Chapter 457

No one expected Crimson Heaven Demon Lord’s reaction to be so swift.

Wang Yu had not even removed his hand from the Celestial Star Stone Stele yet.

He already saw the “furious” Crimson Heaven Demon Lord completely freeze the space around Master Youming with terrifying power, not giving the other party the slightest chance to explain.

His right hand transformed. The nails became like scissors, covered in a strange black-and-red life-seizing force that seemed to weave between void and reality.

This was… the Plucking Core Hand!

An advanced technique that all Core Formation demonic cultivators had to learn, but in Crimson Heaven Demon Lord’s hands it had clearly received a professional upgrade. Not only did it stack with his own power.

It could also be used in far more vicious ways.

Forcibly plucking out a Nascent Soul!

Master Youming did not even have time to utter a single word. Moreover, because he was at the critical moment of breaking through realms, he had no strength left to resist.

He could only stare with wide eyes as Crimson Heaven Demon Lord “reached in” and pulled his Nascent Soul straight out of his body. The misty, medicine-scented Nascent Soul had not even finished digesting the spiritual item’s effects.

Yet it suddenly suffered this calamity. His mental state plummeted straight from heaven into hell.

The more complacent he had felt when he obtained the Celestial Star Tower opportunity earlier.

The more dejected he was now.

Master Youming watched the reactions of the surrounding cultivators. The Yellow Springs Monastery group looked shocked, mixed with a faint trace of relief, as if they had not wanted him to succeed in breaking through.

The Blood Reversal Sect cultivators, on the other hand, made no effort to hide their schadenfreude. Since they were already enemies, there was truly no need to conceal their true feelings.

They might even help facilitate his death at Crimson Heaven Demon Lord’s hands.

The saddest part was that Yellow Springs Monastery could not resist. They could only silently accept the “fact” that he had committed insubordination.

In that short time, he had already thought of his own “evidence of guilt.”

Crimson Heaven Demon Lord’s furious roar had carried such overwhelming emotion that even he himself began to wonder if he really had stolen the other party’s treasure.

In his final moments of life.

Master Youming’s consciousness grew fainter and fainter. He saw Wang Yu standing before the Celestial Star Stone Stele, smiling at him. There was a hint of triumphant malice in that smile, along with a trace of regret.

He did not know whether the regret was for his fate or for the cultivation world itself.

He watched his own painstakingly cultivated great perfection Nascent Soul being swallowed by Crimson Heaven Demon Lord without hesitation. The consciousness within his physical body gradually faded into silence.

In endless darkness, he seemed to return to his childhood once more.

The expectant smiles of his parents, the admiring gaze of his younger brother, everything had turned to dust over the course of a mortal’s hundred years.

Now… he had come too~

Master Youming died, and he died very simply. Even though Wang Yu had anticipated this outcome, he still felt an enormous sense of vigilance toward a Spirit Transform existence like Crimson Heaven Demon Lord.

Although this matter had been orchestrated entirely by him.

The rabbit dies and the fox grieves; the empathetic feeling of “one’s own kind being harmed” was still part of human emotion. Today he could borrow power to scheme against Master Youming.

Tomorrow, others could use the same method to plot against him.

“Without reaching Spirit Transformation, one is ultimately still an ant…”

He murmured in his heart.

In the field.

After swallowing Master Youming’s Nascent Soul, Crimson Heaven Demon Lord returned to the war chariot to sit in meditation and circulate his energy, refining the medicinal power within.

Wang Yu quickly flew over and handed the token back to the young attendant.

The change had happened too fast. Many people in the field had not yet reacted. But since someone had already obtained the “greatest opportunity,” they could forget about sharing any of the palace treasures.

Especially fifth-rank spiritual items. Those would definitely be monopolized by Crimson Heaven Demon Lord. For the sake of the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect’s position, he would never allow a new Spirit Transformation to be born in any other demonic sect.

