On the other side.

Wang Yu, completely unaware that he had already been discovered, was still thinking about where to begin. The reason was simple: not only was this place vast, it was also extremely desolate.

In the past, he could just burrow underground, dig out a hole, and use it as a temporary cave dwelling.

But now, it was difficult even to find a cliff or sheer rock wall.

As the concentration of Frost Demonic Qi in the surroundings grew higher, he felt as though he had passed through an invisible membrane. All the wind and snow instantly came to a halt, and a towering cliff face, ten thousand zhang high, appeared in his field of view.

The pitch-black peak radiated such biting cold that even he could not help shivering. He could tell at once that it had formed from some kind of profound ice, and it stood almost perfectly vertical to the ground.

Like a stone pillar, it rose between heaven and earth, piercing straight into the dark clouds.

It was truly a magnificent sight.

The only suspicious thing was that such an important place had no guards at all.

If so, then either this place was inherently unimaginably dangerous, or else… he had been discovered!

Of course.

If one insisted that there were simply no guards to begin with, that would be the thinking of a foolish thief. The likelihood of that was vanishingly small. He leaned far more toward the second possibility, because when he detoured around the Ice Clan settlement, he had collected a wisp of Frost Demonic Qi.

Normally speaking, that tiny fluctuation was not worth mentioning.

But if the other side’s strength was terrifying, and they were intimately familiar with everything nearby, then it was indeed possible for them to have noticed it.

This kind of weak disturbance was almost indistinguishable from the ambient spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Logically speaking, it should have been impossible to detect.

While he was pondering this, Wang Yu instead became bolder in his movements. Just as he had suspected from the start, this branch of the Ice Clan had no intention of confronting the Blood Reversal Sect, so the obstacles they set up were only meant to delay time.

Elder Yushu had practically been led into confusion by it.

No matter what secret they were hiding, it was safer for him not to investigate it. Maintaining this unspoken understanding, they had also withdrawn the guards from the sealed ground.

Wang Yu understood this clearly. It was most likely connected to the mixed-blood human he had discovered.

If one framed it harshly, it was persecution of the human race and an attempt to seize living space.

If one framed it lightly, it was… just that.

A gatekeeper tribe with inheritance and history had already withered to a scale of only a few tens of thousands. As for those “wild” Ice Clan tribes outside, they were even more pathetic.

No one would treat them as a true opponent. They were simply too weak.

Only Cold Blood Peak might intervene or pay attention, because the matter involved the Frost Demon Sealed Ground. As for the other hegemonic demonic sects, they would never take it seriously.

But the Ice Clan’s goal was definitely not as simple as merely obtaining freedom.

That matter could be set aside for now and kept in mind.

He had no ability to shout and make a scene here anyway.

Obediently, Wang Yu took out three empty supreme-grade spirit stones. He actively circulated his cultivation technique, drawing in a massive amount of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the surroundings.

In doing so, the Frost Demonic Qi mixed within it would also gather. His realm was not high enough to absorb it directly, so it would naturally be swallowed by the supreme-grade spirit stones instead, transforming them into Frozen Demonic Spirit Stones.

With these in hand, he could completely change locations to condense a Nascent Soul.

This place was simply not safe.

If he wanted to avoid wasting spirit stones, then a fourth-rank spirit vein was also one of the necessary conditions for breaking through. Maple Prefecture City had originally been his backup location, but since Black Heaven Talisman Lord had arrived, it was no longer suitable.

His first choice had been the Ice Clan settlement.

After all, before coming, he had assumed that since the successive mountain lords of Cold Blood Peak and the Nascent Soul True Lords had all broken through here, it proved there was no problem at all. Who could have imagined something would go wrong when it was his turn?

Even his backup location, Maple Prefecture City, had been taken over.

It was truly infuriating.

He could not help recalling the ominous rumors about Earth Masters. Could manipulating the layout of heaven and earth really damage one’s fortune? He had only made one major move against the Dragon Blood Demonic Tree.

Yet he had run into these two incidents one after another.

