Even though he tried his best to keep his distance, refusing to look and refusing to think, he still felt a cold force spreading from his heels up toward the back of his head, sending chills through his entire body.
Fear.
This emotion was continuously invading him.
In theory, this mental secret art was essentially a method of using mental power to cross distances and establish contact with a target. Through it, one could even overlook the mortal world.
Remaining in a shabby room, yet observing all affairs under heaven.
Mental power itself was a uniquely mystical and idealistic force. It could accomplish many things that conventional cultivation lineages were unable to achieve.
However, Wang Yu’s attainments in the mind path were still insufficient. Moreover, the Ice Prison Realm housed a primordial level Ancient Demon. The moment he appeared, it was like a beautiful woman stripping naked in public.
How could the sealed ancient demon “Slaughter”, which longed desperately for release, endure this? Even without a soul, its physical instincts were still trying to escape the sealing ground.
The mind was an excellent vessel, both powerful and fragile.
It could become incomparably strong through sudden enlightenment, yet it could also collapse instantly when faith shattered, plunging into despair. It was closely tied to personal will.
Cultivating it was difficult, but destroying it was extremely easy.
This was also the main reason why the Mind Dao had never become mainstream. It was strong, yes, but once flaws appeared in the mind, it could be ruined in an instant.
The severance of many inheritances was also partly due to this.
Using the Immortal Wandering Dream Mystic Art, Wang Yu passively sensed the demonic heart of “Slaughter”. Even though it was far away, within this special environment formed by mental interaction, the longer one stayed, the easier it was to be assimilated.
This was also his first real experience of the corrupting power of Ancient Demon inheritance. In essence, the two were very similar. It could only be described as terrifying.
“I can’t stay here for too long.”
This thought surfaced in his mind. Wang Yu forcefully suppressed the urge to turn back and continued dispersing his mental power.
Finally…
A frail killing heart, flickering like a distant star, appeared within his perception. His will stirred and connected with it at once. At the moment the two hearts drew close, the Ancient Demon’s killing heart, as a third party, was naturally repelled.
With only instinct remaining, it was incapable of using mental techniques.
The environment shifted again.
Wang Yu’s consciousness blurred for an instant, and he found himself within his own mind lake.
Half the sky was pitch black. The other half was blood red.
Two small islands stood on opposite sides, each planted with a tree.
Beneath each tree was a stone platform.
On one platform, a massive heart formed of Asura killing intent, like blood-red glazed crystal, pulsed gently.
The black side belonged to Wang Yu.
The blood-red side naturally belonged to Jin Miaoshan.
“I never noticed before… when did my mind lake turn black?”
The mind could not lie. Did that mean his heart was black?
While muttering inwardly, he examined the two Asura killing hearts again.
His own was pure and flawless, radiating brilliant golden-red light. It carried extremely pure killing intent and slightly weaker battle intent, fully under his control.
Jin Miaoshan’s, on the other hand…
It was turbid and distorted.
Blood mist with a pungent stench wafted from it. A faint Buddhist seal was imprinted upon it, extremely dim. Above it hovered a four-foot-long blood-red sword engraved with Asura patterns.
Vile thoughts surged endlessly.
Most of the abnormalities originated from this sword.
After scanning the surroundings, Wang Yu’s frown deepened.
Where was Jin Miaoshan?
This was her mind lake, yet she herself was not here?
He walked to the boundary between the two mind lakes and paused briefly. Then he beckoned toward his own Asura heart.
The crystal-like heart immediately merged into his body.
His white hair turned red, transforming into flowing blood-colored locks.
An intricate Asura mark appeared between his brows. His facial features sharpened, becoming more angular, as if carved by blade and axe. A hint of wickedness emerged in his eyes.
Killing intent condensed into mist around him, drifting like ribbons and making him appear both divine and demonic.
This was actually a form of protection.
Jin Miaoshan’s consciousness was unstable.
A battle was unavoidable.
Mental confrontation relied on mental techniques. His intuition told him that the Asura divine sword would be extremely troublesome. That was why he proactively fused with his killing heart.
After preparing thoroughly, he took one step forward.
“Buzz!”
A strange fluctuation spread.
The Spirit Transformation-grade spirit treasure truly attacked.
In an instant, it crossed half the mind lake’s distance.
Wang Yu’s expression turned solemn.
He instinctively raised his hand and slashed forward.
The mental techniques he had comprehended long ago at the Blood Slaughter Stele in the Blood Abyss now came into play.
That killing intent blood mist was itself a manifestation of mental power.
As long as his will acknowledged it, it all belonged to his strength on the mental path.
Killing Intent Sword!
Amid the swirling blood mist, it rapidly condensed into a long sword, colliding fiercely with the mental projection of the Asura Divine Sword. After a brief stalemate, it was immediately severed.
Wang Yu crossed his arms in front of his body to defend himself, only to see that the divine sword was incomparably insidious. It actually stabbed downward at an angle, piercing straight through his abdomen and tearing out from his side waist.
His mental incarnation was split in half.
Although no blood flowed out, it was like a piece of tattered cloth that had been slashed apart, beginning to leak countless specks of spiritual light.
