Chapter 299: Unexpected Changes, The Zhuo Family

The Glazed Ice Heart Pagoda is a mid-grade Tier 3 magic treasure, currently capable of accommodating two divine abilities: one for attack and one for escape. Theoretically, refining a defensive divine ability into it would make it more comprehensive.

However, Wang Yu still intended to integrate the Ice Soul Divine Light into it. This divine ability held infinite potential, and there was no need to restrict it to specific combinations. Defense could be achieved through other means, whereas an ultimate offensive divine ability was a rare and highly sought-after find.

As a result, it was only in the fourth month of the fourth year of Elder Wang Yu's tenure that he finally became a complete Core Formation cultivator. Compared to his cultivation level, this was incredibly slow.

After his combat power surged significantly once more, the cultivation of the Netherworld Demonic Dragon Art and Ancient Soul Art was also incorporated into his daily routine, once his demanding alchemy tasks were resolved.

With a supply of numerous treasures such as Dragon Blood Essence, Dragon Blood Secret Medicine, Jade Mountain Fruit, and Soul Nurturing Liquid, he made significant progress every day. Simultaneously, he refined more materials into his life-bound magic treasure, crafted top-grade Soul Dream Origin Pills, and so on. His life remained fully scheduled, and efficiency in all aspects saw a marked improvement. This period marked one of the most productive phases of cultivation since he entered the cultivation world.

After nearly a year of such focused cultivation, Zhuo Shouqing's sudden message finally brought an end to this period of peaceful practice.

At the Enforcement Hall of the Evil God Market, a room was still reserved for him. It had been sixty years since he last visited. Upon entering, he found only Zhuo Shouqing present.

He couldn't help but ask, "What's going on? Has your brother's side made a move?"

"Not exactly. It's something else," Zhuo Shouqing replied, shaking his head, his eyes reflecting a strange look. "Have you forgotten something?"

"Forgotten what?" Wang Yu suddenly realized. "You mean the ancient burial pit... I wasn't ready for it yet, was I?"

"Not ready?" Zhuo Shouqing's eyes flickered, and he said sarcastically, "I thought you were planning to go after reaching Nascent Soul."

"What strange talk is this? Just say what you mean directly."

"Sigh..." Zhuo Shouqing sighed deeply, took out an intelligence jade slip, and handed it to Wang Yu, his voice low. "You know, the date of my conflict with Zhuo Shouyun is approaching. The clan isn't as stable as before; more or less, some have begun to secretly contact and curry favor with that fellow."

This situation could have been foreseen. After all, others weren't blind. Zhuo Shouqing was middle-aged, and Zhuo Shouyun, though his age, was already a mid-Core Formation cultivator and would certainly break through to late-Core Formation by the time of the decisive battle. The disparity was obvious. If they truly fought, Zhuo Shouqing's chances of failure were extremely high. Precisely because of this, he needed to conceal himself, to disguise himself as a harmless good-for-nothing. This outward image made it very difficult for him to find allies. He could only seek out someone like Wang Yu, a strong individual who emerged from obscurity.

Furthermore, many within the Zhuo clan were watching him. It was difficult to get help from those close to him, and trust was paramount. He likely wouldn't trust anyone without a contract. Wang Yu could easily deduce all this.

The information in the jade slip was as expected: in short, the ancient burial pit Zhuo Shouqing had guarded was used by one of his subordinates as a stepping stone, offered to Zhuo Shouyun's people. The main person (Zhuo Shouyun) wasn't very interested in adventuring outside. After all, he possessed a supreme-grade blood spirit root, a talent equivalent to a Heavenly Spirit Root, or even a 'Heavenly Blood Spirit Root'! For him, as long as Zhuo Shouqing didn't make a comeback, he could enjoy the immense resources that came with being the young master of the Zhuo clan. The Heavenly Blood Spirit Root could ensure that he wouldn't encounter serious bottlenecks even when cultivating to the peak of Core Formation; overcoming mid- and late-stage difficulties would only take a year or two. Once he reached the peak of Core Formation, the clan would even prepare a chance for him to form his Nascent Soul. Places like the ancient burial pit weren't worth his risk, so he handed it over to a clan member under him named Zhuo Wenshi, who was a late-Core Formation cultivator.

After finishing reading, Wang Yu couldn't help but say, "It's only been four years since I learned of this, and in the blink of an eye, others were already eyeing it. Your secrecy is so poor, how has Zhuo Shouyun managed to hold back from acting?"

Hearing this, Zhuo Shouqing fell silent again. Perhaps he was used to it, or perhaps he had come to terms with it. "As I said, the conflict between me and him was promised by our Martial Grand-Ancestor. My father stands with Zhuo Shouyun, and my mother stands with me, but the right to initiate the decisive battle is in my hands."

With this explanation, Wang Yu understood. Zhuo Shouyun adhered to the rules because the promise was made by the Zhuo clan's Martial Grand-Ancestor, a pillar of the clan who was nearing the Soul Transformation stage! In a world where the strong are revered, a single word can decide everything. If he didn't follow the rules, it would be simple to let other descendants inherit the family head position. After all, these were all their own people, so fairness naturally became the primary consideration. If it were a competition with outsiders, any means would surely be employed.

After a moment of silence, Wang Yu understood his meaning. "Leave it to me. Those people won't see the sun next year."

Zhuo Shouqing nodded. "I cannot allow a Nascent Soul-level expert to emerge from Zhuo Shouyun's side, especially that Fu Xiao. He has a great chance of breaking through; he just lacks a bit of luck. Therefore, the forty-year period is merely theoretical. Once I detect this trend, I will act immediately. You must be ready at all times." "I understand."

