Chapter 480: Ice Clan Cultivator, Farewell to Dou Zhao

"No rush, no rush. We can discuss it in detail once we arrive," the Five-Colored Sacred Lord said.

He estimated Wang Yu's bottom price, considering how to gain more benefits from a top-tier fourth-rank alchemist—a rarity in both the Red Kite and Taihu regions.

The highest-ranking alchemists in the two regions were Venerable Dan Chen of the Sword Sect, a fifth-rank mid-grade alchemist who could occasionally refine high-grade treasures but often required years of preparation for a single, unstable attempt. The other was Wuji Demon Venerable of the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect, the most skilled in demonic alchemy, including blood and human alchemy, and a fifth-rank high-grade alchemist. He refined elixirs infrequently, as it was rare for Venerables to be used as raw materials. Instead, he often hunted demonic beasts in Vermilion Bird Divine Mountain to accumulate materials, achieving qualitative changes through quantitative means.

In the Five-Colored Sacred Lord's eyes, Wang Yu clearly had the potential to become the third most prominent alchemist in the Ice Prison Realm. With such mastery at a young age, it was entirely possible for him to become a fifth-rank alchemist in the future. This would bring immense benefits to the Northern Demon Race, both now and in the future, and the Sacred Lord himself stood to gain considerably. If he successfully broke through to Soul Transformation, having a fifth-rank alchemist by his side could also aid his cultivation and strengthen his power.

Thus, Wang Yu's existence held great value, regardless of the Five-Colored Sacred Lord's overall plan. This laid an excellent foundation for their subsequent discussions. As the two arrived at the Roc Clan's territory, they were personally greeted by the Roc King, who wore a golden cape and had a stern, solemn face.

The alchemy cooperation proceeded smoothly; Wang Yu's proposed terms and fee schedule were approved by both parties. His rule of refining only one batch of elixirs per year was also accepted. After this matter was settled, the Roc King naturally brought up another issue. The favors owed to the Old Monkey and the Mastiff King had been repaid. Now, it was the Roc King's turn to collect his own favor, and it concerned the native beings of the Ice Prison Realm.

"—The Ice Clan entering our borders?"

"Precisely."

With the Five-Colored Sacred Lord's tacit approval, the Roc King ordered a corpse to be brought in. Its appearance was identical to a human's, but the spiritual energy it cultivated naturally carried an alien coldness. Its meridians were as transparent and icy as ice crystals. Wang Yu had seen such beings firsthand during his second trip to Mysterious Bone Mountain, discovering this peculiar species among the Mysterious Bone Bandits, whose resistance to cold was abnormally strong. Later, on his journey to the Endless Ice Plain to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, he had sensed that this matter was connected to the last gatekeeper tribe of the Ice Clan, dimly perceiving the turbulent undercurrents beneath the cold flow—the Ice Clan's ambition!

However, he had adhered to the principle of "less trouble is better," prioritizing his breakthrough. He acted as if he had discovered nothing and left the Frozen Demon Sealing Ground after using it to advance his cultivation. Roughly seventy or eighty years had passed since then. He had not expected these mixed-blood Ice Clan members, bred through a special secret technique, to appear in the Northern Demon territories.

"Roc King, please speak frankly about what you wish me to do."

The Roc King smiled. "I presume there's no need for me to elaborate on the Ice Clan's origins; Fellow Daoist Wang likely knows more, especially since Cold Blood Peak has an ancestral alliance with the Ice Clan's last legacy tribe." Furthermore, most cultivators practicing the Frozen Demon path ventured to the Endless Ice Plain to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, making the implications clear.

"The matter is quite simple, actually. I wish for Fellow Daoist Wang to contact the cultivators of Cold Blood Peak and send someone to the gatekeeper tribe to investigate whether a being called the 'Son of Ice God' truly exists."

"Son of Ice God?"

Wang Yu felt this title carried a profound meaning. After a brief thought, he nodded in agreement. It was merely an investigation; he could simply contact Demon Lord Tian Shuang or Ice Soul Fairy to send people, without needing to risk his own life. This favor seemed relatively easy to repay. However, the Roc King's solemn demeanor made him suspect there was more to the matter, perhaps some hidden value he had yet to uncover.

"Ice Clan, Son of Ice God, Ice Prison Realm natives…" As he pondered, a flash of insight suddenly struck him. Wang Yu's eyes narrowed. He instantly detected a subtle clue: the Sacred Lord's Heavenly Palace! This Heavenly Palace was still a century away from opening. Yet, he had already obtained a Sacred Token for entry from Senior Disciple Jiang of Heavenly Corpse Peak and knew that the Heavenly Palace secret realm was established by the Demon Race's first Sacred Lord, the Ice Phoenix. He later learned that the Ice Phoenix was actually an Ice Clan being. Because she was naturally in the form of an ice phoenix, resembling a demon, she somehow became the Demon Race's Sacred Lord. After the Ancient Immortal Dynasty's demise, the Demon Race, under the Ice Phoenix Sacred Lord, had ruled the Ice Prison Realm for a time, then declined for unknown reasons, allowing the Yin Sect to gradually rise.

