In truth, no matter how brutal the wars between the righteous and demonic paths became, whether they were fighting for resources or territorial control, according to existing records there had never been a precedent of Spirit Transformation Venerables from either side personally taking action due to defeat in war. One only heard of secret challenges occurring during times of peace.
Combined with the situation in the Ice Prison Realm, one could easily reach a conclusion.
The ones most anxious to break free from this cage were not geniuses like Wang Yu, but those powerhouses who had already reached the peak long ago. Even Spirit Transformation cultivators had limited lifespans.
If they could not escape the Ice Prison cage while still alive, what future could there be?
In Wang Yu’s eyes, whether it was the Blood Reversal Sect’s plan to become “prison wardens,” Yellow Springs Monastery’s plan to destroy the spiritual qi environment of the Ice Prison Realm from its foundation, or the Joyous Union Demon Sect imitating their predecessors’ “ancient methods” to prepare to release the sealed ancient Demon’s physical body and trigger great chaos, all of them seemed far too simplistic. They were more like various acts of madness born from having no other options. If he were an observer from beyond the heavens, he might simply sit back and enjoy the show.
After all, the difficulty of successfully executing any of these plans was extremely high.
Aside from releasing the ancient Demon’s physical body, which would constitute dereliction of duty for the observer and might prompt intervention, the other plans were all overly idealistic and completely failed to account for the actual difficulties involved.
In summary.
The highest possibility lay in openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing at Chencang[1]. As long as there was a shared interest and goal, it was perfectly normal for the Spirit Transformation Venerables of the righteous and demonic paths to cooperate.
There were definitely opportunities within the Eastern Extreme Capital ruins capable of strengthening Spirit Transformation cultivation. This was beyond doubt. As for when the top big shots would descend, that remained unknown.
On the other side.
【Congratulations to the cultivator for clearing the seventieth floor. Please choose two of the following options as Celestial Star rewards.】
【1. Alchemy Inheritance (Dan Chenzi)】
【2. Demonic Essence Infusion】
【3. Fourth-rank Magic Treasure (type selectable)】
【4. Miraculous Spirit Pill (fourth-rank high grade)】
【5. Accumulate one reward quota until the eightieth floor.】
Out of the five options, the alchemy inheritance was vague. That Dan Chenzi should have been a famous Alchemy grandmaster from the ancient Immortal Dynasty. However, Wang Yu had little need in this area.
To him, any fourth-rank Alchemy inheritance could be placed into the Idle Slots and derived all the way to fifth rank. What he truly wanted was to obtain the top fifth-rank alchemy dao inheritance of the Ice Prison Realm in one step.
In the future he might even break through the limit and derive it to the sixth rank.
If he could refine sixth-rank treasure pills, there was a chance he could break the restrictions of heaven and earth and become a Void Refinement cultivator. After all, with the existence of the Idle Slots, achieving the impossible had already become somewhat normal.
After breaking through to the fourth layer of Nascent Soul, demonic essence infusion was no longer Wang Yu’s top choice. He now needed to thoroughly master this power first.
“Unfortunately, there is no option that directly increases Body Refinement cultivation…”
From this detail alone, one could see that Body Refinement truly had very few shortcuts, while normal spiritual power accumulation had far too many ways to take shortcuts.
After brief consideration, Wang Yu chose options 3 and 5.
“I want a battle armor type true artifact.”
To this day, the majority of Wang Yu’s resources had been invested into his life-bound magic treasure and his fundamental realm. The support given to Body Refinement was very low.
Especially his life-bound true artifact, which had almost no presence.
This was mainly because its strength was too low. Exchanging for a battle armor type true artifact of the same grade now was to feed the Demonic Dragon Armor for devouring.
Back when it had fused with the Dragon Vein Treasure Pearl, this true artifact had undergone a fundamental transformation. It could absorb different materials and true artifacts, possessing a special ability to devour similar types.
This ability itself came from the growth potential of a life-bound treasure, and the Dragon Vein Treasure Pearl had strengthened it.
Therefore, the Glazed Iceheart Pagoda could only devour materials, while the Dragon Armor could devour other true artifacts of the same type.
The difference in their origins was like heaven and earth.
