Chapter 455: The Arrival of the Transformation God, Continuous Mischief Operations

This negative example shocked the early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators on both sides, causing them to cease hostilities and retreat. However, for Grand Cultivators and mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, the Azure Lion Stone Golems posed little threat unless their numbers were infinite. That battle, on the contrary, helped them confirm the combat power of the Azure Lion Stone Golems.

“A few stone golems are nothing to fear. Today, we must slay these treacherous individuals from the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect to appease the spirit of Azure Water Demon Lord.” Although Di Mingzi spoke with righteous fervor, his attacks were mediocre, far from the level he had displayed at the Demonic King's banquet. He was clearly slacking off.

However, several Nascent Soul priests of the Underworld Mountain Cult were unaware. Seeing that it was time for them to exert themselves, they exchanged glances and communicated closely via spiritual sense. Out of respect for the alliance, several priests, including Crow Serpent, prepared to act.

“How about we ask the Underworld Crow King of the Grand Priest to respond?”

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

The Yin Beasts controlled by Yin Beast cultivators could, in some cases, be passed down to descendants. Powerful Yin Beasts could also possess a degree of intelligence and were capable of communication. The Grand Priests of the Underworld Mountain Cult were almost all late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. Even if their true bodies were not present, they could use the Yin-Yang Path to summon the Grand Priest’s destined Yin Beast.

The moment they made their move, Thunder-Roar Lord suddenly split into two. Amidst the violent purple lightning, this clone, refined from a Thunder Spirit Corpse, possessed almost the same power as his main body. Resembling the legendary Thunder-Roar Beast, it wielded the most potent Yang lightning power with a zombie body. It arrived instantly, striking these Underworld Mountain Cult priests so severely they were utterly miserable. The partially opened Yin-Yang Path was sealed once more.

The intensity of the battle rapidly escalated. Di Mingzi faced Ice Soul Fairy, Three Corpses Daoist battled Filth Daoist, and after breaking through the sword array, Thunder-Roar Lord targeted the group of Nascent Soul priests. From the trend of high-level combatants, it wouldn't be long before the strong cultivators from Yellow Springs Temple would face defeat. The situation was not optimistic.

While the battle raged fiercely at the imperial city, Wang Yu, on his side, was feeling exceedingly comfortable. Although the Marrow Cleansing Pool no longer offered significant improvement to his innate talent, its effect of body transformation still provided considerable benefits. Hidden injuries, depletion, and even the superficial power gained from consecutive rapid breakthroughs were all restored and stabilized. It quickly helped his body recover to its peak condition.

At the same same time, after the Fiend Dragon Armor absorbed the Marrow Cleansing Pool, the power of these two Dragon Vein treasures merged. The armor's physical enhancement ability increased from one-third to twofold! Although it was still a Grade Four mid-rank True Artifact, its effect was significantly enhanced. Once the dragon armor was worn, his physical strength would skyrocket by two times. His abundant vital energy nearly surpassed his total demonic energy. The divine power he could exert also reached a new high, and his overall strength increased by more than just one level. In this state, Wang Yu even felt he could contend with a Grand Cultivator.

“I’m still at a disadvantage due to my youth,” Wang Yu murmured as he stepped out of the empty Marrow Cleansing Pool. This treasure land was now useless, as there had long been no dragon vein beneath Dongji Capital. Less than ten days had passed from the East Palace to the Marrow Cleansing Pool. The continuous gains had given him many more trump cards, but he was still far from being able to truly claim a share of Dongji Capital's spoils.

Just as he was rubbing the Coiled Dragon Ring and contemplating his next objective, the sky suddenly darkened. Within boundless blood-red clouds, a formidable will descended upon the area. Wang Yu's gaze became solemn. A Divine Transformation Venerable… had arrived.

