After leaving the Blood Abyss, sixteen years had already passed.

After being thoroughly nurtured by Blood Fiend Crystals, both of Wang Yu’s zombies underwent qualitative improvements. The density of their baleful qi rose by an entire tier across the board.

Zombies also possessed corpse cores within their bodies.

The Lunar Yin Fiend Corpse was a variant of a third-rank Flying Zombie. If it could advance to the fourth rank, it would become a Yaksha, with strength comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator.

The Thunder Corpse, on the other hand, was a complete mutant. It simultaneously possessed the traits of a Golden Armored Zombie and a Flying Zombie. If it advanced to the fourth rank, it would also acquire the characteristics of both an Unrotting Bone and a Yaksha.

From the perspective of concentrated resource investment, the Thunder Corpse had stronger frontal combat power and was more worth cultivating. However, the Lunar Yin Fiend Corpse’s methods of weakening enemies were also extremely useful.

More than once, it had played a decisive role.

The reason Wang Yu thought this way was because he simply had too many valuable assets in hand. At the third rank, things were still manageable, but if he truly reached the fourth rank, he would very likely be unable to sustain so many at once.

The Yellow Springs Earth Resentment Puppet had been severely damaged last time by the Great Black Heaven Talisman. It was almost reduced to nothing but its core skeletal frame. For now, it could still be used, but repairing it would require a large amount of puppet-refining materials.

He personally handled this matter by disguising his body shape and visiting the market in Maple Prefecture City. This trump card had only ever been exposed once, right under the eyes of Black Heaven Talisman Lord.

Wang Yu had kept it hidden ever since. Even when pulling it out of the effective range of the Great Black Heaven Talisman, the Yellow Springs Earth Resentment Puppet had not revealed much of its true strength.

Puppet repairs required a considerable amount of time and could only be done gradually.

In addition, Snowjade was also one of Wang Yu’s key cultivation targets. Her supply of pills had never been cut off, and she took advantage of as many opportunities as possible. Many opportunities that were no longer useful to Wang Yu were instead enjoyed by her.

Her cultivation speed, while inferior to that of her master, was still exceptionally fast. Her lower-grade earth-tier bloodline was slightly stronger than a Heavenly Spiritual Root, yet still fell short of the level of a Spiritual Body.

Once she broke through to the fourth rank, she was expected to fight alongside him.

With the existence of the two corpses, and Wang Yu himself being a massive consumer of resources, body refinement, divine sense, spiritual power, all of it combined meant that he barely managed to sustain everything through flexibility, pill refinement expertise, and one secret realm opportunity after another.

Third-rank resources were already rare enough. Once he truly reached the fourth rank, he definitely would not be able to afford everything. At that point, resource allocation priorities would have to be set.

First himself, then Snowjade, followed by the Thunder Corpse, the puppet, and finally the Lunar Yin Fiend Corpse.

Fortunately, the puppet’s needs were not large. Regular maintenance was sufficient.

As for advancement, that was far beyond what he could achieve at present.

Thus, after more than ten days passed, the dual corpses completely finished their advancement.

Purple Wisteria Court.

After reaching the late third rank, the Thunder Corpse awakened another lightning-path divine ability, named Lightning Radiance Escape Art.

Combined with the abilities it already possessed, Summoning Thunder and Calling Lightning and Heavenly Thunder Armor, this formed a perfect trio of offense, defense, and speed.

On its bare head, the lightning talisman inscriptions became even more intricate. Baleful qi surged around its body, lightning light shimmered, and its ferocious nature grew even more intense than before.

Coupled with its zombie body comparable to a Golden Armored Zombie, among Core Formation cultivators, its combat strength should have reached the level of a peak direct disciple. In one-on-one combat, it might be difficult to kill opponents of that tier, mainly because the Thunder Corpse was still lacking in external auxiliary methods.

Within the Yin Fiend Corpse Refining Art, there were actually secret techniques for refining corpse-path artifacts.

So-called corpse-path artifacts carried two meanings.

One was for corpse-path cultivators to use. The other was for zombies themselves to use. The latter were mostly simple and brutal forms such as armor, iron chains, and greatswords.

