Chapter 287: Cold Blood Faction, Glazed Ice Heart Tower, Feng Shui Plate

There are three main factions on Coldblood Peak. Coldblood Peak's strength, enabling it to be the third most powerful peak, comes from its four Nascent Soul cultivators: two late-stage, one mid-stage, and one early-stage. These are Frost Demon Lord, Coldblood Peak Master, Ice Spirit Fairy, and Old Man Lan Xin.

The Zuoqiu and Zhuo clans operate as one, serving as Wang Yu's main support and the largest faction within Coldblood Peak. In the coming period, he will need to visit them individually to at least get to know everyone. Ice Spirit Fairy and Old Man Lan Xin lead this faction; both are late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. The former is from the Zuoqiu clan, and the latter is from the Zhuo clan. The "Ice Spirit Sacred Demon Scripture" is a cultivation method once practiced by Ice Spirit Fairy. In fact, this inheritance, as well as its higher-tier fourth-level counterpart, originated from her.

Coldblood Peak Master leads the Master-Disciple lineage, holds a third-level Nascent Soul cultivation, and serves as Yan Ling's master and patron. There is internal competition within the Master-Disciple lineage. According to Tantai Chan, Yan Ling has not yet gained the full recognition of everyone in this faction. Some individuals are urging Coldblood Peak Master to take on more disciples. Xue Ying's name is notably among them, though she is actually a member of the Family faction and has a very close, sister-like relationship with Yan Ling. This is why those people are pushing for it. Yan Ling finds it difficult to object or prevent this, as doing so would jeopardize her friendship with Xue Ying. After all, it's about pursuing a better future, so there's no reason to stop it.

The Family faction and the Master-Disciple faction are the primary groups engaged in conflict within Coldblood Peak. Logically, both the Zuoqiu and Zhuo clans belong to the Family faction, but their immense power has elevated them to a somewhat transcendent status. This is why there are now three factions. They act more as arbitrators than competitors. Yan Ling's efforts to win over Wang Yu are akin to trying to gain favor with the "referees" behind him.

It's important to note that the two patriarchs on Coldblood Peak do not represent the entirety of the Zuoqiu and Zhuo clans' power; other peaks also have Nascent Soul cultivators. Many of them are even late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. It can be said that within the Blood Spirit Sect, aside from the Blood Demon Hall and Netherblood Peak, the Zuoqiu, Zhuo, and Yu clans wield the most influence and power.

Frost Demon Lord is the leader of the Family faction, overseeing the Xue, Chu, Qiao, and Ji clans. He hails from the Ji clan and boasts a cultivation of sixth-level Nascent Soul! All four of these clans once produced Nascent Soul patriarchs. Currently, only Frost Demon Lord remains, but because he prioritizes his personal cultivation, his faction is subtly declining.

Both factions have designs on Wang Yu becoming a candidate elder. However, if he cooperates with Yan Ling, only the Family faction would remain as an opposing force. With the information from Tantai Chan, the situation on Coldblood Peak became clear, and he now had a good understanding of it. Currently, among the twelve elders of Coldblood Peak, the Zuoqiu and Zhuo clans hold seven seats, the Master-Disciple faction holds three, and the Family faction holds only two.

In the future, if Wang Yu were to challenge for one of the twelve elder positions, he would most likely choose from the Zhuo clan's seats. However, he felt it wouldn't be necessary; if he cultivated to the peak of Core Formation, he would immediately condense his Nascent Soul, rendering any seat irrelevant. Zhuo Shouqing clearly understood his thoughts; assigning him a candidate title was, in fact, a way to reduce his troubles and give him an opportunity to resolve potential issues all at once. This matter couldn't be rushed.

Just as he was pondering, Tantai Chan suddenly spoke. "Elder Wang Yu, your discussion with Tangtang might not go very smoothly."

"Oh, why do you say that?"

"The Three-Eyed Demonic Dragon is quite kind only to those it recognizes; otherwise, it is incredibly brutal towards others and objects, never listening to their own opinions. If you let Tangtang go by herself..." The outcome would be self-evident.

Wang Yu raised an eyebrow, seeing Tantai Chan's experienced demeanor, and couldn't help but say, "Are you implying that the Blood-Eyed Demonic Dragon would prefer to capture me for alchemy without compensation?"

"Yes! If you want to negotiate with him, it's best to offer one or two third-tier spiritual elixirs that are effective for Yu Tangtang. Only then will you have leverage. He dotes on his daughter Tangtang and has never let her suffer any grievances. Once, Tangtang even..." As she spoke, Tantai Chan suddenly stopped, clearly realizing that some embarrassing matters concerning a great Nascent Soul cultivator should never be divulged.

Wang Yu could roughly guess what she was about to say. He waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I'll consider your suggestion. The Blood-Eyed Demonic Dragon won't lay a hand on me." The reason, of course, was the Thunder Lord's Token. Its value lay precisely in this: beyond merely summoning Thunder Houjun for aid, its true significance was the ability to invoke the authority of a great cultivator. Otherwise, Old Man Xuan Yan would not have harbored such resentment towards him. Theoretically, the Thunder Spirit Corpse had already been given to Old Man Xuan Yan, so Wang Yu's acquisition of the Thunder Lord's Token was indeed fortunate. Incidentally, Thunder Houjun was a very loyal and righteous individual. Perhaps he guessed there was a hidden agenda, or it might have been out of respect for the Zuoqiu clan, or even simply because he found Wang Yu agreeable. All were possibilities. In any case, his impression of Thunder Houjun remained quite good.

