Chapter 605: Returning to Hidden Transformation, Magical Contest Breeds Demon, True Immortal's Eye

Sixty years had passed.

Wang Yu had essentially achieved all his major cultivation goals: mastering the Lunar Divine Mark, breaking through his cultivation level, and comprehending the Dao. This success stemmed from his profound accumulation, allowing for a powerful surge after long preparation.

Naturally.

The advancement of his Natal Spirit Treasure, the 36-grade Blood Lotus Furnace, was a natural progression. After perfectly absorbing the spirit flame power from the 36 flame spaces, and with another breakthrough in his cultivation, its upgrade was inevitable.

It naturally ascended to a fifth-tier high-grade spirit treasure, with its spirituality greatly enhanced. The Myriad Transformation True Artifact, however, had no fixed form; its enhancement mainly relied on the golden blood marrow within the dragon spine for nourishment and the fusion of his demonic body's origin.

Over the past sixty years, Wang Yu frequently used the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Map to trap heavenly demons and refine them into essence, which he then used to enhance the foundation of the Myriad Transformation True Artifact. As a result, it also advanced to a fifth-tier high-grade true artifact.

This treasure was less mystical than the Blood Lotus Furnace.

Nevertheless, it was the most suitable Natal True Artifact for his Innate True Demon Body. Regardless of the form he transformed into, it could manifest as a true artifact of the corresponding grade, highlighting its exceptional adaptability and versatility.

With the addition of the Sun-Piercing Demonic Bow, Yama Son of Heaven Sword, and Six Desires Heavenly Demon Map, Wang Yu could truly be called "Multi-Treasure," a fitting moniker for his vast collection.

To contend with the Life Demon this time, the assistance of these spirit treasures was indispensable.

As for how to draw out his opponent, he already had a well-developed plan in mind.

That day.

Inside the Moon Palace within the osmanthus tree, Wang Yu set up the Grand Profound Subtle Cave Array, a wondrous Feng Shui formation. This marked his first use of Feng Shui secret arts after gathering the four ancestral tokens of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind.

He had also acquired the inheritance related to the Ancestor of Geomancy within it.

A book titled "Wondrous Chapters on Observing Heaven and Earth Feng Shui" encompassed all the mysteries of the entire Feng Shui Geomancer lineage, including profound and ancient secret arts like adapting to circumstances, defying nature, creating something out of nothing, and seeking dragon veins.

If one were to disregard the special secret arts within it that could weaken one's own destiny, the value of this inheritance was only slightly inferior to the Myriad Heavenly Void Arts. However, if those fate-bending wonder arts were included, it might even surpass the inheritance of the Nine Tribulations Rogue Cultivator in value.

This led him to question the origin of the Feng Shui lineage. The Ancestor of Geomancy was merely the origin of Feng Shui in the Ice Prison Realm, not necessarily the true creator of the art itself.

But thinking about such things was useless now.

More importantly, he needed to rely on the effects of the Four Ancestral Tokens.

Wang Yu could bypass the need for numerous complex materials when setting up these wondrous Feng Shui arrays. This was because the arrangement of such arrays prioritized the underlying concepts represented by objects, rather than strictly requiring spirit materials of supreme quality.

Therefore, even within Wang Yu's Sea Heart Ring, he might not possess all the necessary materials for every wonder array.

The so-called "Grand Profound Subtle Cave Array" was a wonder array designed to amplify the perceptive abilities of cultivators within it. Its claims were bold, boasting the ability to probe the Nine Heavens above and peer into the Underworld below.

After actually setting it up, Wang Yu only felt a temporary and significant enhancement of a certain spiritual faculty within him. In terms of divine sense, it felt as though he could see through everything with a single glance.

It was truly profound beyond measure.

Although curious about the underlying principles, he knew this was not the time to delve into such mysteries. He immediately proceeded with the second phase of his preparations.

He personally sat within the 36-grade Blood Lotus Furnace. One by one, the pale red bone lotus petals opened and then closed, completely enveloping Wang Yu's true body.

Wang Yu then took out his treasured pills and spirit fruits.

The former was a supreme treasure pill obtained from the First Human Emperor's private treasury, capable of extending a Soul Transformation cultivator's lifespan by a thousand years. The latter was a Longevity Fruit, acquired from the Celestial Palace Secret Realm, with an identical effect to the treasure pill.

Both items represented an incredibly potent life force.

Wang Yu had little need for extended longevity, so he felt no regret in taking out these two most precious items from his stash. They were crucial for luring out the Life Demon.

