Chapter 224: Requesting Compensation [Underground Realm Finger]

"Uh—"

Wang Yu was stunned, thinking that what had been said earlier was all there was.

"Could it be that..."

"Precisely. This is a personal compensation that I specifically requested for you."

Hearing this, Wang Yu said without hesitation, "This junior requests the Earth Nether Finger!"

"Oh?" Old Man Xuanyan stroked his beard, genuinely surprised that Wang Yu would ask for a high-grade second-tier spell inheritance.

Although this spell was good, without the integration of the Profound Yin Hand, it was actually quite ordinary. Could it be...?

Old Man Xuanyan, who had guessed part of the truth, nodded and said, "Then I shall request the Earth Nether Finger for you. But if it doesn't meet your expectations, don't regret it."

"This junior understands."

Wang Yu noticed that Old Man Xuanyan seemed to have unspoken words but didn't pay much attention. After the Thunder Spirit Corpse was taken away by Lord Lei Hou, Old Man Xuanyan's attitude towards him had become much colder. He vaguely felt it was about the token. Compared to the many spiritual object rewards, Old Man Xuanyan seemed to covet the token Wang Yu had obtained even more. Favors were more valuable than spiritual objects, especially for important figures like Lord Lei Hou. If the other party hadn't been so eager to come to Guiling City to retrieve the corpse, Wang Yu might not have received any benefits at all. And Old Man Xuanyan's coldness wasn't born of resentment towards him, but rather... envy? Wang Yu couldn't quite explain it.

However, since there was an opportunity to complete the Yellow Springs Great Hand Seal, he certainly had to try. This divine ability was one of the most famous in the Yellow Springs Temple in Chiyuan! If it had such a great reputation, there must be a reason for it. As for the innate divine ability to cultivate after forming his Core, Wang Yu hadn't decided yet. He had plenty of time to ponder it, so there was no rush.

In any case, the other party's willingness to personally request the Earth Nether Finger for him, and this favor, offset the matter of "gifting the corpse." Besides... he had no standing to settle accounts. Being a single major realm higher was already overwhelming, let alone two. His thoughts were irrelevant. Now that the negotiations were drawing to a close, he just hoped they would end soon. Guiling City, where his word was law, suited him better.

"In half a month, for the final negotiation, you should also attend as an observer. Consider it me repaying your favor of gifting the corpse."

"As Senior commands, how dare this junior disobey."

With that, Wang Yu exited Xuanyan Hall, his face devoid of any discernible emotion.

Inside the City Lord's Mansion, within a cultivation chamber, was the Insect Room. This was the second room Wang Yu had excavated next to his quiet room on the basement level. The Flawless Jade Toad egg, which he had acquired earlier at the Yama Ghost Market, was carefully submerged in a pool of poison. He had specifically purchased an insect-controlling secret art from Han Jia at the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. He had already placed a mark on the egg, and after several years of refinement, it was about to hatch. Coincidentally, the Flawless Jade Toad was, strictly speaking, the first significant "leak" or "find" he had encountered in his many years in the cultivation world. If properly nurtured now, it would be of great use when he entered the Heavenly Demonic Bone Forest in the future. At the very least, it could help him avoid the greatest danger in places of extreme poisons—the poison itself! This single effect alone was enough reason for him to put all his effort into nurturing it. At least it was more useful than the Three-Tailed Snow Fox.

"Little one, it's time to hatch."

No sooner had he spoken than the rice-grain-sized egg sac suddenly pushed outwards, and then a planktonic creature resembling a tadpole wriggled out. It was only as thick as a strand of hair and two millimeters long. Submerged in the poison pool meticulously prepared by Wang Yu, it seemed perfectly at home. After a while of wriggling, it opened its tiny mouth and began to absorb the toxins. Its white jade-like body quickly turned purple, but in just one or two breaths, it returned to normal, then began frantically absorbing toxins like an insatiable glutton. Its body underwent a rapid transformation, growing limbs and becoming thicker. It swam freely in the ocean of toxins, absorbing every toxin it could touch. In less than fifteen minutes, the newborn Flawless Jade Toad began to cocoon itself, reconstructing its body. Wang Yu sat by its side, observing. It was his first time raising an insect, and his curiosity was piqued.

One day later. The creature that emerged from the cocoon now truly possessed the form of a Flawless Jade Toad. This time, its speed of toxin absorption was incredibly fast; submerged in the water, it opened its mouth and inhaled. The toxins dissolved in the water were forcibly drawn into its belly. This process lasted for three hours, purifying the poison pool into a clean water pool. After which, it began its second cocooning.

"Interesting. This growth rate is astonishing. If human cultivators possessed this ability, the entire world would probably be drained dry within a century." While marveling, this transformation and body reconstruction wouldn't finish quickly, so Wang Yu cultivated while waiting.

Half a month later. The final negotiation was about to begin, and at this very moment, the Flawless Jade Toad also emerged from its cocoon. Compared to when it first hatched, it had already grown to the size of a fingernail. Its white jade-like body had no protruding poison sacs, and its two horizontal frog eyes were the color of blood jade. The moment it saw Wang Yu, it eagerly hopped over, croaking at him. Its appearance would genuinely lead anyone unfamiliar with it to believe it was a spirit frog. The Flawless Jade Toad was a functional rare insect. It had no offensive capabilities and no cultivation realm to speak of. Compared to other rare insects, it was more like a spiritual herb capable of detoxifying. Used at crucial moments, it was more effective than any secret technique. Even if it became useless in the future, it could be refined to gain a special physique immune to all poisons, or used to cultivate another spirit insect—either was possible.

