Chapter 411: Ning Would Rather Shatter Like Jade Young Sect Leader

As a prodigal son, even if he wasn't favored within the Yu clan, his reputation alone was enough to intimidate anyone below the Nascent Soul realm. Wang Yu's outward aura, however, was only at the Foundation Establishment stage.

"—You're courting death!"

Splinters of wood flew as Young Master Yu, also at the Foundation Establishment stage, lunged fiercely. Wang Yu retaliated with a backhand slap, shattering the entire floor of the Begonia private room.

Half of the Spring Breeze Tower collapsed.

The commotion suddenly intensified. Wang Yu glanced around, gracefully descending to the ground with the beauty in his arms, and looked at Young Master Yu, who lay sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, his breath now much weaker.

Countless eyes swept across his face. His objective had been achieved.

But Wang Yu suddenly developed a greater interest in the secrets this young man held. He made a grasping motion with his right hand, and black, solid ice formed out of thin air. It transformed into a large hand, gripping him firmly.

With a flash, they all vanished into the ruins.

A small courtyard in the outer city.

Ziyan knelt on the ground, her face full of terror, tears streaming down, making her look even more pitiful and vulnerable.

"Young Master, I..."

"Stop pretending."

Jin Miaoshan frowned as she looked at the person, then turned to Wang Yu, "This is..."

"A spy from the Yellow Springs Sect, an unexpected gain."

Wang Yu offered no further explanation. After revealing himself, Sword Lord Jiuxie would likely track his whereabouts, making it the perfect opportunity to ambush and kill him when he arrived. Ziyan and Young Master Yu, whose identity was still unknown, were purely unexpected gains, unrelated to the trap he was setting. However, they provided an effective channel to probe the Yellow Springs Sect's objectives.

Having cultivated to this realm, he had no concept of pitying beauties. Behind him, a pitch-black vortex formed from his spiritual sense rapidly expanded. Black paper boats sailed out of it, one after another, surging into Ziyan's glabella. With this soul-searching secret technique perfected and amplified by Wang Yu's immense spiritual sense, he could bypass ordinary restrictions and uncover deliberately hidden secrets.

The Soul-Excising Evil Boat Curse also originated from the ancient Heavenly Soul Sect, which specialized in soul cultivation. To some extent, Wang Yu had inherited their legacy, giving him a significant advantage over ordinary cultivators in the use of spiritual sense.

As the black paper boats brought back memories, Ziyan completely fainted. After reviewing the memories, Wang Yu's expression was slightly shocked, and he immediately looked at Young Master Yu, who was feigning sleep.

The Young Sect Master!

The hidden identity behind this person was precisely the Young Sect Master, whom the Sacred Sect had falsely claimed was abducted by the Yellow Springs Demonic Cult. He was also the Young Lord of the Blood Demon Palace and the possessor of the Blood Demon Physique. He was an indispensable part for the Sect Master to complete himself. What a monumental achievement!

Rumor had it that after leaving the sect, he had recently appeared in Youzhou and had already condensed a Blood Dao Nascent Soul. It was truly unexpected that he had returned to Fengzhou. He was now hidden, disguised as a Foundation Establishment prodigal son. According to Ziyan's memories, the Young Sect Master had already assumed the identity of a Yu clan prodigal son when Wang Yu first arrived in Fengzhou City and left Tao Sixuan and a few others as hidden agents.

He had gone to Youzhou in between, using a fourth-tier spiritual vein to break through and advance. He possessed the Blood Demon Physique, which was a spirit-body level aptitude capable of directly reaching the Nascent Soul realm. Due to pressure from the Sect Master of the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect, he had long hesitated to break through. Once he escaped his cage, it was only natural that he would immediately begin his breakthrough.

The question was his purpose for returning. Ziyan didn't know much about this; it was merely her own speculation based on clues. She suspected that the Young Sect Master had returned to Fengzhou to confront Zhuo Shouyun of the Zhuo clan.

