Chapter 553: Slaying the Five Colors, Destroying the Spiritual Ruins

But they seemed to have forgotten.

This was Chiyuan, and more importantly, the territory of Xueyuan Province, under the jurisdiction of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect!

As long as Wang Yu desired, the entire Xueyuan Province was his network of eyes and ears.

So, as Wang Yu continued his usual rounds and pondered cultivating the Heavenly Demon larvae, he unexpectedly received news that Lingxuzi had been spotted at an inn in Furqu City.

However, his spiritual sense still detected three pursuers, with no change. After a brief moment of thought, he quickly understood the reason.

"Still trying to trick me... Utterly clueless!"

In truth, Tainmusu and Lingxuzi had long since considered giving up. Their pretense of using a trap to ambush him was merely a way to account for their actions to their superiors; they lacked the courage to openly slack off.

Consequently, their attempts to conceal their movements were quite crude.

Utilizing the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect's professional intelligence network and calculating the journey mentally, Wang Yu quickly pinpointed the optimal point for a counterattack.

—Mount Qunniu!

This location was perfectly situated midway between Furqu City and the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect. When he looped back, he could ambush and intercept the Five-Colored Sacred Master who was pursuing him from behind.

As for the two God Transformation spirit bodies, he didn't even consider them a threat. If he could lure all three pursuers into the Endless Ice Plains, he was confident he could kill them all.

Unfortunately, his opponents wouldn't be so foolish.

On this day, the Five-Colored Sacred Master pursued with a gloomy expression, attempting to engage Tainmusu and Lingxuzi in conversation, but was repeatedly ignored. This made him feel that his position within this traitorous group was at the very bottom.

He was like a volcano on the verge of eruption, becoming incredibly suppressed and enraged. The side effects of his breakthrough using the Spirit-Draining technique grew increasingly severe. On this day, as he passed Mount Qunniu for who knew how many times...

Tainmusu's spirit body suddenly paused.

With a greatly changed expression, he exclaimed, "Oh no, there seems to be a problem with the Bloodline Tracking Art."

"What do you mean...? Didn't you say there wouldn't be any problems?"

Under normal circumstances, that would indeed be true.

But Wang Yu had employed a trick. Having long detected that they relied on blood for tracking, he had already devised a scheme to deceive them: he had Xueyu don his Fiendish Demon Dragon Armor and proceed forward.

His innate divine artifact was connected to his bloodline; its aura and blood essence were almost identical to his. Blood-based tracking arts simply locked onto his bloodline aura.

This provided the basis for misdirection. After using a secret technique to amplify this aura, he then concealed his true body with the perfected Boundless Sky Concealment Spell.

When the distance was still far, he could naturally conceal it for a period. But when Tainmusu's spirit body arrived near Mount Qunniu...

Even with the concealment secret art, Wang Yu's true body's bloodline aura was still much stronger than that of the artifact, leading to his exposure.

But this distance was already enough!

Before Tainmusu could even speak, an extreme arctic storm suddenly surged. Despite the scorching sun, the three felt no warmth from its direct rays on their skin.

All they felt was the chilling cold brought by the endless black ice.

The Five-Colored Sacred Master's eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter. "You suicidal fool, Senior Tainmusu! He actually dared to ambush us! Quickly, kill him!"

However, to his surprise, even at this critical juncture, the two still ignored him, shockingly continuing their discrimination.

His brows instantly furrowed. He was a venerable God Transformation cultivator, after all. How could he endure such humiliation?

With victory at hand, they were still playing their clique games. This world of traitors was truly difficult to navigate; no wonder there had been no results, and it was definitely not his fault!

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions.

The Five-Colored Sacred Master said helplessly, "Seniors... what does this silence mean?"

Just then, a shadow descended from the sky: an immense, towering iceberg seal, even more majestic than Mount Qunniu itself, pressed down suddenly. Under its terrifying suppression, heaven and earth froze.

