Chapter 386: Thousand-Mile Pursuit, Tremendous Changes at Qifeng Pass

Wang Yu knew about this item. It was the Kirin Beast Head Bell, the natal magic treasure of the Feng family’s deceased ancient ancestor, a Grand Nascent Soul Cultivator. It provided a form of life protection at immense cost, consuming vital essence. He remembered it well from the ancient texts because of the name "Kirin."

The Blood Slaughter Heart Sword was able to trigger this ultimate defense, indicating that they were ninety percent of the way there, just short of killing the Azure-robed Ancestor on the spot. The ethereal azure bell blocked the crimson sword energy, but it also left a horrifying crack stretching from north to south across the city, within which a terrifying slaughter intent surged. If one's consciousness sank into it, they would likely be overwhelmed by the killing intent.

The disheveled Azure-robed Ancestor had just lifted his head when the Earth Resentment Puppet's Yellow Springs Great Hand Seal arrived. This time, it erupted from underground like the hand of a primal earth god, suddenly opening to crush the Azure-robed figure into pulp.

"Ughhh!"

The barrage of frenzied attacks drove the Azure-robed figure into complete madness. Indeed, he was given no chance to breathe. The backlash from stopping his divine ability nearly shattered his internal organs. His internal injuries were too severe. Now, pinned again by the Yellow Springs Great Hand Seal, he realized that if he continued to worry about his magic treasure being damaged, he would be the one to suffer a fatal blow. The Azure-robed figure made a swift decision.

His natal magic treasure, the Sky Azure Ruler, suddenly shot out. It struck his own forehead, leaving an azure rune mark, then transformed into an azure flood dragon that, like a hurricane, completely dispersed the Yellow Springs Great Hand Seal. The hurricane expanded further, attempting to destroy the ice mirror illusion Wang Yu had set up.

This desperate act made Wang Yu unsure of his intent—whether it was a feigned attack or a genuine outburst—as wind blades scattered in all directions. Wang Yu's true body suddenly burst from underground. Black, solid ice formed a square cage, enveloping both of them. This not only narrowed the battle area but also served the same purpose as the ice mirrors, preventing distant onlookers from clearly seeing his methods.

This repeated action led the Azure-robed Ancestor to realize that his opponent was very reluctant to expose his identity, only using simple vision obstruction. This suggested that the opponent's techniques were distinctive, perhaps even famous.

"Ice Demon Child..." His thoughts raced as he looked at the solid ice before him and considered his opponent's recent breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage. A blurry figure vaguely appeared in his mind. However, he hadn't fully grasped it yet.

A high-pitched dragon roar sounded behind him. An Infernal Demonic Dragon, now officially over a thousand meters long and rapidly growing to three thousand meters, had formed from qi and blood. Every scale and claw, its dragon eyes and ferocious horns, were incredibly realistic! Silver Blood Divine Power covered its body, forming silver patterns. Under the effect of the Force Field, it seemed to transform into a warhead, assaulting the Azure-robed Ancestor.

Most importantly, since obtaining the Silver Blood Divine Power—a fourth-tier realm anomaly unique to body cultivators—the previous feeling of being constrained had completely disappeared. Fierce divine power burst forth. With the Silver Blood's efficacy, every part of the Force Field contained his full explosive strength, further amplified by the perfected Demon Dragon Fist. This strike, too, was fatal!

The air was frantically compressed, forming white masses that erupted like a torrent before even reaching the Azure-robed figure. The Infernal Demonic Dragon directly impacted the old man's lower back. He crumpled like kneaded dough. The wind-attributed azure flood dragon formed by the Sky Azure Ruler coiled around his body. Compared to the Infernal Demonic Dragon, it was minuscule but not weak in power. It actively extended its head, supporting an azure gale defense. However, the power of a fourth-tier body refining divine ability was too formidable. Perhaps due to its material, the Sky Azure Ruler itself was unharmed, but the Azure-robed Ancestor was in dire straits. The immense force penetrated his body, almost completely severing him below the lower back, his lower half crushed into a thin pancake, even thinner than paper.