As long as he could resolve the hidden danger within him, he had long been determined to pay any price.

"Let's begin."

Taking a deep breath, Wang Yu closed his eyes, concentrating all his perceptions within his body. Simultaneously, the One Qi Demonic Flame erupted, violently beginning to refine himself.

After absorbing portions of the Lunar Fire, Molten Earth Core Fire, and Ice Dragon Dan Flame, the power of the One Qi Demonic Flame surged hundreds of times, already displaying the nascent form of being able to refine anything.

Its performance was even superior to that of the Sky-Refining Demonic Flame.

This was because its core concept was the unity of all things, where one Qi generated myriad things. "Refining" might not be accurate enough to describe its power; assimilation was the most terrifying effect of the One Qi Demonic Flame.

Wang Yu actively shielded his natal magic treasure from connecting with his body.

Under extreme high temperatures, his flesh and blood dissolved, and his life force ebbed away.

Even his late fifth-tier body refining realm couldn't fully resist the assimilation of the One Qi Demonic Flame, and his nearly forged immortal body showed signs of regression.

This was the result of his power being assimilated by the demonic flame.

With each ebb and flow, the demonic flame grew fiercer. Wang Yu quickly took the longevity treasure pill, and the replenishment of a vast amount of life force allowed him to recover rapidly, continuously undergoing a cycle of "destruction and restoration."

This was the Fiery Forge of the Golden Body!

This was precisely the ultimate profoundness of the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art. He not only intended to use this method to force out the Life Demon but also to fully forge an immortal body and break through his body refining realm to the peak of the fifth tier.

One objective linked to the next; thus, consuming two valuable longevity-extending treasures was not a waste.

Under the effect of the Grand Profound Subtle Cave Array, Wang Yu maintained perfect control over the process, closely monitoring every part of his body. He was certain to detect any changes instantly.

Time gradually slipped by under these circumstances.

One day, two days, ten days, thirty days.

A full three years passed. The thousand years of life force from the longevity treasure pill were completely depleted, and Wang Yu immediately consumed the Longevity Fruit to replenish the massive expenditure of life force.

Concurrently, the One Qi Demonic Flame's steadily increasing power led to ever-greater consumption of life force. The power of immortality gradually spread to more vulnerable body parts like his skin, hair, and eyes.

The path of fifth-tier body refining was nearing its end.

Wang Yu's consciousness seemed to have completely settled, devoid of any fluctuations, until... a certain moment arrived.

Counting from the bottom of his spine, at the fourth segment.

A sudden abnormality arose, absorbing a small amount of life force provided by the Longevity Fruit. In normal circumstances, Wang Yu certainly wouldn't have noticed it, but with the enhancement of the Grand Profound Subtle Cave Array...

This abnormality was as conspicuous as a bright lamp in the dark night.

"Got you!"

"Myriad Heavenly Void Arts: Return to Origin and Transform Elements!"

This was an extremely high-grade secret method that used spatial vibrations to quickly expel foreign energies from the body. He had consolidated the myriad spatial secret methods from the Void Heaven Stele into one, hence calling it the Myriad Heavenly Void Arts.

In an instant.

Wang Yu's body seemed to materialize, as if an additional layer of separation from reality had formed. In a mere fraction of a breath, that spinal segment was isolated and exploded with a bang.

That strange and incompatible life force suddenly appeared in the air, expanding at an incomprehensible speed, as if flesh was spontaneously generating from the void.

Wang Yu watched with a solemn expression as the Life Demon's youthful head rapidly grew, staring at him with a sinister, eerie smile.

"Oh? Not bad... You even know such a spatial secret art. Did you suspect something earlier?"

The naked, linen-clad youth landed opposite Wang Yu.

Even though his body was charred black from the One Qi Demonic Flame, he still maintained a posture of being completely in control.

Wang Yu narrowed his eyes.

He noticed that the rate of life force draining from his body had increased a hundredfold; the Longevity Fruit's effect would likely be exhausted within three hours. That life force was clearly being siphoned away by the Life Demon through unknown means.

Upon realizing this, Wang Yu abruptly opened the treasure furnace and leaped out. Since he had already expelled the hidden danger from his body, he had no intention of communicating with his opponent.

His previous thought of reaching cooperation through a deal.

That was based on the premise of being unable to expel it from his body. Now that he had succeeded, there was naturally no need to discuss a deal.

He had achieved his objective, and nothing else mattered.

