Chapter 240: Waterfall Formation Master, Cave Dwelling Type Opportunities

Some have seen towering mountains and felt their own insignificance, while others, unacquainted with the vastness of the world, only feel their blood burning like the sun.

The former are meticulous, the latter, simply courageous.

Neither is definitively superior.

Wang Yu belonged to the former category, yet he also possessed a daring impulsiveness to take risks. The stirring in his heart seemed to awaken his original essence.

After a brief moment of disorientation, he regained his composure.

"So… this is the true meaning of venturing out for experience: self-discovery leading to enlightenment."

In that instant, an ineffable change occurred within Wang Yu.

It was as if a mountain that had long blocked his spiritual path had been removed. Through the Little Asura Killing Fist, the Asura Killing Intent Heart, which was half-forged, became even purer.

Faint sounds of Buddhas chanting prayers seemed to flow into his ears.

That intangible killing intent heart even bore a wisp of golden light. He could feel that the upper limit of the killing intent he could control had surged, almost tripling.

"—Understand your own heart!"

This was a profound spiritual enlightenment, bringing abundant rewards. If Wang Yu's previous attainments in the path of the heart had been stuck on the verge of breakthrough, he had now truly stepped into the threshold of heart force. The Asura Killing Intent Heart could be perfectly forged, and he even gained a deeper understanding of the Prajna Heart Sutra.

He could now control substantialized killing intent even better!

"Heart force…"

In the miasma-filled jungle, Wang Yu, who had been darting forward, suddenly stopped. Wisps of illusory yet real red light emerged from his fingertips. The true form of heart force should be milky white.

His manifestation was influenced by the Asura Killing Intent Heart, as the Little Asura Killing Fist was not only a divine ability but also a special one involving heart force cultivation.

"Taking a killing intent heart as its foundation, if cultivated to a profound level, it might allow one to decide life and death with a single word."

Due to the presence of the Killing Intent Stele, Wang Yu had always progressed quickly with the Little Asura Killing Fist. After all, it contained the spiritual imprints left by a Spirit Transformation Venerable during a release of emotion.

Even time had failed to erode it, making its value almost greater than any other treasure Wang Yu possessed.

However, this Killing Fist primarily focused on combat mysteries. Any mysteries related to heart force cultivation were entirely concentrated in the forging of the Asura Killing Intent Heart.

The Prajna Heart Sutra, an unranked secret scripture, was the true grand path for cultivating heart force. Unranked, it could be very weak, or incredibly strong.

Wang Yu felt it would not be weaker than typical Nascent Soul inheritances.

Moreover, it seemed to enhance his aptitude for wisdom. This feeling was hard to describe, but he was certain that persisting with it would bring benefits.

This unexpected experience was a blessing.

A few days later.

He arrived at the "White Snake Depression," his initially marked destination.

The Heavenly Demon Bone Forest was a vast mountain range spanning Yunling Province, Yeqiong Province, and You Province. Its immense size and the presence of mysterious Spirit Transformation poisonous beasts in its core made it almost impossible to traverse directly, forcing one to take a circuitous route.

It was roughly divided into four areas: outer, inner, central, and core. The deeper one went, the more dangerous it became. In the central area, there was a chance of encountering Tier 4 poisonous beasts, so he certainly wouldn't venture there recklessly.

Thus, Wang Yu entered from the north of Yunling and proceeded northwest, gradually approaching Yeqiong Province.

After a period of travel, he arrived at a depression covered in withered leaves and fallen trees. Some areas were choked with silt, forming treacherous, man-eating bogs.

The damp environment had created a pool of stagnant water, from which foul, poisonous gases rose from underground, causing the water to bubble continuously.

When they reached their limit, they burst, polluting the air.

In plain words: it stank to high heaven!

This environment, even for Wang Yu, caused him to frown. No wonder few people came here; it was barely better than a cesspit, yet surprisingly suitable for secluded cultivation.

Absolutely no one would disturb him. He recalled the vow he made back in Black Mountain and couldn't help but feel a little regret.

"Search the mountains for demons."

Without delay, Wang Yu directly and crudely used his spiritual sense to search. Since there were no signs of ruins on the surface, they had to be underground.

What he found with this probe was astounding!

From the surface to about five meters underground, there was a dense mass of white snakes. They were only one to two meters long, but their sheer numbers were astonishing.

This depression, excluding the swamp areas, was almost entirely covered by these snakes. After passing through this "snake wall," and delving about a thousand meters deeper, it became difficult to proceed further.

If his spiritual sense were to extend into empty space, it could reach a radius of five thousand meters. However, burrowing into solid earth significantly reduced its effectiveness.

Just as he was contemplating whether he could use the Purple Dragon Earth Travel Art to pass through the snake layer and explore the depths,

Not far from him, in a small swamp about ten meters in diameter, the mud boiled and rapidly formed a mud-man figure, which looked at him from afar and spoke.

"A Ruan family member?"

"Hmm—"

Wang Yu quickly looked over. Filled with surprise, he immediately guessed the newcomer's identity: "Are you Formation Master Long?"

As he spoke, he took out the jade token given to him by the Ruan family elder. Indeed, this Formation Master Long's demeanor softened considerably.

"It seems you've also come for this place. Follow me down."

The mud figure dissipated, and a vortex appeared in the center of the small swamp, rapidly expanding. In its core, a vertical passage leading deep underground remained, with occasional splashes of mud and water.

