The Demon Refining Artifact Art could shape magic treasures at will. As long as the material properties were suitable, the finished product would usually match the creator’s intentions. The only restriction was that demonic corpses had to be used as the refining materials.
In terms of convenience, this method was an entire generation ahead of modern artifact-refining traditions.
However, it was not without flaws.
The biggest problem was insufficient precision.
Modern artifact refiners pursued perfection. Refining a qualified magic treasure often took several years, and the higher the grade, the longer the time required. Naturally, its power would grow accordingly.
The artifact-refining methods within demon-refining art were extremely convenient, but among treasures of the same grade, they were often half a tier weaker. There was a way to pensate for this: fuse in more and stronger demonic corpses.
Such flesh-and-blood demonic treasures still held considerable value.
At the very least, Wang Yu was quite satisfied. The artifact-path chapter of his demon-refining art had only progressed one-third of the way toward fourth-rank, yet he already felt immense benefits. Perhaps fourth-rank was not even the limit of this technique.
For this ancient inheritance from before recorded history, he strongly suspected that it was very likely one of the seventy-two impartation bestowed by the first immortals who descended to the lower realm through the Celestial Enlightenment Dao Platform.
As the agreed time approached, he fiddled with the Ghost-Weeping Flute for a while. Still unable to decide how to modify this handy treasure, he temporarily set the matter aside.
First, he would head to Maple Prefecture and settle the matter of the Nine Evil Sword Lord.
After that, things would bee much easier.
He was not the main force in this battle. By fully utilizing his alchemy skills and connections to call in helpers, if they succeeded, there would be many opportunities for cooperation in the future.
Pill, artifact, talisman, and formation arts were praised as the four supreme auxiliary paths for a reason. The abilities they displayed at moments like this fully demonstrated the importance of possessing a specialized skill.
Moreover, during the past six years, while his main body had neglected cultivation, the Idle Slot had continued working tirelessly. With three primary slots running nonstop day and night, his demonic essence had increased by another 1,080 drops.
The accumulation required for the second layer of the Nascent Soul realm ranged from 2,000 to 6,000 drops. He was now just over halfway. In another twenty years, he would naturally break through to the third layer.
Although this speed was not as explosive as during the Core Formation stage, it was still among the fastest in the world. Given a hundred years, he would bee a powerhouse among Nascent Soul cultivators.
Furthermore, before reaching mid-stage Nascent Soul, he did not need to worry about the strength of his Demonic Soul. He only needed to accumulate demonic essence relentlessly. That was the straight road to success.
“Speaking of it, Body Refinement and Divine Sense have not seen much improvement lately.”
At the root of it all, his Idle Slots were still insufficient.
He wanted to prehend Dao Intent, freeload cultivation techniques, upgrade various divine abilities, and refine better magic treasures. Everything was waiting in line.
After carefully reviewing his situation, he realized that he had not yet reached the standard configuration of a mature Nascent Soul cultivator, even though his cultivation level was skyrocketing.
He could not help but fantasize.
“Maybe someday, I, Wang, will also suppress others with sheer cultivation. Demonic cultivation really is fast. It is all thanks to my unparalleled talent.”
Encouraging himself inwardly, he tidied up his equipment.
Just as he was about to transform into aurora light and depart, his body suddenly froze. He pulled out the Human-Seed Pouch and gave it a shake.
The first to emerge was the dazed Snowjade.
She was hugging a high-grade spirit stone and drooling.
Her aura barely reached the fifth layer of Core Formation. She was still in mid-stage third-rank. Her watery pink fox eyes flashed with human-like embarrassment before she quickly jumped onto Wang Yu’s shoulder.
“Master.”
“From now on, you will stay outside and serve as my mount.”
Snowjade was not the main focus.
What followed was a burning insect cocoon wreathed in icy flames. Its state was extremely unstable. It had reached the critical moment of transforming from cocoon to butterfly.
The Iceflame Butterfly’s innate flame was almost identical in nature to the Ice Chi Pill Flame, though there were still fundamental differences. The birth of the Emperor Butterfly Gu was imminent.
