Chapter 531: In the Blink of Fifty Years, Approaching Divine Transformation

Qinglong sighed deeply.

He stopped talking about pursuing them. Instead, he helped the other person up and, looking around, sensed the distant auras of King Fire Crow and King Thunder Lin. Only then did he fly over to meet them.

On the way, Venerable Azure Dragon suddenly suggested, "You dead tiger, the Northern Demon Clan suffered heavy losses during this trip to the Heavenly Palace. I am still severely injured and these demonic flames in my body remain a constant hidden danger. Adding to that, with the treachery of the Five-Colored Sacred Lord, the Northern Demon Clan has been drawn into the vortex of war. The Heaven-Refining Demon Venerable will surely seize an opportunity to assassinate me, so... I propose that the Northern and Southern Demon Clans merge once more to face this final conflict together."

Venerable White Tiger, whose face was sallow and gaunt, heard this. His eyes filled with astonishment.

The original reason for the split was actually his desire to usurp Qinglong's position as Sacred Lord. He was considerably younger than Qinglong; they were not from the same generation of demons. Consequently, he had a major battle with Qinglong. Although he was victorious, the elders of the Heart Beast Pagoda inexplicably remained unyielding, stubbornly refusing to let him succeed as Sacred Lord. After he killed several old demons to intimidate the others, he unexpectedly provoked even stronger resistance. Left with no choice, he eventually persuaded some demons willing to pledge allegiance to him, and together they went south to occupy the Coiling Dragon Mountain Range. This was the cause and outcome of that conflict.

Now, attempting to merge the two sides again would face resistance not only due to his pride, but also from the demons who had willingly followed him from the ancestral court. They now had vast territories and abundant resources in the south. Why would they willingly give that up to return to the ancestral court and compete with these demons!

Regarding this, even as a Demon Venerable at the peak of the Soul Transformation stage, he could not go against the interests and wishes of all Southern Demons.

So, after his initial astonishment, Venerable White Tiger grimaced and said, "This is almost impossible. The resistance we'd face couldn't be resolved in a day or two, unless..."

"...unless the Sacred Lord position is ceded to you. That way, you would return as a victor, and there would be no need to give up the territory of the Coiling Dragon Mountain Range. The ancestral court is the seat of legitimacy, something no demon clan in the world can deny. Therefore, once you become the new Sacred Lord of the Demon Clan, the tribes who followed you will also be unable to resist such honor."

Venerable Azure Dragon stated the reason calmly, clearly having considered this long ago. White Tiger was different from Five-Colored; the former's strength, character, and governance experience far surpassed the latter. Now that he had left the secret realm, he needed to find new ways to deal with the demonic flames and foundational injuries within his body, which left him no time to manage the Northern Demon Clan. Thus, entrusting it to a trustworthy opponent was certainly better than to King Fire Crow and the others.

Venerable White Tiger took a deep breath, disregarding his physical pain, and gradually grew excited. The position of Sacred Lord of the Demon Clan had become an obsession for him. Now that Qinglong was willing to step down, it would be the best possible outcome.

"If you are serious, no matter how great the resistance, I will find a way to resolve it. But if this is merely a temporary measure, then the Northern and Southern Demon Clans will never know peace."

"I understand," replied Venerable Azure Dragon. "We are at a critical juncture; I certainly wouldn't play games with you. I am serious."

Venerable Azure Dragon gave a wry smile, understanding that White Tiger did not view him favorably. However, it was better to lay out the unpleasant truth beforehand, so that if a conflict truly arose in the future, there would be no lingering resentment when they eventually fell out.

They had arrived with over forty formidable Nascent Soul demons. Yet, when they left the Endless Ice Plains, only four remained. Even King Skyroc had died unjustly; severely wounded by the Ice Phoenix, he had narrowly escaped with his life, but then met with disaster at the entrance to the secret realm. How could everything in the world be so easily explained?

***

The Blackwater Profound Serpent tribal land in the Northern Severed Realm Mountain Range.

After Yan Ling and Yu Tangtang brought Venerable White Tiger from the Coiling Dragon Mountain Range, they did not linger but went directly to the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon's mother clan. Although he was still carrying out his mission of putting his remaining strength to good use, things on the clan's side were already arranged. Yan Ling's reason for accompanying them was actually to prevent herself from being sent to the battlefield. She was actively trying to avoid combat, and the benefits and treasures gained from the Heavenly Palace secret realm also required time to digest. Given some time, breaking through to the mid-Nascent Soul stage would be no problem.

Yu Tangtang's bloodline aptitude was even better; as long as she grew normally, she would eventually break through to the Soul Transformation stage. Beyond that, it was unknown, as Wang Yu had not thoroughly examined her. After all, this was a secret she had always wanted to keep.

At this moment, nearly two months had passed since they called for aid, and Yan Ling said with a worried expression, "Tangtang, I wonder if everything is going smoothly for Senior Brother Wang. Does he really not need our help?"

