Chapter 456: The Fall of the Netherworld Son, Master of Huangquan Temple

No one expected the Crimson Demon Venerable to react so swiftly.

Wang Yu hadn't even lowered his hand from the Starstone Tablet when he saw the "enraged" Crimson Demon Venerable use terrifying power to completely solidify the space around Nether Son, giving him no chance to explain.

His right hand mutated, fingers like shears, covered in a strange, black and red devouring life force, seemingly transforming into a mysterious property where void and reality intertwined.

This was the Core Extraction Hand!

As an advanced technique that every Core Formation demon cultivator was required to learn, it had clearly received a professional upgrade in the Crimson Demon Venerable's hands. Not only did it incorporate his own strength, but it could also be used for more sinister purposes: forcibly extracting a Nascent Soul!

Nether Son couldn't even utter a word. Trapped in a critical moment of breakthrough, he lacked the sufficient power to resist. He could only watch, eyes wide with horror, as the Crimson Demon Venerable "scooped" his Nascent Soul from his body. The misty, fragrant Nascent Soul, which hadn't even had time to digest the effects of the spiritual treasure, was suddenly subjected to such a drastic change. His mindset plunged from heaven to hell.

The elation he felt when he gained the Starstone Pagoda's opportunity was now replaced by utter despair.

Nether Son witnessed the reactions of the various cultivators. The Yellow Springs Sect cultivators showed a mix of terror and faint relief, seemingly not wishing for his breakthrough to succeed. The Reverse Spirit Blood Sect cultivators, on the other hand, made no effort to hide their gloating. As enemies, they had no need to conceal their true feelings; in fact, they would actively facilitate his demise at the hands of the Crimson Demon Venerable. Sadly, the Yellow Springs Sect was powerless to resist, forced to implicitly acknowledge the "insubordination" he had supposedly committed.

In mere moments, he had even formulated the charges against himself. The Crimson Demon Venerable's enraged shout had been so convincing that even Nether Son himself wondered if he had truly stolen the Venerable's treasure.

As life ebbed away, Nether Son's consciousness grew increasingly faint. He saw Wang Yu by the Starstone Tablet, smiling at him—a knowing, perhaps even malicious grin, yet also tinged with regret. He couldn't tell if it was for Nether Son's fate or for the cultivation world itself.

He watched as his Nascent Soul, painstakingly cultivated to grand completion, was swallowed without hesitation by the Crimson Demon Venerable. The consciousness within his physical body slowly faded. In the boundless darkness, he seemed to return to his childhood. His parents' expectant smiles, his younger brother's adoring gaze—all had turned to dust within the hundred years of mortal life.

Now... he, too, was joining them.

Nether Son died very easily. Even though Wang Yu had anticipated this, he still felt immense caution towards a Soul Transformation being like the Crimson Demon Venerable. While he had orchestrated this whole affair, the human emotions of "lamenting the death of a rabbit, or sorrowing over the demise of a fox" were part of his being. Today, he had used others to scheme against Nether Son; tomorrow, others could use similar means against him.

"Without achieving Soul Transformation, one is still but an ant..." he murmured to himself.

In the arena, after devouring Nether Son's Nascent Soul, the Crimson Demon Venerable retreated into his war chariot to meditate and refine the medicinal properties. Wang Yu quickly flew over and returned the token to the young attendant.

The events had unfolded too quickly for many to react. However, with the "greatest opportunity" secured, they knew they could forget about sharing the palace's treasures. Fifth-grade spiritual items, in particular, would undoubtedly be monopolized by the Crimson Demon Venerable. For the sake of the Refining Heaven Demon Sect's status, he would not permit a new Soul Transformation cultivator to emerge from another demonic sect. So, there was no point even thinking about fifth-grade spiritual items.

As for fourth-grade spiritual items, only a very small number of rare treasures would truly benefit grand cultivators, and those could be obtained elsewhere. There was no need to play with fire; it was simply too dangerous. Nether Son's fate served as a clear warning. If they encountered an extremely valuable treasure and couldn't control their greed, the resulting conflicts would be even worse.

For these grand cultivators, the exploration of Dongji Capital essentially ended the moment the Soul Transformation Venerable arrived. Wang Yu held the same view. Even though he had just obtained the Pylon Ring, he hadn't yet been able to fully utilize its effects in the palace. Frankly, if he were sufficiently clever and agile, he could have used the palace's arrays to contend with the Crimson Demon Venerable. But what then?

The Refining Heaven Demon Sect had more than one Venerable. Even if he acquired a major treasure in Dongji Capital, escaping would be one problem, and eluding pursuit another. He wasn't particularly concerned about implicating the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect. It was simply that, while staying in Dongji Capital offered a chance to obtain great treasures, the aftermath was a problem he couldn't solve. It was better not to get involved from the start, thus avoiding immense pressure. Stepping back opens up a broader sky; it was not just a saying.

