Divine abilities, Dao Intent, alchemy, and cultivation technique derivation.
All of them would receive a clear acceleration. Although the Idle Slot would not receive amplification from the Celestial Enlightenment Dao Platform, his main body would. Combining the two would become one of the most optimal ways to use the Idle Slot.
With every aspect fully prepared, Wang Yu finally began his seclusion.
At present, it had been just over six years since he condensed his Nascent Soul. His demonic essence had naturally grown quite a bit, standing at roughly one hundred and thirty-eight drops before entering seclusion.
This was with all three Idle Slots working together.
Each day of cultivation produced one hundred and fifty strands, which translated to one point five units. Over six years and two months, that amounted to only about thirty-three drops. The extra few drops had been cultivated personally by Wang Yu.
Judging from the cultivation pace of the Nascent Soul realm, to accumulate more than two thousand drops of demonic essence and break through to the second layer of Nascent Soul, even he would need three hundred and fifty years.
That was unreasonable.
After all, he possessed Spiritual Body aptitude, Idle Slot accelerated cultivation, and the bonus of a nine-inch Heavenly Nascent Soul. If even he needed that long, then what about other Nascent Soul cultivators?
Would they spend their entire lives stuck at early-stage Nascent Soul?
Thus, aside from conventional methods like pills, the problem likely lay elsewhere. Perhaps in supreme-grade spirit stones.
While frowning in thought, Wang Yu took out a supreme-grade spirit stone.
He began circulating his cultivation technique and absorbing the refined spiritual qi within. Very quickly, he discovered the issue and realized his guess was wrong.
“It’s the cultivation technique!”
Wang Yu slapped his forehead. The Ice Soul Holy Demonic Scripture had not yet been derived and advanced to fourth-rank. Even with all three Idle Slots operating at once, the deduction progress bar was still only around two-thirds complete.
He had nearly forgotten about this. Ever since condensing his Nascent Soul and discovering that his efficiency in absorbing and refining spiritual qi had increased tenfold, he had not paid it much attention.
Now it seemed that cultivation techniques had an enormous impact on high-realm cultivators.
Another issue was Frost Demonic Qi.
Although conversion through the demonic soul was feasible, the efficiency was far too low. A large portion of refined spiritual qi was lost in the process, leaving very little demonic essence in the end.
The Idle Slot’s ability to generate something from nothing was based on the content of the cultivation texts placed within it. For example, the secret art Lock of Heaven required spatial power to cultivate.
Thus, the Idle Slot fed back pure spatial power.
The Ice Soul Holy Demonic Scripture was fundamentally still a mana-based cultivation technique. Using it to cultivate demonic essence naturally resulted in a massive gap in efficiency. By normal standards, breaking through one minor realm every one to two hundred years was considered reasonable.
Without external assistance, a Nascent Soul cultivator relying purely on natural cultivation would be unable to reach Nascent Soul peak unless their aptitude was heaven-defying.
Otherwise, why would cultivators pursue spiritual materials, spirit pills, formations, and other auxiliary methods?
Realizing the problem this late was entirely due to the Idle Slot feeding back too much. He had mistaken it for his own cultivation.
No. It really was his own cultivation.
That instinctive familiarity, as natural as moving one’s own limbs, could not be fake.
Otherwise, Wang Yu would not have always felt as though there was another version of himself inside the Idle Slot, working like a beast of burden and cultivating for twelve hours every day.
He sat upon the Celestial Enlightenment Dao Platform.
He took out several small items gifted by his demonic race friends, sat cross-legged on the Ice Heart Meditation Cushion, lit a stick of Wondrous True Spiritual Inspiration Incense, and held two True Enlightenment Stones engraved with mysterious ancient script in his hands.
His divine sense extended like tendrils, brewing a cup of Enlightenment Tea and drinking it.
Under these layers of augmentation, Wang Yu immediately felt inspiration erupt. His thinking accelerated as if activated by a cheat, countless cultivation principles flowing freely through his mind, combining and recombining at will.
From this, even more flashes of insight were born.
“Feels amazing.”
His first goal was to derive the Ice Soul Holy Demonic Scripture. When a problem appeared, it had to be solved immediately. Otherwise, time would simply be wasted. Fortunately, he had discovered it early.
