The Evil God Pavilion.
The weakest of the nine peaks of the Blood Reversal Sect, and the only one without a Nascent Soul elder overseeing it. Disciples from this peak were naturally considered inferior to other true disciples.
At this rate—
Within three hundred years, the Evil God Peak might be dissolved entirely, especially if a new Nascent Soul cultivator emerged and chose to pass down their own legacy.
Wang Yu had crossed paths with this lineage before—back when he first became an outer disciple and tangled with the Zhu family grandfather-grandson duo.
The Evil God Peak specialized in soul cultivation.
Its legacy was akin to Wang Yu's [Ancient Soul Chant]—a pure soul-path technique. At its peak, cultivators would abandon their physical bodies and become ghostly entities, feeding on the souls of living beings.
Evil gods indeed.
During its prime, the Evil God Peak was particularly effective against the Five Yin Peak's legacy. The two had long-standing enmity. Half of Evil God Peak's decline was due to suppression from Five Yin Peak.
The other half stemmed from a lack of soul-path talent. Forced cultivation led to mediocrity—and those with strong souls were often bought out by Five Yin Peak at high prices.
Over time, the peak grew increasingly feeble.
Even the number of true disciples dwindled to just three.
—
At a low table—
Zhuo Shouqing took a sip of freshly warmed spirit wine and sighed.
"Not great, but it'll do. Let me tell you about Xie Xie'an."
"Xie Xie'an?"
"He's the Evil God Pavilion's true disciple who came this time. He and I have history. Remember when you first met me? I tricked him—that was a satisfying moment.
"Otherwise, with just a few spirit stones, you wouldn't have gotten that enforcement token."
Wang Yu blinked. He hadn't known that story. So Xie Xie'an was the one the Zhu family tried to bribe with spirit stones—and Wang Yu had flipped the situation.
"So I've offended him too."
"Yep. But he doesn't know it. After I gave you the token, you never showed up at the enforcement hall. Xie Xie'an's intel is lacking.
"Anyway, back to the point."
Zhuo Shouqing gathered his thoughts and began recounting an ancient tale.
"During the ancient immortal dynasty, the demonic path was utterly suppressed—like rats in the street. But a soul-path demonic cultivator and a sword cultivator from the dynasty became entangled.
"They hunted and sabotaged each other, eventually clashing at the [Desolate Ancient Plain], where they stumbled into a sealed domain of an ancient demon named [Kill].
"Perhaps it was their battle lust, or their pure malice and killing intent—but both received inheritances from the [Kill] demon.
"The soul cultivator obtained the [Rakshasa True Demon Scripture], while the sword cultivator received the [Asura Saint-Killer Scripture]. After escaping, they were swept into a spatial storm and vanished.
"A century later, the demonic path birthed a new hegemonic force—the Evil God Sect. Meanwhile, the immortal dynasty established a prison called [Zhenxie Prison]."
At this point, Wang Yu caught on.
"You're saying Evil God Pavilion's legacy comes from the Rakshasa Scripture, and these shackles are artifacts from the Asura Scripture?"
"Yes and no."
Zhuo Shouqing nodded, then shook his head.
"The full techniques were lost long ago. When the Blood Reversal Sect was founded ten thousand years ago, ten late-stage Nascent Soul elders collaborated. The one with the Blood Demon inheritance became the sect master.
"The first Evil God Peak master only had half of the Rakshasa Scripture. He couldn't reach Soul Formation and eventually passed away. Successors tried to fill the gaps, evolving the legacy over generations.
"But Evil God Peak still seeks the complete inheritance. They've spent immense effort."
Wang Yu's expression turned strange.
"These shackles…"
"Definitely creations of the [Asura Saint-Killer Scripture]. Touching them with spiritual sense reveals visions of corpse mountains and blood seas. That's no fake. It's a top-tier Soul Formation inheritance. Most major factions are here for it."
"And the sword cultivator? Did he imprison the soul cultivator in the Zhenxie Prison?"
"No idea."
Zhuo Shouqing shrugged like a mischievous bear.
"If Xie Xie'an came, he must have leads. If he obtains the full Rakshasa Scripture, he might restore Evil God Peak's former glory."
With the intel exhausted, Wang Yu fell into silent contemplation.
According to the City Lord's intelligence, a new site had appeared in Eastern Polaris: [Capital District Zhenxie Prison]—matching Zhuo Shouqing's story.
Even matching artifacts had surfaced—manacles and shackles.
Both had strange effects on the mind, luring people to the prison with bizarre logic. Failure led to frenzied slaughter of all nearby life.
Something was clearly wrong.
