Chapter 368: Ice Demon Child, Fengzhou City

These three were merely Foundation Establishment cultivators, so even if they knew some information, it wasn't very comprehensive.

Their audacity in occupying Mount Blackbone largely stemmed from the fact that a late-stage Core Formation cultivator in Fengzhou Prefecture City was their backer. Mount Blackbone was seized this way, and the intelligence also came from this Core Formation cultivator in the prefecture city.

About three years ago, shortly after Wang Yu teleported to Barren City and began his seclusion, a chaotic battle of Grand Cultivator level erupted at the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect's main gate. It was rumored that the Sect Master had failed in his attempt to break through to the Soul Transformation stage, lost control of his mind, and fought fiercely with the Three Bloodfiend Devils. The outcome was astonishing: three top demonic cultivators at the eighth level of the Nascent Soul stage were surprisingly no match for the Sect Master. What exactly transpired remains unknown. However, the result of their defeat spread widely.

Upon learning the news, the Yellow Spring Dao immediately ignited warfare in Yunling Province, not only reclaiming Zhuyue Province but also seizing the opportunity to penetrate deep into Yunling and occupy large territories. The Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect in the middle remained inactive for now. However, the Dual Cultivation Demonic Sect, an ally of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect located further south, also dispatched forces to attack Xueyuan Province, seizing a large area in the south.

The siege by these two major powers immediately sparked jubilation among countless other forces. Besides Fengzhou, even Yeqiong Province saw the emergence of rebellious factions.

Of course, these groups didn't act overtly. They publicly claimed to be suppressing chaos, but secretly dispatched their own people to plunder everywhere. The Reverse Spirit Blood Sect's resource sites at all levels were being lost. The Chiyuan people were like mad dogs suppressed for a long time, finally getting a chance to unleash their true nature.

Fengzhou Prefecture City was also facing immense pressure. Many within began to support their own factions, taking the opportunity to seize benefits. The so-called Mount Blackbone Bandits were a product of this broader trend.

With this limited information, Wang Yu couldn't help but feel perplexed. How could they be so audacious?!

Based on what he knew, there were two Grand Cultivators from Celestial Corpse Peak, two from Cold Blood Peak, one from Evil Sword Peak, three from Bloodfiend Peak, and one Blood God Guard. That alone amounted to nine Grand Cultivators, not to mention how many Grand Cultivators were stationed within the Zhuo, Yu, and Zuoqiu clans.

It was understandable for the Yellow Spring Dao and Dual Cultivation Sect to come and take a bite. But these rebellious individuals were simply seeking death.

Unfortunately, all the information obtained through soul-searching was insufficient for Wang Yu to make an accurate judgment. His trip to Mount Blackbone would have to be postponed; he needed to go to Fengzhou Prefecture City first. Only by grasping the broader situation could his choices be correct.

The Reverse Spirit Blood Sect served as a crucial stronghold on the Chiyuan side. Should a major disturbance occur, the Taihu Spirit Realm would certainly be aware. After more than four hundred years, if war were to break out again after only two generations of new cultivators had been trained, they would tear each other apart. Fortunately, Fengzhou was poor and desolate, so the flames of war wouldn't spread here anytime soon. However, the Yellow Spring Dao, the demon beasts of the Northern Broken Boundary Mountain Range, and even the opposing Azure Cloud Sect would dispatch scout teams. They would attempt to infiltrate through Fengzhou, this weak point. This was beyond doubt.

After brainstorming for a while, Wang Yu turned his gaze back to the old man still kneeling on the ground, resuming their previous conversation.

"Foolish! You used my things to save your own life? You've got some nerve!"

The old man stammered, "...Huh?"

He almost couldn't keep up with Wang Yu's train of thought, breaking out in a sweat with anxiety, and opened his mouth to explain. However, he saw hundreds of ice chains burning with pale white flames shooting towards him. He tried to use an escape technique to flee backward, but he discovered that, at some unknown point, a large number of black ice crystals had emerged from the ground, freezing his lower body. That brief moment of hesitation caused his mind to completely cease functioning.

Wang Yu formed hand seals. The Ice Dragon Alchemical Flame rapidly condensed into a fiery cauldron. In no time, the old man, along with his Core and soul, transformed into a spiritual pill imprinted with a distorted human face. This was the secret alchemical technique of Human Pill Arts—the Golden Core Art!

The name was a bit ordinary. Yet, its effect was incredibly potent, capable of refining a Core Formation cultivator who had lost the ability to resist into a Human Pill within a few breaths. As this was an expedited version, the pill only possessed the effect of rapidly restoring magical power. The amount of magical power instantly restored depended on the cultivation level of the primary material used, which provided a decisive advantage in prolonged battles. If there were time to process it slowly, the most valuable use would actually be to refine it into a spiritual pill that enhances cultivation, which Wang Yu sorely needed. For now, there was no rush; he would test the method first. Once he reached Fengzhou Prefecture City, he would have plenty of materials to refine.

After clearing out all the spoils of war and picking all the Marrow Cleansing Fruits, Wang Yu left the nameless mountain and fled towards the northeast. That was the direction of the prefecture city.