Meanwhile, Scorching Sun Old Devil, who was still struggling to break through the restrictive light barrier in front of the Longevity Medicine Repository, also changed his expression. He realized there was no longer any chance for him to acquire the fortuitous encounter here. In his scheme for the Heaven Star Tower, he had relied too much on his own experience. Despite having anticipated the sudden arrival of a Divine Transformation Venerable, he had, out of confidence in his own strength, chosen the Longevity Medicine Repository, one of the foremost fortuitous encounters in Dongji Capital. Now, his efforts were in vain. This Grade Five restriction was simply not something that could be broken in ten days. He was like a monkey peeling corn, discarding one for the next. In the end, he didn't even get a basic reward. The negative emotions in his heart accumulated to the extreme. With a gloomy face, he left the entrance of the Longevity Medicine Repository without a word. He prepared to go to the imperial city to pay respects to the arriving Divine Transformation Venerable.

Wang Yu made a similar choice, but he was better at concealing his gains. He decisively took out the "299th place" reserve Valiant Cavalry General token from his Sea Heart Ring. Appearing eager to present a treasure, he teleported out of the imperial palace first.

At that moment, just a thousand zhang away from the Heaven Star Tower, the forces of the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect and Yellow Springs Temple had already separated. Apart from the unlucky individuals initially bitten to death by the Azure Lion Stone Golems, the casualty rate for both sides thereafter was zero. Instead, the three early-stage Nascent Soul priests and one mid-stage Nascent Soul priest, who had come to assist, were all slain by Thunder-Roar Lord. This inflicted a severe lesson on the Underworld Mountain Cult. It was almost certainly intentional.

After all, the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect and Yellow Springs Temple were old rivals, having engaged in battles at the Grand Cultivator level when contending for the ruins of the ancient Heavenly Soul Sect. After the start of the Righteous-Demonic War, the Underworld Mountain Cult had specifically chosen to assist Yellow Springs Temple, and the Joyful Harmony Demonic Sect had also backstabbed the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect once before. Naturally, their resentment was immense. Given the previous situation, Thunder-Roar Lord had an absolute advantage regardless of whether he chose to kill members of the Underworld Mountain Cult or Yellow Springs Temple. He specifically targeted those who were helping. If not for deliberate retaliation, what else could his intention be?

Now that the Underworld Mountain Cult members were all dead, all the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect wore smiles, while the Yellow Springs Temple cultivators looked terribly grim, as if their mothers had died. Di Mingzi, in particular, now deeply regretted why he had stopped the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect earlier. If he had let them leave, the situation would not have devolved to this point. How to explain this to the Underworld Mountain Cult was a problem! Whether they would choose to continue cooperating, or even turn against them, were matters that needed to be considered.

“You Mingzi, oh You Mingzi, why have you still not appeared…” Beneath the boundless blood-red clouds, both sides harbored different thoughts. Thunder-Roar Lord, with boundless ferocity, taunted: “Go on, why aren't you pursuing anymore? Did your soft parts get shattered? Do you finally feel the pain?!?”

Di Mingzi clenched his fist, then recalled a crucial issue. If Azure Water Demon Lord hadn't inexplicably died in the Immortal Official Medicine Repository, the Grand Cultivator-level combat power would have at least been evenly matched. Therefore, the predicament Yellow Springs Temple faced was to be blamed on Wang Yu. Busy deflecting blame, he knew in his heart that he bore half the responsibility for Azure Water’s death. It was he who had asked Filth Daoist to watch the show with him, and when something truly went wrong, it was too late for regrets. No matter how many thoughts raced through his mind, they ultimately turned into a long sigh.

To return to the main topic. The arrival of a Divine Transformation Venerable was apparent from the boundless blood-red clouds, indicating that the new arrival was a Demonic Venerable who had recently ascended in the Heaven Refinement Demonic Sect centuries ago. His title: Crimson Heaven!

