Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 408

When they had first met, City Lord Wang was still just a minor Foundation Establishment cultivator. They had formed a connection through conflict, which could be considered a rather strange kind of fate.At that time, Jin Miaoshan had already reached the Core Formation realm.

Now, she was still at Core Formation, while Wang Yu had already condensed a Nascent Soul. Such a shocking cultivation speed was something even a designated successor of Golden Abundance Tower like her could not compare to.

The impact this brought her was no less than the social death she had experienced in the Mind Lake Space half a month ago.

“Long time no see.”

Wang Yu revealed his true appearance.

He was incomparably handsome. After undergoing multiple major realm breakthroughs and experiencing repeated transformations, his already outstanding looks had risen to an even higher level.

In truth, unless restricted by special cultivation techniques, high-level cultivators were rarely ugly. If not for his overly pale skin, which gave him a slightly cold and lifeless aura, with his appearance alone, he could easily establish an entire branch within the Joyous Union Sect.

After exchanging greetings, Jin Miaoshan slowly closed her small mouth. For a moment, she did not know what to say. Given her age, a hundred years was not a short time.

If not for what had happened in the Mind Lake Space, they would inevitably have grown distant.

Even so, she remained silent.

Instead, the high-level cultivator who had accompanied Jin Miaoshan drew Wang Yu’s attention.

This person was a beautiful Daoist nun, a female cultivator. She had an oval face, eyes like rippling autumn water, and a delicate jade-like nose.

Her small lips were crimson red, and a cinnabar mark was dotted between her brows.

A lotus crown tightly bound her silver-white hair, giving her an austere and disciplined air. Her graceful figure was hidden beneath a loose Daoist robe, yet even so, one could still sense the surging curves beneath.

Grace hidden within…

Noticing his gaze, Jin Miaoshan hurriedly introduced her.

“This is True Lady Jin Xiyuan. She once cultivated at Golden Light Temple in Taihu and has been with Golden Abundance Tower for six hundred years. She can be trusted.”

Golden Light Temple?

There was no such sect among the Seven Orthodox Sects. It was probably a minor local force. Otherwise, there would have been no need to join Golden Abundance Tower to rely on its cultivation resources.

After making this judgment, Wang Yu cupped his hands.

“Greetings, Fellow Daoist Jin Xiyuan.”

“Fellow Daoist Wang’s talent is peerless. There is no need for formalities. Let’s talk about what you intend to do first.”

“No rush. First, help me hold the field.”

As he spoke, Wang Yu glanced toward the council hall.

Inside, the auras of Shadow Cat and Peng Qing were extremely conspicuous, one at mid-stage Nascent Soul and the other at early-stage Nascent Soul. After understanding his meaning, True Lady Jin Xi nodded silently.

She very considerately stood behind Wang Yu.

Seeing this, Jin Miaoshan walked to his side and familiarly nudged him with her shoulder. The three walked inward together, speaking in low voices.

“Hey, how exactly did you cultivate? What shortcut did you take?”

Wang Yu grinned.

“The Human Pill Great Dao.”

Hearing this, Jin Miaoshan pursed her lips. She had thought he was joking, but then she suddenly recalled the Ice Demon Child who had risen to fame in Maple Prefecture decades ago.

She immediately exclaimed.

“So it was you! You had already condensed a Nascent Soul back then?”

“No. After that, I went to the Endless Ice Plains.”

Jin Miaoshan naturally knew about the secrets of demonic-path Nascent Souls. She instantly pieced together his recent trajectory and suddenly spoke again while climbing the steps.

“Then how did you get involved with the northern demonic clans and stir up trouble?”

“No. It’s their trouble.”

As they entered the discussion hall, Peng Qing abruptly stood up.

He had originally approached happily, thinking that the spirit pill refinement assigned by the Five-Colored Holy Lord had been completed.

But then he noticed that Wang Yu had brought along a terrifying figure.

True Lady Jin Xiyuan swept her gaze across the hall expressionlessly. The aura she released directly pressed Peng Qing back into his seat.

