Chapter 308: Reenactment, Situation Simulation

“Fu Xiao is returning,” Zhuo Shouqing said after a slight pause.

“This person must have learned of your existence and sees you as an opportunity to form a Nascent Soul. He has been traveling in the Vermilion Bird Divine Mountain for decades without any success.”

He sees me as an opportunity to form a Nascent Soul…

This must be for the so-called Acquired Demonic Embryo Physique, which is a type of pseudo-spiritual body. Perhaps he only needs the most ordinary Nascent Soul Pill to attempt a breakthrough. He might even form a Nascent Soul directly, without anything!

It’s a risky endeavor, but it must be admitted that even going into battle unprepared, there’s a certain chance of success. This is the power of spiritual body aptitude.

“Then what does this have to do with the Duan clan of Elephant Mountain?”

“It’s Su Yulong. He actively sought out Zhuo Shouyun and reached some secret agreement with him. My people couldn’t uncover the exact details. However, it’s 100% certain that it’s related to the Demonic Embryo Profound Origin Secret Incantation. A certain arrangement is in Elephant Mountain. Making an example of them was just a necessary reason; destroying the ‘target’ on Elephant Mountain is the main reason.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Yu basically understood the entire situation. Zhuo Shouqing’s candid demeanor certainly indicated he wanted Wang Yu to deal with it.

However, Wang Yu felt things weren't that simple.

“Is the information reliable?”

“Trust me!”

Seeing the other party’s sworn assurance, Wang Yu couldn't help but rub his forehead.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s precisely because I trust you that I worry you might have been deceived.”

Zhuo Shouqing frowned.

“You mean… this is a trap?”

“Yes.”

Wang Yu simply sat back down, adopting a posture for a heart-to-heart talk. His 'pig teammate' had messed things up several times already, but Zhuo Shouqing still hadn't learned his lesson.

Perhaps it was his arrogance?

This scene was remarkably similar to when he first ascended Cold Blood Peak and offered advice to Su Yulong years ago. He only hoped Zhuo Shouqing would listen to his counsel.

“Zhuo Shouqing, cast aside all these external influences and return to the essence of the problem. Think about it… what is your ultimate goal?”

“To devour Zhuo Shouyun and fully restore my incomplete Blood Spirit Root.”

“Exactly.”

Wang Yu continued.

“Then where does your advantage lie?”

“I have no advantage. If I had to say, Ancestor Liezu gave me a fair chance at competition, but Zhuo Shouyun has resorted to so many underhanded tactics that fairness will soon abandon me.”

“No! Your advantage is me!”

Zhuo Shouqing was astonished to realize that this former subordinate, who used to flatter him, had gained such strong self-confidence in less than a century.

Was it due to his cultivation?

However, the other party's confidence wasn't enough for him to give his full trust, as his own life was on the line!

Wang Yu didn't stop speaking.

“Besides that, you have another advantage.”

“—Time!”

“There’s no time left.”

“Zhuo Shouyun has found too many powerful helpers. Even with my years of secret preparations, I’m no match for them. Furthermore, if Fu Xiao succeeds, you and I will face a Nascent Soul-level enemy.”

He disagreed with this statement.

He was blinded by a single leaf.

This thought crossed Wang Yu's mind, and he persevered.

“If he could truly break through, why would he go to Vermilion Bird Divine Mountain to seek an opportunity? Wasn’t he also Zhuo Shouyun’s subordinate before? He didn’t do it sooner or later, but only after I was exposed. You just said that I am Fu Xiao’s opportunity to form a Nascent Soul; similarly, he is my opportunity. If Elephant Mountain is a trap, my death there would truly allow his scheme to succeed.”

As soon as he said this, Zhuo Shouqing’s resolve wavered.

He wasn't foolish; in fact, he was quite intelligent, but it was precisely intelligent people who were most easily manipulated.

After a moment of silence, he insisted.

“Then the people from the Blood Pavilion, and Lu Chenzhou… they are also threats that cannot be ignored.”

Hearing this, Wang Yu suddenly scoffed, saying unceremoniously,

“I think you’ve been scared witless by that Lu Chenzhou. He’s just one person; what’s there to fear!”

Zhuo Shouqing still argued.

“Hundreds of Blood Dao geniuses in the Blood Pavilion, how could there be only…”

As he spoke, his voice trailed off.

“Understood now?”

“Zhuo’s Ancestor Liezu cannot touch Lu Chenzhou, but dealing with others is easy. Zhuo Shouyun is deliberately pressuring you, forcing you to go all in and start a war proactively. Once the decisive stage begins, your Ancestor Liezu’s promise will naturally become void, and no one will be able to save you.”

With the situation analyzed so clearly, Zhuo Shouqing’s back slumped, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat. He had almost voluntarily given up his advantage of fairness.

Feeling parched from talking, Wang Yu picked up the teapot and took a long drink.

After a long while, the other party muttered,

“Then what should I do? If I don’t solve these problems, should I just sit back and watch him grow stronger? And if this intelligence is wrong, doesn’t that mean I’ve been living under Zhuo Shouyun’s surveillance all these years?!” The pressure weighed heavily, and it seemed Zhuo Shouqing’s intelligence chief had him almost 100% under his thumb. The more he realized this, the more panicked he became.

Seeing that Zhuo Shouqing was about to be defeated by his own words, Wang Yu quickly pulled him up a bit, reminding him that one should be respectful and cautious towards enemies.

