Chapter 350: Five-Tailed Snow Fox, Divine Power Advancement, New Arrangement for the Placement Slot

After a quick glance, Wang Yu roughly estimated the height of the peculiar peak. He then scanned downwards and, as expected, discovered a cave in a unique spot. Following Song Yun's method, he ventured deep inside.

In less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn halfway, the space suddenly opened up. Before him lay a square pool of red water, shrouded in a cold mist. From bronze rings shaped like beast heads on either side, blood-red droplets continuously fell, chilling to the bone! It was clearly man-made, and given the Bagua step entry method, it was most likely arranged by the Song clan. That they simply gifted it to him showed Song Yun's immense wealth and generosity.

Xue Yu, unable to contain its excitement any longer, suddenly darted out of the spirit beast pouch, casting a longing gaze at Wang Yu. "Go on," Wang Yu said, "break through to the third tier." He then tossed Xue Yu into the ice-blood pool. Meanwhile, he set up a furnace to refine pills, intending to fuse the special ice-attribute myriad spirit blood essences he had collected from the Blood Prison Ice Plain.

Thanks to the Blood Fiend One-Yuan Gourd, Wang Yu was spared the tedious work of extraction. He simply needed to use the Condensing Pill Seal to refine the blood essences of varying quality into a single, cohesive blood pill, which required minimal effort. He decided to seize this opportunity, while Xue Yu was undergoing its breakthrough, to test the efficacy of the ice-blood attribute pills.

And surprisingly, for the same quantity, the blood pills refined in the Blood Demon Sea would at most increase his spiritual power by a hundred wisps, a feat achievable in ten days of cultivation. Yet, the blood pills refined here in the Blood Prison Ice Plain could increase his spiritual power by nearly two hundred wisps—a staggering two-fold difference. "With this," he thought, "I can break through to the eighth layer of Core Formation much faster!"

As the level of the ice-blood pool gradually lowered, and Wang Yu continued his quiet cultivation, Xue Yu's aura also surged. For spirit beasts, the third tier represents a crucial threshold; only upon crossing it do they truly attain sentience, gaining intelligence comparable to that of humans. On another note, he realized he had never checked Xue Yu's gender. He wasn't sure if it was a male or female fox, though he'd always assumed it was male…

Three months later, at the summit of the peculiar peak, which resembled a 'husband-gazing stone,' a sudden black cloud enveloped the usual blood-red clouds. It was a rare and striking sight within the Blood Abyss. A bolt of lightning suddenly struck, piercing through the thick mountain rock. It landed directly on a three-tailed snow fox, whose fur was snow-white and adorned with ice-blue runes. The large fox, over ten meters in length, immediately let out a pained shriek, its tolerance for pain proving quite low.

However, with the aid of Wang's supreme-grade spirit pills—two of which it swallowed—its demonic energy and injuries quickly recovered, and layers of icy barriers rose to protect it. The second and third lightning tribulations then struck in quick succession. Amidst the dazzling lightning, Wang Yu's nostrils twitched as he detected the scent of roasted meat, making his mouth water. He then saw white fur beginning to emerge from the charred mass.

Seizing the auspicious moment of its cultivation breakthrough, Xue Yu embraced the hidden potential within its body, and its bloodline successfully advanced to Earth-grade, even if it was at the lower end of that category. Nevertheless, it was still Earth-grade! Two more tails sprouted from its rear, transforming it into a five-tailed snow fox. Following this pattern, a Heavenly-grade bloodline would result in seven tails. Beyond Heavenly-grade, achieving a true spirit bloodline was necessary to grow nine tails.

Wang Yu couldn't help but feel a pang of regret; his ambition of raising a nine-tailed fox was dashed. Xue Yu's lightning tribulations were almost entirely withstood by its bloodline; its inherent strength, however, was rather ordinary, without any particularly dazzling qualities.