Another issue was the token's authority, which might have aroused the Crimson Demon Venerable's suspicion. Leaving early would prevent further complications.

Thus, after returning the token, Wang Yu prepared to depart with Lei Houjun and the others. Proud Sun Old Demon had not appeared for some reason. The Yellow Springs Sect cultivators, having witnessed Nether Son's tragic death, felt an even stronger sense of shared sorrow. Their dislike for Wang Yu, the main instigator of these events, naturally intensified. Di Mingzi, in particular, secretly regretted not killing Wang Yu earlier, at the Demon King's banquet. Since entering Dongji Capital, he seemed to have been constantly regretting things. Alas, there was no medicine for regret in this world.

With matters as they stood, it was time to disperse. Even without the Crimson Demon Venerable's explicit command, everyone intuitively understood their place and dared not covet the palace. They began to withdraw.

Beside Wang Yu, Lei Houjun curiously asked him, "How exactly did you manage to expel Nether Son from the Starstone Pagoda just now?"

Hearing this, Wang Yu saw Ice Maiden Immortal, Three Corpse Daoist, and other grand cultivators discreetly prick up their ears, listening intently. He sighed helplessly. "Of course, it was with that token."

"But wasn't the token's authority insufficient?" This was also the question on everyone else's mind.

Wang Yu spread his hands. "By normal standards, yes, but is there anyone in Dongji Capital now with greater authority than that token? By extension, as long as there's no rejection from a higher authority, the Tower Spirit can only choose to fulfill 'reasonable' requests."

This explanation was enough to perfectly resolve the issue for his unsuspecting sect members. However, it was far from sufficient for the Crimson Demon Venerable, who, upon personal investigation, would realize such a situation had its limits. Reasonable requests would be met, but for the Tower Spirit to truly violate its rules, only the Pylon Ring, an artifact almost representing the power of the ancient Human Emperor, could truly dominate everything under the Immortal Dynasty system. No one would have higher authority than it.

Therefore, Wang Yu's regret grew. Forced by the pressure of power, he had to choose to relinquish everything that was within his grasp. What could he do?

After satisfying the cultivators' curiosity, the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect members left the palace city together. Without the restriction of anti-flight arrays, they could fly directly out of the giant pit from the inner city.

Mid-air, Lei Houjun, Ice Maiden Immortal, and others had also made their own gains in the Starstone Pagoda, mostly reaching the mid-tier fifth-grade level. These were significant gains, yet they couldn't simply return to the sect to digest them in peace. They needed to return to the Cloud Ridge State battlefield to continue commanding the war against the Yellow Springs Sect. In fact, the complete annihilation of the Nether Mountain Cult's dispatched forces in Dongji Capital had greatly eased the pressure on the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect, freeing up more Nascent Soul cultivators to gain an advantage elsewhere.

Wang Yu, on the other hand, needed to return to the sect and enter closed-door cultivation for a period. He would convert all his recent gains into strength and foundation. He believed that after this extended period of cultivation, he would undergo a world-shaking transformation. By then, it might even be possible for him to truly contend with grand cultivators.

At their parting, Nether Demon and Dark Tiger chose to accompany him. They had rushed to Dongji Capital after finishing their closed-door cultivation upon hearing about the events there, managing only to gain opportunities from the Starstone Pagoda. This was actually quite good; returning to the sect now would mean continuing their closed-door cultivation to stabilize their realms and digest what they had gained from the pagoda.

Notably, Yin Gui Demon Lord, having endured countless difficulties, finally ended his anxious days and also chose to travel with Wang Yu for a distance. The Yin Gui Demonic Palace was located at a fourth-grade spiritual vein in Cloud Ridge State, so it was along the way. The bond formed between the two during their trip to Dongji Capital proved unexpectedly strong, not developing into animosity. One could only say they shared a common underlying character. They were kindred spirits. Aside from being a bit foolish, Yin Gui was otherwise quite good. After returning to his demonic palace for closed-door cultivation, he would most likely be a grand cultivator when they next met. Wang Yu valued this friendship greatly, and on the journey, they naturally chattered away, perhaps even setting a time for their next meeting.

Additionally, the Core Formation direct disciples would return with Wang Yu and the others, providing some protection along the way, which wasn't too troublesome.

