Chapter 432: Second Nascent Soul Secret Technique and Ten Thousand Transformations of the Heavenly Demon

The Soul Imprint Jade Slip didn't contain much, but it meticulously recorded every detail of the conversation between Demonic Lord Tianshuang and Coldblood Mountain Master. Tianshuang's Demonic Essence Imprint was also left in the bottom right corner. Wang Yu couldn't help but smile, already imagining how absurd the scene must have been.

However, Coldblood Mountain Master's reasons for wanting to use the opportunity to deal with him were insufficient. Wang Yu had long anticipated the Pill Alchemy Hall's deep-seated hatred for him, and he was also aware that Old Yu's days were numbered. How could he not be on guard?

The problem was, even though Old Yu's death knell had rung, he still had a century left to live. With that much time, why would he care about a small Pill Alchemy Hall? How many Nascent Soul cultivators could there even be?! As long as he could break through to the late Nascent Soul stage, no one would be a threat. Absolute power was the eternal truth of the cultivation world, whether it be about profit or resources. The pursuit of these things was merely a means to achieve the concept of "gaining power." Therefore, Wang Yu had never worried about the people from the Pill Alchemy Hall.

Coldblood Mountain Master being swayed by such a promise was clearly problematic. He had an excellent relationship with Yan Ling, and through this connection, he had supplied many spiritual elixirs and miraculous medicines to the master-disciple faction of Coldblood Peak. Tianshuang was able to weigh his options and make the right choice. There was no reason for Coldblood Mountain Master to be a fool. Their premise for unity against an external threat was that the target was an outsider. Wang Yu, however, was a loyal native of Coldblood Peak; there was no way they would push one of their own away.

Therefore, this Soul Imprint Jade Slip was both important and not so important. It was highly likely that the Mountain Master agreed to the Pill Alchemy Hall's request for reasons beyond a mere promise of preferential pill supply. The actual benefits of this scheme were for later, with Wang Yu being the immediate objective.

"Did he intentionally tell Tianshuang to have him warn me?" After reaching this conclusion, he delved deeper into thought.

The Pill Alchemy Hall was not managed by Nine Peaks Mountain, nor was it under the jurisdiction of the Blood Demon Hall. Nominally, it was independent, but in reality, it was jointly controlled by three clans. Considering this, apart from members of the three clans, no one else could make Coldblood Mountain Master yield, especially with such an obscure method of warning.

"First, exclude the Zuoqiu Clan. The Zhuo Clan is the most suspicious, followed by the Yu Clan. Could it be Zhuo Shouyun..." As his thoughts progressed to this point, Wang Yu dismissed the idea. He knew Zhuo Shouyun. His body was already coveted by the Sect Master; would he really try to scheme against Wang Yu now? That would be like throwing a meat bun to a dog – gone forever. Any trap he set would simply mean his body would fall into the Sect Master's hands.

Zhuo Shouyun's most crucial priority should be cultivation, ideally breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. That way, he would have an extra layer of protection when active outside; otherwise, he could easily be targeted by the Sect Master. He wouldn't choose such an inopportune time to deal with Wang Yu. Wang Yu even felt there was no animosity between them, as he was the one who had won. His train of thought stopped there.

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Wang Yu. "Could it be because of my reputation?"

The Extreme Dharma Profound Pill Demonic Lord was hailed as Chiyuan's most talented cultivator in ten thousand years. Behind this honor lay the growth story of a spirit slave with an innate waste spirit root. He had also risen by consuming the Zhuo Clan's resources. To those in the know, especially the Zhuo family members, this would seem quite laughable, naturally fostering a condescending attitude towards Wang Yu. There was no hatred without reason in this world. If it was due to jealousy, then it made perfect sense.

The righteous-demonic war had raged for three or four decades. Wang Yu was the most famous and the strongest, with his reputation far surpassing others. Following him were Zhou Lingjun, direct disciple of Savage Ghost, and Tong Du, direct disciple of Five Yin; both had displayed their might prominently on the Yunling Province battlefield. Lu Jue, direct disciple of Gu Poison; Yan Tianxing, direct disciple of Evil Sword; Yin Jiuge, direct disciple of Fierce Meditation; and Yan Ling, direct disciple of Coldblood Peak – these four were either in Feng Province or Yeqiong Province, primarily focusing on their individual cultivation.

