If Wang Yu had not left so suddenly, and if he himself had not happened to be in seclusion, he should have arrived long ago.

Nine Evil Sword Lord glanced at the Talisman Lord, an unmistakable trace of displeasure on his face.

“Black Heaven, you did this on purpose?”

“Sword Lord jokes too much. Wang Yu is no ordinary Core Formation cultivator. In my view, his future achievement of the Nascent Soul realm is inevitable. I was merely a bit slow to act.”

“Hmph.”

Nine Evil Sword Lord’s temper flared, but considering the Zhuo Clan backing the man, he refrained from taking action. Instead, he pointed at the pitch-black Black Heaven Curtain Talisman Formation.

“Open it. With me here, he won’t escape.”

“Easy enough.”

As the dark curtain withdrew, Wang Yu’s pupils contracted sharply. His Greater Teleportation Talisman had already been activated for some time, but this place clearly had a spatial lockdown in effect.

A fourth-rank talisman needed time to break through such restrictions.

Fortunately, he had activated it early, and by now it was nearly complete. The only reason he had remained was to confirm the identity of the person behind the scenes. Now that he had seen Nine Evil Sword Lord, everything was clear.

He knew all too well what late-stage Nascent Soul strength represented.

“You…”

Just as Wang Yu was about to speak and extract more information, Nine Evil Sword Lord did not bother wasting words. With a turn of sword light, he struck directly toward Wang Yu’s limbs.

His intent was obvious.

At that moment, brilliant silver spatial power suddenly erupted, wrapping around Wang Yu’s body and forcibly slipping him into another layer of space. The sword light struck nothing.

“A Great Teleportation Talisman? Black Heaven…”

Black Heaven Talisman Lord chuckled softly and stomped his talisman banner with deliberate slowness. As a Nascent Soul cultivator of the talisman path, his influence over talismans far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators.

Especially his life-bound treasure, the Black Heaven Talisman Banner, a truly versatile treasure usable in nearly any situation, and particularly effective when dealing with talismans.

Black flames ignited one after another within the void.

They rapidly closed in on Wang Yu, attempting to intercept him. However, their speed was less than ideal. Without Wang Yu doing anything further, the effect of the Greater Teleportation Talisman alone wrapped him in a streak of silver light and caused him to vanish.

He escaped.

Nine Evil Sword Lord suddenly turned his head, fixing Black Heaven Talisman Lord with a cold, piercing stare. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

“What do you mean by this?”

“Well… the Great Teleportation Talisman is a fourth-rank top-tier spatial talisman. I’m only at early Nascent Soul. Failing to stop it is perfectly normal, isn’t it?”

“Idiotic!

“Since you chose to act, you should have finished the job. Do you think that brat will be grateful to you? Does he even know you were helping him? The people in the Alchemy Hall can’t wait for him to die immediately.

“What happened today, I will certainly report to the Alchemy Hall. From now on, don’t even think about getting another spirit pill from them.”

Black Heaven Talisman Lord spread his hands indifferently.

“I’m a son-in-law of the Zhuo Clan. The Alchemy Hall can’t sanction me, and neither can you. Want to drive me off Evil Sword Peak? Keep dreaming.”

Unexpectedly, Black Heaven Talisman Lord became remarkably tough, openly trading barbs with Nine Evil Sword Lord.

The two despised each other. Aside from trading harsh words, neither dared to make a move. The foundation of the Exalted Sect’s Three Great Clans was not something a single late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator could shake.

Feeling that he had lost face, Nine Evil Sword Lord said no more. He transformed into sword light and fled straight toward Tianbao City.

Wang Yu had been fleeing in that direction as well. Nine Evil Sword Lord guessed he might try to borrow the influence of the Heaven Treasure Pavilion and hide there. Interfering directly could provoke hostility from the pavilion.

Unfortunately for Wang Yu, the Blood Reversal Sect and the Heaven Treasure Pavilion had long maintained friendly relations.

Nine Evil Sword Lord also had well-established connections there. If Wang Yu truly tried that route, he would likely die without even a burial.

