Chapter 426: Second Incomplete Thunderfire Map and Thunder Seed Information

A mere glare meant a fight! That’s how demonic cultivators are.

As multiple battles concluded, even though the other Demonic Nascent Soul cultivators hadn't intervened directly, they exerted immense pressure on "Purple Lightning," making it clear that killing Wang Yu, who had offended him, was no longer possible. Even retreating completely unscathed seemed nearly impossible. Would he have to make a drastic sacrifice?

Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord's face darkened. With a powerful pull of his hands, thunderclouds that stretched for countless miles behind him, like a lightning prison, unleashed purple lightning bolts across the sky. His target... was the silver chains that had sealed the void.

Seeing this, how could Wang Yu let him succeed? With a thought, the fearless Thunder Corpse charged into the lightning prison. It unleashed its full power to summon thunder and lightning, acting like a lightning rod, causing half of the lightning bolts to reverse direction and surge into its body. Relying on its high lightning resistance, it was specifically suited for cultivators like the Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord. It was a perfect "sandbag" type opponent, even more stubborn than Wang Yu, and this was one of the reasons for its existence!

The world was filled with a blinding silver-white light. "Purple Lightning" was about to retreat when he felt an invisible mountain pressing down on his body. He had sensed something was off earlier, but the force field generated by the Silver Moon divine power was imperceptible. Moreover, it was overlaid with the Flesh and Blood Demonic Sword, adding another layer of concealment.

Only now did he belatedly realize that this newly promoted Demonic Lord was actually a pure Fourth-rank Body Cultivator. This was different from the nominal body cultivators of Barbarian Ghost Peak. He was a true dual cultivator, incredibly difficult to handle. There were no discernible weaknesses. Restricted by the force field, he felt as if he were submerged in water, every movement influenced by the environment. Within the mere ten-mile radius of the Heavenly Lock, his body felt enveloped in viscous liquid, and his escape techniques were incredibly weakened. Yet, Wang Yu was like a dragon entering the sea; in his home ground, he was unaffected.

Consequently, his slightly inferior Aurora Escape Technique managed to completely overwhelm "Purple Lightning's" Lightning Escape Art. Once his speed increased, the terrifying offensive power of the Flesh and Blood Demonic Sword became extremely lethal! Sword light interwoven, forming a dense sword net. This time, there was no room left to dodge.

"Purple Lightning" stared at Wang Yu, his expression blank, and said, "I will personally take your life!"

With that said, the sword qi, imbued with spatial cutting properties, shredded Purple Lightning's physical body into neat, small chunks of flesh. His Nascent Soul, still inside, had just awakened from a state of disorientation when it realized... its death was upon it! Purple Lightning didn't understand what had happened, nor did it have time to react, before being drawn into the bottom layer of the Glazed Pagoda, directly suppressed into a state of unconsciousness.

The battle concluded. The Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord's final words had little real impact on him, but his understanding of the man deepened considerably. If he remembered correctly, Purple Lightning was the Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord's legitimate son and his most promising one. Breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage at such a young age, his future was boundless. Now that he had died by Wang Yu's hand, an enmity had been formed, but Wang Yu didn't care about offending him or not. After all, he wasn't from the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect, and the Battle of Withered Leaf City was over. They would return to support Black Mountain Pass, a pincer attack ensuring victory. Once Black Mountain Pass was captured, this phase of the strategic objective would be complete, and he could naturally retreat to his sect for a period of secluded cultivation.

Collecting all the spoils of war, he also took the Nascent Soul belonging to Liu Ying, which was inside the Thunder Corpse, and placed it into his Glazed Pagoda. This magical artifact of his had already suppressed four Nascent Souls, its might renowned. It was foreseeable that after today, his name would be famous throughout the land, just like those well-known figures who gained prominence in the last Righteous-Demonic War. He would make a big splash.

