Chapter 516: Secret Ancient Tower, Void Alchemy Combat Technique

At this moment, he felt incredibly refreshed. The Seven-Heart Treasure Wheel Sacred Tree would be an excellent aid in his cultivation of the Path of Mind. Paired with the Prajna Heart Sutra, also a Buddhist scripture, his growth rate would undoubtedly be faster than before.

As the Sacred Tree absorbed more mental energy, it would also grow, providing increasing feedback and even more profound effects at certain crucial moments.

As for the realms beyond the current mental state, they remained unknown. Records on such matters were scarce in the Ice Prison Realm; while many possessed a resolute Dao Heart, their research into the Path of Mind was not profound enough. Only the ancient Buddhist Sect held such inheritances. To learn about higher realms, one would need to find relevant records within Buddhist ruins.

Unfortunately, this ancient sect had been destroyed too thoroughly. Compared to the ancient Immortal Dynasty, which left numerous ruins from the same period, Buddhist relics were remarkably scarce. Even when found, they mostly yielded low-level resources suitable only for cultivators below the Core Formation stage, offering little developmental value.

Since entering the Heavenly Palace Secret Realm, this marked Wang Yu's second significant improvement, temporarily fulfilling his immediate desires. However, it is human nature to always crave more, regardless of what has already been obtained.

After his breakthrough in the mental realm, the invigorated Wang Yu transformed back into his demonic form, holding his geomancy compass, and headed towards the core of the palace district. He realized that the core of the Eight-Gate Heavenly Escape Array was likely connected to the power of the Ancient Demon of Life. The demonized life force emanating from this core offered numerous benefits for his cultivation. Whether it was the enhancement of his demonic essence or the benefits from physical revitalization, his intuition told him that refining this array core might allow him to advance his Body Refining realm even further. This thought and speculation alone were enough for him to forgo searching other treasure-filled palaces. His priority was to locate the core first and acquire greater power.

And so, as Wang Yu set off towards the Phoenix Zenith Hall, the Northern Demon Clan team, now reduced to six members, also began rampaging through the core area, temporarily disregarding the threat of the Eight-Gate Heavenly Escape Array. They used their intelligence to strike quickly and relocate. Explosions of divine abilities and spells were incessant. They largely abandoned established paths, instead charging headlong, relying on their strong demonic bodies to smash through walls of black ice. It was a true "rampage," like barbarians, leaving behind ruins and mangled remains in their wake. They plundered treasures throughout the core area, dragging a large horde of demonized monsters behind them like kites. Fortunately, these demonized monsters truly lacked intelligence. Moreover, due to the array's influence, they would return to their original areas once they pursued outside their designated zones, never holding on relentlessly.

Seeing how smoothly the operation was proceeding, King Leilin could not help but remark, "If we had acted like this sooner, we wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses..." While he said this, it implicitly suggested that their prior caution had been foolish. If they could simply charge through, why bother with careful exploration?

King Tianpeng, however, was suddenly filled with an ominous premonition. Could such an intricately designed grand array truly tolerate their widespread destruction?

Meanwhile, at Death Gate Plaza, this plaza distinguished itself from the others by the mutated fleshy substances present; even the carpet of flesh covering the ground had transformed into a purplish-black hue. This imparted a strong sense of unease. At the plaza's center, a massive, pulsating flesh cocoon suddenly paused for a moment. As if a hidden mechanism had been activated, the massive flesh cocoon exploded. Amidst a shower of black blood rain, an ice phoenix, wreathed in dark flames, spread its wings and soared into the sky. The anti-flight restrictions appeared to have no effect on it. The pale-white, ice-attribute phoenix flames it possessed in life had now completely turned black. With a wingspan exceeding a hundred meters, its physique would still be considered nimble among the demon race. Yet, the might and aura of a Fifth-Tier Heavenly Demon were enough to make one's hair stand on end!

To those unaware of the truth, it might appear to be the transmuted corpse of the First Ice Phoenix Sacred Lord. However, to those who knew the truth, this... was perhaps the greatest secret concealed by the First Ice Phoenix Sacred Lord: a true Ice Phoenix corpse! The First Sacred Lord's rise and perfect disguise were profoundly linked to this True Spirit corpse. As for why the Ice Prison Realm could nurture a True Spirit bloodline, that remained unknown. After all, the Ice Prison Realm's current cultivation limit was the Soul Transformation stage. However, this rule was imposed by immortals, not an inherent limitation of the world itself. According to ancient legends, the Ice Prison Realm, in its earliest form, was entirely covered by eternal, unmelting ice. From this perspective, the emergence of an ice-attributed True Spirit seemed logical. Yet, one must remember that adult True Spirits possess a minimum cultivation of the Soul Transformation stage. With diligent cultivation, they would at least reach the Void Refinement stage, and top prodigies among True Spirit bloodlines could even achieve Mahayana stage strength. The concept of a True Spirit bloodline is entirely distinct from that of an Ancient Remnant Species; their birth conditions are extremely stringent, especially in natural environments. They are not born of parents but rather nurtured by the very essence of heaven and earth, a highly unusual occurrence. Such a birth makes their emergence even more challenging. However, the Ice Prison Realm's selection as a prison for the Ancient Demon's physical body might itself indicate its unique nature. The precise reasons were clearly not something that could be ascertained at this moment.

