Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 166

The farce that took place today within the Bai Clan was destined never to be known by outsiders, yet the fact that part of the Bai Clan had left Jade Spirit City still drew some attention.

The undercurrents in the dark seemed even more turbulent. With the slightest mistake, even the three great families within the city could be reduced to ashes.

The appointed month had arrived, right on schedule.

It was the tenth month.

The scorching summer heat had somewhat receded, though traces of its lingering warmth still remained. Nights in this season were noticeably longer than the days.

Tonight, a round moon hung high in the sky, driving away part of the darkness.

The autumn wind whistled, setting the bamboo groves to singing. Within the night, a heavy gloom seemed to shroud the entirety of Jade Spirit City.

Until a great fire swept it away.

“Not good, not good… something terrible has happened.”

At the City Lord’s Manor of Jade Spirit City.
Wang Yu had changed into a more mature raven-green narrow-sleeved robe fastened at the waist, over which he wore a plain twilight-gray robe of leisure, its trailing hem lending him added dignity and solemnity.

His head of snow-white silver hair was bound behind him with a red ribbon.

Under the moonlight, the young man held a black flute. From the hollow of the flute seemed to pour a stream of dim sound currents. At times the tones were melodious and pleasing, at others sharp and grating.

Immortal notes lingered, while demonic sounds pierced the ears.

It was as though the music shifted constantly between two extremes, leaving listeners alternately flushed with passion or sunk into loneliness, their emotions unsettled and dangerously easy to lose themselves in.

This was Wang Yu practicing the Controlling Heart-Demon Melody, which he had become far more adept with after his divine sense realm had broken through.

The one who rushed in so abruptly was Xiang Xiang, one of the only two Foundation Establishment cultivators of Cloud Dream Pavilion.

“City Lord, City Lord! A fire dragon has burned down the warehouses… outside.”

“Speak slowly.”

Wang Yu raised a hand slightly. Xiang Xiang, who had been about to bow, straightened against her will, her cheeks flushing as she looked at him. Momentarily dazed, she quickly recovered, her tone tinged with some frustration.

“The Bai Clan, they are shameless. They had clearly agreed to deliver the owed spirit stones today, but at this moment their warehouses have conveniently burned down by a fire dragon. The account hall of their residence was completely destroyed.

“The entire front courtyard has turned into scorched ruins. They even spread word that Heaven itself does not stand with you, and that they have no choice but to wait another five years before they can pay the spirit stones.”

The fire dragon’s blaze had erased all the old accounts.

No one could calculate how many spirit stones the Bai Clan had earned over the past five years. By doing so, they avoided taxation. From the perspective of pure strategy, their choice was not without reason.

But what they should never have done was underestimate Wang Yu’s thirst for vengeance.

He had already given the Bai Clan an opportunity. Yet they dared to mock him like this. Since that was the case, there was no need for him to show mercy.

Pausing, he noticed Xiang Xiang had not continued speaking, so he asked directly, “Aside from the Bai Clan, whose warehouses were also burned by the fire dragon?”

“This—”

“When I arrived, it seemed the Guan Clan’s residence had also drawn a crowd, but the disturbance was not so large. The Jiang Clan’s side remained quiet.”

“Very good. I shall go out for a while.”

“Go… go out?”

Xiang Xiang, puzzled, asked hesitantly.

“Are you not afraid they will strike against you?”

“Hahaha, afraid? Have you forgotten what place this is? In Jade Spirit City, those three clans should be praying that nothing happens to me, rather than seeking my life.”

With that, Wang Yu’s figure vanished into the air.

Left behind, Xiang Xiang frowned deeply in thought. She seemed to understand the hidden reasoning.

Outside the city, with the three sects stationed, Wang Yu had little power, and thus he granted them significant rights as a temporary measure.

But within the city, he could strike at the three clans mercilessly, while they dared not truly kill him. Otherwise, once the Blood Reversal Sect’s cleansing squad arrived, Jade Spirit City would be wiped clean and rebuilt.

“So that is how it is.”

…

…

At the Bai Clan residence.

As one of the three great clans of Jade Spirit City, the Bai Clan occupied nearly half of the southern district. Within the clan, the number of Qi Refining cultivators exceeded one thousand.

As for Foundation Establishment cultivators, aside from the patriarchal ancestor, they had six in total.

With the family head dead, five remained. The Great Elder was at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, the Second Elder at the seventh, the Third Elder at the sixth, and two mid-generation elders at the third layer, not yet qualified to be considered among the clan’s senior elders.

The further down the ranks, the younger the generation. As for the newest generation, none had yet reached Foundation Establishment.

At this moment, as he looked at the scorched ruins of the front courtyard, the Great Elder finally ordered men to extinguish the fire, sneering as he spoke.

“A mere snot-nosed brat. How dare he think he can contend against my Bai Clan alone.”

The other elders all voiced agreement.

“The Great Elder’s stratagem is brilliant. If we do not show him some harsh lessons, the world will think our Bai Clan weak. After today, let us see who still dares speak idle words.”

“Indeed, indeed, it must be so.”

“Our Bai Clan has always been the foremost of the three families of Jade Spirit City. Why should we obey some outsider?”

Among the gathered Bai clansmen, some recalled how the branch descendants of the Third House had recently left the city to return to the ancestral estate and live in seclusion. This thought left unease lurking in their hearts.

Further outside, along a broad avenue wide enough for twelve carriages to run side by side, numerous cultivators gathered to watch the spectacle. They crowded shopfronts, balconies, and even rooftops, all waiting to see the drama unfold.

Inside the residence.

The Bai Clan Great Elder cast a deep glance at his clansmen.

Though he had acted recklessly under the guise of “I have a plan,” in truth he was no ignorant fool who lacked understanding of the greater picture.