This was a secret among secrets, an ancient history recorded on that unknown black stele. Wang Yu didn't know how many people were aware of it. But... the Ice Clan sending mixed-blood members into the Northern Broken Mountain Range was likely for the Heavenly Palace Sacred Tokens. These tokens had always been under the Demon Race's control, with only a very few scattered outside. In a sense, it was the Demon Race's "exclusive" secret realm. However, the Ice Clan, privy to the inner workings, would not see it this way, especially the gatekeeper tribe, who knew it was a legacy left by the Ice Phoenix Sacred Lord for the Ice Clan. They would naturally be eager to reclaim it.

Thus, the logic connected. The Five-Colored Sacred Lord and the Roc King were not ignorant like the ancient demons; they could derive hints from historical records or the legacies of predecessors and sages. It was possible they had already made some discoveries. Having Wang Yu direct Cold Blood Peak's people to probe was a subtle method to prevent the Ice Clan from suspecting the Demon Race's awareness. Furthermore, the appearance of mixed-blood Ice Clan meant they could step out of the Endless Ice Plain, and this force would also influence the current righteous-demonic war. Due to a lack of information, Wang Yu found it difficult to infer how things would specifically unfold or develop in the future. Yet, he was certain his own conjecture was correct. Only then would this favor truly demonstrate its value; otherwise, the Northern Demon Race could simply dispatch some personnel to investigate the Ice Clan.

The crux of the matter was still the "Son of Ice God." The existence of such an Ice Clan being made old foxes like the Five-Colored Sacred Lord uneasy. Regardless of the layers of thought in his mind, Wang Yu readily agreed on the surface, not asking any further questions. This cooperative attitude also put the Five-Colored Sacred Lord and the Roc King at ease.

With the serious business concluded, the conversation shifted to casual chatter. Topics for mature men invariably revolved around current affairs and politics, much like gossip held an irresistible allure for women.

"I heard that the cultivators of the North Guardian Tower also practice the Way of Ice and Frost. Though few in number, each is an elite, with cultivation no lower than Core Formation, and they constantly train in the Endless Ice Plain. If this force were to join the battle at Ice River Pass, could Cold Blood Peak win?" This was the Roc King's curious inquiry, purely pondering which side would be stronger if both cultivated ice-frost power, the righteous or the demonic.

Wang Yu was certain. "If the North Guardian Tower lacks Soul Transformation cultivation methods, then Cold Blood Peak would undoubtedly be superior. After all, its lineage originates from Frozen, one of the ancient demons, giving it an inherent advantage from its very foundation."

"That's true, but who in the Ice Prison Realm is unaware of the situation? If the North Guardian Tower were to join the Ice River Pass battle... I'd say it's dubious." When the conversation reached this point, it was more than just a simple rebuttal; it carried a profound hint.

Wang Yu, however, smiled indifferently. "The Blazing Sun Sect's Fire Crow Army is currently stationed on the other side of Kuangmei Mountain. Doesn't the Northern Demon's Fire Crow King have any thoughts about that?" As he spoke, Wang Yu took an item from his Ocean Heart Ring. It was the life-bound magic treasure he had seized from Demon Lord Tang Yang—the sword-wing that matched the Fire Crow bloodline. This kind of specialized magic treasure had limited versatility. Furthermore, being a life-bound item, its only value was in being melted down for its raw materials. And since those raw materials were Demon Lord Tang Yang's fire crow wings, its value was further diminished. However, the Demon Refinement Art could utilize it perfectly. Wang Yu used this item as a metaphor, saying, "The mixed-blood Ice Clan can bypass the rules set by Upper Realm Immortals due to this mixed-blood secret technique. The Demon Servant secret technique also has some similar ingenious qualities." No secret technique, he noted, arises without a trace. His statement was, in fact, a probe to see if the Demon Race possessed any information or theories on this matter. The creation of demon servants involved taboos of human ethics and laws, especially their use of humans as "breeding beds," which was completely unacceptable to Taihu cultivators.

The Roc King pondered this. "Mixed-blood secret techniques are simply the product of mating between two races. The profound essence of the technique lies entirely in the art of harmonization—how to extract the essence and discard the dross, which is far more difficult than it sounds. The Demon Servant secret technique was abandoned back then precisely because the beings that combined the advantages of both human and demon races were difficult to control artificially, relying only on chance and the efficacy of powerful spiritual elixirs."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yu immediately understood. If demon servants were developed in the direction of living weapons, then the mixed-blood Ice Clan was developed to circumvent rules. They did not need perfect individuals that harmonized the advantages of both races. This, in turn, lowered the development threshold for their secret technique.

Wang Yu suddenly said, "It seems there are very few reports of missing women in Ice Plain or Maple Provinces." These were the closest regions in Taihu and Red Kite to the Endless Ice Plain. If there were no such incidents, it either meant local high-level officials were deliberately covering them up, or the source materials for the Ice Clan's secret technique were not from these two provinces. An answer silently emerged in Wang Yu's mind: North Guardian Tower! It and Azure Cloud Sect were the two sects in the Taihu spiritual domain closest to the Endless Ice Plain. He believed he understood Maple Province extremely well, and he had found nothing amiss during his time in the Maple Province capital. This was sufficient to indicate that the most mysterious of Taihu's seven righteous sects, the North Guardian Tower, had a problem.

