Chapter 515: Saint Lord Appears, Four Realms Glazed Heart

Wang Yu, in his demonic form, blended in with the numerous monsters, encountering almost no trouble along the way, and successfully reached a strange hall with its doors wide open.

The steps at the entrance were covered in flesh and blood, with vein-like patterns resembling blood vessels climbing and extending along the hall walls. A plaque above the entrance read "Sacred Heart Hall" in ancient characters.

A clear, ethereal light emanated from within. Just being bathed in its glow instilled a sense of spiritual cleansing, a captivating warmth reminiscent of returning to a mother's womb.

After looking around, Wang Yu, in his demonic form, smoothly entered the grand hall. He closed the door behind him, and the scene inside fully came into view.

Nine glazed lotus lamps were arranged in the Big Dipper formation at the center of the palace. Above the lamps, a colorful sapling floated, emitting strong waves of life energy.

The well-informed Wang Yu recognized the treasure's origin almost instantly.

It was one of the supreme treasures of ancient Buddhism: the Seven-Heart Wheel Sacred Tree!

It was undoubtedly a fifth-tier rare treasure, specializing in the path of the mind. This artifact was the renowned possession of Venerable Qibao from ancient Buddhism, and its appearance here was quite unexpected.

The most unique function of this sacred tree was its ability to be planted in a cultivator's heart-lake, constantly purifying the mind and increasing mental power. The Seven-Heart Wheel Sacred Light it instinctively released also possessed the effect of suppressing inner demons and external demonic invasions.

This peculiar spiritual tree could also freely switch between physical and illusory forms, possessing extremely high growth potential, making it an excellent spiritual item for aiding cultivation.

Wang Yu had been stuck at the third mental state, the Impeccable State, for at least over a hundred years. Once he refined this sacred tree, breaking through to the fourth mental state, the Glazed State, would be a natural progression.

He stood beside the treasure.

Wang Yu first restored his normal form before reaching out for the sacred tree, sighing with emotion as he did so.

"Indeed," he mused, "the Celestial Palace secret realm contains countless treasures. Simply entering a palace can yield an opportunity of this caliber."

Of course.

This was also related to the secret realm being fully activated. Interestingly, this palace surprisingly had no protective restrictions. Just as this thought crossed Wang Yu's mind, something unexpected happened.

The Seven-Heart Wheel Sacred Tree, which he had gathered with his demonic energy, suddenly turned into a phantom.

"A void restriction?"

Immediately after, something entirely unexpected happened.

A spatial rift suddenly opened where the sacred tree had vanished. From it emerged the Five-Colored Sacred Lord, who had been missing for some time, cradling the Seven-Heart Wheel Sacred Tree in his right hand, a beaming smile directed at Wang Yu.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, long time no see. Has everything been going well for you?"

Wang Yu's expression turned grave, and he quickly retreated. The ability to manipulate space was typically only achievable by cultivators in the Void Refinement stage, and the Five-Colored Sacred Lord clearly did not possess such raw power.

So, either he had borrowed power from the secret realm itself, or he had mastered some high-level void dao scripture.

Seeming to sense his confusion, the Five-Colored Sacred Lord continued.

"This technique is called the Great Void Escape," he explained. "Only cultivators with spatial talent can successfully use it at the Nascent Soul stage, and even then, only a few times."

Wang Yu was unimpressed.

"Sacred Lord, you specifically sought me out. It seems you still want me to refine pills?"

"Clever!"

The Five-Colored Sacred Lord tossed the Seven-Heart Wheel Sacred Tree up and down.

"As long as you help me refine the precious elixir recorded on this scroll, this tree will still be yours. Are you satisfied with this deal?"

Hearing this, Wang Yu immediately sneered.

With a flick of his left hand, the Sun-Piercing Demonic Bow appeared directly in his grasp, and his tone grew equally domineering.

"Using my own possessions as currency for a trade—you've got some nerve!"

As the saying goes, when words don't align, even half a sentence is too much.

The Cosmic Stars Condensing Arrow technique was already perfected in his hands. Condensing an arrow took but a moment, and a Lunar Star Arrow shot out instantly.

The raging fire energy swiftly reversed into extreme cold.

It violently pierced through the Five-Colored Sacred Lord's figure, bursting like a blooming ice lotus and instantly transforming half the palace into solid ice.

Such a lack of evasion or defense meant he wouldn't survive, even with ten lives.

But as the spiritual light dissipated, the Five-Colored Sacred Lord, completely unharmed, grew serious.

"Wang Yu," he said, "refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit is not a wise choice."

The Great Void Escape technique not only allowed cultivators to traverse space but also enabled them to create a distorted spatial field in front of them, directly deflecting attacks.

Therefore, what appeared to pass through him was actually instantly shifted behind him, creating an optical illusion.

Facing the threat, Wang Yu drew his bow and notched an arrow.

"I have no interest in using my own treasures as my reward," Wang Yu declared. "What if we just fight?"

Both were at the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul stage. Even if the opponent had reached perfection, their demonic energy was only twice his. There was truly nothing to fear in a real fight.

Unexpectedly, the Five-Colored Sacred Lord shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice.

