Chapter 590: Changxi, Lei Yao, Xing Yue

He had also attempted to directly comprehend the secret texts at the very top, but the stele had restrictions. One could only slowly decipher them from bottom to top, and progress was only possible after achieving a certain level of understanding.

Comprehending across the rows was like trying to catch the moon in the water.

Visible yet untouchable, it was truly profound and unfathomable.

Beneath the Void Heaven Stele, Wang Yu rubbed his temples. He was trying to alleviate the tearing pain in his mind.

"Spatial Beacon, Celestial Transportation Art, and Heavenly Alignment form one set. Then, Star Chaser, Space Severer, and Void Weaver can combine to create a spatial technique that engulfs an opponent's divine abilities, banishing them into the spatial layer for a defensive effect…"

The knowledge embedded in this second set of secret texts was acceptable to Wang Yu, as it bolstered his foundational understanding of spatial principles. However, its practical utility was rather ordinary.

When viewed separately, the Space Severer secret art was the most practical.

It was simple and fundamental.

Its power utilization rate was exceptionally high. In other words, this method proved remarkably effective against spatial blockades, serving as a life-saving technique when one found themselves trapped.

The final four techniques, however, could be combined to form a powerful offensive secret art.

"Life Severing Finger!"

Comprised of four spatial secret arts—Space Lock Art, Return to Concealment Art, Void Spirit Seal, and Rift Curse—it integrated the profound principles of binding, energy accumulation, destruction, and explosive force.

It was considered a top-tier offensive spatial secret art.

A single flick of the finger, impossible to evade or defend against, could instantly shatter a section of space. When applied to a physical body or primordial spirit, it inflicted an incredibly potent tearing effect.

It was specifically designed to counter elusive or exceedingly fast opponents.

"A finger that severs life force—truly a remarkable technique."

However, to truly master this offensive secret art, one needed a profound understanding of the spatial domain. Suddenly, an epiphany struck Wang Yu.

"No, the true purpose of these secret arts is actually to guide cultivators toward comprehending the fundamental laws of space."

The first three could be utilized simply by possessing spatial power.

The next three enhanced one's precise control over spatial power.

The final four represented a surge of power in a minor stage.

Once successfully initiated, the understanding and comprehension of spatial power would be sufficient to meet the minimum control requirements for spatial power needed to break through to the Void Refinement stage.

"Incredible. It's a step-by-step progression, with each link building on the last. It appears… the master of this place intentionally left this legacy, rather than by accident."

Having grasped the profound mysteries of the Void Heaven Stele, in Wang Yu's eyes, this object was practically a superhighway leading directly to the late Void Refinement stage, making it priceless.

"It's perfect that I need to seek refuge here. While recovering from my injuries and recuperating, I cannot breakthrough my cultivation. This is an opportune moment to utilize the placement slot's effect to rapidly comprehend these spatial secret arts. Before I leave, I should at least master a third of them. By then, my path to Void Refinement will be unhindered."

Of course, ideally, he would take the entire stele. However, it was the foundation of the Grotto-heaven's master, a manifestation of their Dao Fruit, and utterly immovable. Even if forcibly removed, the entire Grotto-heaven would collapse.

Given that cultivators seemed to face no difficulty descending to the lower realms, it was best for this sanctuary to remain intact, providing a potential retreat route.

"Hmm?"

Just as Wang Yu was deep in thought, movement not far off quickly drew his attention. Due to severe damage to his primordial spirit and weakened divine sense, his detection capabilities had plummeted to an all-time low. He was only alerted when others approached this closely.

This made him realize that his primordial spirit injury could not be delayed and must be addressed first.

"Who's there?"

"Could it be the Sword Sect's Grand Venerable?"

A woman?

Wang Yu narrowed his eyes. A hundred meters away, three beautiful female cultivators with graceful, alluring figures stood staring intently at him. The one in the middle looked particularly familiar. Unfortunately, with his primordial spirit severely damaged, his past memories were somewhat blurred, and he failed to recognize her.

The one on the left, however, he recognized well.

"Chang Xi?"