"—No!"

The old scoundrel roared, abruptly awakening. With the distinct features of the Infernal Demonic Dragon and ice manipulation, coupled with the earlier failure of the formation, if he still couldn't figure it out, he would be a fool.

"Wang Yu, it's you! You traitor!!"

"What a joke. You old geezer dared to set a trap for me; your Feng family deserves to die."

His eyes hardened. The Glazed Pagoda, which had been drifting within the black ice wall, was at some point moved by Wang Yu directly above the Azure-robed Ancestor's head, instantly enlarging and pressing down. The natural sealing power of the pagoda-shaped magic treasure proved incredibly effective.

Wang Yu activated the Moon-gazing state of his Grand Lunar Nether Eyes to its maximum, quickly locking onto the Azure-robed Ancestor's Nascent Soul. Within the enlarged space of the pagoda, the Twelve Phases of Guanghan were deployed swiftly. The twelve wondrous phenomena appeared in sequence: Cassia Tree, Moon Rabbit, Ice Axe, Jade Disk, Immortal Shadow, Palace, Cold Bridge, Frost Sword, Aurora, Feather Robe, Ruyi Scepter, and Sacred Bow. Powers layered upon each other. The aurora scriptures on the inner walls transformed into an illusory dream, and a straight beam of Ice Soul Divine Light descended inward from the moon pearl at the top of the pagoda. It fell directly, enveloping the Azure-robed Ancestor. These three divine abilities combined to deliver a truly fatal strike!

From the moment he unleashed the Soul-Shattering Death Ray, Wang Yu had carefully laid his plans, all for this ultimate move, which he had quickly devised as the most probable way to eliminate the Azure-robed figure. Frequent spellcasting heavily consumed his demonic essence—his hundred-odd, still less than two hundred, drops. If this move failed, it would mean his methods were incomplete. He would need methods that could truly seal spatial displacement techniques.

Ice crystals proliferated within the pagoda. The Azure-robed figure, reduced to only his upper body, appeared truly dead, devoid of any resistance. After the Twelve Phases' wondrous scenes took effect, this half-humanoid ice crystal was like a sand dune blown by the wind. Layer after layer of fine, granular dust, like an inverted hourglass, began to flow away continuously, at an increasingly rapid pace.

But Wang Yu's expression was grim. He grabbed a handful of recovery pills, crunching and swallowing them whole. The crescent moon mark in his pupils sharpened to a pinprick, and his vision shifted; the Azure-robed figure's corpse lost its color in his eyes. It was completely stripped away, as if peeled and deboned. At the location of the qi sea, a gray, lifeless Nascent Soul, with closed eyes and bowed head, appeared. It was not a true demonic Nascent Soul of the Feng family.

"Golden Cicada Escapism..."

After quickly scanning every part of the Glazed Pagoda and confirming the opponent hadn't used a 'light-under-the-lamp' trick, Wang Yu's divine sense transformed into tendrils and conducted a direct city-wide search. It finally dissolved into a long sigh. He estimated that after performing Golden Cicada Escapism, the opponent immediately activated the Nascent Soul Cultivator's inherent divine ability—Spatial Shift! The effectiveness of spatial escape techniques is well-known; it's one of the most common life-saving methods. The Azure-robed figure's courage to completely abandon his physical body and escape as a mere Nascent Soul was commendable. This meant that for a long time, he could only rely on his divine sense and the demonic essence remaining within the Nascent Soul to exert his power, as the energy cycle between the Nascent Soul and the qi sea was severed. Once severed, he couldn't recover unless he found a new qi sea dwelling. Otherwise, the demonic essence remaining within the Nascent Soul, once consumed, could not be replenished. After all, a Nascent Soul is still an infant form; without meridians, how could it recover demonic essence? This would only be possible upon breaking through to the Soul Transformation stage, where the Nascent Soul transforms into a Primordial Spirit under the nourishment of Law Intent. At that point, the Primordial Spirit would mature into a human form, identical to the main body. If the physical body were damaged then, besides possession, one could also find ways to reshape a new one. This method, unlike possession, had fewer restrictions and was a legitimate way to recover a physical body.

