Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 424

The Glazed Iceheart Pagoda.

Wang Yu injected his divine sense into his life-bound treasure, forming a thought incarnation. At the bottom level, two Nascent Souls were still imprisoned. These two things could only be fully utilized once his Human Pill Art advanced to peak fourth-rank.

However, his Idle Slots were not quite sufficient at the moment. His current main cultivation focus was on Dao Intent.

Even if the two Nascent Souls were refined into Nascent Soul Pills that could enhance cultivation, the improvement would be limited. His current rate of accumulating demonic essence was already quite fast.

Comprehending Dao Intent.

Strengthening Dao Intent.

Fortifying the Nascent Soul.

Only in this way could his Nascent Soul’s strength keep pace with his rapid progress along the demonic essence path, preventing him from encountering overly severe bottlenecks.

After a careful inspection and confirming that there were no issues, this divine sense incarnation finally stepped onto the top floor of the Glazed Iceheart Pagoda.

Wearing a pale moon-white gauze dress, her limbs stretched straight by pitch-black ice chains, suspended in midair in a spread-eagle posture, was none other than the Moonlight Fairy, Chang Xi.
Wang Yu walked over slowly, his gaze sweeping across her face.

Chang Xi was a typical cold fair-skinned beauty.

Her brows and eyes were long and narrow, sharp and cold like blades. Her iceberg-like temperament inspired an instinctive desire to conquer. Even her eyelashes were pure white, adding a touch of chilly, sacred elegance.

Compared to more than a hundred years ago, her temperament had changed greatly.

Her long, slender legs were pulled apart by the ice chains. The posture ruined her overall aura, and the absurd element of imprisonment only made her allure grow stronger rather than weaker.

Stopping in front of her, Wang Yu looked up at her and smiled faintly.

“How does it feel?”

“If you want to kill or mutilate me, do as you please. Why must the Demon Lord humiliate me?”

Chang Xi’s eyes were clear, and her tone was neither servile nor overbearing.

“Stop pretending.”

Wang Yu stood with his hands behind his back and snorted coldly.

“Back then, when I was at Black Mountain and had just reached Foundation Establishment, I had no grievances with your Sword Sect. Yet that Lan Boting chased me to the death without rest. And now you still pretend to be noble?”

Chang Xi fell silent.

Arguing right and wrong over those past events was meaningless now. Since then, her bottom line had steadily declined.

The mission of Sword Sect wanderers was to wipe out all injustice in Taihu.

At that time, Black Mountain Pass was rotten to the core. She wanted to eliminate it, and the only way was to use Wang Yu as bait, both as a witness and as temptation for those parasites to make a move.

When the time came, with both people and evidence secured, she could use the Sword Sect’s influence to wipe them out completely.

In that process, Wang Yu was the sacrifice.

Especially after she investigated the disappearance case in Stone Lake City, she learned that Wang Yu had taken Wang Wu, who was at the height of activity, and had killed the slave-catching team and the Stone Lake City Lord to avenge his blood feud.

She had actually uncovered Wang Yu’s background.

Yet even then, she still made him the sacrifice, meticulously plotting and forcing him into Withered Leaf City.

That was when their hatred was formed.

Wang Yu’s resentment toward the righteous path also took root at that time. Even today, after so many years, it remained vivid in his memory.

If he had not encountered Chang Xi back then, after devouring Wang Wu with the Demonic Embryo Mysterious Origin Curse, remaining in Taihu to cultivate would have been a fine choice. He would not have returned to the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain to suffer needlessly.

Chang Xi was one of the top-ranked Sword Sect wanderers, yet she acted this way. It showed exactly what kind of people the Sword Sect truly was.

In contrast, Lei Yao of Thunderfire Temple had maintained goodwill toward him after just a single piece of advice and was even willing to help him years later.

If, when he first returned to Taihu, he had encountered Lei Yao instead of Chang Xi, Wang Yu was certain he would have joined Thunderfire Temple and lived a completely different life.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

With a thought, the ice chains loosened considerably, causing Chang Xi to collapse weakly onto the ground.

This was the interior space of the Glazed Iceheart Pagoda. As his life-bound treasure, it had absorbed countless tools and materials he had acquired while refining pills for the northern demonic clans. Anything with compatible attributes had been refined into the tower.

