Chapter 218: Yellow Springs Skull, Power of Nascent Soul Formation

Under the intense mental shock, their spiritual senses seemed to slightly break free from the control of the Demon Sound of Mind Control, but they didn't fully awaken. Instead, with bloodshot eyes, they suddenly began fighting amongst themselves.

No… "fighting" isn't the right word.

Instead, it was more like one person slitting another's throat, while the other stabbed them in the heart. With no resistance, they simply went straight for mutual destruction.

The Demon Sound of Mind Control was terrifying against beings whose spiritual senses were far weaker than his own, completely manipulating them like puppets on strings. He could only achieve this feat due to the vast difference in cultivation realms for spiritual sense.

Upon reaching the Core Formation stage, this second-tier secret art became somewhat insufficient, unless he could evolve it into a third-tier art.

Compared to the legacy of the Ancient Heavenly Soul Sect, Wang Yu was actually more curious about the origin of Elder Yin Ya's inheritance. However, now was not the time to ponder such things.

At that moment, the sweeping battle concluded.

Wang Yu quickly teleported over, absorbing all the nascent souls into his Ghost-Wailing Flute, waiting for the magic treasure to transform these raw materials into tangible Soul-Devouring Crows.

Gathering all the storage bags and corpses, he murmured, "My evil armor and magic treasures both need to devour souls; there aren't enough to go around."

With that said, his attention shifted to the two Core Formation battlefields.

On the battlefield where the third-tier Iron Puppet and the Grand Yin Corpse battled, both were incredibly tough, barely maintaining a stalemate, though slightly disadvantaged.

Qing Yang's situation, however, was dire.

He had only just reached the first level of Core Formation, his Natal Magic Treasure had only recently been refined, and his Natal Divine Ability had not even been successfully inscribed. Divided by sealing off the battlefield and controlling the Iron Puppet, he was almost completely suppressed.

His scholar's robe was tattered, his shoulder had a bloody hole, corroded by the Netherworld Ghost Qi, and half of his body was covered in frost. He was not far from defeat.

The situation was critical; even with his addition, their chances of winning were slim.

They had to turn the tide.

At such a time, there was no need to hold back a trump card or two to determine victory. Protecting Qing Yang's life was the priority. The two had faced death together many times and got along well.

It could be said that Qing Yang was the person Wang Yu trusted most during his time in Guiling City.

With a thought.

The Grand Yin Corpse, ignoring the attacks of the Core Formation cultivator from afar, turned its head and bowed towards the other battlefield.

Evil Corpse Descending Calamity Curse!

Grand Yin Reincarnation, Zombie Worshipping the Moon – an incredibly terrifying Corpse Dao curse descended from a distance. The Netherworld Monastery Core Formation cultivator, who was about to decisively defeat Qing Yang, suddenly stiffened.

With the Lunar Bane upon him, his essence, qi, and spirit were all weakened by fifty percent.

His intense offensive immediately froze. Qing Yang, who had fought alongside Wang Yu many times, instantly realized this was a rare opportunity. He gritted his teeth and spat out a mouthful of vital blood.

Sacrificing blood to his artifact, his Natal Magic Treasure, the Cinnabar Crown Brush, released endless power. Using the void as a canvas, it surprisingly attempted to trace ink marks on the enemy's body.

He had no time to charge the Ancestral Master's Relic, so he could only try to use his unmastered Natal Divine Ability – the Divine Drawing Technique!

With a stroke that startled the heavens, he tried to directly sever the connection between the target's head and body. This ability was truly astonishing, worthy of an ancient immortal dynasty's legacy.

However, the enemy was, after all, a Core Formation cultivator from the Netherworld Monastery.

Having already received some true teachings from this dominant sect, and being at the third level of Core Formation, he was not someone Qing Yang could shake. Netherworld Ghost Mist continuously surged from his body.

He resisted all attempts to modify him with the ink marks and furiously roared, "'Rogue cultivator scum! Today, I shall make you taste a true high-grade divine ability!'"

Suddenly, the world grew dim.