With the demon's appearance, nearly the entire palace district began to tremble. After circling several times, it swiftly shot towards the Northern Demon Clan team, its target strikingly clear!

Meanwhile, Wang Yu, who had just reached the entrance of the Phoenix Zenith Hall, felt his pupils suddenly contract. He turned to gaze in the direction of the ice phoenix's cry, as the sense of peril in his spiritual perception abruptly surged to its peak. "This sensation... it's the aura of a Soul Transformation existence! And not just a simple early-stage Soul Transformation; its aura and oppressive presence are significantly stronger than Chitian's." A swift judgment flashed through his mind, and Wang Yu immediately quickened his pace. The Eight-Gate Heavenly Escape Array was indeed formidable. He needed to break it before that entity arrived. Otherwise, the odds of a grim outcome were high. After all, once within the array's confines, treasures in the palace district could indeed be taken freely, but exiting would be far from simple. Facing pursuit from a demonized monster, likely at the mid-Soul Transformation stage or higher, within a confined space, the First Ice Phoenix Sacred Lord must have taken great satisfaction in devising such a predicament.

Wang Yu became part of the second group to enter the Phoenix Zenith Hall. Inside, it was eerily quiet, as if untouched by human presence. Not long after his arrival, Yan Ling and Yu Tangtang also appeared, the former with an ice phoenix feather adorning her hair. Protected by this feather, which resonated with the master of the hall's aura, the demonized monsters would not attack them. Thus, they had spent their time either dispelling treasure restrictions or actively searching for treasures. After several days, their gains were substantial.

Yu Tangtang, who had also reaped considerable rewards, now looked up and asked, "Sister Yan Ling, are you certain that terrifying aura earlier was from the Ice Phoenix Sacred Lord?"

"Naturally. We must quickly locate the core of this array and find a way to dismantle it. Otherwise, even with this feather, that monster will eventually target us."

Yu Tangtang scratched the back of her head, a feeling of unease stirring within her. She had heard Yan Ling recount the events of entering the Heavenly Palace Secret Realm and learned many secrets about the First Ice Phoenix Sacred Lord, including the truth about the genuine and fabricated Ice Phoenix. But based on her intuition, the Soul Transformation monster they were now confronting was very likely a true Ice Phoenix. When she voiced this feeling, Yan Ling's breath hitched. Not being foolish, she quickly connected it to many implications.

"So that's it."

"This information is crucial. Let's try to contact Senior Brother Wang Yu." With that, she took out a communication jade slip.

The Phoenix Zenith Hall.

As the First Ice Phoenix Sacred Lord's imperial palace, its scale was naturally immense. A Universe Spirit Array had also been installed within, vastly expanding its internal space. Following the guidance of the Heavenly Star Positioning method on his geomancy compass, this location had the highest probability of being the array's core. As the central structure of the palace district, it naturally housed numerous secret treasures. While Wang Yu primarily focused on geomancy mysticism, he wasn't entirely ignorant of array formations. Setting up complex arrays might be challenging for him, but he could utilize simple array flags to deploy temporary formations. He was incapable of establishing long-lasting arrays, but the close connection between geomancy mysticism and the art of arrays could not be entirely overlooked. Even his Qi-Gazing Golden Pupils secret technique alone could prove remarkably effective in array deployment; the ability to observe various forms of Qi was, in fact, one of an array master's most favored auxiliary skills. He didn't cultivate the Path of Arrays simply because he was too young. There simply wasn't enough time, and he was already cultivating numerous other disciplines. To continue pursuing such extensive "scholarship" would only lead to him being a jack of all trades, master of none. Thus, his primary focus remained alchemy, which offered the greatest benefits for advancing his cultivation realm. Artifact refining, by contrast, was a purely incidental skill to which he had never dedicated much attention. The crafting of flesh-and-blood demonic artifacts was also straightforward enough, perfectly suited for a combat-focused cultivator like him.

Upon entering the Phoenix Zenith Hall, he found the vast chamber completely empty. Not a single load-bearing vermilion pillar was in sight. Wang Yu's brow furrowed slightly, his nostrils flared, and his keen sense of smell quickly detected a faint scent of blood. His five senses, enhanced by body refinement, had also evolved, allowing him to detect subtle anomalies in the air. "It seems someone has been here... and was attacked." It made sense; an imperial palace was no ordinary place, and protective measures beyond just arrays would certainly have been set up. Traps were to be expected.

