Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 222

He silently asked and answered himself.

Now that he had seen such a spiritual treasure, not taking it would truly be against the will of heaven. The moment Wang Yu’s ascending figure steadied, he once again flew swiftly toward his target.

The closer he got, the denser the free-flowing lightning energy in the surroundings became.

Blue-white electric light gradually gained a faint violet hue.

Moments later, a purple radiance entered his eyes. In the boundless darkness of the underground cavern, a cluster of crystal-like purple crystals grew out of the loose, charred soil.

Each crystal was marked with violet lightning imprints, and faint arcs of electricity would occasionally flicker across them, producing a low crackling sound.

Recognizing the item, Wang Yu felt a surge of delight.

“Heavenly Thunder Crystal Cluster!”

According to legend, during a cultivator’s tribulation, the scattered power of the heavenly lightning occasionally condensed within the earth to form this treasure. It was not only extremely rare but also the perfect material for refining treasures used during tribulation.

Its base grade started at the third rank. If formed under the lightning tribulations of Nascent Soul or Spirit Transformation cultivators, its rank would be even higher.The Thunderfall Abyss possessed a special environment, often attracting natural lightning strikes into its depths. Over countless years, the rocks and soil had accumulated an immense amount of thunder energy, even forming thunderous storms.

Such a place was a blessed land for lightning-attribute cultivators, where spiritual materials were expected to emerge naturally. This particular Heavenly Thunder Crystal Cluster, being only third-rank, was clearly a naturally formed one.

Wang Yu stepped forward, enduring the violet lightning radiating from the spiritual item. With little effort, he plucked it and stored it in a jade box for preservation. Later, he would visit the Heaven Treasure Pavilion to purchase some auxiliary materials.

Once that was done, he could begin refining his tribulation treasure.

Ordinarily, if he were preparing to break through to Core Formation, he should have applied to his sect for assistance. The sect would provide a third-rank spiritual vein cave residence, formations to disperse lightning tribulation force, and protective tribulation treasures.

It seemed unnecessary for him to refine such a treasure himself—but in truth, that was not the case.

Wang Yu actually wished to break through in Jade Spirit City.

Back at the sect, he had deliberately claimed to use the Foundation Seizing Grand Technique to advance to Foundation Establishment. It was a way to avoid attention, for when he truly thought about it, he had only been thirty-seven when he reached Foundation Establishment, an astonishing speed.

Now, he was just over sixty-three.

Compared to ordinary cultivators who reached Foundation Establishment at around a hundred, or even geniuses who did so at fifty, his pace was conspicuous. Even techniques that burned lifespan could not easily conceal such progress, so he used the Foundation Seizing Grand Technique as an explanation.

The three influential families, Zhuo, Yu, and Zuoqiu—who had invested in him were naturally willing to help. With their protection, he did not need to worry about being exposed in the short term.

As long as he endured until his Core Formation breakthrough, his position would rise from Inner Sect Deacon to Inner Sect Elder. At that point, his eligibility to study the Blood Reversal Sect’s core inheritance would be firmly secured.

Originally, he had planned to use the Demonic Embryo Mysterious Origin Curse as a justification. This was also what Zhuo Shouqing and the others believed to be the “truth.” But another cultivator also practiced that secret art—his mortal enemy, Fu Xiao.

That man was traveling in the Vermilion Bird Divine Mountain in search of opportunities and had yet to return.

Wang Yu’s plan was clear.

If that man returned, he would undergo his breakthrough in Jade Spirit City. If not, then he would do it in the sect.

In any case, a personal tribulation-avoidance treasure was essential.

The Heavenly Thunder Crystal Cluster was already the supreme-grade material for that purpose. Empowering his Taiyin Nether Eyes with true essence, Wang Yu scanned the surroundings.

Sure enough—he discovered even more responses carrying intense Pure Yang energy.

When it was time to be greedy, one must be greedy. Wang Yu had always been bold in such matters; otherwise, he would never have entered the Eastern Extreme Capital for patchwork cultivation and returned fully laden.

Following the Pure Yang aura, he continued his search.

