Chapter 398 |
“Divine ability intent… how exactly am I supposed to comprehend it?”
His murmured words were naturally heard by Brother Black beside him. Brother Black was already at mid-stage Nascent Soul, and had reached the threshold of comprehending intent.
Hearing this, he could not help but sigh with emotion as well.
“A divine ability is like a key. It can lead you through the gate of the Great Dao, onto the path of laws. You pry open the rules of heaven and earth with intent, going from comprehension, to application, and then to mastery… the road of the Dao is long and difficult!
“Only after one completes cultivation does the beginning truly start. Even if two people cultivate the same divine ability, the Great Dao they ultimately walk will still be different. For ordinary people, successfully treading even a single path is already unimaginably difficult.”
Seeing this, Wang Yu grew even more curious and asked again.
“Does comprehending intent have uniqueness?”
“It doesn’t.”
Brother Black shook his head and sighed.
Turning the experiences of predecessors into a well-known story, then extracting idioms from it, was essentially a high-density compressed information package. With just a few words, someone who understood could unpack tens of thousands of words worth of details and implications.
This was cultural depth, something many low-tier races did not possess.
The story of the Pill King was exactly like that.
It mainly spoke of someone obsessed with the pill Dao while neglecting the hardship of cultivation. In the end, although he achieved tremendous accomplishments in alchemy, he was ultimately limited by his realm. He died at the peak of Nascent Soul, unable to step into Spirit Transformation.
Even after forcibly extending his lifespan to two thousand years, he still had no choice but to undergo corpse-release and enter reincarnation.
Wang Yu could not help thinking of the Idle Slot.
If he focused on one path, his growth speed might become far faster. Comprehensive development had allowed him to display overwhelming advantages in the early stages, and it also gave him absolute dominance in battles among peers of the same realm.
But the breadth of time he could allocate to cultivation was still limited. In certain aspects, he was not as refined as those seasoned Nascent Soul veterans. Even if he read a vast number of ancient texts, it was difficult to completely eliminate that gap.
As the saying goes, reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.
Only practice produces true understanding.
Suffering a setback is what leads to wisdom. A lesson teaches a person in one go. These sayings and phrases all pointed to the importance of experience. Some of the things old people said really did carry truth.
For him, he needed to find a balance between realm and battle strength.
Right now, Nascent Soul cultivation could no longer surge forward as fiercely as it had in the early stages. Accumulating demonic essence and strengthening the Nascent Soul were both slow, grinding processes. Even with seven times cultivation speed in the Idle Slot, it would not become fast enough to make a dramatic difference.
But training divine abilities was different. If he truly devoted himself to one thing, he might be able to comprehend intent as quickly as possible and establish a true advantage within the Nascent Soul realm.
His choices were limited.
Aurora Escape Technique, Lesser Asura Killing Fist, Yellow Springs Great Hand Seal.
Escape techniques allowed him to flee. Fast speed was absolute logic, and reaching perfection was not far away. Even if the Nine Evil Sword Lord truly caught up to him, he might still be able to use it to escape.
The latter two had already been perfected. They were not bad choices for comprehending intent, especially since Wang Yu possessed an Asura Killing Heart. Comprehending Asura intent should be relatively simple.
As for Yellow Springs intent, although the Earth Resentment Puppet lacked the intelligence needed to comprehend such power, the Yellow Springs demonic bones serving as its core material were the best teacher.
Wang Yu suspected that in life, it might once have possessed such a force.
It was only due to limitations in puppet refinement techniques, or because puppets could not possess intent. These restrictions existed, but simply sensing the Yellow Springs Dao and the divine ability traces within it could still benefit him.
Of course, all of these thoughts and ideas would have to be pushed back a little. His plan to break through the first stage of the Nascent Soul realm could not be changed. Many things had to be settled as soon as possible.
Only then would it be convenient for his subsequent arrangements and schemes.
While the two were chatting, the battle in the arena had already reached its end. The current Dragon Python King had been beaten by the Vajra Ape King until his tendons and bones were completely shattered.
Although the Vajra Ape King had paid the price of severe injuries, it also proved his strength. The contest for the Nine Kings was far more brutal, fully exposing the demonic race’s nature of the strong devouring the weak.
