Chapter 216: Thunder Pit, Lao Bai Comes to the Door

"Is this the primary scene?"

"Yes, City Lord."

Wang Yu sat astride his increasingly massive Three-tailed Snow Fox, unrolling the map in his hand. He found the location truly peculiar.

Under the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect, the four prefectures' Sacred Offerings, due every five-year cycle, were first sent to the local prefecture city. From there, the city's personnel would transport them to the sect's main gate.

For city lords like him, their task was considered complete once the offerings reached the prefecture city.

Yunling Prefecture City was located northeast of Guiling. The route passed through Wisteria Mountain, the Silt Meadow, and the Lightning Pit. After crossing the Three-Hundred-Mile Sky-Crack Canyon, one would arrive at Yunling Prefecture City.

The incident occurred precisely between the Silt Meadow and the Lightning Pit. The former was an endless expanse with no obstructions to block one's view.

The latter was where the ancient mythical beast Jīméng once displayed its divine power.

Legend had it that in ancient times, during thunderstorms, a mythical beast with a dragon's head, human body, bird's talons, and feathered arms would descend with pillars of lightning to punish those burdened by heavy karma. This beast was Jīméng.

This Lightning Pit was said to be where a Demonic Dao Soul Transformation Venerable was struck dead by lightning. Who exactly it was remained an enigma in the ancient texts, and Wang Yu treated it as merely a story.

Now, with the people transporting the Sacred Offerings dead between these two locations and no traces of combat left behind, as if they had simply vanished en route, Wang Yu had reason to suspect an internal traitor within his mansion.

Or perhaps enemy spies were still active. His deliberate order to search the Bai family ancestral home, intending to wipe out their lineage, also had an element of 'fishing' for information.

After all, whether it was the Bai family remnants was still unknown, though it was currently the most probable explanation. The team transporting the Sacred Offerings only consisted of three people.

One from Guiling City, Late Qi Condensation stage.

One from Yunling Prefecture City, Peak Foundation Establishment stage.

And one from the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect, Early Core Formation stage.

The team's structure was somewhat imbalanced, but it couldn't be helped; this was a common situation for newly appointed city lords, a situation that typically improved in forty or fifty years.

"Geographically, the Lightning Pit is more suitable for an ambush, Xu Ruozhou."

"At your service."

"Has the Lightning Pit been thoroughly searched?"

"Yes, it has been searched. No traces were found."

"Take me to see it."

This was a colossal sinkhole, over a hundred li in diameter. Its rock walls were dark and reflective, a peculiar geological formation that looked as if sand and stone had been vitrified by high temperatures and then solidified over time.

The Lightning Pit was bottomless; dropping a stone into it, one would wait half a day without hearing it land. Every year during the thunderstorm season, violent thunderous storms would emerge from its depths.

These storms could easily kill Foundation Establishment cultivators.

It had once attracted many cultivators who ventured deep inside, seeking opportunities.

But the outcome... most disappeared, and the few survivors had conflicting accounts of what lay below. Some claimed there was nothing, others spoke of monsters, and some said it was a labyrinth.

In short, due to its legendary nature, countless rumors circulated, and even today, cultivators still ventured into its depths to explore and seek treasures.

The closest city to this location was called Leiyu City.

With no clues nearby, Wang Yu had Xu Ruozhou take people to Leiyu City to gather information and see if any suspicious individuals had settled there.

He, meanwhile, remained alone beside the Lightning Pit, motionless.

As if waiting for something.

Half a day later, a smile involuntarily appeared on Wang Yu's lips. The Profound Essence Demonic Embryo within him was stirring. Since he had devoured Wang Wu, he had only implanted demonic thoughts three times.

Xu Ruozhou, the Bai family's Grand Elder, and Young Talisman Lord Luo Chen!

Whether it had succeeded with Luo Chen was still unknown, but with Xu Ruozhou in Leiyu City, the identity of the person who suddenly appeared within his range of perception was obvious.

"Since you're here, why hide?"

"Wang... Yu!"

Not far from the Lightning Pit, the familiar figure of the Bai family's Grand Elder emerged from a cloud of gray mist. This technique was precisely the signature secret art of the Yellow Springs Monastery—the Yellow Springs Ghost Mist!

