Chapter 329: Lake-bottom Dragon Cave, Peak of Third-tier Divine Consciousness

Upon unexpectedly encountering this person, Wang Yu recalled the request he had promised Situ Hong before entering: to free him.

The best method was naturally to kill Mother Peach Ghost.

In Wang Yu's estimation, Situ Hong was no longer in his prime. Even if he managed to break through to Foundation Establishment, his diminished essence would not sustain him long enough to reach the Golden Core stage. He had been completely drained; his peak achievement in this lifetime would be Foundation Establishment.

However, Wang Yu owed him a favor, and it was time to repay it. In his weaker early days, he would have been oblivious to much crucial intelligence, black market transactions, and hidden knowledge, had it not been for Situ Hong's assistance. Situ Hong deserved primary credit for his initial growth and development. As for Gu Zhengshun, the divine power corpse arm obtained from him was a crucial aid, but their interactions were purely transactional, and subsequent events left no room for personal sentiment.

"Very well," he thought, "since you've encountered me, it's destined for you to perish."

With a thought, Wang Yu disappeared from the temporary cave dwelling.

Above Drunken Immortal Lake, she wore a peach-pink silk brocade dress adorned with golden filigree. Her long, dark hair was tied at the end with ribbons, and a crimson gem hung from her forehead. Two strands of silvery-pink "peach tears" flowed from the corners of her eyes, down her jawline, and disappeared into the deep valley of her cleavage. This added a touch of sinister charm to her already seductive face. Her eyes glowed pink, and a faint, alluring fragrance emanated from her. Her bare, snow-white feet, with crystalline toes, lightly tapped the air, conjuring delicate peach petals. Her enchanting demeanor was so captivating that it was impossible to look away.

While beautiful, had one not known her true nature, they might have mistaken her for a transcendent immortal. In reality, she primarily cultivated the Ghost Dao, supplemented by Harmonious Cultivation techniques. However, the thought of her lips having been "sampled by thousands" induced nausea, making any fleeting charm vanish as quickly as snow in spring.

With the Ice Transformation Secret Art augmented by the Blood Sack Robe, Wang Yu was nearly undetectable by divine sense of his cultivation level. Mother Peach Ghost, seemingly searching for something, remained oblivious to the extra pair of observing eyes. Her search was very purposeful, confined to this small area. This caused Wang Yu, who was contemplating the best angle for his attack, to delay his movements considerably. It had to be said, putting aside the inherent dangers, the Blood Abyss Holy Land was indeed rife with opportunities. Even the most expansive Blood Wasteland Plains harbored swarms of blood beasts, whose internal crystal cores were valuable treasures rarely found elsewhere.

"Could she be capable of finding third-tier Blood Brew Wine Stones? Or… is she searching for traces of the Bloodwhisker Carp swarm?"

Having spent three months here, Wang Yu had also sampled this delicacy, though the reason for it was the Three-tailed Snow Fox's gluttony, not his own. However, neither of these two conjectures quite aligned with Mother Peach Ghost's meticulous search. Driven by curiosity, Wang Yu discreetly followed her.

Several days passed.

At the bottom of Blood Wine Lake, Mother Peach Ghost's face lit up with joy. In her right hand appeared a brocade handkerchief, from which foul energy emanated, accompanied by a thick, pungent blood resentment that felt almost tangible. Wang Yu recognized it instantly: this treasure was the Blood-Stained Peach Scarf, Mother Peach Ghost's renowned artifact. It had the power to defile other cultivators' magical treasures, and its repulsive nature was comparable to that of the Yellow Spring Great Hand Seal. Once entangled by this artifact, even if one didn't die, they would certainly suffer greatly. For shrewd demonic cultivators, engaging in such a battle was ill-advised, thus avoiding Mother Peach Ghost became the primary strategy for anyone who encountered her. Over time, this created her reputation. Her notoriety was akin to a potent yet utterly foul obstacle; normal cultivators wanted no part of her, fearing she would ruin their painstakingly nurtured magical treasures.