When Crimson Heaven Demonic Venerable broke through, Wang Yu had not yet entered the cultivation world. However, both Scarlet Kite and Grand Lake clearly remembered the names and general characteristics of Divine Transformation Venerables. The Crimson Heaven Life-Devouring Demonic Art cultivated by this Demonic Venerable was one of the Divine Transformation inheritances that originated from the Ancient Demon Lord Sheng, who was suppressed beneath the Sword Sect's mountain gate. The Heaven Refinement Demonic Sect, using unknown secret techniques, had avoided the hidden demonic corruption within the inheritance, and had even developed a great interest in Ancient Demon Lord Sheng himself. Since the Heaven Refinement Demonic Sect began dominating the Demonic Path, the ultimate goal of every Righteous-Demonic War had been to attack the Sword Sect's mountain gate and make close contact with the legendary Ancient Demon of Life. All attempts, without exception, had failed. The most successful attempt was thousands of years ago, but then the Sword Sect gained an additional Divine Transformation Venerable, which instantly reversed the decline.

Now, the Demonic Path had gained another Crimson Heaven Demonic Venerable. This Righteous-Demonic War was also very crucial and would certainly not end easily. This great war had only just begun.

Crimson Heaven's arrival was fundamentally due to Leng Gu, before his death, having secretly notified the Yellow Springs Temple Master and Crimson Heaven Demonic Venerable's attendant, as arranged by You Mingzi. The latter was faster and arrived at Dongji Capital earlier. His purpose, naturally, was the Imperial Palace. At that moment, amidst the boundless blood-red clouds, three Grade Four black flood dragons pulled an ancient war chariot-like magical artifact forward. Beneath a round canopy, hanging curtains of colorful pearls concealed the Demonic Venerable's true appearance. Only the two attendants driving the chariot gazed down at everyone with serious expressions.

The male attendant on the left stepped forward, his youthful voice resounding like thunder, shaking everyone's minds. “Who spoke of a Divine Transformation opportunity? Step forward quickly and explain the situation.”

The Anti-Spirit Blood Sect cultivators remained unmoved. After all, they hadn't summoned him; it had nothing to do with them. The Five Demonic Sects were nominally a single faction. Even if Crimson Heaven was a Demonic Venerable, he couldn't just kill people arbitrarily; he always needed a plausible reason. Yellow Springs Temple was the primary target of the attendant's question.

Di Mingzi looked left and right, unable to find anyone to take the lead. Gritting his teeth, he was about to step forward and explain the situation, when he saw a streak of light, like a meteor, swiftly approaching from afar. The newcomer was Wang Yu. He arrived before the chariot, presented the token rewarded by the Heaven Star Tower with both hands, and quickly explained: “This is an authority token that this junior obtained during the Heaven Star Tower trials. It allows one to bypass the restrictions outside the Imperial Palace and directly enter to seek fortuitous encounters. Currently, there is only this one in Dongji Capital. Wang Yu is willing to offer it to the Demonic Venerable, to better facilitate the investigation of the fortuitous encounter mentioned by the Yellow Springs Temple fellow cultivators.”

The attendant immediately showed satisfaction, took the token, and brought it behind the curtain. A voice of appreciation immediately sounded from within. “Very good. If you acquire any fortuitous encounters in the Imperial Palace in the coming days, it shall be yours. This Venerable promises it to you.”

Wang Yu remained silent, merely glancing at the Yellow Springs Temple cultivators. It was as if he was saying, “I’ve already made my offering, what about you? You reported the news, but now you can't produce anything. Isn’t that making a fool of the Venerable?! You could easily enrage His Lordship, the Demonic Venerable~” Especially since an 'unrelated' person like Wang Yu had presented a treasure, it would indeed be problematic if Yellow Springs Temple didn't offer something. This made Di Mingzi nearly grind his teeth to dust. Without Wang Yu's intervention, if he had simply explained the situation, he wouldn't have had to worry about punishment. After all, that was the reality, and he couldn't retrieve anything from the Heaven Star Tower. Now, if he didn't produce something, he would truly suffer.

After long hesitation, Di Mingzi finally chose to take out the Grade Five rewards he had painstakingly accumulated layer by layer from his tower challenges, glaring at Wang Yu with extreme resentment. He handed them to the Demonic Venerable's attendant, while also secretly transmitting a message.