“Thunderstone? A second-rank spiritual item, and five pieces at that. Excellent as auxiliary materials for a tribulation treasure.”

“This is... Violet Lightning Fusion Liquid! A rare second-rank body-refining material. There must be at least a hundred drops of it in this pit. I’ll take it all.”

“Lightning-Conducting Iron? That’s a key material for constructing the Heavenly Heart Lightning Dispersion Tribulation Formation. The best choice for refining Lightning-Conducting Flags. It can even be disassembled for other uses.”

The deeper he ventured toward the center, the more abundant the lightning-type spiritual items became. Though none were of the same caliber as the Heavenly Thunder Crystal Cluster, his harvest was still considerable.

As the saying went: disaster breeds fortune, and fortune hides disaster.

Being forced to hide in the Thunderfall Abyss was misfortune. Using its lightning to temper his body and reach the late stage of the second rank was fortune. Now, discovering so many lightning treasures was also fortune.

According to the principle of duality, Wang Yu couldn’t help but swallow hard.

In the vision of his Taiyin Nether Eyes, there remained one last area with particularly dense Pure Yang energy. From afar, it resembled a perfectly round black sphere resting on the ground.

“The last one. Once I take this final item, I’ll leave.”

After a short while, Wang Yu frowned at the pitch-black stone. The Pure Yang aura was unmistakable, this was indeed what he had seen—but he could not recognize what type of item it was.

When he tried to move it, he found that he could not budge it at all, which greatly surprised him.

“What kind of treasure is this? Even with my strength, I can’t lift it. Could it be connected to the mountain itself?”

“Urgh—ah!”

As his draconic spine exerted power, veins bulged along his arms, forehead, and neck, and faint dragon roars echoed within him. He thought he heard the sound of stone fracturing.

“Hah!”

Sensing imminent success, Wang Yu gritted his teeth and unleashed his full strength. The ground beneath his feet collapsed, spreading cracks more than ten meters wide.

Rumble.

The earth quaked violently. A sudden change occurred—the black sphere erupted with raging lightning. Startled, Wang Yu instinctively released his grip and leapt far back.

What was going on?

Suddenly—

Two flashes of lightning streaked through the darkness. Wang Yu focused his eyes and realized that the black round stone he had just pulled out had opened what looked like an eye-like thunder pupil.

Wang Yu froze: "…So… just now… the thing I pulled out… was a head?"

"Boom—"

A loud explosion resounded. Rocks shattered, debris flew in all directions, and boundless lightning converged from every side, illuminating the deep pit with an unnatural brightness.

Only now did Wang Yu see the full scope of the scene.

It was a charred corpse, covered entirely in blackened flesh. Its legs bore numerous root-like stone tendrils, and a yellowish fluid still oozed from the broken sections. What he had pulled out earlier was exactly this part.

As expected, this was a naturally formed zombie.

Its corpse aura and thunder energy were intertwined indistinguishably. Yet, strangely, there was no trace of Yin energy or demonic energy, making it exceptionally unusual. According to the records of Yin-Demonic Corpse Refining Techniques, this thing was unquestionably a naturally born anomaly.

Most astonishing of all—it was a Thunder Zombie.

For a moment, Wang Yu’s scalp tingled. Zombies are most fearful of all forms of Yang energy in the world—thunder, fire, pure Yang energy, and so forth. Some zombies are unafraid because they possess resistance, but fundamentally they are still restrained, such as Wang Yu’s Lunar Yin Fiend Demonic Zombie.

This Thunder Zombie was different. It had truly assimilated the most supreme and unyielding power of thunder for its own use. Not only had it shed the typical Yin zombie body, it also possessed divine thunder techniques.

Furthermore, it had abandoned the instinct to absorb Heaven and Earth’s demonic energy. While demonic energy could strengthen ordinary zombies, it would also obstruct the awakening of intelligence. Legendary spirit zombies gain intelligence precisely because they do not absorb demonic energy.

This Thunder Zombie combined the traits of a spirit zombie.

