Chapter 591: Boundary-Piercing Divine Ship, Legacy of the Nine Tribulation Hermit

The Heavenly Lightning Soul Restoration Art is a secret technique that boosts the foundation of one's soul by stimulating it with lightning power to unleash potential. It is not a method for cultivating the soul itself. Its effectiveness depends entirely on an individual's potential. High potential yields excellent results, while low potential makes it practically useless—like a chicken rib, tasteless to eat and a shame to discard. To some extent, potential can be equated with innate talent. This art fundamentally alters a cultivator's soul foundation. It is also a secret art that defies fate, but it follows a righteous path, making it slow to take effect and difficult to master, unlike demonic embryo techniques which show rapid results.

For Wang Yu, whose soul is currently incomplete, activating the hidden potential within this fragmented soul, along with a large amount of soul essence, should shorten the long 300-year recovery period to just a few decades. Therefore, this Heavenly Lightning Soul Restoration Art arrived at the perfect time. Although the Black Demonic Qi within him could serve as a lightning seed to activate this art, its grade was ultimately too low. It required more powerful external stimulation. The core technique of this marvelous art is called the "Vitality Spirit Seal." To fully comprehend it, one needs to put in great effort to master it skillfully.

Standing before the Void Sky Stele, Wang Yu calmly said, "Since you're being cooperative, sparing you isn't out of the question. Is Qing Pingzi here? This Venerable One requires a large quantity of heaven and earth treasures rich in vital energy."

Upon hearing this, Lei Yao finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Follow me," she said. "Just speak plainly about what you need; I'm not like those hypocrites. Oh, by the way, what's the situation outside? And how did the Void Stele from Grand Ancestor Taixu end up with you? Also, why did you enter this Void Dao Repository alone?"

Wang Yu was momentarily stunned by her questions. "You... don't know?"

Both Xing Yue and Lei Yao looked perplexed. Wang Yu turned to Chang Xi and chuckled strangely, "It seems your little sister isn't very forthcoming. She hasn't told you anything. How about you tell me when you all came in first?"

"Alright," Lei Yao said, glancing at Chang Xi, and then began to recount their story from the beginning.

"Back then, the Thunderfire Monastery held out for decades but never received reinforcements from the Sword Sect. Eventually, our resources were depleted, and we failed because we couldn't maintain the Heavenly Thunder and Earth Fire Formation. I led a group of cultivators to flee to the Sword Sect's territory, barely surviving. Then we heard about the scandalous actions of the Zhenbei Pagoda. After Crane Return Valley was also destroyed, the Sword Sect's inaction made the surviving elders of our monastery accept their fate. They instructed me to lead our people into this Dao Repository, making us among the first to enter."

At the time, Lei Yao suspected that it was because Venerable Taixu's lifespan was nearing its end, and he wanted to ensure the Sword Sect's hegemonic position by deliberately weakening the seven righteous sects. Now, with Wang Yu, who was privy to information, present, she refrained from voicing her conjectures, lest she make a fool of herself.

"Then there was Fairy Moonlight. When she came in, she heard that the Demonic Path had already reached the Sword Sect's main gate, but she didn't know the exact outcome. As for Sister Xing Yue, she originally intended to find the reincarnated forms of the望月 Palace female cultivators. However, while retrieving the treasures left by her sect, she accidentally activated the Void Stele. So she voluntarily entered this place to cultivate in seclusion, gather strength, and wait for the opportune moment."

"Hmm," Wang Yu murmured, stroking his chin. He considered the chronological order of the three women's arrivals and found it logical, at least with no obvious inconsistencies.

"Oh, right. Are there any female cultivators from the Joyous Union Sect in your group?"

Hearing Wang Yu's sudden change of topic, Lei Yao's eyes showed even more confusion. "No, why do you ask?"

"Are there any other hidden individuals in this secret realm?" Lei Yao's eyes darted around. "I don't think so." Then she asked, "Do you suspect a female cultivator from the Joyous Union Sect entered the realm?"

