Chapter 520: Eight Machine Unlocked, Facing the Ice Phoenix

Sublimate, sublimate, and then sublimate!

The aura, having reached its peak, instantly transformed, marking a further leap forward. The Fiend Dragon Armor, entwined with the lightning of the heavenly tribulation, retracted into the dragon's spine, undergoing nourishment from the Golden Blood Divine Marrow and also beginning its advancement. This stage would require a considerable amount of time.

When Wang Yu's physical body appeared, he was bare-chested, his well-defined, robust muscles like artworks meticulously sculpted by a stonemason. Every line was perfectly rendered, utterly flawless. The pale complexion caused by the Corpse Demon Secret Art had largely returned to normal, but the silver-white hair, a side effect of his cultivation method during his youth, still remained. His youthful white hair had almost become his signature feature.

An endless stream of power seemed to gush from within him, giving him an urge to shatter the heavens. This was a mere illusion, born from the sudden surge of strength. Yet, his actual power was undeniably different from before. His Body Refining Fifth Stage, corresponding to a Soul Transformation cultivator, had already reached the pinnacle of the Ice Prison Realm. Below him, all beings were but ants!

Control of Power, Golden Blood Divine Marrow, and Immortal Physique—these three extraordinary attainments collectively forged the Fifth Stage Body Refiner's heaven-defying close-combat abilities. If time were to rewind to the era of Dongji Capital, Wang Yu was confident he could defeat Chi Tian with his bare hands. The Dragon Emperor Fist, a Fifth Stage body-refining divine ability learned from the ancient First Human Emperor's secret vault, now truly had a use. What was most important, however, was that the placement slot had opened its eighth position!

He recalled how it was his spiritual sense that had first broken through to the Fourth Stage, helping him unlock the seventh slot. Now, with eight placement slots available, Wang Yu unhesitatingly placed the Sagaladra Dragon Aspect Divine Ability Art into one. To accelerate his mastery of the Dharma Aspect Divine Ability, he intended to use this breakthrough to the Soul Transformation stage as an opportunity to directly deduce and master his own Heaven and Earth Manifestation Art!

Breaking through to the Fifth Stage in both paths was considered the complete realization of his expected gains from entering the Heavenly Palace Secret Realm. The opportunity for a body-refining breakthrough was unexpected, but according to the Northern Demon Race's secret records, there should be a treasure within the Heavenly Palace Secret Realm, named—the Heavenly-Human Divine Communication Vine!

It was discovered by a Northern Demon Race elder during a previous exploration of the Heavenly Palace Secret Realm. However, at that time, the realm had not fully activated, and the restrictions around the treasure were too formidable, unbreakable by anyone below a Soul Transformation cultivator. Thus, it was merely recorded in their texts, in hopes that future generations might have such an opportunity. The Divine Communication Vine was one of the spiritual artifacts for breaking through to the Soul Transformation stage. It could assist Nascent Soul cultivators in transforming into Soul Transformation cultivators, allowing them to easily pass this most difficult threshold. It was rumored that this treasure grew in the Phoenix Abyss Cold Pool!

After Wang Yu had adapted to his newfound power and quickly reviewed his next steps in his mind, he finally turned his gaze towards the two kings of the Northern Demon Race. Both immediately stiffened and bowed respectfully, saying, "Congratulations, Extremity Demon Lord, on achieving the Fifth Stage Body Refiner cultivation! Looking across the entire world today, you are the first Venerable to possess such profound mastery in the path of body refinement. Your name is surely destined to spread throughout the land!"

"Congratulations, Extremity Demon Lord, on attaining the Venerable position!"

Pure body refiners had long ceased to be a popular cultivation path. In this path alone, Wang Yu had indeed reached the pinnacle. However, there was also the Earth Fiend Demon Lord of the Heaven Refining Demonic Sect, who cultivated both Dharma and physique, tempering his body with various fiendish energies. His physical strength was no less than that of a body refiner of the same stage, but his primary focus was on fiendish energy, unlike Wang Yu, who also cultivated body-refining techniques. Therefore, he did not possess the extraordinary attainments of a body refiner's realm.