Furthermore, the Yellow Springs Sect's objectives were also unclear. Her purpose, besides contacting the Sacred Sect's Young Sect Master, was to gather intelligence and search for the secret realms left behind by the ancient Yellow Springs Vein in this world. This information was closely related to the burial pit secret realm Wang Yu had explored earlier, which suppressed entities similar to ancient demons, though they were likely only individuals corrupted by demonic influence. They were not true ancient demons, and there was far more than one such burial pit secret realm on this vast land. This implied there must be one in Yunling Province, which aligned with the incident of the Gui Ling Sacred Offering being stolen. It might even be the true objective of the Yellow Springs Earth Store lineage. If it weren't for his meddling, their grand plan would have already succeeded.

The Yellow Springs Sect was different from the current dominant demonic sects. They originated from more ancient forces, were rebuilt ten thousand years ago, and were searching for the burial pit secret realms left behind by their predecessors. Taking the Yellow Springs Demonic Bones as an example, those predecessors suppressed demon-corrupted individuals. Now that their descendants were searching for them again, their objective could not be simple. This involved a higher level of contention. Ziyan was not privy to this information, but Wang Yu could deduce some of the truth from it.

In the final analysis, the goal of the top powerhouses in the Ice Prison Realm was invariably to break free from their cage. The path of unsealing ancient demons was unfeasible, as it would only attract powerful suppression from Immortals beyond this realm. Even the monitoring by the Six-Eared Thief was no secret among cultivators at the Soul Transformation stage. This had been true throughout history, spanning three eras. Countless predecessors strived for this goal, leaving behind more and more information, and the number of those who could discern the truth was gradually increasing.

Reasoning backward from the Yellow Springs Sect's actions, their persistent refining of the world's spiritual energy and accumulation of countless high-grade spirit stones, to the point where they didn't care if desolate deserts were created. Wang Yu initially conjectured that they wanted to destroy the Ice Prison Realm, releasing all ancient demons at once, and perhaps secretly crafting something like a "World-Crossing Raft," intending to escape into the void amidst the chaos and travel to other worlds. This type of conjecture seemed reasonable at first.

But upon further thought, it didn't quite fit. The Yellow Springs Sect had no Soul Transformation Venerables, only half-step Soul Transformation beings like the Blood Demon Palace Lord, who were completely stuck. Their desire to destroy the world would be too difficult, and draining all spiritual essence from a world was unrealistic. Others wouldn't just stand by, and such a mad plan would hardly be accepted by the Venerables. Therefore, the logic didn't hold. But if draining a world's spiritual essence was merely a facade, and the true purpose was to accumulate spirit stones to craft artifacts like "World-Crossing Rafts," then it became very reasonable.

As for the means of destroying a realm, Wang Yu thought it might lie with the four characters "Yellow Springs Netherworld." Just as the Grand Yin Star was one of the supreme stars in the Celestial Sphere, the Yellow Springs Netherworld also represented external power. When there was no way to break through internally, seeking change externally was indeed the best method. It was rumored that the Yellow Springs Sect had a secret realm that had existed for generations, and within it was a branch of the Yellow Springs. This showed that the isolation from the outside world was not as robust as the ancient demon seals.

Ziyan's existence provided Wang Yu with many ideas. If his conjectures were true, the five Demonic Dao sects' cooperation with the Yellow Springs Sect to attack the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect was likely for more than just resource benefits. There were deeper objectives that had not yet surfaced.

He took some time to digest the information. Seeing the curious gazes of the others, Wang Yu had no intention of explaining. A flick of his finger released an ice flame, completely incinerating the unconscious Ziyan into ashes. She returned to the heavens without any pain. Such superficial beauty could not sway him in the slightest.

One of the two captured individuals was dead. The Young Sect Master, who had been feigning unconsciousness, finally couldn't bear it anymore. A bloody aura surged from within him, melting away his disguise and revealing his true form. His Nascent Soul aura brazenly revealed itself. He noticed it was blocked by an invisible barrier but didn't care that it couldn't penetrate the courtyard. He stretched his neck and looked at Wang Yu with a calm expression.