"A Nascent Soul early-stage Spatial Shift can travel up to three thousand li in the vicinity, and it's a random teleportation." Pondering this, Wang Yu suddenly remembered that the Azure-robed Ancestor's direct descendant, Feng Hua, the City Lord of Mei Ling, was still in the City Lord's Mansion! Tracing bloodlines, tracking relatives—these were common tricks among demonic cultivators. Such secret arts ranged from simple to profoundly complex. Although Wang Yu rarely delved into them, he had readily available methods. Moreover, he possessed a geomancy secret art recorded in the Earth Mother Scripture.

At this moment, the world was silent. The central district of Mei Ling City was completely destroyed. Large numbers of cultivators from the east, west, north, and south districts had moved away from the battle center, only daring to watch from afar, with no intention of approaching. Wang Yu's thoughts stirred. The ice mirror rematerialized, its covered area expanding further outwards. Mei Ling City's formation was still active but lacked a primary controller. After a quick divine sense search, in a short while, the Yellow Springs Earth Resentment Puppet returned, carrying an unconscious Feng Hua. A black vortex opened behind him, and over a thousand palm-sized black paper boats poured into Feng Hua's head. He instantly shrieked, his eyes rolling upwards. The Soul-Gouging Evil Boat Curse brought back boatloads of memories for Wang Yu to examine.

Shortly after, Wang Yu, carrying the City Lord of Mei Ling like a dead dog, directly entered the city's treasury. A city required management, so the City Lord's Mansion's treasury still held some decent items. However, most were third-tier spiritual items, including millions of low-grade spirit stones and over ten thousand high-grade ones. The supreme-grade spirit stones and fourth-tier spiritual items he most desired were completely absent. Wang Yu was prepared for this. Acquiring half a Nascent Soul remnant corpse to feed to the Thunder Corpse would undoubtedly cultivate it to the peak of the third tier in merely seven or eight years, a significant shortcut. The overall gains were still considerable. Thus, he then unhurriedly embarked on the pursuit.

Days later, Wang Yu held a geomancy compass with a blob of blood floating on it, acting as a pointer to guide him. Feng Hua's divine soul had been destroyed, leaving only a body with lingering vitality. Transformed into a mere blood-supplying machine, truly a pathetic sight. This was their own doing. Wang Yu had initially planned to blend in with the Yougu Feng family for a while, but their trap-setting was utterly disgusting! So he decided to go all out.

After several days of tracking, Wang Yu discovered that the Azure-robed Ancestor had shifted west. After traveling three thousand li, he was very close to the border between Night Jade Province and the North Broken Mountain Range. He remembered that north of Black Mountain Pass, beyond the Wilted Leaf Marsh and Dry Sea White Sands, and through a mountain range, lay Night Jade Province's renowned pass—Strange Peak Pass! This place was famous for its numerous unusual peaks, particularly vast stretches of strange iron-stone formations renowned for yielding abundant gold and stone treasures. This iron-stone forest possessed a magnetic field that could suppress the manifestation capabilities of divine sense. Hence, this place was also one of the most brutal "meat grinders" in the righteous-demonic war, where countless heroic souls from both paths were buried.

Having tracked him all the way here, Wang Yu was slightly puzzled as to why the Azure-robed figure didn't flee towards Yougu but instead moved away from Night Jade Province and entered Strange Peak Pass. He gazed from afar at the majestic pass spanning the iron-stone forest. He was contemplating how to sneak in. Considering the behavior of the Lake Tai cultivators stationed at Black Mountain Pass, even though Strange Peak Pass belonged to the Scarlet Kite Sect, the unspoken rules should be similar, right? He touched his Sea Heart Ring. Wang Yu didn't carry small items like storage pouches but rather a string of storage rings. He transferred some spirit stones into one of them.