After he finished speaking, Tantai Chan realized her value had reached its limit. Seeing that he seemed to be in a good mood, perhaps she could try to make a small request? When Wang Yu had been in her medicinal garden previously, she had always treated him well. It was only her subsequent interactions with Yu Tangtang that caused her displeasure, leading her to dismiss Wang Yu and prevent him from returning, yet she had not resorted to murder to silence him. In truth, it was her pride at play. She and Yu Tangtang shared a master-servant contract, unknown to outsiders, which the Blood-Eyed Demonic Dragon had coerced her into signing. She was very wary of outsiders discerning any clues. Thinking of this, she involuntarily stroked her chest, her cheeks flushing faintly, and cautiously said, "Elder Wang, Tantai... Chan'er, may I follow you to learn alchemy?"

"Learn alchemy?" Alchemy masters in the Blood Spirit Sect were few and far between; the higher the cultivation level, the rarer they became. In contrast, second-tier alchemists were abundant, a common phenomenon in Scarlet Kite. The information she had just provided was quite extensive, including many secrets difficult for outsiders to uncover. Making this request was reasonable and not excessive. It would only require a few pointers, he thought, just as he was about to agree.

Tantai Chan saw his silence, gritted her teeth, and moved closer. She gently tugged at his sleeve, her eyelashes trembling slightly. Her body emitted a milky scent that even incense couldn't mask, causing a slight stirring in young Wang Yu. What was he just thinking about? Oh right, the guidance of a third-tier alchemy master was incredibly precious; she must pay a price!

He was neither a noble gentleman nor promiscuous. As the first beautiful woman he had seen in the Blood Spirit Sect, Tantai Chan had certainly crossed his thoughts before. At that moment, Wang Yu's right hand wrapped around her slender, soft waist. He lowered his head, leaned in, and took a deep breath at her neck. Indeed, a sweet, milky scent filled his nostrils. As the saying goes, a thousand pounds of sentiment cannot compare to four ounces in the chest! Wang Yu thought it should be sixteen ounces.

The next day.

As the morning light dawned, year-round frozen snow dislodged from the crevices of the perpetually snow-covered Coldblood Peak, accompanying the rising sun. The warmth of the great sun melted some ice and snow into trickling streams that flowed downhill across the snow, leaving distinct traces. As the sun climbed higher, thick clouds obscured it, and the melted streams refroze, leaving only pure white behind.

On the soft couch, Wang Yu struggled out of the covers and sat up. Seeing Tantai Chan sleeping soundly beside him, he couldn't help but feel a surge of desire. Since the Corpse Demon Secret Art had recovered to the third tier, and his physical sensations had returned to their original state in all aspects, this was his most enjoyable relaxation. It was truly comfortable. Moreover, Tantai Chan possessed an extremely rare characteristic: she had cultivated a unique body modification secret art, which was quite extraordinary. This further amplified the sensations of their intimacy. He sat there for a while, savoring the moment.

Wang Yu then got up, ready to get to work. He had specifically told Yu Tangtang to return in a month, intending to use this time to first refine the Glazed Ice Heart Pagoda. The sooner his Natal Magic Treasure emerged, the more spiritual power it would absorb, so he naturally needed to expedite its creation.

In the cultivation chamber, Coldblood Peak was extremely safe, and Wang Yu could also use the Elder Ice Crown to borrow some power from the peak's grand formation, in addition to the sub-formation setup of his own cave dwelling. It was significantly safer than Guiling, so there was no need to hide anymore; he could simply relax and enjoy the luxurious cultivation chamber. Thanks to the Spirit Gathering Array for cultivation, its effect was no less than that of a third-tier Essence Qi Chamber. After acquiring the Celestial Spirit Root, the array's effect was no longer negligible. When combined with the Dark Ice Bed, it could produce excellent results. This made Wang Yu feel that cultivating for a day and condensing two wisps of spiritual power was no longer a fantasy, but a highly achievable goal.

After cultivating, he took out various materials and equipment. Among them, Glazed Cyan Gold Stone and Ink Copper were the most crucial, while the other materials—Thousand-Year Ice Marrow Jade, Cold Moon Pearl, Snow Mountain Profound Heavy Iron, Ice Spirit Stone, and Four Quarters Four Seas Qi—primarily served auxiliary functions.

Over the past month or so, he had successfully initiated cultivation of the Ice Spirit Sacred Demon Scripture. The newly transformed Ice Spirit mana surpassed his previous Yin Cold True Essence by a hundredfold in quality, profundity, and cold energy. Wang Yu then opened his mouth and exhaled the Ice Chi Pill Flame. This flame could be used for both alchemy and artifact refining. However, after breaking through to the Core Formation stage, Wang Yu also gained two new divine abilities related to his realm: The Samadhi True Flame and the Indestructible Golden Core! The former is the sovereign fire of the heart, the ministerial fire of the kidneys, and the commoner fire of the bladder; the convergence of these three fires forms the Samadhi of a True Person. It has miraculous effects in both alchemy and artifact refining. The latter resembles the Vajra Body; one focuses on Qi, the other on Essence, and both are primarily for preserving life.

Wang Yu then employed the advanced spiritual sense techniques of the Heavenly Soul Sect. He multi-tasked. With his left hand, he controlled the Ice Chi Pill Flame, combined with the circulation of his internal cultivation method, and began refining the Glazed Ice Heart Pagoda. With his right hand, the Samadhi True Flame melted the ink copper, shaping a small array plate. Eight streams of Qi, four yellow and four blue, revolved around the ink copper—these were the Four Quarters Four Seas Qi, which he had fully collected some time ago. Now was the perfect time to refine them all in one go!