"Not necessarily," Wang Yu replied, striding ahead. "Maybe someone in your group is just flirtatious; it's not important..." His words lingered in the three women's minds, making them even more confused.

"What are you still standing around for? Lead the way. Since you all escaped as 'seeds' for the future, you must have prepared a good amount of cultivation resources, right? This Venerable One has use for them, so hand them all over later."

Lei Yao became even more helpless upon hearing this. "What's the point of all this trouble?"

Chang Xi, who hadn't been directly harassed by him, had now recovered somewhat. Her mental state was no longer as tense and powerless, but she maintained a high level of vigilance in her words. She didn't understand. "Lei Yao, have you gone mad? This guy has already become a Demonic Venerable of the Soul Transformation stage. There's no one in this entire Dao Repository who can match him. Once your usefulness to him is gone, no one will end up well."

Fairy Xing Yue also frowned deeply. She added, "There's something I haven't had a chance to tell you yet. The decisive battle at the Sword Sect's main gate was won by the Demonic Path. Immediately after, someone spread a piece of news throughout the entire cultivation world, leading to widespread chaos and a complete entry into an age of turmoil."

Lei Yao gasped in shock. Chang Xi gasped in shock.

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

"You didn't ask," she replied. "Although Xing Yue's past life memories have awakened, there are still many blank areas." This reincarnated Xing Yue Dao Body was truly very young, not even thirty years old. Born at the beginning of the age of chaos, she had reached the early Core Formation stage in such a short time. This was several times faster than someone with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, indicating an absolute Spirit Body level of talent.

"Besides, when I came in earlier, you recognized me first and wanted to bring me to this Void Sky Stele. We had just arrived when we encountered this person." Lei Yao sighed, "Alas... such is fate."

This sigh came from Lei Yao, but it was not directed at Wang Yu; rather, it was a heartfelt lament for the fate of the entire Taixu realm.

Half an hour later, Wang Yu followed the three women and successfully arrived at a camp on the desolate plain. Although the shelters were simply constructed with earth and wood spells, there were many people there. A somber mood hung over the camp, and many cultivators sat cross-legged, practicing their true arts, seemingly seizing every moment to cultivate. Seeing this, Wang Yu shook his head slightly.

"Three hundred and twenty-one people, all righteous cultivators, with only three Nascent Soul stage and fourteen Core Formation stage cultivators..." With a single glance, all the information was clear to him.

Just as he was about to display his demonic might, Lei Yao suddenly pulled his sleeve and whispered, "Let me handle it."

Wang Yu raised an eyebrow. "I thought after years of experience with the Demonic Luo, you would understand the darkness of human nature. While this act is helping me, it's harming their interests. In an environment where survival is uncertain, your identity will hardly serve as protection anymore."

"Given the situation, are there any other options?" Lei Yao's eyes drifted, as if lost in thought. "Sister Xing Yue didn't finish her words just now, but I can sense her near despair regarding the outside world. Yet, towards you... she doesn't harbor the same kind of fear that Fairy Moonlight does. Something significant must have happened outside, something not caused by the Demonic Path."

"Clever," Wang Yu stated bluntly. "The fundamental reason for the war between the righteous and demonic factions was a baiting feast orchestrated by Old Daoist Taixu and Demonic Venerable Refining Heaven. They wanted to lure out the gaze peering from beyond this realm, kill that entity, and break this world's eternal shackles. Unfortunately... they were just one step short. After their failure, the remaining human Soul Transformation Venerables in the Ice Prison all departed with the other side, leaving only me and another recently breakthroughs Soul Transformation demonic cultivator."

Lei Yao's pupils contracted. "You mean the Venerables abandoned the other cultivators?"

"Precisely," Wang Yu confirmed.

This news profoundly shocked the three women.