Both were fourth-rank low-grade, yet the Glazed Iceheart Pagoda’s foundation was as solid as a fourth-rank high-grade magic treasure, constantly nourished by vast amounts of Heavenly Yin Divine Water, so there was no need to worry about it anymore.
The Demonic Dragon Armor’s low-grade status was genuine low-grade.
Since Body Refinement was one of Wang Yu’s commonly used combat methods, if his true artifact could not keep up in strength, it would naturally affect his overall performance.
He would supplement it wherever he could.
After obtaining the battle armor true artifact rewarded by the Celestial Star Tower, he immediately fed it to the Demonic Dragon Armor to devour, then directly entered the seventy-first floor.
The tower spirit’s voice continued to ring out.
【This floor’s test is a “Comprehensive Test”!】
The so-called comprehensive test, Wang Yu preferred to call it a survival assessment. The terrain had become extremely dangerous and complex. The environment of the seventy-first floor had transformed into a volcanic lava land.
There were a great number of lethal mechanisms and restrictive formations. One careless move could trigger a chain of restrictions, putting him under immense pressure.
It tested the cultivator’s ability to respond in every aspect.
Formations and restrictions all involved the fourth-rank domain. They were not something that could be casually dealt with.
From volcanic lava to polar ice plains, endless layers of astral gales, poisonous miasma jungles, and even a void of complete darkness, the sheer variety of extreme environments was staggering.
This greatly broadened Wang Yu’s horizons, and his gains were substantial.
Afterward, the eightieth floor, the ninetieth floor… all were safely passed relying on his mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation. As a result, the Demonic Dragon Armor’s origin greatly increased.
It had entered a “full” state and could not be fed anything more in the short term.
Wang Yu also shifted his focus from magic treasure true artifacts to rare oddities and spiritual medicines.
…
…
One hundredth floor.
Terrifying astral wind and azure rain poured down like a torrential storm, dense and uncountable, falling from the dome of the sky. Wang Yu had no choice but to expend large amounts of demonic essence to maintain the durability of his protective qi barrier.
He stared gravely at the giant bird battling across the vast skies.
“Heaven-grade bloodline… Wind Feather Sky-Tearing Eagle!”
This was his test target for this floor. A Heaven-grade bloodline was equivalent to a human’s spiritual-grade aptitude. In a sense, it stood on the same level as Wang Yu.
Fortunately, its cultivation was only early fourth-rank, still within the range he could handle. Compared to ordinary Nascent Souls, the Wind Feather Sky-Tearing Eagle was clearly much stronger.
Those Sky-Tearing Eagle claws could easily kill ordinary Nascent Souls.
Just like how he slaughtered other early-stage Nascent Souls.
A short while later.
The giant eagle suddenly reversed direction and charged over, letting out a heaven-shaking cry.
Space itself seemed to twist, pulling out three long distorted marks. Wang Yu flew backward while his eyes manifested crescent moon imprints.
Void Moon Eye Technique · Space Solidification!
In an instant, the Wind Feather Sky-Tearing Eagle was briefly frozen for a moment. The dome of the sky suddenly darkened. Within the boundless shadows, a massive moonfall meteorite descended from who knows when, blocking all the astral wind rainstorm from outside.
With the external harsh environment temporarily eliminated by the meteorite, Wang Yu suddenly charged forward. Even though the distance was still far, he had already begun assuming a punching stance.
Behind him, the Yellow Springs turbid flow, Asura blood sea, and extreme cold frost— three phenomena, all fused into the power of one punch. The Ten Directions Frozen Demonic Fist’s control ability not only allowed him to switch the controlled divine abilities at any time.
It could also let him control exactly how much power to unleash according to the realm he had mastered.
The fist imprint that fused three divine abilities.
Suddenly expanded to a thousand-zhang scale, like Mount Tai pressing down. The moment it smashed down, the Wind Feather Sky-Tearing Eagle broke free from the Void Moon Eye Technique’s control.
It transformed into azure astral wind and, at the critical moment, narrowly avoided the fist imprint’s attack. Wang Yu was quite surprised to see this. Although this combo had been improvised on the spot.