If anyone had doubts or courage, they could step onto the arena and issue a challenge.
Whoever won would become one of the Northern Lands’ Nine Demon Kings. Their rankings would then be contested from high to low in sequence. In most cases, there were already candidates chosen long ago. Whether to give face or not was a personal choice.
A string of battles between great cultivators satisfied the assembled demons completely. Cheers rose and fell without end, like they were watching an entertaining monkey-fighting spectacle.
The only great human cultivator to take the stage was a representative from Yellow Springs Monastery, whose Daoist title was said to be Master Earthnether.
He also possessed the Heavenly Water Spiritual Root. After cultivating Yellow Springs Dao techniques, his spiritual root mutated and gained an innate Yellow Springs attribute. He fought on behalf of the Evil Dragon Spider clan, using the divine ability Yellow Springs Great River.
He beat the Silverback Violent Bear King into immediate ruin on the spot, even severely damaging its life-bound demonic treasure. Without a hundred years of recuperation, it would never recover.
Such a ferocious figure struck fear into the hearts of the demons.
It was not that they feared the man himself, but that they feared for their own treasures. After all, their foundations were not wealthy to begin with. To obtain even a few suitable magic treasures already required paying an enormous price.
They were naturally unwilling to accept being crippled in a single spell duel.
Evil Dragon Spider’s decision to invite reinforcements from Yellow Springs Monastery was an excellent move, yet there were still those who refused to believe it. Relying on their formidable physical bodies, they thought they could steadily defeat Master Earthnether even without relying on magic treasures.
The outcome went without saying.
Half of a human cultivator’s strength lay in their life-bound treasure. A cultivator without a treasure was even considered “incomplete”, which showed just how much equipment could boost one’s power.
One side had it, and the other did not.
The gap was so enormous that it was difficult to make up for it through racial talent alone, unless one possessed a heaven-grade bloodline and an aptitude that pointed directly toward Spirit Transformation. Only then might the two sides be able to compete on equal footing.
But no such person was present.
Master Earthnether won the title of the Sixth Demon King on Evil Dragon Spider’s behalf. Watching the alluring, spider-transformed mature beauty smile like a blooming hibiscus, Wang Yu could not help but indulge in some malicious speculation about their relationship.
Who would have thought that Brother Black, standing beside him, would start pointing and gossiping, jealousy written all over his face as he said, “Brother, look. That Spider Madam is famous for her beauty, yet she’s actually sending flirtatious glances to a human old man. What a shameless filthy woman.”
For a moment, Wang Yu did not know how to respond. Then, the white cat sister-in-law beside them coughed lightly and shot him a hostile look.
“Spiders are cold and heartless by nature. Keep staring, and you’d better watch your eyeballs!”
It was unclear whether she meant the spider was vicious, or if she was implying something else entirely. Brother Hei quickly restrained himself and began commenting seriously instead.
“Among the Lower Eight Clans, Dragon Pythons, Vajra Apes, and Giant Strength Ants are the strongest tier. Mountain-Splitting Beasts, Evil Dragon Spiders, and Shadow Nether Hounds are the second tier.
“Now that the Nine Demon Kings have been decided, the Treasure Exchange Meet is about to begin. Let’s head down early and congratulate the Giant Strength Ant Clan.”
Clearly, after thinking things through during this period, he had decided not to pledge allegiance to the Holy Lord. Instead, he would express closeness to one of the Nine Demon Kings, neither keeping too much distance, nor directly getting dragged into deeper conflict.
It was a steady, by-the-book choice.
Wang Yu had no objections. He had come here for the treasure exchange meet in the first place. Every time he thought of the Fragrance-Grathering exchange that Luo Chen had destroyed, he felt deep regret.
That bastard had given him the first Heavenly-grade Spiritual Root of his life.
Yet he had also ruined Wang Yu’s efforts and opportunities. That feeling would be engraved in his heart forever. In the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain, a high-end Treasure Exchange Meeting with genuine credibility was exceedingly precious.
Building something like that from the ground up was truly not easy.
He sighed softly.
…
…
A short while later.