As a result, its ice and yin-origin attributes had surged dramatically.

And the sealing power of this tower-type treasure had skyrocketed.

With her mana depleted and her limbs weak, Chang Xi could not even think about escaping the pagoda’s suppression. She could not use a transmission jade talisman either. Her Core Formation was dim and powerless.

Wang Yu crouched down and pinched her chin.

Looking straight into her eyes, he said, “I have the punishment of insect devouring, soul-burning punishment, lust punishment, and blade punishment. Which one do you want? Let’s have some fun.”

Torture had always been the specialty of the demonic path.

Chang Xi’s delicate body trembled. Her eyes were already filled with despair.

Being captured alive by a Nascent Soul demonic cultivator, even suicide was a luxury.

This time, if not for coveting the bounty offered by her sect, she might not have come to Black Mountain Pass at all.

Regret welled up in her heart, toward others, toward circumstances, and toward herself, tangled together in complex emotions.

“Not talking? Then we’ll start with slow slicing. Such delicate skin, what a waste to flay it all at once.”

The sharp blade slid against her skin.

Chang Xi screamed involuntarily, only to realize that it was merely the cold sensation of the blade, not real pain.

Wang Yu laughed.

“So you’re not as detached as you pretend to be…”

After the intimidation, some of the pent-up resentment in his heart dissipated.

Wang Yu recalled the bold idea he had just had.

Ever since obtaining the Human Desire Art, he had regarded it as somewhat useless. Although he had comprehended and learned it, he had never placed it in an Idle Slot for deep cultivation.

He thought of Hei Liu from the Demon Cat Clan.

She was only third-rank, yet she had temporarily transformed using an ancient secret treasure and coupled with Jin Lin. Had that not solved the shortcomings of the Human Desire Art?

Chang Xi’s physical body was quite good. If he could refine her into a similar flesh-and-blood magic treasure, and then let Snowjade make use of it…

The idea was far too bold and involved many complicated issues.

He set it aside for the time being.

Whether it could actually be accomplished was still unknown, so the idea remained only in his mind. Putting it into practice would be far too perverse, bordering on twisted human nature.

“Consider yourself lucky.”

Demonic essence gathered.

Wang Yu reached out and covered Chang Xi’s neck. Just as his strength was about to be unleashed, his divine sense incarnation suddenly vanished, clearly disturbed by developments outside.

Chang Xi was once again suspended by ice chains. The pallor on her face eased slightly, and she let out a long sigh.

She was a favored daughter of heaven, one of the 1,008 itinerant disciples of the Sword Sect. She ranked eighteenth among them. If she had not been defeated by the Twelve Sword Heirs at Sword Debate Cliff, she would also have had the qualifications to compete for a Sword Heir position.

Her master’s teachings surfaced in her mind.

Victory and defeat were fleeting like drifting clouds. Only by surviving could one have a future.

Endure.

“Master… he seems to have designs on your disciple. I will endure humiliation and live on.”

As for placing her hopes of rescue on others, Chang Xi felt the chances were too slim. It was better to hope Wang Yu would die in the war. After all, he was only a newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator.

That possibility was not small, especially given his arrogant conduct and overbearing personality. Fighting the way he did, he would sooner or later overturn his boat in the righteous-demonic war.

Outside.

Wang Yu frowned as he looked toward the entrance of his temporary cave dwelling. Dark Demon Barbarian Lord and Dark Tiger Demon Lord had both arrived. It was likely that the sect had sent a reply.

With a wave of his hand, he withdrew the protective barrier. The stone door opened wide.

“What is it?”

“The Exalted Sect’s reinforcements have arrived. Evil Soul Ancestor wants us to immediately attack Withered Leaf City and block the reinforcements from Moon Gazing Palace and Azure Cloud Sect.”

“It is also said that a team disappeared near Ice River Pass in the north. They are likely heading south to reinforce Black Mountain Pass, or to launch a surprise attack on Strange Peak Pass.”

The two spoke one after another, clearly explaining the situation.

“Oh? Where are the reinforcements, and from which route did they come?”

“They took the Strange Peak Pass route. Fire Ghost Old Demon is leading them.”

Fire Ghost Old Demon?

