He had obtained the item at the cost of his Strength Corpse arm. Wang Yu wasn't sure if it was worth it, but what was done was done. Regret was meaningless. He could only hope the jade slip was worth his loss.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. Regardless of whether the Corpse Demon could understand, he said, "Want it back? Come find me at the Condensing Moon Palace!"
With that, he shot out of the Scripture Depository.
The Night Concealment Charm operated at full power. Like a gecko scaling a wall, he climbed along the vermilion pillars, clinging to the ceiling, his aura suppressed to the extreme.
Below the staircase, eight or nine of Wang Yu's phantom copies were fleeing, drawing attention head-on.
The Corpse Demon charged out in a rage, smashing through the doorway.
It instantly identified the real from the false among the phantoms, but there were too many, and they were scattered. By the time it looked left and then right, they had already disappeared behind palace walls.
It stood still for a moment, not even glancing upward, then charged towards the top of the staircase, the direction of the Condensing Moon Palace. A wave of Corpse Qi billowed behind it, a scene straight out of a demonic entity's awakening.
Seeing this, Wang Yu breathed an internal sigh of relief.
He hadn't been sure if the Night Concealment Charm would work. It seemed his aura concealment was effective, though he didn't know if it would hold up under direct scrutiny.
Tiptoeing, he landed softly on the ground.
He methodically straightened the twists in his left arm. Although it still couldn't move, it at least looked normal now.
This crippled state would likely last for a while.
The Corpse Demon Secret Art could slowly repair it. Using the "Yin Blood Pills" condensed through the secret art would speed up the healing, but these pills required maintaining a balance with the 「Death Qi」 to prevent it from invading his bone marrow and shortening his lifespan.
By a conservative estimate, it would take at least a year to recover.
In this condition, the Condensing Moon Palace... Wang Yu decided against going. Let those three deal with the Corpse Demon. The underground palace was right here beneath Profound Bone Mountain.
The five-year guard duty had just begun. There was no rush to explore everything thoroughly.
Moreover, encountering a Foundation Establishment Corpse Demon in the Scripture Depository was bad enough. Who knew what dangers lurked in the Condensing Moon Palace? That place was clearly more important, and a Qi Refining cultivator shouldn't engage in reckless battles.
Knowing when to retreat was a wise strategy.
He flew back swiftly.
Several Gu Poison Peak disciples were gathered in small groups. Some mocked him upon seeing the bloody wound on his chest, while others ignored him. No one tried to stop him.
Only after he retreated into the cave leading to the underground palace did the discussions grow louder.
A short while later.
Before the pit leading out of the underground, the three cultivators left to guard the retreat path were cleaning their magical instruments. Several dead Direbone Lions lay nearby, clearly the aftermath of a fierce battle.
Seeing Wang Yu approach, they were momentarily stunned. One immediately stepped forward to block him. "Halt! Wang Yu, why are you retreating suddenly? Did something happen ahead?"
"Not at all."
Wang Yu paused, patiently explaining:
"At the end of the tunnel is the ruins of an ancient sect's underground palace. Everyone is exploring, searching for opportunities and legacy treasures.
"I was unexpectedly injured and have lost the ability to compete further. I came back to inform you three. If you seek opportunities, you should head to the underground palace quickly."
Having said that, he prepared to mount his flying instrument and leave.
The three exchanged glances, greed flashing in their eyes. The leader harshly shouted, "I think you obtained a great treasure and are fleeing with your injury! Hand it over, and we might spare your life."
......
......
"Utterly senseless!"
Wang Yu coldly flicked his sleeve, mounted his Black Silk, and flew away.
Below, three heads were impaled together by an ice spike, neatly hung on the rock wall. The mangled corpses were completely mixed, having no value for secondary use.
Even without the Strength Corpse arm, his spell proficiency far surpassed these ordinary late-stage Qi Refining disciples. Killing them was like crushing ants.
Five breaths later.
At the top of the pit, Wang Yu's expression was icy. He gathered spiritual power in his throat and exhaled downwards, instantly generating a large area of low-temperature cold mist.
Ice crystals formed on the rock walls. Dense clusters of ice spikes grew outwards at an angle. Wielding the high-grade Frostveil Sword, he activated its giant sword form, thoroughly destroying the pit entrance.
When they descended, Liu Jinxian had eighteen capable followers. Wang Yu had killed four first, then three groups of three, eliminating ten in one go. The pretense was completely shattered. She would definitely come for him after getting out.
Might as well be decisive and completely seal the retreat path.
Perhaps there were other passages to the surface, but they wouldn't be able to come out anytime soon. Furthermore, for some reason, they hadn't encountered any Rot-Poison Wasp swarms or Direbone Lions on the way to the underground palace.
It wasn't normal.
After dealing with that, Wang Yu left the small hill and returned to Profound Bone Mountain.
Meanwhile.
At the base of the third Profound Bone Mountain, after Gu Zhengshun, Si Tu Hong, and their subordinates gathered, they jumped down into the deep fissure. Twelve people in total, all at the late Qi Refining stage.
According to their understanding, the underground primordial magnetic forces were chaotic, making direction difficult. It was best to follow a single path directly to avoid getting lost due to the environment.
However, after landing, they found themselves not in the underground palace ruins, but in a lower subterranean cavity at the same location.
The place was covered in grave mounds, with occasional more elaborately constructed tombs. The ceiling was over four *zhang* high. A giant, putrid wasp nest occupied nearly a hundred *mu*.
The buzzing was incessant, and the air reeked of decay.
Looking further out, they could see numerous interconnected underground tunnels. Many Direbone Lions also roamed here. They actively dug up the grave mounds, retrieving cultivator skeletons.
Some chewed and swallowed the bones, others directly attached them to their own bodies.
At a glance, they had strange features like human bone arms, legs, or skulls grafted onto them. This was the reason the wasp swarms and bone beasts on the mountain seemed endless.
The real nests for both were underground.
The situation with the bone beasts was unclear, but the scale of the putrid wasp swarm here almost certainly indicated the presence of a Foundation Establishment-level Wasp Queen.
Seeing this, Si Tu Hong couldn't help but joke:
"Seems we came the wrong way. This place would be more suitable for that woman Liu Jinxian."
Gu Zhengshun glanced sideways, saying self-deprecatingly:
"Liu Jinxian is a true child of heaven, with a Core Formation father. You and I are just distantly related; she shares his blood."
"I know what you mean."
Si Tu Hong spread his hands and sighed. He knew his own situation. The Peach Blossom Ghost Mother practiced the Yin-Yang Plucking and Supplementing Art, originating from a major family associated with the Joy Union Sect. She later married a Core Formation elder of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect.
After marrying, whether for cultivation or practicing her unique Peach Blossom Divine Ability, she required a large number of handsome men, far less conveniently than in the Joy Union Sect. Her husband tolerated her habit of adopting "righteous sons."
He might be favored for now, but the day would come when she grew tired of him.
He and Liu Jinxian, with her direct lineage status, were on completely different levels.
"Enough of that. Let's set up the formation."
"Alright."
Gu Zhengshun patted the corpse-refining pouch at his waist. Coffins rose one after another, their lids falling open. Twelve Bronze Armored Corpses, with 「Corpse Suppressing Talismans」 stuck to their foreheads and holding black command flags, quickly dispersed.
Controlling twelve Bronze Armored Corpses with seventh-level Qi Refining cultivation far exceeded his limits. Therefore, he had to rely on talismans and magical instruments for assistance, significantly reducing flexibility.
But it was perfectly suitable for setting up a formation.
The formation they were laying out was precisely the [Earth Yin Corpse Puppet Formation]!
**(End of Chapter)**