Without a sound, the secret art of Mountain-Searching Demon-Seeking was subtly activated.

Upon realizing the opponent was alone, Wang Yu quickly transmitted a message to True Monarch Qingyang, telling him to hold his position, while he spoke aloud.

"It's been years since we last met. I thought Grand Elder would have broken through to Core Formation and returned for revenge. Who would have thought you'd still be at Peak Foundation Establishment?"

"Hmph—"

"You insolent youth, how can you know the difficulty of crossing this chasm? Even if you are from the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect, you are not guaranteed to successfully form a Core.

"Today, I will surely slay you to avenge the ruination of my entire Bai family!"

Wang Yu paid no mind, even saying with a hint of mockery.

"You disappoint me greatly. It seems your dual spirit roots are of the lowest grade. Even with such profound hatred, you couldn't break through. What's the point of your continued existence?

"Besides, this was your Bai family's own doing. Look at the Guan and Jiang families in Guiling now; they're doing quite well, their influence having grown by at least 20% compared to before."

"Enough chatter!"

The Bai family's Grand Elder seemed to have his sensitive spot touched. Under the influence of the demonic seed, his already angry emotions became even more distorted. He seemed to see his past self.

The ridiculous sight of himself saying, "I have a plan."

He was beyond furious.

Instantly, a hundred fireballs, each the size of a water vat, rained down. The Bai family's Grand Elder possessed both fire and metal spirit roots, a fact Wang Yu had long ago ascertained.

Now, in close combat, he already had a plan.

Xueyu made the first move. With a flick of her three tails, a biting cold wind swept forth, weakening the fireballs by more than half before she actively dodged to the side.

Snowfall Art, Freezing Rain Art, Land of Extreme Cold... various spells were continuously cast. This was Xueyu's role: to provide support by lowering the overall temperature.

Wang Yu's ice-attribute spells, already possessing formidable power, instantly became even more potent!

With a simple flick of his hand, a blade of ice qi hundreds of meters long shot forth.

It seemed capable of freezing the very sky.

After sweeping away all incoming fireballs, he pulled his hands apart, and two rapidly spinning ice wheels suddenly flew out.

Seeing this, the Bai family's Grand Elder was only shocked by Wang Yu's cultivation: "In just over twenty years, you've actually broken through to Foundation Establishment Layer Six. I absolutely cannot let you live."

Immediately, he conjured his Grade Two, high-tier magical artifact, the Molten Gold Spear. Despite his aged body, his movements remained agile and practiced. As his True Essence erupted, he wielded the spear, and spells took form.

Two long lava dragons coiled around the Molten Gold Spear and flew out.

And then.

They were unequivocally cut in half by the two ice wheels. Though slightly weakened, the ice wheels continued their assault on the Bai family's Grand Elder under Wang Yu's control.

He finally realized the gravity of the situation.

His cultivation might only be at this level, but his mastery of perfected spells was truly astonishing. How many years had City Lord Wang cultivated to possess such abilities?

Lifting his spear upwards, he used the artifact's power to deflect one ice wheel, then swept it sideways to block the second. Cold air and sparks erupted simultaneously.

"Clang clang clang clang—"

As the Bai family's Grand Elder just looked up, he saw Wang Yu's figure appear suddenly.

Wang Yu grinned ferociously, seizing the Molten Gold Spear, and delivered a side kick.

Amidst the roaring of a dragon, the Bai family's Grand Elder felt his entire body about to shatter. This sheer brute force nearly crushed his defensive inner armor.

"Ugh..."

Kneeling, he couldn't help but vomit a mouthful of fresh blood. When he looked up again, the Molten Gold Spear had been forcibly taken by Wang Yu into his Sea Heart Ring, and Wang Yu's figure, as if teleporting, instantly appeared before him.

The Bai family's Grand Elder's eyes were bloodshot with rage, and then fear, after his fury subsided, finally welled up in his heart.

He finally remembered his purpose for coming.

"Wait... Wang Yu! I came to negotiate."

"You want to negotiate now that you've lost? If you could have sacrificed yourself for the Bai family, I would have thought more highly of you. Now... hehe, you're just doing the Yellow Springs Monastery's bidding."

