Chapter 449: First Hundred Levels, Rainbow Feather Rare Stone, and Golden Body Relics

Regardless of the tragic wars and massacres between the righteous and demonic factions, fought for resources or territory, existing records indicate there has never been a precedent of Soul Transformation Venerables from either side intervening due to war failure. It is only rumored that secret challenges occur outside of war periods.

Considering the situation in the Ice Prison Realm, it’s easy to draw a conclusion: the ones most desperate to break free from this prison are not geniuses like Wang Yu, but rather the powerful cultivators who have already reached the pinnacle. Even Soul Transformation cultivators have limited lifespans.

If they cannot escape the Ice Prison before their lives end, what future awaits them?

In Wang Yu’s eyes, the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect’s plan to become "wardens," the Yellow Spring Temple’s scheme to undermine the spiritual energy environment of the Ice Prison Realm, or the Joyful Devil Sect’s "ancient method" — imitating past sages to release the sealed ancient demon physical body and incite chaos — all seemed too simplistic. They appeared more like various acts of desperation born out of helplessness. If he were an external observer, he might simply let them be and enjoy the show.

After all, the difficulty of achieving any of these plans is extremely high. Except for releasing the ancient demon physical body, which would make the observers derelict and might be stopped, the other plans were too idealistic, completely disregarding the inherent difficulties.

In summary, the most likely scenario is employing overt tactics to mask a covert advance. As long as there is a shared interest, it is perfectly normal for Soul Transformation Venerables from both the righteous and demonic factions to cooperate. There must be an opportunity within the Eastern Extreme Capital ruins that can enhance Soul Transformation cultivation; this is beyond doubt. As for when these supreme cultivators will arrive, that remains unknown.

***

Meanwhile, a voice announced: "Congratulations, cultivator, for clearing the 70th floor. Please choose two from the following options as your Heaven Star reward:

1. Alchemy Inheritance (Dan Chenzi)2. Demonic Essence Infusion3. Tier 4 Magical Treasure (selectable type)4. Miraculous Elixir (Tier 4 High-grade)5. Accumulate one reward slot for the 80th floor."

Of the five options, the Alchemy Inheritance was vague. Dan Chenzi was likely a famous alchemy grandmaster from the Ancient Immortal Dynasty, but Wang Yu had little need for it. For him, any Tier 4 alchemy inheritance could be placed in the derivation slot to reach Tier 5. He preferred to directly obtain the most top-tier Tier 5 alchemy inheritance in the Ice Prison Realm, which might allow him to break through the limit and derive it to Tier 6 in the future. If he could refine Tier 6 treasured elixirs, there might even be a chance to break worldly restrictions and become a Void Refinement cultivator. After all, the existence of the "placement slot" had, to some extent, provided an unfair advantage. Achieving the impossible now seemed normal.

After his cultivation broke through to the fourth layer of the Nascent Soul stage, Demonic Essence Infusion was no longer Wang Yu's top choice; he now needed to fully master this power.

"It's a pity there's no option to directly increase body refinement cultivation…" From this detail, it was clear that taking shortcuts in body refinement was truly difficult. In contrast, for normal spiritual energy accumulation, there were simply too many ways to take shortcuts.

After some thought, Wang Yu chose options 3 and 6. "I want armor-type true artifacts," he declared.

To this day, Wang Yu had invested most of his resources into his Natal Magical Treasure and fundamental cultivation realm, with very little support for his body refinement path. His Natal True Artifact, in particular, had almost no presence. This was also due to its extremely low strength. Now, exchanging for another armor-type true artifact was meant for the Dark Demon Dragon Armor to devour. After merging with the Dragon Vein Pearl back then, this true artifact had undergone a fundamental change. It could now incorporate different materials and true artifacts, possessing a special ability of "kindred devourment." This ability itself originated from the growth potential of his Natal Treasure, and the Dragon Vein Pearl had enhanced it. Therefore, while the Glazed Pagoda could only devour materials, the Dragon Armor could devour similar true artifacts. The difference in their origins was like heaven and earth. Both were low-grade Tier 4, but the Glazed Pagoda's origin was as robust as a top-grade Tier 4 magical treasure, and it was nourished by a vast amount of Heaven Yin Divine Water, requiring no further concern. The Dark Demon Dragon Armor, being low-grade, was truly only at the low-grade level. As body refinement was one of Wang Yu's commonly used combat methods, the true artifact's inability to keep pace naturally greatly affected his performance. He would supplement it as much as he could.