Tracing the logic further back, the death of Long Yiran had also come after forcibly triggering two great heavenly and earthly anomalies, only to die in the aftermath of the poisonous beast army. That had shaken his mind deeply.

The concept of fortune was vague and intangible.

He had also had times of extraordinary luck. Shaking off the chaotic thoughts in his head, he circulated his technique even more smoothly. In the blink of an eye, another three months passed.

At the same time, within the Ice Clan settlement, inside the tall tower.

The Great Priest was sitting cross-legged in midair. Ice-blue motes of light continuously poured out from within his body, flowing into the pregnant woman’s belly atop the altar. His expression grew increasingly exhausted and weakened.

Bing Rui and Bing Heng exchanged a glance.

The former was the one who had advocated killing Wang Yu. His cultivation was the weakest, only at the third layer of the Nascent Soul realm.

At this moment, he was tiredly swaying his waist as he gulped down a special medicinal soup, muttering complaints under his breath.

“The Joyous Union demonic path’s fertility water is seriously disgusting. I drank so much I almost threw up. And the number of qualified products born from it is way too low. Could it be that these mothers just have poor aptitude?”

Bing Heng looked at the Great Priest with worry in his eyes.

He did not answer Bing Rui’s complaints. Instead, he said, “For this child, Great Priest has already lost far too much origin essence. If this continues, even with the Ice Clan’s long lifespan, it will be exhausted ahead of time.”

Perhaps it was the Ice Prison Realm’s favor, or perhaps it was because they were ice blocks that gained spirituality. Either way, Ice Clan cultivators lived on average twice as long as human cultivators. This was also somewhat connected to how difficult it was for them to produce new clansmen.

A race with an unusually long average lifespan often has extremely poor reproductive capability.

It was entirely reasonable to view them as a special spirit-creature race.

“The Child of Hope carries the expectations of far too many clansmen.”

Hearing this, all of Bing Rui’s complaints vanished.

After gulping down two more mouthfuls of fertility water, he suddenly looked in the direction of the sealed ground. The negative emotions he had already been holding back surged again the moment he sensed Wang Yu brazenly collecting Frost Demonic Qi.

His fury erupted instantly.

“It’s all because of those damned humans. No… I have to kill that brat to vent my anger!”

Bing Heng raised an eyebrow and immediately stopped him.

“Are you insane? You still want to stir up trouble at a time like this? If you really bring the great cultivators of the Blood Reversal Sect down on us, what will you use to answer to the clan?!!”

As soon as those words fell, Bing Rui seemed as if his spine had been pulled out. He collapsed weakly onto the ground, his eyes showing a trace of confusion as he spoke softly.

“Brother Heng… does our resistance even mean anything?”

“Yes.”

The one who answered him was not Bing Heng, but an aged yet powerful voice filled with unwavering resolve.

At some point, the Great Priest had already stood up.

“Rui, if we wish to break the shackles that heaven and earth have placed upon the Ice Clan, there is no path other than integrating human bloodlines. This restriction was not laid down by some human great expert… it is bestowed and enforced by the world itself.”

For a moment, both of them stared blankly at the wind and snow outside.

The Ice Prison Realm had given birth to them, yet it also did not wish for them to leave.

At that moment, a servant came to report.

“My lords, a Cold Blood Peak cultivator has come to visit.”

The three of them were all startled. The Great Priest stepped forward, his divine sense sweeping out in a flash. Only after discovering Yushu standing at the entrance of the tribal grounds did he finally relax somewhat.

“Another Core Formation peak. He is likely here to condense a Nascent Soul as well. Bing Heng, go receive him. Do not let him approach this tower.”

“Understood, Great Priest!”

After issuing this calm and steady instruction, the Great Priest turned and saw the eager-looking Bing Rui. The corner of his mouth twitched.

“You continue. Without my permission, you are not allowed to leave the tower.”

Bing Rui: “…”

…

…

As for what was happening inside the Ice Clan settlement, Wang Yu had no way of knowing. He was completely immersed in the blissful sensation of absorbing spiritual energy.

This place also possessed a large-scale spirit vein.