"Don't worry," replied Yu Tangtang. "He has always solved all problems by himself. If we were there, we would only be two burdens."

Yan Ling: "..."

Children spoke so directly; it almost left her speechless.

"But this time, he's facing peak powerhouses from the Ice Hell Realm. They're not like those insignificant opponents from before."

Hearing this, Yu Tangtang's expression grew even stranger. She said earnestly, "Sister Yan Ling, before Wang Yu rose to prominence, he was also insignificant. He's experienced more life-and-death crises than Tangtang has consumed pills. Trust him; he might return in a completely new form. Little Chan'er has more experience than me. When she arrives, just ask her and you'll understand. Wang Yu often disappears for periods of time; the longest was a full seventy years."

Yan Ling sighed even more heavily. "Let's hope so..."

At this moment, just then, a transformed Blackwater Profound Serpent entered and respectfully bowed to Yu Tangtang. "Sister Tangtang, news has come back about your father."

Yu Tangtang bolted out immediately. She hadn't gone far when she quickly returned, pulling the messenger along, and asked urgently, "Quick, where is my father? How is he?"

The other party replied with a complex expression, "It's a battle report sent by the Demonic Alliance. See for yourself."

The information recorded on the spiritual jade slip was sparse, but every sentence was crucial.

One: The strategic circumvention plan was successful. Half a month ago, the four spiritual provinces under the Thunderfire Abbey were fully captured. Remaining forces fled into the Sword Sect's territory. The old cultivator teams within the Demonic Alliance suffered heavy casualties, with eight out of ten lost.

Two: The teams from the Joyous Demon Sect, Nether Mountain Cult, Yellow Springs Abbey, and Reverse Spirit Blood Sect merged, preparing to bypass the edge of the Sword Sect's territory to the rear of the Great Lake Spirit Domain, directly attacking Crane Return Valley and Fiery Sun Sect. This situation was different from the previous 'dumpling' tactic. It involved a direct frontal assault by a large army, with no intention of concealing their tracks, thus it would be extremely perilous, with a conservative estimated casualty rate of around 60%.

Three: The Heaven-Refining Demon Sect's forces would officially invade the Sword Sect's territory, engaging the Sword Sect's main forces and Nascent Soul powerhouses.

At first glance, these three battle reports seemed unproblematic. But upon closer inspection, they reeked of conspiracy. The demonic path's advance was simply too smooth. Starting with the Jade Cloud Sect, the Moon-Gazing Palace and Thunderfire Abbey were successively ravaged. Although the Sword Sect had attempted to provide support, their forces were all ambushed and wiped out en route. They had utterly failed to play their intended role. For the leaders of the righteous path, this was undoubtedly a significant blow to their reputation and a crisis of trust.

These anomalies were irrelevant to Yan Ling and Yu Tangtang. They were more concerned about the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon's condition. Although the old fellow wasn't destined to live much longer anyway, he shouldn't die on the battlefield; his body and soul should return to his homeland, which was his proper resting place.

When Yu Tangtang asked this question with red eyes, the transformed great demon who delivered the message suddenly chuckled. "He's fine. He just had his tail cut off by the Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord. He's currently recuperating and should be back to retire in a while."

Upon hearing this, both let out a collective sigh of relief. Then Yu Tangtang's fist slammed into the transformed Blackwater Profound Serpent, and she said angrily, "You jerk, why did you drag it out like that! With that cold face, I thought something terrible had happened. Tell me! Were you doing that on purpose?!"

The other party wouldn't dare resist this little missy. He quickly covered his head and cried out, "You've wronged me, Sister Tangtang! Our serpent race naturally doesn't show much emotion; we all have cold faces. It's a bloodline trait, truly not on purpose!"

The playful scuffle continued for a long time. But the ominous cloud hanging over everyone's heads quietly dispersed considerably. Only Yan Ling, whenever she had free time, would ascend the highest peak of the Blackwater Profound Serpent tribal land, gazing north, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone's figure. This gradually became a habit.

***

Fifty Years Later!

In an unnamed ice cave within the Endless Ice Plains, a tall figure with silver hair sat. The stone in his hand silently crumbled into dust as its last trace of extreme cold energy was absorbed. The eyelashes of the figure sitting cross-legged trembled slightly. A pair of stern eyes suddenly opened, and a powerful spiritual pressure spread outwards from his body, affecting even matter in its path. The ice surface developed dense cracks.

Shortly after, retracting his surging aura, Wang Yu contentedly clenched his fist. The demonic energy in his Qi Sea had been cultivated to perfection, now containing ninety-nine Frozen Demonic Core Crystals. They exhibited a peculiar regular distribution within his Qi Sea. The harmonious sensation felt incredibly natural.

After fifty years of arduous cultivation, he had only consumed a portion of the Sorrowful Phoenix Ice Blood Stone to accelerate the accumulation of demonic energy. His reason for this choice was actually to establish a more stable foundation. After all, his breakthrough speed was indeed too fast, and after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, his long-term consumption of highly nourishing elixirs like Blood Infant Pills meant his foundation was definitely not as stable as it was during his Core Formation period.