So there was no need to even think about fifth-rank spiritual treasures.

As for fourth-rank spiritual items, only an extremely small portion of truly precious ones were useful to great cultivators. They could obtain those elsewhere anyway.

There was no need to seek the tiger’s skin; it was far too dangerous.

One only had to look at Master Youming’s fate. If they encountered an extremely valuable treasure and could not control their greed, any resulting conflict would be even worse.

For these great cultivators, the exploration of Eastern Extreme Capital. Had ended the instant a Spirit Transformation Venerable descended. Wang Yu held the same thought. Even though he had just obtained the Coiling Dragon Ring and had not yet used its true power inside the palace.

Logically speaking, as long as he was clever and quick enough.

He could actually use the palace restrictions to contend against Crimson Heaven Demon Lord. But… what about afterward?

The Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect had more than one Venerable.

Even if he seized heavy treasures inside Eastern Extreme Capital, how to escape would be a problem, and how to shake off pursuit would be another. He did not care much about implicating the Blood Reversal Sect.

Staying in Eastern Extreme Capital to continue exploring gave him a chance to obtain the palace’s heavy treasures, but handling the aftermath was a problem he could not solve.

It was better not to get involved from the start. That way there would be far less pressure.

Taking a step back to open up the sea and sky was not just empty talk.

There was also the matter of the token’s authority, which might have already aroused Crimson Heaven Demon Lord’s suspicion. Leaving early would mean one less issue.

Therefore, after handing the token back.

Wang Yu prepared to leave together with Thunder Howl Lord and the others. For some reason Scorching Sun Old Demon had still not appeared. The Yellow Springs Monastery cultivators who had witnessed Master Youming’s miserable death.

Felt the “rabbit dies and the fox grieves” emotion even more strongly.

Toward the true culprit behind it all, “Wang Yu,” they naturally felt even greater disgust. Especially Earthnether Master, who secretly regretted not killing this brat back at the Demon King Banquet.

Ever since entering Eastern Extreme Capital, he seemed to have been regretting nonstop.

Unfortunately, there were no regret pills in this world.

With things having reached this point, it was time to disperse.

Even without Crimson Heaven Demon Lord saying a word, everyone accurately found their own positions and did not dare touch the palace in the slightest.

They began to withdraw one after another.

Beside Wang Yu, Thunder Howl Lord asked curiously,

“Just now, how exactly did you drive Master Youming out of the Celestial Star Tower?”

Hearing this, Wang Yu noticed that Ice Soul Fairy, Three Corpses Daoist, and the other great cultivators nearby had all perked up their ears in secret curiosity. He could only sigh helplessly.

“Of course it was with that token.”

“But that token’s authority should not have been enough, right?”

This doubt was shared by everyone else.

Wang Yu spread his hands.

“Under normal circumstances it would not be enough. But in the current Eastern Extreme Capital, is there anyone with higher authority than the one granted by that token?

“By extension, as long as no higher-authority person refuses, the tower spirit can only choose to execute ‘reasonable’ requests.”

This explanation perfectly resolved the issue.

It was enough to deal with fellow disciples who did not know the truth, but far from enough to deal with Crimson Heaven Demon Lord. After all, the latter only needed to try it himself once to realize that this situation also had its limits.

A reasonable request would be fulfilled, but to make the tower spirit violate the rules, only the Coiling Dragon Ring, an item that almost represented the authority of the ancient Human Emperor, could truly dominate everything under the Immortal Dynasty’s system.

There was no one with higher authority than him.

Therefore, Wang Yu felt even more regretful. Under the pressure of insufficient strength, he could only choose to abandon everything that had been within his grasp. There was nothing he could do about it…

After satisfying everyone’s curiosity, the Blood Reversal Sect group left the palace city together. Without the restriction of the no-flight formation, they could fly straight up from the giant crater once they reached the inner city.

In midair.