Black Heaven Talisman Lord, who remained behind, watched Nine Evil Sword Lord depart.

He neither followed nor returned to the sect. Instead, he fled toward the Zhuo Clan ancestral lands at Ghost Fang. After truly tearing his relationship apart with Nine Evil Sword Lord, he could not help but feel some regret.

Still, the pent-up frustration in his heart had been vented, leaving him feeling exceptionally relieved.

“A live-in son-in-law? So what if I am. With the Zhuo Clan’s resources, I can just go back and coax my wife a bit. I can still get along just fine on other peaks. At worst, I’ll go guard a fifth-rank spirit vein. Anything’s better than enduring that bastard’s temper.”

It had to be said that Black Heaven Talisman Lord’s thinking was quite forward-looking.

He did not care much for face or reputation. Yet the moment he thought of Wang Yu’s situation, his head began to ache. If he had known things would end in a falling-out sooner or later, he would not have come at all.

He had made an enemy for nothing. Who knew whether Wang Yu would understand his good intentions.

…

…

Blood Demon Hall, Demonic Flood Dragon Cave Abode.

Wang Yu stared blankly at Senior Yu, the two of them locked in a wide-eyed standoff. Yu Father said in disbelief, “You’ve been gone less than half a day, and you already used a Great Teleportation Talisman? You prodigal!”

Wang Yu rubbed his forehead helplessly.

“A late-stage Nascent Soul Nine Evil Sword Lord was hunting me down. If I hadn’t used it, senior probably wouldn’t be seeing a usable alchemist like me right now.”

Senior Yu: “…”

The Great Teleportation Talisman had been given by him, and the destination was naturally marked at what the demonic flood dragon considered the safest cave abode. Wang Yu appearing here was inevitable.

Unfortunately, Tianbao City was no longer an option.

There were still massive amounts of spirit stones on Situ Hong that Wang Yu needed to take over. This left him rather troubled. The immediate priority was still to avoid Nine Evil Sword Lord.

Within the sect, he appeared to have influence, but in reality he was still suppressed by Nascent Soul cultivators. He had to break through this boundary if he wanted to protect himself.

“No, I still have to leave.”

Hearing this, Senior Yu raised an eyebrow.

“If you’re willing to stay in my cave abode, no matter how bold Nine Evil is, he wouldn’t dare charge in and forcibly abduct you.”

This was indeed a viable approach. The conditions for Wang Yu to break through to the Nascent Soul realm were basically in place, but he not only needed time, he also faced a fatal problem.

Demonic Qi.

And it had to be the demonic qi of the ancient demon [Frost], used to shape his demonic-path Nascent Soul. Otherwise, the Nascent Soul he condensed would be utterly ordinary, losing the innate advantage of his ice-path cultivation techniques.

Cold Blood Peak had long maintained records regarding “Frost”. Its sealed location lay within the Endless Ice Plains, and the surface markings were extremely clear.

He only needed to approach that region and absorb a tiny amount of Frost demonic qi. This was not something that could be solved through the Idle Slot.

Because after the Ice Soul Holy Demonic Scripture reached completion, it did not provide any feedback indicating that Frost demonic qi had been refined. This was ironclad proof.

Unless there was a special cultivation method that required absorbing Frost demonic qi in order to be cultivated, the Idle Slot could not conjure it out of thin air.

Moreover, a major event was about to occur at the Blood Demon Hall. Whoever wanted to stay in this hellhole could do so themselves.

Of course.

If the cultivation technique could advance to the fourth rank, it should be able to resolve this problem.

The issue was that it would take far too long. And judging from Old Yu’s eager gaze, he clearly wanted to keep Wang Yu in the cave abode and use him as a humanoid pill-extraction cauldron. That was something he absolutely could not agree to.

“Many thanks for Senior Yu’s kindness. However, I would prefer to resolve this matter on my own. Does Senior have a way to secretly send me out of the sect? If I can remain hidden for a longer period, it will make it easier for me to travel farther.”

After hearing this, Old Yu revealed a heartbroken and indignant expression.

“You little brats are all far too suspicious, doubting this and doubting that. Sigh… very well. This lord will help you once.”