In recent years, events had come one after another, and he had never truly calmed down to cultivate properly. Now was the time to make up for all those deficiencies. The Guanghan divine abilities would also be advanced to fourth-rank, among other things.
A period of seclusion was good.
He did not even know what he had been rushing for.
Cursing himself inwardly, Wang Yu entered the profound state of Dao comprehension completely in the sixty-sixth year and fifth month of his life as an elder.
…
…
At the same time, in the outside world.
After the elder lodges of the Heart Beast Tower finished studying the Human Desire Art, they delivered this path’s inheritance to the newly ascended Five-Colored Holy Lord of the Northern Lands demon race, and also sent a copy back to their respective clans.
Five-Colored Holy Lord Lu Ming immediately summoned the Heavenly Roc King and the others to discuss the matter. The impact of the Human Desire Art was enormous. It could slowly increase bloodline purity through gentle dual cultivation.
Its significance was extraordinary.
However, the name itself, as well as the requirement of dual cultivation with the human race, was far too strange. This matter had to be discussed jointly by the Upper Four Clans before any decision could be made.
On this day, within the newly established Holy Lord Palace, Lu Ming handed out divine sense jade slips to the three Demon Kings and spoke concisely.
“This is the inheritance Pill Master Wang obtained after reaching the summit of the Ancient Beast Ancestral God Mountain. What do you think?”
Reached the summit?
The Heavenly Roc King, Thunder Qilin King, and Fire Crow King exchanged glances and silently examined the jade slips. Before long, they set them down and began discussing.
The Fire Crow King spoke first.
“This should be the inheritance of the Joyous Union Demonic Sect. There has always been a saying that the Beast God would pass down compatible cultivation methods at the Ancient Beast Ancestral God Mountain. Past records confirm this as well.”
“That logic makes sense,” the Heavenly Roc King said slowly, “but why would the Beast God possess such a method in the first place? Does this hide some deeper meaning?”
Sharp minds tended to think this way, complicating matters instinctively.
The Five-Colored Holy Lord shook his head.
“The key issue now is the cost of spreading this inheritance. Can the Northern Lands demon race afford it?”
The Thunder Qilin King was known for his bluntness, yet even now his brows were tightly furrowed.
“This king feels the decision does not rest with us alone. The elders of the Heart Beast Tower come from many clans. With their vision, they would certainly recognize the problems involved, but they would also understand this method’s advantages.
“If we stretch the timeline longer, the Northern Lands demon race will inevitably produce one genius after another, giving birth to more powerhouses at the level of fully shapeshifted great demons.”
Everyone fell silent together. This time, the Thunder Qilin King had struck the heart of the matter.
What they needed to think about now was how to deal with it, not whether it should be spread at all.
“Those with gentle temperaments will naturally form friendly relations with the human race, and all our follow-up plans will die in the cradle. Those with aggressive dispositions may treat human cultivators as tools or cauldrons, releasing even more malice.”
At that point, no one knew what kind of reaction the human race would have. The rift between humans and demons was both severe and not severe. The key lay in the attitude of Spirit Transformation venerables.
“By the way, how are those half-demons doing now?”
Half-demons.
As the name implied, they were the products of interbreeding between humans and demons. They were born with human intelligence and the bloodline advantages of the demon race, seemingly combining the strengths of both.
Yet because of their mixed origin, they were rejected by both races.
Moreover, the further they cultivated, the more they were forced to make a choice. Either cultivate a human Nascent Soul or a demon core. The two were mutually exclusive. In other words, cultivate spiritual qi or cultivate demonic qi.
Half-demons were extremely rare. High-level cultivators already found it difficult to produce offspring, let alone between different races. Most such existences were concentrated in the Southern Severed Boundary Mountains.
Part of the reason behind the north-south conflict among the demon race was precisely because the southern demon clans had accepted half-demons, which these self-proclaimed orthodox clans viewed as betrayal.
If the Beast God inheritance were taken as an ancestral hint, then it would imply that the southern demon clans were correct. How could they possibly accept that? Going even deeper, if cooperation was the chosen path, would the human race willingly divide territory for demon use?
If things were truly that smooth, they would not have been forced to live in seclusion within the Northern and Southern Severed Boundary Mountains. In those years, recurring beast tides were both a form of resistance and conflict, and also purposeful acts meant to cull the overly fertile lower-tier demon populations.