With things laid out like this, there was nothing more to say. Zhuo Shouqing gave him another jade slip containing information about the ancient burial pit, and only then did Wang Yu return to his cave dwelling on Cold Blood Peak.

On his cultivation panel, the Ancient Soul Art was silently replaced by the Demonic Embryo Secret Incantation for continued strengthening. After his comprehension improved, the time required to deduce and advance this profound secret art decreased from over a hundred years to eighty years. This showed its value remained top-tier. It couldn't be fully deduced before the decisive battle, but with every slight improvement, Wang Yu's confidence grew. A cultivator's premonition or sudden inspiration rarely erred. He trusted his intuition.

A moment later, he casually tossed the jade slip into his Sea Heart Ring.

The Ancient Burial Pit! This was a secret realm-type opportunity whose age was difficult to determine, hence the "ancient" designation. Similarly, its formation was unknown; it was a small world unto itself. According to Zhuo Shouqing's speculation, it was highly likely that in the late ancient era, after the Blood Demon Calamity, cultivators of that time worried that the corpses of powerful individuals might be enslaved by entities like Blood Demons. So, they leveraged the power of heaven and earth to place a burial ground in a different dimension, ensuring their eternal rest would be undisturbed and their corpses unprofaned. Thus, its danger level was still very high. After Zhuo Shouqing confirmed that it contained a large quantity of high-grade spiritual materials and artifacts, he prepared to hand it over to Wang Yu, to compensate for the opportunity lost with the Profound Heaven Secret Realm ticket. As for whether these were funerary objects or spiritual materials formed from the corpses themselves, that remained unknown.

However, the dense and varied malevolent energies inside made Wang Yu's eyes light up. His Netherworld Demonic Dragon Art primarily relied on Lunar Malevolence for refinement, and this extremely yin-attributed malevolent energy was very suitable for him. But Dragon Malevolence was also an indispensable part, and various other malevolent energies could also accelerate his body-refining efficiency. Previously, he had enough tempering but lacked nourishment. Now he had excessive nourishment and insufficient tempering; he'd "gotten fat." Energy accumulated in his flesh, blood, tendons, and bones, difficult to digest. He was experienced with this problem: continuous tempering and incurring injuries would suffice. Replicating his actions during Body Refinement Tier 2 would allow for perfect digestion.

At present, before heading to the Ancient Burial Pit, some preparations were still needed.

A few days later, Wang Yu retrieved the Ghost Wail Flute from an elder on Cold Blood Peak skilled in artifact refining. It had already been upgraded to a mid-grade magic treasure. Its inherent "Shadow Raven Ghost Domain" had expanded several times over, and its amplification for both soul and sound-based spells had also greatly improved.

In addition, he purchased a large number of Tier 2 array flags and over a dozen Tier 3 array flags from the Array Hall, both blank. These were for use with the Feng Shui secret arts from the "Earth Mother Scripture." The Ghost Flute upgrade cost just under 100,000 spirit stones. After all, he provided his own materials, and given his status as an elder candidate, he was only charged a basic fee. The array flags were expensive, even the blank ones. A single Tier 2 array flag cost 15,000 spirit stones, and he bought over a hundred. A blank Tier 3 array flag cost 150,000, as the material cost alone was substantial. From this perspective, crafting them himself would be more cost-effective, but Wang Yu currently had no plans to deeply study array arts. The reason was simple: he couldn't learn everything! When he had free time, he could use his higher cultivation to study lower-tier skills. With a superior vantage point, mastering Tier 1 or 2 array and artifact forging arts would be achievable.

After spending another million-plus on this wave of purchases, Wang Yu posted a notice of secluded cultivation, changed into another set of robes, and secretly left the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect, heading directly for the location of the ancient burial pit. Its location was in Nightjade State, near the North Broken Boundary Mountain Range, a place even Wang Yu found somewhat familiar. It was just a bit north of the Barren Leaf Swamp area, tucked away deep within a mountain hollow.

After leaving the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect's main gate, the density of cultivators dropped sharply. Employing the Aurora Escape Art, which he had now mastered, Wang Yu's speed surged to its peak. His speed could only be described as impossibly fast; a thousand meters vanished in the blink of an eye, far exceeding the escape velocity of ordinary Core Formation cultivators. This was the power of a top-tier inheritance!

However, after flying for a dozen kilometers, Wang Yu stopped again. Although there were few people in these desolate mountains, it didn't mean he wouldn't encounter anyone. The streaking light trail left by the Aurora Escape Art was a bit too flashy, drawing considerable attention. This didn't align with his habit of always launching a sneak attack first. Therefore, after remaining in place for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he relaxed considerably when he found no one following him. The colorful ribbons of light from the Aurora Escape Art vanished. Under the effect of his spiritual power, he transformed into a fist-sized, faint green orb of light that vanished with a whoosh into the horizon. This was a result of him suppressing the dazzling effects of the escape art.

With an escape speed far faster than before, it took less than half a month. Traveling at full speed, his destination was finally in sight. The closer he got, the slower Wang Yu moved, until eventually, he didn't even stir a wisp of wind, and his figure vanished silently from the sky.

In an unnamed valley in the North Broken Boundary Mountain Range, Zhuo Wenshi, accompanied by a group of subordinates, looked impatiently at the busy array master at the forefront, her beautiful eyes reflecting her agitation. "Are you done yet? It's been days! Still haven't managed to break the array restriction at the entrance?"

The array master gave an embarrassed smile, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and spoke deferentially. "Esteemed Zhuo, this array restriction involves a spatial secret realm, so it's very difficult. Without a key, we can only chip away at it using crude methods. However... I have experience in this area, so it won't be long now."