Chapter 272: Third-Level Corpse Demon Secret Technique, Third-Level Taiyin Phantom Eye

Wang Yu’s initially dejected expression quickly recovered as he looked at the significantly reduced data. He recalled that True Master Qingyang had taken over a decade to break through to the second stage of Core Formation. He, on the other hand, would only need half a year, and that estimate only accounted for the placement slot. It didn't even factor in his own cultivation speed, the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Bed, or the third-tier cultivation elixirs, among other resources.

With all these methods in play, he estimated he would rapidly break through to the mid-stage of Core Formation, after which his progress would gradually slow.

"Excellent," he murmured.

Wang Yu then continued his cultivation for another month. His magical power quickly accumulated to seventy strands, partially filling his empty Qi Sea. Given its quality, a single strand was equivalent to a thousand drops of true essence. This was sufficient to cast second-tier spells multiple times without depletion. Although he was tempted to try the complete form of the Lesser Asura Killing Fist, he ultimately decided against it, as the location was unsuitable.

That day. Once again, the moment of completion arrived. Today marked the full restoration of the third-tier Corpse Demon Secret Art!

As Machine No. 5 provided feedback, Wang Yu's body began to writhe. His Corpse Demon Bones and Sky Yin Blood began to advance once more. His bones creaked as corpse qi continuously emanated from his bone marrow, a culmination of past accumulations. Even Wang Yu was somewhat surprised. It was no wonder his qi and blood possessed nether characteristics; the condition of his bone marrow was a significant factor. The other major reason was his blue-black blood, which was distinctly inhuman. This was influenced by both the Nether Demon Dragon Technique and the Sky Yin Blood.

Countless rune particles were hidden within his blood, and as the Corpse Demon Secret Art was completed, their number rapidly increased. Similarly, the Corpse Demon Bone runes inscribed on his bones transformed from incomplete to increasingly whole. The transition from second-tier to third-tier completion was instantaneous and perfect.

The Iron-Armored Corpse Robe, concealed beneath his skin, underwent an upgrade, becoming more potent. Simultaneously, a Golden-Armored Corpse Robe, imbued with a faint golden glow, condensed. Zombie characteristics like bronze skin, iron bones, and immense strength took a significant leap forward, compounding with the mountain-throwing divine power bestowed by his divine marrow. In that instant, Wang Yu felt he possessed the strength of two mountains! His physical power surged.

Simultaneously, the advancement of the Sky Yin Blood was not without turbulence; its impact was no less profound than that of the Corpse Demon Bones. Mysteriously, the Taiyin Star seemed to cast down a radiant glow. As his entire being was permeated, the gray mist within his Niwan Palace, located between his eyebrows, rapidly expanded. His divine sense power grew significantly, and in a fleeting moment, Wang Yu seemed to glimpse his own soul. It was integrated with his physical body, though not perfectly.

It is said that once cultivators reach the peak of Core Formation, they must integrate their divine soul into their Golden Core to nurture a Nascent Soul. This is a secret breakthrough method involving soul-body fusion. This also explains why advancing divine sense to the third tier does not trigger lightning tribulations; soul cultivation and the mainstream cultivation system are inherently inseparable and, strictly speaking, of equal importance. Wang Yu's path, focused purely on body cultivation, was a truly distinct cultivation system—similar to, yet fundamentally different from, the mainstream cultivation methods of the present. Under this wondrous physical sensation, he felt somewhat entitled to ponder what the Nascent Soul realm would entail.

The Corpse Demon Secret Art recovered some of its profound mysteries once more. The "Yin Blood Pills," which had been accumulating in his flesh and blood over many years, increased to three. This unique recovery secret art was exclusively for his use and required consuming all three stored Yin Blood Pills simultaneously. It could heal at least eighty percent of his body's injuries, making limb regeneration possible. The combination of zombie traits and third-tier body cultivation maximized his survival and close-combat capabilities. The nether soul characteristics of the Sky Yin Blood also granted him significant talent and aid in his divine sense cultivation. In contrast, the improvement in his spiritual root aptitude seemed less crucial. No matter how much it improved, the Mysterious Origin Demon Embryo remained superior!