Wang Yu chose to lend it a hand.
He used the Ice Chi Pill Flame to burn the cocoon. This fourth-rank spiritual flame matched it perfectly. The cocoon immediately melted, and a beautiful palm-sized butterfly with wings of icy flame emerged.
After devouring the Immaculate Jade Toad, its bloodline power evolved.
It was no weaker than the dragon-vein baptism Snowjade had once received. According to the rankings of the Ancient Exotic Insect Register, it could easily advance at least five places.
Gu insects could not be judged by ordinary grade standards. They differed somewhat from normal insects. They were difficult to form naturally and usually relied on cultivators’ refinement to grow stronger. Their intelligence was also hard to awaken.
Although the Iceflame Butterfly was a Gu insect, it was naturally born.
Extremely rare, it possessed both characteristics.
If used as a Gu insect, it could be refined into the body to obtain iceflame divine abilities. If used as a controlling insect, it could reproduce the terrifying scene Wang Yu once saw with the scavenger old man: iceflame burning the heavens.
When Wang Yu had collected thousands of high-quality male and female specimens back then, he had naturally been planning for the latter. However, refining it into his body was also an option.
He felt that the Iceflame Emperor Butterfly’s innate flame might be the opportunity for the Ice Chi Pill Flame to advance to fifth-rank.
It was still too early to discuss that.
Activating the insect-controlling secret art from the Five Poisons Scripture, Wang Yu easily took control of the newly born Iceflame Emperor Butterfly.
He simply transferred all the Iceflame Butterflies he had bred over the years into his newly refined magic treasure: the Icebone Gu Vessel.
The environment inside was perfectly suited for nurturing them.
It was practically tailor-made.
As for the Emperor Butterfly, it had just been born and was still weak. It required long-term cultivation to reach fourth-rank bat power. Wang Yu only needed to feed it demonic essence and ice-attribute heavenly materials.
Its growth speed would be astonishing. This was the natural advantage of Gu insects.
With his current resources, five to ten years would be enough to make it useful. There was no need for excessive effort.
Handling this small episode took half a day.
He ordered Snowjade to enlarge herself and mounted her. Man and fox shot toward Maple Prefecture at full speed.
This time, he would pletely overturn the mountain pressing down on his head.
He would demand an explanation from the Nine Evil Sword Lord.
…
…
Maple Prefecture City.
Ever since True Lord Lei Hou had been transferred from another battlefield, large numbers of elders and disciples from Heavenly Corpse Peak, along with the forces of many affiliated clans under his mand, had followed him here.
Manpower had increased severalfold.
Moreover, Maple Prefecture now had someone capable of making final decisions with a single word.
With the assistance of two Nascent Soul cultivators, Black Heaven Talisman Lord and Ancestor Earth Barbarian, the situation should have stabilized quickly. Unfortunately, Maple Prefecture was simply too chaotic.
All kinds of factions had entered the field. The offensives of Yellow Springs Monastery and Azure Cloud Sect grew increasingly fierce. Recently, even demonic clan scouts and Nether Mountain Sect disciples had appeared. As a result, True Lord Lei Hou could only stabilize the area within three thousand li around the prefectural city.
[TL:- Azure Cloud Sect was previously translated as Biyun Sect]
Even if he went out and carried out a sweep, the moment he returned to Maple Prefecture City, disturbances would immediately erupt again. Sweeping or not made little difference. This was the disadvantage of having too few top-tier experts.
Chaos continued elsewhere regardless.
Although every major city possessed grand defensive formations anchored to spirit veins, at least half of them had fallen into disrepair over the years, with their power greatly reduced.
Formations required constant maintenance. In the past, Maple Prefecture was poor and lacked experts. There were very few attackers or city-raiding forces, so these “unnecessary” expenses were naturally pocketed by successive city lords.
When it came to squeezing money, the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain was not necessarily the most skilled, but it was certainly the most shameless and bold.
They dared to take anything.
Draining an entire city’s resources to nourish oneself was the norm.
Now, Maple Prefecture had gathered forces from all directions.