Currently, Mother Peach Ghost took out her renowned artifact and flung it into the depths of the lake. The peach scarf rapidly expanded, transforming into a massive curtain hundreds of meters wide, which then descended over an empty space. Within a few breaths, blood-colored light bloomed. A draconic might, very familiar to Wang Yu, spread throughout the water, making his eyes light up.

"A Dragon Cave?"

He was intimately familiar with the pressure of a flood dragon, having used numerous treasures of that caliber. He could not be mistaken about this aura. But... a flood dragon cave was actually hidden at the bottom of Drunken Immortal Lake. Truly unexpected.

"The only demonic beasts here are Bloodwhisker Carp. Unless it came from outside, it must be a Bloodwhisker Carp that transformed into a flood dragon. Is there truly an opportunity for dragon transformation here?"

Mother Peach Ghost was clearly specifically looking for this flood dragon cave. Wang Yu, however, pondered a deeper implication: a treasure capable of evolving a creature's bloodline. If given to Xueyu, wouldn't it elevate her to a higher level? Possessing a spirit beast with an Earth-grade bloodline would be an extraordinarily rare and significant opportunity. For an ordinary person, it would be enough to establish a prominent lineage, with the beast's fortune extending for ten generations, ensuring endless prosperity! Flood dragons, by nature, possess bloodlines starting at the high grade. Slightly superior ones could even reach the Earth grade. This flood dragon cave's opportunity truly seemed destined for him.

In the area, after successfully finding the flood dragon cave, Mother Peach Ghost's face was overwhelmed with joy. She murmured to herself, "It truly is here! My efforts to humble myself and please that cripple weren't in vain. Even the renowned Left Hill prodigies will eventually fall within my dark embrace!"

Such brazen words made Wang Yu's eyelids twitch. So, there was more to the story.

Moments later, through the Peach Scarf's corrosive influence, the entire flood dragon cave emerged from its concealed state. It appeared to be nothing more than an unremarkable underwater cavern, deep and long, its end hard to reach. Seeing this, Wang Yu decided there was no need to wait any longer. Whether for the opportunity or to repay a favor, now that it was within his grasp, there was no reason to abandon it.

"Go!" The Yellow Spring Demonic Sword suddenly shot forth, its overwhelming sword qi sweeping across hundreds of acres of blood wine and pressing down ferociously. The unparalleled sharpness unleashed by the high-grade magical treasure was too sudden. In her astonishment, Mother Peach Ghost rapidly dispersed into a shower of peach petals, scattering in all directions to evade the attack. Her natal magical treasure, the Blood-Stained Peach Scarf, instantly retreated to defend. While fleeing, it attempted to entangle the Yellow Spring Demonic Sword, seemingly trying to seize his artifact.

Wang Yu couldn't help but become interested. "Then let's see whose ruinous technique is more potent!" The Yellow Spring Sword Qi rapidly condensed, forming a colossal hand hundreds of meters tall, clashing directly with the blood-stain power. The turbid currents of the Yellow Spring boiled; how could mere defiling energy compare to the very essence of the Yellow Spring itself?

Consequently, the Peach Scarf was instantly downgraded, and Mother Peach Ghost's figure re-materialized, with bright red blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

"The Yellow Spring Great Hand Seal? In the Blood Abyss Holy Land… how can there be someone from the Yellow Spring Temple!"

It was another case of someone being misled by common misconceptions. The Yellow Spring Great Hand Seal requires the absorption of Yellow Spring Qi. However, because this substance is found exclusively within the Yellow Spring Temple, it is widely believed to be their unique divine ability, accessible only to cultivators of the "Yellow Spring Blue Sky Sutra." In reality, this is not true; anyone capable of absorbing Yellow Spring Qi can cultivate this divine ability, though the difficulty is slightly elevated.

Mother Peach Ghost was filled with shock and fury. Wang Yu, however, silently appeared behind her, no more than one *zhang* away.

Lesser Asura Killing Fist!