The struggle among the Four Kings for the position of Holy Lord, as well as the contest among the Nine Demon Kings, both came to an end. The fourth-rank Treasure Exchange Meet, personally hosted by the newly appointed Northern Lands Demon Race Holy Lord, the Five-Colored Deer, Lu Ming, officially began.
He opened the event himself, producing a priceless treasure that made everyone salivate.
In the newly rebuilt open-air luxury venue, the crowd took their seats one after another.
Five-Colored King stood atop the high platform and announced loudly,
“From this day forth, I am the demon race Holy Lord of the Northern Severed Boundary Mountains. All demon race of the Northern Lands shall obey my decrees and answer my command.”
As soon as his words fell, the Nine Demon Kings appeared behind him in unison. With their auras released, they lent their presence to support Five-Colored King. Seeing that their boss had tacitly approved it, the demons also shouted together.
“We pay respects to Sacred Lord Five-Colored!”
“We pay respects to Sacred Lord Five-Colored!”
The vast roar of sound scattered even the clouds in the sky. Such unified cries from the masses were truly astounding, not to mention that among them were more than a hundred Great Demons who had taken human form.
These hundred clans were the true core and seed of the demon race.
Birds and beasts, plants and trees, mountains and stones, scaled fish and strange species all belonged to the demon race. The sight made Wang Yu itch with excitement. The Demon Refining Art, as an ancient secret technique, was specifically designed to refine demons.
It felt like it held even deeper secrets within, and was absolutely not something ordinary.
It should still have potential beyond merely refining Heavenly Demons, waiting for Wang Yu to uncover.
After the roar of voices faded, Holy Lord Five-Colored continued.
“The Treasure Exchange that follows will focus on circulating resources and turning worthless burdens into helpful assets. Whether demon race or visiting guests from outside, all are part of this segment.
“By tradition, this Holy Lord will begin first.”
As he spoke, he did not bother acting sentimental, and plucked a jade-green round pearl from the pair of massive deer antlers atop his head.
“This item is called the Cinnabar Heart Deer Antler Pearl. It is an innate talent possessed by the Medicine-Horn Deer Clan from birth, and also a tangible condensation of cultivation. It is even praised as a naturally formed spiritual pill.”
Holy Lord Five-Colored’s cultivation was astonishing. He had already reached the peak perfection of fourth-rank. His realm could no longer advance, yet his instinct to absorb the essence of heaven and earth still functioned.
In this state, the antler pearls formed upon his deer horns.
It was essentially a natural pill, and only when the Medicine-Horn Deer could no longer increase its cultivation would it have the spare capacity to condense such a pearl.
Its most basic effect was to revive the dead and regenerate bones and flesh.
Even if the physical body’s vitality had been completely severed, as long as the soul or the Nascent Soul had not dispersed, it could reconstruct the body from a state where only scraps remained and restore the person to life.
Whether it was nothing but bone fragments, a single drop of blood, or even a strand of hair.
All of it would work!
That was only one of its effects. It also possessed the miraculous ability of “breaking and then establishing anew”, allowing a cultivator to shatter a bottleneck and advance another step forward.
An ordinary Medicine-Horn Deer’s antler pearl would never possess such divine efficacy, but the Five-Colored Holy Lord was different. His bloodline had undergone multiple evolutions.
From Medicine-Horn Deer to One-Color Deer, then Three-Color Deer, then Five-Colored Deer.
He had long since reached the limit of an Earth-grade bloodline. One step further would be Heaven-grade. The cinnabar heart antler pearl he produced was naturally no ordinary item either, capable of benefiting any living being below the fifth rank.
One could see just how extraordinary it was. With it, one effectively gained an extra life. For a Nascent Soul cultivator, its significance was immense. Even for the Five-Colored Holy Lord, condensing such a medicinal pearl was no simple matter.
Using it as the opening item of the treasure exchange was absolutely worthy of the occasion.
Not far behind him, the Heavenly Roc King and the others stood at a considerable distance. Yet their divine senses were covertly linked, allowing them to share information. At this moment, they could not help but sigh.
“Brother Lu truly is different. He’s willing to throw out such a priceless treasure just for a lucky start. These fellows are going to fight until their heads split open.”