"A wrong choice, Wang Yu... You will eventually regret your decision today."

With that,

His figure dissipated like a dream, like a fleeting illusion. The Seven-Heart Wheel Sacred Tree, however, dropped to the ground, not taken with him.

Wang Yu involuntarily lowered his raised longbow, his brows furrowed in deep confusion.

"An illusionary body? Or some kind of spirit-body divine ability?"

If it were an illusion, there was no reason it could have taken the sacred tree. Moreover, his spiritual sense had long reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, making it impossible for him not to detect any clues.

So... was this also an effect of the Great Void Escape technique?

With his heart subtly leaning towards this guess, Wang Yu summoned the sacred tree to his palm, then stored it in his Sea Heart Ring with a flick of his hand. This place was not suitable for lingering; it was better to find another location for refinement.

The unexpected encounter with the Five-Colored Sacred Lord, though merely a small interlude, revealed his extraordinary freedom of movement and profound understanding of the Celestial Palace secret realm.

By all appearances, it was a long-planned scheme.

His target was almost certainly the Azure Dragon Demonic Venerable. Therefore, the immediate priority for the Northern Demon Clan was to find the Azure Dragon's healing retreat before the Five-Colored Sacred Lord did.

Otherwise, with a calculated move against an unprepared target, there was no telling if the Five-Colored Sacred Lord wouldn't succeed.

After all, his objectives had always been mysterious, and no one knew what he was truly planning.

After Wang Yu left the Sacred Heart Hall, he returned directly to the Plaza of Rest. There, he continued to sit cross-legged, refining the Seven-Heart Wheel Sacred Tree into his heart-lake.

His formless and intangible mental power began to grow, gradually touching the threshold of the Glazed State.

Meanwhile, at the ominous Plaza of Shock.

The three kings of the Northern Demon Clan and three late fourth-tier transformed great demons fled from the Plaza of Shock in disarray. They watched as the monsters, formed from ancient fierce corpses, melted like candles.

Using flesh and blood as a base, these entities began to cover the recently transformed "new demon corpses." Among them, Huo Wuji's original Fire Crow form was enveloped by the flesh and blood of an ancient Azure Luan.

It grew a second pair of azure wings and a second pair of blood-red eyes!

Its power far surpassed Huo Wuji's strength in life, reaching the peak of the fourth-tier. Such instances were far from isolated, which was the fundamental reason for the Northern Demon Clan's utter defeat.

Over forty had entered, most succumbing to the mental traps.

The remaining ones then fell into the traps of the Eight Gates Heavenly Escape Array, with only six ultimately managing to escape. King Leilin's entire clan had perished, leaving him as a solitary elder.

King Fire Crow still had an alchemist named Huo Wushuang by his side. Besides them, there were Peng Zhan and Peng Qing of the Heavenly Peng Clan.

The losses were so severe it was as if the Biyun Sect had been annihilated yet again.

Their initial absolute confidence now stood in stark contrast, mocking them and stinging their faces.

Seeing the six demons escape from the Plaza of Shock, the demonized monsters showed no further intention of pursuit. Whether by luck or coincidence, this time they entered the Plaza of Life.

The demonized monsters here were few and weak, easily incinerated. After King Fire Crow cleared a space for rest,

all the demons slumped to the ground, abandoning all pretense of dignity.

"What should we do now?" Peng Qing murmured, "And how will we explain this to our clansmen when we go back...?"

Peng Qing's words, though not intended as an accusation, grated harshly on the three kings.

King Tianpeng's body stiffened; he was speechless.

King Leilin was even more grief-stricken and indignant. Streaks of lightning emanated from his body, striking randomly around him, a clear sign of his extreme emotional suppression.

Only King Fire Crow scratched his head, forcing himself to speak with renewed vigor.

"The problem now isn't just exploring the secret realm," King Fire Crow stated. "The Five-Colored Sacred Lord has vanished, and we still haven't found the Azure Dragon Demonic Venerable. When we return, we even need to consider the possibility of the demonic path abandoning us once their purpose is served."

"Now that the Northern Demon Clan has suffered severe losses, if we cannot bring back the Azure Dragon Demonic Venerable in his peak condition, not only will we have to relinquish the territories we currently occupy, but we will also have to retreat back into the Broken Realm Mountains."

King Fire Crow spoke the truth. The Northern Demon Clan was almost completely annihilated during this Celestial Palace secret realm expedition. Under such heavy losses, who would still be in the mood to seek opportunities?

They only wanted to find the Azure Dragon Demonic Venerable as soon as possible, find a way to heal his injuries, and then bring him out.

Silence reigned for a long time.

It was King Tianpeng who finally broke the silence.

"In any case," King Tianpeng began, "we must first find Fellow Daoist Wang Yu. Only he has the ability to refine a fifth-tier precious elixir, and all the ingredients on the elixir recipe must be collected."

"How do we find him?"

King Leilin asked, his voice suppressed.

"Not to mention he might have fallen into the mental traps at the entrance," King Leilin continued. "We can't even break this array formation; we can only wander aimlessly from one plaza to another."

Hearing this, King Tianpeng shook his head.