And also have more confidence in oneself.

“In a word, wait for the opportune moment to bring about change.”

—Wait!

He had advised Su Yulong similarly back then, but the other party didn’t listen, which allowed Yan Ling to gain an advantage and reap the benefits later.

“What do you mean?”

“Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad. Zhuo Shouyun is unrestrainedly drawing in so many external forces. Is your Ancestor Liezu truly completely unaware? You just need to maintain your composure and pretend not to see it. No matter how the situation develops, a change will eventually come. It just depends on which of you loses patience first. His extensive recruitment efforts will certainly come at a cost.”

At that time, the pressure from the family ancestors, the pressure of winning over those clan members—the more he promised, the more intense the backlash would be when he couldn't deliver the promised returns.

The two of them essentially had a consensus: whoever won this decisive battle would be the successor of their lineage of the Zhuo clan.

Zhuo Shouyun’s own power wouldn’t be enough to sustain support from so many people for long.

“As for whether the intelligence was intentionally sent, what’s your method of verification?”

At this point, Zhuo Shouqing no longer concealed anything.

“Zhuo Yuanshen, the Hall Master of the Merit Hall in the Halls Quarter, has been in charge of my intelligence gathering all these years. The information was sent by a spy stationed with Zhuo Shouyun, and he is responsible for verifying it.”

Zhuo Yuanshen?

“Why do you trust this person?”

Zhuo Shouqing was silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh.

“He is not from the main branch of the Zhuo clan. He was among the same group as me who underwent the Blood Spring Evil Art reshaping. He only succeeded halfway, which is better than my situation.”

“Half?” Wang Yu couldn’t help but be curious.

“Yes… half. The conditions for achieving the Blood Spring Evil Art are very difficult. Don’t think that simply gathering one hundred people born on the same day, month, and year is easy for a powerful sect. In reality, there are many unstated hidden conditions. Natural childbirth is key; if accelerated by a Grand Cultivator’s magical power, it won’t work at all. Secondly, they must all be at the same cultivation realm, not just major realms like Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment, but specific to each layer, and even each strand of spiritual energy. The cultivation techniques must also be the same, with an equal ratio of males and females—no more, no less. Among them, the presence or absence of spiritual roots further filters out most of the eligible people. The population of Red Kite is far smaller than that of Taihu, so meeting all the conditions requires a great deal of manpower and resources. Only the direct descendants of Nascent Soul cultivators are eligible. Each generation had a fifty-year limit, and three individuals could be chosen per generation. In Zhuo Yuanshen’s lineage, their ancestor tragically died in the Endless Ice Plains due to an unknown reason, causing them to lack a few people during the spiritual root reshaping. In the end, his younger siblings sacrificed themselves, which allowed him to complete half of it. This essentially gave him dual bloodline spiritual root aptitude, which is much better than my situation, allowing him to successfully form a Core.”

“Zhuo Yuanshen investigated afterward and discovered that Zhuo Shouyun was the one who deliberately sent people to sabotage it. Since he and I have the same enemy, we naturally hit it off.”

Wang Yu listened and fell into silent thought.

The logic was sound, and there were very few suspicious points. But if Zhuo Shouqing stood to gain a considerable benefit, what about Zhuo Yuanshen? Didn’t he want to complete his own Blood Spirit Root?

Without the support of Zhuo’s Ancestor Liezu, even if he wanted to do so, he wouldn’t be qualified, and no one would recognize his results.

This was the influence of bloodline closeness and distance.

This suspicion alone wasn't enough to stand on, so Wang Yu asked one last question.

“Were his younger siblings willing to sacrifice themselves?”

Wang Yu emphasized the word “willing,” and his meaning was clear.

If there was concrete information, he could then determine Zhuo Yuanshen’s character and more easily deduce his motives.

At this question, Zhuo Shouqing also hesitated.

“Presumably?”

Hearing this, Wang Yu stretched, patted his shoulder, and said, “Don’t answer with such ambiguity. Find a way to investigate it. Oh, and don’t forget Yu Xing and Zuo Qiuming. They are the people you can truly trust. If you decide to call Old Ming back, remember to notify me.”

“Okay…”

This conversation would affect many people. Wang Yu’s urging for patience was partly because he himself needed more time to develop; he wasn’t very confident facing them too early. On the other hand, he felt Zhuo Shouqing was too impatient.

They say the one involved is confused, while the bystander sees clearly.

He wouldn’t be completely certain his own conjecture was correct, so he also needed a way to verify it.

What should be done?

While helping Zhuo Shouqing sort things out, he had also sorted things out for himself and already had a plan in mind.

The immediate priority, in fact, was to return to secluded cultivation. He was already very close to Core Formation Level Five, especially with the boost from that Guanghan Pill. He could attempt a breakthrough soon.

As he left the Enforcement Hall of the Evil God Quarters, his keen divine sense quickly detected a gaze full of malice. When he looked, the person not only didn't avoid his gaze but brazenly waved at him.

Quite confident, little red man!

This person was undoubtedly Lu Chenzhou; his features were quite distinctive. Anyone who had heard of him could recognize him at first glance. He must have been waiting for Zhuo Shouqing. He certainly had a lot of free time.

Wang Yu couldn't help but grin and waved back, which seemed to surprise the other party.