All seven of them were Nascent Soul seeds. Their chances of forming a Nascent Soul were far beyond ordinary people. Based on past probabilities, three to five emerging was normal, but this time, amidst the righteous-demonic war, the difficulty of obtaining opportunities had significantly decreased. There was also a high probability that all of them would form a Nascent Soul. Not to mention Xie Xie'an of Evil God Peak, who had gone missing deep within the Ancient Barbarian Plains; he would surely break through to the Nascent Soul stage upon his return. And every Blood Pavilion disciple of Blood Nether Peak possessed a Heavenly Spirit Root level Blood Spirit Root.

This was merely the geniuses of the Rebellious Spirit Blood Sect; there were many more prodigies from the Five Demonic Sects who had yet to surface. And there were even more from the Taihu region, given their larger population base. This war, conservatively estimated, would last for a century. It might even last two or three centuries; the Taihu side wouldn't retreat until their objective was achieved.

Returning to the main topic. Realizing that it might be a genius from the main Zhuo Clan wanting to use the Pill Alchemy Hall's influence against him, Wang Yu wasn't in a hurry. He first sent a message to Xu Ruozhou. He asked Xu Ruozhou to investigate which Zhuo Clan geniuses had not joined the Sacred Sect for cultivation, while he himself continued his seclusion to diligently study the Second Nascent Soul Secret Technique! Things had to be done one step at a time. The Pill Alchemy Hall's targeting of him was harmless; it wouldn't be too late to react once they actually made a move.

As for him, ever since he devoured Sword Lord Jiuxie's physical body, everything related to the Innate Demonic Embryo Body seemed to have been activated. Now that his cultivation breakthrough goal was achieved, it was natural to also research the Heavenly Demon Myriad Transformation ability along the way. The core of this ability lay in Heavenly Demon Malice! Wang Yu's Profound Origin Demonic Embryo and Demonic Infant had long merged into one, and his body didn't even possess spirit roots. This "emptiness" was precisely the prerequisite for achieving myriad transformations. By using Heavenly Demon Malice to destroy the target's mind, he could obtain a controllable body, then extract its essence from the body using an ability similar to demonic corruption. Devouring and refining it would allow him to utilize the Innate Demonic Embryo Body's Heavenly Demon Myriad Transformation ability to perform transformations at the physical and soul levels, completely transforming into a creature of another race. The Treant Spirit form he acquired years ago was actually based on this principle, cleverly using the power of the Demonic Dragon Tree Heart to cultivate a Myriad Transformation clone. Such an ability was nothing short of a divine skill for concealing one's identity. However, using it only in this way was somewhat wasteful of its true potential; it wasn't being fully utilized!

Then, Wang Yu naturally thought of the Second Nascent Soul Secret Technique. The essence of this secret technique was to cultivate an "Ancient Soul" into a "Nascent Soul," thereby gaining a clone with synchronized thoughts, which could also absorb soul-based damage and serve as a life-substituting effect. Wang Yu had always disliked this type of secret technique because it had the potential to develop its own consciousness and become uncontrollable. No matter how reliable the secret technique's description claimed it to be, in actual use, it would certainly be fine at first. The worry was that complications might arise after a long period of use. And since there was no "one-click format" button, he had never cultivated it.

Now, if he cultivated a Second Nascent Soul and then demonically corrupted it into a Myriad Transformation clone, it would mean one body with two Nascent Souls. He could even cultivate a second main cultivation technique, whether it be righteous techniques, demonic techniques, or even demonic beast techniques, rather than two bodies with two Nascent Souls. Of course, this isn't to say external clones are bad, but simply that they are unsuitable for highly suspicious individuals. One knows their own mind best, and if an identical clone were truly separated, whether it would betray him was something he understood very clearly.