Placement Slot 5: Corpse Demon Secret Art (Tier 3 / Completing...)"Corpse Demon Secret Art (0/100): 1,440 practices per day, completion in 100 years."

Beyond this was the complete form of the Nascent Soul secret art. While its deduction was more challenging than a third-tier divine ability, it wasn't overly difficult, thanks to his experience with multiple completions. It would certainly be faster than deducing a new, incomplete third-tier secret art from scratch.

While contemplating this, Wang Yu removed it and placed the Demonic Dragon Fist into Machine No. 5. Having just achieved a breakthrough, his priority was to rapidly enhance his combat prowess. A hundred years for the placement slot was too long, especially since he wasn't even a hundred years old himself. It would be more appropriate to place the Corpse Demon Secret Art in a slot after sixty years, once some become available.

After experiencing the changes brought by this secret art, Wang Yu retrieved a black jade slip from his Sea Heart Ring. This was the inheritance artifact for the Taiyin Nether Eyes, and now that he had formed his Core, he could access its third-tier legacy. Upon touching it with his divine sense, the jade slip, which had previously been unresponsive, quickly relayed a vast amount of information. After carefully processing the information, Wang Yu couldn't help but gasp. The third-tier Taiyin Nether Eyes not only detailed methods to elevate the Moon Gaze and Moon Illusion eye techniques to the third tier, but also introduced a third technique: Falling Moon!

"Moonfall into the vast ocean…"

In simple terms, the power of this new eye technique surpassed that of ordinary divine abilities. At this stage, the Taiyin Nether Eyes could establish a faint connection with the Taiyin Star. It could borrow power, using magical energy to leverage the Taiyin Star's might to unleash a celestial disaster of falling moons!

"The Taiyin Star falling directly? That seems a bit excessive."

Taking a deep breath, he carefully examined and pondered, only then realizing that the description referred to its perfected state. The Falling Moon eye technique comprises three stages. The first stage involves combining magical power with naturally dispersed Taiyin Star energy to unleash a meteor shower covering tens of kilometers. With the foundation of the perfected second-tier Taiyin Nether Eyes, he should easily be able to enter the first stage of this technique. In the second stage of the Falling Moon eye technique, one could summon meteorites for an area strike covering tens of kilometers. The third stage has no range limit; the more magical power one possesses, the larger the summoned moon meteorites, potentially exceeding a hundred kilometers in size. Such a potent eye technique, however, also came with an extremely terrifying consumption. Wang Yu estimated he couldn't even perform the first stage yet, requiring cultivation to at least the third layer of Core Formation before he could attempt it. An attack of this magnitude would be capable of annihilating the entire Guiling City.

Placement Slot 6: Taiyin Nether Eyes (Tier 3 / Body Modification / Eye Technique)"Taiyin Nether Eyes (20/100): 72 practices per day, perfected in 50 years."

"That's acceptable." He only looked at it, choosing not to place it directly in the slot. The Falling Moon eye technique was too taxing; even if perfected, he might not be able to use it effectively. It was an 'overpowered' type, so he could postpone its cultivation. Conversely, the Moon Gaze and Moon Illusion eye techniques could be cultivated and improved independently. The former would allow him to perceive the Yin essence of all things, while the latter would grant him an additional third-tier divine sense illusion technique. Their practicality was quite strong and should not be underestimated.

His seclusion had reached its natural conclusion. The speed at which his realm stabilized was far quicker than he had anticipated, likely due to the influence of the placement slots. The cultivation fed back to him effectively served as a form of stabilization. His personal cultivation, influenced by various techniques, secret arts, and divine abilities, couldn't always be pursued with full devotion, making its efficiency inferior to that of the continuously operating placement slots.

***

Guiling City Lord's Manor.