"What, are you scared?"

"With my Nascent Soul cultivation, if I didn't need to hide my identity, how could I have been humiliated by you? What a pity for Miss Ziyan."

Wang Yu looked at him with a half-smile. He asked strangely, "Are you very confident?"

"Pfft~"

Jin Miaoshan finally couldn't hold back her laughter.

Venerable Jin Xi, Shadow Hound King, and True Word King—three powerful figures—surrounded him in a pincer movement. Wang Yu stood directly in front of him, shaking his head. "Young Sect Master, you are a gift from the heavens to me."

Having his identity revealed, he immediately realized that Wang Yu was a member of the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect, but he still harbored confusion and a sliver of hope. He had never seen Wang Yu before!

"So it's my cheap master's lackey. What if you have many people...?"

As he spoke, his Blood Dao Nascent Soul suddenly escaped from his physical body. He immediately performed a displacement technique. From this, it seemed he had some sense, knowing that those who came to capture him would not be weak. However, he realized it too late. The partially perfected Chains of Heaven had, at some unknown point, fully unfurled. Silver-white chains appeared in the surrounding space, emitting spatial ripples, firmly enveloping this small courtyard. Due to the depth of his cultivation, Wang Yu couldn't seal off the displacement techniques of grand cultivators, but sealing off those of early Nascent Soul cultivators was easy.

After realizing that he couldn't escape even by abandoning his physical body, the Young Sect Master decisively returned to his body and said with a heavy expression.

"Better to be shattered jade than a whole tile! That old scoundrel will never get my body!"

At that moment, the formidable auras of Venerable Jin Xi, Shadow Hound King, and True Word King—three grand cultivators at the late Nascent Soul stage—were instantly released. The Young Sect Master's defiant roar ceased. He dropped to his knees with a thud and prostrated himself at Wang Yu's feet.

"Please spare me!"

This situation was actually predictable. After all, this young man had endured for nearly a century without breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm, specifically to guard against his master's schemes. He was a genius accustomed to enduring humiliation and hardship. Naturally, he wouldn't care much about his pride. Moreover, the power displayed by Wang Yu's side was too terrifying. Honestly, he felt he wasn't important enough for the sect to dispatch three grand cultivators to capture him. That's why he bowed his head and begged for mercy, hoping that perhaps the other party was not aligned with the Sect Master.

But then he heard Wang Yu say, "Meeting you was purely by chance."

Before the other party could show delight, he continued to hear: "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Wang Yu. Does that name ring a bell?"

The Young Sect Master instantly felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. This name was all too familiar; he had heard it more than once, from Zhuo Shouyun and from Lu Chenzhou. The last he had heard of Wang Yu was when he became the seventh Elder of Cold Blood Peak. He forced a smile. He glanced up quickly, then lowered his head again. He had recognized the Shadow Hound King and True Word King as members of the Demon Race, and for a moment, he couldn't figure out Wang Yu's alignment. But one thing was certain: the other party had not come specifically to capture him. However, judging by the previous tone, there was indeed an intention to hand him over to the sect. As his thoughts raced, he quietly considered his bargaining chips.

"Since the end of the Twin Zhuo Conflict, I haven't heard much about Elder Wang. If you could let me go, I have a way to deal with Zhuo Shouyun."

He had been mistaken. He probably thought Wang Yu was hiding to avoid retribution from Zhuo Shouyun. From his perspective, it was indeed a valuable bargaining chip.

Wang Yu shook his head, and the Glazed Pagoda emerged from his Dantian. He was preparing to suppress him on the top floor, preventing him from meeting the two Nascent Souls on the lower floors.

"No, Elder Wang, let's talk properly."

There was no response.

In the end, overwhelmed by shock and anger, the Young Sect Master was taken into the top floor of the Glazed Pagoda without resistance, where various binding techniques were used to completely seal him away.