Yellow Springs Monastery and Nether Mountain Sect joined forces, expanding the border outward by over a thousand li and pletely occupying Maple Prefecture’s former eastern region.
On the Taihu side, Azure Cloud Sect and Moon Gazing Palace, both among the Seven Righteous Sects, worked together with Thunderfire Temple to capture Ice River Pass.
As a result, Maple Prefecture’s northwest and most of its northern region, including the Blackbone Mountain area and all routes leading to the Endless Ice Plains, fell into their hands.
Afterward, Thunderfire Temple’s forces returned south to resist the Joyous Union Demonic Sect, leaving behind only a small number of experts to divide the spoils. Azure Cloud Sect took the lead.
There was no helping it. Proximity meant advantage.
Organizations like the Moluo Horde were not unique. Many similar weak groups existed. However, lacking Nascent Soul cultivators, they were unable to fully control a city and relied mainly on guerrilla warfare.
Over the years, the number of mortals in Maple Prefecture had declined catastrophically.
Empty villages and stretches of three thousand li without human habitation were mon.
Only a minority of these people had died directly. About half had been abducted by mysterious organizations.
The other half had been gathered into cities. Beyond that were the mortals who had been accidentally caught in battles. Their numbers were relatively small, barely parable to the number of cultivators who had died in bat.
Local aristocratic clans either closed their gates to protect themselves or relocated to safer regions.
In short, Maple Prefecture had bee plete chaos.
And the situation was especially unfavorable for the Blood Reversal Sect.
They had been stabbed in the back by demonic factions, and due to geography, they were forced to endure Taihu’s offensive pressure. Unless they abandoned Maple Prefecture, Night Jewel Prefecture, Cloud Ridge Prefecture, and other regions, and concentrated all their strength to defend Blood Abyss Prefecture, collapse was inevitable.
Fortunately, things had not yet escalated to Nascent Soul cultivators fighting each other openly.
This meant the war had not reached its peak. It was still in the appetizer stage.
At times like this, it depended on how the three Exalted Sect clans would respond.
They held the highest authority and were obligated to act in times of crisis. With the situation this bad, it would be best if they could seek assistance from the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect, the leader of the demonic path.
Of course, this was only Wang Yu’s personal opinion.
On the grand scale, he still lacked sufficiently clear vision. Before fully joining the war, he could only focus on handling what lay before him.
Maple Prefecture City.
The Wang Residence.
Wang Zhenghong summoned two intelligence officers as usual.
Between his aged brows lingered inescapable melancholy. He poured wine for the two equally unfortunate men.
He said, “The situation in Maple Prefecture is getting worse and worse. Even with True Lord Lei Hou here, he is still only one person. Why hasn’t the Three-Corpse Daoist, who led the southern battlefield before, e? Do you know why?”
The two intelligence officers exchanged glances, their expressions bitter.
In the past, Maple Prefecture had not been taken seriously. The intelligence transmitted here was always filtered and processed.
Now, True Lord Lei Hou was qualified to receive real intelligence.
But the two of them had lost the right to access firsthand information.
Sometimes, they were not even allowed to see it.
That was infuriating.
Therefore, In response to Wang Zhenghong’s questioning, he could only shake his head and sigh.
“I don’t know how things are going on Senior Ice Demon’s side either. The Blood Pills he bestowed have already been pletely used up…”
Sensing the implication in his words, Wang Zhenghong snorted coldly.
“I can’t contact him either.”
“What about Madam Tao?”
At the mention of this, Wang Zhenghong’s expression grew even colder.
“That woman seems to be cultivating poison techniques. Her cultivation speed has been advancing at an astonishing rate, but she also has no way to contact the Ice Demon.”
Back when he left, Wang Yu had given Tao Sixuan quite a few mana-boosting Human Pills refined from Core Formation cultivators. His intention had always been to force her growth through unnatural means.
It would allow her to form a core quickly and gain bat power.
With her aptitude, breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm was out of the question. In this lifetime, she would only ever reach Core Formation. She was nothing more than a tool for fleeting pleasure and a temporary chess piece.