The timing of the connection was definitely flawless. Against other early-stage Nascent Souls, ninety-nine percent would have been taken out in one wave by him.
The speed displayed by the Wind Feather Sky-Tearing Eagle almost surpassed that of ordinary late-stage Nascent Souls, completely crushing Wang Yu’s escape speed.
This discovery made Wang Yu’s pressure increase considerably.
Speed advantage held great weight in combat. Just the characteristic of being hard to lock onto was already troublesome enough, not to mention that he had now exposed the intelligence of his powerful space-control technique, the Void Moon Eye Technique.
Fortunately, even though it had only been grazed, the Wind Feather Sky-Tearing Eagle was not unscathed. A large portion of its right wing had turned black, looking as if it had been burned by fire.
In reality, it had been thoroughly corrupted by the mixed powers. No matter how it tried to control it, it was difficult to respond. That section of the wingtip could be considered completely ruined.
Unless it was severed and regrown, the effect would remain permanently.
When experts exchanged blows.
Even this tiny bit of influence could become the key to deciding victory.
Seeing the Wind Feather Sky-Tearing Eagle trying to escape beyond the meteorite’s cover, Wang Yu’s mind stirred. The Moon Falling Eye Technique produced even more changes.
The giant meteorite suddenly split into countless massive rocks, turning into a destructive meteor shower that mixed with the gang wind raindrops, completely disrupting the Wind Feather Sky-Tearing Eagle’s power.
With its environmental advantage neutralized, the Sky-Tearing Eagle was obviously enraged.
It directly used its trump card.
Compared to the Marquis Valiant from before, its intelligence was much higher. Whether due to the tower spirit secretly controlling it or not, the Wind Feather Sky-Tearing Eagle’s innate divine ability was called [Sky-Tearing Seven Claws]!
It was an extremely powerful wind-attribute plus space-attribute innate divine ability, a bloodline talent unique to this race.
Azure flowing light repeatedly folded back and forth across the sky several times.
Drawing out a mysterious trajectory, it suddenly turned its head and charged toward Wang Yu once again. This time, the intense spatial fluctuations accompanying the attack could no longer be forcibly frozen by the Void Moon Eye Technique.
Wang Yu took a deep breath.
The Glazed Iceheart Pagoda flew out from his Qi sea. It shot out a beam of Ice Soul Divine Light toward the sky, while seven-colored aurora flowed out from the bottom of the pagoda to strengthen his body. The Aurora Escape Technique received the boost from the magic treasure.
By the time the Wind Feather Sky-Tearing Eagle broke through the impact of the Ice Soul Divine Light.
Wang Yu had already escaped to an extremely far distance in light form. At this position, no matter how fast the Sky-Tearing Eagle was, it would still need time. This gap was enough for Wang Yu to use an even stronger trump card.
Frost Moon hung across the sky.
All twelve phenomenon phases scenes manifested around Wang Yu. He reached out and summoned the “Frost Sword,” then thrust it forward.
It instantly transformed into an ice-blue ribbon. With one sword strike from above, it weakened the Sky-Tearing Eagle’s power and disrupted its rhythm.
As the saying went:
One surge of energy, then it declines, and by the third it is exhausted.
With its offensive rhythm disrupted, Wang Yu summoned the “Immortal Silhouette” from the twelve phases and directly attached it to the Wind Feather Sky-Tearing Eagle, freezing it solid in mid-air.
The Sky-Tearing Seven Claws was completely interrupted.
At that moment, Wang Yu drew the “Sacred Bow.” With the Frost Moon’s light descending to empower it, the power of all twelve phases fused into one arrow.
“Whoosh!”
The bowstring vibrated. The Frost Moon arrow shadow was too fast to see clearly.
In the blink of an eye, a beautiful ice flower exploded high in the sky. The Wind Feather Sky-Tearing Eagle let out a mournful cry as it fell toward the ground, eventually turning into an illusion and gradually disappearing.
The destruction caused by the many divine abilities on the one hundredth floor quickly restored itself.
Wang Yu also quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
This battle was the first time he had tried the “kiting tactic,” commonly known as flying a kite. The effect was fairly satisfactory, barely meeting his requirements.
And the tower spirit’s reward that followed gave Wang Yu a big surprise.