The dark clouds formed by the Three-Tailed Snow Fox were enveloped by an even larger vortex. The Core Formation cultivator spread his hands, and pale white flames descended from the sky, engulfing him.

A thousand-meter-tall, yellowish skull, resembling a small mountain, abruptly appeared in mid-air.

Wang Yu recognized this divine ability.

—Netherworld Skull!

It was one of the lesser inheritances of the White Bone Demonic God Aspect, and the power of Dharmic Manifestations was a divine ability required by Spirit Transformation Venerables. Being from a dominant sect, this person's cultivation path was similar to Wang Yu's.

Even if he didn't become a true successor, after breaking through to Core Formation, he could still choose one of the various high-grade inheritances within the sect to cultivate, even if it wasn't the top tier.

Yet it was enough to crush rogue cultivators and forge a strong foundation.

This was far more potent than something like 'Three Cores Spitting Flames.' Although both were at the third level of Core Formation, their strength was poles apart. At this moment, Wang Yu truly recognized the disparity in power.

He and Qing Yang had successively killed three Core Formation cultivators, including an older generation cultivator like Old Demon Diku. This had given him the false impression that Core Formation cultivators were easy to deal with.

In reality, that was merely an illusion created by rogue cultivators and second-rate forces like the Earth Demon Valley.

An unknown Core Formation cultivator from the Netherworld Monastery could bring such pressure upon him.

"Qing Yang, run!"

Knowing it was unwinnable, Wang Yu stopped thinking about annihilating the enemy and instead focused on how to save his own life.

"'Run? Can you even run?!'"

The cultivator let out a wild, perverse laugh. Under his control, the Netherworld Skull spewed out White Bone Demonic Flames. Heavily wounded and having just exerted himself for a desperate strike, Qing Yang had no remaining strength to resist.

Just as he despaired, even wondering if he had chosen the wrong path, Wang Yu's third-tier close-combat puppet suddenly appeared and flung Qing Yang away.

Amidst his astonishment, he understood Wang Yu's intentions.

He immediately fled into the distance without a word, deeply moved. Meanwhile, the puppet, scorched by the White Bone Demonic Flames, began to melt almost instantly.

Wang Yu didn't feel any heartache for it, as the third-tier close-combat puppet was not something he had painstakingly refined, nor was it as convenient to control as the Grand Yin Corpse. He then decisively activated the puppet's self-destruct ability.

Puppets were like that; unlike cultivators of flesh and blood, self-destruct capabilities were almost essential for them. Under Wang Yu's command, it charged forward, enduring the White Bone Demonic Flames.

As it approached the Netherworld Skull, it violently exploded.

The explosion covered an area of ten li. Wang Yu, already prepared, had used the power of the Grand Yin Corpse-Nourishing Coffin to pull the corpse back. The Three-Tailed Snow Fox, nimble and intelligent, though only skirmishing at the edges, was very close to Wang Yu. It now hid in its spirit beast bag, completing their retreat.

Wang Yu flipped into the coffin and plummeted towards the Lightning Descent Pit.

Seeing this, the second Core Formation cultivator, with no intention of stopping them, picked up Qing Yang's third-tier Iron Puppet and hastily fled outside the explosion range.

His gains from this battle were quite good; there was no need for him to brave this self-destruction.

Following that.

A thunderous roar, audible even in Guiling City, suddenly erupted. The ground was plowed layer after layer, quickly becoming a flattened expanse. Then, the white light and dust began to dissipate.

A cough echoed from the center.

The cultivator who had cast the Netherworld Skull coughed up blood, clearly suffering considerable injuries. With the effect of the Yin Corpse Descending Calamity Curse still active on him, he turned his gaze to his companion ten li away.

His voice hoarse, he said with annoyance, "'Qi Sheng, I'll go after Qing Yang. You go to the Lightning Descent Pit and capture Wang Yu; I want him alive.'"

Qi Sheng, the Core Formation cultivator, found it hard to refuse at this point. Although the Lightning Descent Pit was dangerous, it was still within an acceptable range for a Netherworld Monastery Core Formation cultivator like him.