Seeing this, Wang Yu sneered inwardly.

In the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain, anyone without sufficient vigilance had long since ended up as a corpse in the wilderness. How could anyone who reached Core Formation and still dared to look ahead to Nascent Soul be careless?

After settling matters with Old Yu, Wang Yu did not leave immediately.

Instead, he deliberately sought out Yu Tangtang.

She looked at him in confusion. “Didn’t Father say you already left the sect? Why are you back again?”

“A small incident.”

Wang Yu took out blood pills refined in reverse using the Blood Pill Art from a large number of second-rank blood beast crystal cores stored in the Sea Heart Ring. There were several hundred bottles in total, and he took out ten of them.

These pills could replenish lost life essence. They were most effective for Foundation Establishment cultivators, but also had some effect on Core Formation cultivators. He had originally prepared them for Situ Hong.

He then took out a Cold Blood Token bearing his personal imprint and handed it to Yu Tangtang.

“Tangtang, there are a few people in Tianbao City. I need you to find them. Deliver these pills to a man named Situ Hong.

“He should be holding spirit stones worth tens of millions. Help me retrieve them. This is the meeting location.”

Although Yu Tangtang was puzzled, she still nodded and agreed.

“After getting them, should I come back to find you?”

“No need. Keep them with you for now. Just don’t let your father trick you out of them.”

“Don’t worry.”

Yu Tangtang’s short little arms pounded against her chest as she struck a pose of loyalty and righteousness. Wang Yu’s request had clearly triggered her big-sister-leader personality.

Her milky little voice was soft and adorable.

“With me, Yu Tangtang, here, no one is touching those spirit stones.”

Wang Yu could not help but laugh. He bent down and patted her head.

“When I come back, I’ll bring you a gift.”

Not far away, the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon stared at Wang Yu with suspicion. He could not be sure whether the other party was sincere or merely acting.

But regardless, he had to keep an eye on the family’s precious little munchkin.

He absolutely could not let some beast swindle her away.

“Enough, enough, Wang brat. If you have anything to say, say it when you get back!”

Wang Yu opened his mouth, but before he could speak, he was flung away by a large hand.

With a bang.

He landed inside an ancient formation array that had seen many years of use.

Amid dazzling spiritual light, Old Yu’s voice echoed in his ears.

“This is an ancient teleportation formation leading to the border of Night Jewel Prefecture. I have people over there, and possibly a few demon race members as well. Do not make a move.”

Clearly, he intended to send Wang Yu to a transit point that had long been used for trade with the demon race of the Northern Severed Boundary Mountains. In other words, the destination was most likely in the western region of Night Jewel Prefecture.

He was leaving in such haste because he intended to find a place to deal with Fu Xiao first. An Innate Demonic Embryo was undoubtedly far more reliable than any so-called opportunity or underground palace.

That was also why the Nine-Evil Sword Lord had come.

The Demonic Embryo secret art came from that man’s hand. He must have learned some hidden secret from the excavated ruins. Otherwise, there would have been no reason to specifically target Wang Yu, let alone insist on capturing him alive.

Had he also cultivated this secret art?

That was a question.

Amid the spatial fluctuations, Wang Yu’s figure vanished once again. This time, no one could determine the direction of his departure. Only after the dizziness faded did his vision clear.

When he opened his eyes again, Wang Yu found himself in an ancient, timeworn courtyard. It looked ordinary, yet it had been kept very clean, clearly a place that had been lived in for many years.

He put on the Earth Net Ghost Mask and covered his body with a layer of black robes.

His divine sense rapidly spread in all directions.

Outside the small courtyard was, unexpectedly, a desolate city. The entire city was deathly silent, with almost no living people. The few that remained lived along the city’s outskirts, all of them sallow and emaciated, clearly living difficult lives.

This was what was known as a “Desolate City”.

Generally speaking, this referred to cities whose underground spiritual veins had been exhausted and abandoned by cultivators. Places like this had extremely thin spiritual qi, and unless new spiritual veins were captured and implanted, they held no value whatsoever.