The freezing climate made him feel exceptionally comfortable. He had never absorbed spiritual energy and cold energy for such a long period of time before. The pleasure seeped through his entire body, and everything felt light and relaxed.

Even the quality of his mana seemed to have improved slightly.

The aftereffects of refining Human Pills cultivation could be considered completely resolved.

He awoke at this moment because the three empty supreme-grade spirit stones, under his deliberate infusing and guidance, had already been completely filled, transforming into black-blue rhomboid crystals.

This was the Frost Demonic Qi he would use to condense a Nascent Soul.

“All preparations are complete. Now I must carefully choose the location to condense a Nascent Soul.”

In any case, he would not break through right in front of the Ice Clan’s gates.

The conservative option would be to randomly find a major city and rent a fourth-rank cave dwelling. A more aggressive option would be to consider returning to the sect to break through.

But he would never choose the latter.

The Blood Reversal Sect simply did not feel safe, much less now that the Nine Evil Sword Lord had broken through to the seventh layer of the Nascent Soul realm. Great cultivators and ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators were on completely different levels.

In the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain, relying on a powerful figure’s guarantee to bluff others could work, but he absolutely could not trust it completely.

Therefore, whether it was Thunder Lord Lei Hou or the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon, unless they stayed by his side without leaving even a single step, there was no guarantee the Nine Evil Sword Lord would not go insane. Since this involved the Innate Demonic Embryo, Wang Yu leaned even more toward the conservative option.

After putting away the three Frozen Demonic Spirit Stones, he was about to leave. But suddenly, a heavenly voice rang out by his ear.

It was as if it were preaching the Dao. In an instant, it captivated Wang Yu. Supreme scriptures, heaven-reaching divine abilities, all of it. As long as he was willing to listen, that voice would continue speaking without end.

This temptation struck straight into the deepest desires of one’s heart.

It was like demonic sounds invading the ear, constantly warping the scene before Wang Yu’s eyes.

Fortunately…

He had already reached the second realm of the Heart Dao, the Second Realm: Empty-Self Realm, with his mindforce cultivation. The moment he sensed the chaos in his consciousness, his mindforce activated on its own.

A single Asura Killing Heart made Wang Yu calm down almost instantly.

The raging turbulence within his heart-lake also quickly subsided.

When he opened his eyes, Wang Yu realized he had already walked up to the black-ice sheer cliff, and his hand was actually trying to touch the ice-mountain seal. Only then did he realize what had happened, and he hurriedly pulled it back.

“What a bizarre demonic nature…”

After retreating quickly, Wang Yu could not help but look back.

With that single glance, his entire body stiffened.

On the pitch-black ice where nothing could be seen before, an imprint of his own figure had appeared. Its mouth was stretched into an exaggerated grin, and it was waving at him.

That sight made Wang Yu turn around and run without hesitation.

As for beings like Ancient Demons, he had long had his suspicions. They were certainly existences far stronger than Spirit Transformation venerables. At first, he believed they were simply madmen who had taken the demonic path to its ultimate extreme.

Now that he thought about it, that might not be entirely accurate.

Once one’s strength reached a certain level, the distinction between righteous and demonic paths was not all that great. They were merely seeking the Dao upward.

As for the truth, he lacked intelligence and could not judge properly. But one thing was certain: even outside the Ice Prison Realm, an ancient demon would still be a top-tier existence.

Otherwise, there would be no need to imprison them.

Their “Undying” trait… could it be that even immortals were unable to kill them?

That would have to be something he explored for himself in the future.

After being frightened like that, Wang Yu reacted instinctively. He immediately raised his escape light, deliberately avoiding the Ice Clan settlement, and flew off into the distance.

From beginning to end, aside from that sudden abnormal incident, everything had gone fairly smoothly.

Half a month later.

At the outer perimeter of the Endless Ice Plains, sunlight could finally reach the ground, and the wind and snow had eased considerably. According to the plan, he should have condensed a Nascent Soul while still inside the ice plains.

But something had gone slightly off-script.

Now even his backup location, Maple Prefecture City, could no longer be used.