Just as he was about to set off, a tremendous thunderclap suddenly rang out, and the sky turned into a crimson sea of lightning. This was the famous lightning divine ability of the Thunderfire Temple—Crimson Sun Heavenly Thunder! And the most famous practitioner of this divine ability was True Monarch Yang Lei.

"They found me?" Wang Yu was surprised. Although Lake Tai and Scarlet Kite had been clamoring for war for a few years, the war preparation phase was always the most tedious, involving strategizing, logistical mobilization, and deployment to pre-determined battlefields. It would take at least a year to prepare. The sudden upheaval at Strange Peak Pass was very likely a raid personally led by True Monarch Yang Lei. The objective was self-evident.

As he pondered, Wang Yu instantly submerged underground, creating a lightless space. He loosened the Human Seed Pouch from his waist and released the people he had abducted from Mei Ling City's prison. There were only seven or eight people, the most important of whom was True Monarch Yang Lei's son. Handing him over directly would be complicated. He decided to set the stage first, putting on the Demonic Luo Ghost Mask, a symbol of the Demonic Luo Cult. True Monarch Yang Lei was also an ancestor of the Thunderfire Temple. If this person's identity was real, he would surely know something about it. After all, ninety percent of the mortals abducted by the Demonic Luo Cult ended up in the Thunderfire Temple's territory.

"Ahem—" Clearing his throat, several rays of light flew out from the Human Seed Pouch. Wang Yu's gentle, youthful voice spoke first. "Are you all doing well?"

The seven or eight people immediately huddled together, trembling. The "young master," whose lips and teeth were bloody, looked at Wang Yu's mask and visibly relaxed. He tried to speak. "Se-Senior... are you from the Demonic Luo Cult?"

"More or less. I'll send you back. What's your name?"

"Li Mingsheng." Having failed to prove himself and been brutally beaten by reality, Li Mingsheng's spirit was almost entirely deflated. However, he had also gained considerable experience, no longer a naive novice from a sheltered background. Learning by doing is most effective. Spoiled children of immortals acting foolishly—it's just how they are.

He had seen Wang Yu's face in Mei Ling City, and even with the mask, he wasn't entirely sure if he could trust him, so he remained timid. Seeing that Wang Yu had no intention of speaking, he couldn't help himself again. "Senior, when will we go find... Sister Lei?"

Hearing this, Wang Yu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, realizing then that the noblewoman from Lake Tai he had met earlier was indeed named Lei, truly from a prominent lineage. After a moment's thought, he said, "For now, we are still in Scarlet Kite territory. I must ask you to remain in my magic treasure for a while longer. Here are some spirit stones for you to recover your magical power."

He generously scattered spirit stones, which Li Mingsheng and the others immediately took. An empty qi sea truly provided cultivators with little sense of security. Seeing Wang Yu's friendly attitude, the other several scions who had accompanied Li Mingsheng on his adventure quickly expressed their gratitude.

"Excellent, excellent, thank you, Senior."

"Thank you for your trouble, Senior. I will certainly offer a generous reward upon my return."

"Senior, please quickly take out your magic treasure; it will be safer inside."

"Of course." Wang Yu opened the Human Seed Pouch, revealing an honest, simple smile like an old farmer. Everyone entered in sequence, feeling much more at ease.

The brief conversation ended. Wang Yu returned to the surface and watched the battle at Strange Peak Pass for a while. Seeing the fierce fighting, he had no intention of getting closer. The Azure-robed figure was likely inside the pass. How to kill him to eliminate future trouble would depend on subsequent actions, and speed was crucial. Otherwise, if the opponent regained a physical body and left again, he would have to chase him down once more. As for his identity as the Ice Demon Child being equated with Wang Yu, that was irrelevant. He didn't want the "Child" title anymore!