Fifty years was neither too much nor too little. It not only allowed him to utilize the 'placement bar' to prepare for the derivation and mastery of more powerful divine abilities and Dharma Idol techniques, but also to solidify his foundation and accumulate his reserves, awaiting the destined moment of his final metamorphosis.

During these fifty years, the placement bar operated at full capacity. The Intent of Yellow Springs reached perfection, becoming the second after the Intent of Asura. Subsequently, the Intent of Aurora also successfully reached perfection. Only the composite-type intent, the Intent of Vast Cold, was more difficult to improve, having only recently achieved great mastery. This, too, would gradually catch up as he broke through to the Soul Transformation stage. The cultivation of Intent power for Soul Transformation cultivators was not something to rush. This was not a power that could be controlled in the early Soul Transformation stage; rather, one would only begin to delve into it in the mid-to-late stages. Moreover, his situation was complex, also involving the fusion of intents. What specific intent he could comprehend remained unknown for now.

His gains in cultivation techniques were decent. Since there were no fifth-tier ice-attribute avian tribes in the Endless Ice Plains, it took him over half a year. Wang Yu ultimately only obtained a fourth-tier top-grade cultivation technique called the 'Heavenly Demon Freezing Realm Policy.' This demon race inheritance was the best option he could find. After fifty years of being placed, it had only recently reached perfection. Deriving it into a fifth-tier technique would require more time. Therefore, to utilize the cultivation talent of his True Spirit bloodline, he still needed to wait. As for cultivating a fourth-tier technique first, it was truly unnecessary. Its efficiency might not be as high as the perfected 'Ice Soul Sacred Demonic Scripture.' After all, he had cultivated the latter for most of his life; it was ingrained in his bones, acting like an instinct with extremely high efficiency.

On the other hand, he obtained many inheritances from the Ice Race: Dharma Idols, divine abilities, and secret techniques, all methods for ice-attribute cultivators. They were highly compatible with him. This also made him gradually understand why the Northern Suppressing Pagoda was willing to curry favor with the Ice Race. Such profound heritage was indeed terrifying, considering he had only soul-searched a few Ice God's Children. The information he gained was now merely a consumable, no longer considered extraordinary news.

Several Dharma Idol divine abilities had also been cultivated to the minor mastery realm. This was enough to give him a rich theoretical foundation in Dharma Idols, allowing him to use the heaven-sent inspiration during his breakthrough to derive and manifest his own Heaven-Sundering Dharma Idol!

Furthermore, one of the most important gains in these fifty years was actually the successful advancement of the Grand Yin Nether Eyes! This secret art for modifying pupils had been intermittently derived since he unlocked its complete inheritance, a process spanning at least a century to date. Moon Gaze, Illusion Moon, Falling Moon, Empty Moon—these four eye techniques were among the best secret arts for the Nascent Soul stage. After advancing to the fifth-tier, a more powerful eye technique naturally emerged, named 'Heaven-Sent Moon!' Its spatial attributes were further enhanced. Wherever moonlight fell, Wang Yu could borrow the power of the Grand Yin Star to freely teleport himself to points illuminated by moonlight. Its consumption was 50% higher than that of Aurora Escape Technique, but still not much. Even if used a thousand times in a battle, it wouldn't deplete his demonic energy.

This was very similar to the eye technique he had imagined that could directly teleport him out of the world, but its effect was not so easily achieved. Theoretically, if other worlds also had projections of the Grand Yin Star and moonlight fell upon them, then this Heaven-Sent Moon eye technique would be viable! It could indeed achieve the effect predetermined by the seniors of the Grand Yin Sect. However, the problem was that Wang Yu lacked the ability to perceive moonlight from other worlds. Furthermore, it was known that the Ice Hell Realm had been modified by immortals, so without more forceful means, even if he sensed a target, other unforeseen accidents were highly probable.

In a sense, this escape route provided by the Grand Yin Nether Eyes, he had cut it off himself. It turned out that the possibility of this eye technique succeeding was minuscule, unless it could further advance to the sixth tier, which might offer a glimmer of hope. However, the placement bar's derivation effect had already been used. Typically, a divine ability or secret art could only be upgraded once to its limit. So... if he still wanted to activate this path, he would have to rely on his own comprehension to derive it, and the chances of success were very low.

But what he lost in one place, he gained in another. The hope of directly leaving the cage had vanished, but it greatly enhanced Wang Yu's combat abilities. Once the Twelve Forms of Vast Cold were activated, the moonlight scattered by the Frost Moon across the sky could also be used as markers for the Heaven-Sent Moon technique. For a body cultivator, this was undoubtedly an epic enhancement. All of these developments involved gains and losses.

Currently, Wang Yu would soon face a new challenge... breaking through to the Soul Transformation stage!