Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation

Chapter 393

Lei Yao let out a soft laugh and shook her head.“He only recently achieved the Nascent Soul realm. Brother Wang can simply hand the Thunderfire Ancestor Token over to me. As for the rest of his assets, we can treat it as payment for purchasing the title of Demon-Subduing General.”

Wang Yu nodded solemnly. What Lei Yao said was morally sound.

It also matched his own thoughts perfectly.

She really understood him.

Under repeated waves of mid-stage fourth-rank divine sense, the imprint on Violet Lightning’s storage ring was quickly erased. The wealth inside was even greater than what Qingyi and Cloudsmoke had combined.

While returning the Thunderfire Ancestor Token to Lei Yao, Wang Yu discovered something that made his eyes widen in surprise.

“So it’s a fourth-rank spiritual item, the Jade Void Thunder Qilin Fruit!”

This item was extremely useful to him. It was perfectly suited as a breakthrough resource for the Thunder Corpse. With the Thunder Corpse’s innate affinity, once it completely digested the two Nascent Soul remnant corpses, it would definitely be able to use this fruit to break through into the fourth rank.

It would not fear the tribulation lightning either, because it was itself a thunder-path variant corpse.

“A fine treasure.”

He praised it once again inwardly.

There were also twenty-seven supreme-grade spirit stones inside the storage ring, seven of them empty. Added together with what Wang Yu already had, he now possessed a full eighty supreme-grade spirit stones.

He could even bid for a fourth-rank high-grade magic treasure at a major auction. His total wealth had skyrocketed once again.

As for himself, he only needed fifty for cyclic use.

There were no magic treasures inside, however. After all, Violet Lightning was a Nascent Soul cultivator. Any magic treasures truly worth using would have long been stored within his Qi sea for nurturing, ready to be summoned at any time.

As for secret arts, Wang Yu found an unexpected gain while checking through them. It was a thunder-path secret art, named Devouring Thunder and Spitting Lightning!

Once comprehended, it allowed one to refine a type of thunder and lightning power from nature itself, condensing it into a Thunder Seed and rooting it within the fleshly body. Not only could it grant a thunder spiritual root, it also allowed one to drive that thunder in battle.

Its true value lay precisely in that thunder spiritual root.

The stronger the thunder one devoured, the more powerful the resulting thunder spiritual root would be. After reading it, Wang Yu immediately thought of tribulation lightning. Tribulation lightning was also a form of heavenly thunder.

It grew stronger step by step across the realms of Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Transformation. The higher one went, the more terrifying it became. If one could refine Spirit Transformation tribulation lightning into a seed…

Then one might obtain thunder spiritual root aptitude comparable to a Spiritual Body.

“Devouring Thunder and Spitting Lightning. A typical unranked secret art.”

Wang Yu was highly satisfied with this haul. Calculating carefully, he had already reaped the full wealth of three Nascent Soul cultivators in this recent stretch. His luck was outrageous.

He only selected what he could immediately use and transferred it over. There were still large amounts of spiritual items and assorted goods left behind. Once he finished selling them off, he could easily exchange them for at least one hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones.

His current fortune was absurdly high. Even among early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, few were as wealthy as he was.

Plundering the accumulated resources of others really was the fastest way to get rich.

It was also… a little too reckless.

Going forward, he would have to rein himself in depending on the circumstances.

Wang Yu and Lei Yao rode together on a giant eagle demon beast. Even as a mount, it was still third-rank. Yet this eagle demon seemed to be walking the ancient beast path, cultivating only its physical body.

The path of the Ancient Beast Ancestor relied on the fleshly body to dominate, reaching fourth rank without taking human form.

In terms of intelligence, such creatures were purer and more straightforward. Their “demonhood” also matured later. This path had once been popular for a time, but now, much like Body Refiners, it had become extremely rare.

For Lei Yao to have such a mount was a sign of status.

The road northward was rather boring.

So the two began chatting, mostly with Wang Yu asking questions and Lei Yao answering.

“On this trip north, Miss Lei plans to command the Moluo Horde to do what exactly? Is it only to ‘save’ mortals?”

Lei Yao nodded, then shook her head, her red lips parting slightly as she spoke.

“It’s Senior Sister’s wish, and it’s also what I want. Besides that, I want to gain a stable foothold in Maple Prefecture and form alliances with more demonic beast races.”

