Initially, Wang Yu thought time would pass quickly.
However, as the repetitive movements continued, what was once pleasurable gradually became less so, even causing a sense of emptiness on a fundamental desire level for the first time. It felt like completing a task, devoid of pure enjoyment. The more demonic energy accumulated within him, the more he felt a certain desire slip away. Perhaps he would remain in this peculiar state for a long time.
Digital impotence? No, this was on a spiritual level. Twenty years of repetitive indulgence felt much slower than he had anticipated. It wasn't that Qing Qing had lost her allure, but rather that an instinct within his own character was at play.
Consequently, in just the fifth year, he smoothly completed the accumulation for the eighth stage of Nascent Transformation, naturally breaking through to the ninth stage. His essence, qi, and spirit were fully enhanced, and his strength advanced another step.
After all his artistic concept weapons had coalesced, the strength of Wang Yu's Taiyin Primordial Spirit also improved. This improvement was also significant for cultivating the Star God path; the two mutually benefited each other.
Although the "Taiyin Body Forging Scroll" was an incomplete text, the section detailing cultivation up to three Taiyin divine patterns, or the "Three-Pattern Star God Realm," was perfectly complete, theoretically corresponding to the perfected Void Refinement Realm. This method of borrowing breakthroughs from other cultivation paths to enhance the essence of the primordial spirit and thus bear more Taiyin Dao laws was, in itself, a way for Star Gods to advance their realm.
Star Gods were primordial deities born from the stars. Their cultivation techniques were fundamentally different from the Qi refinement methods known to cultivators. To be precise, the "Taiyin Body Forging Scroll" was a method for comprehending the Taiyin Dao laws!
If the cultivation efficiency of entering the Grand Dao laws through perfected artistic concepts in the Spirit Refining Immortal Path was "1," then the Star God heritage, by virtue of its innate advantages, achieved a cultivation efficiency of "5" for comprehending corresponding laws through its techniques! Furthermore, the inherent divinity and innate comprehension of Dao laws that gave birth to stars could boost this cultivation multiplier to "10" or more.
The cultivation of Star Gods involved comprehending more laws. Therefore, in Wang Yu's placement interface:
Placement Slot 8: Taiyin Dao Law (1.33)[Taiyin Frost Moon — Increases by 1.2 every century]
This growth inherently represented the condensation of the second Taiyin divine pattern. He had a premonition that once it reached 2, the second Taiyin divine pattern would naturally condense, achieving a breakthrough in realm. He would then possess Taiyin divine power comparable to that of a Void Refinement cultivator!
Yes… divine power!!! Wang Yu had forcibly cultivated this divine inheritance through the placement interface. Theoretically, only the second nascent Taiyin Star God could cultivate this, yet he had inexplicably managed to do so. As a result, a unique being, without a Star God body but possessing a Star God soul, was thus born. The divine power of the Star God race was different from demonic energy; it was more akin to spiritual sense, yet it possessed a tangible form, not an ephemeral concept like a mere thought.
This divine power resided within the divine pattern at the center of his primordial spirit's brow. The quantity was not large. Currently, the only way to use it was to activate the power of the Taiyin Dao laws, unleashing abilities as if laws were taking effect. Within the framework of the Grand Taiyin Dao, what Wang Yu comprehended was "Frost Moon." This could be seen as one of the Dao Fruits carried by this Grand Dao. To unleash its full effect, the best method was to integrate it into the Twelve Phases of Guanghan, allowing Wang Yu to directly unleash the power of laws that only Dao Integration cultivators could possess. It was a true ultimate weapon, a trump card for contingencies!
This divine power was not something he possessed from the beginning. Instead, it emerged after he condensed the "Frost Moon Disk" into an artistic concept weapon, followed by several stages of conceptual growth that cumulatively enhanced his primordial spirit. This brought his Taiyin Primordial Spirit's strength up to standard, allowing him to discover the divine power hidden within the divine pattern. In his understanding, this power was akin to innate potential! For a normal Star God, reaching the Three-Pattern Realm marked their true birth. Theoretically, he was still in an embryonic state, so this divine power naturally belonged to innate potential.
He suspected that the Star God path and the Spirit Refining Immortal path were in conflict. Once he reached a certain realm, he would need to mimic the birth process of Star Gods, emerging from a star core, akin to shedding his physical body to allow his primordial spirit to sublimate and completely transform into a Star God soul.
At first glance, this conjecture seemed reasonable. Upon closer thought, no flaws could be found. However, it was impossible for Wang Yu to abandon either path. He was unwilling to give up the Star God's innate affinity for Dao laws, as this could significantly reduce the bottleneck for him to break through to the Dao Integration stage.
Consequently, during the subsequent fifteen years of dual cultivation, the emptiness of desire prompted him to meticulously and rigorously examine the path he was treading.
—He wanted it all! This greed was by no means irrational; rather, it was an ambition stemming from his innate physical talents: "Heavenly Demon Myriad Transformations" and "Heavenly Demon Dao Seizure." Just like with the corpse of the Blood Beast Fei, if he could find an ancient Star God corpse and complete a full Heavenly Demon Dao Seizure, he would be able to possess all the characteristics of a Star God within a human body.
