Chapter 636: Wanhuo True Demon Cave Heaven, Sacred Ring City, Changes of Cause and Effect

Upon its initial creation, the still somewhat unrefined Blessed Land world underwent another major transformation. The dim blue light from the sky seemed to mute the colors of the entire world significantly.

A sea of blood, stretching over a thousand kilometers, filled the world.

In the center lay a landmass one hundred kilometers in size.

This landmass, however, was composed of countless bones, severed limbs, flesh, and yin-earth, generating immense malevolent energy. Numerous ghost-like shadows lurked at its base, as if supporting a throne.

These forms originated from various conceptualizations, treasures, and Five Qi seeds. Nurtured by the world's essence, they materialized but remained hollow illusions, not true malevolent spirits.

Wang Yu would gradually need to imbue them with true substance.

This would allow him to reach a state where illusion and reality merge, and it was also the optimal method for integrating the four artistic conceptions.

A frost moon perpetually hung in the firmament.

This made the world's temperature extremely low; the moon's yin-nurturing effect cast a hazy, gray pallor over the land, which, when combined with the dim blue light of the sky, made it appear even gloomier.

The five yin pits that had once manifested in the Five Elements Corpse Workshop also re-manifested on the hundred-kilometer corpse-land. In the center stood a Jianmu tree covered in black demonic patterns. After the Xukun's stomach was thoroughly refined, it transformed into an invisible barrier.

This barrier tightly adhered to the outermost layer of the Blessed Land world.

If Wang Yu chose to manifest it, he would see it was also covered in demonic patterns, and the abundant spiritual energy throughout the world had been completely transmuted into demonic energy.

In the sea of blood, it was blood demonic energy; on land, it was corpse demonic energy.

In the sky, it transformed into moon demonic energy and frost demonic energy, ever-changing!

All these attributes were endowed by Wang Yu, and their creation relied on the profound mysteries of his "Innate True Demonic Body" and his demonic cultivation.

There was no turning back on his cultivation path once he had broken through to the Nascent Soul stage.

The Jianmu branch, including the world-barrier layer formed by the stomach pouch, originally possessed the ability to absorb chaotic energy from the cosmic sea and convert it into spiritual qi. After its demonic corruption, it bypassed this intermediate conversion.

It now directly transformed this chaotic energy into demonic energy.

This transformation gave rise to the unique landscape of this Blessed Land world.

Naturally, calling it a Blessed Land was no longer appropriate. Instead, it was now a Grotto-Heaven belonging solely to Wang Yu—the Myriad Transformation True Demonic Grotto-Heaven!

With the Intent of Killing being the most potent, the blood sea was the most expansive.

As long as he continuously invested resources into the Jianmu branch, it would naturally mature one day, truly expanding into an boundless world for him.

However, it was uncertain whether it would still be referred to as Jianmu at that stage.

A world spanning a thousand kilometers was already substantial; typically, the Blessed Lands of cultivators in the late Void Refinement stage, when upgraded to Grotto-Heavens, only reached about five hundred kilometers, resembling small secret realm spaces.

Wang Yu's ability to achieve this scale was purely due to his profound foundation and numerous treasures; he could create such a vast space upon its initial development. Consequently, the world's essence that flowed back to him was extraordinarily rich.

It was more than enough for him to break through to the second layer of the Void Refinement stage.

To further expand the Grotto-Heaven, however, the physical body would endure considerable strain, as it was the vessel of his foundation. The optimal material for expansion was, of course, Chaos Qi.

This substance was incredibly rare. Besides the Ice Prison Realm, which possessed the potential to evolve into a Great Thousand World but was constrained by immortal rules, Chaos Qi was found at its world's edge.

He hadn't encountered it anywhere else.

Using it earlier to propel the World-Breaking Divine Boat had been somewhat wasteful; the condensed Chaos Spirit Orb now only had a thin layer remaining.

Wang Yu placed it on the Grotto-Heaven's yin-land.

Moreover.

The Yama Emperor's Sword, which contained millions of demon souls, was also placed by Wang Yu within the Grotto-Heaven to be nurtured, where the demon souls were slowly improving in the sea of blood.

