**Chapter 118: Returning in Splendor, Unseen**
Black Mountain Pass.
Wang Yu remembered this place vividly. Back then, sitting in the prisoner cart being transported to the Scarlet Kite Demon Domain, he had only looked back once. This place had seared itself into his mind like a brand, unforgettable.
Speaking of which, the Taihu Spiritual Domain was prosperous and flourishing, with numerous cities on spiritual veins, beautiful landscapes of spiritual mountains and clear waters, and its territory was much larger than the Scarlet Kite Demon Domain. Its mortal population numbered in the tens of billions. Unlike the Scarlet Kite Demon Domain, where the mortal population was at most one to two billion, evenly distributed under the various Nascent Soul demonic sects, it could be described as a vast land with sparse population. Every time a power declined or changed hands, the population would be halved—either dead, captured, or even taken as breeding tools, accelerated by special pills. Over time, even with fertile land, mature farming techniques, and cultivators helping control wind and rain, the total population never managed to rise significantly.
This showed that the Taihu cultivators clearly understood management better than their demonic counterparts. Just like now.
"Please accept this."
Old Man Ning handled the negotiations with the cultivators at Black Mountain Pass, respectfully handing over a bag of spirit stones. Seeing the late Foundation Establishment senior remain silent, he quickly offered another, smaller bag.
Only after the man tucked it into his robe did he nod to his colleagues at the pass. The formation below opened, revealing a safe passage.
"Go on in. You have two months."
"Yes, yes, yes... Let's go, move out."
Wang Yu couldn't help but take a deep look at this man. On his chest was an embroidered pattern: a single green pearl amidst clusters of white clouds. A disciple of Green Cloud Sect, one of the righteous path Nascent Soul powers!
He didn't know the exact toll fee, but it was certainly not low. Could they even make it back? Wang Yu deeply doubted it. Judging by his own experience, a single trip with over a hundred people definitely wouldn't cover it. There were probably other underhanded dealings involved that he wasn't aware of.
Once the group successfully entered the Taihu Spiritual Domain, they immediately changed into black robes that could conceal their auras. These were concealment artifacts configured for the slave-catching team, with about half the effect of the Night Concealment Charm—not cheap by any means.
A few days later, five or six people left the team, heading north. Wang Yu saw it but didn't ask. His target was different from theirs. For this trip, Tanai Chan had arranged for him, using a covert mission as a pretext, to remain潜伏 (lurking/latent) in the Taihu Spiritual Domain long-term. The slave-catching mission had nothing to do with him.
He wouldn't return before reaching Foundation Establishment. As for after Foundation Establishment, he couldn't use the Black Mountain Pass route. He would have to risk crossing the Withered Leaf Swamp or the Black Mountain Demon Lands himself. With more courage, directly traversing the Severing Boundary Mountain Range was also possible—just more perilous. He would decide then based on the situation.
Regarding identity, the difference between a demonic path cultivator and a righteous path cultivator, apart from their methods, wasn't very pronounced at the lower stages. It was hard to judge based on spiritual power nature unless one practiced a very conspicuous evil art. Calling it the Demonic Path, before contacting demonic energy, they were all still lingering outside the main gate, not having obtained the true power of a demonic cultivator. This stage was easy to conceal. Therefore, he didn't need to worry about暴露 (exposure) just by revealing his cultivator status.
Only half a month after entering Black Mountain Pass, the group reached Stone Lake City. As per惯例 (standard practice), everyone hid at the bottom of the lake outside the city. Only Old Man Ning and Wang Yu entered the city.
"The spirit root testing day is still a few days away. This old man will accompany Fellow Daoist Wang to handle your old matters first."
"The current person in charge of Stone Lake City is another young cultivator, also from the Lingsong Sect. The old City Lord lives in a place with very thin spiritual power in the suburbs. Shall I take you there first?"
"No need." Wang Yu shook his head in refusal.
"Fellow Daoist Ning, go handle the sect mission first. I need to go home and look around first. The matter of the old City Lord isn't urgent."
"This... Alright then."
Watching Wang Yu walk away, Old Man Ning couldn't help but mutter to himself, unsure what Wang Yu actually intended.
As the saying goes: A dragon does not live among snakes; an immortal does not walk with mortals.
Cultivators were already another stratum in this world. The chasm between them and mortals was as difficult to cross as a natural moat. In the Demonic Path, severing emotions and attachments was also the norm. Why bother looking back at a mortal-era family? Just a local rich family, that's all.
Shaking his head, Old Man Ning retreated into the shadows and headed towards the City Lord's residence. He was busy; he needed to negotiate the price and another matter before the spirit root testing.
......
......
As for Wang Yu, he didn't plan to reveal himself directly to the Wang family. He was in a state of 'returning in splendor, but unseen'. The spiritual vein under Stone Lake City was only upper first-tier. The environmental spiritual energy was thin, and its辐射 (radiation/range) was very narrow. It simply couldn't support a Foundation Establishment cultivator, nor could it support too many Qi Refining cultivators—less than a hundred.
His strength placed him at the absolute top level within Stone Lake City, so he didn't need to worry too much about safety.
Another reason was that his purpose for this trip, besides visiting his family, focused on Wang Wu. The Profound Origin Demon Embryo Secret Curse was just over three years from perfection. Considering Wang Wu was the only suitable target with a blood relation, he needed to wait until the curse was perfect to act, maximizing the benefits.
Choosing this person wasn't just because he was the only suitable target; it also related to past grudges. When the time came to act, he would definitely not hold back. He had made the necessary preparations.
Stone Lake City, Willow Lane Street, Wang Family Compound.
After being away for sixteen and a half years, seeing the familiar main gate of the Wang residence made Wang Yu momentarily dazed. He remembered the night he was born here, the two jujube trees in the courtyard, the peaceful life fishing in Stone Lake with friends, the turtle carving on the window lattice, the fruit fished out from the well...
His father's generation was the beginning of the Wang family's rise. They spent a lifetime earning the money that provided a comfortable environment for their children. Even as a transmigrator and reincarnator, he had never suffered the hardships of life... until the day of the spirit root test.
More family wealth led to more disputes. Excessive doting produced wastrels. His eldest uncle's branch was the典型 (typical example). Brothers fought amongst themselves, arguing intensely over the medicine business, even coming to blows, resulting in casualties among the hired guards and servants.
His father was the second son. The Wang family also had a third, fourth, and fifth uncle, and the sixth was his aunt—all offspring of the Old Master. The third and fourth uncles clamored to divide the family property. The eldest uncle wanted power and to become the family head. He had two sons, Wang Wen and Wang Wu. Wang Wu tested with a Two Spiritual Root and went to the Lingsong Sect. Wang Wen had no spiritual root aptitude and should have stayed home.
These were his memories before being abducted to the Scarlet Kite Demon Domain. He didn't know how the Wang family was faring now. If Wang Wu had leveraged his position in the Lingsong Sect to develop the third generation within the family, perhaps they had even become a cultivation family. After all, a Two Spiritual Root... if the Lingsong Sect fully supported him, his cultivation level might not be worse than Wang Yu's, but his spell techniques and combat experience would definitely be far inferior.
This was a high-grade spiritual root, a talent one in a thousand.
At the main gate of the Wang residence, the doorman was dozing off inside the small side room.
Wang Yu recognized him at a glance.
"Uncle Qin... He's aged so much already."
**(End of Chapter)**