At that time, his physical body would no longer be comparable to a star that birthed deities, but rather to the body a Star God inherently possessed from birth—a true Star God body!
Coincidentally, this region of the Vast Immortal Domain once belonged to the glorious rule of Star Gods, though they were eventually defeated by the immortal cultivation system. The remnants of old shadows left on the Taiyin Star were irrefutable proof.
His previous cultivation plan essentially stopped at the peak of Nascent Transformation, so Wang Yu naturally had to formulate a new one.
An ancient Star God corpse! He considered it a mandatory goal for the Void Refinement stage and placed it at the top of his priorities, because regardless of the "Spirit-Body Fusion" required for sixth-tier body refinement, or the "Three Flowers Converging at the Peak" required by Void Refinement cultivators, both conflicted with the existence of the Taiyin Star Soul. It was his primary goal for the next stage, one he would achieve at all costs.
Given the rule of the Vast Immortal Palace, which likely had many conflicts with the former Star God era, the near-absence of any mention in existing ancient texts further indicated the sensitivity of such information. Searching for it himself would be as impractical as finding a needle in a haystack. Only by leveraging the power of the Immortal Palace could he forge his own path, and the first step was to distinguish himself in the Slaughter Trial of the Demon Refining Domain.
When one's focus was immersed in their own world, time always passed incredibly quickly. "Cultivation knows no time" perfectly described this. The mechanical physical exertion finally ended at the twenty-year mark, and Wang Yu achieved the fastest peak cultivation. It took him only fifteen years to break through to the ninth stage of Nascent Transformation and accumulate the vast demonic energy needed to reach its peak, an astonishingly fast efficiency.
In contrast, he was left with an aversion to women that would last for many years, and the drought zombie Qing Qing, who lay like a pile of mud, utterly incapable of rising again. Her beautiful eyes were dull, as if she had fallen into a state of complete stupor. The fiery demonic energy surging around her reached its peak. She gained as much benefit as Wang Yu, and her cultivation also reached the peak of Nascent Transformation at the same time. Her speed of cultivation surpassed any of her previous stages. However, if asked to do it again, she would undoubtedly refuse.
In the Yin Sky Hall, from the disheveled bed, Wang Yu, now fully dressed, spoke.
"This phase of cultivation is over. Prepare yourselves. Once I, Wei, devour the Yin Five Elements Corpse Rearing Formation and refine another secret treasure, we can ascend to the Demon Cultivation Realm."
"Huh?" Qing Qing, somewhat disoriented from the ordeal, let out a silly "huh," then quickly regained her composure and pursed her lips.
"I understand. I'll go back and pack."
Seeing the tall beauty hobble out, Wang Yu awkwardly adjusted his pants. After all, using demonic energy vibrations to clear impurities was highly effective, leaving no residue. At this moment, even someone like Wang, who had done many questionable things, felt a pang of shame. After all, Qing Qing had been almost entirely compliant with his dual cultivation requests, enduring for twenty full years—far beyond the normal scope of dual cultivation. She didn't really need to cooperate with him. Moreover, throughout this process, she had likely grown to detest the whole affair.
Standing in silence for a moment, Wang Yu banished all chaotic thoughts from his mind, summoned all members of the Wei clan to the Yin Sky Hall for a new clan meeting, and simultaneously spread his divine sense. He checked the development state of the Yin Five Elements Grand Formation over the years.
The Corpse Fire Pit (Yin Fire), Dead Coffin Pit (Yin Wood), Foul Turbidity Pit (Yin Water), Nether Earth Pit (Yin Earth), and Malevolent Energy Pit (Yin Metal). After decades of cultivation and the massive influx of collaborators brought by the Minor Extremity Palace and Wang Yu's formidable reputation, the Five Elements Corpse Workshop's profits had been virtually overflowing for years. This also allowed the Yin Five Elements Corpse Pits to be completely filled.
Combined with the secret arts from the "Observing Heavenly Earth Feng Shui Wonders" and using the Four Ancestor Emblems, he could fully sublimate this grand formation in a resource-depleting manner, absolutely meeting the requirements for the "Body Refining Heaven Devouring" step. The Heaven Devouring secret art within the Undying Nether Dragon Art was still slightly incomplete. However, the "Myriad Heavenly Void Arts" contained a corresponding secret art for peeling away a space. As long as it was slightly modified and integrated into the Undying Nether Dragon Art's breakthrough secret art, there should be no problem.
"After years of painstaking effort, it's finally time to reap the rewards." After a thorough check with his divine sense, Wang Yu was very satisfied. At the very least, during his twenty years of seclusion, the Wei clan had prioritized fulfilling his requirements. Every command he issued had been perfectly executed by the clan head, Wei Shuyue. This "stray dog" he had encountered years ago was now a minor powerhouse at the Mid-Core Formation stage. With the Blood Elixirs granted by Wang Yu, if she disregarded the consequences and her foundation, she could form her Nascent Soul within sixty years, but that would be her limit. Her innate talent was insufficient, and she lacked higher-grade resources. Wang Yu could accelerate her growth, but not infinitely. Nascent Soul was her ultimate limit.