This person was not one of the Nine Peaks Nascent Soul cultivators. Wang Yu had never heard of him before. Even during the previous high-level Nascent Soul meeting of the Exalted Sect, there had been no mention of such a figure.

Seeing his confusion, Dark Demon Barbarian Lord explained.

“He is the Zhuo Clan’s ancestor, a figure from thirteen hundred years ago. His cultivation is at the sixth layer of the Nascent Soul realm, and his potential has already been exhausted.”

Wang Yu nodded in understanding, then asked, “What do you think? Fight or not?”

Nether Tiger laughed.

“Fight. Why not?

“It counts as three major merits. Three fourth-rank spirit pills from the Alchemy Hall. It is worth a try. When the time comes, just let Fire Ghost Old Demon lead the charge.”

“Very well.”

Having just refined a new flesh-and-blood demonic sword, Wang Yu also wanted to test its sharpness. Using Withered Leaf City as a whetstone was not a bad idea. As a frontline stronghold, it likely housed more than one Nascent Soul cultivator.

“Since that is the case, let’s depart.”

…

…

The place where Wang Yu and the others had been hiding was deep within the Withered Leaf Marsh. Withered Leaf City, built for exploring this demonic region, was itself not far from the swamp.

Following the two colleagues, he went to meet Fire Ghost Old Demon.

The number of people he brought was considerable.

Three thousand Qi Refining cultivators, three hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, thirty Core Formation cultivators, plus the fifty-four under Wang Yu and the others.

The strength of this force was more than sufficient.

As for Fire Ghost Old Demon himself, his appearance was likely the result of something going wrong with his cultivation technique. It was difficult to describe, even more abstract than Dark Demon Barbarian Lord’s “ugly-handsome” style.

His sparse red hair formed a bald patch at the crown.

His face was aged, his body hunched, and his skin was covered in fire-poison blotches. His lips protruded outward, revealing a mouthful of blackened teeth, as dark and dull as charcoal.

His breath carried a thick smell of gunpowder, as if a furnace were burning inside his body and expelling waste fumes.

No wonder he was called Fire Ghost. He really did look ghostly.

“Greetings, Fellow Daoist Fire Ghost.”

“No need for formalities. I am here as reinforcement. Command authority remains in your hands. Fellow Daoist Dark Demon, you make the decisions.”

“This…”

The Nether Demon Barbarian Lord hesitated for a moment, then quickly spoke.

“Very well. This place is not far from Withered Leaf City. How about we launch a direct assault? Brother Dark Tiger can handle the formation.”

“No problem.”

Speed was paramount in warfare, and lightning warfare placed even greater emphasis on rapid execution.

Delaying for half a month could easily lead to unforeseen changes. After all, the ambush on the Sword Sect’s team had happened too long ago. The same plan might not work the same way now.

But Wang Yu did not step forward.

If they wanted to fight, then so be it.

Could some major powerhouse really show up?

After the team assembled, they quickly moved along the newly opened safe route, traveling through the fractured mountain range.

Withered Leaf City!

Half a month earlier, the complete annihilation of the Sword Sect’s reinforcement team sent to Black Mountain Pass had caused alarm among the major cities along the border, especially due to the disappearance of two Nascent Soul cultivators.

This forced the Azure Cloud Sect team that had been preparing a surprise attack on Strange Peak Pass to temporarily hold back, their purpose being to guard against the Crimson Kite interception squad.

Based on existing intelligence, most of the Taihu side believed that this was a very small but extremely powerful team, possibly led by a late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivator.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for them to silently wipe out Ancestor Hemp Robe’s group without even alerting nearby Black Mountain Pass. The pressure was immense.

Because of this, Withered Leaf City and Black Mountain City, the two major cities closest to the incident site, became top priorities for defense. The areas influenced by both were extremely vast.

At present, Withered Leaf City had only one early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator from Moon Gazing Palace and one mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator from Azure Cloud Sect. The latter was only a temporary garrison.

Under such circumstances, requesting reinforcements was inevitable.

“I wonder who the Sword Sect will send this time. If this hidden powerhouse team cannot be rooted out, the frontline situation will be very worrying.”