As he temporarily lacked the material of a True Soul Stone, Wang Yu merely began to seriously comprehend the Second Nascent Soul Secret Technique. His Ancient Soul Art, which he had cultivated for many years, could already be perfected, which would push the "False Soul" (Ancient Soul) in his Niwan Palace to its limit. He had preserved this opportunity, essentially waiting for his spiritual sense to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage. At that point, the cultivation art could lend him a hand. What exactly this opportunity was, he couldn't say for sure yet. As he wasn't fully dedicating himself to comprehension, his cultivation continued to grow.

The third stage of Nascent Soul cultivation required accumulating twelve thousand drops of demonic essence to reach the peak and attempt a breakthrough. Judging by the efficiency of his three cultivation slots working simultaneously, around thirty years was a relatively reasonable timeframe. Refining Longevity Blood Infant Pills again would speed up the process, but Wang Yu wouldn't blindly rely on pills to accumulate demonic essence. While human pills had benefits, they also had drawbacks. It was a shortcut, and taking shortcuts meant enduring various side effects. It was best to cultivate quietly for a period, experience more high-intensity battles, and his foundation would naturally become solid again. He didn't need to rush; time was on his side.

As time passed, the Jifa Daoist Sanctuary occasionally emitted the fragrance of pills. The rich, heavy aroma even condensed into colorful pill clouds. Mortals who inhaled just a breath could shed their impurities and live for a hundred years. Various auspicious phenomena accompanying pill completion occurred ceaselessly, every year. The spiritual elixir commissioned by the Sky Roc King was also successfully refined. It was a special elixir called the Qiongling Soul-Melding Pill, whose effect was to merge different souls. Few people had use for this item, and he didn't care what the demonic beasts would use it for. This favor was the recompense for the Sky Roc King yielding Jiuxie's corpse. The Mastiff King and the True Word King, however, had not contacted him. Regarding the Northern Demonic Beast Clan helping him eliminate his great enemy, the condition he had promised had not yet been fulfilled. The condition was simple: to help them with one matter that didn't go against Wang Yu's core principles or interests. Having a debt weighed on him; it was quite uncomfortable. He preferred to repay it as soon as possible.

While in seclusion refining pills, he also monitored the progress of the righteous-demonic war. After Black Mountain Pass was captured, most of Lingxi Province, at the entrance of Taihu Lake, had been seized. The chaos in Feng Province gradually subsided, and the Sacred Sect began to shift its focus to the Yunling Province battlefield, concentrating on dealing with the Yellow Springs Temple. This led to some powerful cultivators transferring to the eastern battlefront.

Against this backdrop, Wang Yu, who had been in seclusion for over two more years, suddenly received a message from Jin Miaoshan.

Ancestor Stage Life Log, Mid-March, Year 16!

On this day, a jade pendant in his Sea Heart Ring, specifically used to contact Jin Miaoshan, suddenly flew out, manifesting a human face illusion in mid-air.

"Brother Wang, long time no see."

"Fellow Daoist Miaoshan."

Their last meeting had been over a decade ago. Wang Yu, having spent most of his time in seclusion, wasn't keenly aware of the passage of time. Yet, it didn't feel like that long to him. A contact at this time surely meant something important, and indeed, it did.

"Brother Wang, I've caught wind of that fellow Jin Lin. He'll be traveling south from You Province, under the Yellow Springs Temple's jurisdiction, to the Peach Grove territory soon. Interested in taking him down?"

Wang Yu raised an eyebrow. You Province and Yunling Province were locked in fierce combat, and the managers of Jinman Tower behind these two regions were none other than Jin Miaoshan and Jin Lin. As for Peach Province to the south, it not only produced spiritual cultivation resources like Purple Gold Peaches, but Jilei Mountain in its northwest corner was also one of Wang Yu's intended exploration targets. Revenge was definitely to be exacted, and treasure troves were also to be explored. They could be handled concurrently. Moreover, with Jin Miaoshan taking the lead, he would be acting as a helper, thus absolving him of responsibility for any repercussions from killing Jin Lin. He certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity.

"Name the location."

In the illusion, Jin Miaoshan playfully winked. "Within a month, Yunling Province... Guiling City. Miaoshan will certainly sweep the path to welcome you." With a wave, she severed the artifact's connection.

"Vixen."

