Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 221

At this stage, the progress of his Body Refining cultivation had become increasingly difficult. He needed to condense a total of nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine drops of Essence Blood and undergo one final cycle of triple condensation and triple dispersion before he could break through to the third stage of Body Refining.

Even with the assistance of the Dragon Blood Elixir refined from dragon essence, the process could not be hastened. The accumulation required was truly long and arduous. Moreover, after so many years of use, only a quail-egg-sized piece of dragon essence remained, far from enough to meet the requirements for breaking through to the third stage of Body Refining. It was time to seek alternative resources that could serve as substitutes.

Inside the Starfall Cold Furnace, Wang Yu slowly opened his eyes. He could feel his body undergoing a minor transformation, and a hint of joy appeared on his face.

“I did not expect my Body Refining realm to surpass my Qi Refining stage, already reaching the equivalent of a late Foundation Establishment standard. But… my Foundation Establishment seventh layer will not take long either.”

After briefly sensing the True Essence within his body, Wang Yu estimated that he could break through again within two years.

The tempering effect of the thunder energy in this place was astonishing. In just a few days, the results were significant.

After adapting for a while, Wang Yu continued cultivating. When the thunder’s effect began to diminish, he activated the Wind and Thunder Spirit Pattern Secret Art to advance both together.

He remained completely unaware of the surging winds and rolling clouds above.

Or rather, he did not even attempt to sense them. He feared that extending his Divine Sense might be detected by a Core Formation cultivator. As long as Snowjade’s condition remained stable, he had no plans to leave for now.

Thus, the thunderstorm within the deep pit continued raging, completely unlike usual times when it would subside after half a day.One could say that as long as Wang Yu did not stop cultivating, the thunderstorm would not cease. A strange connection had formed between the two.

…

Within the Thunderfall Abyss, inside a cave.

Qi Sheng’s face was grim. Over the past several days, his Lightning-Avoidance Talisman had been completely consumed in the thunderstorm. He now hid inside his life-bound treasure, the Azure Nether Cauldron, trapped in the cave tunnel and unable to move forward.

Meanwhile, Snowjade also hid within the Corpse-Nurturing Coffin, feeling deeply uneasy. The little fox was pitiful, trapped together with a ferocious corpse puppet and two animated corpses.

Her sense of security had plummeted. Since following Wang Yu, she had never been separated from her master for so long, and now she was terribly afraid.

“Bang!”

Qi Sheng slammed his palm against the cauldron wall. Fierce winds howled around him, revealing his inner turmoil. If this stalemate continued, he would be at a disadvantage.

As for his companions, after several days, there should have been some movement. Yet he was trapped within the thunderstorm, unable to transmit messages—the Sound Transmission Jade Talisman could not pierce through such a lightning field.

This meant complete isolation from the outside world. If it lasted one or two days, that would be fine, but now it had been four or five days with no sign of abating.

His anxiety deepened. He feared being cornered and captured by experts from Cloud Ridge Prefecture City. After all this pursuit, he had realized that Wang Yu’s strategy was to deliberately delay time.

This meant that when Wang Yu escaped into the Thunderfall Abyss, he had already planned his countermeasure.

Now, Qi Sheng had two choices.

First, abandon the pursuit of Wang Yu, use his life-bound treasure for protection, force his way out of the thunderstorm, and return to the surface. If things went smoothly, he could safely make it back to Secluded Prefecture.

Second, brace against the lightning and venture deeper. Wang Yu was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. He would struggle merely to defend against the lightning and should be unable to move.

In that case, the chances of catching him were still considerable.

But, fearing the slightest misstep, Qi Sheng no longer wished to take risks—even though Elder Dizang was about to form his Nascent Soul.

“I, Qi Sheng, have done my utmost. I am not one of those who shirk responsibility. It is time to leave.”

After convincing himself, Qi Sheng stopped hesitating.

He shrank the Azure Nether Cauldron, suspended it above his head, and released the Azure Nether Wind to block the violent lightning from all sides. Instead of retracing his steps, he ascended diagonally, thereby narrowly missing the lightning sphere condensed by Wang Yu’s cultivation.

Twelve days later.

Wang Yu felt his body saturated with dense lightning energy. Especially in his arms—the lightning patterns that had originally covered only his upper arms now spread across his entire body.

This signified that the Wind and Thunder Secret Art had reached complete perfection. These spirit patterns functioned like batteries that stored the power of wind and lightning—the more they spread, the greater the capacity.

Now that they covered his whole body, they were fully perfected.

Once that immense lightning energy was released through the secret art, Wang Yu could hardly imagine the extent of his power boost.

However, because the lightning energy was externally stored, once consumed, it had to be replenished by absorbing wind and lightning again. The natural recovery speed was too slow, making it difficult to use multiple times in one battle.

“Pity. Only the thunder patterns are perfected. The wind patterns have advanced little.”

Even so, Wang Yu was satisfied with such gains while on the run. This third-rank explosive secret art was enough for him to rely on until the peak of Core Formation. The wind patterns could be expanded gradually, no need to rush.

After finishing cultivation, Wang Yu carefully sensed the situation above. Finding no traces of aura, he used the Purple Dragon Earth-Escape Technique to return to the cave passage.

He then used his Divine Sense to search for Snowjade’s location. When he discovered that she had not moved for half a month, his brows furrowed.

Not long after—

“Awwooo!”