Wang Yu's expression turned grim. He couldn't sense any trace of the demonic seed on this woman, indicating that the Heavenly Demon's malevolent intent had been completely eradicated. The issue was that he had secretly encountered her during the Sword Sect war, and at that time, there had been no problem. The demonic seed planted during the Innate Demonic Embryo stage had contained flaws, which was slightly unexpected but, upon reflection, entirely reasonable. Now, with his Innate True Demon Body, if he were to cast the demonic planting method again, then there would be no powerful cultivators in the Ice Prison Realm capable of countering it.

As he pondered how to handle these individuals, his aura inadvertently emanated. This was a clear sign of his weakened state and insufficient control over his Nascent Soul magic power. Yet, in the eyes of the three women, the figure sitting cross-legged beneath the Void Heaven Stele appeared as an ancient Demon Lord. His pure demonic aura, intentionally exposed, radiated a demonic might no less formidable than that of a Venerable.

His slightly dry white hair moved as if by an unseen wind. A slight tilt of his head revealed a fierce, terrifying eye that almost made them buckle to their knees. Among them, Moonlight Fairy Chang Xi, who had been 'disciplined' by Wang Yu, was the most distressed!

She was trembling so much she could barely speak. The figure who had imprisoned her for nearly a century had become a true heart demon. Unless she overcame this psychological barrier, she could forget about breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage in this lifetime. Even if she miraculously succeeded, she would still perish during the Divine Transformation Tribulation.

Remembering the companion beside her who had helped her escape from her plight, she gritted her teeth and uttered, "Quick… quick, flee… That's a demonic path grandmaster… Old Demon Wang! His presence here means the Sword Sect… has also fallen!"

In her understanding, of the four smaller steles leading into the Void Dao Treasury, two were held by the Sword Sect's Grand Elder. One had been entrusted to Qing Pingzi, the vice-dean of the Righteous Qi Institute and a cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage. He was to lead a contingent of the Sword Sect's true prodigies into the Dao Treasury to evade disaster. She herself was one of those brought in. The other stele remained with Patriarch Taixu, who, it was assumed, would enter and govern them once the demonic plague was resolved. She had shared this information with her fellow cultivators. This context explained her earlier question.

She simply hadn't anticipated suddenly confronting the greatest heart demon of her life, regretting only that she hadn't completely eliminated this demon in the Black Mountain Demonic Land back then. Her arrogance and conceit, coupled with her self-proclaimed unparalleled cunning, were the most regrettable aspects of her past.

Void Stele number three had previously been under the command of the Thunderfire Temple Master. After the temple's demise, it was inherited by his eldest daughter, Lei Yao. Consequently, she led the last remaining prodigies from the temple to hide within the Dao Treasury secret realm, seeking refuge before the decisive battle between the righteous and demonic forces.

Void Stele number four had been held by Granny Silvermoon, the Taihu Longevity Star of the Moon-Gazing Palace, renowned as an auspicious omen of the immortal path. Regrettably, her sect was the second to be annihilated by the demonic forces. Nearly the entire lineage perished in battle, a truly tragic outcome. Star-Moon Fairy, the chief disciple of Moon-Gazing Palace, had once used a divine bow as a formation to perish alongside the demons. Almost no one from the entire Moon-Gazing Palace survived.

The above were merely the publicly known facts. However, there was a hidden truth: while the Divine Bow Grand Formation possessed heaven-shaking power, its cost was life itself. Granny Silvermoon had personally sent Star-Moon and many other direct descendants of Moon-Gazing Palace to perish within the array. Being a person of unyielding character, she also harbored the intention of giving her direct disciples a second chance. She personally sent them into reincarnation using the Supreme Divine Sense Samsara Spell, a closely guarded Buddhist secret. This granted them the opportunity to awaken a second life. Unfortunately, the Samsara Spell was incomplete, and despite Granny Silvermoon's years of cultivation, she hadn't grasped its true essence. Of the thousands of female cultivators, only Star-Moon Fairy returned through reincarnation. Although she awakened her past life memories, it was as if she were viewing flowers through a mist. It was akin to watching a grand Xianxia epic with herself as the protagonist. The immersion was profound, yet ultimately, she had to return to reality.

