Wasted Spiritual Root to Embark on Demonic Cultivation Chapter 61

"I’ve turned twenty without even realizing it..."

It had been four years since he left home.

Standing on a jagged and rugged cliffside, Wang Yu gazed toward the Three Mountains of Blackbone. Even now, Liu Jinxian and the others still hadn’t returned from the underground palace.

Recalling the Foundation Establishment corpse demon that last rushed toward the Moon Condensation Palace, he suddenly felt uncertain. Could they have died down there?

For the others, it was hard to say. But Liu Jinxian definitely had a life token or soul lamp held by her father, and perhaps even some trump card given by a Core Formation cultivator.

If she truly died in the underground palace, that Cultivator known as "True Personage Green Serpent" would have already come to Blackbone Mountain himself. There had been no sign of him for six months.

More likely, they had been trapped down there.

When the three still didn’t appear, Wang Yu went to check Blackbone Mountain himself. He discovered that over the past six months, a group of Qi Refining sixth-layer peak cultivators had used the power of the Xuan Essence Flower to break through to the seventh layer.

Five Yin Peak and Gu Poison Peak had gained a total of eight new late-stage Qi Refining cultivators. When Wang Yu arrived stealthily under the cover of the Night Concealment, they were gathered in an abandoned camp between the three mountains, discussing something.

"Fellow cultivator, this isn't something we can rush."

"That’s right. The sinkhole Senior Sister Liu entered has somehow become blocked by falling rocks. I’ve already sent people to dig and clear it."

"At most half a year, and we’ll have it cleared."

"Dig dig dig, dig your damn head." A newly promoted seventh-layer Gu Poison Peak disciple slammed the table and glared at the Five Yin Peak disciples.

"After Senior Sister Liu went down, Situ Hong went to find Gu Zhengshun and hasn’t returned since. I bet they’re down there looking for opportunities too.

"I think you’re just buying time for that Situ slave-boy."

His shocking words caused a wave of furious stares from the Five Yin Peak disciples. One of them sneered coldly.

"Sounds to me like you’re not concerned about Liu Jinxian’s safety, but rather your own."

"What did you just say?"

The Five Yin Peak disciple squinted his eyes.

"You can take it however you want. I heard Liu Jinxian likes to control male disciples she fancies with Gu insects. Don’t tell me… you’re one of them?"

"Hahahaha."

"Pretty boy, and you still dare to slander Senior Brother Situ?"

"You..."

In just a few lines, the situation escalated into personal attacks.

Not far away, Wang Yu leaned against a ruined wall, listening closely. He couldn’t help but smile faintly, but quickly restrained himself.

The disciples of Heavenly Corpse Peak brought by Gu Zhengshun had never left the concealment array. Now with the other two peaks arguing, the meeting ended in disarray.

They almost came to blows.

Still, both sides went on to form search teams. On the Five Yin Peak side, Situ Hong’s long absence allowed the newly promoted Qi Refining seventh-layer cultivators to seize authority.

They said it was to rescue their comrades, but in truth, they coveted the secrets hidden below ground.

The Gu Poison Peak side, however, genuinely wanted to save lives. What that inner sect disciple said was not false. Liu Jinxian had not only controlled all late-stage Qi Refining cultivators using Gu insects, even elite mid-stage ones had fallen under her control. Now that half a year had passed without Liu Jinxian’s spiritual power to calm the Gu, the insects in their bodies were growing increasingly violent.

Once they awakened from dormancy, many of them would face certain death. They were truly desperate.

As such,

Large numbers of people were immediately dispatched to search for naturally formed caves in hopes of finding a new path.

The Five Yin Peak disciples obediently kept digging and breaking rocks.

As a result, many of the Three Blackbone Mountains’ cultivators were sent elsewhere. Those still tending the Bonewood forest across the three peaks were fewer than a hundred.

A thought took root in Wang Yu’s heart.

It was already known that the underground palace ruins contained secrets. Adding in that Taiyin Nether Eye—a Nascent Soul-level jade slip inheritance—it was reasonable to suspect that the ruins below were not just the remains of a Core Formation sect.

What if it was only a branch sect?

Just like how the Blood Reversal Sect occupied four provinces in the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain. In each province, the capital city was the location of a sect branch. Their permanent forces were only at the Core Formation level.

If this was truly a branch site of a Nascent Soul-era sect, then there should be many traces in ancient records.

Moreover, before the Three Blackbone Mountains were established,

There had once been a cultivator family that dominated this region. Now, all of them had become "earthbound spirits"—ghost farmers of Blackbone Mountain. It was possible that they understood something about the underground palace ruins. This was another lead.

With Liu Jinxian and the others lost in the underground palace, the rest of their faction had fallen into disarray. If no progress was made soon, it would surely erupt into full-blown conflict.

The more he thought about it, the more Wang Yu wanted to go down and investigate for himself.

But reason still held him back.

"Wait a little longer. Perhaps there will be new developments. There is no need to be anxious over immediate gains or losses."

……

……

And so, time passed quickly.

The seasons cycled. Winter departed and spring arrived. The summer breeze gradually descended. In the northern region of Maple Province, due to its proximity to the Endless Icefield, it was difficult to feel the warmth of summer.

Once again came the season when the Bonewood Trees blossomed.

In the sixth month of the following year:

Last year, only a portion of the Xuan Essence Flowers bloomed. This year, another batch of Bonewood Trees began to grow flower buds, but the total amount dropped drastically, only one-third of last year’s quantity.

Moreover, because cultivators like Liu Jinxian took away all the Qi Refining late-stage experts, this year, there was a clear shortage of personnel.

The Dire Bone Lions and Venomous Beehives were both peak first-rank threats.

To the eight newly advanced late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, handling them one-on-one was already very difficult. Although their realms had increased, their spells and magic tools remained stagnant.

They could only control mid-grade magic tools to fight, which greatly reduced efficiency. It even became difficult to clear the Three Mountains, as those beasts crawling out from underground were truly hard to deal with.

As the blooming season drew near, everyone grew anxious.

The second meeting was held promptly.

“What is your decision regarding the cooperation?” A cultivator from Five Yin Peak was the first to speak.

This was something they could no longer avoid. The Xuan Essence Flowers could assist in spiritual refinement, allowing Qi Refining layer three to break through to layer four, or layer six to advance to seven.

For late-stage Qi Refining disciples, it could even preemptively convert part of their spiritual power into semi-true essence, greatly aiding their future Foundation Establishment breakthrough.

Therefore, no matter how one looked at it, there simply weren’t enough Xuan Essence Flowers.

There were too many people.

Now that the higher-ups were gone, the mid-tier cultivators were rising, and even low-tier disciples could benefit from the first-rank Xuan Essence Flowers. After this second year of harvest, the cultivators of Blackbone Mountain would at minimum all break through to mid-stage Qi Refining.

Disciples of Gu Poison Peak frowned deeply. Someone said:

"Of course we want cooperation. The problem is that Senior Sister Liu’s side still hasn’t responded. If we delay any longer, someone will die within half a month."

This was a real issue. Several Gu Poison Peak disciples were as anxious as ants on a hot pan. They could not afford further delay.

When life is at stake, even the Xuan Essence Flowers become secondary.

Hearing this, a disciple from Five Yin Peak revealed a smile as if everything was within expectation, and said, "In that case, since you couldn’t find a new route, then use the one we dug out."

"You dug it open?"

The Gu Poison Peak disciple suddenly stood up, sounding quite surprised.

"Naturally.

"We spent nearly a year digging just to reopen that path, but something went wrong down below."