These only needed to enhance a specific trait of the zombie and push it to the extreme. They were far less complex than artifacts used by cultivators, and thus were also known as corpse implements.

The profundity involved in refining corpse implements was limited. Most corpse-path cultivators mastered several such methods. While they were inferior to orthodox artifact-refining inheritances, they were still not bad.

Wang Yu looked at the Thunder Corpse, his small hand rubbing his chin.

A habit that once felt perfectly natural now looked nothing but comical when paired with his current body.

Turning to the Lunar Yin Fiend Corpse beside it, he saw that it too had awakened an additional divine ability. From Yin Corpse Descending Evil Curse and Soul Shattering Heaven-Shaking Roar, it now awakened Moon Fiend Yin Escape Art.

Weakening, control, escape.

Its style could only be described as slippery beyond measure, a purely disgusting combat approach.

In terms of coordination, the Lunar Yin Fiend Corpse actually paired better with Wang Yu himself. The two corpses and the child stood quietly like that for a long time before Wang Yu finally put them back into the Yin Fiend Corpse Nurturing Coffin.

He rehung it on his hairpin, seemingly lost in thought.

“Senior, Wang Zhenghong has arrived.”

Tao Sixuan suddenly knocked on the door. Only then did Wang Yu come out, his body slipping smoothly into the beautiful woman’s embrace.

Over the past dozen days, he had become intimately familiar with every inch of Tao Sixuan’s skin. Finding a comfortable position to lie down, he looked somewhat fatigued as he turned his gaze toward Wang Zhenghong.

“What is it?”

“My lord, the matter you instructed me to look into last time has made some progress. The piece of territory you were searching for is called Fallen Dragon Valley. It is an extremely dangerous area, and my people are unable to penetrate deeply into it.”

“What exactly is dangerous about it?”

“This is the detailed information. You will understand once you read it.”

Taking the divine sense jade slip and absorbing all the information within, Wang Yu immediately understood the situation and casually rewarded him with a Blood and Essence Replenishment Pill.

“I understand. You may leave now.”

“Yes!”

As Old Wang left cheerfully. Tao Sixuan asked curiously, “Senior, does Fallen Dragon Valley conceal some kind of secret?”

“It hides man-eating monsters.”

“Ah! Then why would you still…”

“Opportunities and danger always go hand in hand. The greater the danger, the greater the opportunity. No matter what realm one cultivates to, risk is unavoidable.”

Tao Sixuan fell into thought.

As for the dangers of Fallen Dragon Valley, the information Wang Zhenghong provided clearly stated that none of those who entered to explore it, including Core Formation peak cultivators, had ever returned safely.

Later, when an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator entered the valley, he was also forced to retreat in a sorry state. According to what he revealed afterward, the depths of Fallen Dragon Valley were filled everywhere with Dragon Blood Vine Demons.

This was a type of demon formed from a spiritual plant, and it was also the origin of the valley’s name. Wang Zhenghong’s intelligence-gathering ability was quite good, and the information was extremely complete.

With testimony from that early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, the danger level of Fallen Dragon Valley was clearly Nascent Soul level, and even ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators would likely be unable to handle it.

Since Blood Axe had pointed out this place as Wang Yu’s Body-Refining opportunity, did that mean he believed Wang Yu had a chance of obtaining the benefits hidden within Fallen Dragon Valley?

“Dragon Blood Vine Demon…”

This name sounded like something coined by modern cultivators. Wang Yu had browsed through all the classics in the Scripture Pavilion, and only a few vaguely similar demon creatures in his memory matched the description.

Lurking underground, rooted in darkness.

Ambushing and killing all living beings that passed by. Many vine-type plant demons possessed such traits, such as Bloodthirsty Demon Vines, Ground-Ambushing Tiger-Pattern Vines, Ghost Vines, and the like.

To truly identify it, he would have to make the trip himself.

Still, having this much preliminary information was already quite good. After waiting another dozen days, he would be able to set out.

On this day,

The mana within Wang Yu’s Qi sea showed signs of breaking through. Vast torrents of blue-black mana transformed into a thin mist, rising and circulating around his body.

After several breaths, everything instantly returned to calm.

His breakthroughs had always come naturally. His mana was accumulated steadily through cultivation, with only a small portion aided by pills and precious medicines.