Wang Yu and the Northern Demon Race powerhouses were old acquaintances, so he wouldn't completely change his attitude just because of a breakthrough in cultivation. Thus, he replied humbly, "It was merely luck. If the Northern Demon Race hadn't guided me into this secret realm, who knows, I might still be out there trying my luck.” This was purely a polite remark; no one took it seriously.

With that said, Wang Yu seemed to suddenly recall something. "By the way, how is it that only two of you are left from the Northern Demon Race's team…?"

"This—" Fire Crow King stammered, unable to speak, and Thunder Qilin King remained silent. After a long moment, the latter finally asked, "Might I ask, Venerable, is the promise you made before entering the secret realm still valid?"

"Alchemy?" Wang Yu mused, slowly draping Three-Foot Snow back over himself. "Yes, but you will need to prepare the medicinal ingredients. Have you found the whereabouts of the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable?"

"Not yet." Fire Crow King shook his head with a sigh, saying with great concern, "The Five-Color Holy Lord has not appeared. I suspect he found the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable before us, especially since he could see the information left by the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable when he took office as Holy Lord. He probably wouldn't tell us everything.”

It was too late for regrets now that things had come to this. They should not have valued his reputation for benevolence and allowed him to become Holy Lord. It now appeared that it had all been a disguise, and most importantly, they couldn't grasp his plans. To be so scheming, he was indeed a formidable figure.

Wang Yu pondered for a long time before slowly speaking, "Since the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable came to the secret realm for healing, he must be in a location conducive to his recovery or near a corresponding treasure. You of the Northern Demon Race understand this better than I do. Do you have any suspicions?”

Thunder Qilin King directly shook his head; he never paid attention to such information. Fire Crow King, however, lowered his head in thought. "Excluding the Extreme Cold Hell Path and the Holy Lord's Palace Complex, the Ice Demon Forest is the most likely possibility. There, a unique ice crystal spiritual item exists that can alleviate the burning pain of the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable's body.”

Speaking of how the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable was injured, the process was quite simple, with no elaborate schemes involved. Back then, when the Northern and Southern Demon Races split, Azure Dragon and White Tiger, as the only two Primeval Remnants of the demon race, fought a battle as Demon Venerables, ending in a mutual defeat. Azure Dragon was severely wounded by White Tiger's Six Paths Immortal Slaughtering Divine Ability. Namely: Slaughter through Sight, Slaughter through Sound, Slaughter through Scent, Slaughter through Taste, Slaughter through Body, and Slaughter through Intent!

The combined effect of this set of divine abilities resulted in the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable losing eighty percent of his combat power. It was then that a beast tide happened to attack Scarlet Kite Spirit City, and the Heaven Refining Demon Venerable suddenly appeared for reasons unknown. He directly targeted the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable, intending to fight to the death. At that time, Heaven Refining, who had only just broken through to the mid-Soul Transformation stage, used his Demonic Flame Art to beat the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable to the brink of death. From that point, the Northern Demon Race completely declined. And then came the present situation.

Wang Yu had personally experienced the might of the Heaven Refining Demonic Flame. As the inherited flame cultivated by generations of Heaven Refining Demon Venerables, it had long reached the peak of the Fifth Stage. If the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable were entangled by this, without a massive influx of vitality, he would simply be unable to recover through normal means. Not to mention the lingering divine ability of the White Tiger Demon Venerable still affecting him. No wonder he had been in seclusion for over a thousand years. Even with a Primeval Remnant-level bloodline, his lifespan was only about twice that of human cultivators at the same stage. Demon cultivators of Earth-grade and below had lifespans equivalent to human cultivators. For those with Heavenly-grade bloodlines, their lifespan could be about one-fifth longer. Above that, Primeval Remnants possessed 1 to 3 times the lifespan. True Spirit bloodlines, however, surpassed them by more than ten times. This was the talent of the favored children of heaven, a gift from the heavens that no one could take away.