The Four Seasons Sky Wheel transformed into Four Seasons Qi and completely integrated into the Grotto-Heaven.

The Sun-Piercing Demonic Bow, meanwhile, received nourishment from the world's origin within the frost moon, potentially allowing it to advance one day.

Additionally, the Six Desires Demonic Heaven Scroll, Immortal Locking Pagoda, Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Crown, and Thunder Emperor's Armor—in fact, all of Wang Yu's spirit treasures, except for his natal spirit treasure and natal true artifact, were placed inside the Grotto-Heaven world.

The Thunder Malevolence Coffin, the peak fourth-tier thunder corpse, the early fourth-tier Yellow Springs Earth Grievance Puppet, and other items he no longer needed were also placed within.

A Grotto-Heaven could be considered an expansive storage space, capable of holding living beings. It was also akin to a portable immortal dwelling, where cultivating and managing could easily yield countless spiritual treasures.

By placing them within, they might also advance over time.

Upon reaching the Void Refinement stage.

Unless one possessed spatial techniques to capture an opponent's Blessed Land Grotto-Heaven, spoils of war would be far less abundant than before. Moreover, such an inner world could even save one's life at crucial moments!

Thus, comprehending the Dao of Space became paramount.

Those who could overpower their peers in the same realm could plunder everything from them. Except for laws, which remained undevourable, their physical bodies, primordial spirits, Blessed Land Grotto-Heavens, and all accumulated wealth could be forcibly seized!

However.

To devour another's Blessed Land Grotto-Heaven, one needed a top-tier sky-devouring secret art and their own Blessed Land Grotto-Heaven's origin to be sufficiently robust. Simply put, it had to be larger than the opponent's!

When it came to Blessed Land Grotto-Heavens, there was no concept of a small fish eating a big fish.

At most, one could take a few sips. Without special "food" preservation methods, the Blessed Land Grotto-Heaven would likely collapse upon its owner's death.

Generally, only if the owner willingly chose to, could they separate their Blessed Land Grotto-Heaven before their demise, allowing it to become a secret realm for future generations to train and develop.

Most secret realms in the Vast Immortal Realm originated in this manner.

However, if a big fish devoured a small fish by completely enveloping the opponent's Blessed Land Grotto-Heaven in one go, even if it fully collapsed, it would remain within one's own Grotto-Heaven, allowing ample time for slow digestion.

Similarly.

To withstand the destructive force of a collapsing Grotto-Heaven, one's own power must be significant; therefore, in this regard, the principle of the small devouring the large has never applied.

Forcible devouring would only lead to the severing of one's cultivation path and the destruction of their Grotto-Heaven!

While Wang Yu's newly established Grotto-Heaven was indeed vast.

However, it also had many spirit treasures to nurture. Therefore, he simply dismantled some less effective ones, like the Four Seasons Sky Wheel, to refine the Grotto-Heaven's internal system.

Even the third-tier Black Demonic Lightning within him was cast into the high heavens of the Grotto-Heaven world. He expected it would soon advance to the fourth tier, given his enhanced foundation.

Tasks that were once exceedingly difficult now seemed effortless with the assistance of the world's origin; this omnipotent power represented infinite miracles, akin to a wish-granting machine.

Void Refinement cultivators typically only began creating their Blessed Lands after breaking through to the mid-stage.

This made the dividing line within this entire major realm extremely clear, with others often being regarded as resources for growth. It was even possible that the Demonic Refining Domain came into being precisely because of this characteristic of the Void Refinement stage.

'Three years of secluded cultivation, and the Great Dao is initially complete!'

'It's time to integrate into the Demonic Refining Domain.'

As this thought crossed his mind, Wang Yu instinctively performed a quick calculation. The causal transformations of the Void Refinement stage were incredibly useful; as long as the matter didn't involve too profound a secret or complex karma, almost anything could be predicted.

It didn't matter even if he hadn't learned specific secret arts for it.

Furthermore, this ability would advance with breakthroughs into higher realms, proving exceptionally convenient.

What he was calculating now was the most suitable place for his cultivation within the Demonic Refining Domain.

"—Sacred Ring City!"