Thunder Howl Lord, Ice Soul Fairy, and the others had also obtained their own rewards inside the Celestial Star Tower, all reaching the low fifth-rank level.

These were major gains. Even so, they could not return to the sect in peace to digest them. They needed to head back to the Cloud Ridge Prefecture battlefield and continue commanding the war against Yellow Springs Monastery.

In fact, the Nether Mountain Sect’s entire expeditionary force had been completely wiped out inside Eastern Extreme Capital. This had greatly relieved the pressure on the Blood Reversal Sect, allowing them to free up more Nascent Soul cultivators to gain the upper hand in other areas.

Wang Yu, on the other hand, needed to return to the sect and enter seclusion for a period of time.

He would convert all the gains from these days into strength and foundation. He believed that when he came out of this long seclusion, his growth would be earth-shaking.

At that point, it was not impossible for him to truly possess the capital to contend with great cultivators.

At the moment of parting.

Dark Demon Barbarian Lord and Dark Tiger Demon Lord chose to travel with him. After their seclusion ended, they had heard about Eastern Extreme Capital and rushed over in a hurry, only managing to catch the Celestial Star Tower opportunity.

It was actually not bad. Returning to the sect now meant continuing seclusion to stabilize their realms and digest what they had obtained in the tower.

Worth mentioning was that Yin Gui Demon Lord, after going through countless hardships, had finally ended this period of constant anxiety. He also chose to travel with Wang Yu for a stretch.

The Gui Water Demon Palace was located on a fourth-rank spiritual vein in Cloud Ridge Prefecture.

It was on the way, so they could travel together for a while.

The bond the two of them had formed during the Eastern Extreme Capital trip was unexpectedly strong. Since it had not turned into enmity, it could only be said that both their characters shared the same underlying tone.

They could be considered like-minded friends. Aside from being a bit foolish, Yin Gui was actually quite decent in other aspects. When he returned to the demon palace for seclusion this time, the next time they met he would most likely already be a great cultivator.

Wang Yu also valued this friendship. On the road, he could not help chatting about various things, setting a time for their next meeting, and so on.

Besides that, the Core Formation true disciples would also return together with Wang Yu and the others. Escorting them along the way was not too troublesome.

And so, The Blood Reversal Sect group parted ways outside the ruins. The other Nascent Soul cultivators had also come from nearby and now needed to return to the regions they had been responsible for.

Thus, the return journey was led by Wang Yu’s group of four.

They flew west all the way back to the Blood Reversal Sect’s mountain gate. As for the accompanying true disciples, although every one of them seemed to have the potential to form a Nascent Soul, in reality only about three would actually succeed.

Tong Du, who had frequently stolen the spotlight on this trip, had a high chance.

Zhou Lingjun from Barbarian Ghost Peak was also quite good.

As for Lu Jue, Yan Tianxing, and Yin Jiuge, they were a bit lacking. Their foundations were too shallow. Reaching peak Core Formation at around three hundred years old meant that with some time to accumulate, they might break through after five hundred. They still counted as ordinary geniuses.

Adding in Yan Ling from Cold Blood Peak, that made exactly three heavenly prodigy true disciples capable of breaking through to Nascent Soul. If Xie Xie’an was included, there would be four. Wei Hao from the Wei Clan also had potential, as did Zhuo Shouyun from the Zhuo Clan.

Too many.

When counted carefully, the Blood Reversal Sect actually had quite a few outstanding geniuses emerge in this generation. Wang Yu had never heard of any famous heavenly prodigy from Yellow Springs Monastery.

He only had some impression of a few young talents from the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect and the Joyous Union Demon Sect, but none of them could compare to him.

At a young age he was already at mid-stage Nascent Soul rank. This time he had also schemed and killed Jade Water Demon Lord inside Eastern Extreme Capital. Once this incident ended, his fame would surge once again.

He would completely shed the title of “younger generation” and become a true powerhouse whose name spread throughout the Crimson Kite — and one with limitless potential at that.

