Chapter 585: Falling (×) Revival (√) (Part 2)

This arrow was a dangerous gamble.

Knowing that this battle had to be concluded swiftly, Wang Yu deliberately used himself as bait. He gambled on the fact that while Zhong Ying would appear cautious, he wouldn't truly be so deep down.

Ultimately, Zhong Ying was a prodigy from the Upper Realm. If he, a cultivator at the early Void Refinement stage, had to be cautious against a mere native at the early God Transformation stage, lacking absolute confidence in victory, then Zhong Ying, an outstanding disciple of the Void Law Lineage, would be unworthy of the title 'prodigy'. Even cultivators of the same generation believed themselves invincible. Wang Yu was many years younger than him and suppressed by a major cultivation stage difference; wasn't victory practically guaranteed?

While he might have obediently heeded his elders' warnings, once acting alone, even after suffering significant losses against the Heaven-Refining God, he never truly considered Wang Yu a threat. He might even have questioned if Wang Yu was a complete being. Pride, disdain, mockery—all elements of arrogance and conceit were fully embodied in him.

And so, after careful deliberation, Wang Yu unleashed this full-power arrow. Demonic Essence, divine abilities, divine power, Spirit Treasures, intent, Ice Flame... and most crucially, a deep bloodline switch. The amplification of Ice Dao divine abilities by the True Spirit Ice Phoenix Bloodline was undeniable. It was, in essence, a seven-fold fusion!

Even with his formidable physique and robust foundation, such an attack would leave him exhausted for several breaths, making it impossible to fire a second arrow within the hour. Should it fail, the consequences would be dire. That's why Wang Yu called it a desperate gamble, a full-power strike. Fortunately... it seemed to have succeeded!

The unprecedented, terrifying ice storm utterly obliterated Golden Toad City, forcibly shattering the sealing formation Zhong Ying had laid out, and unleashed rampant extreme cold. It almost plunged this entire area into an eternal ice hell, permanently altering the natural landscape of the region.

In the central area, where the power was most concentrated, Wang Yu had already voluntarily dispersed his Lunar Demonic Dragon Aspect. A pale blue lotus, burning with ice flame, quietly bloomed. On the lotus pedestal, Zhong Ying knelt as if subjected to extreme torture. The solidified Lunar Vast Cold Arrow pierced through his skull, turning his entire body into a block of ice, his life force extremely faint. Yet, he was not truly dead. His tenacious vitality was truly worthy of a Void Refinement cultivator.

At that moment, Zhong Ying's consciousness was hazy, all his magic power had completely drained away, his spiritual sense was exhausted, and his primordial spirit was on the verge of collapse, utterly unable to prevent the draining of his life force. He couldn't even circulate his fundamental cultivation art to recover. He could do nothing. Only await death!

At this thought, his emotions surged. If his Spirit Treasures hadn't been destroyed by the World-Slaying Heavenly Light, if he hadn't underestimated Wang Yu's combat power, and if the power of the Heavenly Light hadn't affected the circulation speed of his magic power, he wouldn't have fallen into such a predicament. He had met all three conditions; if he didn't die, who would?

But... he was unwilling! He had finally secured the position of Prison King Spirit Official. Given a thousand years, he might have even glimpsed the mysteries of Dao Integration. Instead, one wrong step led to a series of errors. He clearly had a means of salvation, victory was within reach. Yet he was about to die at the hands of a lowly ant from a lower realm. He hated Wang Yu's cunning mind and devious tactics, he hated that his master couldn't arrive in time to rescue him, and he hated the Immortal Palace for failing to recognize his heavenly aptitude and cultivate him earlier.

“I... am unwilling!!!!”

Accompanying a low roar, Zhong Ying's body crumbled into ice dust and scattered with the wind. Even his primordial spirit continuously leaked specks of light, becoming increasingly transparent until it vanished.

Wang Yu's figure quickly appeared, catching the half-shattered Void Banner and Zhong Ying's Cosmic Ring. Though his face was pale, his eyes gleamed with excitement.

—He did it!

The risky plan, which he thought had less than a thirty percent chance of success, had actually worked. This was related to the opponent's clearly abnormal state. Wang Yu would neither underestimate nor overestimate himself. This time, it was truly a stroke of extreme luck.