He gathered with his colleagues. Old Demon Fiery Ghost commented with a strange expression, "It seems you truly aren't afraid of the Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord. What are your plans now?"

"Naturally, to support Black Mountain Pass and capture it."

Nether Tiger hesitated, on the verge of speaking. He wasn't thinking about war strategy; rather, he was wondering if Wang Yu would share a Nascent Soul with him. After all, without his full effort, both Xiao Fulong and Ziyun would have greatly impacted the battle, possibly even reversing today's outcome. Especially when fighting Xiao Fulong, those flames had truly burned. One careless mistake, and he could have been seized upon and killed by his opponent. After all, he was only at the third layer of the Nascent Soul stage, and only by merging with the Nether Tiger beast could he barely contend with a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Xiao Fulong, however, was at the sixth layer, showing how immense the pressure was. The fact that he could hold him off suggested that the opponent hadn't used their full power.

"Gather all personnel, retrieve as many valuable spiritual items as possible, then retreat into the Withered Leaf Swamp for a day of rest before heading to Black Mountain Pass." As the nominal commander, Barbarian Lord Nether Demon, despite appearing like a brutish man, was after all from the Wei clan and possessed considerable skill. Everyone agreed with this arrangement.

Once the others dispersed, Wang Yu and Nether Tiger came together. Though it pained him a little, Nether Tiger had indeed performed a great service, so Wang Yu summoned the Glazed Pagoda and handed Liu Ying's Nascent Soul to Nether Tiger. The small entity was encased in black ice, with sealing runes spreading over its entire body, completely isolating it from external perception, and its consciousness was in a dormant state. He had some experience in handling these matters.

When Wang Yu actually gave him a Nascent Soul, Demonic Lord Nether Tiger was overjoyed. He looked at Wang Yu as if he were a close brother, and even his way of addressing him became more intimate. "Thank you for your generosity, Brother Wang. You are indeed trustworthy."

Wang Yu's lips curved into a smile. Since he had given the item, he had to appear generous and fully complete the favor. "There's no need for that. What I, Wang, value most in my cultivation is credibility. Even with such a great disadvantage in the Dual Prodigy competition, I did my utmost, though ultimately I fell short by a single move. Therefore, since I promised Brother Nether Tiger, I must fulfill my commitment."

"Brother Wang is truly noble!" Demonic Lord Nether Tiger was filled with respect, and couldn't help but offer a few words of praise. "I've also heard about the Dual Prodigy competition. It was that person's lack of ambition, and it had nothing to do with you, Brother Wang."

Once the battle at Black Mountain Pass concluded, Nether Tiger could use the gains from these several battles to exchange for breakthrough resources. Then, after a period of secluded cultivation, he would likely achieve mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation. Wang Yu's foundation in the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect was too shallow, and building connections was a gradual process like this. Moreover, it was wartime, and Demonic Lord Nether Tiger, with his strength, also held significant strategic value.

"By the way," Wang Yu continued, "I still haven't heard which ancient demon the Yin Beast Dao cultivators inherited from, or where their sealed land is."

At this, Nether Tiger's face showed discomfort. "It's the Nether Seal Land. It's located at the Nether Mountain Sect, and we cultivators of the Yin Beast Dao are all constrained by them. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother collecting Nascent Souls. It's precisely to leverage the power of the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect to forcefully acquire the Nether Demonic Spirit Stone from the Nether Mountain Sect. Only then can I be confident in breaking through the bottleneck to the mid-stage Nascent Soul."

The so-called Nether Demonic Spirit Stone and Frozen Demonic Spirit Stone were essentially the same thing. The latter's sealed land was in the Endless Ice Plains, and the Gatekeeper Tribe had been allied with the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect for generations. Thus, they never lacked breakthrough resources. Nether Tiger clearly didn't have this privilege, illustrating how everyone had their own difficulties.

"So that's how it is."

After chatting for a while longer, Qingyang, Yang Xiong, and others, looking somewhat excited, approached and saluted Wang Yu. Evidently, their harvest was good. They exchanged a few simple words.