"You—"

After his defeat in combat and further demoralization by words, the demonic seed, nourished by his intense emotions, caused the Bai family's Grand Elder's eyes to turn crimson. He gritted his teeth and said,

"The Yellow Springs Monastery knows you've cultivated their core inheritance, the Profound Yin Hand.

"If you want the other technique, the Earthly Nether Finger, you can join the Yellow Springs Monastery and become a true disciple immediately. Combining both techniques allows you to cultivate the Yellow Springs Monastery's core divine ability—the Yellow Springs Great Handprint!"

"Oh?"

Wang Yu said, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"I deliberately spread the news that I would eradicate the Bai family remnants. You came to find me just for this—to deliver a message to the Yellow Springs Monastery?"

He said this, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

Back then, when he obtained the Profound Yin Hand inheritance from Su Qingshan, he had wondered why Su Qingshan possessed a core inheritance of the Yellow Springs Monastery.

At the time, it felt like an inside job.

Now, it seemed more like a widespread method for recruiting talents, leaving no genius, big or small, untargeted. They would spread the Profound Yin Hand, and then, as the cultivator's reputation grew or they neared Core Formation,

they would reappear to entice them with the matching Earthly Nether Finger. The ultimate reward, the Yellow Springs Great Handprint divine ability, was quite renowned in the Demonic Dao.

Even Nascent Soul cultivators could use it as a regular trump card.

Not to mention its power after becoming a Natal Divine Ability. Such a huge temptation would sway any genius from a humble background.

After all.

Within their own sects, the inherent limitations of a humble background meant that even after Core Formation, they wouldn't acquire such a superior top-tier divine ability!

If someone from the Yellow Springs Monastery had emerged to recruit him immediately after he killed Su Qingshan, he would definitely have agreed, as he never felt a sense of belonging to the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect.

But now... he was one of the Reverse Spirit Four Young Masters. How could he possibly give up everything he had for just one top-tier divine ability?

"I refuse.

"Old man, you'd better become my nourishment instead."

In an instant.

Wang Yu's hand clasped the Bai family Grand Elder's head. Under the activation of the Profound Essence Demonic Embryo, the elder immediately lost all ability to resist. His vital essence and cultivation began to wither.

"No... Wang Yu, City Lord Wang, please spare the Bai family. All of this was caused by my greed. The Sacred Offering incident... it has nothing to do with them, I beg you..."

The Bai family's Grand Elder's voice grew weaker and weaker. He was utterly incapable of resisting the mature demonic seed within him; his life had reached its final moments.

Wang Yu, however, heartlessly refused.

"Don't even think about it. People always pay for their mistakes."

Finally, all his essence flowed into Wang Yu's spirit roots.

This granted the spirit roots unprecedented vitality. Amidst the rustling sounds of eerie secret incantations, the elder transformed into a dried corpse and fell to the ground.

Wang Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, as if intoxicated by the taste of some peerless delicacy.

The Profound Essence Demonic Embryo devoured the 'spirit root gift package' inch by inch.

And the spirit roots rooted within it, belonging to Wang Yu himself, began to grow rapidly. His metal spirit root, in particular, quickly caught up with the others.

His five-element 'waste spirit roots' saw significant changes. His water spirit root mutated, acquiring Yin and Ice attributes, and grew to the three-spirit-root level. His fire, wood, and metal spirit roots all surged to the dual-spirit-root level. Only his earth spirit root remained at its original, minimal length.

These spirit roots were actually not very useful before they developed into Heavenly Spirit Roots; at least, they had no significant effect right now.

His primary cultivation talent was based on the demonic embryo. This meant that regardless of the attribute he cultivated, as long as it was a demonic cultivation method, he could achieve a cultivation aptitude equivalent to a dual spirit root. This was determined by the highest aptitude among his existing spirit roots.

Even if he were to devour a Heavenly Earth Spirit Root, his ice-attribute cultivation methods would still progress at the rate of a Heavenly Spirit Root aptitude.

But—

Old Man Bai was not his blood relative... so why was the devouring effect 100%? Wang Yu fell silent for a moment. He looked at the Profound Essence Demonic Embryo's featureless face, unable to comprehend it no matter how hard he tried.