After obtaining the armor true artifact rewarded by the Heaven Star Tower, he directly handed it over to the Dark Demon Dragon Armor to devour. Wang Yu then immediately entered the 71st floor.

The Tower Spirit's voice continued to resound. "This floor's trial is a 'Comprehensive Trial'!"

Wang Yu preferred to call the so-called Comprehensive Trial a survival assessment. The terrain became extremely dangerous and complex, with the environment of the 71st floor transforming into a volcanic lava land. There were numerous fatal mechanisms and formation restrictions; a single misstep could trigger a chain of restrictions, putting immense pressure on him. It tested the cultivator's comprehensive adaptability. Both the formations and restrictions involved the Tier 4 domain and were not to be dealt with casually. From volcanic lava to arctic ice plains, endless gale layers, poisonous miasma jungles, and even a void of darkness—the sheer number of extreme environments was astonishing. It greatly broadened Wang Yu's horizons, yielding significant gains.

Subsequently, the 80th floor, 90th floor, and beyond were all safely passed thanks to his mid-Nascent Soul cultivation. The Dark Demon Dragon Armor's origin greatly increased as a result. It entered a "satiated" state, unable to devour more items for the time being. Wang Yu's attention then shifted from magical treasures and true artifacts to rare items and spiritual medicines.

***

The 100th floor. Terrifying gale winds and azure rain, like a torrential downpour, densely fell from the sky. Wang Yu had to expend a large amount of demonic essence to maintain the durability of his protective qi shield. His gaze gravely fixed on the giant bird soaring in the sky.

"Heaven-grade bloodline… Wind Plumed Sky-Tearing Eagle!" This was his objective for this floor. A Heaven-grade bloodline was equivalent to a human's spiritual body level aptitude, in some ways placing it on the same level as Wang Yu. Fortunately, its cultivation was only at the early Tier 4 stage, still within Wang Yu's handling capacity. Compared to ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, the Wind Plumed Sky-Tearing Eagle was clearly much stronger. Its Sky-Tearing Eagle Claws could easily kill ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, just like how Wang Yu dealt with other early Nascent Soul cultivators.

A moment later, the giant eagle suddenly swooped down, letting out a world-shaking cry. Space seemed to twist, drawing three distorted long marks. Wang Yu retreated rapidly, crescent moon imprints appearing in his eyes.

"Void Moon Pupils Art: Space Solidification!"

In an instant, the Wind Plumed Sky-Tearing Eagle was momentarily solidified. The sky abruptly darkened. From the boundless shadows, a massive Moonfall Stone descended, seemingly from nowhere, blocking all the torrential rain formed by gale winds. With the adverse external environment temporarily eliminated by the meteorite, Wang Yu surged forward, already posing to punch from a distance. Behind him, the three phenomena — Yellow Spring Turbid Stream, Asura Blood Sea, and Extreme Cold Frost — all merged into a single punch. The control ability of the Ten Directions Frozen Demon Fist allowed him to switch between various divine abilities at will and also control the power exerted based on his mastered realm.

The punch print, imbued with three divine abilities, suddenly expanded to a thousand zhang in scale, like Mount Tai pressing down. The moment it crashed, the Wind Plumed Sky-Tearing Eagle broke free from the Void Moon Pupils Art's control. It transformed into an azure gale and narrowly dodged the punch's attack at the last second. Wang Yu was quite surprised by this. Although his combo was improvised, the timing of the connection was absolutely perfect. Against other early Nascent Soul cultivators, 99% of them would have been taken out by his single wave of attack.