Even his escape light was hard to activate.

This Fifth-Tier Divine Ability finally demonstrated its strongest characteristic—Three Seals Suppressing Heaven and Earth.

Once unleashed, it meant an unavoidable hit among those of the same cultivation level, impossible to escape, leaving only the option to endure it head-on.

At this moment, Tainmusu said with some embarrassment, "Fellow Daoist Five-Colored, my true body has already received the message and will arrive within an hour at most. Please hold on; Lingxuzi and I, in our spirit bodies, will make our exit first."

"What?!!!"

The Five-Colored Sacred Master swore he had never encountered such a foolish teammate. As the saying goes, "Fear not a god-like opponent, but a pig-like teammate."

As excited as he had been moments ago, he was now equally despairing.

As Wang Yu's figure gradually materialized from the peak of the immense iceberg seal, these two frail spirit bodies dissipated like wind, leaving behind only the Five-Colored Sacred Master, whose expression grew increasingly rigid.

Meanwhile, in Furqu City, Lingxuzi sat at a table in the inn, his gaze subtly sweeping over the diner secretly observing him. He had clearly discerned the person's identity as a spy.

He then used spiritual sense to communicate with Tainmusu, who was standing above the clouds. "Our Lord shouldn't blame us for doing this, right?"

Tainmusu coldly snorted in response. "If anyone is to blame, it's that idiotic deer. Our Lord can only have the two of us under him; otherwise, when would we ever hope to reach higher realms?"

Even being a traitor involved competition.

The appearance of the Five-Colored Sacred Master sparked a sense of crisis in both of them. That such a foolish person could be so heavily relied upon showed how desperately their Lord lacked subordinates.

Yet, it also precisely proved that there were now many opportunities for them to gain merit. Once they obtained resources from the upper realm or secret breakthrough techniques, even if their potential was exhausted, they would still have the possibility of reaching the peak.

This was the advantage of having a powerful force behind them. There was one point where Wang Yu was mistaken: he believed the two had overlooked the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect's intelligence network.

In fact, quite the opposite. How could old monsters who had lived for thousands of years be so careless? They were merely using the Five-Colored Sacred Master as bait to lure their prey into a trap.

Lingxuzi: "Is the Void Spirit Gourd ready?"

Tainmusu: "Based on Wang Yu's estimated strength, that idiotic deer will perish in no more than a quarter of an hour. After my spirit body voluntarily dissipated, I already left coordinates, so we can go there anytime we wish."

Lingxuzi immediately praised him: "Fellow Daoist's wisdom and stratagem are exceptional. Considering that brat has both new and old grievances with that idiotic deer, he's sure to take the bait."

"You flatter me."

With that, the two exchanged a smile.

Both revealed a smile of a successful scheme, while in the spy's eyes, Lingxuzi remained seated, enjoying the spirit food, without moving.

Mount Qunniu.

Wang Yu calmly surveyed the location where the two spirit bodies had vanished. His intuition told him something was amiss, as he had dealt with clone-type divine abilities before.

The Fiendflame Clone was a prime example.

The spirit bodies dissipated before the Ice Prison Demonic Seal even pressed down, which didn't quite align with his understanding of clone divine abilities that usually possessed considerable combat power similar to the main body.

But... since things had come to this, he would kill this deer first.

—Boom!

With a thunderous explosion, the entire Mount Qunniu shattered into countless fragments under the might of the Demonic Seal. The whole area was forcibly flattened.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

The Five-Colored Sacred Master conjured his Dharma Idol, a gigantic spirit body of a five-colored deer that used its antlers to prop against the heavy Demonic Seal. The ground sank, and countless ribbons of spiritual light, like blood, burst forth from its spirit body.

Its four legs buckled with a snap, and it collapsed to its knees.

It lowered its defiant head.

He proved even more incapable than Tainmusu had anticipated. Not to mention a quarter of an hour, he could barely last ten breaths. His physical body suppressed by the Demonic Seal, the Five-Colored Sacred Master roared and bellowed.