Wang Yu, confident in his abilities, gripped the freshly acquired Heavenly Thunder Talisman in his hand and jumped directly into the muddy passage.

His spiritual sense remained vigilant, silently calculating the distance of his descent.

Soon.

Upon landing, he got the result: eight thousand meters! The other party had actually carved out an underground cavity so deep. He didn't sense the presence of a spirit vein, yet the spiritual energy concentration was high.

It must have been gathered through a formation, sufficient for a Foundation Establishment cultivator's daily practice.

The ceiling had been transformed into stone by a spell, and luminous stones scattered throughout dispelled the darkness. The floor was paved with stone slabs, and not far away were stone tables, stone stools, and other items. The entire area covered about 120 square meters.

It resembled a room.

The owner of this place, Formation Master Long, leisurely observed him, her gaze devoid of malice but tinged with suspicion.

"How did you obtain that token?"

Wang Yu returned her gaze.

Although this Formation Master was a woman, she was unusually plain-looking and dressed unremarkably. There was also a sense of fatigue in her brows, like an exhausted office worker from a previous life.

Ordinary was his first impression.

One must know that cultivation not only brings power, but each breakthrough to a major realm, a leap in life essence, also repairs a person's inherent physical flaws.

Unless influenced by a cultivation method, there were no unsightly cultivators.

Among male cultivators, many did not care about their appearance, but female cultivators almost universally valued their looks. This was especially true for female cultivators of the Joyous Harmony Sect; none were ordinary.

In Crimson Kite, female cultivators were either extremely ugly or extremely beautiful, with almost no middle ground. Someone like Formation Master Long was truly rare.

"That token was given by a Ruan family elder. He said it would allow this Daoist to assist me once."

"That is indeed correct. I am Formation Master Long Yiran. How should I address you, Daoist?"

"A rogue cultivator, Wang Yu."

For this interaction, he chose to use his real name. The mysterious formation cultivator recorded in the Listening Wind Tower's intelligence report perfectly matched Long Yiran, a peak Foundation Establishment realm formation cultivator.

"Since Daoist Wang found this place and met me, you surely didn't come specifically for me. Are you perhaps also here for the Snake Manor?"

Snake Manor? Wang Yu frowned, immediately realizing he had found the wrong place. This was likely a cave dwelling left by a senior, a completely different type of opportunity than a sect ruin.

Considering the other party's realm, she might be looking for a Core Formation opportunity. Thinking this, he became a little more interested.

Cave dwelling opportunities.

They were categorized into three types: Primordial Era, Ancient Era, and Present Era, with their numbers decreasing from most to least. Primordial Era cave dwellings were the most numerous and straightforward.

Upon breaking into them, one could gain a large number of cultivation methods and inheritances, with fewer spiritual treasures. This was related to the ethos of the Primordial Immortal Dynasties.

Ancient Era cave dwellings were moderate in number, rich in cultivation methods, and contained a large quantity of rare spiritual treasures, and even extinct rare spiritual species. They were the most valuable type among the three cave dwelling opportunities.

As for Present Era cave dwelling opportunities…

It was a tale of woe. A cultivator capable of leaving behind a dwelling equipped with various restrictive formations, trials, and spiritual item temptations would be at least in the late Core Formation realm.

And such individuals, who could preserve their golden core to save their lives, could cultivate the Spirit Seizing Art, a lesser branch of the Soul Seizing Art!

Therefore,

More than eighty percent of Present Era cave dwelling opportunities were traps, with a terrible reputation. Even if a ready-made cave dwelling was right there, few cultivators would dare to enter.

Over time, malicious individuals became more skilled, arranging their cave dwellings, underground palaces, hidden buildings, and so on, to mimic the styles of the Ancient or even Primordial Eras.

Decorative details, architectural styles, and so forth, were all perfectly replicated.

They created fakes specifically to lure you in.

From then on, any cave dwelling opportunity required careful discernment.

Back in the Profound Bone Mountain Underground Palace, when Liu Jinxian encountered the remnant soul of a powerful cultivator, he had suspected whether the underground palace was a fake created by a contemporary.

However, this information was not communicated to Wang Yu.

He was actually unaware of this matter. Wang Yu had obtained the inheritance of the Lunar Ghost Eye and only suspected that the place was a branch sect's mountain gate.

Just like the four provincial cities under the Rebel Spirit Blood Sect.

Returning to the main topic.

Facing Long Yiran's inquiry, Wang Yu replied.

"Formation Master Long, to be frank.

"I came to the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest for an opportunity, the ruins of an ancient sect. It requires the assistance of a formation master to pinpoint its location and complete my inheritance."

"I see. I agree to help you."

Long Yiran agreed lightly. Without waiting for Wang Yu to ask, she continued.

"I am currently unable to leave this place.

"This Snake Manor is a cave dwelling left by an ancient formation master, and it is intimately connected with my own inheritance. Therefore, I can confirm that the cave dwelling is absolutely real.

"I came here five or six years ago and have been trying to decipher the cave dwelling's defensive formation. If you are not in a hurry, how about waiting a few years for me?"

The exchange between them was unusually harmonious, unlike what one would expect in Crimson Kite. However, after entering the realm of heart force cultivation, Wang Yu could vaguely sense the truth in her words.

This ability to discern truth had not yet been fully validated.

Nevertheless, he still chose to trust the power of the heart. This power was even more mystical, and merely gaining entry was something most people could not achieve.

"How about this…"