With a thought, the wound instantly recovered.
But the intense pain clung to him like a bone-attached parasite, impossible to dispel.
“Is this the effect of the Asura Divine Sword?”
Sensing that the situation was turning unfavorable, Wang Yu had no intention of sacrificing himself for others. This was already the second time Jin Miaoshan had run into trouble. He could save her once, but not for a lifetime.
Since his strength was insufficient, retreat was the only option.
In this regard, he had never had any psychological burden. His opponent was the mental projection of a Spirit Transformation-grade spiritual treasure. It was perfectly normal for him to be no match. There were countless existences in this world that he could not defeat.
As long as he had done his best and had a clear conscience, that was enough.
Seeing the divine sword continue to slash toward him, Wang Yu followed his instincts and retreated a step, returning to his own mind-lake world. As expected, the divine sword stopped at the boundary.
It did not cross the line even half a step.
“Timing and fate.”
With a sigh, Wang Yu prepared to withdraw.
He had already taken the risk of being overwhelmed by the Ancient Demon and tried his best. By orthodox cultivation standards, if his mental realm were converted into cultivation levels, his third realm was only equivalent to Core Formation at most.
Meanwhile, the Asura Divine Sword was a genuine fifth-rank spiritual treasure. Even as a mental projection, it naturally possessed mental-path attributes. Being no match for it was entirely normal.
“This time… I can’t save you.”
His thoughts turned. Just as Wang Yu formed the spiritual seal to cancel the Immortal Wandering Dream Mystic Art, a sudden change occurred.
Jin Miaoshan’s blood-colored mind-lake abruptly began to boil.
A nearly naked figure, clothed only in a thin layer of crimson gauze, slowly rose from it. Behind her head, a golden halo radiating Buddhist light burst into brilliance.
“Jin Miaoshan!”
Wang Yu’s eyes widened in shock. He truly had not expected that her talent lay in Buddhist cultivation techniques. That halo was undoubtedly the result of successful cultivation of the Prajna Heart Sutra.
It far surpassed his own level.
By logic, with this degree of attainment, she should not have feared erosion by killing intent. The unique pressure of the mental path she emitted was already a tier above his.
What was the point of helping her now? It would be better if she helped him instead.
Hei Liu misled me!
There had to be a deeper secret behind her loss of control.
As he activated his mental power, Wang Yu was stunned to discover that the Immortal Wandering Dream Mystic Art… had failed.
When he looked up again, the two mind-lakes had begun to merge.
With her eyes tightly shut and her entire body radiating sacred aura, Jin Miaoshan reached out and grasped the Asura Divine Sword. In an instant, she transformed into an Asura Buddha Maiden and dove toward him.
“Clang!!!”
Sword and fist collided.
A harsh metallic sound rang out.
The distance between them was less than half an arm’s length. Wang Yu could clearly see Jin Miaoshan’s peerlessly beautiful face.
Her long eyelashes trembled constantly.
She was still resisting.
“Wake up!”
Wang Yu let out a thunderous shout. His words were filled with sincerity, but his actions were utterly merciless. He kicked her away without hesitation. At the same time, the profundity of the Asura Killing Fist flashed through his mind.
Mind power erupted.
The Asura Dharma Form instantly manifested.
Countless blood-red fist imprints blasted outward, detonating Jin Miaoshan’s mind-lake into surging waves of blood. Her figure sank straight to the bottom, disappearing from sight.
He activated the Immortal Wandering Dream Mystic Art once more. When he found that it still did not respond, genuine killing intent finally arose in Wang Yu’s heart.
Not only toward Jin Miaoshan, but also toward… Hei Liu.
Ever since condensing his Nascent Soul, his cautious nature had not changed. But compared to before, he had become far more arrogant.
He was not only considering how to break free from the prison of the Ice Prison Realm, he was also trying to reap benefits from the righteous-demonic war.
The resources required to support Nascent Soul cultivation were enough to be called outrageous. By his former standards, he would have avoided such matters whenever possible.
He would have waited until his cultivation was sufficient, then returned to settle accounts.
Power made people lose themselves.
After regaining some clarity, Jin Miaoshan once again surged out of the sea of blood and slashed toward him with her sword.
…
…
At the Demon Cat Clan’s territory.
Hei Liu and her father stood at the foot of the mountain where Wang Yu was in seclusion. The former stared at the stone gate, while the latter focused on the depths underground.
He could sense that endless lightning was gathering deep below, already touching the threshold of fourth-rank.
Although Wang Yu had never mentioned it to him, the Two-Tailed Shadow Cat knew very well that it was Wang Yu’s refined corpse. Moreover, it was a rare and powerful variant Thunder Corpse.
Within his own territory, nothing could be hidden from him.
The father and daughter stood side by side. They looked close, yet in reality, a deep rift had already formed between them.
Suppressing his anger, he spoke in a low voice.
“Hei Liu, before doing something like this, you should have discussed it with me. Alchemist Wang cannot be allowed to come to harm!”
Hei Liu, already at late-stage Core Formation, gently shook the bell around her neck. She actually crossed the restriction that only fourth-rank demonic beasts could shapeshift, stretching her slender waist and transforming into a black-haired young girl.