With his divine sense restricted, Wang Yu patted the top-tier spirit beast pouch at his waist, rousing Xue Yu, who was still digesting the benefits of the Human Desire Method. In situations like this, her abilities could prove invaluable. Upon learning the situation from Wang Yu, she quickly transformed into her small fox form, perched on his shoulder, and patted her soft chest, declaring, "Watch this, I guarantee I'll surprise you! Snow Fox Garment—Transform!"

Since evolving into a Seven-Tailed Snow Fox, her Natal Demonic Treasure had acquired seven transformation forms, enabling her to adapt to any situation. Regardless of her location or the opponent she faced, she could achieve targeted suppression. The inheritance of the Nine-Tailed bloodline was truly formidable. As the Snow Fox Garment transformed, a peculiar magical lamp appeared, resembling seven blooming fox tails. This treasure, named the Seven-Tailed Treasure Lamp, possessed abilities such as revealing hidden traces, tracking, pre-warning, identifying hostility and killing intent, and more. It was an artifact perfectly suited for exploration.

Wang Yu held it suspended in his palm. Under the spiritual glow emanating from the lamp, the entire grand hall seemed to "reveal its true form," with numerous footprints and bloodstains appearing on the ground. Wang Yu stroked his chin, contemplating as he advanced. "Six pairs of footprints, and the tracks of quadrupedal demonic beasts... It seems to be the team of Dual Cultivators. Were they truly the first to enter the Phoenix Zenith Hall?"

Following the traces, Xue Yu suddenly let out a laugh, pointing towards a spot illuminated by the fox-tail lamp's glow. "Master, look at that!" Wang Yu followed her gaze, his expression quickly darkening. He gave Xue Yu an exasperated tap on the head and reprimanded, "Be serious; this place is highly dangerous." After the man and beast passed the spot, the gradually dimming spiritual light revealed two distinct, rounded imprints with a central protrusion on the hall wall. It was clearly the imprint of someone who had been flung against the wall, hitting it front-first. The impact had been substantial.

After dismissing this minor interlude, master and servant traversed the front hall and a long corridor. Instead of encountering anticipated dangers, they arrived before a unique ancient building. This ancient building, situated within the palace, was clearly extraordinary. The ancient characters inscribed on its plaque read: "Secret Repository!"

"A structure similar to a scripture library?"

Pondering this, Wang Yu instructed Xue Yu to return to the spirit beast pouch and entered the Secret Repository alone. His earlier assessment was correct: this place was indeed a site for recording inheritances. However, the method of acquisition was rather unique. Inside, the Secret Repository resembled a tall tower. Each floor contained numerous jade tablets, with fewer tablets on higher levels. What they recorded were not divine abilities or secret techniques, but battle arts! Battle arts could be directly explained as combat techniques, but they encompassed more than just fighting skills; they also involved advanced applications of spiritual power. Much like the ancient Heavenly Soul Sect's development of spiritual sense techniques. Battle art techniques were a universal means; cultivators who had learned such combat methods would be noticeably stronger under similar conditions.

The jade tablets on the first floor contained very basic information. "Mana Diversion—By opening subtle meridians in both hands, spiritual power can be pre-infused, allowing for the instant casting of low to mid-tier spells." This battle art was only applicable to cultivators below the Core Formation stage. Wang Yu had long since ceased using conventional spells; he would only be interested in learning it if it allowed for the instant casting of Fifth-tier divine abilities. "Body Combat Art: Penetrating Force—An excellent method for training strength control, allowing one to master the penetrating force that can 'strike a bull through a mountain,' specifically designed to break through protective qi fields." This was also a primary battle art, but Wang Yu's mastery over his physical body was already exceptional, merely one step away from perfection. A battle art of this level offered little benefit to him.

After reviewing the lower levels, Wang Yu eventually discovered several intriguing high-level universal battle arts on the topmost floor. One such art was: Void Aperture Battle Art—Using spiritual power to open temporary acupoints outside the body, one can absorb the power of enemy divine abilities and then inject one's own spiritual power to unleash it with multiplied force. This was a high-level battle art designed to enhance explosive power, with an extremely broad range of applications. The method of inheriting these jade tablets was also quite unique. Upon touching a tablet, one's consciousness would enter a special space, where they would confront a phantom that served as both teacher and opponent. To fully learn the technique, one had to defeat this opponent using the specific battle art, such as the Void Aperture Battle Art.

Wang Yu's interest was immediately piqued, and he began to extensively learn various high-level universal battle arts within the ancient building that could amplify his combat prowess.