Chapter 552: Qiankun Conjuring, Escaping from Death

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Just as the terrifying sword light was about to reach Tianmu Su, a helpless sigh echoed through the void.

Space rippled like water. One of the extraordinary abilities mastered by Refinement cultivators is called "Manipulating Heaven and Earth," and as the name suggests, heaven and earth could be molded at will in their hands, like ants. Manipulating Heaven and Earth is an absolute control over space. Cultivators at this stage comprehend the mysteries of space and, given enough time, can create stable wormholes capable of spanning hundreds of thousands of miles. This is known as — Void Breach!

However, this ability is also constrained by the environment. The Ice Prison Realm is restricted by immortal rules, and its inherent world level is high, making its spatial stability far greater than other realms. Therefore, even a powerful figure like the Prison King Spirit Official could not casually freeze a section of space. It took immense power to forcibly solidify the sword light unleashed by the Nine Dragon Emperor Sword.

After saving Tianmu Su and the others, having already intervened, he was bound to suffer a backlash. He didn't mind exerting a bit more effort to personally crush Wang Yu, this "insect."

At this moment, as the sword light abruptly froze and a terrifying pressure descended, Wang Yu clearly understood... this meant the Prison King Spirit Official had acted again! He immediately invoked the power of his authority, transforming the phantom of the Nine Dragon Emperor Sword into a thousand-zhang sword aura that enveloped him, tightly protecting his safety.

Yet, he still underestimated the power of a Refinement cultivator. The legendary, renowned phantom of the Nine Dragon Emperor Sword was clutched by a massive purple hand imbued with immense power, and fine cracks quickly spread across it. In less than two breaths, the Emperor Sword, formed by an array and condensed from the power of nine fifth-tier earth meridians, shattered with a crash. Wang Yu had nowhere to escape and was trapped within the giant void hand. The space around him completely solidified; not even a hair could move, let alone mount any significant resistance. In the void of the sky, the large mouth spoke, "Wang Yu, do you understand now... what I intend to do?"

Wang Yu's expression remained unchanged. He scoffed, "What if I die here? With this intervention, you, villain, will inevitably suffer an even more severe backlash. When Senior Refining Heaven Demonic Venerable's plan begins, will you... be able to stop it?"

These words were purely a bluff. However, for the Prison King Spirit Official, it was indeed a point to be extremely wary of. He saw that Wang Yu's goal was to buy time, waiting for him to suffer the backlash from the immortal rules, thereby gaining a glimmer of hope for survival.

Immediately after, he unhesitatingly crushed Wang Yu. The giant void hand suddenly exerted force, literally squeezing his immortal body into a pulp. Although his bones were not broken, many were dislocated, forming a deformed sphere of blood and bone. His life force was rapidly draining, and while his primordial spirit wasn't destroyed by this crushing blow, it suffered considerable damage. This injury was far more severe than the last time, when only his head remained.

"You... can't kill me!"

A premonition of danger from the unseen realm caused the Prison King Spirit Official's heart to palpitate, and he dared not delay further. He swiftly withdrew his hand and commanded coldly, "Tianmu Su, kill him."

Severely wounded, Wang Yu had lost his ability to fight. He needed time to restore his physical body, and his gravely damaged immortal bones required blood and qi to slowly regain their immortal essence. For events to have unfolded exactly as Wang Yu envisioned would be unrealistic, but this situation was certainly among the many possibilities he had considered. Whether the Prison King Spirit Official intervened depended entirely on Wang Yu's perceived importance in his eyes, whether he was 'worth it.' The fact that he acted after deliberation further proved Wang Yu's value. This also made it easier for Wang Yu to confirm his standing later, when preparing his 'Cage-Breaking Plan,' to avoid misjudgment.

As for the immediate life-or-death crisis, it was actually already resolved. After the Nine Dragon Emperor Sword slew three Half-Deity Transformation cultivators, the trapping array had long since collapsed on its own. Tianmu Su had just been stunned by the sword light. Had the Prison King Spirit Official not intervened, very few of them would have survived. Therefore, she had no time at all to set up the array again.

"When we meet again, I will ensure your bones and ashes are scattered. Prepare to meet your end." Even in his disfigured state, Wang Yu laughed with unrestrained audacity. As he activated his Void Moon Eye Technique, he was teleported away the instant the moonlight descended. Tianmu Su glanced at the silent depths of the void, then took out a golden basin-like magical artifact. He reached out, retrieved a drop of Wang Yu's blood, and placed it into the basin. He chanted silently, "Blood essence returns to source, revealing tracks a thousand miles away!"

This was a powerful tracking art. The blood flowed within the golden basin, forming a straight line, quickly revealing Wang Yu's figure and the surrounding ten-meter area.