"Zhenxie… Zhenxie…"
It sounded like a place to suppress evil spirits. But judging by the immortal dynasty's style, they clearly rejected the demonic path.
Which meant that after obtaining the Asura Scripture, the sword cultivator likely gained imperial support. Otherwise, how could he establish a prison in Eastern Polaris?
But these artifacts… didn't feel righteous at all.
And the inheritance came from a demon named [Kill]. That alone was suspicious. Why would anyone cultivate it? Everything about this reeked of danger.
After a few more drinks—
Wang Yu suddenly asked, "Did anyone from the Heaven Refining Demon Sect come? Aren't they obsessed with ancient demons?"
"They're interested in things related to [Life]. As for Soul Formation inheritances… they might not need them. They already have living Soul Formation elders."
"No—more inheritance means more foundation. Why wouldn't they want it? This anomaly must be tied to that inheritance."
"Maybe. I don't know. I've said all I can. Drinking alone is boring. I'm heading to Yunmeng Pavilion for a few days. You take care."
Wang Yu: "…"
Hard to keep a straight face. First time in a new city, and he treats the brothel like home. This second brother is truly a character.
"Wait—"
Wang Yu called out and asked quickly:
"How many true disciples came from the sect? Who are they? Why haven't they visited the City Lord's Manor?"
Zhuo Shouqing paused, then replied without turning.
"Xie Xie'an from Evil God Peak—he doesn't want to see me, so it's normal he hasn't come. Ding Ming from Fierce Nether Peak—he controls yin beasts, very mysterious, little intel.
"Wei Shanze from Barbarian Ghost Peak—physically powerful. He has a trump technique called [Sixfold Ghost Demon Fist], capable of killing peak Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"Oh, and all three are at peak Foundation Establishment. Ding Ming and Wei Shanze will probably visit you before entering Eastern Polaris. See you."
Hearing this, Wang Yu clenched his fists—then relaxed.
As the local lord, he was obliged to host them. Not to fawn, but basic courtesy was necessary.
—
In the days that followed, Wang Yu focused on cultivation and reorganized his placement panel.
Slots 1 and 2 remained his core techniques.
Slot 3 held the [Yinfiend Corpse Refinement Art]—not aiming for perfection, just enough to refine a corpse. It wasn't his main path, just a combat aid.
Slot 4 was occupied by the [Dark Serpent Technique]—his own creation. Since it required moonfiend body-tempering, only he could cultivate it.
Unless someone had identical abilities, it was naturally exclusive. It was already perfected. The slot now pushed it toward tier-three.
Previously, he hadn't extrapolated techniques in advance, which had stalled his breakthroughs. This time, he was preparing ahead.
Slot 5 had held the [Corpse Demon Secret Art]. Fifty years to complete—too long. He'd use it when free.
For now, he temporarily replaced it.
He wanted to cultivate the [Wind and Thunder Spirit Mark]—a burst-type technique. Entry was difficult, requiring a sliver of wind-thunder energy during a storm.
Once the mark was etched on his body, he could absorb ambient wind-thunder energy, storing it for explosive bursts that boosted speed and attack power.
As a tier-three secret art, its completion time was moderate.
[Placement Slot 5: Wind and Thunder Spirit Mark]
「Wind and Thunder Spirit Mark (0/100): 144 refinements per day, 25 years to perfection」
That's roughly one refinement every ten minutes.
It was now March—springtime, when storms were frequent and wind-thunder energy was active.
But Wang Yu wouldn't risk getting struck by lightning.
He'd use the placement panel to bypass the entry barrier. With dual spiritual roots, his affinity for ambient energy was already high.
Even manual cultivation wouldn't be slow.
Best plan: let the panel handle the entry. Once the mark was formed, he could train it himself. The hardest part was entry—now handled.
"This setup works."
After savoring the tingling sensation of wind-thunder entering his body, Wang Yu turned to refining pill recipes. With his alchemy skills rising, it was time to upgrade his entire toolkit.
He also planned to craft a pill to boost Snow Jade's demon essence.
As spring gave way to early summer, the wind and thunder qi in the atmosphere grew increasingly active. Wang Yu had spent nearly two months absorbing it through the [Wind and Thunder Spirit Mark], and by the time May arrived, two visitors finally came to call—Ding Ming and Wei Shanze, the true disciples from Fierce Nether Peak and Barbarian Ghost Peak.
Their arrival was expected.
Wang Yu had already instructed his two disciples to escort them in. He stood waiting at the foot of the main hall steps—not for ceremony, but because this spot was closest to the formation's control node. If anything went wrong, he could respond instantly.
---
Power Stone !