Chapter 331: Three-Stage Body Refinement Peak, Trapped in Danger

It might not be a trump card. It could indicate insufficient power, or, more plausibly, a lack of destructive force. However, Wang Yu clearly cannot be judged by conventional standards.

As Zhuo Shouyun pondered, he suddenly realized something: while it was undeniable that higher divine ability realms naturally yielded greater power, this also correlated closely with a cultivator's spiritual energy reserves. This was especially true for the perfected 'Killing Fist' technique.

It seemed illogical. With a meager maximum of three thousand strands of spiritual energy at the early Core Formation stage, one use would surely exhaust him, right? Yet, the Wang Yu in his memory vision showed no such sign, which meant...

“He has likely broken through to the mid-Core Formation stage, perhaps even beyond the fourth level of cultivation, to a higher one.”

As he thought this, Zhuo Shouyun suddenly felt immense pressure. Such a rapid pace of advancement surpassed even that of top-tier Heavenly Spiritual Roots. And it was impossible for Wang Yu to possess a Spirit Body aptitude. According to his intelligence, he originated from a 'Waste Spiritual Root' and only reversed his fortunes with the Demonic Embryo Profound Origin Secret Mantra. Even after absorbing Luo Chen, he shouldn't have attained the level of a Heavenly Spiritual Root.

He must possess other fortuitous encounters! Zhuo Shouyun immediately concluded this, certain that it involved a significant treasure.

Caressing the Heavenly Demon Bell, which he always kept at hand, he suddenly asked, “Feng sisters, do you wish to seek revenge on Wang Yu?”

The younger sister, Feng Niaoniao, nodded without hesitation. “This person destroyed the demon human breeding farm that the Feng clan painstakingly built. We must retaliate, otherwise, wouldn't we become a laughingstock to the world?”

The older sister, standing nearby, hesitated. They had escaped Wang Yu twice only because he possessed no artifacts or secret techniques capable of sealing space. However, 'third time's the charm' applies here; proactively seeking trouble again could lead to unpredictable consequences, good or ill.

“Good spirit. Since you have this intention, join my team. With Xingyun and Nanxing's strength, you will surely avenge yourselves.”

Zhuo Shouyun didn't give the older sister a chance to refuse, settling the matter with his words. He appeared to be righting their wrongs, but in truth, he also wanted Wang Yu dead. If this person dies, Zhuo Shouqing will have no hope of turning the tables.

“Continue the search. Focusing on the Demonic Human Caverns, scour Ghost Blade Mountain, Drunken Immortal Lake, the Burial Ground... and do not miss any of the main roads leading to the Blood Demon Sea. If he truly cannot be found, then wait for the one-year deadline, use Ding Ming as bait, and disperse to seek your own opportunities once this matter concludes.”

“As you command, Young Master.”

While considering the plan, he couldn't neglect the needs of his subordinates. After all, they were all practitioners of the demonic path, and Zhuo Shouyun understood their mentality well.

Time passed quickly, and eight months vanished in an instant.

Drunken Immortal Lake, Flood Dragon Cave!

A terrifying demonic dragon, five to six hundred meters long, struggled to move freely within the Flood Dragon Cave. It was the form of the Nether Demonic Dragon, manifested from blood qi. After eight months of refinement by dragon malevolence, the dragon corpse had completely vanished, and Wang Yu's cultivation had reached a breakthrough point.

With a roar!

The ground suddenly cracked. Amidst the earth-shattering tremors, the entire Flood Dragon Cave collapsed. Wang Yu swiftly gathered his belongings and burst out. As his aura surged, a single swing of his arm caused the blood wine at the bottom of the lake to form a tornado, displaying unparalleled divine strength and superhuman might.

Body Refinement Tier 3, late stage (seventh level), achieved!