Thus, Star-Moon Fairy, in her second incarnation, was born during an era of chaos. Possessing the exceptional talent of the Star-Moon Dao Body, she had formed her Golden Core in less than thirty years. Naturally proficient in cultivation methods, and influenced by her past life memories, she recovered the heritage of the Moon-Gazing Palace. Subsequently, she resolved to enter the Void Dao Treasury for secluded cultivation, intending to ascend to the Nascent Soul stage in the future and then emerge to suppress an entire era.

Chang Xi, Lei Yao, and Star-Moon. These were the three women Wang Yu encountered. Strictly speaking, he only knew the first two, and there was a significant information gap between them. Neither side had yet recognized this discrepancy.

No sooner had Chang Xi finished her warning than a black demonic shadow flashed and arrived.

Wang, looking every bit like a villain, grasped Chang Xi's delicate chin and, in a voice both demonic and bestial, whispered, "Oh, unbound, are you now disowning this master?"

"—Flee!"

Though Chang Xi had the courage to warn, she lacked the resolve to draw her sword. Her slender, pale fingers trembled so much they couldn't even grip the hilt, revealing the depth of her terror.

Beside her, Star-Moon Fairy's delicate brows furrowed. Her face, once acclaimed as the most beautiful woman in Taihu, had attracted countless suitors. When she died in battle years ago, countless individuals had sought her remains. Even the demonic path was no exception; as for their true intentions, opinions varied. Witnessing her friend coerced by the demon, she bravely drew her sword, despite only being at the early Golden Core stage herself.

After activating the abilities of her Star-Moon Dao Body, the secret realm's daytime sky abruptly shifted to night. A celestial chart slowly unfurled, its stars dim except for the Lunar Star, which blazed as bright as day. Streaks of moonlight, as if a celestial lord had descended to the mortal realm, condensed onto her sword. She aimed it directly at Wang Yu's throat.

"—Clang!"

Wang Yu raised his left hand, pinching the sword tip between two fingers. Even with only forty percent of his physical strength, it was far beyond what a Golden Core cultivator could challenge. He effortlessly parried the sneak attack.

"A Nascent Soul Spirit Body? Your talent is peerless, but you've severely underestimated me and overestimated yourself!"

Star-Moon Fairy gritted her teeth. She tried to withdraw her sword, but it wouldn't budge. Instead, she used the stuck sword as a pivot, flipping over and leveraging herself upward. A shapely yet slender thigh suddenly lashed out from beneath her skirt, starlight twinkling and leaving afterimages. Like a dragon's roar echoing for a hundred miles, her kick produced streaks of starry dragon phantoms.

"Impressive divine ability."

Just as Wang Yu was about to casually deflect it, Lei Yao finally burst out, "Enough!!!"

Her aura erupted, and Wang Yu instantly fell silent. Star-Moon Fairy swiftly changed her move, transforming the starry dragon phantom into a coiling silken force. With skillful manipulation, she reclaimed Chang Xi and gently patted her back in comfort. At the same time, she looked at Lei Yao, wondering why she had acted so abruptly.

Wang Yu, too, was slow to catch on. His blurred memories instantly sharpened, recalling scenes from the Celestial Demon Bone Forest where she helped him slay Old Demon Five Poisons, and the camaraderie on the righteous-demonic battlefield where she invited him to fight against the demonic army. It was important to remember that during the early stages of the righteous-demonic war, his stance had been far from firm. Instead, he had sought to leverage his ambiguous identity to gain intelligence advantages and thereby acquire double the resources. The Chains of Heaven were acquired by Wang Yu during his time as the 'Demon Subduing Vanguard,' and he also took the opportunity to eliminate many immortal scions from Taihu, seizing their inheritances. Regrettably, this plan was stillborn, ending almost as soon as it began.