Moreover, the fortune fruit nurtured in his Heart Lake Space had grown dim. Clearly, this success also owed to the Heaven-Blessed Fortune Secret Art. Even if he tried to replicate it, success couldn't be guaranteed.

“The odds for this gamble were too low. I must never do something like this again in the future. At least a fifty percent chance of success is needed to risk it.” He admonished himself internally.

Wang Yu looked towards the utterly destroyed Golden Toad City and quickly extended his spiritual sense to search. Fortunately, he had made them escape beforehand, and Golden Full Pavilion had a decent foundation. Golden Toad City was also their stronghold, with many defensive measures set up in advance. Aside from a few unlucky individuals killed by the Void Mantis Beasts, there were no significant casualties. They were all currently hidden in a completely ruined underground formation space, and their condition was very poor.

“Alas... it's time to go.” Just as Wang Yu was about to move, his body suddenly stiffened. His spiritual senses seemed to have failed, showing no reaction, yet a great terror descended directly before him.

A figure of a Daoist, covered in blood, appeared before him. His left hand held a crimson crystal. The aura of a Blood Demon within it was incredibly rich, clearly indicating that this person had captured its true form. The Living Demon, which had been causing trouble, was nowhere to be seen.

Daoist Kongkong squinted, preventing blood from flowing into his eyes. He observed Wang Yu and sighed, “A talent beyond compare. Even in the Immortal Palace, you would be a true demonic prodigy. Alas... you were born in the Demonic Prison. What a pity~”

As he spoke, he made a grasping motion with his right hand. Zhong Ying's primordial spirit, which had clearly dissipated moments ago, was forcibly reconstructed from nothingness by him, as if time had flowed backward. Though its light was dim, it was no longer in mortal danger. As long as a new physical body was forged, he could be reborn.

Fallen, yet resurrected. Was this the power of a Dao Integration Grand Power? Wang Yu's face revealed bitterness, and despair rose in his heart. If his opponent was at the Void Refinement stage, he would still consider fighting. But with an opponent who was a Dao Integration Grand Power, a full two major cultivation stages above him, how could he possibly hope to escape with his life?

Daoist Kongkong saw that Wang Yu seemed to have resigned himself to fate. He was in no hurry to act. “Though my incompetent disciple is a failure, it would be too tragic to let him die in the Demonic Prison. Wang Yu, if you are willing to let me plant a death seal in your primordial spirit, you can serve as the uncrowned king of the Demonic Prison for the next three thousand years. How about it?”

Wang Yu's heart stirred upon hearing this. As long as he was alive, there was hope. He had his unique 'inventory' by his side, and being temporarily controlled by others was not unacceptable. As long as he lived... he would one day possess enough power. By then, he would show this old Daoist what true cruelty was! Humble origins were not a disgrace. Being able to yield and to endure was the mark of a true man!

With a single thought, the world broadened. Immediately, he cast aside his pride and smiled, saying, “Senior’s request is entirely reasonable. Yu has no objections...”

“You actually agreed.” This reply seemed to startle Daoist Kongkong, but the killing intent in his eyes abruptly surged to its peak.

Wang Yu cultivated the Intent of Slaughter. While his strength might not compare to Daoist Kongkong's, his ability to perceive killing intent was absolutely unparalleled. He didn't know why the other party suddenly developed murderous intent. But that didn't mean... he was truly without a means of self-preservation. When his body refinement cultivation reached the fifth stage, he gained the ability of 'flesh and blood life,' rebirth from a single drop of blood. Amidst such widespread crisis, he had naturally placed his essence blood throughout the Ice Prison Realm. This was to guard against an unexpected fatal calamity like the one unfolding now. His earlier submission was because his body refinement cultivation had long been exposed. This Dao Integration Grand Power hailed from the Upper Realm, possessed vast knowledge, and could not possibly be unaware of the unique abilities of body refinement cultivators at higher stages. Moreover, reconstructing a physical body from essence blood required time, and recovering full strength even more so. With a Dao Integration Grand Power's methods, he feared the Daoist could search an entire realm to pinpoint his location. Therefore, he had chosen to lie low and willingly become a servant. Now that killing intent erupted, he would not allow himself to be slaughtered.

Immediately, he channeled Demonic Essence into his throat, letting out a tearing roar: “Yan Ling, activate the mark, and take Tangtang with you...”