By sending the patriarchal ancestor away, he had seized power while also preserving a bloodline for the Bai Clan.

He knew Wang Yu could not be allowed to die in Jade Spirit City.

Otherwise, the Bai Clan would bear unavoidable blame and would certainly be dragged down with him.

But he could not be killed, he could be captured. As long as this person was imprisoned, the Bai Clan would be able to obtain the true City Lord’s Token of Jade Spirit City. With his foundation in this region, plus the aid of Yellow Springs Monastery,

As long as tribute was handed over on time, the Bai Clan’s influence would expand to an unprecedented level.

Therefore, the scheme of setting fire to the warehouse also had the intent of luring Wang Yu out of the City Lord’s Manor.

The Tuoba Clan had been able to occupy the City Lord’s Manor for a hundred years without incident. He did not believe that the Bai Clan could not conceal matters from the Exalted Sect. If things reached a critical point, completely siding with Yellow Springs Monastery would still be possible.

After all, Jade Spirit City was located on the far eastern edge of Cloud Ridge Prefecture, extremely close to Secluded Prefecture, the territory of Yellow Springs Monastery. The border was never clearly defined.

Today one swallowed a few feet of land, tomorrow the other swallowed a few feet of land. Such things were common.

Of course.

Thinking this far ahead was pointless now. The Great Elder shook his head, spreading his divine sense outward completely, on guard at all times for Wang Yu’s arrival.

As time passed, the onlookers gradually dispersed, unable to understand what exactly the Bai Clan was plotting.

The more clever ones had already left the area, afraid of being splattered with blood.

Midnight.

The time when yin energy between Heaven and Earth was at its heaviest. The moon hung above the branches, bamboo shadows swaying.

Three Bai Clan elders and two middle-aged men remained in the courtyard, waiting for the moment to come. The younger generation had long since returned to their rooms to rest. In the silent night even the sound of insects had disappeared.

The looming sense of an approaching storm grew stronger.

“Wooo—”

A drifting flute melody came from nowhere. The Bai Clan Great Elder paced restlessly inside the pavilion, making the other elders dizzy.

“Grand Elder, what is there to be so anxious about?”

“That boy comes or not, it makes no difference. Our goal will be achieved either way. Worry is useless.”

“Hmph.”

The Great Elder flicked his sleeve, realizing his mind was not calm enough. Just as he was about to sit down, concern for the Bai Clan’s future rose again. He could only comfort himself repeatedly.

This was an open scheme, it was bound to succeed.

Half of midnight passed. Inside the Bai Clan estate, where eternal lamps were lit, rustling noises suddenly sounded at some unknown time.

Behind the window lattice shadows, vague figures appeared.

It seemed eerie.

“Wooo—”

The drifting flute sound seemed to be drawing closer, becoming clearer.

“What is happening?”

Even with nerves relaxed, the elders realized something was wrong. Suddenly, the Third Elder shouted toward a dark corner:

“Xuan’er, is that you? Why are you wandering outside so late?”

From the darkness, a youth dressed in luxurious robes stepped out with a strange smile. Blood-red light glowed in his eyes, the corners of his mouth stained with blood. Shreds of flesh seemed stuck between his teeth.

The elders present were all Foundation Establishment cultivators. They could see through ordinary darkness, and at this sight, cold sweat broke out across their bodies.

“Bai Xuan’s state is abnormal. Look at his back!”

The Great Elder stepped forward in an instant, appearing behind Bai Xuan. With a palm strike he knocked him unconscious, then dragged out the hidden figure from the shadows completely.

In that moment.

Everyone’s expression changed.

“This… this is… Meng’er!”

The Great Elder had pulled out none other than Bai Meng, one of the most outstanding of the Bai Clan’s younger generation, a three-spiritual-root genius. Yet her once-beautiful face now bore only lifeless pallor.

Her chest and abdomen had been ripped open, her organs entirely gone.

The Third Elder swayed, nearly fainting.

She pointed a trembling finger at Bai Xuan.

“His… his mouth… inside his belly.”

“Caw, caw—”

A few crows flew across the night sky, casting an ominous shadow over everyone’s hearts. The Great Elder’s face grew so dark it could drip water.

“Wang Yu. This is absolutely Wang Yu’s doing.”

“Damn it, to even strike at the younger generation.”

In truth, Wang Yu himself was also part of the younger generation. But no one here would speak up for him. If anyone did, it would truly become a hellish joke.

“Hurry, you two go check on the disciples of the clan.

“Third Elder, Second Elder, go activate the clan’s protective formation. Do not let him escape. Capture him alive.”

“Yes—”

Everyone accepted the order and moved quickly.

The Great Elder soared into the night sky, his eyes sharp as a hawk as he scanned every building of the clan, attempting to locate Wang Yu’s presence with powerful divine sense.

However.

With the dual concealment of Invisibility Technique and Silent Spell, and a lifetime of thinking about how to hide from the very start of his cultivation path, even if a Core Formation cultivator came, they might not be able to catch him.

Minute by minute passed. He could feel the auras of many disciples vanishing. Yet whenever he rushed to the scene, he saw only clansmen devouring each other.

The most bizarre, terrifying method of death by consumption.

One person feasted, while the other stood motionless like wood, allowing themselves to be eaten. Only when death was near did the dullness in their eyes shift into horror.

This was the reckless boldness of one who had nothing to lose. The Great Elder was filled with regret.

He had calculated everything, yet forgot to consider Wang Yu’s nature. That had already shown its signs when the other first arrived at Jade Spirit City.

He had simply ignored it.

“No… no… you cannot do this to me.”

Just as his eyes cracked with fury, nearly driving him to madness, the long-awaited voice sounded like heavenly music in his ears at last.

“Oh—

“You have something to say?”