Not long after, as soon as Wang Yu returned to the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect's ranks, Thunder-Roar Lord pulled him aside, his eyes conveying just four words: “Well done!”

Sure enough, moments later, a cold snort suddenly emanated from behind the chariot's curtain. Di Mingzi instantly felt as if struck by lightning. His face turned pale, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The gap between a Divine Transformation Venerable and a Nascent Soul cultivator was like that between a Core Formation cultivator and a Qi Condensation cultivator; crushing them with a mere hand was no joke. However, for Di Mingzi to be so wretched from just an aura and spiritual sense deterrent, was purely due to his excellent acting. The disparity in cultivation realms couldn't be entirely analogous, as Nascent Soul cultivators still possessed considerable strength and could typically escape if they couldn't win a direct fight. For Qi Condensation cultivators, that was out of the question; a single spiritual sense pressure could kill them. The more miserable Di Mingzi appeared, the harder it was for Crimson Heaven Demonic Venerable to continue delivering harsh lessons. Both of them were as slippery as eels.

Next, the two places of fortuitous encounters were the Heaven Star Tower and the Imperial Palace. The latter had numerous restrictions and arrays, most of which were Grade Five, almost at the peak level of this realm. However, they were still inanimate objects without anyone controlling them. Given some time, Crimson Heaven Demonic Venerable could break through all of them himself. So, the focus shifted back to the Heaven Star Tower.

You Mingzi still hadn't emerged. Wang Yu strongly suspected that he was in seclusion, refining a spiritual item that could aid his breakthrough to Divine Transformation. If he succeeded, there would be no need for further fighting; they could simply abandon the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect and flee. The current problem was that Crimson Heaven Demonic Venerable might not be able to enter the Heaven Star Tower, and even if he could, he might not be willing to. Who knew what a Divine Transformation level trial would entail? The Heaven Star Tower, in essence, was a trial ground for the ancient immortal dynasty to select Eastern prodigies and powerhouses. It was not without risk of death. Thus, a stalemate ensued for a time.

Crimson Heaven Demonic Venerable remained silent for a long time. Wang Yu felt that this couldn't continue. If they were to remain in a stalemate for ten days to half a month, and You Mingzi succeeded, the consequences would be unacceptable to them. If they could disrupt You Mingzi's Divine Transformation, the blame could be shifted to Crimson Heaven Demonic Venerable, as the Heaven Refinement Demonic Sect certainly wouldn't want to see another Divine Transformation Venerable emerge.

Gritting his teeth, Wang Yu approached. His plan was simple: he recounted how he had previously used the token to persuade the Tower Spirit to expel people, and he was prepared to try this method again. This was said for Crimson Heaven Demonic Venerable's benefit. In reality, to expel You Mingzi, he believed the Coiled Dragon Ring’s authority might be sufficient. After all, it was an Emperor’s supreme treasure, and its authority was undoubtedly the highest. While directly controlling the Heaven Star Tower might be difficult with it, performing such a disruptive action was definitely within its capabilities.

Although Crimson Heaven Demonic Venerable was suspicious, he said no more and had his attendant hand the token back to Wang Yu. Under the gaze of both the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect and Yellow Springs Temple forces, Wang Yu landed before the Heaven Star Stele, placing both the token and his right hand on it simultaneously. The Coiled Dragon Ring remained motionless. However, Wang Yu confidently issued a command to the Tower Spirit. “Expel all cultivators currently remaining in the Heaven Star Tower.”

*Reserve Valiant Cavalry General… Request is unreasonable. The Tower Spirit has permission to refuse.*

“I said—throw them out!”

*…Coiled Dragon Ring, obeying your command.*

With a flash of light, You Mingzi, who was sitting cross-legged and refining a Grade Five spiritual item for breakthrough, suddenly sensed a change in his surroundings and opened his eyes in astonishment. Crimson Heaven Demonic Venerable suddenly appeared, roaring angrily: “You beast, quickly spit out this Venerable’s spiritual item!”