"As for me... I allied with the other uninformed Soul Transformation cultivator, gathering strength in Golden Toad City, preparing for a desperate struggle. However, before we could find the right opportunity, a Dao Integration Grand Elder from outside this realm descended, imprisoned the ancient demons, and annihilated the Ice Prison Dao Lineage. A month ago, I used the miraculous ability of my flesh body to regenerate from a single drop of blood, and only then did I manage to take refuge in the Void Dao Repository. The outside world has become a dead zone; there's no hope left."

Having said that, Wang Yu walked into the camp, heading towards the strongest aura, which must have been the residence of Qing Pingzi, the Vice Dean of the Righteous Qi Academy.

The three women exchanged glances, seemingly seeing despair and unease in each other's eyes.

"Is there really... no hope left?"

"Not necessarily," Chang Xi suddenly looked up: "This is the Void Dao Repository. Before entering, Senior Brother Sect Master gave me a detailed intelligence jade slip. Perhaps there's a way to break this deadlock."

Lei Yao's eyes lit up. "Fairy Moonlight, do you mean... that rumor?"

"Precisely," Chang Xi confirmed. "When the Void Dao Repository first opened years ago, the first to enter was an elder of my Sword Sect. He left a message saying that there is a World-Breaking Divine Boat in this secret realm!"

Fairy Xing Yue, being somewhat lacking in knowledge regarding this, couldn't help but ask, "What is a World-Breaking Divine Boat?"

Lei Yao explained for Chang Xi: "That's an Upper Realm immortal artifact, said to be specially used for navigating the cosmic sea. Its main purpose is to allow cultivators from the Immortal Palace to smoothly enter other worlds, civilize barbarians, and spread the great cause of the immortal path."

"Hm?" The figure of Wang Yu, who had been walking ahead, flickered and suddenly reappeared. His understanding of the Upper Realm far surpassed the shallow knowledge the three women had gained from unreliable sources like "legends" and "rumors." After obtaining the Ice Phoenix bloodline memory inheritance, he had an increasingly clear grasp of the cosmic structure. If the Chaos Pivot Battleship was one of the Immortal Palace's war weapons, then the World-Breaking Divine Boat was a "divine artifact" capable of breaking through the chaotic layer.

As the saying goes, "When mountains and rivers are exhausted, doubt not that there is a path; when willows and flowers are dark, another village appears." The current situation was exceptionally fitting. He had been prepared to fight to the death with the lower-realm cultivators sent by the Immortal Palace, so how could he not be excited upon suddenly hearing of a way to sneak out? If Demonic Venerable Refining Heaven could acquire war artifacts, then why couldn't he obtain a World-Breaking Divine Boat?

However, there was a gap in information. "You said there's a World-Breaking Divine Boat here? Where? Is it in that unopened Hall of Blessings and Disaster Aversion?!!"

Chang Xi's body trembled, and she retreated several steps, unable to speak.

"Daoist Brother Wang, please calm down for a moment and let Fairy Moonlight finish speaking," Lei Yao's words restored his composure.

Wang Yu suddenly slapped his forehead. "You're right. We can't leave anyway, so we have plenty of time to discuss this slowly. You all prepare; we'll talk again in three days."

"Daoist Brother, are you going to...?"

"—Rob them!"

An incense stick's time later, a bruised and swollen Qing Pingzi, along with Pili Zi and An Zhu Zi from the Thunderfire Monastery, knelt before the white-robed young man. With long faces, they pleaded, "Senior Jifa, all the storage artifacts brought by our two sects are here. We truly haven't held anything back!"

As a regional hegemon, they would undoubtedly carry their sect's core resources when dispatching their "seeds." The Thunderfire Monastery's prized possession, the Seventy-Two Thunder Forbidden Banners, was now in Wang Yu's hands. This set of artifacts was only of low fifth-tier grade. To fully unleash its effects, one ideally needed to be proficient in formations, but for him, its primary purpose was to cultivate the Heavenly Lightning Soul Restoration Art! He had been worried about not having powerful enough lightning to utilize, so this artifact served as a perfect substitute.

