Blood Abyss Prefecture.
Nine twisted black-and-red mountain peaks rose from nine directions toward the center, like coiling dragons growing inward, or like nine demonic dragons bowing in submission to the crimson ancient hall at the very center.
A nine-thousand-foot blood waterfall plunged straight down, stirring up dense blood demonic qi. Brilliant starlight descended from the heavens, naturally condensing and forming irregular Star-Demonic Stones.
This was ranked thirty-second among earth formations.
The Nine Palaces Demonic Star Ascension Formation!
After undergoing the Blood Pool Baptism last time, Wang Yu’s understanding of this formation had deepened considerably. Although he had not encountered the legendary demonic spirit, he had still reaped substantial benefits from it.
After years of separation, and after resolving the matter of the Nine Evil Sword Lord, he could now return to the sect openly and uprightly, and smoothly advance from Seventh Elder of Cold Blood Peak to a Nascent Soul Ancestor of Cold Blood Peak, excluding the two great cultivators, Ice Soul Fairy and Old Man Blueheart.
The Cold Blood Mountain Lord and the Heavenly Frost Demon Lord were not on good terms. His joining would conveniently form a third corner, and as everyone knew, triangles possessed stability.
The former two respectively represented the master-disciple faction and the clan faction. He, meanwhile, was a typical centrist. With only his own strength, maintaining balance would not be easy.
His alchemy skills were his greatest bargaining chip.
There was also Elder Yushu. When they had reunited on the Endless Ice Plains back then, neither had revealed their identity, but Wang Yu had a clear grasp of Yushu’s progress.
If things had gone smoothly, he should already have returned.
If not, there was nothing more to say. It would only mean death and the dissipation of the Dao.
After all, the other party bore the title of “the most promising candidate to break through to Nascent Soul”. He certainly had real ability. The death of the grandson he favored had dealt him a heavy blow.
But emotions were only temporary. As long as he had not attempted a breakthrough on the spot, reason would always return afterward.
Judging from his age, he truly had very little margin for error.
He would not force a breakthrough recklessly.
Wang Yu still held some hope in this regard.
Arriving at the foot of the Blood Reversal Sect’s mountain gate, he saw a massive archway structure bearing four large characters. A vast white-marble road stretched before him.
Following it straight ahead led into the area of the Ten Blood Reversal Wards.
The number of sect disciples stationed on both sides was enormous. In the past, only two people had been posted for show. Now, there were hundreds, and that was only the visible number.
On the white jade road wide enough for twenty carriages to travel side by side, Wang Yu’s escaping light dispersed, revealing his true appearance.
He wore white robes with silver patterns. His crane-white hair was tied into a small crown. A green hairpin ran horizontally through it, from which hung a miniature black coffin.
His features were peerlessly handsome, his charm extraordinary. bined with his tall, well-proportioned figure, he stood out wherever he went. If not for his overly pale plexion, which made him look somewhat frail, he would have been even more dazzling.
“May I ask… who are you, senior?”
The gate-guarding disciples were of average status.
Back then, among those who had been in the same generation as Wang Yu, anyone who had not reached Foundation Establishment was already dead. bined with his many years of seclusion, it was natural that they did not recognize him.
He put on the Seventh Elder ring of Cold Blood Peak and activated it.
A blood talisman materialized.
All the disciples were startled and shouted in unison,
“Wele back, Seventh Elder of Cold Blood Peak!”
“Wele back, Seventh Elder of Cold Blood Peak!”
“Wele back, Seventh Elder of Cold Blood Peak!”
In life, the two words fame and profit could run through one’s entire existence.
In the cultivation world, the essence of fame and profit was strength and realm.
Wang Yu was quite satisfied with their attitude. With a single step, he vanished from the spot. At the same time, a streak of blood light chased after him, transforming into a muscular man clad in scaled armor.
“Senior Yu?”
At the foot of Cold Blood Peak, the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon had clearly sensed the disturbance at the mountain gate and rushed over directly, looking at him with a strange expression.
“I’ve heard about what you did at the Ancestral Beast God Mountain, hehe…”
Wang Yu suddenly realized.