The last time he had seen Lei Yao was two hundred years ago, when he was being pursued by the Heavenly Capital Thunder Lord—a period almost equivalent to an entire lifespan for a Foundation Establishment cultivator. It accounted for half of his entire cultivation journey. Now, suddenly recalling her, he felt unsure how to face this old acquaintance. Lei Yao, after all, had witnessed his more humane and compassionate side. She reminded him of Long Yiran and the encounter at the ancient Heavenly Soul Sect ruins, an event that profoundly impacted the latter half of his life. Some individuals become remarkably special without requiring extensive contact. Long Yiran was the first. Lei Yao was the second. This emotion was incredibly complex, not romantic love, but more akin to a crucial 'humanity anchor.' If he deemed it important, it was; if not… it seemed to just fade away?

"This isn't you, and it shouldn't be you!"

As her words hung in the air, Chang Xi and Star-Moon exchanged glances, seemingly astonished that their friend had any involvement with this demon.

Wang Yu shook his head, and his demonic aura naturally receded. On his face, a rare display of complex emotions emerged, beyond his usual sternness.

"You've been somewhat presumptuous. Do you perhaps believe that merely by forming a Nascent Soul, you've gained the right to dictate to me?"

Lei Yao sighed. "The many times I helped you back then were because I wanted to guide you back to the righteous path. I could see that, at your core, you were not a cruel and bloodthirsty individual."

"What a joke." Wang Yu turned away, his voice gaining a few decibels. "Do you know that before I met you, I had already murdered my brother and slaughtered my clan? I used the blood of my kin to defy fate and forcibly achieve Foundation Establishment, despite possessing a useless spiritual root. And after we parted ways at the Celestial Demon Bone Forest, I escalated even further, forcibly enhancing my talents with the bones and blood of prodigies, forging a Demonic Embryo Body. Only then did I achieve my current revered status."

These words were simultaneously a declaration and a moment of self-reflection. The path to immortality was long and paved with bones. Only the demonic path could offer hope for someone with inherently poor talent like him to achieve the Great Dao. The 'placement slot' might appear omnipotent, but in reality, if he were to use a wasted spiritual root for placement, how many times could his cultivation speed truly increase with such a fundamental limitation? It was likely that unlocking three placement slots would be his ultimate limit. He had gained the deepest insight into this when he cleansed his body with the Profound Essence Flower and broke through to the late Qi Condensation stage; it had required a hundred times more resources than an ordinary person to achieve that breakthrough. With that in mind… how could he possibly have achieved Foundation Establishment?

Having said this, Chang Xi's reaction was the strongest. In her earlier years, she had investigated numerous incidents in Stone Lake City; while other matters had conclusions, the mystery of the complete annihilation of the minor Qi Condensation cultivator family in Stone Lake City remained unsolved. Now, with his words, she abruptly realized the truth.

"It was you! So, when I met you in the Black Mountain Demonic Land back then, you had already killed your clan brother and seized his three spiritual roots to forge your Dao foundation."

"Naturally." Wang Yu grinned, revealing a mouthful of chillingly white teeth. "There are many footprints here; you're not just three, are you? Where is your encampment? My demonic body could use some nourishment."

Witnessing his undisguised malice, Chang Xi's knees buckled. She almost fell. Star-Moon Fairy also raised her sword again, glaring at him with heightened vigilance. Only Lei Yao's expression grew even more complex.

"You must have your reasons, right?"

Wang Yu's face stiffened. Lei Yao continued, "At birth, human nature is like primordial chaos, indistinguishable between good and evil. Parental guidance then shapes one's character and achievements throughout life. While you may not be a great benevolent saint, you are certainly not a cruel and tyrannical villain. My Thunderfire Temple possesses a secret art for cultivating the primordial spirit, which our founding patriarch stumbled upon. Although no cultivator in the temple has ever fully mastered it, many profound insights have been gleaned from it. Today, I offer you this Heavenly Thunder Reverting to Origin Art. Please be merciful, just this once, alright?"

Wang Yu was taken aback. He hadn't expected her to discern the true state of his weakened primordial spirit. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Lei Yao playfully wink at him, a gesture as familiar as it was in the past.

Was she… offering him an out?

Wang Yu immediately felt a surge of humiliation. How could a demonic cultivator of his standing possibly accept such a graceful retreat?

Several days later, Wang Yu, having successfully initiated into the Heavenly Thunder Reverting to Origin Art, his eyes gleamed with insight. This method was indeed profoundly miraculous!