And so, the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect contingent parted ways outside the ruins. The other Nascent Soul cultivators, who had come from nearby, also needed to return to their previously assigned regions. Thus, Wang Yu and three others led the way back to the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect's mountain gate. As for the accompanying direct disciples, though seemingly all possessing the potential to form a Nascent Soul, in reality, it would be good if three could truly achieve it. Tong Du, who frequently grabbed attention during this trip, had a high probability. Zhou Lingjun of Savage Ghost Peak was also good. However, Lu Yu, Yan Tianxing, and Yin Jiuge were a bit lacking; their foundations were too shallow. While cultivating to peak Core Formation at around three hundred years old was impressive, they needed more time to accumulate power. Perhaps they could break through after five hundred years old, which would still put them in the realm of ordinary geniuses.

If one included Yan Ling from Cold Blood Peak, that made exactly three talented direct disciples capable of breaking through to Nascent Soul. If Xie Xiean was added, that would be four. Wei Hao of the Wei clan also had potential, as did Zhuo Shouyun of the Zhuo clan. Too many!

Upon closer inspection, the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect had produced quite a number of talented individuals in this generation. Wang Yu had not heard of any famous prodigies from the Yellow Springs Sect. He only had impressions of some young talents from the Refining Heaven Demon Sect and the Joyful Union Demon Sect, but none were as good as him.

Already a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator at a young age, and having schemed against and killed Blueriver Demon Lord in Dongji Capital, his reputation would once again skyrocket after this event. He would completely shed the title of "young generation" and become a truly renowned powerhouse across Crimson Kite, one with boundless potential.

Whether he was famous or not didn't really matter. The thought of this made Wang Yu hum softly. His disappointment over missing out on the palace's treasures had significantly lessened. As he traveled, he began to plan what he needed to do during his closed-door cultivation. First on the list were the numerous Nascent Souls in the Glazed Pagoda. He would refine them all into Longevity Blood Nascent Soul Pills to aid his cultivation. Next was the Aurora Law Intent...

Lost in thought, Wang Yu suddenly saw a turbid yellow stream of light hurtling from the horizon. The dense Yellow Springs aura announced the newcomer's identity. Yin Gui and the others were utterly terrified.

"How is this possible... are Yellow Springs Sect cultivators trying to ambush us?!"

"No—"

"His target is Wang Yu!"

The opponent's speed was too great; they had no chance to escape. Wang Yu decisively said, "Nether Demon, Brother Dark Tiger, take the sect's prodigies and go first. Their target is me."

This decision wasn't made out of righteousness. Wang Yu knew perfectly well that if there was profit, Nether Demon and Dark Tiger would unhesitatingly become his allies, even if they encountered minor setbacks. But facing a Yellow Springs Sect powerhouse whose aura had reached the grand completion level, forcing them to stay and fight would only turn them into enemies. It was better to do them a favor and also grant favor to these prodigies; who knew when it might be useful in the future.

Demon cultivators were never indecisive. The moment Wang Yu spoke, Nether Demon and Dark Tiger made the judgment most beneficial to themselves and fled without a word in the direction away from Wang Yu. Only Yin Gui was filled with complaints. Yet, he said nothing about leaving, merely grumbling.

"You cursed scoundrel, how much trouble have you caused? Every time, I have to bear it with you. Since I met you, all I've encountered are misfortunes."

He was the type to complain incessantly, but his actions were always unwavering.

Wang Yu chuckled. "Since we started cultivating, have either you or I ever lacked challenges and life-or-death crises? The appearance of this person somewhat explains where that old geezer Proud Sun went."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the Yellow Springs Sect Master... is here!"

The Yellow Springs Sect Master was on par with existences like the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect Master. Although his realm was still peak Nascent Soul, his actual strength had already surpassed this stage, reaching the combat power of a half-step Soul Transformation cultivator. One could say that this would be one of the greatest challenges Wang Yu had faced in his cultivation career.

Yin Gui's face also turned grim. "Fellow Daoist Wang, is it still not too late to regret?"

"Of course, it's not too late. His target has always been me."

In the midst of their conversation, the Yellow Springs Sect Master had already arrived before them. He wore a turbid yellow Daoist robe, and his black and white streaked gray hair was simply tied back with a wooden hairpin. His facial features belonged to a rather mature, handsome middle-aged man. He had arrived in Dongji Capital only one step behind the Crimson Demon Venerable, primarily by utilizing an ancient teleportation array controlled by the Yellow Springs Sect. Since the Soul Transformation Venerable was in the Starstone Pagoda, he dared not risk meeting that person, so he first intercepted Proud Sun Old Demon to inquire about the situation.

The Refining Heaven Demon Sect's reluctance for new Soul Transformation Venerables to emerge in other demonic factions was a consensus among these powerful cultivators. In certain special circumstances, even if two parties were at war, they could still briefly cooperate, much like... exchanging information.

His appearance was much later than Wang Yu had expected. Being intercepted was even more surprising.

He frowned and asked, "What exactly did you trade with Proud Sun Old Demon?"