True Master Qingyang, Xu Ruozhou, Wang Yu's four disciples, and others stood obediently on the plaza outside the main hall, having been notified in advance by Wang Yu. In addition, also present on the plaza were True Master Hanjia, who had visited once after his tribulation and was now returning for a second time, the Core Formation cultivator from Purple Dragon Mountain, Granny Jin of the Wenxiang Sect, and the patriarchs of the Guan and Jiang families. Jin Miaoshan, unexpectedly, was absent.

From mid-air, Wang Yu cast a brief glance downwards, mumbled to himself, and then instantly appeared on the plaza. Everyone paused in surprise, then immediately cupped their hands and bowed.

"Congratulations, City Lord Wang, on entering the Core Formation realm! May you enjoy a lifespan of eight hundred years!"

"Congratulations, City Lord, on forming your Golden Core!"

"Congratulations, Master, on achieving the True Master position."

As congratulatory voices filled the air, Wang Yu smiled and raised a hand, signaling everyone to cease. "Thank you all for coming to congratulate me. I appreciate your kind intentions."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ruozhou deftly stepped forward and presented a gift list to Wang Yu. It contained the congratulatory gifts that everyone had sent a month prior—not overly precious, but certainly presentable. Witnessing this, Wang Yu's smile grew more genuine.

"Everyone, I have fortunately formed my Core. Why not stay and have a drink together?"

"That would be most appropriate."

"Thank you, City Lord Wang, for your gracious invitation."

"Then it would be rude for Jin to decline."

"Hahaha, Ruozhou, please arrange something for us."

"Understood, City Lord!"

Wang Yu's Core Formation was not a major public event; the news only circulated among the powerful cultivators in Guiling. For lower-level cultivators, life continued as before. They only knew that someone from the City Lord's Manor underwent a tribulation, but whether it succeeded or failed was not publicly known.

Several days later, as night deepened, Wang Yu and Zuo Qiuming sat facing each other, discussing serious matters. Wang Yu had missed several significant events during his years of seclusion, all of which Zuo Qiuming now relayed to him. Speaking of which, Zuo Qiuming hadn't even been there when Wang Yu emerged from seclusion, making him wonder if he had been too disheartened.

Upon seeing Wang Yu's handsome and vibrant appearance, Zuo Qiuming became even more dejected. He weakly said, "Fourth Brother, the negotiations between the two sects have concluded."

"What were the results?"

"First, a copy of the inheritance from the Ancient Heavenly Soul Sect ruins will be granted to the Yellow Springs Temple."

"Second, both sects will jointly pressure the Soul Transformation poisonous beast deep within the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest to ascertain if the dragon vein has been seized by it."

"Third, the conflict over Zhuyue Prefecture will continue. The Sacred Sect will not hold the Yellow Springs Temple accountable for using 'underhanded tactics,' and the previous rules will be extended. The time lost due to negotiations will not count towards the twenty-year period. In other words, the unrest in Zhuyue Prefecture will persist for approximately eight more years before its true ownership is decided."

After listening, Wang Yu asked curiously, "What about the captured Nascent Soul cultivator? Wasn't there supposed to be retaliation for him? After all, he was drained to the point of nearly falling out of his cultivation realm."

At this, Zuo Qiuming perked up, a mischievous chuckle escaping him. "That person was imprisoned by the Sacred Sect for over ten years. His own lineage completely divided up all his properties, spirit veins, and spirit mountains. There were even instances of them selling off his interests to other fellow Nascent Soul cultivators."

"That's..."

Noticing Wang Yu's shock, Zuo Qiuming admitted he also found it hard to comprehend: "In short, the Yellow Springs Temple no longer wants him."

Wang Yu remained puzzled; it simply didn't make sense. "But he's a Nascent Soul realm cultivator! A true patriarch-level figure!"

"If he were truly that strong, he wouldn't have been captured alive. According to unofficial rumors, in the battle at the Heavenly Soul Sect ruins, he was betrayed by his own people, which led to his capture. He has since been handed over to the Sacred Sect for their discretion."