Immediately after, Wang Yu summoned Xu Ruozhou and gave him instructions. He received from Xu Ruozhou a list of young prodigies from the Zhuo Clan of Guifang, intentionally revealed by them. The number of people on this list was small, about eleven or twelve individuals, all prodigies who had not entered the Sacred Sect, having been trained since childhood within the Zhuo Clan's private academies—truly the cream of the crop. Additionally, there was a list of accompanying students who were affiliated with the Zhuo Clan. These included the descendants of guest elders, stewards, illegitimate sons of the Zhuo Clan, descendants of collateral bloodlines, descendants of branch families, and even disciples or relatives of son-in-laws like the Black Sky Talisman Lord. This list was very detailed, with everyone on it being related by blood, linked by clan lineage, and also talented individuals. Each followed a specific Zhuo Clan disciple, ostensibly as a study companion, but in reality, they were all future confidantes for wielding power, and their status was not low.

"All Heavenly Spirit Roots, the Zhuo Clan truly produces geniuses."

After reading, Wang Yu noted down the names and portraits, then left Xueyu in his cave dwelling. The little fox was close to breaking through to the late Core Formation stage. He planned to entrust her to Little Chan'er's care for a while; following him would be somewhat dangerous. Of course, she would bring her own provisions, and he could even share some of the spiritual elixirs he personally refined with Tantai Chan, as she wouldn't be able to afford raising Xueyu otherwise. He slipped five storage rings onto the connections between the little fox's five tails and her backside, filling them with his doting master's affection. He cupped the fox's head, rubbing it repeatedly, before instructing her.

"Your Sister Chan will take you away soon, so don't cause any trouble, okay?"

Seeing Xueyu nod vigorously and obediently, he then walked out of the Jifa Daoist Sanctuary. He glanced back at the peak of Coldblood Mountain. Wang Yu transformed into a streak of light and first headed to the Blood Demon Hall to inform the Sect Master of his departure. Unfortunately, he didn't find him, so he left a verbal message with the Blood God Guard on duty. There was no news yet of direct targeting from the Pill Alchemy Hall. They were likely waiting for the old flood dragon to die before making a move, or perhaps their actions were too subtle to be detected yet. He only needed to be mindful of these matters; there was no need for preparations as if facing a formidable enemy. He was completely different now. His strength was his greatest confidence.

At the same time, he made a trip to the Various Halls Market, acquired a sound transmission jade talisman that could contact Nascent Soul cultivators in Yunling Province, and then directly left the sect, expertly escaping eastward. Guiling City had been the place of his entire Foundation Establishment stage cultivation. He felt a deep sense of nostalgia after not seeing it for many years. If everything went smoothly, he might stay for a while. He could also visit the Yama Ghost Market again. Finding no tails following him, Wang Yu flew directly to Guiling City, a journey that only took him a little over ten days. To a Nascent Soul cultivator, the Ice Prison Realm was no longer as vast as before; it even seemed somewhat confined. This world, after all, was a cage that imprisoned everything.

The Guiling Jinman Tower and Tianbao Pavilion stood side-by-side. As Wang Yu landed on the rooftop, he gazed at the adjacent building. Han Jia, the master of Tianbao Pavilion here, had been a very good friend of his. They often drank together, and Han Jia had helped him acquire many third-tier resources. It brought back quite a few memories, and he wondered if they would ever meet again.

Because Guiling City had been advanced along the front lines, it no longer belonged to the Sacred Sect but was now under the Yellow Springs Temple, with cultivators standing guard everywhere. Even the mortals had been relocated to You Province, a clear sign of their ambition. The city's defense forces were primarily Core Formation cultivators, and it wasn't the front line or the most fiercely contested area, so Wang Yu's entry didn't cause any commotion.

At that moment, a ghostly breeze swept by. Jin Miaoshan, dressed in a green robe, approached him with a beaming smile. Her delicate hand wrapped around his neck, and she pressed her head close to Wang Yu's chest, her breath fragrant like orchids. Her vibrant red lips seemed poised to kiss his Adam's apple.

"You're here."

Wang Yu was somewhat surprised, not expecting their relationship to have reached this stage. His body instinctively embraced her smooth, slender waist. "What's going on with you?" As he spoke, he looked behind her. The meticulous Noble Lord Jin Xi was not there.