Chapter 430: Ancient Relics, Refining the Infant and Forming the Pill

The dense fog quickly dissipated, revealing a path directly to the center of the lake. Truth be told, he had never truly entered the Old Flood Dragon's cave dwelling before, at most only approaching its exterior, never venturing deep inside.

Since acquiring the Tier 4 Teleportation Talisman last time, he hadn't had a proper conversation with him, and communication had been even rarer after his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.

He proceeded along the waterway.

An unexpected sight met Wang Yu's eyes: a pavilion in the center of the lake.

Yu Tangtang's small body was curled up, resting on a thick tiger-skin coat her father had placed on a stone table. The Old Flood Dragon stood guard nearby, his face full of tenderness.

His rough, large hand gently patted her, like an old father coaxing his beloved child to sleep.

At this moment, the word "father" materialized in Wang Yu's mind.

"Senior Yu."

"Have a seat."

Wang Yu, who had originally just intended to inquire about what elixirs King Tianpeng needed refined and if the spiritual materials and formulas were ready, immediately understood that this was going to be a heart-to-heart talk.

He had known Yu Tangtang for nearly two hundred years; had he finally gained the trust of the "Old Fogey"?

When they first met back then, Yu Tangtang had been this small, bean-sized figure, and she still looked the same after all these years, which was clearly illogical.

The last time he asked, he was brushed off with the excuse of cultivating a special secret art. Now, it seemed, the truth was about to be revealed.

After a moment of silence, the Old Flood Dragon spoke gravely.

"Wang Yu, I've known you for some time now. I'm well aware of your actions and your character. I also know you harbor a secret; otherwise, you wouldn't have ascended so rapidly, forming a Nascent Soul in just two hundred years. Perhaps in the future, you might even break free from the true confines…"

Hearing this, Wang Yu showed no emotion.

That he possessed a hidden opportunity was obvious to anyone with a modicum of intelligence; his 'placement slots' were his biggest secret.

This ability had no physical form; it was his talent!

Was it active? It had never been turned off!

His earlier ventures had all been out of necessity; some opportunities, if not seized, might never come again. One couldn't just "lie low" all the time.

If he truly cared about nothing and just lived a life of constant compromise, he might still be in the Foundation Establishment stage. Without the Demonic Embryo Profound Origin Incantation, he certainly couldn't have achieved what he had with just a few placement slots; there was no doubt about that.

"Senior Yu, you jest. Breaking free from confinement is too distant for a junior like me. You're not trying to entrust Tangtang to me, are you? You look like you're making arrangements for after you're gone."

"Brat, you wish! Do you think all the good things in the world should belong to you? Don't think I don't know you secretly call me 'Old Fogey' behind my back!"

Wang Yu was stunned, genuinely surprised this time.

Judging by the Old Flood Dragon's bristling, glaring expression, he didn't seem to be bluffing. But Wang Yu couldn't recall ever calling him "Old Fogey Yu" to anyone. Had he forgotten?

Then the Old Flood Dragon sneered.

"The Buddhist 'Mind-Reading' ability, combined with the Demon Race's secret art 'Heart-Peeping Technique,' allows me to hear things that are detrimental to myself."

Wang Yu suddenly stood up, then quickly sat back down.

He asked suspiciously, "It's not that I don't believe you, but Buddhism has been extinct for so many years. It was a flourishing power during the Ancient Immortal Dynasty era, right? Mind-Reading? Are you sure?!"

"Of course. Now, this brat's cultivation is too high, so I can't hear clearly anymore."

Wang Yu: "..."

Although it was hard to believe, he knew the term "Old Fogey" now, so he would tentatively believe him.

"Let's get to the main topic."

He only felt a sense of relief now, glad that he hadn't had much contact with him before. During their most frequent interactions, he had relied on the Old Flood Dragon's Heavenly Enlightenment Platform to comprehend divine abilities and secret arts.

According to the Old Flood Dragon, he could only hear thoughts that were malicious towards him, not just anything. There were still limitations.