“Senior is referring to the Human Desire Great Art?”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
In this regard, Wang Yu was not stingy. To him, this inheritance was currently of little use. It was useless to take, yet a pity to discard.
Considering that Old Yu’s fourth-rank teleportation talisman had indeed arrived in time and saved his life, sharing the method taught by the Beast God was only right.
“Alright.”
He immediately imprinted the technique onto a transmission jade slip. The Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon was extremely satisfied.
“By the way, why did you e back?
“I heard you’ve been doing extremely well among the northern demonic clans. Your alchemy skills have conquered quite a few demon kings. If I were you, I’d have let King Thunder Qilin and the others help deal with the Nine Evil Sword Lord before returning.”
Hearing this, Wang Yu gave him a strange look.
Then he smiled and said, “How do you know I didn’t?”
Old Yu raised an eyebrow. The two exchanged wicked grins.
With mutual understanding, they did not mention the matter again.
This time, his visit actually had no official purpose. He had e purely out of curiosity, and also because there was one matter that made him doubt his entire demon life and that he wanted to personally confirm.
All information regarding Wang Yu had only recently reached him from the northern demonic clans. He had not yet mentioned it to anyone else.
“I heard… you’ve condensed a Nascent Soul?”
“Of course.”
Wang Yu released a trace of his aura.
Sensing the thick, surging demonic essence, the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon grew even more shocked. If he remembered correctly, Wang Yu had not yet received the Nascent Soul inheritance of Cold Blood Peak.
Yet his cultivation was clearly not that of someone who had just entered the Nascent Soul realm. At the very least, he had reached the second layer of Nascent Soul, and had already begun to break free from the weak phase mon to new cultivators of the same realm.
This was even more shocking than hearing that Wang Yu had formed a Nascent Soul.
“Unbelievable. You’re this year…”
“Close to two hundred.”
In reality, he was around one hundred and eighty-six. With less than two hundred years of cultivation, he had already bee a top-tier powerhouse.
If forming a Core Formation could still be said to involve some luck, with bat power determining whether one could bee a true mainstay, then even the weakest Nascent Soul cultivator was like a pillar of a sect. Wherever they went, they could dominate a region. Among rogue cultivators, they were rarer than phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
It could be said that Wang Yu’s age alone already surpassed ninety-nine percent of all so-called geniuses. Entering late-stage Nascent Soul and even reaching Great Perfection in the future was practically guaranteed.
He was a powerhouse who had already begun to realise his potential, though he had not yet reached his absolute peak.
It seemed that Old Yu had been hit hard by this news.
He remained dazed for a long time.
A faint smile hung on Wang Yu’s lips.
In the next instant, he arrived atop Cold Blood Peak.
Within the Blood Reversal Sect, the peak masters of the various mountains handled administrative affairs. Their strength was generally at the third layer of Nascent Soul, with the exception of Evil God Peak.
What Wang Yu needed to do next was to take a Dao title.
He would be enshrined in the Ancestral Hall of Cold Blood Peak. The Blood Demon Hall would also record his existence and life experiences for future generations to revere.
All archives and secret records of Cold Blood Peak would be opened to him.
Aside from the inheritance of the Ancient Blood Demon Scripture and some of the Blood Demon Hall’s core secrets, he would truly step into the highest level of authority within the Blood Reversal Sect and bee one of its senior figures.
Although his territory would still be on Cold Blood Peak, he would be able to consult the inheritances of all nine peaks and make up for any shortings in his cultivation. He would also gain the right to voice opinions on certain sect policies.
This was pletely different from the status of an elder.
His personal cultivation path was about to open a new chapter.
Cold Blood Mountain Lord’s cultivation ground.
When it came to this Seventh Elder, what left the deepest impression on the mountain lord was Wang Yu’s powerful pill-refining ability. The Cold Blood master-disciple faction had benefited greatly from it.
Unfortunately, after the Twin Prodigy conflict ended, Wang Yu suddenly left the sect and never returned. No one could contact him. Nearly thirty years had passed since then. The mountain lord had even thought he had been secretly eliminated by Zhuo Shouyun.