“Hm?”

“Awwooo ah!”

“Mm, I see now.”

After a period of difficult communication, Wang realized what had happened over the past few days and, with a pained expression, rubbed his Corpse-Nurturing Coffin.

Snowjade: “(o_0)???”

As a corpse-path artifact, it was naturally restrained by lightning, which represented the purest form of yang energy. After soaking in the sea of lightning for half a month, the Lunar Yin Corpse-Nurturing Coffin was covered with lightning patterns, its color fading noticeably.

Inside the coffin, a large amount of thunder qi remained, forcing the Lunar Yin Corpse into a corner.

Wang Yu was silent.

As for the two supreme-grade corpse materials, they were not severely affected, though they had also been soaked in thunder qi for a while and developed faint lightning patterns.

Seeing this state, Wang Yu suddenly had an idea.

He activated the Mysterious Yin Hand, grabbed a large chunk of rock filled with thunder qi, and with the other hand used his Ice Sword Qi to carve two stone coffins. Into them, he placed the bodies of the Corpse Fiend and Corpse Demon, both still containing traces of vitality.

Then he dug up a large handful of soil infused with thunder qi from beneath his feet and buried the coffins. Extending his divine sense to observe, he was surprised to find a true reaction taking place.

The Corpse Demon adapted rather smoothly, while the Corpse Fiend resisted violently, the yin and baleful energy it had accumulated over time evaporating completely.

Wang Yu tossed that one aside, keeping only the Corpse Demon material, guiding it to mutate under the influence of lightning. He then let Snowjade shrink and perch on his shoulder.

Cautiously, he began retracing his path.

He was unsure whether the pursuers had withdrawn, but after so much time, reinforcements from the Cloud Ridge Prefecture City should have arrived. Theoretically, he should now be safe.

Even so, he still activated the Searching Mountain and Hunting Demons Secret Art once every half a stick of incense, while continuing to dig up soil rich in thunder qi to pour into the Corpse-Nurturing Coffin, nurturing the lightning-mutated Corpse Demon material.

Half a day later.

Wang Yu returned to the central region of the Thunderfall Abyss.

Looking up, he could faintly see a grain-sized white dot, daylight from the surface. Though the light could not reach this depth, it still brought him a sense of reassurance.

“It’s over.”

This ordeal had been a harsh lesson. The difference between Core Formation cultivators from great sects and rogue Core Formation cultivators had truly taught him something. He wondered how Qingyang was doing.

As his most trusted companion, Qingyang could not be allowed to fall.

Just as Wang Yu unfolded his Frost Moon Wings to fly away, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck beside him, blue-white arcs of electricity flickering and hissing.

It did not hit the ground but shot toward the central area instead, as if drawn by something.

Wang Yu’s heart stirred. With the Thunderfall Abyss being so strange, it would be unbelievable if no rare spiritual object existed here.

At the very least, a thunder-attribute spiritual object should be present. He had traveled through the tunnels for so long without finding anything, which was highly abnormal.

If a treasure truly lay at the center of this hundred-mile-wide pit, he would believe it.

“Since I’m already here, might as well take a look.”

Surely nothing bad would happen, right?

He did not say the last part aloud. With that thought, he turned sharply, spread his icy wings, and shot toward the center.

The closer he flew, the more lightning currents he encountered. They looked like serpents of thunder slithering through the air, converging toward the darkness ahead.

Wang Yu’s speed increased further. Soon, he began to see blackened skeletal remains scattered across the ground, resembling charred corpses melted by lightning.

They were everywhere.

This reminded him of the legend surrounding the Thunderfall Abyss. These should be the remains of countless treasure-seekers who had come before.

They too must have noticed the anomaly at the center and converged upon it. But what kind of accident had befallen them? Sporadic lightning alone could not have caused such devastation.

“Could it be that they encountered a thunderstorm midway?”

Puzzled, Wang Yu raised his vigilance and used the Searching Mountain and Hunting Demons Secret Art more frequently. He also recalled the legend of Ji Meng.

That ancient beast was said to have once slain a Spirit Transformation cultivator here. If the tale was true, the danger ahead would be beyond measure.

But if it was false, then what could have caused such destruction?

Mid-flight, Wang Yu suddenly stopped.

The Thunderfall Abyss lay in the heart of Cloud Ridge Prefecture. If a Spirit Transformation cultivator’s relic truly existed here, the Blood Reversal Sect would have already taken it. Only danger would remain.

Unless the unique environment here had birthed new thunder-type spiritual materials, that might explain the phenomenon. Yet such new treasures would surely have been claimed long ago.

After all, this place was unlike the Eastern Extreme Capital Ruins, which contained formation, seals, and slumbering ancient corpses. For Core Formation cultivators, this pit was not an inaccessible forbidden ground.

Hence, he hesitated.

“There must be a reason no one else has come here. Best not to court disaster.”

Suppressing his curiosity, Wang Yu turned upward to leave.

Yet his regret compelled him to glance downward again, pushing his Taiyin Nether Eyes to their limit. It was mere human nature to take a chance.

And to his surprise, it worked, his eye technique revealed something unusual.

In Moon-Observation State, one could perceive the yin essence of all things.

Now, just five li away in the depths of the darkness, there was a cluster radiating vigorous yang energy, emanating waves of spiritual qi.

Strictly speaking, it was not even at the very center of the pit.

“Should I take a look? Just a look.”