But even if he was lying and could hear all thoughts, Wang Yu didn't care. His mind was full of divine abilities and secret arts; if the Old Flood Dragon wanted to "read" them, he could; it wouldn't do Wang Yu any harm.

"This matter concerns Tangtang. Do you know about True Spirit bloodlines?"

"Of course. Above Heavenly Grade, the legendary Vermilion Bird, Qilin, and True Dragon are all True Spirit bloodlines."

Wang Yu spoke of True Spirits that had left legends and true traces in the Ice Prison Realm, as well as many other legendary divine beasts he had heard of but never seen.

The Old Flood Dragon began to speak eloquently.

"What you know is too superficial. True Spirit bloodlines also have different grades. Even among True Spirits, the True Dragon bloodline is of the highest tier, perhaps even higher. Furthermore, among the demonic beast bloodline grades, above the Heavenly Grade are not True Spirits, but 'Archaic Remnants' – direct descendants of True Spirits, with unfathomable potential."

"Archaic Remnants." He could roughly guess what they were from the name, but he had indeed never heard of such a secret among demon beasts.

The Old Flood Dragon continued.

"Tangtang is an Archaic Remnant. She is not my child."

Wang Yu's eyelids twitched, somewhat disbelieving.

This was because even Earth Grade demonic bloodlines had the potential to break through to Nascent Soul, and Heavenly Grade bloodlines guaranteed Nascent Soul, normally reaching Soul Transformation, with a potential upper limit of Void Refinement.

This was even higher than the maximum cultivation level a realm could typically sustain.

Subconsciously, he waved his hand, casting the secret art 'Six Senses Concealed.' An invisible ripple spread out, enveloping both of them, a concealment that no one could penetrate.

Such cautious behavior greatly pleased the Old Flood Dragon.

"That was thoughtful of you, but this is my cave dwelling. If anyone were to spy, they certainly couldn't hide from me."

Wang Yu gave a helpless, wry smile.

"Walls have ears, and outside this realm, there are 'Six-Eared Thieves' eavesdropping. A junior like me cannot afford to be incautious."

"'Six-Eared Thieves'?"

Seeing that the Old Flood Dragon was unaware, Wang Yu didn't dwell on it and promptly shared the information.

Although this matter was a secret, by exploring more ruins and searching for clues left by predecessors, one would eventually find something.

The Old Flood Dragon simply happened not to know.

If Yu Tangtang was truly an Archaic Remnant, then by inferring from the patterns of demonic bloodlines, wouldn't her minimum be Soul Transformation, normal Void Refinement, and maximum Integration Stage?

If such a being had existed in the Ice Prison Realm since ancient times, it would be impossible for it to remain undiscovered. So either she left before the Immortal Palace designated this place as the Ancient Devil Prison, or she entered the Ice Prison Realm after the prison's transformation was complete. Otherwise, such a powerful bloodline of a demonic beast remnant wouldn't have been overlooked.

Just as Wang Yu finished speaking and was pondering.

The Old Flood Dragon, however, was drenched in cold sweat, looking like he believed it but still wanted to confirm: "Is that true?"

"It couldn't be truer. It's from the ancient black stele inscription left by the Primordial Yin Sect."

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere instantly fell silent.

After a long while, Old Fogey Yu sighed and said, "Since that's the case, in the future, you truly are the only one who can help Tangtang. It's appropriate to tell you now."

"What do you mean?"

"Alas, due to rule restrictions, the Ice Prison Realm is not suitable for Tangtang's growth. The laws of heaven and earth and the order of rules here have been reshaped by powerful beings, setting too many laws targeting devils, demons, and other races. Furthermore, the upper limit of cultivation that the Ice Prison Realm can sustain is the Soul Transformation stage. Without leaving this realm, only by breaking the world's shackles is there a slight possibility of achieving Void Refinement. But you were born and grew up here, and all your cultivation was provided by the spiritual energy of the Ice Prison Realm. Under normal circumstances, you can never break the world's shackles."

