Chapter 442: First Target, Immortal Officer Medicine Depot

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The underground palace seemed vast but was actually quite small. The moment the three thousand phantoms appeared, they filled everyone's vision, making it impossible to discern anything with the naked eye.

Experienced cultivators had long since used their spiritual sense to observe.

However, Wang Yu's technique was nearly flawless. His true body had already used the phantoms as cover to directly rush towards the underground palace entrance, moving upwards!

His top priority was to leave the area.

However, by putting themselves in his shoes, others could easily guess his intentions, which was not difficult for cunning old monsters.

In the area.

The sole mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator conjured a jade ruyi scepter. It swayed in the wind, emitting a cold current that visibly sealed the underground palace entrance with a thick layer of ice.

Wang Yu's expression remained unchanged; he even charged directly into it.

Immortal spiritual light gleamed on his skull, highlighting his sheer determination!

With the dual enhancement of his silver blood divine power and force field, he spun on the spot like a top, drilling through the ice and vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

"How is that possible… Snow Jade Ruyi is a top-grade fourth-tier magic treasure…"

Before they could pursue further, the three thousand phantoms Wang Yu left behind exploded simultaneously. Dazzling multicolored auroras, like flashbangs, nearly blinded everyone.

Demon Monarch Yingui seized the opportunity, transforming into a streak of shadowy lightning and rushing to the surface along the passage Wang Yu had opened.

His heart pounded. He wasn't sure if this was intentional on Wang Yu's part, or if he was simply upholding his agreement by giving him a hand before leaving.

But soon, he realized it was intentional.

After all, it was a win-win for Wang Yu: it disrupted the pursuit, gave him a chance to escape and conceal his aura, and also allowed Yingui to seize the opportunity to get away.

Demon Monarch Yingui's intelligence was average, but fortunately, his deceptive tactics were rather unsophisticated. Compared to cultivators of his age, he was as naive as a child.

What was more valuable was his decent combat prowess.

After the experience at the Heavenly Yin Water Pool, Wang Yu realized a weakness: his combat strength was insufficient!

This was simple to fix: merely increase his cultivation.

However, to gain more from the Dongji Jing ruins, he needed to gather some allies. In this regard, the Guiyin Demonic Palace was a vassal of the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect.

They were not subject to mandatory deployment, but once he revealed his identity, they would become true collaborators. The greatest benefit from the Heavenly Yin Water Pool expedition was already in his grasp.

Sharing a Heavenly Yin Divine Pearl was a small price.

Of course, Nascent Soul cultivators from the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect were better suited for cooperative exploration, such as Demon Monarch Youmo and Demon Monarch Minghu, whose collaboration was always pleasant and smooth.

It was simply that the opportunity hadn't arisen yet.

Outside the underground palace, in a civilian house far from the Four Directions Courtyard.

Wang Yu tossed a Heavenly Yin Divine Pearl to Yingui. According to his findings, there were four such pearls, each comparable in value to a Nascent Transformation Pill, much like Core Formation spiritual items that perfectly matched one's attributes.

For cultivators primarily specializing in water, yin, or ice attributes, it was a ready-made spiritual item for Nascent Soul condensation.

Yingui hadn't fully grasped the situation yet. After receiving the Heavenly Yin Divine Pearl he had coveted, he subconsciously licked his lips.

He bowed deeply.

"I still do not know your esteemed name, fellow Daoist."

"Wang Yu. Perhaps you are more familiar with my esteemed title—Demon Monarch of Extreme Law Profound Elixir."

Yingui indeed showed a look of sudden realization. His demonic palace was in Yunling Prefecture, and he had been forced to participate in the war against the Yellow Springs Temple, having thoroughly studied intelligence on the entire righteous-demonic conflict.

If not for the appearance of Dongji Jing this time, he would most likely still be fighting on the battlefield against the Yellow Springs cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, many thanks for this."

"No worries, you truly contributed. Who in the world doesn't know that I am the most trustworthy?"

"Indeed! Indeed!"

This was purely flattery. He had heard of Wang Yu's name but wasn't familiar with such specific details.

With their objective achieved, he intended to take his leave.

He wanted to first assimilate the benefits he had gained. As for the Heavenly Yin Dragon Pearl, he didn't know its specific use and thus didn't think much of it.

"Fellow Daoist, don't be in a hurry to leave."

Wang Yu saw through his intentions and began to persuade him.

"The Dongji Jing ruins appearing will attract a vast number of Nascent Soul cultivators. We from Yunling Prefecture and the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect are close by.

"As the saying goes, 'those near water get the moon first.' If you're content with just a few gains now, by the time you emerge from secluded cultivation, the entire Dongji Jing will have been thoroughly explored by others, which would be a significant loss!"

Yingui indeed hesitated at these words. Logically, with the Heavenly Yin Divine Pearl in hand, combined with the Yin Thunder Water Lotus he had found years ago, he had a seventy percent chance of breaking through to the late stage.

