It was still that ordinary-looking small spirit mountain.
The only fourth-rank spirit vein in the territory of the Demon Cat Clan extended a short branch here. The density of heaven-and-earth spiritual energy was just enough to support one early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
At this moment, the alchemical clouds that drifted above the mountain year-round had turned blood-red. An extremely dense stench of blood began to spread, and it seemed as though the sound of raging waves crashing against the shore echoed through the void.
A Blood Sea phenomenon.
Hidden within it was a terrifying killing intent of unmatched ferocity. An ordinary person would likely have their courage shattered and die of fright on the spot after just one glance.
The soul trembled.
Another soul-piercing surge of terrifying waves erupted. The boundless Blood Sea roiled violently, and from within it rose a three-headed, six-armed Asura Dharma Form.
In the past, when Wang Yu used the Lesser Asura Killing Fist, even at full strength he could only manifest a half-bodied Asura phantom. Only now had he truly formed a complete Asura Slaughter God Dharma Form.
Those blood-glowing eyes carried a uniquely profound and mysterious aura. It was as if they had truly gained intelligence, giving off a world-shakingly different feeling.
The true essence of Asura Intent lay in two words.
“Killing” and “Battle.”
With the dual assistance of the Celestial Enlightenment Dao Platform and the Idle Slot, Wang Yu had finally grasped a portion of the true meaning of this intent.
This power belonging to “Intent” simultaneously coiled around his Nascent Soul in the Qi sea, flowing in and out as it continuously strengthened its essence. Its nine-inch form grew slightly, though it had still not reached one foot.
“As expected.”
Inside the cave abode, Wang Yu came back to his senses from cultivation. The Blood Sea phenomenon gradually receded. Intent truly was the best nourishment for strengthening a Nascent Soul.
The process of elevating divine abilities and comprehending intent was also a process of deep interaction between the two. Using one’s life-bound divine ability would likely yield even better results.
“Strengthen the Nascent Soul, enhance demonic essence…”
Wang Yu clenched his fist.
This breakthrough in the Lesser Asura Killing Fist meant this path had been fully opened. Since the embryonic form of intent had already appeared, he only needed to cultivate steadily from now on.
Complete mastery was no longer difficult.
After all, the most crucial step had already been achieved. While thinking, he tossed his most valued Guanghan Twelve Phases into the Idle Slot.
Slots five, six, and seven activated simultaneously.
Over the years, he had absorbed enormous quantities of extreme cold qi, so much that it could be described as vast beyond measure. Wang Yu was simply too wealthy in this regard.
Although a large portion had been siphoned off by his life-bound magic treasure, his life-bound divine ability had also advanced after he condensed his Nascent Soul. It was now a fourth-rank divine ability at the major accomplishment stage.
It was far more powerful than the Blood Slaughter Heart Sword. It was Wang Yu’s absolute trump card at this stage. When combined with his life-bound magic treasure, its power leapt by an entire tier.
With three to four times Idle Slot amplification, pushing toward complete mastery of intent still had a high chance of success.
In addition, during his three-year minor seclusion, the Demon Refining Art: Artifact Refining Chapter had also recovered to third-rank. Wang Yu successfully mastered an ancient artifact-refining method, and “primitive” often represented bloodshed.
This was a branch of artifact Dao inheritance that refined magic treasures using demon clan bodies.
It was extremely unfriendly to the demon race.
However, it allowed him to make use of parts of the Dragon-Blood Demonic Tree corpses.
As Ice Chi Alchemy Flames rose up, this flame, which could be used for alchemy and combat, was now also employed for artifact refining. Practical in every sense.
Just as he was about to try out the refining technique, Brother Black’s voice suddenly sounded outside the cave abode. Wang Yu frowned, pushed open the sealed stone door, and walked out.
A moment later, “Congratulations, little brother, on your great increase in essence and the success of your divine abilities.”
“Get to the point. I’m busy.”
“No rush.”