“Indeed. In this regard, I cannot compare.”
Thunder Qilin King remained silent, only rubbing the universe ring on his hand, determined to outdo him.
He had ceded the position of Holy Lord out of humility, for the future of the northern demon race. That did not mean he had admitted defeat. If it was time to clash, he would still clash. His temperament had not changed one bit.
The appearance of this item immediately caused a commotion.
Very soon, a demon asked, “Since the Holy Lord has brought out such a lucky opening treasure, may we ask what you wish to exchange for it? If we have it, we can fetch it at once.”
Lu Ming chuckled lightly. “Any treasure will do. As long as it catches this Holy Lord’s eye, it can be exchanged.”
No requirements was the highest requirement of all.
The demons could not grasp Lu Ming’s intentions. If he truly did not want to trade, he could always find an excuse to refuse.
This malicious suspicion was not limited to a single person. Even Wang Yu had the same thought, but on second thought, if he really did not want to trade, there was no need to take it out at all.
So in truth, as long as one produced a treasure of roughly equivalent value, the Five-Colored Holy Lord would definitely exchange. This was his own celebratory lucky opening for taking the Holy Lord position.
There was no reason for him to pull it out just to toy with everyone.
And so, in less than a moment, another transformed great demon raised his voice and shouted, “Holy Lord, I have a fourth-rank crafting material called Taihe Silverflow Gold. May I exchange it for this pearl?”
The speaker was an ordinary Demon King with bull horns. Wang Yu grew quite interested, because Taihe Silverflow Gold was actually a supreme-grade material used for forging pill cauldrons.
Wang Yu had once entrusted the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon to find channels to help him commission a fourth-rank pill cauldron. However, the matter was unexpectedly interrupted due to the Fu Xiao incident. The third-rank Starfall Cold Cauldron he had in hand could no longer keep up with his alchemy attainments.
At this point, it was only barely managing not to drag him down. By common sense, he should have replaced it long ago. Now that he had encountered such a thing, his appetite was stirred, and he immediately developed the desire to trade.
Seeing the change in his expression, Brother Black took the initiative to explain.
“That is the Demon King of the Heaven-Horn Ox clan, known as the Golden Horn Demon King. That material is not bad, but it is still inferior in value to this cinnabar heart antler pearl.
“When the turn-based stage comes later, you will have a chance to name your price, little brother.”
Sure enough, as the Five-Colored Holy Lord refused, Golden Horn Demon King sat down with regret. After that came more and more bids. Some offered spiritual pills acquired from the human race.
Wang Yu even saw spiritual pills that had been refined by his own hands.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Essence Pill!
If he remembered correctly, he had refined it for that old bastard Yu. Who would have thought it would show up here? The one holding it came from the Blackwater Mystic Serpent clan, and was not among the Nine Lower Clans of the northern lands.
A distant relative?
After making that guess, Wang Yu did not hesitate any longer. After another demon finished making a bid, he decisively brought out a trump-card spiritual pill from his own reserves.
“A mid-grade Nascent Soul Condensation Pill. It can assist Core Formation cultivators in condensing a Nascent Soul, and can also assist demon cultivators in condensing a Demonic Nascent Soul. Holy Lord Senior, are you willing to exchange?”
On the stage, the Five-Colored Holy Lord revealed a meaningful smile. Nascent Soul condensation spiritual items were rare, and Nascent Soul condensation spiritual pills were even rarer. This meant there was an alchemy grandmaster behind it who was proficient in this field.
Mid-grade was somewhat low, but for those with outstanding talent, it was already sufficient. After all, they were not lacking much to begin with. Taking the pill simply made the process safer and faster.
To ordinary people, it was an unbridgeable chasm. To them, all they needed was a bamboo pole to vault across.
“Interesting.”
Wang Yu’s human identity was extremely conspicuous, and it immediately sparked discussion among the demon race Nascent Soul cultivators. Many of them even gave rise to greedy thoughts. That was only natural.
Good things.
Who would not want to seize them in their own hands?
“One pill is not enough. Three pills, and it can be exchanged.”
The Five-Colored Sacred Lord’s quoted price made Wang Yu frown slightly.
That was a bit too high.