How to handle this matter truly gave demons a headache.
“This Alchemy Master Wang really brought back a massive problem. Had we known earlier, it would have been better not to sign that contract and simply give up this inheritance.”
“What use is there in saying that now?”
“Lu Ming, have you notified Venerable Azure Dragon?”
“I sent the message, but just like before, there has been no response.”
Headache.
The Northern Lands demon race already faced countless difficulties in trying to get a seat at the table. Now, on top of that, there was the issue of the Human Desire Art. As for how to resolve it, a plan slowly took shape in the depths of the Five-Colored Holy Lord’s mind.
“I will handle this matter. Wu Yan, continue coordinating with the Fire Crow clan branch under the Blazing Sun Sect. As for Alchemy Master Wang… there may be an issue with his identity.”
“What do you mean?” the Heavenly Roc King asked, puzzled.
“Lei Yao, the legitimate daughter of the Thunderfire Temple Master, once went to the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest. The matter of the Ancient Heavenly Soul Sect ruins occurred during that period. Wang…”
Lu Ming spoke up to that point, then suddenly paused.
“Forget it. This person’s identity may be rather special. Have you asked Yu Qiu?”
“I asked him. He said he didn’t know.”
“That bastard. Still thinking about the Ancient Blood Demon Scripture. If he could truly transform into a Blood Sea Demon Dragon, he would be better off thinking about how to help the demon race rise.”
The three kings fell silent.
Many sect-protecting demon beasts had been dispatched by Venerable Azure Dragon. Beyond cooperation, this naturally included his own ambitions and long-term plans.
Among top-rank cultivators, the truth of the Ice Prison Realm was no secret.
However, priorities had to be distinguished. Before climbing to the peak of this world, it was still far too early to consider matters like breaking free from the cage.
“In another one hundred and sixty-plus years, the Holy Lord Heavenly Palace will open. The Ice Clan’s gatekeeping branch has already contacted the Ice Python Clan’s Demon King. They also seem to be plotting something.”
“Troubled times indeed…”
“Let’s deal with what’s in front of us first. Taihu and the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain are very likely to get serious this time. This is our opportunity. Thunder Qilin King, have you made any progress on your end?”
“The Poison Dragon Demon Venerable of Bone Forest is unwilling to help personally, but he is willing to lend us his poisonous beast army. His first demon general, the Hundred-Eyed Centipede, is willing to move ahead with three million venomous insects and drag Cloud Ridge Prefecture into a sea of poison fog.”
The discussion among the four demon kings shifted from the Human Desire Art, to Wang Yu, and then to the current situation. Other than the Southern Severed Boundary Mountains, which they had not touched, they were recruiting allies everywhere, doing everything that could possibly be done.
“Now it depends on whether the Sword Sect’s Venerable and the Heaven Refining Demonic Sect’s Venerable are willing to act. Their plans may also be approaching the final stage of execution.”
This discussion lasted three days and three nights, refining every detail, before they finally dispersed and returned to their respective domains.
And as time passed, the chaos in Maple Prefecture that had been suppressed by the Ice Demon Child gradually became even more unrestrained and frenzied. Invasion squads from Yellow Springs Monastery carried out repeated city-slaughter operations.
A signature war-era magic treasure, the Yellow Springs Evil Ghost Banner began to emerge prominently. The Moluo Horde also stepped onto the stage of Maple Prefecture, openly abducting people and sending them all into the Northern Severed Boundary Mountains. This caused the mortal population sheltered by the Demon Cat Clan to gradually reach its limit.
Among the seven righteous sects of Taihu, only Thunderfire Temple, Moon Gazing Palace, and Azure Cloud Sect were currently participating in the war, and they were charging at the forefront. Some units had already pushed deep into Maple Prefecture.
On the southern front, the Blood Reversal Sect was suppressed by the Blood Demon Sect Master, allowing them to redeploy major cultivators northward. At the same time, among the Nine Peaks and One Hall, Five Yin Peak and Heavenly Corpse Peak began to shine brightly.
The disappearance of Wang Yu also gradually drew attention within Cold Blood Peak.
