**Chapter 146: Crossing the Swamp (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)**
*This is the moment.*
Wang Yu didn't even glance at the Tuolong's fate. He focused entirely on unleashing the Profound Yin Hand with all his might, pouncing towards the pale-faced Lan Boting.
Compared to its Qi Refining stage manifestation—a grey-black giant hand no larger than one zhang—when executed by Foundation Establishment Wang Yu and empowered by true essence, the Great Accomplishment realm Profound Yin Hand stretched a full ten zhang!
*Thirty-three meters.*
It was like the arm of a giant.
It clamped down violently onto the weakened Lan Boting, whose face was a mask of shock and扭曲 (niǔqū - twisted) horror.
"This is... the legacy of the Netherspring View... You're a True Disciple of the Netherspring View? How is that possible?! And... you were clearly over there!"
Seeing his panicked enemy, Wang Yu laughed.
"Correct. I, Wang, am a True Disciple candidate of the Netherspring View. Well? Are you surprised?"
Now, the Profound Yin Hand would reveal the true power befitting a second-grade high-tier spell. Due to his scant true essence, Wang Yu only manifested one hand. But it was more than enough!
"No... Fellow Daoist Wang... I know the Earth Store Elder of the Netherspring View... He has ties with the Sword Sect..."
*Huh?*
In the moment of Wang Yu's suspicion, Lan Boting exploded into a pool of blood within his grasp. *He hadn't even squeezed yet!* He still wanted this mid-Foundation Establishment corpse! It was worth a fortune!
Puzzled, he looked towards his 'ally', the Tuolong. He saw its neck was mostly severed, the spine cleaved, with only some flesh and muscle below keeping the head from falling off completely.
*What an overwhelmingly霸道 (bàdào - overbearing, tyrannical) Blood Origin Sword.*
Nevertheless, it allowed Wang Yu to breathe a sigh of relief. The crisis was over.
*It seems I really should break through within the sect in the future,* he reflected. *With the support of a spirit vein, I wouldn't need to consume my own spirit stones, and it would be safer. If forced to do it in the wild, I must prepare formation flags capable of concealing the disturbances beforehand. Learn from mistakes to gain wisdom, that's the way to see things through.*
Now, it was harvest time.
The Tuolong's corpse was immensely valuable, but Wang Yu didn't plan to sell it. Its essence blood would be for refining secret medicine, its flesh for Beast-Raising Pills, and its bones, sinews, and scales were top-grade materials for magical instruments.
And... this Tuolong possessed a Demon Core!
A demon core wasn't the same as a human cultivator's Golden Core; it was a symbol of concentrated bloodline purity. Even first-grade demonic beasts could potentially condense one. It represented powerful innate talent. The earlier a beast condensed its core, the greater its potential. This Tuolong absolutely had the potential to break through to the third grade, making its value even greater.
Wang Yu knew of a pill called **[Earth Dragon Mysterious Pill]**, refined by combining it with the previously acquired [Earth Spirit Dendrobium]. It could greatly strengthen a Body Cultivator's physique. Compatible with the [Dragon Spine], it could even activate a physical marvel. He could consider learning its refinement upon his return.
Arriving near the pool of blood that was Lan Boting, he first collected all the storage pouches, his expression grave.
"If my guess is correct, this must be some kind of restriction or a contract with extremely powerful binding force. He violated the contract, so he was punished, transformed into a pool of blood, not even his soul remaining..."
*Netherspring View. Earth Store Elder.*
Wang Yu rubbed his chin. He had claimed the identity of a Netherspring View True Disciple candidate and possessed the Profound Yin Hand legacy. This status was already high enough to imply knowledge of certain sect secrets. It was normal for Lan Boting to be punished by the contract for speaking recklessly.
"But, the Sword Sect has dealings with the Netherspring View?"
He couldn't help but recall the origin of the Profound Yin Hand technique—Su Qingshan! *Could he really be a spy? But it doesn't make sense to give a core legacy to a spy to carry around.*
*Headache!*
"Never mind, never mind. It has nothing to do with me anyway."