Oh…

Wang Yu fell into thought.

"If it can't be broken under normal circumstances, what about abnormal circumstances?"

For example, his placement slots—to this day, he didn't know where those special energies were drawn from.

Since the placement slots had no interaction with the outside world, it was easy to get the illusion that they appeared out of thin air. In reality, Wang Yu had a strong intuition that they served a transfer function.

As for exactly where they were transferred from, that remained unclear.

Just use it to its fullest; it's a talent, so it's normal for it to defy logic.

With the conversation reaching this point, the other party's objective was not hard to guess: "So, Senior, you wish for me to take Tangtang with me when I'm confident I can leave in the future?"

"Exactly. You don't need to do anything; I've done everything I can. It's just a pity that I don't have the ability to leave the Ice Prison Realm myself."

"No problem. If I can truly achieve it, bringing you along, Senior, would not be an issue."

"That's not what I mean."

The Old Flood Dragon glared at Wang Yu and stated concisely, "I have been guarding the Blood Spirit Sect for thirteen hundred years."

The implication was clear: his lifespan was nearing its end. After all, he had lived a few hundred years before taking up his post at the Blood Spirit Sect. He was telling Wang Yu this for two reasons: on one hand, Wang Yu's cultivation was good and he was very trustworthy; on the other hand, it was because the Old Flood Dragon was nearing his demise.

With an alchemist's wealth, raising a lovely, well-behaved daughter was no problem; it wouldn't impoverish him, and might even bring endless benefits.

One could tell this by looking at the plump and happy Snow Jade; it was so content it barely seemed like a beast, more like a pure accessory.

As he pondered, Wang Yu nodded in agreement.

"I agree."

"Oh? You're not going to try to extort something from me?"

The Old Flood Dragon was greatly surprised; this wasn't like the Wang Yu he knew.

Unexpectedly, the young man's reply was astonishing.

"It's fine. When you pass away, your life's collection will naturally go to Tangtang. Since she's young, I'll naturally keep it safe on her behalf, wouldn't you agree?"

Old Fogey Yu immediately flew into a rage.

Even knowing Wang Yu was joking, he was furious. Just thinking about it made his heart ache so much he couldn't breathe, giving this brat such an easy gain.

"—Hmph! I am not a stingy person; I won't mistreat you. The Flood Dragon Pearl I leave behind after my death can help your body cultivation break through to the middle stage of Tier 4. It will be yours then."

Wang Yu's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together.

"How much longer?"

"A hundred years."

At this, Wang Yu's face showed disappointment. After a hundred years, would he still need this Flood Dragon Pearl to break through? That was underestimating him too much. Moreover, refining Old Fogey Yu's Flood Dragon Pearl felt a bit immoral.

While his moral bottom line was quite flexible in general, he disdained taking advantage of his friend's father's remains. The Demonic Path was not without emotion; being emotionless was not the way.

He had no bottom line when dealing with enemies, but when it came to friends, Wang Yu's sense of morality was quite high. Without this Flood Dragon Pearl, he could still break through to the middle stage of Tier 4.

"Never mind, never mind. Consider it a junior taking pity on you. For matters a hundred years from now, I, Wang, will naturally assist you then."

The Old Fogey was easily provoked and insisted on bringing out a treasure that would satisfy Wang Yu. However, when Wang Yu asked if he had any True Soul Stones, he couldn't even produce a single hair.

He was thoroughly scorned by Wang Yu.

This heart-to-heart conversation, though seemingly ending on a sour note, actually brought their relationship closer and deepened their understanding of each other.

Only after leaving did Wang Yu realize he had forgotten to ask who Yu Tangtang's mother was. Since she wasn't the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon's offspring, she certainly wasn't his demonic partner either.

If it wasn't mentioned now, there was no need to press for it.

What needed to be known would eventually be revealed.

Cold Blood Peak, Extreme Law Daoist Temple.

Not long after Wang Yu returned, the Sect Master sent members of the Blood God Guard to deliver two Star Demon Stones to him. The demonic star power contained within them came from the Universal Starry Sky.