Anger rose in his heart, and he scolded him without courtesy.
“Wang Yu, during wartime you disappeared without even giving notice. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you fled before battle. You truly were unworthy of the elder position!”
Hearing this, Wang Yu immediately understood.
The Seventh Elder position had already been given to someone else. No wonder the mountain lord was acting like he had swallowed explosives, ready to explode at the slightest spark.
“Mountain Lord, please calm yourself.”
He took out his identity ring, ice crown, and ceremonial robes, placing them all on the long table.
Wang Yu smiled and said,
“I went to the Endless Ice Plains to cultivate in seclusion for nearly thirty years and successfully condensed a Nascent Soul. When I heard that the righteous and demonic paths were at war again, I rushed back at once. This… doesn’t count as wrongdoing, does it?”
“What?!”
The Cold Blood Mountain Lord was stunned. He sprang to his feet.
“You condensed a Nascent Soul?!”
Wang Yu repeated what he had done before the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon. After sensing the aura of the Nascent Soul realm, the mountain lord finally believed it.
He froze in his seat, pletely dazed.
Wang Yu enjoyed this immensely.
Showing off… the feeling of displaying one’s power in public was truly satisfying.
Breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm was already a major event. On top of that, his age was far too young. Most disciples of his generation were still struggling at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Yet he had climbed up step by step from the status of a spirit slave.
From outer disciple, inner disciple, ordinary elder, Twelve Elder, and the Blood Abyss Trial, he had surpassed even the true disciples of his generation, who on average were more than a hundred years older than him.
The selection of the new generation of true disciples was what someone his age should normally be participating in. The gap in seniority was simply too great, so it was understandable that the mountain lord was shocked into a stupor.
After a long silence, the mountain lord forced out a stiff, insincere smile.
Before he could speak, several streaks of escaping light slipped in through the doorway.
They were the core elders of Cold Blood Peak.
One of them had burning eyes. The moment he entered, he glanced at Wang Yu, then his attention was drawn to the ceremonial robes and ice crown on the table.
“Mountain Lord, this is the former Seventh Elder, Wang Yu, correct?”
“Yes.”
Wang Yu looked over with amused interest.
He remembered clearly that every seat on the Council of Elders was strictly assigned, one position per person. He had occupied the seat of the Zuoqiu Clan. Even if he no longer held it, it should have been reclaimed.
“Who are you?”
“I am Yu Rantang, the current Seventh Elder. Fellow Daoist Wang has been away for far too long. The position of council elder carries high authority and heavy responsibilities. It cannot remain vacant indefinitely.”
“The Yu Clan… so you made some private deal?”
“That is none of your concern. Since you have already handed everything over, why not e work under me from now on?
“I hear Fellow Daoist Wang is highly skilled in alchemy. For every batch of fourth-rank spirit pills you refine, I will pay you one hundred high-grade spirit stones. How about that?”
Silence.
The Cold Blood Mountain Lord, who had been about to speak, immediately shut his mouth. Instead, he watched with interest, clearly happy to see Wang Yu clash with the clan faction. The Yu Clan’s influence on Cold Blood Peak was weak.
Since the war began, the Yu, Zhuo, and Zuoqiu clans had started exerting themselves. Benefit exchanges became increasingly frequent. Many times, even he, the mountain lord, could only watch from the sidelines, unable to interfere.
To put it bluntly, the entire Blood Reversal Sect was the product of an alliance between these three clans. Most of the rulers of the Nine Peaks and One Hall were their people.
Those who were not had to rely on the three clans to survive. If the clans fully entered the field, there would be no place left for the master-disciple faction. Moreover, that faction itself was far from united.
At present, the Blood Reversal Sect was facing a major crisis, yet its foundation had not been damaged, nor had it gone all out. All sides were still coordinating and preparing.
Yu Rantang using spirit stones to humiliate Wang Yu like this…
“If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to endure it.”
Under the Cold Blood Mountain Lord’s expectant gaze, Wang Yu let out a cold laugh.
