Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 304

The path of puppetry has three major branches.

Human Puppets, Iron Puppets, and Beast Puppets.

They are classified according to materials, structure, and function. Mutant zombies are equivalent to earth-rank puppets. Above that are heaven-rank puppets, which correspond to heaven-grade bloodlines among demon beasts.

Such puppets have almost never appeared in this realm.

At best there are only fourth-rank puppets. This is both the upper limit and the result of insufficient craftsmanship. Moreover, there are no corpses of Spirit Transformation cultivators available to support the creation of the highest puppets.

The Earth Resentment Puppet is a top-tier puppet-refining method that Wang Yu obtained from the Old Earth Demon during his time in Jade Spirit. The best material is the active corpse of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

This Yellow Springs Demonic Bone more or less meets the requirement.

The lack of vitality only makes advancement impossible, but it does not prevent refinement. It will simply lose much of its original power. Wang Yu felt he would need some luck.

If he could gain control of a fourth-rank puppet, even at early stage, it would bring him an earth-shaking transformation. After searching for quite a while, he finally located the target.

He checked the Idle Slots first.[Idle Slot 6: Earth Resentment Puppet Master's Scripture (Puppet Refining, Secret Art, Third Rank)]

"Earth Resentment Puppet Master’s Scripture (0/100): practice 3 times per day. perfection in twenty years."

Wang Yu frowned.

A third-rank secret art. Can it really refine the Earth Resentment Puppet described within, or is it merely the imagination of its creator?

After all, anyone can boast. No one is held responsible for it.

He thought for a moment.

He did not take it out for now. He would wait for the Idle Slot’s feedback and assess the quality of this secret art. Refining a puppet is not something done in a day or two.

He reorganized his collection once again.

The newly obtained storage rings were difficult to handle, just like Wen Hua’s ring.

From Wen Hua’s ring, Wang Yu had only transferred the Nascent Soul Pill formula and materials like the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng into the Sea-Heart Ring.

Everything else, including that eye-type artifact which had revealed some power, he left untouched.

He mainly feared that the Yin Yang Sect would trace him through stolen-goods channels. Ideally, Wen Hua’s storage ring should be exchanged for spirit stones on the territory of the Yellow Springs Monastery.

Similarly, these spoils taken from the Zhuo clan were also difficult to handle. Wang Yu inspected the contents and burned anything that might contain tracking functions.

Only then did he take out the white robe worn over the Yellow Springs Demonic Bone.

Robes are a category of artifacts. They can serve as defensive gear, but their defensive effect is usually mediocre within the same rank.

Their true purpose is to amplify divine abilities and spells that share the same origin as the wearer. A top-tier robe can rival a magic artifact of the same rank.

Wang Yu infused his divine sense into it, left an imprint, and began refining it with his mana. Soon he obtained considerable information.

This robe was called Three Feet of Snow.

It was an ice-yin attribute robe. Not only did it suit the cultivators of the Yellow Springs Monastery, it also suited Wang Yu very well. Its original grade was fourth-rank high-grade.

Due to battle damage and age, it had degraded to third-rank low-grade. This was not a major issue. As long as it had not turned to residue, it could be repaired.

As for it being a garment worn by a corpse, that bothered him even less. As long as it was beneficial, it was auspicious.

Moreover, its rank had only fallen. Restoring it would be far easier than refining a new fourth-rank robe, let alone a fourth-rank high-grade one, which was something one could not seek deliberately.

This robe was a classic ancient design.

It was pure white with silver patterns. The hem was straight, and the slightly long rear drape below the hips was tattered. At the lower back there was a hole torn open by a sharp claw.

Its appearance was temporarily unsightly. Small cracks could be restored slowly through mana nourishment. The large tear would require proper repair.

Supreme-grade ice-attribute silkworm thread should suffice. He noted this matter in his heart.

An hour later.

Using Zhuo Jie’s memories in combination with the Ten-Thousand Miles Manifestation secret technique, Wang Yu located a new burial chamber. This one was not an above-ground palace.

It was the entrance to an underground mausoleum.

Most cultivators construct their own tombs. Their scale and structure are far more grand than the imperial tombs of Wang Yu’s previous life. Some even contain special arrangements.

Naturally, one must possess sufficient status or strong backing. Otherwise they could not even protect their corpse. Building a tomb within a spatial secret realm was a considerable display of power.

Now that he saw a true tomb and considered what he had encountered earlier, he suspected that the Yellow Springs Demonic Bone had likely been the tomb guardian of the Yellow Spring White Bone Path and had met with some accident. As a result, this tomb secret realm had been abandoned.

For example, the strange puppet he had encountered earlier.

Zhuo Wenshi and that formation master had almost certainly entered this underground mausoleum. This time Wang Yu did not follow immediately. Instead, he released the Lunar Yin Fiend Corpse and the Thunder Corpse.

Hidden within the yin mist of this place, their natural affinity made them move like fish in water. Wang Yu’s figure gradually turned transparent and disappeared at the entrance.

Lying in wait.

…

…

Inside the unnamed underground palace.

Zhuo Wenshi stared at the middle-aged formation master and pointed at a coffin.

"You go open it."

"Ah, me?"

The middle-aged formation master was stunned.

His aggrieved expression contained a hint of anger. He protested, "Miss Zhuo, this is going too far."