Becoming a renowned grand cultivator would significantly elevate the status of Guiyin Demonic Palace. He would then truly have the standing to negotiate with the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect, rather than just he and his disciple Lian Yan being the sole Nascent Soul cultivators supporting it.

It's important to remember that during the years Dongji Jing was buried underground, local forces in Yunling Prefecture had extensively explored it; many of the collapsed buildings were their doing.

Within Guiyin Demonic Palace, numerous records from generations of cultivators detailing their exploration and information about the ruins were preserved, all of which were significant advantages.

Not utilizing this to gain more at this time...

If others snatched away the spoils, it would indeed be a pity.

Greed is humanity's greatest weakness. Cultivators powerful enough to achieve Nascent Soul are even more avaricious, but they understand precisely when to indulge their greed, and even when to stake everything.

Moreover... wasn't the person before him a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect?

In terms of knowledge about Dongji Jing, the information recorded within the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect should be more extensive and comprehensive.

And so.

Demon Monarch Yingui subconsciously asked.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, do you have a second objective?"

"Of course."

Wang Yu replied with a calm and composed expression.

"I should say this was always the primary objective; the underground palace excursion was purely accidental."

"Very well, I shall follow your advice, fellow Daoist."

Wang Yu didn't lie.

During his years as Lord of Guiling City, his insufficient strength prevented him from attempting to seize anything from the nearby Dongji Jing ruins, as they were simply too dangerous.

Yet, he had always collected information on the ruins. Even if they hadn't fully emerged this time, he would have eventually explored them once he grew strong enough.

Because the secrets contained within these ruins were too important.

He didn't want Nascent Transformation to be the endpoint of his cultivation journey. While the Lunar Nether Pupils seemed like a fallback, he still felt it was somewhat precarious.

Even though the system had deduced it to the fifth tier, he still felt it was slightly lacking. The sixth tier, corresponding to Void Refinement cultivators, was the true realm for mastering spatial abilities.

Leveraging a lower-tier ability to affect a higher one wasn't entirely impossible.

The probability was just low, so he wouldn't place all his hopes on the Lunar Nether Pupils. Finding a more stable alternative path was also his long-term goal.

This, in turn, required him to uncover more ancient secrets to formulate a more comprehensive plan.

Thus, after receiving the news from Old Man Kurong.

He refined the Black Demonic Thunder while traveling, managing to arrive in the shortest possible time.

To get back to the main point.

According to records in the Sutra Hall, during the Ancient Immortal Dynasty, there was an exclusive Imperial Longevity Herb Treasury for the Human Emperor, which contained countless rare spiritual herbs from across the world.

It was listed as the place with the most precious herbs in the Ice Prison Realm, no less, perhaps even richer, than those in the Ice Phoenix Sacred Palace.

Dongji Jing here was not the ancient capital city.

Therefore, the longevity herb reserves here were not vast, and the innumerable restrictions and formations made it impenetrable for Nascent Soul cultivators. It was estimated that only Nascent Transformation Venerables could personally break through.

Thus, Wang Yu's primary target was actually the Immortal Official Herb Treasury within the palace city. All he sought was a secret spiritual sense medicine that could help him advance his spiritual sense to the late Nascent Soul stage.

His brief stay in the outer city was merely an accident.

The inner city was more dangerous, containing many cultivation residences of ancient prominent families, with the most valuable sections still holding treasures beneficial to Nascent Soul cultivators.

Currently, most Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators were active in the inner city, breaching well-preserved ancient cultivators' residences one after another.

Sometimes they reaped a bountiful harvest, and other times they found nothing.

It primarily depended on luck, though intelligence support significantly increased the chances of a successful haul.

After a simple disguise, Wang Yu and Yingui followed a "safe route" directly into the palace city.

The end of the street of official residences, where the Hundred Crafts Institute was located, actually bordered the palace city. Wang Yu was highly experienced in this area, even passing through sensitive zones like the Jingzhao Suppressing Evil Prison along the way.

He also saw cultivators from the Inkstone Sect, Heavenly Fragrance Sect, and Purple Dragon Mountain, but had no intention of greeting them, heading straight for the end of the official residences street.

In front of the Hundred Crafts Institute.

Yingui looked left and right, stepping exactly where Wang Yu stepped, their footprints overlapping, for fear of accidentally triggering a restriction.

At this depth, every type of restriction was extremely dangerous.

Especially within the palace city, which was filled with vital areas like immortal official residences, princely mansions, and princess estates built by the Immortal Dynasty; one wrong step could lead to irreversible disaster.

Even Nascent Soul cultivators were no exception to this.

Of course.

They still had room to resist. While the palace city was dangerous, it wasn't so perilous as to contain restrictions or formations that could instantly kill Nascent Soul cultivators; that would be an exaggeration, as it wasn't the innermost Imperial Palace.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, have you been here before?"

"A Core Formation stage predecessor has been here. Head this way."