Within the underground formation space, Yan Ling almost instinctively activated that Phoenix clan secret art. Immediately, the Ice Phoenix True Spirit Mark in her palm ignited, and in the ethereal realm, she sensed the Phoenix clan's Divine Parasol Tree. In less than a thousandth of a second, a colossal tree illusion, overshadowing the sky, stood on the snowy ground. The Divine Parasol Tree, burning with Phoenix Immortal Flame, extended its branches, firmly protecting the area centered around Yan Ling. A strange fluctuation flashed, and everyone present vanished instantly. Among them was a lucky individual — Tantai Chan.

“This is... the Divine Parasol Tree, the Phoenix clan!” Daoist Kongkong's brow furrowed almost into a knot.

He swiftly acted, crushing Wang Yu. An immensely powerful spatial blade transformed into a meat grinder-like sphere of death. Even Wang Yu's formidable immortal body had no resistance whatsoever. His primordial spirit also perished, leaving no trace of life. Instantly killing a God Transformation prodigy was merely a flick of a finger for a Dao Integration cultivator, far less troublesome than ancient demons whose essence approached immortal status. No matter how monstrous his talent, he couldn't escape the fate of death. He was well aware of body refiners' ability to regenerate from a drop of blood. But at a mere fifth stage, and with his primordial spirit annihilated, even if he were reborn, he wouldn't possess his original consciousness. Though the new consciousness would be similar to the original, they would be two different flowers.

In his view, most of the trouble with Wang Yu was resolved. The remaining essence blood could be slowly searched for. However, the Divine Parasol Tree just now was clearly a method of the Phoenix clan. Given the critical importance of the Demonic Prison, he feared that the supreme beings of the Immortal Palace had already detected it. He had to seal the Living Demon quickly, or he would lose even the chance to atone for his actions. Just as he reached for Wang Yu's Sea Heart Ring, a five-colored spiritual light suddenly escaped from it. It directly burrowed into the void and vanished.

A sharp glint flashed in Daoist Kongkong's eyes. “Senior Brother Feikong's Five Elements Heavenly Escape Sacred Armor... How? Wang Yu's primordial spirit has been annihilated; I personally ensured this, so there can be no mistake. Could it be the Sacred Armor's artifact spirit actively escaped?” Having made his judgment, though he wanted to pursue this Dao Integration supreme treasure, he decided to deal with the Living Demon first, considering the commotion caused by the Divine Parasol Tree. There would be plenty of time to search for the treasure later. Even if he were recalled by his superiors, he could always have the next Prison King Spirit Official help him search for it. There was no rush.

With that settled, Daoist Kongkong's figure vanished once more into the spatial vortex.

Vast Immortal Palace. Supreme Profound Heaven.

A figure sitting cross-legged before an Eight Trigrams Furnace suddenly looked towards the Cosmic Sea. Its voice, calm and unperturbed, directly echoed into the Phoenix clan's Firmament Parasol Immortal Realm.

“Immortal Nirvana, give me an explanation.”

At the canopy of the Divine Parasol Tree, a red-haired woman in front of a small wooden house chuckled, covering her mouth: “Oh my, it's merely bringing a junior home. Immortal Xuande, there's no need for such a fuss, is there?”

“One? The Demonic Prison concerns the fate of humanity. You took away quite a few people.”

“Well then, I'll return some to you.” The red-haired woman glanced at the people lying on the parasol tree leaves, then directly read through Yan Ling's memories. Thus, she chose the few she was closest to, sending the rest back to the Demonic Prison world.

Immortal Xuande: “...In three hundred years, let ten prodigies from Supreme Profound Heaven enter the Phoenix Nest to observe the Phoenix Heavenly Tablet, and this matter will be considered settled.”

“Agreed.” The red-haired woman agreed without hesitation.

The world held countless opportunities, but there were also several top-tier opportunities recognized by immortals as greatly beneficial for achieving immortality. There were five types, all profound runes involving the fundamental essence of the Grand Dao: Original Demonic Runes, Dragon Scripts and Phoenix Runes, Grand Dao Golden Chapters, Innate Cloud Seals, and Golden Books and Jade Records. The so-called Phoenix Heavenly Tablet recorded part of the profound Phoenix Runes within the Dragon Scripts and Phoenix Runes. Learning Dragon Scripts allowed one to comprehend the fundamental Dao laws of time, while learning Phoenix Runes allowed one to comprehend the fundamental Dao laws of space.