This was an unexpected gain that could explain what he had been doing during his disappearance. Of course, this was merely a trivial benefit. The greater benefit lay in the merit: with the Young Sect Master in hand, returning to the sect would present no problems whatsoever.

Furthermore, he could also try to obtain the complete "Ancient Blood Demon Scripture" from his mind. As a complete legacy at the Soul Transformation level, the restrictions in his mind must also be incredibly powerful. Even if he couldn't glimpse the entire text, obtaining some Blood Dao secret arts would still be beneficial. The Sect Master's goal was to achieve Soul Transformation while maintaining his self, and the Young Sect Master's Blood Demon Physique was indispensable. As long as this ambition could be achieved, small losses were insignificant. His ultimate goal must also be focused on breaking free from the cage of the Ice Prison Realm. The Yellow Springs Sect had their plans, and the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect naturally had their own schemes: to become a jailer! Wang Yu was certain of this point, because both the Blood Demon Palace lineage and the Three Blood Nether Demons were probing the issue of ancient demon inheritance. Once it was solved, the danger of the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect's demise would be resolved.

As for the benefits of becoming a jailer, Wang Yu suspected it still involved leveraging the power of those ancient demons, but not releasing them; rather, tricking them. Just as the ultimate ability of the Grand Yin Nether Pupils was to break open spatial barriers and take him out of the Ice Prison Realm, the old demons of the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect likely had similar plans. He could borrow power from the Grand Yin Star, and the old demons could also use the high-level power of ancient demons to directly escape the cage. Achieving either goal would be a long and arduous journey, certainly not accomplished in a single day.

With bountiful gains this time, Wang Yu was in excellent spirits. He continued to chat leisurely with everyone in the small courtyard, waiting for Sword Lord Jiuxie, the big fish, to take the bait.

Yunling Province Battlefield.

Sword Lord Jiuxie hid within Gui Ling City, his spiritual sense locked onto the City Lord's Mansion, monitoring its movements day and night. However, he had yet to discover Wang Yu's presence. Over the years, he had first gone to Tianbao City. According to the situation at the time, Wang Yu was most likely to have hidden within Tianbao City, seeking its protection. However, he found not a single trace and even tried inquiring with the official Tianbao Pavilion. Ultimately, he gained nothing.

He then came to Gui Ling City to lie in wait. In his impression, Wang Yu had only recently advanced to the late Core Formation stage, and it was still early before he could form a Nascent Soul, so his potential whereabouts were limited. Moreover, with continuous warfare everywhere and increased border defenses by various factions, people encountering danger were most likely to seek refuge in familiar places, because that could provide a sufficient sense of security. Gui Ling City was clearly one such place. Besides staking out himself, he also dispatched a large number of Evil Sword Peak disciples, ostensibly as reinforcements, to roam the territories of the four provinces. He was determined to find Wang Yu.

As a result, over twenty years passed in a flash, and he still couldn't find any trace of the other party; the traces were exceptionally rare, almost nonexistent. This made Jiuxie's mood increasingly worse. In this situation, the other party had likely fled the territory of the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect, abandoning his current status so decisively and not even returning to the sect. This contradicted his conjecture. After all, with the protection of the Blood-Eyed Demonic Dragon and Lord Leihou's favor token, it would have been more normal to seek help from these two great beings first. He had made all preparations, but the main target never arrived.

"If I guard for another year and he still doesn't come to Gui Ling, it would prove that he either fled to the territory of the Heaven Refining Demonic Sect or traversed the Boundary-Severing Mountain Range to Lake Tai. Before condensing a Demonic Dao Nascent Soul, his foundation could still be reshaped. I remember he was originally a spirit slave abducted from Lake Tai..."

Thoughts churned in his mind, but his gaze grew increasingly cold. Until a brief report from a Fengzhou spy appeared in his communication artifact.

"—I found you!"