Because Fengzhou was vast and sparsely populated, the distances between cities were extremely long. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators would need to fly for ten days to half a month to travel from one city to another.

Several days later, passing by a place called Chaishan City, Wang Yu's spiritual sense swept across it and he discovered a large gathering of people near the City Lord's Mansion, seemingly preparing for a battle with some force. The City Lord, merely an early-stage Core Formation cultivator, yet still governing one of Fengzhou's few major cities, ascended on clouds and mists, leading over a thousand cultivators flying out of the city.

On the other side, there was also a group of people. Their numbers just exceeded a hundred, but they had three early-stage Core Formation cultivators who perfunctorily covered their faces with black cloths, not even bothering to buy masks. In less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the two sides clashed.

The City Lord of Chaishan pointed his sword at the three individuals. He scoffed, "Ziluo, Meteor, Wushu, is this how you three clumsily conceal your identities? Are you deliberately trying to humiliate this City Lord?!"

The three replied, "'You are destined to die, so hiding or not makes little difference.' 'Brother Wu is right... City Lord of Chaishan! The Reverse Spirit Blood Sect's power is waning. Why continue offering a million spirit stones every five years? Wouldn't it be better to use those resources for your own cultivation?'"

The City Lord's face turned ashen. He was different from these commoners. He had a family behind him, and his position as City Lord was obtained through family influence. As a beneficiary of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect, a dominant power, he naturally had to uphold its rule.

"—'Boastful nonsense! Insects dare to dream of dining at the table? Aren't you afraid of choking to death?' 'Hmph!' 'Attack!'"

With no common ground for discussion, just as the two sides were about to engage in battle, Wang Yu instantly appeared in the center of the battlefield. A three-year-old child hovered in mid-air. This eerie sight immediately caused both sides to halt. Wushu couldn't help but say, "Fellow Daoist, why do you obstruct us?"

This person spoke somewhat intelligently, but his actions were truly irrational. Wang Yu revealed a sincere smile and pointed his small hand towards the crowd. Demonic curse patterns emerged on his jade-like arm. Dark ice lines flashed and disappeared instantly. The City Lord of Chaishan's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched his powerful adversaries—Ziluo, Wushu, and Meteor—along with the hundred-plus cultivators behind them, all turn into blocks of ice. The Ice Dragon Alchemical Flame rose, and immediately, a rain of pills fell from the sky. These were all Human Pills, effortlessly refined by Wang Yu from the first and second-tier cultivators. The only things left were three man-sized fiery cauldrons, silently floating behind Wang Yu. He intended to refine them into Human Pills that would increase magical power, dragging them along with threads of magical energy for now.

Only then did he look at the City Lord of Chaishan. Just as the other party couldn't help but tremble, Wang Yu opened his mouth to speak but then swallowed his words. He had originally intended to order: "Defend using the City Lord's Mansion formation and await changes." But after thinking it over carefully, saying so would easily expose his identity with the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect. Having finally gained this childlike body, no one would associate Wang Yu with the Child Demon Lord, which effectively thwarted the Nine Evil Sword Lord's intentions. After all, his Innate Demonic Embryo was quite special. Normally, the Acquired Demonic Embryo was what the Nine Evil Sword Lord focused on. Wang Yu could even leave the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect, and no one would discover him for a short period. Until he grew up again... This might sound strange, but it was the truth!

So, he said nothing, dragged the three fiery cauldrons, and continued towards Fengzhou Prefecture City.

Previously, he had judged that Fengzhou had not yet been ravaged by war. In reality, he had somewhat misjudged. The Chiyuan people were largely unstable elements. Before, they fought in secret and rarely attacked the Sacred Sect's strongholds. Now, it had become a complete mess. Fights were breaking out everywhere.

During his journey, Wang Yu was often drawn by the "fragrance" emanating from Core Formation cultivators, inadvertently diverting his path. What should have been a short journey took him half a month, and he hadn't even covered half the distance.

In contrast, the number of fiery cauldrons floating behind him grew steadily, as countless Core Formation cultivators met a tragic end at his hands. There were already over a hundred cauldrons.

"It's a pity that ninety percent of them are early-stage Core Formation cultivators, useless beings whose potential has been exhausted, and their numbers are really too few..." He muttered chilling words to himself.

As Wang Yu extended his hand, the three fiery cauldrons that had been ignited earliest behind him dissipated. After half a month of painstaking refinement, three cultivation-enhancing Human Pills landed in his palm. They were about the size of a longan fruit, resembling a cultivator's Golden Core but with numerous additional blood-red patterns. He picked one up and put it in his mouth, chewing it. He closed his eyes and sensed for a moment.

"Thirty strands of magical power... that's a bit too little. It's true what they say, early-stage Core Formation cultivators are indeed trash."

However, one such cultivation-enhancing Human Pill could still equate to nearly a month of his cultivation. Single refinements weren't cost-effective; only large-scale refinement like this yielded substantial returns.