In other words, she wanted to stand on her own without relying on the Thunderfire Temple?

That was what Wang Yu took from it. His brows furrowed slightly.

Another case of a second-generation cultivator trying to prove their own path?

As for Wang Yu himself, he was honestly a bit aimless right now. For Nascent Soul cultivation, simply sitting in meditation and refining spiritual energy was the norm, but Wang Yu clearly was not satisfied with only that.

Now that he had eighty supreme-grade spirit stones in hand, he also wanted pills that could directly increase demonic essence upon refinement. Whether it was human pill arts or orthodox alchemy, both were viable paths.

His Cold Chi Alchemy Art was also not far from advancing.

Once his deduction succeeded, it would become a fourth-rank perfect alchemy art. At that time, if he then placed the deduction on the Guanghan pill formula, proper spirit pills would certainly be something he had to refine.

For now, the main ingredient could only be confirmed as a rare fourth-rank spiritual item with a yin-cold attribute. If he wanted to collect it in advance, he had no clear direction at all.

With the Blood Reversal Sect’s mountain gate blocked by the Nine Evil Sword Lord, Wang Yu did not dare head to Blood Abyss Prefecture at all until that man revealed himself.

As for his originally planned goal, the Holy Lord Heavenly Palace, it would not open for another one hundred and seventy years. And direct disciple Yan Ling, as the core figure of that trip, was even more indispensable.

Those plans were all still far in the future.

But following Lei Yao around and playing house was not what he wanted either.

Could it be that the only choice was to find a main city with a fourth-rank spirit vein and go into secluded cultivation?

Seeing Wang Yu fall silent, Lei Yao could roughly guess what he was thinking. After some consideration, she said, “Deep within the Northern Severed Boundary Mountains is a gathering place for demonkin. Recently, the demon race is preparing to hold a grand event. If Brother Wang is interested, Lei Yao can help you obtain the qualifications to participate.”

“Oh?”

Wang Yu’s interest was immediately piqued.

As a demonic cultivator, stirring things up was only natural. If one could cultivate honestly all the way up, who would still choose to be a demonic cultivator? This path was inherently impatient and opportunistic.

There were countless secret arts for accelerating cultivation.

Taking shortcuts was in a demonic cultivator’s nature. Wang Yu had no desire to shut himself away in secluded cultivation. He had grown accustomed to the feeling of his cultivation advancing rapidly, and he simply could not endure a slow, plodding pace.

“Miss Lei, please explain in more detail.”

Seeing this, Lei Yao softly gave a few instructions to the giant eagle. She then sat down cross-legged and began discussing the matter with Wang Yu.

“This demon race grand gathering is known as the Demon King Banquet. All demon kings of the Northern Severed Boundary Mountains will participate, and every demon race that possesses an Enlightened Spirit inheritance will also send a representative.”

A so-called demon king was a fully transformed great demon, an existence that had condensed a demonic nascent soul, standing at the same realm as a human Nascent Soul cultivator.

“At the Demon King Banquet, they will select the current Holy Lord of the Northern demon race, as well as the Nine Kings seats. This is usually decided through combat duels. After that, the banquet will host a treasure exchange gathering.

“Fourth-rank rare treasures that are extremely difficult to see in the outside world will appear. Fellow Daoist may also participate in this segment. You only need to prepare more spiritual items that the demon race considers rare.”

Attending a high-end treasure exchange gathering once was something Wang Yu found interesting, but it was not absolutely necessary.

So he continued asking.

“Other than the treasure exchange, are there any further benefits?”

“Of course.”

Lei Yao smiled.

“In the dueling segment, Fellow Daoist may also take the field. If you can help a demon king seize one of the Nine Kings seats, you will receive a gift of primordial demonic soul from the Northern demon race’s ancestral land. It will be greatly beneficial to the divine soul.

“In addition, there is a portion of ancient beast ancestor blood that can raise Fellow Daoist’s Body Refinement cultivation.”

Benefits for both the divine soul and the physical body.

This immediately stirred Wang Yu’s interest. “In past years, what cultivation realm did the Nine Kings seats usually have?”

“Late-stage Nascent Soul.”

“…”

“Are there any other methods to obtain these two benefits?”

“There are.”