Of course, that comparison was to Wang Yu himself. Compared to ordinary rogue cultivators, Xue Yu was far stronger, and could now speak human language, allowing for genuine communication. Its intrinsic demonic treasure had also successfully manifested: a beautiful snow-white fox robe, densely covered with blue runes representing ice-path divine abilities, perfectly aligning with Xue Yu's awakened innate divine power. This type of demonic treasure was truly perplexing. It wasn't that it was bad, but it was simply too unconventional. The intrinsic demonic treasures of demon beasts typically transform from their advantageous body parts, like a tiger demon's claws, fangs, or tail; Wang Yu had never heard of a tiger's *skin* becoming a demonic treasure.

"How bizarre…" Wang Yu was still musing when Xue Yu's massive body, which had grown to thirty or forty meters, rapidly shrank. As if reverting to its cub form, it plunged into his embrace, its voice soft and sweet, like a young girl's.

"A female fox?" Wang Yu thought, a slight tingle of excitement. However, he quickly saw through her ruse. Grabbing Xue Yu by the scruff of its neck, he said bluntly, "Stop faking that voice. You're a fox over a hundred years old; why are you pretending to be a young girl? Do you think all demons are like Yu Tangtang?"

"Guh-hey," Xue Yu chuckled, a human-like fawning expression on its face. Its voice finally returned to normal: a mature, sisterly tone imbued with the fox tribe's natural allure, which was particularly effective on Wang Yu. Still, its beast form was too animalistic for him; he wasn't *that* perverted. A fully transformed great demon was equivalent to a Nascent Soul cultivator, and Xue Yu wouldn't be able to achieve human form for another two or three centuries.

"Since you've broken through," Wang Yu said, "tell me about your awakened innate divine ability and the capabilities of your demonic treasure." After a moment's thought, Xue Yu replied, "The demonic treasure is called the Snow Fox Robe. Its primary ability is shapeshifting, and my five tails represent five artifact forms: currently a sword, a ribbon, a mirror, an orb, and a lamp. When combined with my innate divine ability, the Heavenly Fox Five Transformations, it can manifest various demonic arts with different effects, primarily those of ice and illusion attributes."

Upon understanding, Wang Yu felt a pang of envy. If he possessed such a versatile artifact, it could complement any of his divine abilities, and he imagined how incredibly useful it would be. Furthermore, the prototype of the demonic treasure was highly suitable for cultivators to refine into their own artifacts; its effects would likely remain similar to the original, provided it was fully utilized and the artifact refiner's skill was adequate.

As Wang Yu pondered, Xue Yu suddenly let out a yelp and quickly leaped from his embrace. Having been with its master for so many years, ever since gaining sentience, it had never felt such a shiver of fear. "Don't be scared, continue," Wang Yu said, his smile fading. He confidently patted Xue Yu before settling back onto the profound ice bed, cross-legged. The red liquid in the pool had been almost entirely absorbed.

He stayed for a few more days, allowing Xue Yu to stabilize its cultivation, and only then did he depart. His next destination was Red Snow Mountain, where the perennial Soul-Freezing Wind was ideal for his cultivation. En route, he could also clear out several gathering points of ice-blood demons.

Additionally, the spirit beast pouch he carried was only second-tier, incapable of holding a third-tier Xue Yu, and it was quite old. He would need to acquire a new one upon their departure. Fortunately, Xue Yu could shrink into a small size, easily fitting into his robes, and with its third-tier cultivation, it was no longer vulnerable to being harmed by battle aftermath.

They traveled intermittently, stopping frequently. The journey itself wasn't far; most of their time was spent gathering resources. Red Snow Mountain was a well-known landmark in the Blood Prison Ice Plain, easily located.

A month later, Wang Yu announced, "This is the renowned Red Snow Mountain, Xue Yu. How is your cultivation of the Heavenly Frost Secret Art I taught you progressing?" "No problem, master, don't worry," Xue Yu replied. "If the Soul-Freezing Wind gives you corpse spots, don't blame me for being unable to save you," Wang Yu quipped. "I'm a five-tailed snow fox," Xue Yu retorted, "I won't freeze to death that easily."

Having a sentient companion made Wang Yu's mood significantly better lately. After all, they understood each other thoroughly, and with the bond of the Spirit Taming Seal, their connection was one of shared life and death. Specifically, if Wang Yu died, Xue Yu would perish with him; if Xue Yu died, Wang Yu would merely suffer a minor injury. In a way, it was indeed a bond of shared life and death.