In theory, he was currently located at the junction between Night Jewel Prefecture and the Northern Severed Boundary Mountain Range. Judging from the city’s age, it had most likely been destroyed by a demonic beast tide many years ago.

At most, the Night Jewel Prefecture authorities would set up a few sentry posts in this area. Normally, no one came here. It was an excellent place, perfectly suited for him to enter seclusion and condense his Innate Demonic Embryo.

Of course, it was also suitable for the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon to conduct seemingly covert, yet actually open transactions with the demon race clans of the Northern Severed Boundary Mountain Range.

Unwilling to be discovered, Wang Yu cast an invisibility technique and left the courtyard directly.

Not long after.

A late third-rank reticulated-pattern snake drilled out from the ground. It flicked its tongue, confusion filling its snake pupils.

“I clearly sensed spatial fluctuations. How is there nothing here? Strange… just someone passing by?”

Meanwhile.

Wang Yu quickly surveyed the entire desolate city. Apart from several hidden third-rank snake demons, there were also demonic cultivators of the Exalted Sect stationed here long-term. Judging by their aura, they were likely from Barbarian Ghost Peak.

He had no intention of revealing himself. After confirming several locations, he selected a secluded spot.

He directly excavated a temporary underground cave dwelling, set up concealment formation flags, and then impatiently began his preparations.

He had never attempted to devour a Demonic Embryo before, so he decided to follow the standard procedure.

When the fully sealed Fu Xiao was released from the Human Seed Pouch, his eyes locked firmly onto Wang Yu.

That unwillingness and rage felt all too familiar.

Wang Yu had seen that gaze far too many times.

“What, not convinced?”

“Heh heh.”

“Wang Yu, how many years have you even cultivated? Your Demonic Embryo isn’t strong enough to swallow me.”

“Then you’re going to be disappointed.”

With a thought, Wang Yu’s eyes instantly turned pitch black. Dense demonic intent surged from his body, black smoke condensing into a demonic seed.

He hurled it toward Fu Xiao’s chest.

Fu Xiao was immediately shocked, thrashing violently like a fish stranded on land.

“You… you’ve been possessed by a Heavenly Demon?!”

Only then did Wang Yu belatedly examine himself and realize that he indeed resembled those demonic beasts possessed by Heavenly Demons. The corners of his mouth curled upward, revealing chilling white teeth.

“You guess.”

A bone-deep chill surged forth, completely soaking into Fu Xiao.

Fear suddenly arose in his heart. Black and crimson intertwined, drawing out his demonic thoughts. Killing intent and bloody mist continuously probed into his mind, shaking his will.

The two forces worked together in perfect harmony.

Shattering the heart and seizing the soul was nothing more than this.

Fu Xiao’s spiritual will was far more resilient than Wang Yu had expected. Those he could normally crush in a single exchange were nowhere near comparable.

This battle of attrition lasted three days and three nights.

Just before his self-awareness completely dissipated, Fu Xiao regained a sliver of clarity. He burst into loud laughter and mocked Wang Yu.

“You can’t escape. He will come for you. He will find you!”

Before the words had even finished.

The Mysterious Origin Demonic Embryo within Fu Xiao suddenly counterattacked, letting out shrill, eerie laughter as it devoured all of Fu Xiao’s cultivation essence.

Wang Yu’s expression sharpened. He opened his mouth and inhaled sharply.

The demonic embryo that had just escaped had no time to react before it was swallowed into Wang Yu’s body. The two demonic embryos immediately began devouring each other.

The foreign one sought to usurp the nest.

The native one sought to devour the other and complete itself.

Wang Yu’s Demonic Embryo surpassed Fu Xiao’s by more than an entire tier. It could even forcibly suppress the Heavenly Demon malice thought controlled by the other, accepting everything without rejection and devouring it all.

Threads of black demonic intent wrapped around Wang Yu, weaving together into what seemed like a black demonic cocoon. He felt his consciousness grow weary.

Before falling into slumber, he replaced all seven Idle Slots with Demonic Embryo secret art.

Thus, he entered a cocoon-like transformation, akin to deep sleep.