"We overlooked a problem," he explained. "Although the array formation is tricky, the core area of the palace district is also enveloped within it. As long as we are swift, we can still find many treasures."

"Now, it simply depends on whether other cultivators have a way to break this array."

And so, after resting for most of the day,

the six demons, having directly absorbed supreme-grade spirit stones to restore their peak condition, immediately advanced toward their new objective.

At the core of the palace district.

With the power of the secret talisman "Heavenly Abyss Guide," the Joyful Union duo and Ancient Beast True Monarch directly bypassed the array barrier, delving deep into the core area.

They arrived directly at the former palace of the Ice Phoenix Saint Lord.

—Before the Phoenix Extreme Hall!

This area was not covered by the eerie flesh and blood. The Danchi, a mythical beast statue, in front of the hall was carved with numerous patterns of birds, with the central "Phoenixes Flying Together" image revered above all others.

The three, who had no understanding of the Eight Gates Heavenly Escape Array, had just recovered from the mystical power of the Heavenly Abyss Guide. Yu Hongchen looked at the burnt-out black talisman and said regretfully,

"An ancient talisman like this, once used, is gone forever," she lamented. "Current talisman masters simply cannot replicate this effect. Fellow Daoist Ancient Beast, the rest is up to you."

"Naturally,"

Luo Tianji replied, not going back on their agreed terms.

He patted the Demon-Locking Bracelet on his wrist, and a strange beast appeared below the Danchi. It had four legs, dense brown fur, and a dragon's head.

At first glance, it resembled a hairy Qilin.

In reality, it was completely different; this was a rare beast that had become extinct in ancient times.

"This is... a Bixian?!?"

This beast was quite famous, also known as the "Earth Emperor." Its physical body seemed to have been compressed and forged by the depths of the earth, its strength surpassing even body cultivators of the same rank.

Furthermore, it possessed numerous earth-element innate divine abilities, specializing in defensive techniques.

The title "Ancient Beast True Monarch" originated precisely from this life-bound demon beast.

The Luo family of the South Sea had submitted to the Nether Mountain Sect, and it was certainly not without reason. Luo Tianji had intended to use the Yin Beast Dao cultivation method to create the Ice Prison Realm's first Divine Transformation-level beast-controlling true scripture.

At this moment, he intended to send the Bixian forward, relying on its exceptionally tough physique to test for any potential traps.

Ji Changjing, seeing this, her eyes suddenly lit up.

She secretly transmitted a message to Yu Hongchen.

"What a handsome exotic beast," she whispered, "if only we could do it on its back..."

Yu Hongchen, who had initially not thought much of it, felt a sudden stir upon hearing the word "do." Her mind immediately conjured an image of Ji Changjing arching her back, tugging the Bixian's fur, and gasping sensuously.

Her eyes immediately sparkled with an unusual brilliance, and she involuntarily blurted out,

"Yes, what a handsome exotic beast."

Luo Tianji heard this and smiled contentedly. Even though these two came from the Joyful Union Demonic Sect, they had clearly never seen the kind of treasures he possessed from his smaller region.

"The Bixian is my very life," he stated. "Using it to lead the way, I presume you two have no objections?"

"Naturally,"

The two nodded repeatedly. No one had expected that this trio, who were largely overlooked, would be the first team to reach the core of the palace district.

As they stepped onto the Danchi together and moved towards the palace,

a demonic shadow faintly flashed and disappeared in the sky. The Phoenix Extreme Hall was not only the core of this area but also the core of the Eight Gates Heavenly Escape Array, making it critically important.

While both parties were making progress at different rates,

Wang Yu experienced another breakthrough. In the blood-sea-like space of his heart-lake, the crystal-clear Asura Killing Intent on his platform had already been pierced by the roots of the Seven-Heart Wheel Sacred Tree.

It made gurgling, sucking sounds, as if devouring the essence within the killing intent.

Centered around the stone platform, gnarled tree roots grew at a visible speed, completely covering the platform. Blood-colored soil covered the roots, and then a layer of lush green grass sprouted on top.

Like a patch of lawn, the Seven-Heart Wheel Sacred Tree rapidly grew and developed. Eventually, a seven-colored treasure wheel rose from its core, and the sacred light it emitted thoroughly cleansed Wang Yu's mind.

The bottleneck that had trapped him for many years shattered.

He naturally advanced to the fourth mental state—the Glazed State!

Mental cultivation began with the Tranquil State, then progressed through the Empty Self State, Impeccable State, and finally the Glazed State. Completing these four layers of mental states

meant that the path of the mind was fully mastered to a minor degree. A dao heart as transparent as glazed glass granted a significant boost to one's comprehension.

This was even more significant for Wang Yu.

The most direct visible benefit was a significant improvement in the effect of his placement slots, as achievements in mental cultivation were counted as part of his basic attributes.

With this boost, the hundred-year requirement for the Divine Transformation Dharma Idol's placement slot was directly halved. This meant he could master more Dharma Idol divine abilities.

He didn't need to completely master them; reaching the minor accomplishment stage would be sufficient for him to deduce the Dharma Idols he intended to use.

"Clarity!"