Red Snow Mountain, soaring over ten thousand meters, was the tallest and most majestic peak in the Blood Abyss. Beyond three thousand meters, the Soul-Freezing Wind could be felt blowing. For Wang Yu, this level of wind was merely a gentle breeze that couldn't disturb his spirit; only its cold essence had any effect. After reaching four thousand meters, Wang Yu slowed his pace to avoid being overwhelmed by ascending too quickly. Within this altitude range, he spotted several fellow disciples from Cold Blood Peak. There had only been thirty or forty of them when they first entered. He hadn't encountered many from the Blood Demon Sea or Yin Erosion Hall; even if he did, they were with Yan Ling and suffered minimal casualties. All the others he hadn't seen before were now here on Red Snow Mountain, their objective quite clear. They were mostly early-stage Core Formation cultivators, some directly ingesting ice-attribute myriad spirit blood essence.

"What a pity…" Wang Yu thought, shaking his head as he continued his ascent. Between five and six thousand meters, the number of cultivators increased significantly, mostly those in the mid-stage of Core Formation. They sat in pavilions and structures they had built themselves. While most were meditating, some gathered to chat or play a few games of chess. Such refined individuals, though not rare in the Holy Sect, were certainly not abundant. These pursuits were typically favored by older practitioners.

After experiencing the Soul-Freezing Wind, Wang Yu still felt it wasn't intense enough, so he looked down at Xue Yu and asked, "How do you feel?" "Very comfortable, let's keep going up," Xue Yu replied. "Alright," Wang Yu agreed. It seemed the five-tailed snow fox's bloodline was more profound than he had imagined. Although Xue Yu was an ice-attribute spirit beast, the Soul-Freezing Wind wasn't merely cold; it had a remarkable effect on the soul. It was commonly believed that the souls of demon beasts were inherently weaker than those of humans, which explained why they needed to reach the third tier to gain sentience. However, it now appeared this rumor was either mistaken, or the snow fox tribe was simply different from common demon beasts.

Upon reaching an altitude of over eight thousand meters, the intensity of the Soul-Freezing Wind surged dramatically. Even fewer people were present here; only a few figures could vaguely be seen meditating amidst the swirling wind and snow. Not sensing Yan Ling's aura, Wang Yu had no inclination to approach anyone for greetings. He ascended directly to the summit, finding himself atop the ten-thousand-meter mountain.

Standing at the pinnacle, all other mountains truly seemed small. The peculiar cold winds here reached their extreme, almost forming a continuous wind belt at the summit, sweeping relentlessly back and forth. Even Wang Yu felt the intense chill. "This is the place," he declared.

"Master, I'm going to take a nap," Xue Yu announced. "Alright," Wang Yu replied. Xue Yu stretched lazily, curled up in his arms, and fell asleep. Though seemingly unaffected by the biting cold, it was actually absorbing the chilling essence of heaven and earth with every breath, greatly benefiting its cultivation.

Witnessing this, Wang Yu wasted no time. He multitasked, dividing his divine sense: one part controlled the Ice Chi Pill Flame, continuously refining the blood pills he relied on for sustenance. The other part of his divine sense spread out fully, simultaneously activating the perfected Cold Absorption Art and the minor-accomplishment Heavenly Frost Secret Art. Wisps of cold air, visible to the naked eye, drifted from the wind, forming a vortex that enveloped Wang Yu. From a distance, he resembled an ice-blue stone figure seated cross-legged on the mountaintop.

Wang Yu knew he would eventually need these secret arts, so he had diligently studied them since acquiring them. He had long intended to journey to the Endless Ice Plain. Encountering Red Snow Mountain this time was indeed a fortunate turn of events. As the cold qi from the Soul-Freezing Wind was absorbed and refined, the quality of his black-blue spiritual power continuously improved. The black grew deeper, and the blue also began to lean towards black. These two colors represented his Yin and Ice attribute spiritual power; the more cold qi absorbed, the higher their quality. Wang Yu even had the surplus energy to channel them into the Glazed Ice Heart Pagoda. The Twelve Phases of Guanghan, carved on the pagoda's exterior, seemed to come alive, manifesting their wondrous scenes outside the tower even without being actively invoked.

