Chapter 391: Secret Art · Lock of Heaven, Maple State Incident

Aside from magic treasures, there were only two Fourth-Tier spiritual items: the Storm Whetstone and the Heavenly Gang Jade.

The former, a cherished possession of Qingyi, accelerates the cultivation of wind-attribute techniques. The latter, found in Yunyan's storage ring, can be integrated into the Demonic Dragon Armor as a material.

Regarding magic treasures, the Azure Sky Ruler and the Myriad Transformation Heavenly Net Smoke were both Fourth-Tier low-grade Natal Magic Treasures. Their utility was limited, as such items are most potent when wielded by their owners. For Wang Yu, they were nearly useless except for refining their components. The Heavenly Net Smoke was particularly difficult to repurpose due to its unique cloud-like form. How to handle them specifically would be decided later.

Old Ancestor Qingyi's Divine Sense Secret Treasure, the Soul-Splitting Needle, was suitable for Wang Yu, whose divine sense had always surpassed his cultivation realm. Used in a sneak attack, its effectiveness was comparable to the Blood-Slaying Heart Sword.

Gains in divine abilities and secret arts were meager. Even family ancestors typically do not carry their primary cultivation methods; these are usually stored in their clan's inheritance grounds. Other scattered techniques were of little use.

The greatest value in capturing these two Nascent Soul cultivators lay in their bodies, which would all be used to feed the Lightning Corpse. With such abundant nourishment, and provided a suitable breakthrough item could be found, the Lightning Corpse was almost guaranteed to advance to the Fourth Tier. This would allow it to continue being a truly useful assistant in Nascent Soul-level battles, a role the Netherworld Earth Grievance Puppet had already proven valuable.

Given the potential of an anomalous Lightning Corpse, the Third Tier would certainly not be its limit. In contrast, the Lunar Fiend Corpse was a lower-grade anomaly, and cultivating it to the Fourth Tier would come at too great a cost. It was currently in a semi-abandoned state, and, barring unforeseen circumstances, its peak stage would be the Third Tier.

After several days of rest, Wang Yu entered a short seclusion for half a month. When the appointed time with True Monarch Yang Lei arrived, he proactively set out to retrieve the Void Secret Art he had acquired with 100,000 battle merits.

He arrived at the core of the Cloudsoaring Battlecraft alone this time.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, here is the section of the Void Dao Canon you selected. Did you specifically choose it because you've experienced the evasiveness of teleportation techniques?" True Monarch Yang Lei inquired.

"Indeed," Wang Yu affirmed. Nascent Soul cultivators were truly difficult to capture; Qingyi had escaped him once, and Yunyan had likely been careless this time. He also noted that none of the four Nascent Soul cultivators at Bifang Pass had detected any issues. Any timely support or surprise attack during the fight could have drastically altered the outcome. This truly made him worthy of the title "Demon-Slaying Vanguard."

True Monarch Yang Lei nodded. "This is the one-time transmission jade slip for the 'Heaven's Lock' secret art. Before accepting the inheritance, you must swear a Heavenly Dao oath and sign this True Spirit Contract." This was standard procedure; he had undergone a similar process when accepting the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect's inheritance. This time, only the contract was different, but the terms were much the same.

After confirming everything was in order, Wang Yu successfully obtained the secret art inheritance. The Void Dao Canon was divided into nine sections, all related to the Spatial Dao. He had chosen Heaven's Lock, a top-tier Fourth-Tier secret art that required absorbing spatial energy to condense it into silver locks. The more locks condensed, the more powerful its effects. It could not only seal spatial teleportation divine abilities but also stabilize collapsing space, "fish" in the void, and even serve as an excellent means of binding enemies.

Cultivating this secret art was somewhat like a process of creation from nothing, quite similar to the art of artifact refining. The spatial silver locks condensed during cultivation would exist in a semi-illusory state. When inactive, they would appear as spatial silver patterns on the Nascent Soul. Once activated, they could transform into chains, sealing a region of space with virtually no delay, their effective range determined by their length.

All in all, this was a secret art with no visible upper limit; the longer one cultivated it, the more formidable it became. The sole challenge lay in absorbing spatial energy, which was formless and intangible. In normal worlds, spatial energy rarely leaked, making it necessary to cultivate in special terrains, such as dangerous areas riddled with spatial rifts or unique spatial formations. It was harder to capture than spiritual energy, fiendish qi, or blood qi.

Furthermore, there was a clever method: absorbing space-attribute spiritual materials. However, in the Ice Hell Realm, a prison world chosen by a powerful upper-realm being, space was incredibly stable. Even Nascent Soul cultivators could only affect it through top-tier secret arts or profound cultivation. Spatial rifts seemed non-existent, and space-attribute spiritual materials had become exceedingly rare, completely vanishing after the ancient era.