A strong sense of insecurity flooded his heart. Peng Qing forced an awkward smile.

“Alchemist Wang… what does this mean?”

At a glance, he judged that True Lady Jin Xiyuan was a late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivator. He could not tell which layer exactly, but that alone was enough to rival the Nine Great Demon Kings.

How could he not panic?

“That, you’ll have to ask Brother Hei about what his precious daughter has been doing.”

In fact, from the moment Jin Miaoshan entered the council hall, Shadow Cat had already begun to panic.

The rightful owner who had been betrayed had come knocking.

He had never expected that Wang Yu and Jin Miaoshan were old acquaintances. Or rather, he had been so worried about Hei Liu’s safety that he had not thought things through carefully.

Right now, the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain was in complete chaos. Fighting was breaking out everywhere.

The spies he had sent out had only been investigating for half a month. That was nowhere near enough time to fully uncover Wang Yu’s past. So when he saw Jin Miaoshan, his first reaction was that she had come to settle accounts.

There was no escaping this matter.

Nor could it be avoided.

With a bitter expression, he explained the entire course of events. Peng Qing’s face changed drastically, and Jin Miaoshan was also burning with rage.

She slammed her palm heavily onto the table.

“Jin Lin again! That little beast really wants to fight me to the death. No, this won’t do. I have to retaliate.”

“Miaoshan, calm down a little.”

Wang Yu spoke up to soothe her.

Among the four heirs of Golden Abundance Tower, they were theoretically all competitors. In the end, only one could win.

Yet Jin Lin was clearly unhinged and only targeted Jin Miaoshan. The other two were naturally delighted, happy to sit back and watch the tigers fight. There was no need for them to interfere in this grudge.

“I don’t think you’ll hand Hei Liu over anyway. Let’s talk about compensation. Brother Peng Qing can serve as a witness and inform the Heavenly Roc King, so no one can say we’re bullying the demon race.”

At this moment, Wang Yu tied himself to Jin Miaoshan’s position, which was equivalent to tying himself to Golden Abundance Tower. Naturally, Peng Qing had nothing to say.

He glared fiercely at Shadow Cat and said resentfully, “It’s just offspring. With your cat clan’s fertility, you could always have another in the future. Clan Leader Hei, you’re cutting off your own future.”

Offending Wang Yu was still negotiable.

Offending Golden Abundance Tower was absolutely unacceptable.

Whether southern demons or northern demons, ever since they had been forced deep into the mountains by human race venerables, half of their resources had come through trade with Heaven Treasure Pavilion and Golden Abundance Tower.

The lack of top-tier combat power meant that trade was completely a seller’s market. They were basically raw material suppliers. Even if trade was not cut off entirely, simply raising prices would be enough to make the demon race suffer badly.

There was no helping it.

The demon race was severely lacking in masters of pill refining, artifact forging, talisman crafting, and formations.

“Let’s talk about compensation.”

Seeing the two about to argue, Wang Yu did not want to watch anymore and directly stated his terms.

Aside from the materials for refining the Taiyin Demonic Essense Pill, the most important item was…

“I want demon corpses.”

Peng Qing and Clan Leader Hei were both stunned.

“Why does Alchemy Master Wang want those?”

“They’re useful.”

Wang Yu brushed it off casually.

Whether it was Blood Pill Art or Demon Refinement Art: Artifact Chapter, both were essentially acts of desecration toward demon corpses. And the grade he needed was not low. Fourth-rank was the minimum.

The value of demon corpses varied by race.

However, the corpses of high-level cultivators were always highly sought after among Crimson Kite cultivators. Not to mention the materials that could be stripped from them, just their flesh and blood essence alone was supreme-grade material for refining blood pills.

Their value was extraordinary.

After thinking for a moment, Peng Qing said,

“The sins Clan Leader Hei committed will be paid with the corpses of your demon-cat ancestors. I’ll take Alchemy Master Wang to dig up the graves.”

“Absolutely not!”

Clan Leader Hei’s face turned ugly, his brows filled with anger.