The speed displayed by the Wind Plumed Sky-Tearing Eagle almost surpassed that of ordinary late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, completely overwhelming Wang Yu's escape speed. This discovery significantly increased Wang Yu's pressure. Speed advantage accounts for a large portion in combat. Just the difficulty in targeting it alone would be troublesome, not to mention it also exposed the information about his Void Moon Pupils Art, a powerful spatial control technique. Fortunately, the Wind Plumed Sky-Tearing Eagle, though grazed, was not entirely unscathed. Its right wing was largely blackened, looking as if it had been burned. In reality, it had been completely affected by the mixed power. No matter how it tried to control it, it was difficult to respond. That area at the tip of the wing could be said to be completely necrotic. Unless it was severed and regrown, the effect would persist.

When experts spar, even this slight disadvantage might be the key to victory. Seeing the Wind Plumed Sky-Tearing Eagle attempting to escape beyond the meteorite's cover, Wang Yu's mind stirred, and his Moonfall Pupils Art underwent more changes. The giant meteorite suddenly split into countless colossal stones, transforming into a meteor shower that devastated the land. These mixed with the gale raindrops, completely disrupting the Wind Plumed Sky-Tearing Eagle's power. With its environmental advantage nullified, the Sky-Tearing Eagle was clearly enraged. It immediately unleashed its trump card. Compared to the previous Valiant Marquis, its intelligence was much higher. Perhaps it was secretly controlled by the Tower Spirit. The Wind Plumed Sky-Tearing Eagle's innate divine ability was called Seven Sky-Tearing Claws! It was an incredibly powerful innate divine ability that combined wind and spatial attributes, passed down specifically within this race's bloodline.

Azure streaks of light repeatedly darted across the sky, drawing a mysterious trajectory. It suddenly turned and attacked Wang Yu again. This time, the strong spatial fluctuations it carried could not be forcibly solidified by the Void Moon Pupils Art. Wang Yu took a deep breath. The Glazed Ice Heart Pagoda flew out from his Qi Sea, emitting a beam of Ice Soul Divine Light towards the sky. From its base, multicolored aurora diffused, enhancing his body. His Aurora Escape Technique gained a boost from the magical treasure.

By the time the Wind Plumed Sky-Tearing Eagle broke through the impact of the Ice Soul Divine Light, Wang Yu had already transformed into light and fled a great distance. At this range, no matter how fast the Sky-Tearing Eagle was, it would need time. This window was enough for Wang Yu to use a more powerful trump card.

"Frost Moon Across the Sky." Twelve phenomenal visions all materialized around Wang Yu. He reached out to summon a "frost sword" and sent it directly forward. It instantly transformed into a stream of icy blue light, a head-on sword strike that weakened the Sky-Tearing Eagle's power and disrupted its rhythm. As the saying goes, "One strike, then two, then three, then exhaustion." With its attack rhythm disrupted, Wang Yu summoned the "Immortal Shadow" from the twelve phenomenal visions and directly attached it to the Wind Plumed Sky-Tearing Eagle, freezing it into a block of ice mid-air. The Seven Sky-Tearing Claws were completely interrupted.

At that moment, Wang Yu drew his "Sacred Bow." The light of the Frost Moon descended, providing enhancement, and the power of the Twelve Aspects all merged into a single arrow.

"—Whoosh!" The bowstring vibrated, and the Frost Moon arrow shot forth too quickly to be seen. In the blink of an eye, a beautiful ice flower bloomed in the high sky. The Wind Plumed Sky-Tearing Eagle shrieked and plummeted towards the ground, eventually fading into a phantom and disappearing.