Wang Yu walked ahead, showing no inclination to explore the Hundred Crafts Institute. While the legacies of ingenious crafts there indeed surpassed all other cultivation arts outside of alchemy, artifact crafting, talismans, and formations—and were excellent for pleasing the Human Emperor—they were not suitable for him.

The area was dangerous and flight was prohibited.

The maximum height one could reach from the ground was one zhang; any higher would trigger restrictions and push them down. Should one be unlucky enough to encounter chained restrictions, it was not impossible to be wiped out instantly.

So they both walked steadily, showing no haste.

Half an incense stick later.

Yingui stared in astonishment at the small hole beneath his feet. He then looked around, realizing this was indeed the "largest" "door."

He couldn't help but look at Wang Yu, his mouth twitching.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, is this what you call a safe passage? We, dignified Nascent Soul cultivators, have to crawl through a dog hole?"

"Not so."

Wang Yu shook his head.

"Calling it a 'dog hole' is too harsh.

"Look at this palace wall, connected to the palace city's formations, perfectly smooth and flawless, and cast from blue and red jade. Could a wild dog really dig a hole like this?

"Perhaps it was made by some exotic beast kept by the Human Emperor. It's not a dog hole."

Despite his words, the feeling was the same.

Seeing this, Wang Yu added fuel to the fire.

"Are you suggesting we bypass a shortcut and go through the main gate of the palace city? That's where all the Nascent Soul experts are gathered, with grand cultivators numbering more than ten."

"Since we know about this secret passage, it would be a shame not to use it. By the time they breach the main entrance, we'll already be rich."

Though his words were blunt, the logic was sound. Yingui gritted his teeth, wiggled his rear, and squeezed inside, muttering curses.

"This hole is too small, and it hasn't been used for so many years, why is it still wet?"

Wang Yu paid no attention and answered casually.

"It's probably just damp. It's been underground for years, so it's only a bit of accumulated water. Once you're inside, make sure not to move, to avoid triggering any restrictions."

"Got it..."

Yingui responded sullenly, not in a good mood.

Wang Yu, meanwhile, was secretly amused. This path was recorded in the personal notes of the Inkstone Sect's founding patriarch, known only to himself and the Azure Sheep Hermit, who had discovered his remains.

This information was later shared with Wang Yu, not found in the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect's ancient texts.

It was thus very discreet, known to very few people.

The advantages of being able to explore the palace city first were self-evident. When Yingui finally squeezed through,

Wang Yu transformed into a streak of escape light.

With a whoosh, he appeared directly in front of the other party.

Demon Monarch Yingui: "..."

Any slightly advanced third-tier escape technique allowed cultivators to transcend physical limitations, transforming into a fist-sized streak of light for flight; otherwise, their speed would struggle to exceed the speed of sound.

Even if it did, the flying experience would be extremely poor.

This was an intelligence test, indirectly confirming the suspicion that Yingui's intelligence was indeed not high.

Wang Yu nonchalantly observed the palace city just beyond the hole. They stood beside a corridor, and due to the flight restriction, they would need to locate a landmark building to confirm their precise position.

No map of the palace city existed, but records of key buildings were documented in the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect's ancient texts.

Due to the passage of time, anything perfectly preserved had undoubtedly utilized the most supreme methods, meaning all contested treasures were exceptionally valuable.

Most items of ordinary value had likely turned to dust over time.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, how do we proceed now?"

Yingui, his face a mixture of sullenness and an elusive dark red, directly asked Wang Yu for directions.

Coincidentally.

He had been helpless before, but that didn't mean he was now.

He took out his feng shui compass, and the Ancestral Water Token embedded within it once again proved useful.

The Ancestor of Earth Masters had personally arranged the miraculous feng shui array of the Ancient Immortal Dynasty. Within this palace city, the Ancestral Token was the most reliable asset. Although he couldn't grasp the entire layout,

he could deduce the most "auspicious" direction.

Most spiritual herbs thrived in water-generating layouts, which both preserved their efficacy and nourished their properties, allowing for subtle improvements. This was highly compatible with the Ancestral Water Token.

Therefore, disregarding the Imperial Palace's location, he focused solely on finding the most water-abundant feng shui spot within the palace city.

It was most likely—the Immortal Official Herb Treasury!

Along the way, Wang Yu avoided danger multiple times.

He realized that the most immediate danger in the palace city lay in the stone lions, symbols of protection against evil. These were formation stone golems crafted to imitate the exotic Azure Lion.

Their material was extremely special, possessing high resistance to spiritual and demonic essence; the most effective way to deal with them was through brute force.

As long as one didn't get close, these stone monsters wouldn't activate.

Wang Yu and Yingui walked almost entirely along the very center of the main avenue, as if strolling, reaching the Immortal Official Herb Treasury with improbable smoothness.

Wang Yu had been instrumental throughout this journey.

Now, it was Yingui's turn.

"Fellow Daoist, please!"

The other party looked confident.

"Brother Wang, you can rest assured and leave it to me."

(End of chapter)