His innate magic treasure, the Demonic Head, suddenly flew out from his qi sea.

As one of the lost magic treasures of ancient demonic cultivation, the Demonic Head's status was similar to that of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner: it was effective, easy to enhance, and infinitely powerful, having once been widely favored by demonic cultivators.

By continuously refining it with the lives of living beings, its grade could be steadily elevated, and its power multiplied severalfold when used as an innate treasure.

The Demonic Head was then seen merging with the Five-Colored Sacred Master's head.

A demonic light, piercing heaven and earth, suddenly shot forth from his mouth, actually piercing the Ice Prison Demonic Seal straight through its center. The entire Ice Mountain Prison collapsed with a roar.

However, before the Five-Colored Sacred Master could even show delight, Wang Yu instantly appeared before him, a spatial displacement effect of the Empty Moon Pupils.

Before he could react, the moment their eyes met, he fell into the Illusory Moon Realm. Immediately afterward, the Blood Sea Illusion, imbued with Asura's Dharma Intent, overlapped with it.

His mind and consciousness were ensnared in a dual delusion.

The Grand Yin Demonic Dragon Dharma Idol then surged forth, tearing the defenseless Five-Colored Deer Dharma Idol to shreds. The backlash from its broken Dharma Idol brought intense pain.

The arrival of death's imminent threat ignited the Five-Colored Sacred Master's survival instincts, forcing him to break free from the illusion.

However, before he could act, a savage, overbearing brute force ripped into his body. With a tearing sound, the Five-Colored Sacred Master's human form was torn in two.

He was casually flung away by Wang Yu.

In mid-air, he transformed into the demonic body of a five-colored deer, landing on the ground like a mountain, causing a tremor.

His primordial spirit watched this scene unfold in despair. Without his physical body as a dwelling, his magic power was difficult to circulate in a Grand Cycle, meaning every bit used was one less. Only by re-entering a physical body could he quickly recover his magic power and cultivation.

But... his opponent would not give him the chance.

—Soul-Shattering Death Ray!

A grey soul-destroying beam shot forth from Wang Yu's glabella. A deathly grey-white consumed the Five-Colored Sacred Master's primordial spirit. At that dying moment, like a final surge of vitality before death, his consciousness surprisingly recovered its former brilliance.

With a bitter expression, the Five-Colored Sacred Master spoke. "Master Wang, it was not my intention to be your enemy. The invaders from beyond the realm used a secret art to corrupt my mind, and those two teammates are beasts among beasts, using my life as bait..."

"Heh heh~. Heaven desires to destroy a person, it must first make them mad. A single misstep, and the whole game is lost! I left an opportunity in the Severed Realm Mountains... I hope, Fellow Daoist, that for the sake of our past pleasant cooperation, you will spare the Medicinal Horned Deer clan."

With that, he actually self-annihilated his consciousness, leaving his primordial spirit for Wang Yu to harvest. This left Wang Yu somewhat astonished, and also a little pensive.

He had long noticed that something was amiss with the Five-Colored Sacred Master.

After all, after becoming a God Transformation cultivator, his behavior was like a rabid dog, constantly snapping at him, with almost no rationality to speak of.

Compared to his cunning and strategic methods when he had been biding his time and building his reputation, he had completely transformed. Such was the end of a villain; he had chosen the wrong path from the very beginning.

If he had stayed properly within the demon race, with the Azure Dragon Demon Venerable as his backing, he might not have lacked the opportunity to break through to God Transformation. However, this was a paradox.

The Five-Colored Sacred Master had been chosen when he was weak.

Without the favor of the Prison King Spirit Official, he would not have gained the status of one of the Northern Demon Race's three supreme clans. Based solely on the bloodline potential of the Medicinal Horned Deer clan, they would have spent their entire lives as healing blood-food for other demon races.

The unpredictability of fate was evident from this.

"It's difficult..."