At this moment, His mana capacity exceeded six thousand strands, and he had advanced to the ninth layer of Core Formation. Accumulation at this level was exceptionally long, requiring nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine strands to trigger the third Core Strengthening.

Only then could the core shatter and form a Nascent Soul. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

However, through the Human Pill Great Art that used flesh-and-blood mana as fuel and the golden core as the nucleus, he still possessed over a hundred cultivation-type third-rank Human Pills.

At a rate of one pill per day, it would take at most four months.

In less than half a year, he could reach the peak of Core Formation. This speed was simply too fast. If nearly four thousand strands of mana were gained in this manner, and then merged into the six thousand strands he already perfectly controlled, it could easily cause issues such as unstable spiritual power and a decline in quality.

Through perfected cultivation techniques and opportunities such as the Soul Freezing Wind.

Wang Yu had only just managed to increase the quality of his spiritual power severalfold. He had no intention of ruining it so casually. The Human Pill Art was not omnipotent. Without pill resistance, refinement was fast, but that came with risks.

Unstable mana and shaky foundations were only minor problems.

Compared to the explosive growth it offered, it remained a top-tier auxiliary cultivation method that demonic cultivators eagerly pursued.

After carefully sensing his own condition,

Wang Yu felt that slowing down his cultivation for a period of time was not a bad idea. To form a Nascent Soul, he would at minimum need to travel to the Endless Ice Plains. Frost demonic qi was an indispensable component.

This period could be used to stabilize his mana and gradually refine it. At his level, differences in raw mana quantity were rarely decisive in determining victory or defeat.

His gaze shifted to the Idle Slot. After some thought, he removed techniques one and two, replacing them with the Ten-Direction Frozen Demon Fist and Ice Soul Divine Light.

One spirit pill was equivalent to a month of cultivation for him.

The techniques were already perfected. Aside from slightly delaying advancement and deduction time, there were no downsides.

Besides, it was only a matter of one or two years.

He would not delay for long. Given the current situation, he needed strength to protect himself. The Nine Evil Sword Lord was a major problem. If that person was not dealt with,

Wang Yu did not dare move about using his true body at all.

“To resolve the issue of unstable spiritual power, the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Bed should still be able to play its final role.”

This rare treasure had been absorbed by Wang Yu and Snowjade for many years.

Most of its origin essence had already been consumed. The remaining portion would be completely used up over the next two years, purifying his spiritual power and offsetting the side effects brought by the Human Pills.

The plan was sound.

The only question was whether Snowjade, who had already treated the Profound Ice Bed as a little nest, would cry after learning the truth.

Thus, Wang Yu’s affairs in Maple Prefecture City were completely concluded.

After Wang Zhenghong delivered portions of the Endless Ice Plains map, the complete map of Maple Prefecture, and part of the Chaotic Ancient Sea map, the final objective was also achieved.

When it was time to leave, the day finally arrived.

On this day.

After making some temporary arrangements, Wang Yu met Tao Sixuan alone once. Her position was different from that of Tantai Chan. The latter could be considered an equal to a certain extent and did not rely on Wang Yu to survive.

Tao Sixuan was different.

Her position was that of Wang Yu’s subordinate. She had to rely on him to live, and Wang Yu also needed her as a fixed stake and trusted confidant.

By staying in Maple Prefecture City, she would form one corner of a three-way balance.

She was the dependent party, and the most important quality for such a role was loyalty. As a result, Wang Yu’s attitude toward the two women was completely different.

Toward Tao Sixuan, he had never been stingy about leaking a portion of resources to enhance her strength. This kind of cultivation also represented control.

“Actually, with your temperament, going to the Taihu domain would give you better prospects. What do you think?”

Wang Yu spoke after some deliberation.

The beautiful woman decisively shook her head.

“I have never gone that far in my life. What I know about Taihu mostly comes from rumors. No matter how well they speak of it, it cannot compare to seeing it with my own eyes.

“How would I know whether it would truly be better than my current situation?”

Wang Yu was somewhat surprised.

“It seems you have thought about this a lot during this period.”

“Yes.

“I want power, not a stable and dull life. The first half of my life was already miserable enough. In the second half, I want to change.”