"Pursue!" Lingxu Zi followed without a word. The Five-Color Saint Lord hesitated but also followed. Only the outsider, Venerable Longchan, remained still. His face was flushed, seemingly deeply shocked by the power displayed by the Prison King Spirit Official. He immediately bowed his head and said, "Senior, please accept me as your disciple!"

Clearly, his ambition was greater. He shamelessly begged to be taken as a disciple, obviously wanting to gain an advantage over Lingxu Zi and the other two. His strength was not weak; he was, after all, an ancestral figure among the overseas overlords, and his personal abilities were beyond doubt. It was just that his thoughts were a bit too transparent.

Meanwhile, the Prison King Spirit Official, who was enduring the backlash from the rules, though he didn't speak, already had an inclination. Just as Wang Yu had said, the Ice Prison Realm's power was growing too rapidly, while he himself had repeatedly suffered heavy injuries. As the last line of defense, if anything happened to the Demon Prison, he would surely be sent to the Dao Slaying Platform by the Immortal Palace, and even his sect would be held accountable. At that time, his family, teachers, and descendants would all suffer greatly. All his cultivation would turn to naught, dust to dust. How could he accept such an outcome?!!

"Since my master could repeatedly suppress you natives, there's no reason why I, a peak Refinement cultivator, cannot. As the fourth Prison King Spirit Official, I shall govern another generation, and this position will permanently belong to the Wei Clan. No matter the cost, you ants shall die!"

After a moment of impotent rage in the void, Wei Sheng finally calmed down and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Tell me, why should I accept you as my disciple?"

Venerable Longchan's eyes lit up. "Senior, I have..."

A thousand miles beyond Xiji Jing, after using his Void Moon Eye Technique to escape, Wang Yu had almost lost all his divine abilities. The Yin Blood Pill secret art, which had been unfailingly effective at lower cultivation levels, was now useless, as the destruction of his flesh and blood had obliterated all the power accumulated in his blood. After all, the Corpse Demon Secret Art was only fourth-tier, and Wang Yu had never deduced it beyond its perfect cultivation. It now seemed it would only be effective if it advanced to the fifth-tier. Once cultivated, it would be equivalent to having a physique nearly like a 'Hou' as an extra boost, making him more resilient and powerful than his singular fifth-tier body cultivation.

However, this was ultimately a body-modification secret art. And records regarding zombies ceased entirely at the 'Hou' level, leaving the subsequent evolutionary path in darkness. He had previously worried that body modification might be irreversible. Therefore, he hadn't planned to invest heavily in this technique, which had often served as his trump card when he was weaker. Now, it seemed, if the final enemy was the Prison King Spirit Official, prioritizing his own survival would place him in an invincible position. The immortal rules were both a cage and a layer of protection; powers exceeding the Deity Transformation stage would be restricted. But he hadn't escaped yet, so thinking too much was pointless.

Wang Yu flew towards the ancient Qilin tribe's territory. His body cultivation was at work; the blood-and-bone sphere constantly crackled, extracting more golden blood marrow from his bones. This allowed his bones to reconnect and recover. He split a portion of his consciousness to search for healing treasures within his Sea Heart Ring. He took out a fifth-tier treasure elixir, the Undying Soul-Return Pill, and consumed it directly with his primordial spirit. His primordial spirit, riddled with cracks from the spatial power, immediately began to recover at a visible rate, capable of returning to its peak state within half a day at most.

At the same time, the Ephemeral Dharma Pill also caught his eye. Sensing the three relentlessly pursuing Deity Transformation cultivators behind him, a fierce glint appeared in his eyes. This precious pill was a sacred item for a desperate counterattack. If he consumed it, while Tianmu Su might not be guaranteed, Lingxu Zi and the Five-Color Saint Lord would certainly be easily slain by him. This was Wang's confidence in his own strength. However, after careful consideration, Wang Yu decided it should be used at a more opportune moment. Since he had managed to escape on his own, there was no need to use it now. With his Aurora Escape Technique, few in the world could catch him.

The following days were spent in constant hiding and evading. He seized every available moment to recover from his injuries. Originally, he had intended to divert the danger eastward, hoping that powerful beings potentially residing in the ancient Qilin ruins would help him shake off his pursuers. However, before he could even get close, he was warned by a female Deity Transformation cultivator named Fu Ling from the Sword Sect. Having no choice, he could only continue fleeing eastward.

Several months passed. Wang Yu's immortal bones automatically returned to their proper places, relying on his tenacious life force. The moment his form reconstituted, a rich surge of blood and qi erupted. His internal organs, meridians, flesh, skin, and other bodily parts recovered almost instantly. Such was the formidable power of flesh and blood regeneration at the fifth-tier body cultivation stage. However, to fully return to peak strength, he would still need daily accumulation. But Wang Yu also had a clever method: it was none other than the Nine Dragon Tyrant Blood Treasure Elixir! This item was likely a secret elixir recipe of the Immortal Dynasty's imperial family, specially prepared for the Human Emperor. Its fundamental effect of enhancing vitality was sufficient to quickly bring his weakened, newly regenerated flesh and blood back to its original strength.