Approximately an hour later, the devastated Withered Leaf City had been completely plundered. Furthermore, the Lake Tai reinforcements who were supposed to arrive with Purple Lightning and his group never showed up. The demonic cultivator forces formally retreated into the Withered Leaf Swamp.

Originally, occupying Withered Leaf City would have been the most advantageous choice. However, the place was already ruined; besides the spiritual veins underground, which still held value, there were no protective measures whatsoever. Rashly occupying it would make them a target for all, and they could face attacks from the Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord at any moment. Naturally, they couldn't stay long. While the best outcome wasn't achieved, accomplishing the secondary objective was still good.

And not long after Wang Yu and the others departed, a bolt of lightning rapidly descended from the sky. It was a middle-aged man in a black robe with lightning patterns. His hair and beard strangely stood on end, and countless flickering lightning bolts circled around him. A mere cold snort from him caused thunder to reverberate in the air. It was indeed the Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord, who murmured softly, "What a Profound Core Demonic Lord. I will remember you."

They still retreated to the valley where they had temporarily hidden last time. This time, the people brought by Old Demon Fiery Ghost nearly filled the entire valley. Many had died in the Battle of Withered Leaf City. Even in a situation of great advantage, there was nearly a 50% casualty rate. The majority of those who died were Qi Condensation demonic cultivators, who were not worth mentioning. The true main force, the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators, had very low casualties, with effective fatalities not exceeding twenty. This was sufficient.

Speed is paramount in warfare. Before news of the Battle of Withered Leaf City reached Black Mountain Pass, they had to coordinate with Old Ancestor Evil Soul and Demonic Lord Dark Blade to launch a pincer attack on Black Mountain Pass. Therefore, they only had one day to recover their magical power.

However, beings like the Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord and Silver Moon Matron were all Great Perfection Nascent Soul experts from Lake Tai, and might possess advanced communication artifacts privately. Thus, the plan to pincer Black Mountain Pass was also an open strategy. Otherwise, there would be no need to intercept the pass's reinforcement teams. As long as the defenders were depleted and no one was maintaining the defensive formations, Silver Moon Matron and Sword Sovereign Haoran would be like fish deep within enemy territory. They would eventually be annihilated, and the existence of the perilous pass would lose its meaning. There was no need to defend it to the death.

While others rested and sent messages, Wang Yu simultaneously circulated his cultivation art to absorb the pure spiritual energy from top-grade spirit stones to restore his demonic essence, and also extended his spiritual sense to examine the spoils of war he had acquired. Purple Lightning's and Liu Ying's storage rings were both with him. The latter's collection was unremarkable, though he had a slight interest in a few inheritances from the Moon-Gazing Palace, as it also originated from the ancient Grand Yin Sect. He had a great interest in this sect. Unfortunately, it wasn't a core inheritance, and the wealth and resources were quite ordinary, on par with the two old geezers from Ghost Valley. However, the Crescent Scissor artifact was decent. "Truly poor."

As for Purple Lightning's storage ring, strictly speaking, this was the second time he had seized it. If the person hadn't already kicked the bucket, there might have been a third time. Purple Lightning's storage ring didn't contain much either, perhaps because he hadn't had time to replenish it. It mostly held miscellaneous items, daily necessities, and various tokens. After acquiring a batch of top-grade spirit stones, the most valuable item was a partial map: a map that Wang Yu had previously obtained but found hard to match with the current cultivation world, named the Thunder-Fire Fragmented Map! This item, strictly speaking, was a treasure map. When the first patriarch of Thunder-Fire Monastery traveled through the Ice Prison Realm, he recorded the discovered natural spiritual fires and special thunders on the map. It could only be understood when combined with an ancient map.