It was the only city in the Demonic Refining Domain, where True Gods were commonplace, early-stage Void Refinement cultivators were considered worthless, and only mid-stage cultivators could hold their own, though they were still easily targeted by late-stage veteran demons as resources for their growth.

The True Demon Token provided limited information about this place.

It merely stated that this was the Demonic Refining Domain's "Ascension Place," where safety was somewhat guaranteed. After all, the rules of the Demonic Refining Domain were inherently chaotic, marked by constant mutual killing.

In such a pure battle royale environment, considering that cultivation breakthroughs, daily training, and handling spoils all required a stable setting, Sacred Ring City was established.

However.

The True Demon Token did not claim absolute safety, only relative safety.

Through causal transformations, Wang Yu learned more: Sacred Ring City was established by the Great Demonic Heaven, and a peak Dao Integration stage demonic cultivator served as its "Guide."

Once cultivators reached the peak of the Void Refinement stage, they could rely on this Guide to leave the Demonic Refining Domain and enter the true Demonic Cultivation Realm.

The city also featured buildings with various functions.

Cave dwelling rentals, black market pavilions, immortal material halls, spirit treasure workshops, alchemy workshops, and more were primarily established by major cultivation lineages. These were also absolute safe zones, and those managing these facilities were considered outsiders whose cultivation was not restricted by the trial rules.

Although the True Demon Token did have a Treasure Pavilion, finished goods there were too expensive, making it impractical to exchange them for merit points. It was more cost-effective to buy raw materials and commission these individuals to refine pills or forge spirit treasures.

This was the very purpose of their presence.

They provided comprehensive artisanal services to the "seeds" within the Demonic Refining Domain. While the Great Demonic Heaven would not be responsible for any issues that arose, the probability of such problems was extremely low.

After all, this system had operated effectively for countless years, and the owners of these facilities were vetted before being allowed in, making the likelihood of them harming the "seeds" minimal.

Furthermore.

This was the most crucial piece of information, and the core reason why the causal transformations pointed to this place: the Ten Royal Halls!

Sacred Ring City contained ten Royal Halls. Occupying one as a cultivation ground would grant 100 merit points daily, even if nothing was done. Yes, one hundred every day! With no upper limit!

In comparison, a Class A mission only yielded fifty thousand.

Occupying a Royal Hall for just 500 days was equivalent to completing half of a Class A mission, which was about sixteen and a half months—a period shorter than a single cultivation session for a Void Refinement cultivator.

The more merit points recorded, the higher the authority of the True Demon Token would become.

Once the authority was high, further advancement would require "credentials." However, this was inconsequential, as Wang Yu's cultivation realm was sufficiently high; he only lacked the accumulation of demonic essence.

The countless spiritual items available in the Treasure Pavilion could satisfy this need, as such items, unless exceptionally precious, often did not require credentials.

In other words.

As long as he secured a Royal Hall, he could rapidly and safely advance to the late Void Refinement stage, essentially getting on a fast track, which was truly suitable for him.

Currently, the Ten Royal Halls were occupied by the ten individuals recorded on the True Immortal Wish Module's leaderboard.

Without exception, all these individuals were at the peak of the Void Refinement stage.

Moreover, judging by the Demonic Refining Domain's cultivation model, they could likely contend with even weaker early Dao Integration stage cultivators. With his current abilities, however, securing a Royal Hall was still quite a challenge.

He would need to reach at least the mid-stage, if not late-stage, Void Refinement before attempting it.

The upper realm was not comparable to the lower realm.

The competition was exceptionally fierce, and these ten individuals were considered the strongest, having fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Wang Yu had to be extremely cautious and not underestimate others.

Just because he hadn't encountered prodigious talents who could cross realms before didn't mean they didn't exist; it simply meant his cultivation level wasn't high enough to meet them.

For instance, Zhao Mo, whom he encountered in the Mountains and Seas Realm.

Once his Profound Yellow Pagoda appeared, ordinary cultivators of the same realm would perish from a single strike. He was indeed a genius capable of fighting across minor realms; otherwise, he wouldn't have appeared on the demonic clan's assassination list.

Around the Demonic Refining Domain were one hundred thousand and eight hundred secret realms and Grotto-Heavens.