After forming a hand seal and completely establishing his connection with the Flawless Jade Toad, Wang Yu held a smooth, brown earthenware pot. This was a second-tier magic artifact, an 'Insect Vessel', specifically crafted for storing rare insects and gu worms. He had purchased this one as well. After storing the Jade Toad, it shrunk down, was strung on a cord, and hung on his belt. With everything properly handled, Wang Yu immediately left the secret chamber and headed to the large council hall specially built for negotiations in the City Lord's Mansion. The hall could accommodate over a thousand people for discussions. A long table in the center was prepared for the representatives of both parties, with seating areas behind it for their respective personnel to support them. They could consult historical records at any time to counter, for example, by citing how conflicts between certain sects were resolved years ago and suggesting they emulate those methods.

As it concerned the prestige of supreme powers, neither side would yield an inch. Wang Yu's compensation as a minor Guiling City Lord was, by contrast, a trivial matter. Even tens of millions of spirit stones, let alone a few million, would not be enough to truly harm the Yellow Springs Temple. The higher one's cultivation realm, the more information one gained about supreme powers. So-called spirit slaves were truly nothing more than small money pouches for the True Disciples of each peak. Only at this moment did Wang Yu realize how laughable his past thoughts and perceptions had been. How could mere spirit slaves, utterly lowly, truly affect the status of a True Disciple? His naive youth was indeed like looking at the sky from the bottom of a well, unable to comprehend the vastness of the world! The loss of his arm was indeed due to his own mistake. However, it was precisely that lesson that shaped his current disposition, making it difficult to say whether it was good or bad.

In the large council hall, Old Man Xuanyan remained silent. The opposing leader, titled Demonic Lord Curseghost, had been seen by Wang Yu once or twice recently; his cultivation was on par with Old Man Xuanyan's. He was an elder of True Person Dizang and was fully responsible for these negotiations. At the moment, he seemed quite at ease, rather bored as he sipped his own spirit tea. Wang Yu stood among the crowd at the back, listening to a full half-hour of incessant bickering.

At this point, Demonic Lord Curseghost said, "Xuanyan, that's enough. You've already gained a good deal this time. Any more, and some people will start to get uneasy."

"Uneasy? You, Curseghost, constantly focus on manipulating human hearts. I'd like to ask what your intentions are! How about this: according to the terms of the 281st negotiation, you transmit the Earth Nether Finger to the Guiling City Lord, and this matter will be concluded. I won't even demand a public apology from your Yellow Springs Temple. How about that?"

Demonic Lord Curseghost heard this and was slightly surprised. His eerie gaze fixed directly on Wang Yu, locking onto his hands with a single glance. "Interesting, hands tempered with Yin Marrow Fluid. It seems you've learned the Profound Yin Hand."

Wang Yu felt a little nervous; being stared at by an old Nascent Soul demon was truly uncomfortable.

After a moment of silence, Demonic Lord Curseghost said, "Alright, I'll agree to your terms. But let me be frank: without cultivating the Yellow Springs Blue Underworld Scripture, it's almost impossible for him to master the Yellow Springs Great Hand Seal divine ability. This matter has wasted several years of my time; it should finally conclude."

Old Man Xuanyan offered no comment on this. Wang Yu, at heart, didn't care. No matter how special or demanding the prerequisites were, his 'placement slot' ability could fulfill them. The Yellow Springs Temple was clearly confident in transmitting the Profound Yin Hand, which meant there must be hidden restrictions he wasn't aware of. Otherwise, if cultivators mastering the Yellow Springs Great Hand Seal were everywhere, wouldn't that be awkward for them? Their purpose in spreading the Profound Yin Hand was to gather grassroots talents, so such a contingency must exist. Wang Yu had long speculated on this. Old Man Xuanyan not telling him was due to a tiny bit of cunning. While not truly malicious, Wang Yu was still quite displeased with him.

The compensation would not arrive anytime soon. Therefore, after this negotiation, Demonic Lord Curseghost departed with his subordinates, and Old Man Xuanyan also left with the people from Yunling Prefecture City, without speaking to Wang Yu again. Instead, he dispatched a Foundation Establishment cultivator to inform Wang Yu of the general situation. The three cultivators who caused trouble in the Thunder Descent Pit were now high-level spirit slaves of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect, to be sent back to the sect and become mere machines for producing high-grade spirit stones. Then there was the return of one million in sacred tribute, which would be sent to the sect gate as usual. Of the fifteen million spirit stones in compensation, thirteen million were divided among this group of people, and two million went to Wang Yu. Part of Youzhou's resource points were ceded, along with a Foundation Establishment secret realm, permanently belonging to the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect. Even territory, specifically three villages and nine cities, was given as compensation. One could say they suffered a double loss, incurring significant losses.

The benefits Guiling would receive from this were limited. Within a few years, a new group of cultivators would come to take charge, and Guiling would no longer be the city closest to the 'Dongji Capital Ruins'. Whether this was good or bad was hard to say, especially since Wang Yu, as City Lord, wouldn't benefit from it, which was truly infuriating. All these costs had to be borne by True Person Dizang's lineage. Only a portion had been paid so far, and Wang Yu hadn't received a single copper coin; he didn't know when it would truly reach him. The Earth Nether Finger was also a future prospect: within five to ten years, the Yellow Springs Temple would send someone to transmit the technique, at which point he would also need to sign a contract prohibiting him from teaching it to a second person.