The corpse demon froze in terror as its body was forced into a spread-eagle posture. Caws echoed. Wind stirred. A cloud of black-feathered birds blotted out the sky.
Soul-Eating Cry of the Shadow Crows.
This spell was one step from becoming a divine ability. If Wang Yu ever lacked a dual-aspect yin-soul divine art, he could evolve this one through the placement panel.
Unfortunately, each spell or technique could only be evolved once. If they could be pushed endlessly… that would be heaven-defying. And even then, their effectiveness depended on Wang Yu's own foundation.
The stronger his comprehension, the faster his placed techniques progressed.
From another angle—
Those secret arts that took twenty, thirty, even three hundred years to master required relentless dedication. No rest, no distractions. Just grinding day after day.
Fatigue, bottlenecks, frustration, lack of true essence—all real obstacles.
Even with double the placement time, he might not reach perfection through conventional training.
"The Dao is arduous. You just have to cheat it."
Emerging from the shadows, Wang Yu pressed his [Soul-Shattering Finger] into the corpse demon's brow, destroying its nascent soul.
This one was only early Foundation Establishment—far weaker than the corpse ghoul. Still, two premium materials. Even if he didn't refine them himself, they were top-tier trade goods.
Selling them for spirit stones would be a waste.
He tossed the living corpse demon into the Moonfiend Coffin, then gazed into the ruins' depths, thinking of the Craftsman's Institute and the imperial city.
After a brief pause—
He turned toward the surface. He'd gained enough for now. Better to wait until his strength improved before exploring deeper secrets.
—
The next day.
At the edge of the Eastern Polaris ruins, Wang Yu stretched lazily as he emerged from underground. He patted his waist and released his flying vessel, heading cheerfully toward Spiritridge.
In the shadows, several stealthy cultivators exchanged whispers:
"Mid Foundation Establishment. Just exited the ruins. Heading toward Spiritridge."
"Perfect target. Let's go."
Aboard the vessel—
Wang Yu glanced sideways, feeling a rare sense of familiarity. This was Crimson Kite Territory, after all. Robber cultivators died in droves—but never went extinct.
Especially near public ruins. Someone was always watching.
Wang Yu wasn't worried.
But he did reflect. He'd used invisibility and silence spells on the way in—he should've done the same on the way out. It wasn't about enemy strength—it was about discipline.
He'd grown complacent. His power had increased.
But his caution had dulled.
—Time to reflect. Seriously.
The journey to Spiritridge wasn't long—seven days. With enough spirit stones, he could fly faster. Along the way was a swamp—perfect for ambushes.
Wang Yu watched them set up.
Two days later, he passed through the swamp.
"Die!"
Two mud dragons, each over ten meters long, burst from the mire. Wang Yu flicked his wrist—his [Wailing Ghost Flute] appeared.
Heart-Cleaving Cryblade.
A translucent gray blade of sound sliced through the air like a thread, distorting space as it flew. It bisected the mud dragons instantly.
The caster felt overwhelmed by sorrow. Tears streamed down his face. He tried to summon his artifact—but his hands trembled.
Then—
"Splurt—"
His body split vertically and crashed to the ground.
One strike. A Foundation Establishment fourth-layer cultivator dead.
The other two—still setting up formation flags—exchanged panicked glances.
"Bad target. Run!"
"Run?"
Wang Yu shook his head. Frostmoon Wings unfurled behind him—a perfected tier-two high-grade movement art that compensated for his speed shortcomings. It was enough for 99% of battles.
A flash of cold light—and Wang Yu appeared behind one of them.
He punched forward. His dragon spine surged. Blood energy shaped into a demonic serpent, following his fist. He felt the air compress.
The target was a sixth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator. With his experience, he should've reacted instantly.
Instead, he froze—like seeing a nightmare.
"Boom—!"
His protective essence shattered. No defense. He was pulverized like tofu.
Minor Asura Slaughter Fist. Its attacks carried "Asura Slaughter Intent," which could terrify weak-willed or unclear-minded foes—like standing in a mountain of corpses.
Even if they escaped the illusion, the pressure remained. Cold limbs. Stifled essence. Like a blade at the throat.
That constant dread crippled their combat ability.
Wang Yu had tested the divine ability—and understood it better. But to unleash its full power, he needed to reach Core Formation.
And this wasn't even its full potential.
