Chapter 364: Three Zhuo Messages Arrive at the Sect, Wang Yu Leaves the Sect to Catch Big Fish

Inside his body, the Profound Origin Demonic Embryo, existing between solid and ethereal states, unexpectedly moved into Wang Yu's Dantian and Qi Sea. The instinctive pull was extraordinarily strong.

It's important to remember that this thing is essentially a spiritual root!

The Heavenly Demonic Pill fell into his Qi Sea.

Gray currents of energy rose into his Niwan Palace, leading to a surge in Wang Yu's spiritual consciousness. All the black energy currents emanating from the pill were absorbed by the demonic embryo. Although its size didn't change, it became deeper and more profound. The demonic patterns on its surface grew increasingly complex and indescribable, as if they had broken free from the spell's limitations and were developing in an unknown direction.

His spiritual sense gave no warnings; he could even feel a fundamental improvement. The Five-Element spiritual roots within the demonic embryo all turned black. The attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth remained, but they now incorporated the concept of 'demon'. He didn't know if such an esoteric thing as a demonic spiritual root existed in the world.

Based purely on its manifestation, Wang Yu could only call it a Five-Element... Demonic Spiritual Root?

One Heavenly Demonic Pill seemed insufficient to complete its transformation. Wang Yu immediately started his furnace and began refining a second Heavenly Demonic Pill. He was also quickly adapting to the surging spiritual consciousness.

Soon, nearly two months had passed.

He consumed five Heavenly Demonic Pills one after another, which forcibly elevated his spiritual consciousness to the peak of the early Fourth Stage. He was just one step away from breaking through to the middle Fourth Stage.

Perhaps he could achieve this in one go by leveraging the completion of the Ancient Soul Art, or he could focus on spiritual consciousness-enhancing elixirs, which was also an option.

This approach would take a considerable amount of time, so it could be temporarily set aside.

The true benefits of the Heavenly Demonic Pills were mostly concentrated on the Profound Origin Demonic Embryo. The increase in spiritual consciousness was merely a byproduct, an unexpected bonus.

The Five-Element Demonic Spiritual Root, as he called it, had been successfully cultivated.

It was as if five meridians completely permeated the demonic embryo. From its head to its tailbone, there was the Yin Ice Spiritual Root, a mutated form of the Water Spiritual Root, which represented Wang Yu's primary body.

The demonic embryo's left and right hands were extensions of the Metal and Fire Spiritual Roots.

Its chubby feet, with their extending Earth and Wood Spiritual Roots, were too short, reaching only halfway up the thighs. This was clearly because they hadn't been upgraded to the Heavenly Spiritual Root quality.

This gave Wang Yu an idea for completely perfecting the Profound Origin Demonic Embryo. At the demonic embryo's lower abdomen, the Five-Element spiritual roots intertwined, forming a swirling pattern. Profound demonic thoughts emanated from it, much like a cultivator's Qi Sea.

This caused the Five-Element spiritual roots to mutate into the inclusive spiritual root concept of 'demon'...

He had a strong premonition. Once he completed the enhancement of the Earth and Wood spiritual roots, the demonic embryo would completely merge with him. And devouring another demonic embryo was a ritual similar to the .

“Returning to the innate state from the acquired... reshaping the physical body, and achieving complete advancement.” He muttered to himself.

Wang Yu completely confirmed the true nature of the Demonic Embryo Profound Origin Spell. If successful, he might obtain a true Spirit Body-level aptitude.

—The Innate Demonic Embryo Body!

Compared to the Blood Demon Body, it was unclear which was stronger or weaker. However, just the words 'innate' alone suggested it was absolutely a top-tier secret art for altering aptitude in this world.

That he could cultivate to this extent was first due to the perfect cultivation enabled by the placement slot, leaving no hidden dangers. The demonic embryo was completely within his control.

Secondly, his True Spirit was unusual. Heavenly Demons were extraterrestrial beings, and so was he. Though they seemed similar, their fundamental differences were significant. This was the fundamental reason he could return to an innate state from an acquired one.

Otherwise, no matter how powerful the Demonic Embryo Secret Spell was, it would ultimately only create an Acquired Demonic Embryo Body. After this thorough analysis, all the secrets of this secret art were completely unveiled to him.