Since Lei Yao had said it, she naturally would not be teasing Wang Yu. Helping seize a Nine Kings seat was merely a shortcut. There were also normal ways to obtain the rewards, and the demon race even welcomed outside cultivators to participate.

“Climb to the summit of the Ancient Beast Ancestral God Mountain.”

She quickly stated the proper method, then explained.

“The Ancient Beast Ancestral God Mountain is a legendary inheritance site left behind by the Beast God, and it just so happens to be located within the core territory of the Northern demon race. It is said to have been an immortal’s mount, but it was also the divine being that granted wisdom to the demonic beasts of this realm and allowed them to form clans.

“In ancient times, after the Immortal Dynasty was established, the Beast God followed the immortals and departed this world, leaving only this Ancient Beast Ancestral God Mountain behind.

“The better your results, the more and the higher-quality the gifts you will receive. The demonic soul gift and the refining of ancestor blood are both within the reward range. The mountain itself bestows them, so you do not need to worry about being deceived or brushed off.

“Even the Beast God inheritance you obtain will belong to you personally.”

With such abundant gains, Wang Yu did not believe there was any such thing as a free lunch. He immediately asked the key question.

“Then… what is the price?”

“Sharing any inheritance you obtain.”

“That is only natural. And then?”

“A favor.”

A favor debt was always the hardest to repay. Being able to use connections to enter the Northern demon race territory and challenge the Ancient Beast Ancestral God Mountain already meant one was operating as an allied party.

As the one introducing him, Lei Yao also had to take responsibility for that favor, indirectly proving that the person she brought was trustworthy.

Wang Yu would not speak of other aspects, but in terms of integrity, his reputation was widely recognized.

After thinking briefly, he agreed directly.

“When does the Demon King Banquet begin?”

“Very soon. Because the war between the righteous and demonic paths has reignited, the Northern demon race urgently needs to select the current Holy Lord. If we head there now, we will only need to wait at most a few years before the banquet is convened.”

This amount of time was no longer something Wang Yu cared about.

A few years was nothing more than the time needed for a short period of secluded cultivation. It was not considered long at all.

“Then let’s go. I’ll have to trouble Miss Lei with the arrangements. If the Moluo Horde has any business, you may seek me at any time. As long as it is within my ability, I will definitely lend a hand.”

“Then many thanks, Fellow Daoist.”

Lei Yao smiled calmly, seeming satisfied that she could help him. She did not show the slightest irritation that Wang Yu was unwilling to act alongside her.

That kind of temperament instead made Wang Yu feel a hint of guilt. This was the downside of befriending someone with too much moral character. It was easy to feel inferior, as if being compared and pressed into the mud.

With his divine sense, he brushed across the third-rank cultivation Human Pill stored within the Seaheart Ring.

After reaching Core Formation peak, he still had sixty or seventy pills left. He originally planned to take some out and give them to Lei Yao as thanks, but after thinking it over, he decided against it.

Lei Yao’s sense of morality was simply too strong. She definitely would not covet human pills, and might even dislike such things altogether. At most, he could use them to feed Snowjade and that would be that.

He could repay her in other ways later. It would amount to the same thing.

Moreover, considering that Lei Yao knew his true identity, he simply released the Five-Tailed Snow Fox, who had not come out for quite some time. They were about to enter the northern demon territory anyway, and bringing her along would broaden her horizons.

Maybe there would even be unexpected gains.

The moment the cute little fox appeared, it immediately attracted Lei Yao’s gaze.

“What a beautiful spirit fox. Fellow Daoist, did you raise her from a young age?”

“Yes. I put quite a lot of effort into it.”

Wang Yu rubbed Snowjade’s head. She was enjoying her master’s caresses, but the moment she sensed Lei Yao itching to reach out, she immediately leapt into Wang Yu’s arms.

She let out a small howl, looking as if she refused to be petted.

Wang Yu lightly tapped the fox on the head and scolded with a laugh.

“Quit playing dumb. You’re the cleverest one of all.”

Lei Yao looked on with envy.

“You two really have a great relationship.”

Wang Yu sighed inwardly as well. Although Snowjade had never played a decisive role in battle, she was still his spirit pet who had been with him since the Qi Refining stage.

She had witnessed his rise all the way, and even more, she was a kind of spiritual anchor that kept him from truly falling into the abyss.

