Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 240

However, because of his overly sensitive perception, the surge of pain made him pause for an instant.

Taking that chance, Wang Yu shot out, flashing a thousand meters away in the blink of an eye. He swiftly reached Snowjade’s side, scooped up his beloved spirit pet, and tossed it into the spirit beast pouch.

At that very moment, his gaze brushed past a pair of startled eyes.

A stranger was spying on him.

The commotion from the battle with the Venomfire Toad was immense, so attracting another cultivator who was also exploring the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest was nothing unusual. There was no need to worry too much about luring in another third-rank demonic beast.

Once demonic beasts gain intelligence, they develop extremely strong territorial instincts. Within a thousand miles of the Venomfire Toad’s area, there would never be a second third-rank demonic beast. That was common knowledge, though of course, not all things in the world obeyed common sense.

Among Foundation Establishment cultivators, Wang Yu’s speed was not the very best, but it was certainly among the upper ranks. His Frost Moon Wings had long reached perfection.

With a single glide, he could travel several kilometers. Against a demonic beast like the Venomfire Toad that was poor at escape techniques, it was only a matter of time before he shook it off.

The massive toad bounded after him, its back spraying a poisonous, fiery fluid that left behind a blazing path.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Wang Yu hid behind a massive boulder. Layering spell formations with the effect of the Earth-net Ghost Mask, he blended perfectly into the mountain forest, appearing as nothing more than an ordinary stone.Before long, the Venomfire Toad croaked past him and continued chasing into the distance.

“Phew… finally lost it.”

Through this battle, he discovered that a typical third-rank demonic beast was slightly weaker than an outer sect Core Formation cultivator from the Yellow Springs Monastery. However, the toad had not used its life-bound demonic treasure, nor was he sure whether that wide-ranged fire ring technique was its innate divine ability.

Therefore, this fight could only serve as a reference. If all factors were accounted for and the effects of the Yin Corpse Evil Curse removed, such a beast could very well surpass an outer sect Core Formation cultivator of a major sect.

Third-rank demonic beasts were indeed formidable. To slay one outright, relying solely on his Lunar Yin Corpse for entanglement was not enough. He still lacked a decisive finishing move.

After waiting a while and confirming that the Venomfire Toad had no intention of returning, Wang Yu relaxed considerably.

The Crimson Flame Redstone he obtained was worth over a million spirit stones, exceeding two or three years of steady profits from Jade Spirit’s honest business.

Indeed, one had to venture out more often. Opportunities would never come knocking by themselves.

Just as he prepared to continue toward the target valley, a shadow flickered beside him.

A young girl appeared three meters away, dressed tightly in a belted long skirt that revealed no skin except her face.

Her features were delicate and exquisite, her cheeks pink and flawless, radiating a cute and lively charm. Her eyes gleamed like crystal glass, giving off an unsettling sense of being watched.

Wang Yu snorted coldly.

The crescent mark surfaced in his eyes as he activated the Illusion of the Moon Realm, glaring back at her. His hands came together, and countless ice spikes began to emerge from the ground.

“Wait—!”

The girl swiftly broke through his Moon Illusionary Eye Technique, stepping into a mysterious footwork that seemed to compress space itself. Without a visible sign of movement, she reappeared fifty meters away.

Wang Yu paused.

Years ago, he had read a vast number of records in the Scripture Hall, including detailed intelligence reports about the five Demonic Sects and the seven Righteous Sects.

The girl’s strange movement technique was none other than Shrinking Earth to Inches, the top-tier escape divine ability of the Thunderfire Temple from the Taihu Spiritual Domain.

Judging by her aura, she was only at the peak of Foundation Establishment. Yet her mastery of this divine ability had already reached minor completion, surpassing his Yellow Springs Great Hand Seal cultivated through the Idle Slot.

It was on par with his Lesser Asura Killing Fist, which he had cultivated for years.

After a moment of silence, Wang Yu was the first to speak.