So he chose a large city nearby. Maple Prefecture was remote and barren, and there were only a handful of major cities to begin with. Calling it “nearby” was only relative. The actual distance was still extremely far.

This first trip into the Endless Ice Plains was now temporarily brought to an end.

Wang Yu did not linger and continued heading south.

Along the way, he also gathered information about the turbulent situation outside. The overall state of affairs was not much different from when he entered, since he had not been inside for very long.

However, one piece of news had spread widely.

It was downright explosive.

Namely, the Seven Righteous Sects, using territorial expansion as their pretext, had formally declared war on the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain. War artifacts had already been mobilized from all regions and were now converging toward the Northern and Southern Boundary-Severed Mountain Range.

With a disturbance of this scale, it was impossible to hide it from spies.

Therefore, as he traveled south, all he saw were excited demonic cultivators and terrified mortals. There were also large numbers of clans migrating away. At times like this, the advantages of the city system were fully displayed.

Close the gates. Activate the formations.

Everything would be decided by those at the very top: setting objectives, planning war zones, competing for specific types of resources, and so on.

A conflict between two domains could not begin just by slapping one’s thigh and charging in.

The preparation stage alone required an enormous amount of time. In recent days, the most noticeable thing around the Northern and Southern Boundary-Severed Mountain Range was the sight of scout teams everywhere, along with work crews setting up traps.

War was imminent, yet they were still reinforcing this natural defensive line, adding brick after brick, afraid it might not be lethal enough and that it might not kill enough people.

Even more people diverted to various passes and checkpoints.

They set up formations, drew talismans, and even secretly laid arrays to collect living souls and blood essence. At that point, it was purely a contest of who was more skilled. A single pre-arranged battlefield could have dozens of people competing with you for control.

During a period like this, the demonic cultivators of Crimson Kite erupted with a level of enthusiasm Wang Yu had never seen before. They were like gamblers with worthless lives who only knew how to charge forward. As long as they survived, they would inevitably break through their original social class.

To them, war was opportunity.

As for danger… was ordinary cultivation any less dangerous?

Killing and looting, refining souls into pills, the level of risk was honestly not much different from wartime.

It was merely wrapped in a different skin.

Everything he saw and heard along the way exceeded Wang Yu’s expectations. The only ones truly fearful were the mortals. In the past, he might have felt a trace of pity, but now he could barely protect himself.

More than ten days later.

One of the major cities in Night Jewel Prefecture, Plum Crest City!

Two fourth-rank spirit veins passed through this city, and the number of cultivators was immense. In addition, it was Night Jewel Prefecture’s closest large city to the Northern Boundary-Severed Mountain Range, so recently many outsiders had poured in to seek refuge.

This city had originally been one of the main strongholds for resisting demonic beast tides. After the demon race retreated, it had long since lost its original purpose.

However, because of the underground spirit veins, it remained quite prosperous. Moreover, Plum Crest City belonged to the Feng Clan of the Hidden Valley. Wang Yu also had a fair amount of connection to the Feng Clan.

At the administrative office of the City Lord’s Mansion.

“I want to rent a cave residence.”

“What rank?”

“Fourth-rank.”

“Fourth-rank… a Nascent Soul cave residence?”

The clerk handling the request hurriedly straightened his clothes. He sized up Wang Yu’s obviously youthful face, then his eyes shifted as he said,

“Little Daoist boy, are you handling this on behalf of your family elder?”

“You could say that.”

Wang Yu replied with a smile. He had already decided to condense a Nascent Soul in Plum Crest City. Procedurally, he would not leave behind any issues. Once he passed the lightning tribulation, there would be even less to worry about.

“Rental prices have doubled recently. Take this jade slip back to your elder and tell them it’s from the Feng Clan of the Hidden Valley.”

“Fair enough.”

After paying spirit stones at another counter and receiving the cave residence token, Wang Yu set up formations and formation flags again. Only then did he formally enter seclusion and sit down.

The information in the jade slip was nothing more than recruitment-style persuasion. It was not particularly meaningful.