Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation Chapter 43

“Keep it for now. I'll pick a string of characters, scramble them, and hand them over to someone else for translation.”

He muttered to himself.

Next, Wang Yu crossed the entire corpse breeding grounds, almost reaching the outer edge of the Blood Reversal Sect’s protective formation, beneath a large Chinese scholar tree.

“Brother Wang, you’re finally here. You’re nearly half an hour late. I thought you didn’t want the item anymore.”

Wang Yu narrowed his eyes.

A man stepped out from behind a willow tree. He looked somewhat different from the other disciples of Heavenly Corpse Peak. The others all appeared skin and bones, clearly suffering from blood and Qi depletion.

But this man was built strong. Aside from his heavy dark circles, there was nothing unusual about him.

He had a black coffin made of black locust wood slung diagonally across his back and was spinning a grayish-white arm in his hand, playing with it absentmindedly as he casually greeted Wang Yu.

“Gu Zhengshun, don’t play tricks with me.”

That background could be considered quite formidable.

It was also the reason he could produce a second-rank remnant corpse arm, despite his cultivation only being at Qi Refining Layer Six. That was one of the reasons Wang Yu dared to trade with him.

“Ah, Brother Wang, that’s a bit unfair. This corpse breeding grounds is remote and rarely visited. Running into a little trouble is entirely normal. I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Hmph.”

Wang Yu didn’t press the issue further. After all, that arm was exactly what he needed.

“Here are one thousand spirit stones. Let’s trade.”

“Alright.”

Gu Zhengshun agreed without hesitation and didn’t try to raise the price at the last minute. Normally, the price of a second-rank refined corpse varied greatly depending on its type and strength.

The expensive ones could go for thirty or forty thousand, while the cheaper, more common refined corpses could be had for eight to nine thousand. It was very rare for someone to buy only a single remnant arm, like Wang Yu did.

But a second-rank remnant arm could only serve as food for a complete refined corpse or be kept as patchwork material. Its price wasn’t considered particularly high.

One thousand spirit stones was already a decent offer.

The arm came from a second-rank Divine Strength Corpse, with strength surpassing ordinary refined corpses of the same rank. Once Wang Yu used it to repair his missing left arm, he would gain another powerful weapon.

So it was a worthwhile trade.

After the deal was done, Wang Yu turned to leave. But he heard Gu Zhengshun call out, “Brother Wang, please wait.”

“What is it now?” Wang Yu frowned and asked.

“Nothing major. I heard that Brother Wang has a Blackbone Token. Would you consider trading it to me?”

Upon hearing this, Wang Yu’s heart went cold. That bastard Zhao Shang had sold him out again.

The Blackbone Token was closely tied to his future plan of leaving the sect, so it was impossible for him to trade it. And with only a few months left until the five-year rotation period, Zhao Shang had suddenly leaked this to Gu Zhengshun.

Was he trying to get someone else to do his dirty work?

That being the case, the token was likely Gu Zhengshun’s condition for working with Xu Jiaojiao. It really was a coveted item.

With a turn of the eye, Wang Yu asked in return.

“I do have the Blackbone Token.

“I assume Brother Gu heard it from that bastard Zhao Shang. But why do you want the token? With your background, obtaining one shouldn’t be difficult.”

Gu Zhengshun nodded to confirm the source of the information and then explained.

“The Blackbone Token is related to a resource site of the Blood Reversal Sect called Blackbone Mountain. Those stationed there are responsible for mining a special material known as Blackbone Wood.

“It greatly enhances the growth of refined corpses. That’s what I’m after. Does this explanation satisfy you?”

Wang Yu frowned.

“Why do you want the one in my possession specifically?”

Gu Zhengshun paused for a moment, then continued.

“There are two types of Blackbone Tokens. One is the Mining Token. The other is the Mountain Lord Token. The one in your hand is the Mountain Lord Token.

“It grants full authority over all affairs on Blackbone Mountain. There are only three Mountain Lord Tokens. I know I can’t get the other two, so I have no choice but to set my sights on yours.”

So that’s how it was.

Ever since obtaining the Blackbone Token, Wang Yu had looked into information related to it, but he could only uncover so much, as Blackbone Mountain was simply too far from the sect headquarters.

The Crimson Kite Demonic Domain spanned across twenty-three provinces, its fertile land and spiritual veins divided equally among the five great demonic sects.

The Blood Reversal Sect occupied four provinces in the west, bordering the Taihu Spiritual Domain on one side. The other side was controlled by the Joyous Union Sect, which was even more powerful, commanding five provinces.

Blackbone Mountain was located within one of those four provinces, a place called Maple Province, far removed from the Blood Abyss Province where the main sect of the Blood Reversal Sect was located.

Remote mountains lie beyond the reach of imperial authority. Power from above rarely trickles down to the grassroots.

As a result, the benefits tied to Blackbone Mountain were substantial enough to be controlled by the three mountain lords, and this token’s value was far greater than Wang Yu had imagined.

Gu Zhengshun had revealed everything without reservation, though not without motive.

“Brother Wang, have you made your decision?”

Seeing his continued silence, Gu Zhengshun could not help but press him, and added further promises:

“I’m willing to exchange a regular Blackbone Token for your Mountain Lord Token, and offer one thousand spirit stones as compensation. After we arrive at Blackbone Mountain, you and I can form an alliance, sharing both advancement and setbacks.

“Blackbone Mountain is far from safe. There are many dangers, and you’re not familiar with the area. If I assist you, you’ll be able to establish yourself much faster.

“As for the matter with Xu Jiaojiao, I swear not to leak a single word.”

Under such honeyed words and tempting benefits, Wang Yu suddenly came to his senses.

The reason the other party had been so forthcoming was because he had recognized Wang Yu’s strength. After all, Wang Yu showing up meant that Xu Jiaojiao was dead. She had been at the eighth layer of Qi Refining—no weakling.

This level of effort to win him over implied that Blackbone Mountain was more dangerous than expected. Otherwise, Gu Zhengshun, the grand-disciple of a Core Formation cultivator, wouldn’t have offered such favorable terms.

“Alright. I agree.”

Gu Zhengshun was overjoyed. He tossed back the one thousand spirit stones Wang Yu had just handed him and retrieved a standard Blackbone Token to give in exchange.

Wang Yu likewise handed over the Mountain Lord Token to Gu Zhengshun. Both parties were satisfied with the deal.

He didn’t like being in the limelight. The Mountain Lord Token represented not just benefits, but also endless trouble—it was a path that invited misfortune.

Wang Yu had come out precisely to avoid calamity, and to find a way to cleanse the shameful abilities on his body. Blaming everything on fate gave him a convenient excuse.

Zhao Shang would never have guessed that he would concede. After all, in their interactions, Wang Yu had always been domineering and sharp-tongued, barely acknowledging Zhao Shang’s presence.

Gu Zhengshun, unable to outmaneuver him, instead chose to appreciate his strength and decisively offered great rewards to gain his support. That kind of boldness was not to be underestimated.

A win-win.

With the deal complete, Gu Zhengshun handed over a jade slip to Wang Yu. It contained a wealth of information about Blackbone Mountain. After a brief scan, Wang Yu felt a sense of unease.

The situation over there was extremely complex. He could not help but feel hesitant, but if things went smoothly and he managed to gain a foothold, it might help him reach the peak of Qi Refining even faster.

“In that case, I’ll take my leave. See you in three months.”

“Very well, see you in three months.”

Leaving the remote location, Wang Yu’s return journey went smoothly. However, he was puzzled as to why he didn’t encounter Su Qingshan again.