The Two-Tailed Shadow Cat grinned shamelessly and explained, “The Heavenly Roc Clan recently gave their alchemy quota to the Holy Lord. He wants you to refine a special type of Demon Blood Pill.”
Wang Yu felt irritated, but there was nothing he could do.
With the Celestial Enlightenment Dao Platform, mastering a complete fourth-rank pill formula usually took only half a year to a year.
“I understand. Anything else?”
“Yes, there is.”
That night.
Wang Yu, who had been somewhat impatient, froze slightly when he saw a creature walk in like black clouds stepping on snow. His emotions quickly calmed.
He had seen this one before.
“Meow. Father.”
“Hei Liu, come here. Let me introduce you to one of my closest friends.”
“…”
“…”
Both Wang Yu and Hei Liu were speechless. When their gazes met and she noticed he was wearing the Earth Net Ghost Face Mask, the awkward atmosphere spread instantly.
“Meow… Fellow Daoist Wang?”
Wang Yu nodded silently.
This Hei Liu was the civet cat that Jin Miaoshan had carried with her back in Jade Spirit City’s Golden Abundance Tower. So she was actually the princess of this Demon Cat Clan.
Nearly a hundred years had passed since then.
This little black cat had already broken through to late-stage third-rank. With both parents at the Nascent Soul realm, her cultivation speed was extremely fast, and she had the potential to reach Nascent Soul in the future.
Compared to her, Wang Yu’s cultivation speed was monstrous. Snowjade had only recently reached mid-stage third-rank, still far from late-stage.
Seeing Hei Liu naturally made him think of Jin Miaoshan.
Only now did he recall that Brother Black had once said he wanted to introduce his daughter to him. He had not expected him to be serious.
The Human Desire Great Art was excellent, but he had no intention of using it on beast-form demon clans.
That was just too abstract.
Brother Black also noticed that something was wrong.
“You two… know each other?”
“You could say that.”
Wang Yu had no intention of denying it. At this point, even if his identity was exposed, so be it. In any case, there was no way he would admit that he was the Ice Demon Child.
Little did he know that Hei Liu was even more shocked.
A hundred years ago, he had only just reached Core Formation. She had even joked about him with her master back then. Now, when they met again, he had already become a great figure whom even her father had to treat with courtesy.
It could only be described as unbelievable.
After a brief moment of shock, Hei Liu quickly regained her composure. She jumped onto the platform and transmitted her voice to Wang Yu.
“Senior, Master has been looking for you these past few years.”
“Looking for me?”
Wang Yu was puzzled.
After glancing at her own father, Hei Liu spoke frankly.
“Let’s talk somewhere else.”
“Alright.”
And so, under Brother Black’s dumbfounded gaze, Wang Yu followed this little cat and left. Although they did not go very far, it still left behind a shock like raging waves in the old father’s heart.
He could not help but imagine…
Could it be… it really worked out?
Reason told him the probability was not high, but thinking about it did no harm. In the past, he had only known that fourth-rank alchemists were rare and that encountering one who could set aside racial prejudice and treat others with courtesy was already fortunate.
But after personally experiencing things over this period of time, he now deeply understood just how much benefit a fourth-rank alchemist could bring.
Just the fact that cultivation pills were no longer in short supply was enough to make him abandon all dignity and try to win over Wang Yu.
…
…
“What exactly is going on?”
After setting up a small soundproofing technique, Wang Yu asked.
Hei Liu shook her head and smiled bitterly.
“Senior Wang, do you still remember the matter of the Asura Slaughter Scripture?”
“Of course.”
Wang Yu still held half of the Rakshasa True Demon Scripture. Unfortunately, it was a Spirit Transformation stage technique that combined the soul path and the mind path, so he could not cultivate it for now. His Ancient Soul Art was still incomplete.
As for the Second Nascent Soul secret technique, he had yet to decide whether he truly wanted to cultivate it. Ever since the remnant will of the Beast God had told him many secrets, he had come to understand something.