“Fu Xiao, oh Fu Xiao, even if a Nascent Soul Patriarch were to protect you now, I, Wang, must still devour you. Spirit Body-level aptitude…” This meant a guaranteed Nascent Soul stage.

It also offered some benefits for breaking through to the Soul Transformation stage.

While Heavenly Spiritual Roots weren't exceptionally rare—the Nine Peaks had a few, given the world's population base—Spirit Body-level aptitudes were truly extremely rare. Wang Yu had never seen or even heard of any naturally formed ones. Those that existed were all artificially created through demonic secret arts.

As the three-month period expired, Heavenly Frost Demon Lord sent someone to reclaim the Nine Beast Pill Furnace. After all, this item belonged to the Alchemy Hall and wouldn't be lent to Wang Yu indefinitely.

With his current level of alchemy, the Starfall Cold Furnace was no longer sufficient. Upgrading it to a Fourth-Stage magic treasure on its own would be difficult. It would be better to craft a new Fourth-Stage treasure furnace.

He could entrust this matter to Senior Yu to find a solution.

“You wouldn't want the alchemy to fail, would you?” He had already thought of his argument and would use this exact phrase. A Fourth-Stage pill furnace, though precious, wasn't entirely hopeless to obtain. The sect might even have existing ones available for exchange.

Given the scarce number of high-level alchemists in the Reversed Spirit Blood Sect, they probably couldn't even fully allocate the furnaces dug up from ruins. So, the possibility of an exchange was quite high.

After contacting him via a voice transmission talisman, Senior Yu told him to prepare spirit stones. The furnace should be delivered along with the repaired Three-Foot Snow Dharma robe. Wang Yu was already prepared for a major expense, possibly even bankruptcy. In his opinion, ten million spirit stones should be about right.

At most, he'd offer one Mid-Grade Nascent Conversion Pill in exchange. Low-grade spirit stones now only served as currency for him; he found their spiritual energy impure for absorption and refinement. He needed to collect more high-grade and even supreme-grade spirit stones to prepare for future cultivation.

While waiting, the Cold Blood Mountain Lord specifically sought him out. He also commissioned the refining of a Fourth-Stage spiritual pill, having clearly heard rumors from someone. Wang Yu naturally agreed. This task, however, would take a considerable amount of time, as his main focus had shifted from alchemy to cultivation.

A year passed in this manner. Then, a piece of news shattered Wang Yu's peaceful cultivation life.

The latest news from the Zhuo Clan of Guifang.

Inside Cold Blood Peak, an internal meeting of the Zuoqiu Clan elders took place. The combination of three old men and one young man showed no disharmony. On the contrary, the three old men were constantly trying to curry favor with the young man. This person was Wang Yu.

The Second Elder took out a spiritual consciousness jade slip and handed it to him, his expression filled with emotion. “This is recent intelligence from Guifang. Seventh Elder, please prepare yourself.”

Wang Yu was confused. What did he need to prepare for? Could it possibly contain information specifically targeting him?

Victor: Zhuo Shouyun!

The opening words were no surprise to Wang Yu. Considering both ability and cunning, Zhuo Shouyun had the highest chance of success. He was now more curious about what had truly happened over the past few decades.

The subsequent intelligence truly opened his eyes. It focused on describing Zhuo Yuanshen's movements.

That year, after the battle in Cloud City concluded, Zhuo Shouqing left with Zhuo Yuanshen. The Blood Abyss trial had just begun then. After the two returned to the Zhuo Clan of Guifang, they used Zhuo Shouqing's identity to open a family treasure vault filled with numerous treasures, including a top-grade Nascent Soul-forming spiritual item.

Named — Heavenly Water Longevity Clay! It was a supreme treasure suitable for cultivators with Water or Wood attributes to form a Nascent Soul. It could also be used by cultivators with Blood Spiritual Roots. Zhuo Yuanshen seized the opportunity to knock Zhuo Shouqing unconscious and absconded with all the treasures.

He then used the Zhuo Clan's internal teleportation array to flee in one go into the Northern Broken Mountain Range. According to the intelligence tracked by the Zhuo Clan, it was speculated that there was an 80% chance he was hiding in the Taihu Spiritual Domain.