He sealed and preserved the opponent's primordial spirit within the Glazed Pagoda. Once the Blood Infant Pill formula was upgraded, he could begin refining a precious elixir that could rapidly enhance God Transformation cultivation.

At that time, he could then use the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Diagram to pass the Divine Transformation tribulation.

The speed of his breakthrough to the mid-God Transformation stage would be considerably faster than anticipated.

Furthermore, the information revealed in the Five-Colored Sacred Master's last words was very valuable. He temporarily had no time to ponder the opportunity concerning the Severed Realm Mountains.

After he learned of Tainmusu and Lingxuzi's "mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind" plan, he could use the time difference to set up a trap in return.

With one party intentionally calculating against an unsuspecting other, the probability of success was high.

Moreover, he had acquired a second Grand Yin Water Pool from Xiji City. This spatial dimension could be used to replicate his solo battle against the powerful cultivators of the Azure Cloud Sect.

Then there was the Ephemeral Dharma Pill. Previously, he believed it wasn't the right time to use it, intending to keep it as a trump card against the Sky-Refining Demonic Venerable.

However, after Chitian's primordial spirit had fled for so long without any retaliation, Wang Yu knew that his opponent temporarily had no time to deal with him. He was likely focusing all his energy on recovering from his injuries and preparing for the final battle.

Compared to an insignificant flea like him, the Prison King Spirit Official was clearly more worthy of attention. Therefore, using the Ephemeral Dharma Pill now, if it could completely slay the remaining two enemies, it would undoubtedly increase the Sky-Refining Demonic Venerable's chances of victory.

Regarding the ultimate goal of escaping the cage, the interests of all discerning individuals in the Ice Prison Realm were aligned.

The only difference between him and Sky-Refining was that the latter's lifespan was nearing its end, leaving no time to wait, while he was still young and had plenty of time to await an opportune moment.

One rushed, one unhurried; one obvious, one hidden.

That was the difference!

"A gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years, but my revenge, Wang, spans from dawn till dusk. Let this master see just how formidable this precious elixir, named after the ephemeral flower, truly is."

As time passed, above the flattened Mount Qunniu, a black vortex shimmering with starlight suddenly appeared, and Tainmusu and Lingxuzi arrived together.

The chaotic scene before their eyes, and the black ice spikes scattered everywhere, clearly indicated the ferocity of the battle.

"Over there!"

Lingxuzi's eyes suddenly lit up, and he pointed towards a spot high in the sky, saying, "Fellow Daoist, look, we've arrived at just the right moment."

Wang Yu was seen with one foot planted on the Five-Colored Sacred Master's back.

In his right hand, he held the Sun-Piercing Demonic Bow, its sharp bowstring already piercing the opponent's throat. His face was filled with cruel, murderous intent.

Upon seeing this, Tainmusu retreated instead of advancing.

Her keen perception as a Heavenly Array Master allowed her to sense that the environment was wrong, detecting various elusive barriers.

—It's an array formation!

"What?"

Lingxuzi hadn't yet understood when he felt a fierce spatial storm sweep over him. In the chaotic space, his body was uncontrollably flung backward.

In but a blink of an eye, he was separated by a great distance from Tainmusu. This spatial storm could restrict Nascent Soul cultivators but was difficult to inflict harm on God Transformation cultivators.

But Wang Yu only needed this spatial disruption effect.

What the two had just seen was an illusion created by his Illusory Moon Eye Technique. He only needed it to mislead them for a moment, just long enough for the Grand Yin Water Pool to explode!

The opportunity for battle had arrived.

After consuming the Ephemeral Dharma Pill, Wang Yu's cultivation surged to the late God Transformation stage. Though lacking the power of a true conceptual realm, he possessed a comparable physical might of that stage, and with it came a manifold increase in the power of his divine abilities.

The moment Frost Moon traversed the sky, a fatal sensation assailed Lingxuzi's spiritual perception, chilling him to the core...