In the current cultivation world, storage bags could still be crafted. However, the ability to mass-produce storage rings, which could contain vast spaces, had been lost. This explained Wang Yu's habit of collecting storage rings. He had hundreds of them. Melting them down would yield enough space-attribute materials to even refine Fourth-Tier magic treasures. This material was crucial, and Wang Yu would undoubtedly find a use for it eventually.

After the transmission jade slip dissolved into dust, True Monarch Yang Lei asked, "How is it? Do you feel confident in cultivating it?"

"I should be able to," Wang Yu replied. Even when highly confident, he never spoke with absolute certainty.

As he pondered, he placed the Heaven's Lock secret art into his "placement slot." Similar to the Corpse Demon Secret Art, it constantly fed him spatial energy, automatically condensing spatial silver patterns on his Nascent Soul's chest. No comprehension was needed; the placement slot automatically began cultivation, essentially "skipping class." This step alone saved a tremendous amount of time. The placement slot drew spatial energy from an unknown source and cultivated on its own, requiring no effort from Wang Yu.

After bidding farewell to True Monarch Yang Lei, Wang Yu returned to his temporary cave abode and resumed his secluded cultivation. As a newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator, he had many matters to attend to.

As time passed, the Lightning Fire Temple's assault on Bifang Pass gradually devolved from a lightning-fast strike into a war of attrition. Even with one fewer Nascent Soul cultivator on the opposing side, achieving a decisive victory proved difficult. In a sense, True Monarch Yang Lei's ambition to capture Bifang Pass failed; he had no internal agents positioned there, and any such arrangements were confined to the Southern Broken Boundary Mountains, not Bifang Pass. The war of attrition dragged on for nearly eight months.

On this day, True Monarch Yang Lei led the Lightning Fire Temple forces in preparation for retreat. Wang Yu, recently appointed as a Demon-Slaying General, had not participated in a single battle, having merely cultivated in seclusion at the rear. His campaign ended without ever seeing combat, which was truly perplexing.

Fortunately, Lei Yao, with whom he had a good relationship, offered an explanation. On the Cloudsoaring Battlecraft, she smiled apologetically and said, "Zidian played a small trick, forcing Uncle Li to change his mind. Although the plan didn't quite work out... the Temple still can't fully trust you." In plain terms, his military rank remained, but his actual authority was gone.

Wang Yu didn't particularly mind this, but that didn't mean he would tolerate just anyone throwing their weight around. Theoretically, he had joined the Demon Luo Cult, not the Lightning Fire Temple! Zidian was a prodigy who achieved fame at a young age, breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm with a life that had largely been smooth sailing, completely unlike Wang Yu, who had endured many hardships. The stark difference between the Taihu and Chiyuan environments also fostered Zidian's arrogant personality. In Chiyuan, someone like him would have had his Nascent Soul ripped out long ago. Wang Yu still needed to decide how to deal with him.

Furthermore, the distrust was unbeknownst to him. The Lightning Fire Temple had issued strict gag orders, not just to True Monarch Yang Lei, but to Lei Yao as well. Only recently, with the strategic objective achieved and the army temporarily withdrawn south, did Lei Yao come to explain.

The situation was simple. The southern territory of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect had been invaded by the Joyful Demonic Sect, with the battlefield on the edge of Blood Abyss Province. Black Mountain Pass was nearby, nullifying all previous cooperation agreements. After a brutal confrontation, elite Taihu cultivator squads used this pass as a forward base to infiltrate Blood Abyss Province and assassinate various city lords. While successful attempts were few, each served as a stark warning. What if a Nascent Soul cultivator came next? What if it was a late-stage Nascent Soul?

This situation diverted a significant portion of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect's resources. At the same time, on the eastern front, the Netherworld Temple's full-scale, frenzied offensive also exerted immense pressure, forcing them to commit even more forces. It was unclear if this was due to long-standing oppression or a lingering aftermath from the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest incident, but the Netherworld Temple seemed to be playing for real. From Yunling Province in the south to Feng Province in the north, the entire front line was engaged in fierce fighting.

The existence of these two battlefields tied up an excessive number of powerful individuals. Therefore, True Monarch Yang Lei, bringing five Cloudsoaring Battlecrafts, launched a probing feint attack, attempting to further drain the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect's reserves. When it was discovered that the sect was redeploying forces from Feng Province, it was quickly interpreted as a sign of being outwardly strong but internally weak, and short on personnel. Ice River Pass, a western border pass in Feng Province, had already been captured by a 100,000-strong cultivator army jointly formed by the Jade Cloud Sect and Moon-Gazing Palace. They were now operating within Feng Province, initiating localized warfare involving sieges and territorial conquests. The news had not yet spread widely, but it was confirmed.

Wang Yu, upon receiving this information, was surprised but also somewhat suspicious. "What are the Saint Sect powerhouses doing? Are they really this incompetent?"