“Why must it come to this? If you want fourth-rank materials, that’s not a problem. Why insist on corpses? Are you planning to refine corpse puppets?”

He had seen Wang Yu’s thunder corpse before, so it was natural for him to think this way.

Wang Yu stroked his chin.

“Not corpse refinement, but it’s not far off either. Otherwise, why would I want demon corpses?”

“That makes sense.”

Peng Qing immediately made the decision.

“Then it’s settled. The Holy Lord is still waiting for Alchemy Master Wang’s pills. What do you say, Clan Leader Hei?”

This was the advantage of having an arbitrator present.

Peng Qing could suppress him righteously. Since he had benefited from relying on the Heavenly Roc Clan, he also had to bear the disadvantages.

Clan Leader Hei resisted in silence.

Only when Jin Xiyuan’s aura spread once more did he suddenly shudder. He finally realized that this was not just Wang Yu’s demand.

It was also Jin Miaoshan’s demand.

“I understand.”

The corners of Wang Yu’s lips lifted slightly. He extended his palm.

“Five corpses.”

“What?! That’s impossible!”

“Ten.”

“Fellow Daoist Wang… why must you push things this far?”

“Twenty…”

“Stop!”

Clan Leader Hei wore a dispirited expression as he explained.

“There aren’t that many. The Demon Cat Clan simply doesn’t have that many ancestors who passed away in meditation.”

“Simple. Trade resources for them.”

When Wang Yu got angry, he never cared about saving face. If he did not strip them clean in one go, did they really think he was made of clay?

“But… how do we trade for ancestral corpses?”

Clan Leader Hei asked blankly. Then he heard Wang Yu lay out a detailed exchange plan, looking as if he had already prepared it long ago.

“Coerce and entice. Don’t bother thinking about the upper tiers. Focus on those clans that only have a single Transformed Great Demon. Their lineage is fragile. Exchanging some rare resources for a few corpses won’t be a big problem.

“I’ve refined so many spirit pills for your Demon Cat Clan. If you’re not taking them out to trade now, Clan Leader, what are you waiting for?”

Looking at Wang Yu’s half-smiling expression, and Peng Qing’s thoughtful gaze, Clan Leader Hei suddenly realized that the losses caused by his rebellious daughter were likely unbearable.

But if he really fell out with them…

No. He could not afford to fall out.

He made his decision instantly. Standing up, Clan Leader Hei walked out. Peng Qing hurriedly followed, then turned back and gave a simple smile.

“Alchemist Wang, I’ll go supervise. At most, I’ll be back with news within half a day.”

This was a lie.

Supervision was fake. Negotiation was real.

If not for Jin Miaoshan and True Lady Jin Xiyuan, Peng Qing would have leaned more toward the Demon Cat Clan. After all, both were northern demon clans, and the Heavenly Roc Clan had always been their suzerain. His bias was obvious.

Wang Yu nodded indifferently. While they went to negotiate, he also planned to have a more in-depth discussion with Jin Miaoshan.

After the two left, Jin Miaoshan spoke first.

There was a trace of curiosity in her eyes.

“You really have a huge appetite. What do you want so many fourth-rank demon corpses for? Are you really raising corpses?”

Wang Yu shot her a sideways glance.

Whether his appetite was big or not, wasn’t she the one who knew best? After all, half of his Core Formation resources had come from her.

“These are minor details. Let’s talk about Jin Lin. How are you planning to get revenge on him?”

Jin Miaoshan thought for a moment and said,

“Every time he harms me, I make him lose his dignity once in Golden Toad City.

“The time before last, I used a Love Gu on his Dao companion and sold her to a brothel.

“Last time, I threw his biological sister to the Joyous Union Saint Son for a political marriage.

“This time… I want to kill him.”

She did not describe the process in detail, yet just hearing it made Wang Yu want to laugh.

No wonder the other party was relentlessly trying to kill her. A man had suffered that kind of humiliation several times. Who could endure that?

Especially someone who saw himself as a chosen genius.

Mental integrity was critically important.

If Wang Yu’s methods had not been strong enough, and her mind had truly been shattered, she would have been finished. The best outcome would be being controlled by killing intent. The worst…

Complete mental extinction.