“Fellow Daoist Liuying, there is no need to worry. Crimson Kite demonic cultivators are nothing but rabble before us. They have never been able to withstand a single blow. As for city defenses, my Azure Cloud Sect has already intervened. There will be no loopholes.”

Inside the City Lord’s residence, a beautiful woman in green robes and a middle-aged cultivator sat facing each other, drinking tea and discussing current affairs. The latter was full of confidence, while the former was deeply worried.

The soul lamps of Master Bagua and Ancestor Hemp Robe had not been extinguished, proving that their Nascent Souls were still alive. If they had fallen, it would have been the first Nascent Soul casualty on the Taihu side in this righteous-demonic war.

And he had been a peak master of the Sword Sect.

The impact would have been enormous.

It would also mean that the flames of war had reached the Nascent Soul level, and that everyone now faced the danger of falling. This Purple Cloud True Lord was overly confident, and the long period of peace had made him underestimate the cruelty of demonic cultivators.

She had participated in the righteous-demonic war five hundred years ago, yet she had never heard of this Purple Cloud True Lord back then. If he was merely a theorist who talked on paper, then Withered Leaf City would be in grave danger.

Purple Cloud spoke eloquently, his eyes carrying a passionate gaze toward Lady Liuying. Azure Cloud Sect and Moon Gazing Palace had long maintained the tradition of forming Dao companions, making them staunch allies who advanced and retreated together.

The battles at Ice River Pass and the chaos in Maple Prefecture of the Crimson Kite Domain had both been led by these two sects. The early successes had greatly boosted his confidence.

In Purple Cloud True Lord’s view, once the sect’s elites launched a joint offensive, they would certainly seize Maple Prefecture in one fell swoop and use it as a foothold to penetrate deeper into the Crimson Kite Domain.

At that time, Thunderfire Temple, Crane Return Valley, Blazing Sun Sect, and even Void Heaven Sword Sect would find the Azure Cloud Sect’s route the best path for expanding their gains.

He had even begun planning to set up toll checkpoints.

“Boom!”

At that moment, a thunderous explosion echoed through the sky.

Liuying and Purple Cloud exchanged glances, then immediately flew out of the City Lord’s residence and ascended to higher ground to inspect the situation.

They saw black clouds rolling across the heavens. Boundless crimson demonic qi blazed like burning flames, becoming the most striking phenomenon in the darkness.

A massive crowd gathered in the distance, brimming with killing intent.

“It’s demonic cultivators. They really came.”

“Why are there so many? Was the warning system in the Boundary-Severed Mountains dismantled? There hasn’t been any signal at all…”

The cultivators of Withered Leaf City began discussing anxiously. Lady Liuying immediately issued orders.

“Activate the formation. Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators, man the city defenses. All Core Formation cultivators, follow me to meet the enemy!”

Purple Cloud closed his mouth, which he had just opened, and flew into the sky together with Lady Liuying.

Within the crimson demonic qi, Old Demon Fire Ghost condensed a four-armed crimson ghost avatar with demonic essence. Standing atop its head, he looked down arrogantly at the two Nascent Soul defenders, his face filled with disdain.

The Dark Demon Barbarian Lord released his Nascent Soul aura. Dark green demonic qi boiled like a reversed flowing river, drawing all eyes.

The Dark Tiger Demon Lord sat upon his Nether Tiger incarnation, a thousand-meter-long yin beast.

Yin qi covered the sky and blotted out the sun. Its ferocious tiger eyes locked onto Purple Cloud as it let out a threatening growl.

Just the Nascent Soul pressure of these three alone plunged Withered Leaf City into panic. Anyone who could count knew that the city’s Nascent Soul combat power was insufficient.

This meant they could only fight a defensive battle.

However.

On the far right of the three Demon Lords, Wang Yu sat cross-legged atop the Thunder Fiend Coffin. A boundless sea of lightning spread around him. The Thunder Corpse made its first appearance on the battlefield.

This directly raised the demonic side’s Nascent Soul combat power to five.

Withered Leaf City was in danger!

After this brief introduction, Wang Yu did not hide his presence. The combined pressure from the five Nascent Soul cultivators was overwhelming.

The defensive formation of Withered Leaf City began to tremble.

Fear spread among the defenders.

The enemy’s strength far exceeded expectations.

This was no longer a simple raid.

It was a full-scale assault.