Furthermore, the Sword Sect's most treasured artifact was not on Qing Pingzi, but he provided a large quantity of spiritual herbs beneficial for the soul. Wang Yu confiscated them all, planning to find an opportunity to refine them into pills. Although he didn't have a perfect pill recipe for soul cultivation, simply condensing their medicinal properties into pills would still be more effective than directly consuming the herbs, making it worthwhile. These spiritual herbs were perfectly suited for use with the Soul Restoration Art and would last him for several decades.

As for the recovery of his body cultivation, without powerful qi and blood tonics, he could only rely on slow, meticulous effort to gradually reconstruct his immortal physique. After entering the Dao Repository, Wang Yu had received quite a few pleasant surprises. These were enough to alleviate the negative emotions from being crushed like an ant by the Dao Integration expert. Moreover, the *Undying Nether Dragon Technique* could be used to absorb the Yin and Corpse energies from the Yama Emperor's Sword for recovery. The nine Undying Nether Dragons also needed to be re-condensed. Theoretically, each dragon could endure fatal damage on his behalf. However, Daoist Kongkong was too powerful, far exceeding the maximum capacity the Undying Nether Dragons could bear. When Wang Yu was obliterated, these blood-qi condensed, quasi-divine ability constructs naturally vanished into thin air, significantly impacting his strength. The second point was that the millions of demon souls enslaved within the Yama Emperor's Sword could be traced back to their origin and refined through alchemy into the purest soul essence, nourishing his primordial spirit and accelerating his recovery.

With that, the people who had been forcibly plundered dared not resist. Three days passed in a flash, and Wang Yu had just completed his first cultivation session of the Heavenly Lightning Soul Restoration Art. Feeling the progress in his soul's recovery, he smiled contentedly. With a wave of his hand, the seventy-two Thunder Forbidden Banners swiftly merged into his body. Once his mastery of the art became even more profound, he could continuously maintain the lightning-forged soul effect using the power of these spiritual treasures. For now, he still had a long way to go.

Lei Yao, who was waiting not far away for him to emerge from seclusion, wore a bitter expression. "Daoist Brother Wang truly has the habits of a demonic cultivator—doing as he pleases, unbound by the world's judgment." Wang Yu had claimed to only want spiritual medicine for the soul, but in reality, he took any valuable treasure that caught his eye. There was no other meaning behind it; these potentially powerful spiritual items could realize greater value in his hands. In a situation plagued by internal strife and external threats, it was naturally better for him to possess them. As for his Natal Artifacts, he still needed to find a way to re-refine them...

Hearing this, Wang Yu waved his hand dismissively. "The suffering of sentient beings often arises from not observing precepts and indulging in desires. That's why someone like me, who acts as he pleases, is most suited to cultivating the demonic path. If I had truly joined the righteous path back then, I would have wiped out the seven sects even before the war between the righteous and demonic factions. Do you believe that?"

"Lei Yao certainly believes it," she replied. "But there's no point in discussing that now. Is there any reliable news about the World-Breaking Divine Boat?"

"Daoist Brother Wang, please follow me. We've mostly figured out a direction."

"Excellent, excellent," Wang Yu responded.

Half an incense stick's time later, inside a tent, Chang Xi, Xing Yue, Qing Pingzi, Pili Zi, and others sat on either side. Wang Yu, leaning forward on the main seat with one hand propping his chin, watched the woman in the center speaking eloquently. "The Legacy of the Nine Tribulations Rogue Cultivator?" he mused.

"Yes," she confirmed. "This secret information comes from the records revealed after the four Void Stele keys were united. Grand Ancestor Taixu personally verified it. Daoist Brother Wang, perhaps you should try it yourself."

"Very well," he agreed. "I'm curious to see what secrets this place truly holds."