Whether his name was known or not actually did not matter.

The moment he thought of this matter, Wang Yu could not help letting out a light snort.

Even the regret of missing the palace opportunity eased considerably. While hurrying on the road, he began planning what he needed to do during seclusion. At the very top of the list were all the Nascent Souls inside the Glazed Iceheart Pagoda.

He would refine them all into Longevity Blood Nascent Pills to assist his cultivation advancement.

Next was the Aurora Dao intent…

While he was deep in thought, Wang Yu suddenly spotted a turbid yellow streak of light flying toward them at extreme speed from the horizon. The dense Yellow Springs aura clearly announced the newcomer’s identity.

Yin Gui and the others were filled with shock and terror.

“How is this possible… Yellow Springs Monastery cultivators want to ambush and kill us?

“No —

“His target is Wang Yu!”

Because the opponent’s speed was too fast, none of them had any chance to escape. Wang Yu said decisively,

“Dark Demon, Dark Tiger, take the sect’s talents and leave first. His target is me.”

The reason he made this decision was not out of some grand sense of righteousness.

Wang Yu knew very clearly in his heart that when there were benefits to be had, he could call on Dark Demon and Dark Tiger. Even if they encountered some setbacks, the two would unhesitatingly become his helpers.

But the Yellow Springs Monastery expert they faced now had an aura that had clearly reached great perfection rank. Forcing them to stay and fight would only turn them into enemies.

It was better to go with the flow and do them a favor. At the same time, he would also sell a favor to this group of heavenly prodigy. Who knew when it might come in handy later.

Demonic cultivators were never the type to hesitate.

The moment Wang Yu spoke, they made the judgment most beneficial to themselves and fled without another word in the direction away from him.

Only Yin Gui had a face full of complaints.

Yet he did not say anything about leaving. He simply stood there grumbling to the heavens.

“You damned troublemaker, exactly how many disasters have you stirred up? Every single time I have to shoulder them with you. Ever since I met you, all I’ve run into are unlucky things.”

His mouth kept complaining, but his actions were never sloppy.

Wang Yu laughed.

“From the start of our cultivation until now, have the challenges and life-and-death crises we’ve encountered ever been few? This person’s appearance has at least let me understand where that old bastard Scorching Sun actually went.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… the Yellow Springs Monastery Lord… has arrived!”

The Yellow Springs Monastery Lord was an existence on the same level as the Blood Reversal Sect’s sect master. Although his realm was still at peak Nascent Soul, his actual combat power had already surpassed that range and reached half-step Spirit Transformation rank.

One could say that in all his years of cultivation, this would be one of the greatest challenges Wang Yu had ever faced.

Yin Gui’s face was also full of gravity.

“Fellow Daoist Wang, is it still possible to regret now?”

“Of course it’s still possible. His target has always been me.”

In the short time the two spoke, the Yellow Springs Monastery Lord had already arrived before them. He wore a turbid yellow daoist robe, and his black-and-white mixed gray hair was simply tied up with a wooden hairpin.

His facial features were those of a quite mature and handsome middle-aged man.

The speed at which he had rushed to Eastern Extreme Capital was only one step slower than Crimson Heaven Demon Lord. The main reason was that he had used the ancient teleportation formation controlled by Yellow Springs Monastery.

Because a Spirit Transformation Venerable was inside the Celestial Star Tower, he did not dare take the risk of meeting that person. Instead, he had intercepted Scorching Sun Old Demon first to ask about the situation.

The Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect did not want new Spirit Transformation Venerables to appear in other demonic forces. This was a consensus among the powerhouses.

Under certain special circumstances. Even if the two sides were at war, they could still cooperate simply — for example… by sharing intelligence.

The opponent’s appearance was much later than Wang Yu had expected.

Being intercepted was even more beyond his expectations.

He frowned and asked, “Exactly what kind of deal did you make with Scorching Sun Old Demon?”