Finding a brief respite during the pursuit, after spending three days refining this treasure elixir, he could be said to have returned to his peak state, save for the residual spatial power in his qi sea. Compared to other Deity Transformation cultivators, who often required decades to heal, Wang Yu, with his abundant resources, held a complete advantage.

He considered launching a counterattack. However, fearing he might be 'baited and entrapped' by the Prison King Spirit Official again, he ultimately gave up after much deliberation. This was followed by several more months of pursuit and evasion. By the time he returned to the Scarlet Phoenix territory, he had grown accustomed to this lifestyle. He always found opportunities to catch his breath and used his free time to refine spirit elixirs. After all, he didn't require arduous cultivation; even wandering around daily didn't hinder his cultivation from slowly but steadily increasing.

Meanwhile, Tianmu Su and the other two had been pursuing him for over half a year. Each time they were on the verge of catching him, he would slip away again. They had already realized something was amiss.

At the Scarlet Phoenix border, in Fuju City, a spirit-rich location near Black Mountain Pass, Tianmu Su and the others stood frozen in mid-air, engaged in a brief dispute.

The Five-Color Saint Lord: "This is the eleventh time we've passed Fuju. The Anti-Spirit Blood Sect is clearly not far, so why doesn't he return there to escape danger? Theoretically, with such horrific injuries, how could he possibly have the means to evade us for half a year? He must have taken some precious healing medicine and is deliberately toying with us!"

Lingxu Zi cast a surprised glance at him. Due to their extremely limited contact, indeed, this was their first real interaction. When he first met the Five-Color Saint Lord, the latter already displayed traits of questionable intelligence. Having never witnessed his demeanor before he became the Saint Lord, Lingxu Zi was quite surprised that he could even deduce and reflect. However, now was not the time for internal strife.

Lingxu Zi said: "Fellow Daoist Lu is right. I hear this child has a very close personal relationship with the current master of Jinman Tower. Has he found helpers to deliberately toy with us?"

"Impossible!" Tianmu Su immediately dismissed the conjecture. "This powerful tracking art comes from the Immortal Sect behind our lord, and it's even performed with fresh blood, which offers the best effect. There's virtually no way to mislead this art in the lower realms. Therefore, the target we are pursuing must be Wang Yu himself. Continue the chase. Until our lord gives the order to stop, even if he hides within the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect, we must stake out outside and await an opportunity to strike!"

Though she said this, the prolonged pursuit had already bred resentment in Lingxu Zi and the Five-Color Saint Lord. Their target was like an unkillable cockroach. If they didn't kill him, just seeing him was nauseating. If they wanted to kill him, they couldn't catch him; he was as slippery as a soap pod. Who could tolerate this? What's more, both Tianmu Su and Lingxu Zi still had their own foundations to manage. A short absence was fine, but if it stretched on, their territories might change hands... that would be a loss far outweighing the gain.

After a moment of silence, Tianmu Su said: "Perhaps he is circling outside because he doesn't want to implicate the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect? If we directly attack the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect, could that draw him out?"

The Five-Color Saint Lord shook his head dismissively. "That's impossible. Wang Yu originated as a spirit slave; he'd be glad to see the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect's demise. Besides, he's a demonic venerable; he wouldn't have such a weakness or restraint."

Lingxu Zi: "Then why does he keep circling around? The Anti-Spirit Blood Sect is protected by formations; even we wouldn't dare barge in. Isn't he afraid his injuries will worsen over time? Wandering like this every day, has he given up on cultivation? What a waste of such talent!"

They were old and had long reached their potential limits. Their daily cultivation practices were simply force of habit, formed during their younger, diligent years, difficult to change. It was fine for them to neglect cultivation, but Wang Yu was still young. His future potential was boundless, and he should have been trying to completely shake them off. Who knew he would choose the worst possible approach? This was not only disadvantageous to him but also a nuisance for them. How good would it be if he just escaped, instead of wasting their time?

"Sigh, let's keep pursuing him. Until our lord gives the order, we cannot stop."

After a brief discussion and reaching an agreement, the three set off again in pursuit. However, Lingxu Zi and Tianmu Su exchanged subtle glances, tacitly deploying a spiritual clone using their clone divine ability to follow the Five-Color Saint Lord. Their true bodies, meanwhile, simply remained in Fuju City, hoping to ambush Wang Yu there, and also as a way to slack off.