The situation immediately became complicated. This was completely different from Wang Yu's initial guess. Perhaps realizing that the Blood Demon Body wasn't feasible, he chose the path of absconding with treasures and fleeing. As a collateral member of the Zhuo Clan, Zhuo Yuanshen knew that once Zhuo Shouqing failed, he would never be able to rise within the clan in this lifetime. A top-grade Nascent Soul-forming spiritual item would be an absolute fantasy for him.

The unconscious Zhuo Shouqing was forced to bear the consequences of this incident. He had tried to scheme with a tiger. It's possible he was influenced by Wang Yu, wanting to see Zhuo Yuanshen's trump card and whether he could directly contend with Zhuo Shouyun. In his naive thoughts, he perhaps believed the other party also commanded a group of people, never once considering the possibility that Zhuo Yuanshen was alone.

Zhuo Shouqing bore the Zhuo Clan's wrath over the lost treasure vault. This also awakened the Fierce Patriarch of his lineage from seclusion. As expected, the news was suppressed, and he was forcibly imprisoned, awaiting Zhuo Shouyun's return from the Blood Abyss. At this point, his fate was already sealed. Neither his parents nor the Fierce Patriarch, the origin of his bloodline, could possibly protect him any longer.

Thus, after the Blood Abyss trial concluded and Zhuo Shouyun completed his blood pool baptism, he returned to the ancestral land of Guifang and learned this news, which was also unexpected for him.

He had painstakingly researched and devised a secret art to resolve the after-effects of failed Bloodspring Demonic Arts. Part of the reason for this was his knowledge of Zhuo Yuanshen's existence. The conditions for forming a Blood Demon Body could be met among the three of them.

Over the next ten-plus years, he forcibly helped Zhuo Shouqing complete his incomplete Blood Spiritual Root. Then, he personally smuggled himself into the Northern Broken Mountain Range and went to Taihu to pursue Zhuo Yuanshen. This was the true reason for the lack of activity and news over these years. The Zhuo Clan intentionally blockaded the information, so it naturally didn't spread outside Guifang.

Now that the news had spread, it meant there was a result. The person was apprehended, yet also eluded capture.

The lost treasures were not recovered either. The specific reason was that Zhuo Yuanshen had abandoned his own physical body, and using a soul-snatching technique that only Golden Core cultivators could master, he had concealed himself within the dust. There had been no news of him since.

He had executed the cicada shedding its shell stratagem with great skill, and it even met Zhuo Shouyun's requirements, as he needed this physical body to complete the Blood Demon Body transformation ritual. This was the mark of an intelligent person; a brave man severing his own arm was no more decisive. As for Zhuo Shouqing, he had been thoroughly played from start to finish. Aside from his gloomy thoughts, he was practically useless.

However, the secret art for transforming into a Blood Demon Body was a secret transmission of the Blood Demon Hall's Sect Master lineage. Logically, Zhuo Shouyun shouldn't have known it.

He could only have obtained it while cultivating in the Blood Pavilion. Either the Young Sect Master or Lu Chenzhou had revealed this secret art. Judging by their closeness, the latter seemed more likely.

However, Wang Yu felt that the Young Sect Master was more likely to have revealed it. Don't forget the situation they faced: the Sect Master was not just their teacher but also a harbinger of death! Did they want to create a second Blood Demon Body to draw fire? This possibility was quite high.

Given how much information was revealed in this jade slip, it meant that the Sect Master would have even more detailed information. What would he think? Either he would go to the Zhuo Clan of Guifang to demand the person, or he would directly act against his two disciples.

“Things are about to get chaotic!”

He made this judgment because he had obtained a lot of information in the Blood Abyss. At that time, he already felt that the was problematic, and thus, he had never truly comprehended the Soul Transformation chapter. The Sect Master's goal was to break through to the Soul Transformation stage and break the monopoly of the Heavenly Refining Demonic Sect having all the Venerables. Would the he cultivated also have problems?

It was difficult not to have such thoughts. No matter how he looked at it, those ancient demons sealed away were not benevolent. Could they offer such great opportunities without any cost? There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

This principle had been taught to him by the Red Kite people.