The bell was a magic treasure designed for demon clans. It allowed third-rank demonic beasts to assume human form in advance. It was extremely rare, and its effects were highly special. Aside from the two major merchant guilds, even hegemonic sects did not possess such an item.
“Father, this is for my future. If Mother knew, she would agree as well.”
“Bullshit! You don’t understand what Alchemist Wang means to the demon clans at all. If you insist on this, don’t blame me for disregarding blood ties!”
The Two-Tailed Shadow Cat grew even angrier.
Though he was a demon, he understood gratitude and repayment. Without Wang Yu, how could the Demon Cat Clan have gained so many benefits over the past twenty-plus years?
He had never imagined that his obedient daughter, whom he had not seen for many years, would cause such a huge disaster the moment she returned.
How was he supposed to explain this to the Heavenly Roc Clan? To the Holy Lord?
And Lei Yao…
This had completely crushed the Demon Cat Clan’s reputation into the dust. How could he not be furious?
“What exactly did you do to Alchemist Wang?!”
Hei Liu lazily stretched, answering a different question instead.
“In this generation of Golden Abundance Tower, there are four successor candidates: Jin Miaoshan, Jin Lin, Jin Chixuan, and Jin Xuanxuan.”
“After Jin Miaoshan was eroded by killing intent, I already knew her business talent was acceptable, but her cultivation aptitude was insufficient. Yet she coveted extremely dangerous Ancient Demon inheritances. Sooner or later, she would suffer backlash.”
“You sent me to her side, so I was naturally bound to her. Whether for myself or for the clan, I had to find a more suitable backer. Young Master Jin Lin took a liking to my appearance.”
As she spoke, her father’s expression grew more and more shocked.
If before, he had been furious and confused, now it was as if a bucket of icy water had been poured over him, extinguishing his anger and replacing it with fear.
“You… you… you actually got involved in Golden Abundance Tower’s succession struggle? You… you’ve truly lost your mind! Is that something you can participate in? Harming others and harming yourself!”
Hei Liu laughed indifferently.
“What can you provide me with? Only an organization as wealthy as Golden Abundance Tower can spare Nascent Soul condensation spiritual items.”
“Foolish!”
The Two-Tailed Shadow Cat tossed the Human Desire Art into Hei Liu’s arms, then took out a spirit pill.
It was a mid-grade Nascent Soul Condensation Pill, one of Wang Yu’s spare pills.
He himself had used a high-grade one. Of the remaining three, one had been used at the treasure exchange, one had been reserved for Snowjade, and the last had recently been traded to Brother Black.
Having lived in the Demon Cat territory for so long, Brother Black, as a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, had basically fulfilled all his conditions. Some time ago, he had also mentioned his daughter.
Wang Yu had guessed his intentions and proposed exchanging three sets of materials for refining Nascent Soul pills. It was both repayment and a way to help mediate with the demon clan’s higher-ups.
As long as the value was fair, Wang Yu did not care much about additional benefits. When he had money, he was actually quite generous.
Exchanges of treasure and small gifts also stabilized relationships. It was a form of calculation.
Of course, this method did not work on greedy or malicious people.
Hei Liu stared blankly at the pill.
“This… was prepared for me?”
“Otherwise? Do I have other children?!”
“I originally planned to call you back, purify your bloodline with the Human Desire Art, raise it to the limit, and then use this Nascent Soul Condensing Pill to help you form a Nascent Soul. Look at what you’ve done!”
Hei Liu’s face turned deathly pale.
“I thought… you gave me to Jin Miaoshan… to sell me…”
The atmosphere instantly fell silent.
The Two-Tailed Shadow Cat sighed helplessly.
“Speak. How do we save Alchemist Wang?”
“I don’t know.”
Seeing her father about to explode again, Hei Liu hurriedly said, “His real name is Wang Yu. He offended Jin Lin early on, and even Golden Abundance Tower has deep hostility toward him. After the Twin Prodigy Competition ended, they already wanted to act against him.”
“After the Demon King Banquet, when news spread, Golden Abundance Tower confirmed his identity. Jin Lin then had me deliver a secret technique.”
“This technique could destroy Jin Miaoshan’s Mind Nirvana… making it impossible for her to ever leave seclusion. Wang Yu was dragged into it passively, and was also disliked by Golden Abundance Tower’s upper ranks. So I agreed.”
After hearing her explanation, the Two-Tailed Shadow Cat finally understood her motives.
It was not just trust in Jin Lin’s promises, but also in Golden Abundance Tower’s reputation.
For someone like Wang Yu, who had once severely damaged the merchant guild’s credibility, retaliation had only been delayed because of protection from the Exalted Sect’s Three Clans and timely damage control.
After the Twin Prodigy Competition, Wang Yu had almost completely broken with the Three Clans, maintaining only slight ties with the Yu Clan. Retaliation naturally followed.
If he had not been hunted by the Nine Evil Sword Lord and forced into hiding for a time, Golden Abundance Tower’s ancestor-level figures would never have let him go.
This was old hatred.
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