The last robber, 300 meters away, was soaked in sweat—utterly terrified.
"Mid Foundation Establishment… three-on-one shouldn't be a problem… How is he this strong?
"Wait—is he baiting us? Playing weak?"
Before his panicked mind could process more—
A spinning ice wheel descended from the sky, slicing cleanly through his neck.
"Wha—"
His head rolled. His body collapsed. No resistance.
Ice Wheel Technique—a tier-two high-grade spell. Wang Yu's second offensive trump card after [Profound Yin Palm]. Still at advanced stage, not yet perfected.
But with his main cultivation method—[Coldblood Yin Technique]—which focused on ice and secondary yin, its power was amplified.
That technique had reached perfection years ago.
Though it didn't boost aptitude, its training speed matched [Cold Blood Ascension Technique].
Its unique trait—
Upon perfection, it birthed a domain-like ability: Coldblood Essence.
It lowered Wang Yu's body temperature and greatly enhanced his ice spells. Even his yin spells saw a modest boost. Reaching peak tier-two—maybe even pseudo-tier-three.
"Peak" was a special rank.
In alchemy, it meant tenfold price increases and near impossibility of purchase. Even master alchemists couldn't guarantee peak-grade pills.
In artifacts, only failed tier-three attempts could become peak-tier-two—requiring tier-three materials.
In spells, it meant the strongest of its tier.
Powerful techniques granted cultivators immense strength—like a realm breakthrough. Weakness was not an option.
Wang Yu retrieved the corpses. Took their storage pouches. Absorbed their souls into his [Soul-Devouring Evil Armor]. Drained their blood into the Moonfiend Coffin. Left behind dry husks.
Still usable—could be refined into tier-two zombies. Three together could fetch ten thousand spirit stones.
He resumed his flight to Spiritridge—this time fully cloaked in invisibility and silence. Even his vessel was hidden.
Only a faint breeze betrayed his passage.
"Techniques, secrets, spirit stones… Oh? This one's nice."
While sorting loot, Wang Yu found a flawless tier-two mid-grade artifact. After refining it, he learned its name:
[Vajra Shield]—a defensive artifact with physical resistance rivaling high-grade gear. Perfect for his current realm.
The rest? Not worth mentioning.
—
Five days later.
After half a month away, Wang Yu returned to Spiritridge Manor without alerting anyone. A flawless mission—fully loaded with gains.
He didn't rush out.
Instead, he reassembled the slaughter training chamber he'd dismantled from the Capital Suppression Prison—expanding his original cultivation room.
Now he could train the [Minor Asura Slaughter Fist] without damaging the fragile stone slabs.
Two days later, Guan Yingdong came to report.
"Master, Manager Ye is here. Says he's delivering something."
Wang Yu finally emerged.
The thousand sets of [Soul Origin Pill] ingredients had arrived. His next major cultivation project.
His [Ancient Soul Chant] was still years from perfection. Once he achieved the "Ancient Soul" trait—
He could use the pills to push his spiritual sense to early tier-three. Though he couldn't reach mid-tier-three, he could still expand his upper limit.
He'd done the same with body cultivation before.
Spiritual sense represented soul strength. It couldn't exceed realm limits too much—or risk abandoning the body and becoming a soul entity.
Solving that would free up another placement slot.
He planned to use it to perfect miscellaneous techniques—then finally install [Dark Serpent Spine] permanently.
If his spiritual sense broke through, he could enhance his control over the Moonfiend corpse—and maybe command more undead.
"Rumble—"
As the chamber doors opened, Wang Yu followed Guan Yingdong to the guest hall.
Moments later—
"Manager Ye. Long time no see."
"Uh… City Lord, we met just ten days ago."
"In cultivation, time flows differently. It feels longer to me."
Ye Qing sighed.
Spiritridge's Goldfull Pavilion branch was practically Wang Yu's personal resource hub now.
Even unavailable items were sourced from other branches—or the main pavilion. All by the young lady's orders. Ye Qing felt conflicted.
Even top sect heirs didn't get this treatment.
Could it be…
He blinked hard, then dismissed the thought.
"This was sent by the young lady. She asked me to deliver it personally."
Wang Yu accepted the goods.
Then said:
"Contact Daoist Jin. Tell her I have a way to help. Ask her to prepare her treasures—for me to choose from."
Ye Qing: "...???"
(End of Chapter)
—