half years.

However, combined with his already considerable cultivation speed and premium-grade Ice Spirit Pills, it would take at most seven or eight years, possibly even five or six if he was fast.

At that point, the late stage of Foundation Establishment would truly be a painstaking effort. Just thinking about the requirement of 9,999 drops of true essence felt like an insurmountable chasm blocking his path.

Inside the hall, Xue Yu took longer, only successfully breaking through in the evening to become a Tier 3 Foundation Establishment spirit beast. The power of its ice-attribute demonic arts had slightly increased.

***

At the Yellow Crystal Iron Mine.

A net had already been cast. City Lord's manor personnel were hidden in every direction. Their objective was not to besiege or obstruct the enemy, but to provide Wang Yu with the opponent's escape routes.

He didn't want anyone to escape and expose information about his Grand Yin Malevolent Corpse.

At this moment, he and True Master Qing Yang were crouching behind a low hill, discussing tactics.

"Brother Dao, the one occupying this place is known as True Master Spits Flame. He is skilled in fire-elemental techniques, possesses a low-grade magical artifact called the 'Red Serpent Sword,' and his Natal Divine Ability is 'Three Core Flames.'"

Speaking of which, Wang Yu had also learned a flame-spitting technique, but it was far inferior to a Divine Ability.

It had helped him quite a bit during his Qi Condensation stage and was considered a superior area-of-effect spell.

Core Formation cultivators possess two realm-specific divine abilities.

The first is the Samadhi True Flame.

The sovereign fire of the heart, the minister fire of the kidneys, and the commoner fire of the bladder—the convergence of these three fires forms the 'Samadhi of a True Person'.

True Master Spits Flame's 'Three Core Flames' Divine Ability is based on this realm-specific divine manifestation, transforming the primordial qi of his internal organs into fire cores, whose power rivals that of miraculous heavenly and earthly flames.

The second is the Indestructible Golden Core.

Cultivators who reach this realm, even if their bodies perish, can use their Golden Core to protect their spirit and escape. If they cultivate a soul-snatching technique, they can even be reborn into a new body, only inferior to Nascent Soul's body possession.

Upon reaching the third realm, the possibility of death is greatly reduced.

However, if they are in a special area, the Indestructible Golden Core's ability to protect the spirit becomes less effective. For true life-preservation, one must rely on the Nascent Soul realm.

In any case, Wang Yu had made targeted preparations for various scenarios.

"I have noted everything Brother Wang said. Now, tell me how we're going to fight later."

"How to fight?"

Wang Yu couldn't help but show a peculiar expression. He looked at the Grand Yin Malevolent Corpse, wrapped in a black robe beside him, and said spiritedly.

"Fight to the death! The Malevolent Corpse will make the first move, and then Brother Dao will naturally know how to act."

***

Inside the Yellow Crystal Iron Mine.

True Master Spits Flame, who had gathered a group of Qi Condensation rogue cultivators but not a single Foundation Establishment one, was holding a long flaming whip, making cracking sounds as he occasionally lashed the air.

He watched his subordinates carefully excavating in the mine, feeling very impatient.

"I told you to hurry up! Be nimble! Use your fingernails to peel off the stone skin, don't use your worthless magical artifacts! If you damage my treasures, I'll whip you to death!"

Clearly, while he claimed to have gathered a group and established a stronghold, he had actually just captured a group of mine slaves. After the news spread, how could any Foundation Establishment cultivators possibly join him?

The miners secretly cast hateful glances, quietly transmitting their thoughts to each other: "Just endure a bit longer, he won't be arrogant for long. This bumpkin from Youzhou still doesn't know whose property he's seized."

"Exactly! I barely made it out alive from Dongjijing, only to be captured by this old scoundrel. I hope the City Lord of Guiling can send for help soon."

"At the very least, it would be fine if people from Purple Dragon Mountain or Water Ink Sect came."

"Sigh... it's already been several years."

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

They weren't foolish; with no activity for so long, their hopes were already on the verge of collapse. At this point, they were merely grumbling to each other, venting their negative emotions.

Just then, someone suddenly shivered, his teeth chattering.

"Why does it feel like the weather's getting colder?"

"I think your cultivation is lacking. You're a cultivator, do you still feel cold even in winter?"

"No, it's snowing."

"So what if it's snowing..."

"And freezing rain? Sleet?"

"You motherf—"

Suddenly, the short-tempered Qi Condensation late-stage man also shivered, unable to utter any more curses.

"Something's not right," True Master Spits Flame said, floating in mid-air, frowning as he felt the freezing rain and heavy snow infused with true essence, then sneered.

"So it's you! Has the City Lord of Guiling, who has been hiding for years, finally decided to show his face? Indeed, his name wasn't wrong, Guiling [Tortoise Spirit]—hahahahaha!!"

Wang Yu and the Three-tailed Snow Fox stood openly in the distant sky, no more than a hundred meters from the ground, with a continuous expanse of icy mist beneath their feet.

"I had important matters to attend to, which is why I neglected you. Do you, old scoundrel, truly think I can't deal with you?"

"Heh heh—"

True Master Spits Flame's expression was utterly contemptuous, but in reality, his vast divine sense had already spread out completely. When he only detected some early Qi Condensation cultivators hiding far away,

he did not lower his guard. He knew Wang Yu only had Foundation Establishment cultivation and wouldn't dare to seek trouble with him alone.

"Show me whatever tricks you have so I may appreciate them. If you're planning to hide and ambush, then give up on that idea."

With a thought from Wang Yu, Xue Yu galloped to the right, circling around. Over a dozen fox claws made of ice shards launched towards True Master Spits Flame.

"Petty tricks."

His figure barely moved; he simply spread his hands.

Torrential crimson flames erupted from them, transforming into a sea of fire. All the ice fox claws instantly disintegrated, rendering them utterly useless.

At that moment, the ground surged like water.

The Grand Yin Malevolent Corpse leapt out!

"I thought you had some brilliant scheme. What garbage tactics!"