In contrast, those Wei clan elders who were already at Core Formation, after Wang Yu forcefully reclaimed the Five Elements Corpse Workshop and killed Venerable Xia, had returned eagerly. Thanks to the accelerated growth from the Blood Elixirs, two more elders at the early Nascent Soul stage had emerged. Compared to other Nascent Transformation powers, the Cloud State Wei clan was indeed too weak; the difference in their foundation was substantial.
Half an hour later, nearly all Wei clan members who could attend had arrived. Wang Yu began to explain matters concerning his ascension and the arrangements for the Wei clan afterward. These arrangements primarily involved reliance on the Minor Extremity Palace. Their survival would not be difficult as long as they did not stir up trouble, but their influence would inevitably retract back to Cloud State. With Wei Wuxian's reputation as a "Demon-Slaying Hero," no force in the Mountains and Seas Realm would dare to provoke the Wei clan, risking universal condemnation.
Furthermore, Wang Yu learned through conversations with Wei clan members that Ancestor Jueqing, Li Chunyi, had left the Mountains and Seas Realm seventeen years ago aboard a treasure raft refined from a Space-Traversing Orb. He had likely used an ascension channel from another minor world to reach the True Spirit Realm. This significantly reduced the time the Wei clan could rely on external support. Whether they would last for generations or perish at some point in the future depended entirely on their own destiny. Although Wang Yu had borrowed the identity of the Wei clan's founder, he had also brought them considerable benefits. There was no question of him being indebted. It was already decent of him to inform them before simply departing.
Therefore, from that day forward, Wang Yu no longer concerned himself with the Wei clan's affairs, focusing entirely on preparing for his ascension. It was worth noting that the star map route from the Mountains and Seas Realm to the Demon Cultivation Realm had been abandoned for over ten thousand years. This "safe" path was no longer as secure as the route to the True Spirit Realm; otherwise, why would those demonic cultivators first travel to the True Spirit Realm to borrow passage? Considering that the Boundary-Splitting Divine Ark's Chaos Spirit Pearl energy reserves were still ample enough for one final round trip, Wang Yu planned to first arrive near the True Spirit Realm and then divert to the Demon Cultivation Realm. This would ensure the safety of the first half of the journey. The Nine Peak Human Realms were adjacent to each other, and the closer one got to the Upper Realm's Cosmic Sea region, the safer it became. After all, True Immortals would not permit danger near their own base. Therefore, the new route Wang Yu planned had an 80% safety rating—which was considered high!
In addition, he tidied his Sea Heart Ring, preparing to refine a Tribulation-Transcending Treasure. Such secret treasures were specifically created for undergoing tribulations. Wang Yu had refined one before, during his time governing Guiling City. That was when he first faced the Core Formation lightning tribulation. He felt apprehensive and prepared a Tribulation-Transcending Treasure to be safe. Later, it proved to be completely unnecessary, as bathing in the lightning tribulation was the orthodox path for body cultivators to break through.
But now it was different. According to his plan, after he devoured the Yin Five Elements Grand Formation, his physical body would enter a state of metamorphosis. The Cosmic Sea contained the Grand Cosmic Heavenly Dao, and the intensity of its lightning tribulations was far greater than what could be unleashed in a minor world. It was even more exaggerated than the lightning tribulations in the Nine Peak Realms. He absolutely could not choose to break through in the Cosmic Sea. The super-grade lightning tribulation was one factor, but more importantly, it was due to the inherited memories from True Spirits like Fei and Ice Phoenix. To put it simply, even powerful True Spirits would not choose to break through major realms in the Cosmic Sea. Legend had it that creatures who did so would attract the covetous gaze of the boundless darkness. This was an aggregate of grievances born from the destruction of countless worlds in the Cosmic Sea, representing the inverse of the Grand Dao. Cultivators who attempted this would, at best, fail their breakthrough and have their cultivation path severed; at worst, their minds would blur, their personalities would be twisted by the darkness, and they would cease to be themselves.
In conclusion, it was better to heed advice. Therefore, Wang Yu needed to suppress his breakthrough process until he reached the Demon Cultivation Realm. Only then could he completely let go and invite the lightning tribulation's baptism to complete his final breakthrough. Qing Qing was the primary choice for protecting his Dao. He needed two secret treasures: one to suppress the body's instinct to break through, and one to guard against the lightning tribulation. The former should be as strong as possible. The latter was merely for precaution. Should an accident occur, he wouldn't be without means of resistance. Wang Yu had already considered this; he had requested thirty treasures in the second batch, half of which were specifically for these two secret treasures.
"Let's begin... with artifact refinement!"
The first, named the Immortal-Locking Tower, was a special secret treasure specifically for suppressing cultivators. It had limited practical use in daily combat. The second, named the Thunder Emperor Armor...
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