Chapter 90: Difficult Slave-Catching Task

Both aspects take precedence over increasing his cultivation realm. With his current setup, his combat power in the Qi Refining stage is already at its peak, unless he possesses an extraordinary background, or has hidden trump cards and secret treasures that far exceed his current cultivation level.

Most advancements in cultivation realm primarily enhance spiritual power reserves, which can be easily supplemented with elixirs and therefore have a minimal impact on overall combat strength.

Slowing down his cultivation progress was acceptable; speeding it up wasn't really an option anyway.

The news he heard last April indicated that Wei Zhong was due to emerge from seclusion soon, and it was now August of the following year.

The atmosphere at Cold Blood Peak and in the Cold Blood Market had shifted noticeably.

Disciples hurried about, and the True Inheritance Tower in the market, once stable, now frequently saw covert fatal attacks. As a result, the Heavenly Corpse Peak’s business of retrieving bodies had increased by nearly thirty percent.

The number of missing disciples had risen sharply, undoubtedly including some "clever opportunists" who exploited the chaos for personal gain.

A storm was brewing. As an outer disciple of Cold Blood Peak and a member of the Ice Snow Pavilion, Wang Yu found it difficult to remain uninvolved, short of openly defying True Inheritance Su’s orders.

Time was pressing, and he could not afford any further delay.

Consequently, after emerging from seclusion, Wang Yu contacted both Gu Zhengshun and Situ Hong, hoping to leave the sect by joining the slave-capture missions offered by Five Yin Peak or Heavenly Corpse Peak.

He completely avoided the Cold Blood Market, even changing his usual residence from the Evil God Market to the Heavenly Corpse Market, settling on its periphery, very close to the corpse-raising grounds.

This location was a specialized sect facility where Heavenly Corpse Peak disciples had to spend considerable contribution points to cultivate their refined corpses, and the cost was not insignificant.

Similarly, apart from their specific facilities, the Nine Peaks and Ten Legacies also featured seven or eight types of general-purpose special buildings. Wang Yu, however, lacked the necessary resources and had never visited them.

The Essence Qi Chamber was one such building, but its effectiveness increased with higher spiritual root aptitude, rendering it almost useless to him.

According to his calculations, Gu Zhengshun, being entirely profit-driven, would be easier to persuade, which was why he had taken up residence in the Heavenly Corpse Market.

However, the communication talisman he sent this time received no reply whatsoever.

Regarding Situ Hong, Wang Yu owed him a favor for teaching him the ancient demonic script. Therefore, he shamelessly requested his assistance.

He reasoned that since he already owed him, owing a bit more wouldn't make much difference.

For Situ Hong, too, having already helped, an additional favor made no difference; the logic applied to both parties.

After all, investing often involved increasing one's stake.

That afternoon, the two met at Wang Yu's new residence. Situ Hong looked around the environment, remarking with some surprise:

"Brother Wang, given your capabilities, why are you residing in a free cave dwelling in the Heavenly Corpse Market instead of the True Inheritance Tower?"

"It's a long story. What about the favor I asked of you?"

Situ Hong tapped his fingernails, feeling a strange sensation. For some reason, he suddenly felt like the junior, and wondered if it was an issue of context.

He shook his head and said, "Slave-capture missions are different from typical sect assignments. The Nine Peaks collectively hold forty to fifty thousand spiritual slaves, with a new batch assigned every six months."

"Each peak dispatches two groups of disciples in rotation to execute these missions. This system is overseen by the True Inheritances of each peak; assignments require their personal approval and involve fixed personnel, making changes difficult."

Wang Yu frowned slightly and produced a pouch of spirit stones.

"Is it difficult to arrange?"

"Not really, actually," Situ Hong replied, not taking the pouch. He slowly poured himself a cup of tea, but his face fell when he realized it was stale water left by the previous resident, and he promptly set the cup back down.

"When disciples are out on missions, unexpected accidents can lead to fatalities. The slave-capture teams, therefore, regularly need new recruits."

"At Five Yin Peak, I have some influence, but it would be much simpler if you were to leave Cold Blood Peak and join our ranks."