“Overstepping your authority. What is the crime?”
“Capital offense.”
Yu Rantang frowned in confusion.
“If you are unwilling, I still have another assignment. I heard Fellow Daoist Wang once served as city lord of Jade Spirit City in Cloud Ridge Prefecture. Why not go there and contribute a little…”
Wang Yu had no patience to listen further. He raised his hand and made a grasping motion.
Yu Rantang’s body immediately lost control. His neck flew into Wang Yu’s grip. Black ice radiating chilling cold covered his entire body. No matter how he circulated his mana, it was useless.
At this moment, fear finally appeared in his eyes.
Unfortunately, his throat was locked too tightly for him to speak.
The other council members acpanying him were shocked and shouted.
“Wang Yu, what are you doing?”
“Brother Yu was only assigning you a task. Why go this far?”
“Don’t be impulsive. Brother Yu is a direct descendant of the Yu Clan…”
“Too noisy.”
Wang Yu saw clearly that the Cold Blood Mountain Lord was fanning the flames.
But he did not care in the slightest. He had never had a good impression of the Yu Clan. After Yu Xing betrayed Zhuo Shouqing, he had despised them even more.
If it had been someone from the Zuoqiu Clan, he might have let it go.
But for a clown like this to jump out and disgust him, if he did not kill him today, the dignity of a Nascent Soul cultivator would be pletely lost.
Sharp ice spikes suddenly exploded.
Countless ice crystals mixed with pulverized flesh scattered everywhere. Blood-colored ice shards bloomed like hibiscus flowers, grotesque yet strangely beautiful.
A golden core fell into Wang Yu’s hand. Ice Chi Pill Flames rose from his palm, forming a phantom flame cauldron. With his perfected third-rank Human Pill Art, in only nine breaths, nine supreme-grade third-rank human pills specialized in restoring mana were produced.
This was the speed of alchemy for a Nascent Soul cultivator. With demonic essence driving it and perfected alchemy skills, it was inparably efficient.
This display was utterly shocking.
Casually tossing the nine pills onto the table, Wang Yu said,
“Everyone, what do you think of these pills?”
Someone laughed awkwardly and hurriedly flattered him.
“Refined in an instant. Truly divine skill.”
At this point, with the mountain lord’s strange attitude and Wang Yu’s revealed strength, even the stupidest among them realized that Wang Yu was no longer on the same level as them.
Once this alchemy ability was revealed, it would surely attract large numbers of Nascent Soul cultivators seeking pills. Everyone had suffered under the Alchemy Hall for a long time.
As for Yu Rantang, dead was dead.
At worst, they would pensate one hundred high-grade spirit stones. The Exalted Sect had long had rules allowing spirit stones to offset punishment. And insubordination was strictly forbidden anyway.
“We will not disturb the mountain lord and Senior Wang any longer. We will take our leave now. We will leave immediately…”
They came quickly and left just as fast.
Whoever had passed along the news had really sent them rushing here to die.
After they left, the Cold Blood Mountain Lord returned to normal and pondered.
“Since Fellow Daoist Wang has condensed a Nascent Soul, you are now one of Cold Blood Peak’s ancestors. There are still many vacant fourth-rank spirit vein cave dwellings. Will you stay on the mountain, or go to the Heavenly Frost side?”
“I’ll stay on the mountain. Just relocate my original cave dwelling here.”
“Very well.”
The two discussed various minor matters. After settling everything, their subordinates would handle the details. There was no need for Wang Yu to run around personally.
The more important matters were his Daoist title and inheritance.
After leaving the main hall, Wang Yu entered the Ancestral Hall of Cold Blood Peak for the first time.
On the left stood the spirit tablets of deceased predecessors, the earliest belonging to the founder of Cold Blood Peak, dating back over ten thousand years.
After observing for a moment, Wang Yu turned his gaze to the right.
This side contained the names of living Nascent Soul cultivators of Cold Blood Peak. Ice Soul Fairy, Old Man Blueheart, and others were all listed.
“Have you decided what title you will use in the future?”
Wang Yu thought for a moment, then raised his finger and carved…
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