He had also generously bestowed upon her the Five Poisons Scripture. That too was a form of empty promise, creating the illusion of, “I have given you everything you deserve. If you still fail, that is your own problem.”
Over the years, the intelligence she transmitted had indeed helped Wang Yu maintain real-time awareness of external developments. It was worth the investment.
The conversation inside the Wang residence continued. All three of them had been implanted with the demonic intent of the Innate Demonic Embryo. Unless a great cultivator proficient in the soul path personally removed it for them, there was absolutely no way they could break free from Wang Yu’s control.
“Enough about that woman. She’s bad luck.”
“I heard that recently, members of the Yu clan intend to head north. Have you found out which experts are going?”
“At present, the only one we’ve confirmed is Demon Lord Nether Blade. It’s said he isn’t ing for Maple Prefecture, but for the eastern border of Night Jewel Prefecture.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere fell silent once more.
They lacked a full strategic perspective, but judging from Maple Prefecture alone, the Blood Reversal Sect was swaying in the storm, and the outlook was grim. Whether they should prepare a retreat route had bee extremely important.
Just as Wang Zhenghong was about to say something treasonous, a sudden chill ran through his body. A familiar icy aura surged forward, freezing half the courtyard into permafrost.
“Ice Demon Lord!”
The newer was none other than Wang Yu.
Snowjade’s speed was fairly average, but it had allowed him to conveniently retrieve the accumulated intelligence jade slips along the way. After verifying everything step by step, he now had a much clearer understanding of the situation in Maple Prefecture.
The more chaotic things were, the better. It would make it easier to set an ambush and assassinate the Nine Evil Sword Lord. More importantly, it would help conceal the incident.
He still had the Thunder Lord Token in his possession. If he used it to request Lord Lei Hou to strike and kill the Nine Evil Sword Lord…
The moment this thought arose, he dismissed it.
It was unrealistic. They were, after all, from the same sect.
When disaster struck, engaging in internal slaughter was not something the other party would necessarily agree to. The Thunder Lord Token was merely proof of personal favor, not an order from a superior to a subordinate.
Strictly speaking, the two of them had only interacted once. Trust could not be placed lightly.
On the other hand, the Nine Evil Sword Lord was extremely well hidden. Wang Yu even suspected that the Blood Reversal Sect might not know he had already broken through to late-stage Nascent Soul. Otherwise, he would have been dispatched to participate in the war long ago.
He would not have vanished so thoroughly, even more pletely than Wang Yu himself.
Now that he was here, the usefulness of these “nails” had dropped to nearly nothing. Perhaps he could let them serve one final purpose.
Spiritual light flickered in Wang Yu’s eyes as he spoke softly.
“Raise your heads.”
Wang Zhenghong and the other two cautiously lifted their heads. Only then did they realize that the former little boy had already grown into an adult. A white fox was perched on his shoulder.
They did not know what this drastic change in appearance represented. They only felt that the figure looked strangely familiar, and that face was remarkably handsome.
A faint smile curled at Wang Yu’s lips.
“You have done very well during this period.”
He snapped his fingers.
Three strands of black smoke shot out from their bodies simultaneously. The sense of mental relaxation that followed felt like having a headband worn for decades suddenly removed.
Light. fortable. Exhilarating.
“The control method… has been removed?”
Wang Zhenghong glanced at his two colleagues. The same thought was reflected in all three pairs of eyes.
Then disbelief followed.
Had they really encountered a benevolent benefactor?!
“Thank you, my lord, for your mercy.”
“Mm. You have worked diligently. Naturally, I will give you rewards beyond your imagination. These are Human Pills. They can increase your cultivation.”
He continued spending lavishly, polishing his public image.
At the same time, he was already designing a trap for the Nine Evil Sword Lord. In Wang Yu’s eyes, once these people were free of restraints, betrayal was only a matter of time.
“You will help me with something…”
[TL:- I also previously translated Iceflame Emperor into Iceflame "Imperial" Butterfly, apologies for the mistake]
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