Getting back to the main topic, after Wang Yu finished listening to Fire Crow King describe the full story and the Northern Demon Race's experiences in the secret realm, his expression couldn't help but turn a little strange. From being the largest power, they had become the biggest losers. The Northern Demon Race was indeed incredibly unlucky. As for whether to save the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable, Wang Yu felt that his role was not as crucial as Fire Crow King and the others imagined. The other party was, after all, a peak Soul Transformation existence. When he first came to the secret realm for seclusion, he must have valued a certain treasure or special environment there. If he could have recovered, he would have done so long ago. Why would he need Wang Yu to save him? In other words, the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable's situation was likely not good. How could one or two Fifth-Stage Low-Grade Treasure Pills save him? After all, he was only a Fourth-Stage Peak Alchemist. Fifth-Stage Mid-Grade, High-Grade, or even Peak-Grade Treasure Pills were beyond his capabilities; at most, he could attempt Low-Grade ones. Therefore, his usefulness was genuinely limited.

“They're desperate and grasping at straws…” With that thought flashing through his mind, Wang Yu fell silent. He had a good impression of the Northern Demon Race, and although he considered the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable a hypothetical enemy, that was merely a worst-case scenario. He always planned ahead in this manner, thinking three steps for every one he took. It was still far from the time for hostility.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "How about this: you continue exploring with me. When we encounter the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable, we'll assess the situation then. My alchemy skills also have their limits and are far from the pinnacle of the Ice Prison Realm.”

"—Agreed!" The two demons had no choice but to agree. In their eyes, Wang Yu's alchemy skills were already exceedingly profound, certainly far superior to those unreliable alchemists of the demon race. Wang Yu had personally overseen almost all of the Northern Demon Race's supply of high-grade pills for the past few decades, so they naturally had complete faith in him. However, the current situation was beyond their control. Regardless of whether Wang Yu agreed or refused, they had no room to argue. The current arrangement was already quite favorable.

After reaching a preliminary agreement, Wang Yu waved his hand, releasing Yan Ling and Yu Tangtang from under the Ice Prison Demonic Seal. He then used his spiritual sense to rouse their upper dantian, causing them to awaken instantly.

"This is…" Memories from the period of lost consciousness flooded Yan Ling's mind, and her pretty face flushed as she awkwardly looked at Wang Yu. The latter merely smiled. "No need to dwell on it. There are still matters I need to entrust to you later.”

"Rest assured, Senior Brother Wang, Yan Ling will certainly do her utmost!" What he spoke of was naturally the ferocious Ice Phoenix corpse guarding outside the Phoenix Extremity Palace. Given the rarity of True Spirit bloodlines, Wang Yu had reason to suspect that the Ice Phoenix corpse might very well be Yan Ling's previous incarnation. The soul imprint on her body might yield unexpected surprises.

Furthermore, he had taken the core of the Eight Gates Heavenly Evasion Array. As time passed, the demonized vitality within the array would rapidly decay. Even if they didn't deal with the ferocious Ice Phoenix corpse and simply hid within the Phoenix Extremity Palace for several years, it should naturally perish. Wang Yu had set his sights on the Ice Phoenix's body, which was why he was willing to face the challenge. Other demonized ferocious corpses turned directly into pus upon death, and he was worried the Ice Phoenix would suffer the same fate. Therefore, waiting for it to naturally weaken, and then seizing the opportunity to devour it with the Heavenly Demon Myriad Transformations, would be the optimal method. Moreover, the Ice Phoenix's innate Phoenix Flame, a Fifth-Stage ice-attribute flame, was highly suitable for enhancing the Ice Dragon Pill Flame. This was the best opportunity for it to catch up to the Heaven Refining Demonic Flame. These two benefits alone meant that Wang Yu would certainly not let it go.

Meanwhile, Yu Tangtang, who had also just awakened, pouted her small mouth, then lunged with a tiger-like pounce straight into Wang Yu's arms, feigning tears with soft whimpers. "Tangtang is so scared, Sister Yan Ling is just too useless.”