The current cultivator army would now split into two teams: some heading south to garrison Black Mountain Pass, and others retreating to a bridgehead-type stronghold city outside Bifang Pass. Their task was to constantly guard against Chiyuan cultivators pouring out of Bifang Pass to launch surprise attacks on the Taihu Spirit Domain. Their mission was complete, with estimated casualties of at least 30,000. However, there was little visible remorse in their words, only excitement and a thirst for battle merits. The number 30,000 had no impact on them.

A simple estimate puts Taihu's population at over ten times that of Chiyuan, so the number of cultivators should also be at least ten times greater. This estimate isn't entirely accurate; the true number of cultivators might be around fifteen to eighteen times, potentially forming an army of tens of millions. Compared to that, 30,000 was indeed negligible.

With various thoughts swirling in his mind, Wang Yu asked Lei Yao, after she had honestly relayed the information, "Which path will Daoist Brother choose to take next?"

Wang Yu, however, smiled. "Which way are you going, Miss Lei?"

"I will head north to Feng Province, joining the Demon Luo Cult forces there to continue gathering refugees displaced by the war. We'll first send them to the Demonic Cat Clan's territory, then transport them back to the Lightning Fire Temple's controlled regions." She explained in detail, clearly knowing what Wang Yu was considering. And, as she expected, he stated simply, "Once I've given Zidian a good beating, we'll leave."

Lei Yao let out a helpless sigh, but her beautiful eyes twinkled mischievously. "Be quick. I'll go prepare the mount." It seemed she also found Zidian annoying.

*This damned military post, it's better not to have it,* Wang Yu thought. With a swipe of his hand across his face, he instantly transformed into Zidian. However, an eleven or twelve-year-old body topped with a young man's face looked incredibly bizarre. His disguise technique, rather than concealing, seemed more like mockery. It was truly peerless.

Once Lei Yao sent the signal, Wang Yu immediately sprang into action.

After more than half a year of healing, True Monarch Zidian's prominent black scar, which traversed his face, had significantly shrunk, now only about five inches long, remaining on his face like a brand. It was grotesque and terrifying, a symbol of his humiliation. As long as his injuries weren't fully healed, he would not step out of his cave abode. Zidian did not want too many people to see him in this state. Being overly concerned with external opinions was one of the psychological flaws of such prodigies.

He was mentally estimating how much longer it would take before he could emerge from seclusion when he suddenly heard someone calling at the entrance. "True Monarch, True Monarch, this is bad!" "That barbarian Wang is shouting everywhere that you're avoiding battle and have no shame..."

*Boom!* With a loud bang, the cave abode's door was kicked open. Zidian was enraged. "He dares—"

Before he could finish, he saw a short figure with his own face standing before him. On this face, whether intentionally or not, two symmetrical black scars were present. With a wicked smile that seemed to mock him silently, a fist the size of a sandbag shot straight towards him. Zidian, being young, lacked the experience of older cultivators; his means of countering a sudden attack were limited and hard to deploy immediately. Of course, the most crucial issue was that this was the main base of the Lightning Fire Temple's cultivator army; he never imagined anyone would openly launch a sneak attack on him. Without foreseeing it, he took no precautions.

"—Thump!" With a simple direct punch, Wang Yu, under the force field restraint of his Silver Blood Divine Power, solidly struck Zidian's left eye. Zidian reeled backward, dizzy. Wang Yu immediately followed up with another kick, accelerating his movements to create the bizarre sensation of playing volleyball with one person, controlling the strikes so precisely that not a single sound was made. This beating lasted for a full three breaths, with at least hundreds of blows. Punches and kicks were aimed at vital points, with powerful internal force penetrating the surface, leaving latent energy that would explode upon touch. While it wouldn't cripple Zidian's body, it would cause him significant pain for a while.

At this moment, amidst the heavy blows, True Monarch Zidian's consciousness cleared, and he immediately roared, "Wang—" As soon as he opened his mouth, he bizarrely found his throat as if blocked by a foreign object; he couldn't shout or call out. His face turned purplish-red, resembling a pig's liver.

Wang Yu's eyes gleamed with a smile. His hand subtly brushed past Zidian's fingers, and his divine sense notified Lei Yao, who was waiting outside. Just as Zidian unleashed a furious burst of lightning, the cave abode's roof was directly torn open. Lei Yao, riding a majestic black giant eagle, soared through. Wang Yu smoothly climbed aboard, and the pair, mounted, flew northward at incredible speed. Glancing at Zidian's cave abode behind them, where he was consumed by impotent rage and restrained by internal forces, Wang Yu and Lei Yao smiled silently.

Wang Yu casually tossed a storage ring with purple lightning patterns, explaining to Lei Yao, "I'll only take the things worth spirit stones from inside. Please return the rest, Miss Lei."

"No problem," she replied.