"From before we even entered the secret realm, every restriction and formation we encountered was broken by me.

"Everything harvested from this underground palace so far was taken by you.

"Understand this. I am a guest elder of the Zhuo clan, not a spirit slave."

Zhuo Wenshi remained silent. She pointed at the coffin and lifted her delicate chin. The formation master’s face turned red.

"Hmph. Fine, I will do it."

As they neared the coffin, the formation master carefully examined the patterns on its surface. He used his divine sense to form a transparent membrane and gently pressed it onto the coffin.

After studying it for quite a while, he moved to the tail end of the coffin.

He tapped it with his finger, then took out a large batch of tools. He scraped here and pried there, working for a long time before finally nodding to Zhuo Wenshi.

“The outermost restriction is dealt with. As for whether there are problems inside, I cannot say. It is best not to touch it for now. Check everything first.”

“Understood.”

As the outer coffin was opened, a slightly smaller coffin appeared before the two. Upon seeing this, the formation master scratched his head and continued breaking through the restrictions.

This repetition continued twice.

Only at the third layer did the true spirit coffin appear.

When the lid was pushed away, Zhuo Wenshi’s eyes lit up.

“This is the tomb of a Yellow Springs cultivator. This should be a Yellow Springs Crystal, a natural material that only a third-rank corpse can condense. A fine treasure indeed.”

The middle-aged formation master subtly stepped back and suddenly stomped his right foot.

His expression became extremely satisfied.

Immediately after, the tomb chamber deep within the underground palace began to shake. At the entrance through which the two had come, a Dragon-Severing Stone dropped down. The surrounding walls began to ooze turbid yellow droplets.

A corrosive stench unique to the Yellow Springs spread through the air.

Zhuo Wenshi’s expression darkened. She stared at the middle-aged formation master.

“Heh, I knew you were suspicious. I did not expect you to endure this long. Speak. Who sent you to infiltrate the Zhuo Clan?”

“You knew?”

The middle-aged formation master could not hold in his sneer.

“With my perfect disguise, how could you possibly have seen through it and still kept…”

Mid-speech, he stopped talking.

The reason was simple. Along the way, Zhuo Wenshi had pressured him excessively, forcing him into several do-or-die choices. Even for the Zhuo Clan, such behavior was too extreme.

“So what if you knew?

“The restriction of this underground tomb has already been triggered by me. Enjoy a taste of the anti-grave-robber mechanisms arranged by an ancient overlord. Hahaha.”

He stomped his foot again, speaking stubbornly.

The tomb chamber remained silent.

“Bang.”

“Bang.”

“Bang.”

“Stop stomping. Any more and you will crush that tomb stone under your feet.”

The formation master was utterly confused. He stopped looking at Zhuo Wenshi and muttered to himself, “Impossible… why is my Earth-Walking Formation Pattern not working?”

Then, all of a sudden, he raised his head, murder in his eyes.

“Wretch. What did you do to my formation pattern?”

“In such a hurry?”

Zhuo Wenshi pointed at the walls where the droplets had transformed into columns of spraying water from the activated mechanisms. Her delicate face finally revealed satisfaction.

After sweeping all the treasures from the spirit coffin into her hand, she spoke.

“Even if you did not say it, I could guess whose man you are.

“Zhuo Shouqing, correct? There should also be another of your people outside. They must have killed Zhuo Jie and Zhuo Yu.

“However… how could you be certain I have no means of confirming whether they are alive or dead? How did you dare to make a move on me?”

The middle-aged formation master did not want to listen.

He was indeed Zhuo Shouqing’s subordinate, but his mission had only been to stall for time until Wang Yu arrived at the secret realm entrance.

Who would have thought Wang Yu never appeared? Under the pressure of mortal danger, he was forced to open the entrance and barely blended in until now.

Because of the constant oppression along the way, he had developed murderous intent toward Zhuo Wenshi. He tested her several times, discovered she truly understood nothing of formation arts, and thus set this trap.

But now it seemed everything had been part of this woman’s plan.

She had acted him to perfection.

Absolutely infuriating.

As the triggered restriction activated, more and more Yellow Springs Corrosive Bone Water surged in. The formation master hastily flew upward, glaring viciously at Zhuo Wenshi.

“In that case, we die together. Form…”

Before he finished speaking, Zhuo Wenshi flew to the entrance blocked by the Dragon-Severing Stone, smiled, and waved at him. She deliberately mouthed silent words.

Her figure slipped directly into the Dragon-Severing Stone and vanished.

That was his Earth-Walking Formation Pattern.

“No.”

But when he rushed toward it, the restriction on the Dragon-Severing Stone erupted, blasting him backward. He fell into the Yellow Springs Corrosive Bone Water.

In an instant, flesh dissolved, revealing pale bone.

No matter how he screamed in agony, there was no response, until the turbid yellow poison water filled the entire chamber.

This Yellow Springs Corrosive Bone Water was a sinister liquid refined through secret methods, extracted from true Yellow Springs Water and mixed with bone-corroding venom.

Its restraining effect on living flesh was extremely powerful.

The current Yellow Springs Monastery still possessed this substance, although not in large quantities.

It was said that in their hands, it could even become a top-tier divine ability cultivation material.

After leaving, Zhuo Wenshi did not return to retrieve the body.

Using the Earth-Walking Formation Pattern, she returned to the surface, already far from the entrance of the underground palace.