Wang Yu was very interested in the path of thunder. His Wind-Thunder Secret Art had once greatly assisted him, and he also possessed a Thunder Devouring Secret Art that could help him acquire a lightning spirit root and control lightning. In the long run, its potential was quite impressive. The most famous divine ability of Thunder-Fire Monastery, called the Heavenly Thunder Earth Fire Seal, required cultivation with spiritual flames and rare thunders, possessing infinite power. It was more renowned than the series of less formidable divine abilities from Yellow Springs Monastery.

The two fragmented maps had different content but could be pieced together. After the evolution of time and the vast changes of the world, it was normal for the terrain to have shifted. However, some landmarks were unchangeable by time. Such places often concentrated unique elemental forces of heaven and earth. The combined sections of the two fragmented maps sparked a flash of insight in Wang Yu's mind. He seemed to recall such a place, and after a moment of recollection, he suddenly realized: "—Accumulated Thunder Mountain?!"

This place was located in the southern part of Cloud Ridge Province. After passing through three thousand li of Reed Marshes and the Ghost City of Yama, and then another five thousand li south, it lay at the border of the Dead Silence Desert and Peach Province. Both of these regions were territories of Yellow Springs Monastery, but a part of Accumulated Thunder Mountain also lay within Cloud Ridge's jurisdiction. As intense fighting was currently raging there, it was unsuitable to go searching for any thunder seeds. Therefore, Wang Yu simply glanced at it and temporarily put the thought aside.

Besides rare thunders, the Thunder-Fire Fragmented Map also indicated spiritual flames nurtured by heaven and earth, abundant in origin and limitless in potential. If he could obtain one or two of these to nourish his Ice Chi Pill Flame, he felt that this flame would have a truly viable path to advancing to the Fifth-rank. Thus, Wang Yu paid close attention to this map, intending to find an ancient map to compare it with once he returned to his sect.

A day later, the rest period concluded. Everyone immediately set off for Black Mountain Pass. Along the way, they discussed what specific tactics to use, as Silver Moon Matron and Sword Sovereign Haoran were too renowned. The few of them felt a certain unease. Especially regarding the Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord: if he had truly arrived at Withered Leaf City and made contact with Black Mountain Pass, he might very well appear in this crucial battle. And once the enemy gained an additional Great Perfection Nascent Soul expert, the situation would instantly reverse. How to deploy high-tier combat power to create advantageous local situations was a matter for the Soul Transformation Venerables to consider.

Apart from the Sword Sect and the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect, the other overlord-level forces actually had limited control over late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. It was more about suggestions and discussions than direct commands. This led to a certain randomness. One might achieve unparalleled merits, or one might become a clown, having their reputation ruined overnight. Beings with too much autonomy were actually not suited for warfare. In a sense, this was a distorted form of individual heroism: one step could lead to either heaven or hell.

Barbarian Lord Nether Demon said, "Regarding the Battle of Withered Leaf City, I have already advised the Sacred Sect and Old Ancestor Evil Soul via spirit rhino transmission. They will be on guard against the Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord, so there's no need for excessive worry."

Old Demon Fiery Ghost nodded in agreement, looking at Wang Yu's calm expression. "Look, our fellow sect member who killed Heavenly Capital's son isn't afraid, so what do we have to fear?"

Wang Yu's eyelid twitched at the remark.

Yinyang said, "Brother Fiery Ghost, perhaps you should think about Sword Sovereign Haoran. I heard that during the last Righteous-Demonic War, you captured his personal disciple and sold him to those debauched demons of the Joyful Union Sect."

At this, the few people fell silent. Old Demon Fiery Ghost, rubbing his ugly face, watched his features melt and rapidly change into a different appearance. He didn't care about being ridiculed. "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Profound Core. I almost forgot to disguise myself."

Meanwhile, in the camp outside Black Mountain Pass, Old Ancestor Evil Soul finished reading the intelligence sent back by Barbarian Lord Nether Demon and showed a satisfied expression. "Heavenly Capital is coming. Are you confident?"