Its energy level was higher than pure spiritual energy, though its versatility was somewhat lower. However, whether used for alchemy or directly absorbed and refined, it could increase one's own demonic essence.

The Nine Palace Demonic Star Soaring Array deployed by the Blood Spirit Sect was extremely effective, akin to a gold mine that continuously produced gold, with expenses only for the initial setup.

After that, it was all profit.

In the future, once the environment stabilized, he might also set up a similar feng shui array to meet his own needs and acquire resources.

The Earth Mother Scripture that Wang Yu cultivated had an extraordinary origin.

The scripture's creator was a direct disciple of the Ancestor of Earth Masters. While perfectly sufficient for auxiliary use, setting up grand heaven-and-earth arrays would be somewhat beyond its current capabilities.

If there was an opportunity, he could try to complete it further.

After obtaining the Star Demon Stones, Wang Yu rearranged his cave dwelling. He had no intention of visiting the Cold Blood Mountain Lord and immediately entered seclusion on the day he returned to the sect.

He saw no one except those from the Blood Demon Hall.

He took out the Heavenly Enlightenment Platform, which still had sixty-seven years of effective use remaining, and employed all available means to enhance himself, such as Enlightenment Tea, Spirit-Cleansing Incense, and Spiritual Dust.

The methods seemed similar to his last seclusion.

However, after being enlightened by the Nine-Orifice Stone Man's blood, Wang Yu's comprehension had skyrocketed. This improvement primarily boosted his baseline, relying on external aids.

He still lacked the "flash of inspiration" characteristic of true comprehension geniuses!

But each advancement he made was incredibly solid. The improvement in his baseline was the fundamental reason why the 'placement slots' could double his efficiency, as their effectiveness was based on his foundational qualities.

His Innate Demonic Embryo Physique had already resolved his talent issues.

Now it was comprehension.

Every single improvement, no matter how small, was highly beneficial to him.

The main purpose of this seclusion was to deduce and upgrade the Human Elixir Art to Tier 4 perfection. During such times, Wang Yu would often remove all other placement arrangements and focus on one task.

With all seven placement slots working simultaneously, his efficiency was at least sevenfold. Coupled with external aids like the Heavenly Enlightenment Platform, he could quickly overcome any difficulties he encountered.

His progress was incredibly fast.

Each passing day showed clear improvement. With his experience from the Cold Serpent Alchemy Art, Wang Yu actually spent more time figuring out how to perfectly utilize "humans" as a material.

Especially the essence of cultivators: Golden Core and Nascent Soul, two "Dao Fruit"-like transitional products.

Secondly, he focused on integrating the concepts of Blood Elixir Art.

He delved deeply into concepts like "vital energy and blood," "blood," and "bone marrow."

As long-lived beings, cultivators were more potent than many natural treasures. If a transmigrator with a lineage similar to Hannibal were in the Demonic Path, they would thrive.

After all, mastering the "way of being human" would surely trick people into becoming mere embryos and allow one to enjoy an elegant life.

As time passed, a year quickly went by. Wang Yu temporarily interrupted his comprehension to help the sect refine elixirs using the Grand Harmony Blood Cauldron.

The elixirs King Tianpeng requested were rather obscure. He had first sent the elixir formula for Wang Yu to study, and the spiritual materials listed on the formula still needed time to be collected.

Afterward, he continued to comprehend the Human Elixir Art and Blood Elixir Art.

He also incorporated the Ancient Demon Refining Art for reference. With this high-level perspective, his deduction speed was the fastest it had ever been.

By the end of the third year, the Human Elixir Art successfully advanced to Tier 4 perfection, reaching the limit of his placement slots.

With that, the Glazed Pagoda was permanently stationed at the Extreme Law Daoist Temple. The first subject he "operated" on was Zidian's Nascent Soul. Combined with the Star Demon Stones, the human elixir he intended to refine was very famous.

It was called—the Longevity Blood Infant Elixir!