The widespread destruction caused by various divine abilities on the 100th floor rapidly restored itself. Wang Yu also quietly breathed a sigh of relief. In this battle, he made his first attempt at "kiting tactics," also known as kite-flying combat. The effect was still satisfactory, barely meeting his requirements.

And the subsequent Tower Spirit's reward gave Wang Yu a great surprise. "Congratulations, cultivator, for passing the 100th-floor trial. Please choose two from the following options:

1. Rainbow Feather Odd Stone (exclusive to killing the Sky-Tearing Eagle)2. Demonic Essence Infusion (one thousand drops)3. Magical Treasure (Tier 4 High-grade)4. Golden Body Sarira (Buddhist supreme treasure, remarkably effective for body cultivation)5. Miraculous Elixir (Tier 4 Supreme-grade)6. Accumulate this reward for the next level."

Still six options. Regarding the Rainbow Feather Odd Stone, Wang Yu had actually searched for it for quite some time, but found none. At least not through his contacts at the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and Golden Full Building. Perhaps it had something to do with the people he contacted, not the capabilities of the two merchant organizations. In any case, obtaining this treasure in the Heaven Star Tower, compensating for his disadvantage in escape speed and transforming it into an advantage, was a great benefit. Option one was definitely going to be chosen. It could help him raise his Aurora Escape Technique to the peak Tier 4 level. Then, by utilizing the power of the "placement slot," he could comprehend the Aurora Dharma Intent. He could even make this divine ability reach Tier 5, and if factoring in the derivation from the placement slot, reaching Tier 6 was also possible. This was the advancement path he had planned when he chose this escape technique back then, as other divine abilities, unlike Natal Divine Abilities, do not automatically advance with cultivation. Cultivating other divine abilities requires cultivators to constantly comprehend and perfect them, and continuously enhance them by refining corresponding heavenly materials and earthly treasures. For instance, the Ice Soul Divine Light, when he was in the Endless Ice Plains back then, he could absorb the extreme cold qi accumulated over countless years in the ice plains using techniques like the Cold Absorption Art and Heavenfrost Secret Method. This not only tempered his demonic essence but also increased the foundation of the Glazed Pagoda. His ice-attribute divine abilities would also benefit, continuously increasing the power of his fundamental cold qi. Seizing the creation of heaven and earth is the foundation of the cultivation path. And what about those heavenly tribulations? Are they not the heavens' restrictions on those who seize its creation? Once a cultivator dies, everything naturally returns to heaven and earth, maintaining the "total amount" without loss. That's why lightning tribulations become increasingly terrifying until the cultivator dies and their path vanishes; only then will everything end.

Shortly after, after long consideration, Wang Yu finally chose the Rainbow Feather Odd Stone and the Golden Body Sarira. He had a deep connection with Buddhism. Especially when his body refinement path broke through Tier 2 and Tier 3, he used treasures left behind by Buddhism. The Ancient Immortal Dynasty era was the most flourishing period for Buddhism. Wang Yu suspected that this was an inheritance left by Buddhist masters who descended from the upper realms along with the immortal to set up the ancient demon sealing grounds. Although it had long been destroyed in history, traces of Buddhism could still be seen in many ruins and secret realms. Its presence in the Heaven Star Tower was not surprising.

"Golden Body Sarira…" Wang Yu murmured, looking at the sarira in his hand that resembled a golden core. He remained silent, his eyes slightly lost in thought, pondering something. He was not in a hurry to proceed to the next floor. After breaking through the 100th floor, the rest period in between significantly increased to about twelve hours, enough for him to study and explore.

Sariras are "Dao fruit"-like products that only high-ranking Buddhist monks are qualified to condense after their demise. Legend has it that after an eminent monk reincarnates, they will retrieve their own sarira and gain everything accumulated in their previous life. This divine art, called the "Sutra of Reincarnation and Salvation from Calamity," has long been lost. Otherwise, if Buddhism could accumulate strength generation after generation, the number of powerful cultivators would surely far exceed imagination.