Wang Yu: “…”Yan Ling: “…”

Sometimes, it was truly helpless. The words of a mischievous child were like small knives gouging out one's heart—it was too painful, directly breaking through one's defenses.

Wang Yu directly skipped the topic. "There should be other benefits within the Phoenix Extremity Palace. You two can look around, while I go check on the Ice Phoenix outside the entrance.” With his cultivation having just broken through, the Ice Phoenix was clearly an excellent whetstone, perfect for testing his combat power. They couldn't assist in a Soul Transformation-level battle anyway.

Fire Crow King quickly offered his assistance. "This is Blood Eye's daughter, isn't she? You can leave her with me for now. Venerable, please go investigate. This king guarantees no harm will come to her.”

"Very well.” After receiving his affirmation, the two humans and two demons began to stroll around the Phoenix Extremity Palace. There were indeed other opportunities here, but they were all minor gains, far less valuable than the Ancient Devil's Finger.

Wang Yu, on his side, was feeling a bit troubled. He didn't want to retrace his steps, having truly not expected his body-refining cultivation to break through at this moment. Further advancement would render his current cultivation method unsuitable, unable to enhance the effects and magnitude of the Golden Blood Divine Marrow. He thought of the body-refining cultivation method from the Ancient Skysea Sect in his mind. He needed a period of secluded cultivation to further deduce the path of the Yin Nether Demonic Dragon Art using this new cultivation method. With the power of his Glazed Heart Realm, and by acquiring some spiritual items and treasures that temporarily boost comprehension, it should be enough.

While contemplating his future path, he made his way towards the Pill Beast area of the Phoenix Extremity Palace. Even before he arrived, he felt a biting cold wind blowing towards him. The sea of flames formed by the Ice Phoenix True Flame completely enveloped the entire palace. Perhaps because the array had been broken and it had lost the external environment of abundant demonized vitality, the ferocious Ice Phoenix corpse appeared exceptionally agitated. Upon noticing Wang Yu peeking out from the palace entrance, it opened its mouth and immediately shot forth a stream of icy-blue flame.

Wang Yu raised a hand to block, and the extraordinary control granted by Control of Power compressed an invisible field into a transparent defensive shield. The surging stream of flame split directly to either side, carving out a large area of ice crystals mixed with scorched marks on the ground. Its properties perfectly matched the characteristics of the Ice Dragon Pill Flame.

After a brief probing, Wang Yu retreated back into the Phoenix Extremity Palace. This time, he directly employed the Return to Void Concealing Heaven Charm. As a secret art specialized in stealth within the Void Daoist Canon, its full potential was far from being utilized in Wang Yu's hands. This was because, with his strength, beings he needed to hide from were already incredibly rare. The ferocious Ice Phoenix corpse before him possessed astonishing power, and he intended to probe it several times first. Once he understood the Ice Phoenix's common tactics, he would proceed with capturing it alive. Since the array was already broken, he had no need to rush. Multiple skirmishes would also accelerate the Ice Phoenix's weakening. These demonized monsters all operated by relying on that vital force. When the vitality in the environment diminished, they would naturally lose their abnormal self-healing ability and might even suffer complete physical collapse due to excessive consumption of life force. If he couldn't defeat it directly, he would wear it down. Once it was sufficiently weakened, it would be his for the taking. Furthermore, with no other cultivators in the Heavenly Palace Secret Realm to interfere, it was the perfect time to execute such a plan.

Concealed within a spatial interlayer, Wang Yu slowly moved outside the palace. Indeed, he was not detected this time. The Ice Phoenix stood atop a pillar in the square, its turbid blood-red eyes fixed intently on the palace entrance. Icy-blue flames continuously flickered from its beak, ready to attack any living being that emerged. Seeing this, Wang Yu lightly clenched his fist, then stepped out from the spatial interlayer and moved towards the Ice Phoenix.

He gathered his strength and threw a punch!