Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation Chapter 46

This discussion lasted nearly three months, which was close to Wang Yu’s original estimation. In fact, the bone ship was faster than a Qi Refining cultivator, but after leaving the sect, Gu Zhengshun stopped using spirit stones to power it.

Instead, he had his disciples take turns controlling it. Wang Yu also experienced operating the bone ship once. It wasn’t much different from taking a boat in his previous life, except that this one flew through the sky.

After leaving the sect, there was no need to put on airs. He was also reluctant to waste spirit stones, especially on mere travel.

And so, by the end of the third month of Wang Yu’s third year as an outer disciple, they finally arrived at Blackbone Mountain. Its landscape was completely different from what Wang Yu had imagined.

There were three colossal well-shaped mountains, heavily sculpted by human hands. The centers were hollow, at least several thousand meters high, and each level was hollowed out with only a few dozen vertical pillars supporting them.

From a distance, they resembled towering stone pagodas.

Layers of white bonewood trees grew between the tiers. The tallest grew only six meters high, while the floor height of each layer was about ten meters. Each of the three well-mountains had around three hundred levels.

This was a deliberately modified planting model.

Crude stone and wooden houses were evenly distributed on each level. At the lowest and highest levels were several stone halls bearing the Blood Reversal Sect’s blood demon banners, symbolizing authority.

A faint stench of corpses permeated the air.

“We’ve finally arrived.”

Gu Zhengshun spoke with some excitement.

Their group, affiliated with Heavenly Corpse Peak, had not stopped in either the Yeqiong Prefecture capital or the Maple Prefecture capital, yet they were still the last to arrive.

The other two mountain lords had already chosen their respective peaks and were currently commanding their men to take over old formations and set up new ones.

The only peak left was the one farthest to the right.

This cylindrical mountain with a well-like design had the sparsest bonewood growth, looking sparse and unpromising at first glance. Gu Zhengshun didn’t mind. He immediately maneuvered the bone ship to the base and gave instructions.

“Go count how many bonewood trees there are. You and you, go inspect the Yin Gathering Formation, Soul Absorption Formation, and Bonewood Spirit Nourishing Formation.”

“You, go set up the formation flags I brought, and bury the corpses.”

With commands issued one after another, the group quickly got to work. Although demonic cultivators excelled at killing and destruction, that was just a trait.

The idea that they produced nothing was not entirely true. In times of peace, when not at war with righteous sects, they did still generate resources. They simply weren’t as skilled at management as the orthodox path.

Most of these bonewood trees were first-rank Yin Wood, but a few had reached the second rank. They were very beneficial to Armored Corpses, Fiend Corpses, and Yin Souls.

That was why both Heavenly Corpse Peak and Five Yin Peak had come here.

Gu Poison Peak, however, had come for something else.

Wang Yu did nothing in particular. He wandered aimlessly through the bonewood forests, primarily checking the tops of bonewood trees for protruding white bone buds.

Some mature bonewood would sprout Xuan Essence Flowers.

These had the effect of refining spiritual power, helping Qi Refining cultivators break through bottlenecks and rapidly complete their second or third Spiritual Refinement.

Second-grade Xuan Essence Flowers even helped with Foundation Establishment breakthroughs. If he could obtain several, overcoming one of the three Foundation Establishment trials—the True Essence Barrier—would pose no difficulty.

This was the real reason Gu Zhengshun had come here.

To break through the late Qi Refining stage, and even condense semi-liquid spiritual power, a state just short of transforming into True Essence—he had spent five whole years preparing for this.

Situ Hong likely had the same goal in mind.

There are actually many treasures that can assist in overcoming the “True Essence Threshold.” High-grade Foundation Establishment Pills are one such example.

Therefore, the resources of the Blackbone Mountain are like chicken ribs to true disciples. Even some inner sect disciples with powerful backgrounds do not value them.

However, for inner sect disciples like Situ Hong and Gu Zhengshun, who are neither top nor bottom tier, they are quite attractive.

The Xuan Essence Flower blooms once every three years. It is now late December, long past its blooming season. The next bloom will not occur until late spring or early summer of the following year.

Bonewood trees that have already bloomed require three years of accumulation to regain the foundation for blooming again. Wang Yu came here to record the bonewood plants that still had bone pods, not without reason.

This was laying the groundwork for future harvesting.

The higher one goes on the Blackbone Mountain, the colder and more gloomy it becomes. Even the wind seems to turn black. In the sparse bonewood forest, black shadows occasionally flicker by.

These are actually the local “farmers.”

According to intelligence, these beings are classified as earthbound spirits and share a symbiotic relationship with the bonewood trees. They protect the bonewood within a certain range from various forms of harm.

It is said they were originally the main clan of this Blackbone Mountain. After being slaughtered by the Blood Reversal Sect, they were refined into “ghost farmers.” This is the production method of the demonic path.

Bloody, cruel, and utterly inhumane.

Situ Hong from Five Yin Peak came not only for the Xuan Essence Flower but also because the ghostly environment here suits ghost cultivation. He had his spirit slaves live in symbiosis with the bonewood trees for five years. Their growth rate was about the same as when cultivated independently, but it saved on spirit stones.

If one can achieve symbiosis with a second-rank bonewood tree, the benefits would far exceed ordinary cultivation resources, achieving twice the result with half the effort. It could even lead to the mastery of a unique spell technique.

As for Liu Jinxian from Gu Poison Peak, her likely purpose here was one of the natural disasters specific to Profound Bone Mountain.

When Wang Yu reached the 200th level, a dense buzzing sound rang in his ears.

Looking closely, he saw that in the middle of a cluster of bonewood trees, a tall second-rank bonewood tree had a large flat hive hanging on it like a mass of lingzhi mushrooms.

Swarming around it were giant bees with gray bodies, bone patterns, and skull-like bird heads. This was one of Blackbone Mountain’s notorious disasters: the Corrosive Venom Bee Swarm.

These creatures, in their natural state, are considered peak first-rank spirit insects. Once a swarm forms, even Foundation Establishment cultivators dare not confront them directly. They are also excellent raw materials for gu insect refinement.

Their secreted venom has a corrosive effect that restrains many types of spirit metals, making it a powerful weapon against cultivators' magic tools. For Qi Refining cultivators, it can serve as a trump card and remains effective even into the Foundation Establishment stage.

It is highly practical. Coming for the Corrosive Venom Bees and Xuan Essence Flower is definitely worth it.

After investigating, Wang Yu simply marked the location and piloted his flying artifact Black Silk to circle around from the outside, continuing his ascent.

The Corrosive Venom Bees feed on the sap of bonewood trees and are especially fond of the nectar of the Xuan Essence Flower. However, they are only one of the many troubles found on Blackbone Mountain.

The second type of disaster is a type of demonic beast.

It is known as the Dire Bone Lion.

This type of beast is typically solitary. It treats second-rank bonewood trees as its territory, digs a den beneath them, and feeds on the bonewood itself. This type of yin wood enhances the strength of its body and the length of the bone spikes on its back.

It is said to benefit their reproduction and helps attract female Dire Bone Lions.

There are almost none on the lower levels, but from the 200th level upward, there are two to three per level. Almost all possess peak first-rank strength and are very difficult to handle.

After a full round of exploration,

This Blackbone Mountain not only has the fewest bonewood trees, but it also has the most Bone Lions. It is a tough nut to crack, no wonder it was pushed onto Gu Zhengshun.