“From Thunderfire Temple, are you?”

The girl froze, then quickly shook her head.

“I am not. I obtained this escape technique from an ancient secret realm.”

“Oh? I never said it was your technique that exposed you.”

“…”

Her poor acting and feigned innocence were irritating, not to mention that she had tried to probe his background right upon meeting. Fortunately, with the Earth-net Ghost Mask on his face, he did not have to worry about revealing his identity.

He had come seeking opportunities. Whatever business Thunderfire Temple had here was irrelevant to him; he rarely interacted with cultivators from Taihu.

“The earlier offense is forgiven, fellow cultivator. You may leave now.”

“I did not mean to offend. My apologies.”

To his surprise, the girl actually apologized. She stared at Wang Yu’s mask and asked softly,

“May I ask where fellow Daoist obtained that mask?”

That mask was a remnant from an organization long destroyed—

The Moluo Horde.

Such intelligence was not something the Taihu factions should concern themselves with. After all, it was merely a third-rate Core Formation assassins’ group.

Even if all thirty-six assassins possessed Core Formation cultivation, they were far from being a priority compared to the Nascent Soul experts of the five Demonic Sects.

It was like a great nation fixating on a small African tribe, asking whether they had changed their chieftain yesterday.

Utterly absurd.

Perplexed, Wang Yu asked in return,

“What business is that of yours?”

Perhaps feeling guilty for her earlier offense, the girl actually explained. “Many years ago, someone very important to me came to Cloud Ridge Prefecture. She wore the same mask as you. I wish to find her.”

A story quickly formed in Wang Yu’s mind.

The girl was clearly from Thunderfire Temple and held a key position within it. Otherwise, she could not have inherited such a top-tier divine technique while still in the Foundation Establishment stage. That much was undeniable.

But she had come here looking for someone.

People of extraordinary origin usually carried hidden trump cards far beyond their realm. Wang Yu had no desire to invite trouble, so he simply said,

“The person you seek must have been one of the assassins of the Moluo Horde.”

“Moluo Horde? Assassins? I beg fellow Daoist to tell me, how can I contact this organization?”

Wang Yu’s gaze turned strange. This person truly knew nothing at all, yet came rushing out to search for someone. That did not match his understanding of cultivators from Taihu.

That Moonlight Fairy, Chang Xi, had left too deep an impression on him. As for that Lan Boting who appeared later, he had completely shattered Wang Yu’s image of righteous cultivators.

It seemed she was not just a noble young lady. Likely, she had lived under the protection of her elders since birth, which shaped such a sheltered personality.

If the Thunderfire Temple could not find her quickly, no matter what trump cards she possessed, she would likely still die. The Crimson Kite Demonic Domain’s cultivators of tribulation were endless, wave after wave.

As long as one carried the meek temperament of a little lamb, trouble would never cease. Those people had sharp eyes and always chose the softest persimmon to crush to death.

No matter how many trump cards one had, there would come a time when they were exhausted.

After a long silence, Wang Yu finally spoke, carefully choosing his words.

“This Zhou can tell fellow Daoist everything I know. But you… what can you offer me in exchange?”

Only then did the other party realize, yet she was not foolish enough to take out all her treasures and let Wang Yu choose. She asked cautiously,

“How many spirit stones?”

Such a feigned-poor act was far too naïve.

He shook his head. “This is the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest. What use have I for spirit stones? Do you have any single-use treasure with great destructive power? Preferably third-rank.”

The young lady’s heart tightened. Indeed, the people of the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain were as her master said—treacherous and cunning. He was clearly testing whether she had hidden trump cards.

Since that was the case—Why not intimidate him a little, to make him trade honestly?

“I have several talisman treasures here. I can part with one at most, to purchase this information from Fellow Daoist Zhuo.”

Wang Yu’s eyes brightened. As expected of a noble lady.