The situation was changing rapidly, with notable shifts every year. Although victory reports from the eastern battlefield of the Blood Reversal Sect continued to arrive, the battle lines were steadily shrinking.
Members of the Nether Mountain Sect began to appear openly, joining forces with Yellow Springs Monastery in an attempt to tear a huge chunk of flesh from the Blood Reversal Sect.
Under these circumstances, Wang Yu’s closed-door cultivation continued uninterrupted. And so… twenty years passed in the blink of an eye.
In the first year of seclusion, with the support of multiple Dao-comprehension treasures, Wang Yu thoroughly understood numerous pill formulas. Aside from cultivation and alchemy, he completed transactions with the northern demon clans.
He almost completely immersed himself in Dao comprehension.
In the second year, the Cold Chi Alchemy Art successfully advanced. Wang Yu’s alchemy skill surged forward, sufficient to refine fourth-rank supreme-grade spirit pills. If not for material limitations, he even had some confidence in attempting fifth-rank spirit pills.
At this point, the potential of this alchemy art had been exhausted. From now on, aside from self-research, he could only seek out higher-tier alchemy inheritances.
In the third year, the Aurora Escape Technique reached perfection.
In the fourth year, the Blood Slaughter Heart Sword reached minor accomplishment.
In the fifth year, the Ten Directions Frozen Demon Fist reached perfection, becoming his second strongest trump card after the Guanghan Twelve Phases.
In the sixth year, Ice Soul Divine Light reached perfection.
In the seventh year, Earth Mother Scripture, Earth Resentment Puppet Master Scripture, the Insect Refining Secret Arts, and other assorted miscellaneous disciplines, each with varying progress, were all cultivated to completion.
Aside from the fourth-rank inheritance Five Poisons Scripture, of which he had only comprehended the Gu insect portion, the miscellaneous disciplines in his possession were essentially all resolved.
In the eighth year, the Ice Soul Holy Demonic Scripture was successfully deduced and officially became a fourth-rank cultivation method, directly reaching the perfected realm. Wang Yu’s speed in absorbing supreme-grade spirit stones to accumulate demonic essence increased dramatically.
The efficiency of his three Idle Slots rose from “150 strands per day” to “50 units per day”, an efficiency increase of more than thirtyfold, truly terrifying.
At this rate, ten years later he would be able to break through to the second layer of the Nascent Soul realm, accumulating over two thousand drops of demonic essence. His overall capacity would be on a completely different level.
This clearly showed that his Spiritual Body aptitude and various bonuses had previously been held back by his cultivation methods. Now, due to the Idle Slots, advancement meant instant perfection.
This instead became his advantage. Even without triple cultivation speed, he could still raise his cultivation by one layer every thirty to fifty years. This was likely the normal advancement speed for a Spiritual Body aptitude.
After all, in the Nascent Soul realm, the advantages of a Spiritual Body aptitude had not yet been exhausted, and they even provided assistance toward breaking through into Spirit Transformation. Naturally, progress would not be too simple.
After all his cultivation methods and secret techniques completed their advancement, Wang Yu set up a new corpse-nurturing feng shui formation in the same year, beginning to assist the Thunder Corpse in touching the fourth-rank threshold.
In the ninth year, the number of ancient strange insects, Iceflame Butterflies, reached a sufficient scale. Wang Yu raised them within the Glazed Iceheart Pagoda and selected a single Butterfly Emperor.
He ruthlessly sacrificed the Immaculate Jade Toad. This creature stubbornly refused to lay eggs. Rather than refining it himself, it was better used to elevate the Butterfly Emperor’s potential. Once the Iceflame Butterfly population grew large enough, it could likewise become one of his Nascent Soul trump cards.
After it entered its cocoon and underwent metamorphosis, he no longer interfered.
In the tenth year, the Corpse Demon Secret Technique was finally completed and restored to its full fourth-rank state. And fusion deduction with the Yin Nether Demonic Dragon Art formally began, and this was the most time-consuming objective of all.
This single comprehension lasted ten full years.
As a result, during this seclusion, Wang Yu forcibly exhausted the Dao resonance of the Celestial Enlightenment Dao Platform in his possession. The results were naturally gratifying.
Elder Wang Yu of Cold Blood Peak.
Year 86, Month 6.
Emerges from seclusion.
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