But this wasn't the end. Within the crimson vortex, Wang Yu took out the Flood Dragon Inner Core and swallowed it. The Ice Chi Pill Flame surged from within him, refining his body. The exceptionally pure dragon energy from the Flood Dragon Inner Core swiftly poured into his dragon spine. Wang Yu's aura continued to rise, and his physical strength seemed to grow without limit.

The commotion at Drunken Immortal Lake grew, even forming a vortex several thousand meters wide on the lake's surface. After three full days of tempering, his physique surged yet again. His progress reached a level comparable to the eighth level of Core Formation, and he was incredibly close to the peak of Body Refinement Tier 3. Wang Yu looked at the few drops of pure Flood Dragon essence blood extracted from the Dragon Heart Stone, now in his Sea Heart Ring. By grade, it was only Tier 3 high-grade. However, that was because it had been significantly depleted by waves of growing Dragon Shadow Grass. In its prime, it likely came from a Tier 4 Flood Dragon, making this an invaluable treasure. If he could find the right method, it might even be restored to its original state, refined into a Tier 4 Dragon Blood Elixir. Even if he were to break through to Tier 4 Body Refinement in the future, it would still greatly benefit him.

This thought lingered in Wang Yu's mind for only a moment. Upon recalling what needed to be done in the Blood Abyss Sacred Land, his most pressing need now was strength!

“Future? Maximizing benefits? You need to survive first to have a future! Continue breaking through!!!”

He directly consumed the Flood Dragon essence blood, crushing and swallowing most of the dragon blood essence in one gulp.

In an instant, the sky seemed to be covered by dark clouds. Wang Yu's aura surged again, rapidly increasing as if breaking through a limit. His body automatically operated the perfected-level Nether Demonic Dragon Technique. His fighting divine ability, the Demonic Dragon Fist, was influenced by his will and unexpectedly broke through to the Great Attainment realm.

Wang Yu's heart filled with joy, and he punched towards the sky. The blood qi-transformed Nether Demonic Dragon soared upwards, its dragon body instantly reaching an astonishing nine hundred meters. With this single punch, even several overlapping mountains would be utterly shattered by him.

His Body Refinement cultivation advanced to the peak of Tier 3, on par with his Divine Sense realm. Thus, his foundational cultivation had once again fallen behind.

“—Splendid!”

Consecutive breakthroughs had made the divine marrow in his dragon spine not entirely stable, but it wasn't a major issue. He also wasn't planning to break through to Tier 4 in one go. This was a significant hurdle; it definitely wouldn't happen quickly. Finding Tier 4 spiritual items for body refinement breakthrough would also allow him to temper and fully stabilize his foundation, a process akin to sharpening a knife before cutting wood.

Wang Yu merely frowned slightly at such a large commotion. Just as he was about to change locations, his eyes flickered. He saw many objects that had been deposited in the silt float to the surface of the gradually calming blood wine lake. Among them, a red stone brought a smile to his face.

“Double happiness! I never expected to obtain the Blood-Brewing Stone, buried at the bottom of Drunken Immortal Lake, in this manner!”

This item, like distiller's grains, was crucial for producing Tier 3 Blood Spirit Wine. It could be reused, yielding at least a dozen jars.

He carefully put away the treasure. Wang Yu suddenly turned, looking at an empty spot, and frowned, “What lowly scoundrel dares to spy on me, Wang Yu?!”

Clap, clap, clap—

Clapping sounds echoed from all directions. A virtual human face, a hundred meters tall, condensed from spiritual energy, stared directly at him.

“Elder Wang actually possesses such profound strength in body refinement. Fortunately, I took you seriously enough, otherwise, if you had truly succeeded, it would have been troublesome.”

“Zhuo Shouyun?”

Wang Yu inwardly sighed, finding the situation tricky. He figured the commotion during his breakthrough had attracted this person's attention, but why was he near Drunken Immortal Lake? Shouldn't this place be utterly desolate?!!

“Sneaking around like a ghost. Why not show your true self and speak with me? Are you afraid?”