So-called mental extinction meant that the body lived and the soul remained intact, but there was no thought or will. One became a living fool, obeying anything said, like a puppet.

Even worse than a vegetable.

“When you make a move on Jin Lin, inform me.”

Jin Miaoshan nodded, then began calculating again.

“That time at Mind Lake, and this time helping you take a stand, cancel each other out. You specifically told me to bring True Lady Jin Xiyuan. There must be more than just this matter, right? If we’re going to take action, then the compensation…”

Wang Yu raised an eyebrow.

Still a merchant at heart.

“Am I not helping you vent your anger too? Wasn’t that Hei Liu your spirit pet? How about I give you half the demon corpses, and you owe me the Mind Lake favor for later?”

“What do I want demon corpses for?”

After saying that, she changed the topic.

When it came to Hei Liu, Jin Miaoshan was furious.

“I treated her like a sister, and just because I refused to lift the master-servant contract, she defected to Jin Lin. An ungrateful beast!”

So the source was the contract?

Wang Yu pondered.

Any normal person would never lift contract voluntarily. Since Hei Liu dared to defect, Jin Lin must have helped her remove the restriction. Wang Yu did not comment further.

“Oh right. How did Golden Abundance Tower’s intelligence reach you? Through what channel?”

“The Demon King Banquet. Have you seen Master Earthnether?”

Master Earthnether.

With that, Wang Yu remembered.

That Yellow Spring Monastery great cultivator who replaced the Evil Dragon Spider in battle. He indeed had the ability to see through the Earth Net Ghost Face Mask.

At that time, Wang Yu’s body was in its teenage form, not too different from his adult appearance. He had not made a move back then because the situation was inappropriate.

He had been careless.

Rubbing his temples, Wang Yu reflected deeply and resolved to rein in his recent arrogance. As long as he was not invincible, he had to remain cautious.

Master Earthnether had taught him a lesson.

Judging from the current situation, perhaps Nine Evil Sword Lord had also grasped clues about his whereabouts. If that man suddenly appeared and struck him, even if he did not die, he would be severely injured.

Speaking of which, he should thank Hei Liu.

Without her causing trouble, he would never have contacted Jin Miaoshan. Now that True Lady Jin Xiyuan was backing them, convincing the demon clans to help would be much easier.

The two chatted for a while longer. Wang Yu revealed some of his recent experiences, leaving Jin Miaoshan looking envious.

“Such a pity. I have to manage business in Cloud Ridge Prefecture. Now that war has broken out again, there are tons of opportunities to make money. I can’t go traveling everywhere.

“Jin Lin should be in You Prefecture. That’s his territory. He’s probably mixed up with Yellow Spring Monastery. Dare you go?”

“Why wouldn’t I dare? You’ll know later why I’m asking for your help. Wait a bit.”

After more idle talk, Wang Yu and Jin Miaoshan started cracking melon seeds.

These came from a sunflower demon. They were rich in spiritual energy, tasted excellent, and also nourished qi and blood. Wang Yu grabbed a huge handful without hesitation.

This immediately earned him a furious glare.

At some point, the two of them had developed a tacit understanding like close confidants. It might even be a side effect of their Mind Lake connection.

Half a day later.

Peng Qing and the Demon Cat Clan Leader returned.

The latter silently handed over a storage pouch. Inside were fifteen fourth-rank demon corpses, with the Demon Cat Clan contributing about half.

Thirteen were early-stage fourth-rank. Two were mid-stage fourth-rank.

All of the corpses were incomplete. Eyes, tails, scales, horns… several parts were missing from each.

This did not affect artifact refinement.

The artifact-refining chapter of the Demon Refining Art was, in essence, a method of refining artifacts using demon flesh and blood. It was extremely sinister.

The main material was the corpse’s flesh and blood, not a few individual parts.

Clan Leader Hei said, “I’ve done my best. I emptied my family fortune and only managed to trade for these.”

Peng Qing nodded in confirmation.

“He’s telling the truth.”