Since his cultivation had advanced to the late Core Formation stage, the Ice Heart Pagoda had also been upgraded to a top-grade artifact. Wang Yu then integrated the profound mysteries of the Ice Soul Divine Light into the pagoda, allowing it to house a third divine ability. It had virtually reached its limit; accommodating a fourth would require him to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. The Aurora Escape technique demanded greater comprehension, and this Soul-Freezing cold qi could only enhance the power of the Ice Soul Divine Light and the Twelve Phases. The benefits reaped by the Glazed Ice Heart Pagoda were, of course, immense. Red Snow Mountain was undoubtedly a sacred cultivation ground for ice-path cultivators. It was fortunate that the predecessors had such foresight to discover this excellent location.

Wang Yu maintained his cultivation rhythm: as soon as a blood pill was refined, he would immediately consume it, then continue absorbing the Soul-Freezing cold qi. When his cultivation resources ran out, he would descend the mountain to hunt frozen-blood demons. The days of tranquil cultivation were truly enjoyable.

Five more years passed in the blink of an eye. It was January of Elder Wang Yu's 30th year in his position, and his 22nd year within the Blood Abyss. Though his cultivation had yet to break through, a series of other fortunate events had occurred.

The Yellow Springs Great Hand Seal finally reached perfection. This divine ability, which had been with him for a long time, was now complete, and with his current cultivation, it could unleash its maximum power. If he continued to leave it in the placement slot, its power could naturally increase through the slot's mystic properties, potentially even advancing to a fourth-tier divine ability. Divine abilities inherently held infinite possibilities, and those that could gain power by absorbing special forces were ideally suited for the placement slot. However, Wang Yu clearly had other, more suitable objectives in mind.

Furthermore, the Demonic Dragon Fist combat technique had also reached complete perfection. This particular skill offered no further growth potential, serving only as a cumulative addition to his combat repertoire. With these two completed, his seven placement slots could now be re-strategized.

Here's how he reallocated his seven placement slots:* **Placement Slot 1:** Ice Soul Saint Demon Art (Great Accomplishment)* **Placement Slot 2:** Ice Soul… (These two remained unchanged.)* **Placement Slot 3:** Demonic Embryo Profound Origin Secret Charm (Perfected / Improving / Deriving…)* **Placement Slot 4:** Aurora Escape Technique (Divine Escape Technique / Minor Accomplishment) * (Aurora Escape Technique (40/100): Seventy-two practices per day, perfected in forty years.)* **Placement Slot 5:** Twelve Phases of Guanghan (Innate Divine Ability / Minor Accomplishment)* **Placement Slot 6:** Ice Soul Divine Light (Divine Ability / Entry Level)* **Placement Slot 7:** Infant Transformation Pill Formula (Pill Formula) * (Infant Transformation Pill Formula (0/100): One furnace every twenty-three days, perfected in fifty years.)

Wang Yu had completely updated and re-assigned all his placement slots. Notably, for slot seven, he already possessed a set of materials for refining Infant Transformation Pills, so it was time to fully master the formula. As for fourth-tier alchemy, it wasn't strictly necessary for it to be perfected. Wang Yu was confident he could achieve a breakthrough even with just high-grade or mid-grade Infant Transformation Pills. His objective in building such a robust foundation was simply to reduce the difficulty of breaking through and enhance his chances of success.

The Cold Chi Alchemy Art still held the potential to advance to the fourth tier. Therefore, Wang Yu planned his time carefully: after leaving the Blood Abyss and concluding his confrontation with Fu Xiao, he would remove the Demonic Embryo Secret Charm and place the alchemy art in that slot; it would still be timely. Theoretically, as long as the derivation progress reached halfway, his alchemy would be sufficient; it didn't strictly need to be perfected, and even supreme-grade pills weren't essential. His previous fervent pursuit of perfect pills was solely because of the severe absorption issues with his deficient spiritual root, which meant only supreme-grade spirit pills could be perfectly absorbed.

"Time to head out again," Wang Yu mused.