His subtle hints and veiled provocations were entirely received. Wang Yu did not linger much longer. For a considerable period, he would reside in a side hall of the Five-Colored Sacred Lord's palace, making it convenient for him to refine elixirs and oversee the cauldrons at any time. Of course, his primary purpose was to go into secluded cultivation, slowly digesting the gains from his assault on Azure Cloud Sect, continuing to cultivate Frozen Demon Essence and divine abilities, and handling other intricate matters like improving his magic treasures.

After he left, the Roc King slowly spoke. "It seems he understood what we wanted to convey. Now, let's see if the Demonic Dao will intervene."

The Five-Colored Sacred Lord immediately smiled, stating with absolute certainty, "They will. The Demonic Dao is different from those hypocrites in Taihu. If we told them there's an issue with the North Guardian Tower, it would likely drag on for centuries with no real result; they would only conduct self-inspections and never believe the entire North Guardian Tower is problematic. These true pragmatists of the Demonic Dao are completely different, especially those ambitious individuals from the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect. The righteous-demonic war affects their fundamental plans, and they will not allow the Ice Clan to interfere at such a time. Just wait and see; the entire Ice Prison Realm will soon enter an even more chaotic phase. At that time, our race's opportunity will also emerge. The next hundred years will be extremely crucial. What did White Tiger Demon Venerable say from the Southern Demon side? Has there been a definitive response?"

The Roc King shook his head helplessly. "Yes, there has, but they won't engage much with us. They only stated that White Tiger Demon Venerable will personally enter the Sacred Lord's Heavenly Palace in disguise on the day it opens."

"Is that so? Smarter than expected."

Several days later, Xue Yu and Dou Zhao "graduated" from the Ancient Beast Ancestral God Mountain. Xue Yu's cultivation had surged, reaching the second layer of the Nascent Soul stage. It was likely that the opportunities on the divine mountain were more beneficial to the demon race, with her Heavenly Grade bloodline also playing a significant role. Dou Zhao, on the other hand, had entered the third layer of the Foundation Establishment realm. Her gains were nowhere near as substantial as Xue Yu's, which was closely related to her not having reached the mountain's summit to clear the trials.

Their arrival prompted Wang Yu to take time to affectionately spend time with them, toiling repeatedly for nearly a month.

One day, Wang Yu spoke privately with Dou Zhao, giving her several prepared treasures and outlining her next assignment. Aside from some elixirs and talismans, the most valuable items were several magic treasures, or rather, flesh-and-blood demonic artifacts crafted using the Demon Refinement Art. Because their refining method was simple, these demonic artifacts were slightly weaker than magic treasures of the same rank, but they also possessed advantages that ordinary magic treasures could not match.

"This is the Blazing Demon Sword Wing, a fourth-rank high-grade magic treasure. It contains three wisps of my divine sense; activating it at a critical moment is enough to instantly kill an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. How you use it is up to you. This is the Void Concealing Talisman, usable three times, each lasting for the duration of an incense stick. Even grand cultivators at the late-stage Nascent Soul realm will be unable to detect your presence. This is a Great Teleportation Talisman; in an unsealed space, one can transport you ten thousand li away with a single use, not at all inferior to Nascent Soul teleportation, for saving your life."

These preparations were even stronger than Wang Yu's own trump cards when he was weaker. If Dou Zhao still met an accidental demise under such circumstances, then it could only be attributed to fate. Seeing Wang Yu's thorough preparations, Dou Zhao's eyes instantly reddened, looking on the verge of tears.

"Master, are you... are you abandoning Zhaor'er?"

Wang Yu's expression was cold, showing no emotion. "Young eagles must eventually leave the eagle's wings to soar alone. In the future, I will be in secluded cultivation within the Demon Race for a hundred years. During this time, you shall go to Taihu for experience. If you have not broken through to Core Formation after a hundred years, there will be no need to return."

Dou Zhao immediately stopped crying, looking pitifully at Wang Yu and softly saying, "Zhaor'er understands." This was an act; Wang Yu knew her inherently strong-willed nature and was utterly unaffected by her pretense.

"This divine sense jade slip records many demonic secret arts that can help you. Additionally, go to the Demonic Luo Cult and deliver this secret letter to their leader, Lei Yao." The letter detailed the situation regarding the North Guardian Tower. The Demonic Luo Cult aimed to rescue all suffering women, so investigating the North Guardian Tower was naturally a task well-suited for them. If Lei Yao could incite Taihu forces to act on this matter, the Demonic Dao's corresponding actions would face much less resistance, effectively laying the groundwork beforehand.

Separately, Wang Yu would personally visit Kuangmei Mountain to discuss this matter with Ice Soul Fairy and invite her to use that fifth-rank elixir together. Whether she agreed was another matter. Demonic cultivators were refined egoists; even if she disagreed, she would not be overly angry. After that, external affairs would no longer concern him.