Putting away the intelligence jade slip, Wang Yu couldn't help but want to leave. Conveniently, the fated opportunity given to him by Blood Axe was in Feng Province, and further north was the endless ice plain. Both were perfect for his cultivation. The Profound Bone Mountain Underground Palace was also in Feng Province, so he could visit it along the way. He would only consider returning after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Then there was Fu Xiao; if he wanted to leave, this person had to be dealt with. “It's about time,” he decided in his heart.

Wang Yu suddenly remembered something and asked the three Zuoqiu Clan elders, “Elders, why did you tell me to prepare myself just now? Was it regarding Zhuo Shouqing's connections?”

The Second Elder nodded, then shook his head. “I heard that Seventh Elder had a good relationship with him?”

“That was in the past. This person is hard to describe… By the way, has the news on the jade slip spread yet?”

“Not yet. This is through our Zuoqiu Clan's special channel. It will take another half a year for it to truly spread. Guifang is not close to the sect.”

“In that case, I shall take my leave. Fellow Daoists, if you have any alchemy needs in the future, feel free to visit.”

“Hahahaha, then we won't be polite!”

“As it should be.”

After leaving the Second Elder's cave dwelling, Wang Yu first returned to his own. He packed up all his belongings, placing them into his storage ring.

He then headed to the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon's cave dwelling. His main purpose was to urge the repair of Three-Foot Snow and inquire about the Fourth-Stage pill furnace.

To his surprise, his timing was perfect. “Your Dharma robe has been repaired. Heavenly Artifact Master expended considerable effort, so the price will increase by 300,000 spirit stones.”

Wang Yu was slightly suspicious, feeling that Old Yu was taking advantage to charge an extra fee. However, with the treasure in hand, and it being his first Mid-Grade Fourth-Stage magic artifact, he didn't care about the small sum.

After refining it with his magic power, Wang Yu still found it somewhat difficult to wield due to his cultivation. After all, he didn't possess orthodox demonic essence and could only benefit from Three-Foot Snow's basic enhancements. Its defensive capabilities were outstanding, almost immune to Third-Stage spell attacks. It could even reduce the power of Fourth-Stage spells by several tenths.

As for divine abilities, that would depend on the individual. He couldn't make a direct judgment.

The most important aspect was its enhancement effect. Taking the Ice Dragon Art as an example: assuming its original power was 1, casting it with Ice Flood Dragon Pill Flames would make it 5. And with Three-Foot Snow's boost, it could reach 12! Its power could match a casual attack from a Nascent Soul cultivator.

It could likely instantly kill an ordinary peak Golden Core cultivator.

If he were to layer divine abilities during casting, Wang Yu found it difficult to judge just how powerful it would be. Top-tier divine abilities combined with advanced cultivation, a Fourth-Stage magic treasure's boost, Fourth-Stage Ice Flood Dragon Pill Flame's enhancement, and his spiritual consciousness nearing the middle Fourth Stage.

At this moment, Wang Yu was no less powerful than a Nascent Soul cultivator. If he also factored in the Yellow Spring Earth Grievance Puppet, there was no reason for Fu Xiao, no matter how strong, to defeat him. His strength in all aspects had truly reached its peak, and the opportunity for a decisive battle had emerged.

There was no need to avoid it any longer!

Even if two Nascent Soul cultivators appeared, he could face them with composure.

“Oh, Senior Yu, about the pill furnace?” When this was brought up, Old Yu looked a bit helpless.

“All sect pill furnaces are under the jurisdiction of the Alchemy Hall. They are unwilling to budge, and there's nothing I can do. However… if you humble yourself to them, you can still gain usage rights for a Fourth-Stage pill furnace. Buying one outright is quite impossible.”

“This junior understands. Please bid farewell to Tangtang for me. I'm going on a long journey.”

“Alright. Don't die out there. Take this.”

Wang Yu was stunned. A Fourth-Stage Great Teleportation Talisman?

This item was excellent for escaping. Given the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon's personality, it was the first time he had been willing to offer something like this.

Wang Yu immediately took it and tucked it into his robes. It could be activated at any time.

“Many thanks for the talisman, Senior.”

“Be careful out there. Once you use it, it's gone. If you don't use it, return it to me when you get back.”

Heh heh— He had been moved too soon.

Just as he was about to leave, Wang Yu suddenly paused. Was Senior Yu implying something?

(End of Chapter)