***
Taking stock of the spoils:
Second-grade high-tier: Demon Binding Rope
Second-grade high-tier:碧水剑 (Bìshuǐ Jiàn - Emerald Water Sword)
Aside from these two artifacts, the remaining ones were quite ordinary, inferior even to the previously acquired Earth Origin Cauldron.
Spirit stone income: Thirty-two thousand. *Extremely fat.*
There were also five bottles of second-grade spirit pills and various sundries. Among them was a wealth of information related to the Taihu Spiritual Domain, maps, and, most importantly, internal Heavenly Void Sword Sect intelligence on the Withered Leaf Swamp.
This last item was immensely helpful to Wang Yu now. He had been worried about how to safely cross the swamp. With this internal intelligence, the difficulty would be drastically reduced.
Additionally, there were several command tokens within the storage pouches, likely used for moving within the Sword Sect. Other notable gains were absent. In terms of cultivation methods and techniques, there wasn't a single manual.
This fit the profile of a major sect disciple. They learned their skills from the sect, unlike rogue cultivators who carried everything with them. Even if they obtained something outside, it often couldn't compare to the legacies granted by their sect, making them disdainful of practicing external arts.
"With these, it's enough. Once I sell those sundries, artifacts, and pills, my net worth will cross the hundred-thousand spirit stone mark again."
He arrived with a net worth of a hundred thousand, and he would return with a hundred thousand. Even after significant consumption and a great increase in strength... *The Taihu Spiritual Domain truly has many good people.* Unlike Scarlet Kite, where everyone was a pauper.
Finding a secluded spot, he restored his true essence. Over the next few days, he spent time refining the four second-grade artifacts: the Glazed Soul Lantern, Earth Origin Cauldron, Demon Binding Rope, and the Emerald Water Sword.
His strength naturally rose by another notch. Moreover, upon reaching Foundation Establishment, a cultivator's powerful spirit sense was sufficient to support the simultaneous control of two artifacts. By the late Foundation Establishment stage, one could control three. With合理的 (hélǐ de - reasonable)搭配 (dāpèi - combination, matching), one could establish a comprehensive advantage.
Taking out the map Lan Boting had painstakingly acquired, Wang Yu selected his direction and set off towards the Scarlet Kite Demon Domain!
Having intelligence versus having none were two completely different concepts.
Even so, he encountered numerous dangers along the way, growing more severe the deeper he went. Especially after entering the territory of Core Formation demonic beasts, even Wang Yu's Invisibility Art couldn't hope to瞒过 (mán guò - deceive, slip past) such existences. He could only skirt around the edges. And these relatively safe paths, over countless years, had been laden with countless restrictions and formations laid by both righteous and demonic sides. There were even illusion formations designed to lure people in.
Just three days into his journey, Wang Yu saw a fourth-grade spirit ginseng growing under a tree. If not for the map's annotation marking it as a trap combining an illusion formation with a killing formation, he might have fallen for it.
The two domains had been locked in conflict for many years, employing every tactic imaginable. Sneaking through dangerous lands to bypass the strategic passes and strike directly into the heartland was a tactic long since worn out. This illustrated just how many traps these "safe paths" concealed.
In some places, the viable foothold was less than three chi wide, requiring him to walk sideways.
"Old Lan, oh Old Lan... I misunderstood you. You were a good man after all."
***
Two months later.
Having just escaped the pursuit of a pack of wolf-like beasts, Wang Yu noticed the strength of the demonic beasts was gradually declining. This meant he had passed through the most dangerous core area of the Withered Leaf Swamp and was now advancing towards the outer regions closer to the Scarlet Kite Demon Domain.
His mood instantly brightened. The most dangerous part was behind him.
Time flowed by during the journey.
Early in the 1st month of Wang Yu's 5th year as an inner disciple, on a silent, snow-falling night, the familiar sight of nine twisted mountain peaks came into view. The spiritual energy in the environment even carried a sweet, familiar scent.
"Long time no see, Sacred Sect!"
Addressing it as the Sacred Sect meant Wang Yu had accepted his identity as a demonic path cultivator. It was no longer forced upon him.
***
(The second volume is about to begin. Target: Golden Core!)