These two top-tier fundamental Dao laws, if one mastered either, could lay the cornerstone for achieving immortal enlightenment. However, it didn't guarantee one hundred percent success in becoming an immortal, as the True Immortal Grand Dao could only accommodate a limited number of immortals. Some paths could only accommodate a single individual, unless one could expand the concept of that immortal path and carve out enough 'divine rank' for themselves. Such individuals were born once in tens of millions of years. The Phoenix Heavenly Tablet was simply there for the Phoenix clan to study. Those who could gain insights from it were extremely rare, less than one in a thousand. The opportunity to study it was not so restricted as to completely forbid outsiders. Across all the myriad realms, those who had achieved immortality through the Dao of Space currently numbered no more than five. Such supreme 'divine ranks' could accommodate far more True Immortals than that, so there was no need to worry about insufficient space. Therefore, the red-haired woman was very generous.

In contrast, Ice Phoenixes were far fewer in number than Fire Phoenixes, with less than thirty remaining. They were extremely rare individuals; even those with poor cultivation aptitude could help her Phoenix clan propagate offspring and strengthen the tribe. At this thought, her gaze towards Yan Ling became quite fervent.

“Someone! Help our new clansman undergo blood transformation and Nirvana!”

Ice Prison Realm. Endless Ice Plain, Gatekeeper Tribe Ruins.

A glittering golden drop of blood was voraciously absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Centered around this essence blood, a heart shape slowly formed, with blood vessels and meridians spreading outward. The reconstruction speed was remarkably fast. Moments later, a five-colored spiritual light unexpectedly darted out of the air; it was the Five Elements Heavenly Escape Sacred Armor. Moved by the future prospects Wang Yu had painted for it, this was its first time acting on its own. The artifact spirit, whose intelligence was no less than an adult's, had made a significant sacrifice, choosing to expend its origin to escape with Wang Yu's remains. Naturally, there was a reason.

From among the various remnants, the Rakshasa Soul Sword emerged. The supreme-grade sword embryo voluntarily disintegrated. The portion of his primordial spirit that had split off to nurture the intent weapon now reverted to its original form—it was Wang Yu! The power of this primordial spirit was exceedingly weak. However, it was also the core of Wang Yu's self. Instinctively, it merged with the reconstructing physical body, and a monstrous figure, still reforming its flesh, opened its eyes.

Wang Yu was extremely calm at this moment. “My body refinement cultivation is temporarily crippled. Unless I recover my immortal body, my physical strength will be difficult to exert. The newly formed body can also barely withstand God Transformation magic power. It will take at least ten years of conditioning and absorbing vast amounts of spiritual energy from heaven and earth to slowly recover. The most severe injury is to my primordial spirit. Even with the perfected Spirit Nurturing Secret Art, it will take nearly three hundred years to fully recover. Before that, there's absolutely no chance of breaking through to the late God Transformation stage.”

After a thorough analysis, it was clear Wang Yu had a precise assessment of his condition. Next, he inventoried his lost treasures. The Sea Heart Ring was still there, but many Spirit Treasures, previously stored in his Qi Sea and constantly nurtured, were missing. Only the Sun-Piercing Demonic Bow and the Yama Emperor Sword remained. His lifebound Spirit Treasure, the Glazed Pagoda, was of too low a grade and had been directly crushed by Daoist Kongkong along with him. This caused him severe internal damage, harming his very origin, and would inevitably shorten his lifespan by several centuries. His personal true artifact, the Fiendish Demonic Dragon Armor, suffered the same fate.

To recover, he would have to re-forge his lifebound items. He would also need to find life-giving supreme treasures to replenish this lost origin, or simply utilize his Innate Demonic Physique to devour living beings, which could also aid recovery. Once the Innate Demonic Physique was forged, it had thoroughly become a part of him. His reconstructed body also contained the constituent factors of the Demonic Physique; it just needed time to recover.

After this assessment, only bitterness remained on Wang Yu's face. Everything had been undone in an instant. Danger was still close. He couldn't help but look towards the Frozen Demon Sealing Ground. This was his last resort... or rather, a desperate threat to scorch the earth.