"Moreover... Human Pills don't seem to have pill barriers?" Wang Yu's eyebrows slightly raised. He finally understood why Human Pill Arts had become such a sought-after alchemy tradition among the Chiyuan people: it allowed one to enhance power simply by killing. This was something countless demonic cultivators dreamed of.

He glanced back at the floating cauldrons. It was fortunate that his spiritual sense was strong enough, his Human Pill Arts had reached perfection, and the Golden Core Art's refining method was simple and brutal. Otherwise, he truly couldn't sustain such large-scale alchemy. Wang Yu felt his limit should be around five hundred cauldrons, but his magical power couldn't quite sustain it. The Ice Dragon Alchemical Flame was, after all, a fourth-tier flame. For the past half month, he had to consume a top-grade third-tier magical power pill daily to sustain himself. He still had about thirty-plus pills in stock. He could refine another batch.

Next came the harvesting stage. All hundred fiery cauldrons would successively complete the final step of pill nurturing, thus becoming refined and ready.

"Another round?" Murmuring to himself, Wang Yu confirmed his decision. Opportunities to increase magical power weren't easy to find, and the chance to openly hunt down rebels was rare. He also wanted to break free from his confinement as soon as possible. Perhaps this approach was better?

Several days later.

"Run!"

"The Ice Demon Child is here!"

"Ahhh, the Ice Demon Child is here to capture people for alchemy! Run, everyone!!!"

"There's a Core Formation cultivator here, Ice Demon Senior! Look at me, he's a Core Formation cultivator! He used a secret technique to hide his cultivation!"

In mid-air, Wang Yu's mouth twitched. This wasn't the first time he had witnessed such a scene. Seeing that Core Formation cultivator wishing to grind the loudmouthed individual to dust, Wang Yu raised his hand and a beam of Ice Dragon Sword shot forth—one of the derived applications after the Ice Chain Soul Binding Curse reached perfection. This allowed him to extend the Soul Binding Curse patterns into the fiery cauldrons formed by the Ice Dragon Alchemical Flame, live-refining these rebels. This combination attack was incredibly effective for 'mowing down' opponents; only late-stage Core Formation cultivators could resist it somewhat, but unfortunately, there were too few such individuals. Anyone with even a little ambition had gone to develop in other provinces.

At this moment, dense magical ice threads extended from behind him, dragging nearly two hundred fiery cauldrons. His speed was inevitably slowed considerably. Wherever he went, he could hear the cultivators' frightened screams.

"Ice Demon Child" was the first widely known moniker in Wang Yu's life, spreading throughout Fengzhou. Almost everyone knew that a figure had emerged here who killed Core Formation cultivators as easily as slaughtering dogs. The Ice Demon Child, who deeply loved the Dao of Human Pills!

There were also rumors that he feared the reputation of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect and only dared to target impoverished rogue cultivators and rogue bandits. Having such a weak reputation—one who bullied the weak, feared the powerful, and didn't even dare to kick someone while they were down—completely separated the Ice Demon Child from the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect. This was his own doing. After it spread on a small scale, cultivators who resented him naturally spread the defamatory remarks even wider, allowing Wang Yu to act with even greater impunity.

With an innocent face and body, he was doing the work of a demon.

After a massive slaughter in Baita City, another five or six cultivation-enhancing Human Pills were produced. Wang Yu quickly calculated that these would last him for quite some time. This place was already very close to Fengzhou Prefecture City. He decided not to kill any more. Due to his presence, recent conflicts in Fengzhou had significantly decreased.

As he left, dragging the multitude of cauldrons behind him, the Qi Condensation cultivators who had been screaming in terror, though actually in no real danger, heaved a long sigh of relief.

"Good thing I'm smart. I hid under a woman's skirt, and that Ice Demon let me go."

Those around him were instantly speechless.

Another half month passed. After dispersing all the fiery cauldrons, Wang Yu ultimately obtained 231 cultivation-enhancing Human Pills, conservatively estimated to be enough for him to break through to the peak of the ninth layer of Core Formation. He picked one up, put it in his mouth, and chewed it. Feeling the concentrated, pure magical power surge into his body, rapidly increasing his cultivation, the subtle sweetness and sense of growing strength left Wang Yu deeply satisfied. One such pill was enough for him to digest in a day.

Correcting his direction, concealing his figure, and completely retracting the dragging light effect of his Aurora Escape Technique, he avoided all gazes and arrived beneath Fengzhou Prefecture City in just two days. This city, although its most powerful cultivators were only at the peak of the Core Formation stage, had its construction scale and underground spirit veins established according to fourth-tier standards. Because there were too many Core Formation cultivators here, a single low-grade fourth-tier spirit vein was insufficient. There were also two high-grade third-tier spirit veins distributed in the northern and southern urban areas.

Wang Yu arrived at the gate of the Southern City District. As he concealed his aura, the spiritual light of his magical robe also dissipated, making him instantly appear unremarkable. His innocent, wide eyes sparkled with curiosity as he observed his surroundings.

"Huh—"

"Why is there a child here? Where are your parents?"

Wang Yu looked up, his throat involuntarily bobbing once or twice.

"So white, so big... he couldn't even see her face!"