Even among extremely rare Thunder Zombies, it was a unique individual. If it could be cultivated to the level of a Flying Immortal, it might transform from death to life—a possibility not to be underestimated.

Wang Yu felt as if he were witnessing a legend, his shock unparalleled.

After a long while, he finally regained his composure.

At that moment, the Thunder Zombie seemed to awaken from its endless slumber, assessing the situation. It looked at the broken earth tendrils at its feet, and its eyes revealed a human-like rage. Zombies are often called the children of the earth, as they can draw power from the soil. Wang Yu had unintentionally destroyed its arrangement, and now it struck back with targeted malice.

“Rrrip—”

Lightning flashed and vanished. The Thunder Spirit Zombie suddenly appeared before Wang Yu, its corpse claws crackling with violet electricity, reaching for his chest. Wang Yu quickly leaned back.

As he braced his right hand on the ground, he swept his leg horizontally.

With his superhuman strength far beyond his rank, it felt like kicking an iron block—he could not budge the Thunder Spirit Zombie at all.

"Mid third-rank?!"

Wang Yu could not help exclaiming. He could not move it, not even slightly.

Seeing the Thunder Spirit Zombie retract its claws and suddenly lunge at him, Wang Yu’s body merged with the ground fluidly, employing the Purple Dragon Earth-Escape Technique. If not now, when?

No sooner had he entered the earth than he realized with horror that the Thunder Spirit Zombie could also travel underground—and faster than him. In only two breaths of time, his left leg was grabbed. Dizzy, he was hurled from the earth, smashing through layers of rock and soil.

From the surface, it looked as though the ground had exploded. Wang Yu flew backward, and the Thunder Spirit Zombie, its body crackling with violet electricity, pursued him relentlessly.

It opened its mouth with a roar.

"Ang—"

A pillar of lightning shot from its corpse mouth. Wang Yu’s eyelids twitched at the sight of this method of attack.

The Frost Moon Wings on his back spread, attempting to deflect himself. Third-rank Ice Chi Flames surged from his sleeves, manipulated by Flame Form Technique into two ice pythons, wrapping toward the lightning pillar.

Thunder moves at extreme speed, and with the cultivation gap, Wang Yu could not evade. The collision between the Ice Chi Flames and the lightning pillar lasted only a moment before being blasted apart. It was not that his flames were weak, but his cultivation and techniques were insufficient.

Half of his body was struck by the lightning pillar, instantly losing sensation.

“Who taught me to seek fortune in peril?!”

He cursed inwardly.

Wang Yu quickly released his Lunar Yin Fiend Zombie from the coffin treasure. The moment the Thunder Spirit Zombie struck, they collided, rolling together.

Struggling to rise, Wang Yu drew out the Ghost-Weeping Flute, while the Glazed Soul Lamp hovered behind him, radiating gray soul fire.

Ordinarily, zombies have some immunity to soul techniques, but the Thunder Spirit Zombie was different. It had evidently gained a measure of intelligence.

This meant it possessed a clear divine soul, not just the chaotic awareness of a bloodthirsty killer. With its fledgling intelligence being weak, Wang Yu judged this would be its weakness.

“Woo~”

A sharp, distinctive note sounded from the flute. The Thunder Spirit Zombie hesitated; while not fully controlled by the Heart-Demon Melody, it was noticeably affected.

Taking advantage of the moment, the Lunar Yin Fiend Zombie employed its innate divine technique, Yin Fiend Descending Evil Curse.

The curse entwined the Thunder Spirit Zombie, which tilted its head and roared.

It unleashed a thunderstorm-like field. Thick bolts of lightning shot from its body, forming a dense electric net that struck the Lunar Yin Fiend Corpse, causing agonized wails.

Much of the corpse energy dissipated, and it suffered severe injury.

The thunderstorm state lasted ten breaths, completely dispelling the Yin Fiend Descending Evil Curse. Only then did the Thunder Spirit Zombie return to normal and continue its attack on Wang Yu.

Wang Yu’s body was numb and immobile. He could only summon the Snowjade to carry him while simultaneously using the Soul-Shattering Finger Technique.