During the era of the Ancient Immortal Dynasty, Asura Sword Venerable sought out mind-path inheritances, raising his mental realm in order to control that demonic heart. That path had actually been correct.
His eventual loss of control was most likely due to starting too late, or insufficient mental cultivation.
As for Jin Miaoshan, she had never possessed the talent to cultivate the Asura Slaughter Scripture in the first place. Only after receiving his guidance in the third-rank Ancient Soul Art and the Prajna Heart Sutra had she gradually stabilized.
She managed to restrain that killing intent power, but there was still a problem. Jin Miaoshan’s talent in the mind path was also insufficient. Entering the mind path was difficult, and cultivating it was even harder.
It placed enormous importance on individual aptitude.
Wang Yu felt that he himself was probably above average, with a little bit of talent. Coupled with the “get on first, pay later” feature of the Idle Slot, he had directly stepped into the mind path.
That gave him the capital to cultivate, allowing him to advance smoothly all the way to the third mind realm, the Flawless Realm.
There was only one possible reason Jin Miaoshan would be looking for him.
“She lost control again?”
“Yes.”
Hei Liu gave a bitter smile and continued.
“Back then, after you left Jade Spirit City and returned to your sect, Master initially waited for you to come back so you could continue discussing the mysteries of the Prajna Heart Sutra.
“Later, after hearing news about the opening of Blood Abyss and the Twin Prodigies Contest, she left Jade Spirit and headed south to return to Golden Toad City, preparing to enter seclusion and condense the Asura Killing Heart. But something went wrong. Influenced by that spirit treasure, the Asura Divine Sword, she went berserk.
“After that, she was suppressed inside Golden Toad Palace. Only occasionally could she regain her sanity. It has been half a century now, and only you can save her.”
Wang Yu could not help raising an eyebrow.
He was not some savior. Golden Abundance Tower definitely lacked no treasures for calming the mind and purifying the spirit. Jin Miaoshan’s parents and siblings were all powerful figures, and her branch held considerable influence within Golden Abundance Tower.
Otherwise, she would not have been selected as one of the inheritance candidates.
Presumably, every usable method had already been tried. Coming to him meant there were only two possibilities.
One was doing everything humanly possible and leaving the rest to fate.
The other was the issue of the Asura Divine Sword.
Jin Miaoshan was unable to suppress that fifth-rank spirit treasure and was instead being controlled by it. If someone else could subdue that treasure, it might be possible to help her escape from her suffering.
While pondering this, Wang Yu asked,
“Was it she who asked you to come find me?”
“That’s right. I didn’t expect to run into Senior here at home… otherwise, I would have gone back long ago. I’ve been running around for this matter for half a century and even missed the Demon King Banquet.”
I see.
Hearing this, Wang Yu understood Jin Miaoshan’s thinking. As long as she could find him, she might be able to recreate what he had done for her back then using the Prajna Heart Sutra.
Unfortunately, he rarely practiced that Buddhist mental technique.
He only treated it as an auxiliary method for cultivating mental strength, reciting it occasionally. Even now, he had only barely entered the beginner stage. It could not be considered particularly profound.
He did not know whether this mindset conformed to the true essence of heart-path cultivation. Although his mastery of the technique was average, the mental strength he gained each time was still considerable.
Otherwise, he would have abandoned it long ago.
Precisely because he knew how difficult mental strength was to cultivate, he had instead reached the third stage of the heart path. This was likely the benefit brought by talent and experience.
Thinking of Jin Miaoshan’s identity as a wealthy patron, Wang Yu asked concisely, “How does she want me to help her?”
“This is the heartland of the northern demonic clans. She is in the south of the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain, in Golden Toad City outside Heavenly Pond Grotto-Heaven. The distance is too great. Ordinary communication treasures can’t contact her, right?”
At this, Hei Liu suddenly slapped his palm.
“A mental-strength secret art! Senior, please look!”