In the past, whenever he felt crushed by pressure, whenever he felt stifled and miserable, he would talk to Snowjade back when she had not yet gained intelligence. Just hugging the fox and breathing in her scent was enough to ease his mood.

Over time, Snowjade became the one existence Wang Yu trusted the most. Whether she was “useful” in a practical sense actually had very little to do with it.

Even if she were a complete waste, he would still keep raising her.

Man and fox looked at each other. Without needing words, their silent understanding reflected a bond of hearts.

Snowjade jumped out of Wang Yu’s arms and lifted her chin proudly.

Although she did not speak in front of Lei Yao, she still gave a clear signal.

Pet me!

This concession is only because you’re my master’s friend!

…

…

Ten days later.

Because the Demon King Banquet had not yet begun and would still require several years of waiting, Lei Yao and Wang Yu temporarily stayed within the territory of the Demon Cat Clan. This was Lei Yao’s transit point.

Her alliance with the Demon Cat Clan was extremely close.

She decided to remain here for a period as well, intending to leave only after she personally sent Wang Yu deeper into northern demon territory. For now, she was remotely directing the actions of the Moluo Horde members within Maple Prefecture.

While she was busy, Wang Yu wandered around the Demon Cat Clan lands. Snowjade traveled with him, sprawled across his shoulder. During this time, she could also consume human cultivation pills to raise her cultivation.

If she finished all the remaining pills, she would be able to break through to mid-stage third-rank.

It was a proper use of resources.

Even if she possessed only low-grade Earth-tier bloodline potential, Snowjade still had the possibility of reaching the Nascent Soul realm. The third-rank dragon-vein baptism back then had likely been tied to this latent potential.

Wang Yu also had Nascent Soul Condensation Pills in his possession. He could leave one for Snowjade, and the remaining two could still be sold. The treasure exchange gathering at the Demon King Banquet might prove useful.

That day, Lei Yao went to make arrangements for the mortals delivered by the Moluo Horde. Each time it was tens of thousands at once. Food, drink, sleeping arrangements, and basic hygiene were all a headache. Mortals were far harder to manage than cultivators.

Especially the issue of bodily waste. It was an outright disaster area.

In just a few days, they could produce an entire mountain of excrement.

It was said that Yellow Springs Monastery possessed a filth-based inheritance that could make use of the dirty waste of mortals. The killing power might be average, but it was exceptionally disgusting. It could contaminate magic treasures and foul them.

Those people were truly obsessed with magic treasures. If they could not break another person’s wealth, they felt unhappy about it. They were a rare breed even within the Crimson Kite cultivation world.

Wang Yu did not pursue that sort of path. His main interest was simply seeing what real demonkin looked like. Strictly speaking, he had never actually seen a proper demon race before.

Demonic beasts and spirit beasts did not count!

Even though a lone third-rank demonic beast could awaken intelligence, it was still far from forming an organized clan with an inherited system. Thus, it could not truly be called a demon race, and spirit beasts were even less worth mentioning.

The architecture here was also quite distinctive.

It had been constructed by the Demon Cat Clan according to their habits and the characteristics of the demon race. The most obvious feature was its sheer size.

When demonkin were still weak, their bodies would swell drastically as their cultivation rose. Only after reaching third-rank could they control their body size and achieve true freedom of transformation.

A clan also needed grand and imposing buildings to serve as a show of strength.

Then came Wang Yu’s second impression.

Small and exquisite, tall and slender!

This did not conflict with being large at all.

The style was consistent. Large and small demon architecture, arranged harmoniously with the terrain, was scattered around this mountain lake region of the Demon Cat Clan. One side faced the mountains, and the other faced the lake.

In the backyards behind the houses, thick stone pillars stood one after another, rough and covered in claw marks. Each was a thousand meters tall, and there were at least ten thousand of them. They were all training tools for Demon Cat cubs.

As he went deeper, Wang Yu unexpectedly saw a school. Clear, rhythmic sounds of recitation rang out, like children just learning to speak. Although their pronunciation was unclear, he could still roughly understand the meaning.

It was a human beginner’s text.

The Thousand Character Classic!

Wang Yu could not help growing even more curious. What exactly was the Enlightenment Inheritance? Something that could make first-rank demonkin speak was truly something that shattered common sense!