Tao Sixuan’s eyes burned with determination.

This kind of ambition was something Wang Yu knew all too well. He had once possessed it himself, but it was only after witnessing Long Yiran’s death that he truly changed.

“In that case, stay in Maple Prefecture City.”

After thinking for a moment, Wang Yu took out two inheritances.

The first was called the Five Poisons Scripture, a fourth-rank inheritance that he had obtained years ago from the Five Poison Old Demon. It contained a large number of secret techniques from the paths of poison, gu, and curses.

He had not mastered it completely, but many of its contents had helped him greatly. It was suspected to originate from the ancient hegemon known as the Myriad Insects Sect.

The second was called the Heaven and Earth Soul Refining Art, a fourth-rank divine sense cultivation technique. It was a legacy of the second-generation hegemon of the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest after the Myriad Insects Sect, the Heaven Soul Sect, and included a set of divine sense secret arts.

Both of these were opportunities Wang Yu had obtained on his own.

They were not bound by sect inheritance restrictions and could be passed on at his discretion to suitable individuals.

After a brief introduction, Tao Sixuan’s beautiful eyes immediately shone with brilliance as she asked cautiously,

“You are letting me choose one?”

“Both are for you. The Heaven and Earth Soul Refining Art focuses solely on cultivating the soul and is no longer suited to the current environment. If you want to reach Core Formation or even Nascent Soul, you must use the Five Poisons Scripture as your foundation.”

What followed was a bottle containing nine cultivation human pills, a bottle of blood and essence replenishing pills, and several second-rank magic artifacts that Wang Yu had discarded but which were still in usable condition.

The Glazed Soul Lamp, Vajra Shield, Demon Binding Rope, Flying Cloud Boat, and more were all stuffed into Tao Sixuan’s hands in one go, as if he were dumping out unwanted items.

There was also a magic treasure, the Five Poisons Silver Bell.

This item was the life-bound magic treasure of the Five Poisons Old Demon. Although it was a third-rank high-grade magic treasure, it did not use many heaven-and-earth spiritual materials. Most of it was refined using Gu insects as its core materials.

It could not fetch a good price on the market, but if Tao Sixuan switched to cultivating the Five Poisons Scripture, she would be able to unleash all of its power.

Receiving so many treasures at once, with considerations made in every aspect, the beautiful woman’s expression shifted from joy to deep apprehension.

“I… taking this much… does not feel appropriate.”

There was no such thing as a free benefit in this world. These items were useless to Wang Yu now, but to a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, each one was a top-tier treasure.

Some of them could not be obtained even at the cost of one’s life.

“That is why you will sign these two contracts and then swear a heart demon oath. Once that is done, all of these will be yours. What is there to worry about?”

What Wang Yu took out were the Nether River Contract and the Yellow Springs Contract.

Since he was treating Tao Sixuan as a subordinate, binding measures were naturally necessary. Combined with a heart demon oath, this was more than sufficient.

The demonic seed method was not suitable for use on her. If it were triggered due to the methods of others and caused mental collapse, it would still activate.

The switch was not held solely in his hands.

It was not rigorous enough.

Thus, Wang Yu chose the method of contracts plus oaths. The duration was naturally permanent.

The binding force was maximized, yet the requirements placed on Tao Sixuan were minimal.

It was merely an extra layer of guarantee for a normal superior-subordinate relationship. There were no exploitative clauses. On the surface, it seemed to ask for nothing in return, but her person already belonged to Wang Yu.

Some things did not need to be spelled out. Both sides understood them clearly.

After lowering her head in thought for a moment,

Tao Sixuan finally revealed a smile.

“I understand.”

“Very good. Take this ice talisman. If you encounter a life-and-death crisis, crush it, and I will sense it.”

This type of sensing jade talisman was crafted based on divine sense. With divine sense strength at the peak of early fourth-rank, Wang Yu was naturally capable of doing this.

What he still lacked was a life-bound magic treasure and sufficient power to refine a fourth-rank Nascent Soul talisman treasure. Otherwise, leaving behind such a method would have been even safer.

After resolving all matters in Maple Prefecture City, Wang Yu departed without the slightest hesitation, leaving only the beautiful woman standing in place, staring blankly at his departing figure.