Mental strength was a power of the mind, possessing all kinds of incredible uses. Most of this power could only act on oneself, along with limited extensions.
Breaking out explosively in desperate situations was one type of mental-strength secret art.
However, because heart-path inheritance had been lost for many years, and the Ice Prison cultivation world had experienced multiple periods of generational lineage severance, Wang Yu had failed to find any even when he deliberately searched for such techniques.
Jin Miaoshan, backed by Golden Abundance Tower, a merchant organization spanning two major regions, obtaining some was not surprising.
Previously, only the method of condensing the Asura Killing Heart could be considered a mental-strength secret art, but it was mainly for foundation and support. The killing mindset had limited impact on actual combat.
Unless he completely cut himself off and fell into a desperate situation, only then could this killing mindset could exert its proper effect. Its applicability was not high.
“Immortal Wandering Dream Mystic Art?”
Wang Yu murmured the name. It sounded extremely grand, but he did not know whether its effects were worthy of such a title.
Hei Liu explained, “Although Master has lost control, she has still condensed the Asura Killing Heart. Senior, you have also cultivated the killing-path divine ability of the Asura Scripture. Through the subtle connection between hearts of the same origin, even if you are at opposite ends of the world, you can contact her through this secret art. And through the heart-to-heart connection, you can help Master!”
After thinking for a moment, Wang Yu still nodded.
It was not for any other reason.
He needed allies. He needed powerful backing to help him get through the hurdle of the Nine Evil Sword Lord. Otherwise, he would never have peace to cultivate.
From the fourth-rank life-saving talisman that Old Yu had given him, one could tell that this matter was troublesome. Even Old Yu, who was close to him, was unwilling to help openly.
This showed that besides the Nine Evil Sword Lord himself, there were likely even more secrets hidden behind it.
Moreover, he had already exposed quite a few traces. It was only because this was an era of war. Otherwise, the other party might have already followed the clues to find him.
The Ice Demon Child and his own aura were still far too similar.
At present, he was confident he could invite powerful cultivators from the northern demonic clans. If he could reach cooperation with Jin Miaoshan, whether through exploiting favors or setting terms in advance, as long as he appeared openly in Maple Prefecture, the other party would definitely come knocking. If he did not eliminate this threat, his heart would never be at ease.
“I understand.”
After reaching an agreement with Hei Liu, the latter finally relaxed.
“Then I’ll leave everything to Senior. I hope you can help Master.”
“Of course.”
From their initial conflict, to reconciliation, to cooperation, his relationship with Jin Miaoshan had always been maintained by benifits and status.
He never did meaningless things.
After settling this matter, Hei Liu returned to the main hall to speak with her father briefly, then went to find her mother Bai Ling. Wang Yu, meanwhile, returned to his cave abode and began studying the Immortal Wandering Dream Mystic Art.
Perhaps because he was already at the third stage of the heart path, his comprehension was extremely smooth. In just one month, he was able to use it at a basic level.
After burning incense and bathing, he began directly.
Using his own Asura Killing Heart as the foundation, he called out to the other possessor of an Asura Killing Heart in the Ice Prison Realm. In theory, only Jin Miaoshan should be able to sense it.
However, when Wang Yu truly began, he instead felt an incomparably vast and terrifying killing intent gather into a demonic face, staring at him within his mental illusion.
Those blood-red eyes were filled with naked killing intent.
“This is… the Ancient Demon ‘Slaughter’?!”
Wang Yu jolted awake from the secret art’s state, suddenly realizing that in the Ice Prison Realm, besides himself and Jin Miaoshan, the true source of the killing-path inheritance was the Ancient Demon Slaughter.
How could such an existence not have condensed a Killing Heart?
Amid shock and doubt, relying on the Immortal Wandering Dream Mystic Art, Wang Yu tried again to wander in spirit. Within the mysterious mental illusion, he deliberately stayed far away from that terrifying giant face and silently searched for Jin Miaoshan’s presence.
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