Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 139

At most the shift northward was only by half. How could it possibly extend to Withered Leaf City near the marshlands?

Thinking of this, Wang Yu’s gaze gradually turned cold.

Carrying a faint trace of Foundation Establishment pressure, he yanked the collar of the man who had delivered the news.

“You dare deceive me?”

“No no no, senior, this is a misunderstanding. Every word I said is true. The City Lord’s Mansion announced it themselves. The city gates were just shut at noon.

“Although it was issued under the Sword Sect’s name as a compulsory conscription, there is also a considerable reward. Senior’s cultivation is unfathomable. You will certainly profit greatly.”

Wang Yu took a deep breath. The man did not seem to be lying.

“Get lost.”

With a casual motion, he tossed the man off the second floor. The young hyacinth tumbled down, scrambling away in panic without daring to look back.

Those nearby who witnessed this scene immediately averted their gazes. None dared to look further. Yet Wang Yu felt his heart burning with irritation, his fingers unconsciously tapping against the table.
Something was wrong. Absolutely something was wrong. Unless he had been calculated against, such coincidences were impossible.

Change the perspective.

According to the report, the compulsory conscription of rogue cultivators near Black Mountain Pass was for the purpose of cleansing Spirit Vulture Sect. That was unreasonable.

Spirit Vulture Sect was a proper sect. They lived by a spiritual vein, and their base was fixed. As long as men were stationed there to watch, they could be purged at any time. There was no escaping.

It was the so-called saying: the monk may escape, but the temple cannot run.

Withered Leaf City was far from Spirit Vulture Sect. No matter how one recruited, it should not have come to involve this place.

If the true target was not Spirit Vulture Sect, then by proximity there was only one possibility left.

Black Mountain Pass.

Wang Yu’s pupils shrank sharply. Yes, even if Chang Xi had gone to Black Mountain Pass to arrest people, she could not possibly take everyone.

The border garrison was already complicated. Its people came from countless factions, many of whom had ties to the three great Nascent Soul powers nearby: Biyun Sect, Moon-Observing Palace, and Thunderfire Temple.

Entanglements that could not be severed. Even as an envoy of the Sword Sect, she had no right to arrest them all. But if she acted first and reported later, then it became reasonable.

Think again. Why had he come to Withered Leaf City?

Because of Chang Xi’s intimidation.

That woman, shameless as she was, had threatened him with her sword. But if she had truly planned against him, how could she know he would choose Withered Leaf City? What if he had hidden in some other random city, or returned to Stone Lake City to visit family?

And what did she need him for? What use was he?

It did not make sense.

After thinking it through, only one possibility remained.

“The lie… has been exposed.”

Half narrowing his eyes, Wang Yu kept pouring wine into his cup, his thoughts surging like a spring.

If the Heavenly Void Sword Sect’s intelligence network was even more formidable than he imagined, then his entire past in the Stone Lake Wang Clan might have been investigated in full detail.

Including his conflict with Wang Wu, as well as the cause of his father’s death.

In that case, when Chang Xi first approached him, his excuses could not hold, because Wang Wu had already disappeared. He himself was highly suspicious.

Starting from that point, every story he had fabricated afterward fell apart. Only the existence of Spirit Slaves was true.

Naturally, that meant they also knew he had not crossed through the Black Mountain Demonic Lands, but rather entered through another safe passage nearby.

Black Mountain Pass.

Pay the toll, and they let you through.

With his identity exposed, Chang Xi’s purpose for needing him was very clear. She wanted him to go to Black Mountain Pass, identify a person, provide concrete evidence, and ensure that after she executed first and reported later she would not encounter procedural trouble.

“What a terrifying woman. In scheming, I actually lost.”

Although he never considered himself among the supremely clever, he was certainly not foolish. Matters of human interaction, concealing one’s edge, and so forth, he had long mastered to perfection.

He gloomily drank down a cup of wine and let out a long sigh.

As for being driven into Withered Leaf City, that was no coincidence either.

Since his identity was exposed, he could not possibly go deep into the Taihu Spiritual Domain, nor could he remain in Stone Lake City where he had already been. Considering the cultivation world’s blockade of maps, his knowledge of this region was limited, so he could only find a nearby place to hide.

Centering on Black Mountain Pass, if they sealed off several cities near the demon lands and swamps, they would inevitably catch him.

This was the most reasonable speculation. He refused to believe he was simply so unlucky.

His demonic sect origins had been revealed, and yet the other side was still making use of him. This proved they were not people who followed rules. This journey had indeed broadened his horizons.

The waters of Taihu Spiritual Domain ran too deep. He wanted to return to the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain.

After setting down the wine cup and paying his bill, Wang Yu put on his bamboo hat and walked toward the city wall. He would never obediently submit.

If he was forcibly taken to Black Mountain Pass, then he could forget about returning to the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain. At best he would be drained of intelligence and then locked away in prison to die.

Perhaps the other side’s planning was thorough and their calculations precise, but they absolutely did not understand Wang Yu’s temper.

If you dare scheme against me, I will smash your face swollen.

……

……

Withered Leaf City, according to the divisions of the cultivation world, was a typical trade city. Because it was the closest to Withered Leaf Swamp, the flow of people here was extremely large.

The number of mortals living here was relatively few. Most were cultivators who came and went swiftly. The vast amount of demonic beast resources, heavenly treasures, and spiritual materials produced in Withered Leaf Swamp fueled the prosperity of this city.

This prosperity in turn radiated to surrounding regions, making it the hub for trade and transport.

The city occupied a vast area, yet its protective formation only covered the City Lord’s Mansion. High watchtowers hundreds of meters tall were evenly distributed throughout the city.

Wang Yu’s objective was simple.

In a city this large, there were bound to be corners that were old and in disrepair. There might even be dog holes and the like.

If not, bribing the city guards with spirit stones was also an option.

Or perhaps there were cultivators within who did not want to accept forced conscription, some of whom might even be distantly related to the city’s ruling power.

Would it be too much to spend some money to hitch a ride?

As the saying went, where there is policy above, there is countermeasure below. Chang Xi wanting to control his path and movements from afar was far too arrogant. She underestimated human nature and the ability of the weak to find a way to survive.

When he saw no one around, Wang Yu lightly touched the moss-covered city wall. Spiritual power seeped in, but was quickly bounced back.

Yet a smile appeared on his face.

“As expected, the City Lord’s Mansion is protected by a third-rank formation. If the entire city were covered, at most it would be a second-rank formation. They would never be so extravagant as to include every area in a third-rank array. They do not have the resources for that.”

After finding the flaw, Wang Yu did not rush to act. With the convenience of his Invisibility Technique, he openly walked along the city wall, trying to find weak points.

This effort was finally rewarded at dusk.

“This is it.”

He stepped back a few paces, gazing at this section of the wall covered in cracks and debris. Perhaps it had been struck by a beast tide, but it was clearly not properly repaired.

Taking a deep breath, he began to gather power in his divine corpse arm.

On his back, the tattoo of the Nether Demonic Flood Dragon came alive, coiling around his left arm. After tempering his body and establishing Foundation, the flaw of not being able to stack the two forces had already been resolved.

Now he could unleash Wang Yu’s strongest power without restraint.

But that was not all.

The gray-black Mysterious Yin Hand, like a massive gauntlet, actively fused into his left arm from its attached state, raising a fist several times larger than a human.

With a sudden motion, Wang Yu smashed his fist violently into the wall.

“Boom!”