Talisman treasures of third-rank were extremely precious. Only by extracting the origin essence of a Core Formation cultivator’s life-bound artifact could one craft such a talisman. A complete talisman treasure could be used up to three times.

And she had several of them!

“I wonder,” he asked, “what is the highest rank of the talismans in fellow Daoist’s possession?”

“That has nothing to do with you, Fellow Daoist Zhuo.”

The Boundless Talisman Treasure was mid–third-rank, capable of unleashing three wide-range attacks.

The Heavenly Thunder Talisman Treasure was mid–third-rank, able to summon three strikes of heavenly thunder with immense single-target power.

The Ink Abyss Talisman Treasure was mid–third-rank, containing three seals of the Ink Abyss Divine Mark, capable of suppressing a great demon for the duration of one incense stick.

These three were the talisman treasures that this noble lady from Taihu brought forth. None had been used, and they were all of neat, uniform grade—third-rank, mid-grade—showing clearly that she possessed more and stronger talismans in reserve.

Those were likely items she usually disdained to even use.

Wang Yu’s eyes gleamed with desire, yet he also felt regret. Knowing she could take out this level of talisman meant that was already her limit. Asking for more would be pointless unless she was a fool.

“I’ll take the Heavenly Thunder Talisman Treasure.”

“Agreed.”

With that, the young lady sent the Heavenly Thunder Talisman Treasure toward Wang Yu on a gentle breeze—without even demanding a contract.

Such sincere straightforwardness felt as if it belonged to another world entirely.

He almost forgot when he had last encountered someone like this.

“Fellow Daoist Zhuo, please speak now.”

Seeing her suspicious gaze, Wang Yu suddenly smiled faintly and did not go back on his word. “A hundred years ago, thirty-six assassins of the Moluo Horde joined forces to assassinate the Nascent Soul son of the Joyous Union Sect. They succeeded, but were later crushed to dust by his father, the Yin-Yang Demon Lord.”

“The thirty-six Earth-Net Ghost Masks began circulating in the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain from that time onward. The one on my face was purchased at an auction.”

“Impossible!”

Before Wang Yu even finished, the young lady’s emotions flared up in disbelief.

“Sister Mu… she told me herself that she came to Cloud Ridge Prefecture. How could she have gone to assassinate someone from the Joyous Union Sect? Your information must be wrong!”

“It cannot be wrong.”

Wang Yu spread his hands.

“In the Crimson Kite Domain, others may lie, but I, Zhuo, value my reputation most. Even if you are a cultivator from Taihu, once a transaction is made, I would not deceive you.”

“The news came from the Heaven Treasure Pavilion. If you wish to verify it, it should not be difficult.”

He deliberately misled her. The intelligence had actually come from Jin Miaoshan, but he could not let her verify it at Golden Abundance Tower, lest his presence in the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest be exposed.

Though she might guess the truth, it was still better to conceal what could be concealed. Having that layer of ambiguity meant she would not contact him again.

If any flaw were revealed, she would certainly suspect Wang Yu.

Hearing his mention of the Heaven Treasure Pavilion, the young lady already half believed him. Dazed, she stumbled toward the mountain’s edge, clearly intending to verify it.

Seeing this, Wang Yu reminded her,

“In your current state, you had best not enter Ten Thousand Poison Town. Go to a nearby large city to confirm instead.”

She gave no reply. Her silhouette gradually vanished into the shadows of the dense forest.

This transaction, Wang Yu thought, could be considered a benevolent one.

Perhaps it even counted as forming a karmic tie.

This time in the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest, he had first met the Ruan family team, then this noble lady from Taihu. Deep within, some long-buried feeling had been stirred.

How long it would last, he did not know.

He shook his head and continued toward his destination.

There are a thousand ways to cultivate the demonic path, and a thousand kinds of demons. Selfishness is demon. Indulgent vengeance is demon. Mass slaughter of all beings is demon. Following one’s heart without restraint is also demon.

As for him—this demonic cultivator—he could no longer clearly see his own heart.