All of them were human cultivators from the upper realm with superior talent. Even if only one True God emerged from each Grotto-Heaven, there would be a hundred thousand, but clearly, the number wouldn't be that small.

A more reasonable estimate was three to five people per century, with ten even being possible in an exaggerated scenario. Calculating this way, those who could cultivate to the Void Refinement stage were truly top-tier formidable individuals.

They lacked neither trump cards, experience, nor methods.

Of course.

Wang Yu wouldn't underestimate himself or be overly cautious about everything; instead, he would be audaciously confident within limits. Those peak Void Refinement cultivators who aimed to thrive in the Demonic Cultivation Realm typically lingered in the Demonic Refining Domain for about a millennium to gather cultivation resources needed for the future Dao Integration stage.

The Great Demonic Heaven also sanctioned this.

As for the wanted demonic dragon, it must have exceeded this customary time limit, which was why it appeared on the Class A mission list and lost its eligibility to hold a True Demon Token.

Anything he wished to know could be obtained through "calculation."

For his first experience, Wang Yu couldn't stop.

It was exhilarating.

This continued for a full five days until he had assimilated all the information he sought. Only then did he officially emerge from seclusion to seek out Qing Qing.

There was no immediate rush for cultivation matters; even the world's origin needed to be fully assimilated. More precisely, because its energy level was exceedingly high, the growth of his true demonic essence was entirely driven by it.

This was why it required time to refine.

He estimated he could break through his realm within one or two years. Compared to his previous growth rate, this was incredibly fast, especially considering it was cultivation in the Void Refinement stage.

Outside, it might take hundreds of years to advance a single layer, and that would be for a relatively "well-off" cultivator.

"Qing Qing."

"Brother Dao, you've emerged from seclusion?"

Qing Qing, who had been sitting cross-legged outside, immediately stood up. She looked at Wang Yu, whose aura was now perfectly stable and had receded to the peak of the Soul Transformation stage. She pursed her lips but said nothing.

Wang Yu nodded and then asked, "Do you have confidence in making a breakthrough?"

Qing Qing shook her head with a bitter smile. "No, I still have many issues with spatial creation. May I ask for your guidance, Brother Dao?"

Upon hearing this.

He immediately understood. While Blessed Lands were typically created after breaking through to the mid-stage Void Refinement, cultivators with ambition and talent generally began the process when first breaking through to the Void Refinement stage.

Wang Yu had already experienced the benefits of cultivating early.

His cultivation speed was remarkably fast, his foundation stronger, and he could even draw upon the origin of his Grotto-Heaven world to enhance his divine abilities and spells. As long as he didn't draw too much, there would be no adverse effects.

After all, the origin would recover on its own.

With the dual effects of the Jianmu branch and the stomach pouch, he could also draw energy from the cosmic sea to recover and expand the Grotto-Heaven itself. Qing Qing didn't possess a Jianmu branch, but she had her own unique opportunities.

Wang Yu found it inconvenient to inquire further about this.

Regarding his dual cultivation partner's request for guidance, he accepted after a moment's thought. "Certainly," he said, "let's go to Sacred Ring City first. It's relatively safe there, and there are cultivators from various lineages stationed."

"That's wonderful."

Sacred Ring City was a necessary destination, and Wang Yu also had the idea of joining a specific cultivation lineage. After all, the Slaughter Sword Scripture was Fei's exclusive legacy, and he felt the Blood Demon Sword Sect, one of the nine lineages, would be a good choice.

The two legacies would mutually verify each other, helping him quickly perfect his Intent of the Slaughter Dao. Concurrently, the preliminary deduction of the fundamental cultivation method for the Myriad Transformation Demonic Heaven Dao could also commence.

As for the ten positions for Heavenly Demons seizing the Dao.

He couldn't possibly seize all of them to completion before formulating his own method. Any talent he chose would need to be at least of a True Spirit bloodline and also align with his current cultivation system.

Otherwise, seizing them would mean starting from scratch, adding only burden to himself without any benefit.

He could start with the fundamental cultivation method first and then gradually perfect it later.

"Alright then, let's go."

With that.

The two left the nameless spiritual mountain and headed for Sacred Ring City.