The full power of the perfected Killing Fist, combined with such close proximity, left her no time to escape. Even with the reaction speed of a Golden Core cultivator, she could at best erect a few layers of protection. But as the horrifying killing intent, like mountains of corpses and seas of blood, enveloped her, she felt her legs tremble uncontrollably, and an unknown liquid trickled down her smooth, delicate thighs. Those with an unstable Dao Heart would find it difficult to react under such killing intent.

However, in an instant, Mother Peach Ghost's eyes were consumed by a ghastly pallor, and several malevolent spirits escaped from her mouth. One, resembling a tree root, with limbs like swirling black mist that continuously sprouted rootlets, surged forward to meet the Asura Killing Fist. This was a Wood Ghost. Another, with fiery hair and beard, like burning flames, stood upright and shot skyward, its body appearing almost corporeal. With a crimson face and body, it opened its mouth and spewed a stream of fire that swirled and entwined with the tree root, jointly confronting the Killing Fist. This was a Fire Ghost. Wood and Fire mutually generated each other, their power skyrocketing! Lastly, Mother Peach Ghost's third natal ghost, a graceful, unclad figure, appeared. Within the faint ghostly mist, several distinct, lascivious illusory images manifested, which to a certain extent, reduced the extreme killing intent.

Seeing this, Wang Yu couldn't help but frown deeply. He knew that the Mental Dao was not an invincible power and that he would eventually encounter cultivators capable of resisting it, but he genuinely hadn't expected Mother Peach Ghost to be one of them. Despite being affected by the Killing Fist's mental influence, she was still able to exhibit impressive combat power with the support of her ghosts. From this standpoint alone, she was more versatile than Luo Chen, the Nascent Soul disciple. "If the Mental Dao were truly invincible, it would not have faded into obscurity and been lost. In the current cultivation world, very few even know of such a power..." This thought floated through his mind.

In reality, the Lesser Asura Killing Fist had already collided with the Wood and Fire Twin Ghosts, and then… it crushed them without a shred of doubt. Rootlets shattered completely, ghost fire extinguished! This was his perfected divine ability, not merely limited to shattering the mind. The meager power of Five-Element ghosts was utterly incapable of resisting it.

The wailing Wood Ghost burrowed back into Mother Peach Ghost's body. The Fire Ghost, however, defiant, surged with flames and collided with the blood-colored fist print.

"Boom—"

A muffled explosion reverberated, causing a large volume of lake water to evaporate, temporarily clearing a waterless void. The Fire Ghost suddenly exploded, leaving only a crimson ghost core, which frantically fled back into Mother Peach Ghost's body.

In just two moves, this rather famous cultivator was completely cornered. Wang Yu, with a sweep of his right hand, ignored the frantic efforts of the Peach Ghost beside him, which was obsessively attempting to drain his essence. As Mother Peach Ghost succumbed to terror, he shattered her beautiful head with a single punch. His Core-Extracting Hand then plucked out a Golden Core, roughly four *li* in size, and subjected it to a cleansing death-light. This signaled her complete demise and the obliteration of her cultivation path.

Wang Yu gave her no opportunity, delivering a decisive killing blow. The instant she died, all three of her natal ghosts suffered severe backlash; the already heavily wounded Wood and Fire Twin Ghosts perished immediately. The Peach Ghost, however, miraculously survived. After a brief consideration, Wang Yu collected it into the Glazed Ice Heart Pagoda, intending to purify it before selling it to his fellow disciples from Five Yin Peak. The Peach Ghost was born from the remains of a dead peach tree spirit. Although not an exotic ghost, it was a relatively rare and powerful Yin ghost. Both male and female ghost cultivators favored keeping one due to its numerous applications.

The corpse was placed into the Spirit-Nurturing Coffin, the storage ring was removed, and the Golden Core was ground into powder—a versatile material useful for future alchemy to increase success rates. While inspecting the storage ring, he discovered another valuable acquisition.

"A third-tier soul-path treasure?"

Wang Yu's eyes lit up with excitement; his divine sense was just on the verge of a breakthrough.

"I'll use you to break through then!"