"That..."

He would, of course, be more than willing if he could; he had wanted to leave for a long time. The issue was that True Inheritance Su had bestowed his outer disciple status upon him, and once that mark was imprinted, it couldn't be removed. Otherwise, the three from the Evil God Market's Law Enforcement Hall would have already recruited him into the First Blood Nether Peak.

Moreover, it was a sensitive period, and he couldn't afford any reckless actions, or True Inheritance Su would make an example of him first.

"If transferring isn't possible, your only option is to try and take on a slave-capture mission from Cold Blood Peak."

Wang Yu hadn't anticipated such trouble. Thinking it over, if returning home wasn't an option, then taking a mission to leave the sect and avoid the situation should suffice.

"What about other ways to leave the sect then? There must be other suitable missions. Senior Brother Situ, do you have any connections?"

Situ Hong was somewhat speechless, finding himself called "Senior Brother" again. He weighed the pouch of spirit stones Wang Yu offered, his eyes lit up, and he whispered:

"Since you are a Cold Blood Peak disciple, I'll go back and see if there are any joint missions between the two peaks that would provide better cover for you to leave."

"In that case, I'll leave it to Senior Brother Situ. The sooner, the better. Your junior brother will be immensely grateful."

"Consider it done."

With the matter settled, Wang Yu's anxiety eased slightly. After seeing Situ Hong off, he suspiciously surveyed his surroundings.

He had a persistent feeling that True Inheritance Su's people were watching him.

After all, he was inextricably linked to the plot against Wei Zhong. If True Inheritance Su wanted to ensure a fallback, they would certainly keep a close eye on him and prevent him from leaving the sect.

Even the inactive Fatty Duan could be sacrificed if necessary. Wang Yu didn't believe that person wasn't anxious.

He waited a few more days.

Wang Yu frequently used the Night Stealth Spell to go out and gather information. Taking advantage of the escalating chaos in the Cold Blood Market, he also seized the opportunity to acquire contraband items, such as maps.

After all, his understanding of the world, despite his cultivation progress, was still limited to the Taihu Spirit Realm and the Chiyuan Demonic Realm. While vast, these two realms were still small for an entire world; there had to be other regions.

Gaining this knowledge was essential.

Ten days later, just as Wang Yu was growing impatient and about to explore other avenues, Situ Hong finally sent a message, and the two met again in the Heavenly Corpse Market.

"Brother Wang, I have not failed you!"

"Phew—"

Relieved to hear some good news, Wang Yu exhaled and waited for Situ Hong to continue. Situ Hong unrolled a map of the Rebel Spirit Blood Sect's Night Qiongzhou, which was significantly more detailed than Wang Yu's own drawing.

Pointing to a location on the map, he explained:

"This place, named Spider Mountain, is a second-tier, mid-grade spirit vein. Five Yin Peak cultivates a species of demonic beasts called 'Ghost-Eyed Spiders' here, whose eyes are highly beneficial to yin ghosts."

"Additionally, it is abundant in a cold spiritual herb called 'Spider Heart Grass,' which is an essential auxiliary ingredient for refining many cold-attribute elixirs and has a very broad range of applications."

"Spider Mountain contains twenty-one Ghost-Eyed Caves, housing tens of thousands of Ghost-Eyed Spiders, and five hundred and forty acres of Spider Heart Grass spiritual fields, yielding nearly three hundred thousand spirit stones annually."

"This location is jointly managed by Five Yin Peak and Cold Blood Peak, with Foundation Establishment cultivators from both peaks stationed there. If Brother Wang is willing to accept this mission, you would likely be assigned to the Spider Heart Grass spiritual fields."

"The reward for this ten-year assignment is five hundred contribution points, ten stalks of Spider Heart Grass, and an additional three hundred spirit stones."

Situ Hong explained everything in great detail, and Wang Yu listened intently.

This mission differed from the one at Profound Bone Mountain. The primary benefit there was Profound Essence, but its allocation remained undecided due to the ongoing dispute among Gu Poison Peak, Five Yin Peak, and Heavenly Corpse Peak.