Who would have thought. Zhuo Shouyun nodded seriously, showing no sign of shame. “Indeed, I am afraid. I am merely at the mid-Core Formation stage. How could I confidently expose myself to a genius like Elder Wang? It would be unstable, too unstable!”

Wang Yu's eyelid twitched. As the saying goes: fear not a clever enemy, but a teammate as stupid as a pig. The current situation was that Zhuo Shouyun was not only intelligent but also extremely cautious. He also had a knack for understanding people's minds, making him truly the most difficult enemy Wang Yu had encountered in his cultivation to date.

Sensing that things were not good, Wang Yu activated his Aurora Escape Technique to retreat. The opponent had made such a grand appearance, meaning the situation might be worse than he imagined. Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, retreat was the best course of action!

“Where do you think you're going?!”

Just at that moment, Wang Yu transformed into light and moved in but an instant. Then five pillars of light rose from various directions, and a formation instantly took shape. It was a sealing array formed by five late-Core Formation cultivators using the power of their innate magical artifacts. He secretly tried to activate his Void Escape Talisman, but it was already ineffective!

—Damn it!

Several whooshing sounds echoed as a total of four figures entered the array, confronting Wang Yu. They were precisely Zhuo Shouyun's two great masters: Long Xingyun, known as 'Dragon Fire,' and Jian Nanxing, known as 'Golden Sword.' Both were peak Core Formation cultivators. Their strength was formidable, and they also possessed Heavenly Spiritual Root aptitudes, making their divine abilities exceptionally powerful.

The other two, however, were old acquaintances: the Twin Beauties of Hidden Valley!

Since escape was impossible, he could only fight it out. This would also fulfill his new contract with Zhuo Shouqing. Wang Yu narrowed his eyes, casting a cold gaze at the Feng sisters.

“Are you two also getting involved in this mess?”

Feng Niaoniao refused to be outdone, pointing at Wang Yu's nose and cursing. “You thief, you dared to harm my Feng clan, and now you expect a good outcome?! Today, I will take your head and raise our reputation!”

“Very well. Don't cry when you die.”

“—Lunatic!”

“—Arrogant!”

Long Xingyun and Jian Nanxing both shouted in unison. The former flew upwards, and violent crimson flames swept out, transforming the sky into a sea of fire. Like a demon god presiding over flames, a crown appeared above his head—it was his innate magical artifact, the Dragon Fire Crown! The latter drew with two fingers, and an anomalous golden sword with a serrated edge behind Jian Nanxing split into eighteen, forming a sword wheel. One of them moved with his sword-finger. This was his innate magical artifact, the Gold-Splitting Shadow-Dividing Sword!

Both were top-grade artifacts and innate magical treasures, capable of unleashing power that almost reached the upper limit for Core Formation cultivators. Without any hesitation, they attacked with full force.

“Dragon Fire Incineration.”

“Nine-Nine Spatial Cleave.”

The fiery true dragon roared, charging towards Wang Yu. On the other side, dense golden sword marks formed a net, blocking all of Wang Yu's escape routes. If he couldn't break through the outer formation, he would have to endure it head-on.

The Feng sisters also didn't stand by. Instead, they cooperated with Long Xingyun, spitting pearls and fanning, combining wind and fire. For a moment, the power of the Dragon Fire surprisingly surpassed that of Jian Nanxing's divine ability in might.

Wang Yu cursed inwardly. "Directly clashing with innate divine abilities, are we?" In such a situation, he couldn't worry about revealing his full hand. Survive first, then talk.

The Fiendish Demonic Dragon Armor, now with an additional layer of dragon bone protection, covered his entire body. After his breakthrough, it had naturally ascended to a high-grade bloodline true artifact. Protected by this treasure, Wang Yu punched horizontally towards the sky.

The nearly thousand-meter Nether Demonic Dragon collided with the Dragon Fire. As if having eyes on his back, Wang Yu moved through the golden net with his Aurora Escape Technique, like a butterfly flitting through a thicket, not a single leaf touching him! Emphasizing agility.