【Congratulations to the cultivator for passing the one hundredth floor test. Please choose two of the following options to obtain.】
【1. Rainbow Feather Strange Stone (exclusive reward for killing the Sky-Tearing Eagle)】
【2. Demonic Essence Infusion (one thousand drops)】
【3. Magic Treasure True Artifact (fourth-rank high-grade)】
【4. Golden Body Sarira (Buddhist supreme treasure, has miraculous effects on body cultivation)】
【5. Miraculous Spirit Pill (fourth-rank supreme-grade)】
【6. Accumulate this reward to the next level.】
There were still six options. Regarding the Rainbow Feather Strange Stone, Wang Yu had actually been searching for it for quite some time, but had found nothing.
At least, the channels he controlled through Heaven Treasure Pavilion and Golden Abundance Tower had yielded no results. It might be related to the people he had contacted, and not due to the capabilities of the two merchant organizations.
In any case, obtaining this treasure in the Celestial Star Tower would make up for the weakness in his escape technique’s speed and turn it into an advantage. This was a major benefit.
Option one was definitely going to be chosen. It could help him elevate the Aurora Escape Technique to the peak of fourth-rank. Then, by borrowing the power of the Idle Slots to comprehend Aurora Dao intent.
It could even push this divine ability to the fifth rank. If the improvements from the idle slots’ deduction were included, reaching the sixth rank was also possible.
This was the advancement route he had planned when he chose this escape technique back then. After all, other divine abilities were not like life-bound ones that could automatically advance with cultivation.
Cultivating other divine abilities required the cultivator to constantly comprehend them to perfection and refine corresponding heavenly materials and earthly treasures to continuously improve them.
For example, the Ice Soul Divine Light. Back when he was in the Endless Ice Plains, he had been able to use techniques like the Cold Absorption technique and Heavenly Frost secret technique to absorb the extreme cold qi that had accumulated in the ice plains for countless years.
Not only could it temper his demonic essence and increase the foundation of the Glazed Iceheart Pagoda.
The ice-path divine ability could also benefit from it, continuously raising the power of its fundamental cold qi. Seizing the creation of heaven and earth was the true essence of the cultivation path.
Those heavenly tribulations were nothing more than the heavens’ restriction on those who seized from them. When a cultivator died, everything naturally returned to the world, maintaining the “total amount.”
That was why lightning tribulations became increasingly terrifying, only ending when the cultivator perished and their Dao dissipated.
After thinking for a long time.
Wang Yu ultimately chose the Rainbow Feather Strange Stone and the Golden Body Sarira. His affinity with the Buddhist path ran quite deep.
Especially when breaking through the second and third ranks of Body Refinement, he had used treasures left behind by the Buddhist path. The Ancient Immortal Dynasty era was when Buddhism was at its most prosperous.
Wang Yu suspected these were inheritances left behind by high-ranking Buddhist experts who had followed the immortals from the Upper Realm to set up the Ancient Demon Sealing Grounds. Although they had long been destroyed by history.
Traces of Buddhism could still be seen in many ruins and secret realms.
It was not strange for them to exist inside the Celestial Star Tower.
“Golden Body Sarira…”
Wang Yu murmured softly. He looked at the sarira that appeared in his hand, which closely resembled a golden core, and said nothing more. His eyes showed a slightly dazed look as he fell into thought.
He did not rush to the next floor. After breaking through the one hundredth floor, the rest time in between had greatly increased, reaching around twelve hours.
This was more than enough for him to study and explore.
A sarira was a “dao fruit”-like product that only high-ranking Buddhist experts were qualified to condense after their fall. Legend said that after high monks reincarnated, they would retrieve their own sarira and obtain all the accumulations from their previous life.
This supreme technique was called the [True Sutra of Samsara and Tribulation Deliverance] and had long been lost. Otherwise, if Buddhism could accumulate generation after generation, the number of powerhouses they produced would far exceed imagination.
[1]:- 明修栈道，暗渡陈仓 (“Openly repair the plank road, while secretly crossing at Chencang.”) This is a classical Chinese military idiom originating from early Han dynasty history. It describes a strategy of deception—drawing attention to one action while secretly executing another.
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