Compared to ordinary rogue cultivators, he knew more about the inner workings of this place.

Capturing him alive was also because Wang Yu knew about Elder Dizang; they indeed needed to take him back and question him thoroughly.

So he went along with it, saying, "'I understand. Move quickly. The commotion here is too great, and the surrounding cities belong to the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect. If we get caught...'"

"'You don't need to remind me. You'd be better off thinking about how to catch Wang Yu in this complex terrain of the deep pit.'"

With that said.

The Netherworld Ghost Mist engulfed him, and his figure completely vanished.

Qi Sheng patted the spirit beast bag at his waist, and a large bat with a pink, pig-like snout appeared.

"'Fragrant Silk Bat, find the owner of this scent.'"

The scent he had captured was not Wang Yu's, but that of the Grand Yin Corpse.

As for the Fragrant Silk Bat, its sense of smell was a thousand times keener than that of canine spirit beasts. Even if the target was thousands of li away, it could gradually track them down. Its perception ability also exceeded that of ordinary bats by a hundredfold.

Even deep within the Lightning Descent Pit, it wouldn't get lost.

Therefore, with the help of this exotic beast, Qi Sheng had no worries about finding Wang Yu.

The bottomless pit.

After jumping into the pit and avoiding the lingering shockwaves of the puppet's self-destruction, Wang Yu actively took out the Grand Yin Corpse-Nourishing Coffin, activated his Frost Moon Wings, and rapidly plummeted downwards, as he was not yet out of danger.

When he moved to rescue Qing Yang, he had already thought through his next steps.

Regardless of the battle's outcome.

The Guiling City Lord's Manor would undoubtedly be leveled by the enraged Core Formation cultivators from the Netherworld Monastery!

He was trapped by the formation, so he definitely needed to find a way out.

Such a large commotion would alert the entire city. With only the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion remaining in the central district's ruins, Han Jia would have to notify the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect, whether he wanted to or not.

Besides, their friendship was deep.

If Han Jia sent someone to Yunling Prefecture City to report the situation, and the timing coincided with Wang Yu's first message, it might even attract Nascent Soul cultivators, resolving the crisis.

It was currently summer, with exceptionally high temperatures and fewer thunderstorms, so it wasn't the season for frequent lightning storms in the Lightning Descent Pit, making the environment less dangerous.

Furthermore, he knew that the bottom of the Lightning Descent Pit was a maze of countless caverns, suitable for hiding, which was why he had deliberately jumped in.

As long as he could hold out for a few days, a Nascent Soul cultivator's escape speed would certainly allow them to reach Guiling. If only Core Formation cultivators were dispatched... he could last from half a month to several months, which wouldn't be a problem.

In summary, the risk he faced was actually not significant.

From the moment he embarked on his cultivation path, Wang Yu had been fond of stealth techniques, and he was indeed very good at hide-and-seek.

After an unknown period.

In the boundless darkness, only Wang Yu's eyes glowed with a faint moonlight. Perhaps influenced by the abundant lightning energy in this place, his Grand Yin Nether Pupils were somewhat suppressed, allowing him to see only within a hundred meters of his surroundings.

As he continuously plummeted, he saw countless irregular caverns, seemingly melted out by lightning, which was truly terrifying.

A faint breeze, coming from an unknown direction, blew into the caverns.

Wailing like wronged spirits, it added an even more eerie and sinister atmosphere to the place.

Finally.

Wang Yu's feet touched solid ground.

He swiftly activated his Invisibility Art and Breathless Spell. Simultaneously, his Phantom Step split into nine illusory figures, into which Wang Yu injected a more potent aura than usual.

He controlled them to flee in nine different directions, while his true body used the spoils of his years to set up a concealment formation on the spot, attaching various talismans to form a trap.

Only after completing all this did he swiftly depart.

This maneuver would allow him to confirm if anyone was pursuing him and discern the sophistication of their tracking methods. Although the deep pit had interfering wind sounds, it was generally quite quiet.