What was surprising, however, was that the Life Demon seemed to be completely attached to him. Without any discernible movement from it, the obstruction of his Natal Spirit Treasure appeared useless.

It clung to Wang Yu's back like a shadow.

It let out a sinister cackle.

"This demon lord has lurked within you for many years; we are already inseparable. What's yours is mine."

With that.

It actually controlled the treasure furnace and directed the One Qi Demonic Flame within it to spray towards Wang Yu. A grayish-white pillar of fire streaked across the sky, striking directly at his back.

Wang Yu's pupils constricted.

He swung his right hand backward, and the Yama Son of Heaven Sword burst forth with surging sword energy, emanating an immensely rich netherworld aura. A single strike of the "Netherworld Myriad People Slash" split the pillar of fire in two, sweeping past his sides.

He didn't believe the Life Demon's words in the slightest.

If something truly so heaven-defying existed, he would have been possessed long ago. His Natal Spirit Treasure was not only inextricably linked to his physical body but also inseparable from his primordial spirit.

In his view, at most, it had absorbed too much of his qi essence.

Thereby simulating a false claim of ownership.

With a thought, endless frost rapidly spread, transforming the surrounding thousand miles into an icy hell. From his body to his primordial spirit, and even his demonic essence, all completely mutated into an ice phoenix.

It is worth mentioning that his primordial spirit possessed a Star God essence, which seemed immune to transformation by the Myriad Heavenly Demon Arts. Hence, the Ice Phoenix primordial spirit still bore the Lunar Dao patterns on its forehead.

"How is this possible?!"

The Life Demon's eyes widened; this method clearly surpassed its comprehension.

No... it should be said it surpassed the knowledge of its newly formed consciousness.

These consciousnesses, born from ancient demon bodies, mostly inherited fragmented and unrecognizable memories of physical combat.

Their limited knowledge was thus reasonable.

After manifesting the Myriad Transformation Ice Phoenix form, Wang Yu's qi essence completely changed, making it impossible for the Life Demon to simulate his qi and contend for control over the magic treasure.

With a thought, the 36-grade Blood Lotus Furnace transformed into a streak of light and returned to his Qi Sea. Wang Yu then flashed his wings, spatial Dao patterns flickering on his magnificent ice crystal phoenix wings.

This was the effect of the Celestial Phoenix Escape Art, which leveraged the Phoenix bloodline's innate affinity for spatial Dao principles. Even without full comprehension, one could still perform extremely sophisticated spatial escape techniques.

Wang Yu had only just gotten started, yet a single flash transported him a hundred miles away.

Yes, he chose to avoid risk.

Ancient demons had always been incredibly mysterious, with unknown methods. Compared to simply beating his opponent to vent anger and then finding a way to seal it, such an approach was simply not Wang Yu's style.

Either don't do it, or deliver a fatal blow.

The risk of fighting the Life Demon was too high. His objective was to eliminate the hidden danger, and since that was achieved, why take further risks just to vent anger?

So, it was right to escape when the time was right.

As Wang Yu vanished with a flash into the extremely cold hell, the Life Demon, having seen Wang Yu set up such a grand display and even prepare an advantageous environment, truly hadn't expected him to flee.

It had even prepared to retaliate, only for its opponent to vanish.

"—You dare trick me!"

Even though its main body was sealed, it had never been so enraged. As a clone formed from a single finger, it could actually be regarded as the main body.

What mattered was its ability to escape the rule suppression of the Demonic Prison.

With its innate ancient demonic Dao principle of Life, as long as a trace of its flesh and blood could escape, it could rapidly recover to its peak state. This applied not just to Wang Yu.

In past eras, whenever a Soul Transformation cultivator was determined to break out of the prison, it would secretly offer them life-force-related opportunities. As a strategy, it would allow a portion of its power to lie dormant and sleep within the other party, waiting for someone blessed with great fortune to lead it out of the prison.

In its view, after being imprisoned for hundreds of thousands of years with no movement from the demon race, it had reason to suspect it had been abandoned, or that its clan had failed in the power struggles within the demon race.

The decline of its clan was not favorable to innate ancient demons like itself, as it meant a reduction in fortune.

Escaping the Demonic Prison would become even harder.

Thus, it conceived the idea of using human cultivators, fighting magic with magic. It had proven that leveraging fortune to break out of the prison was indeed feasible.

But the problem was that past cultivators often made a wrong move.

They failed at crucial moments.

In its eyes, this was due to insufficient fortune. Wang Yu's appearance was an anomaly, and this might be the most hopeful attempt yet, so it would absolutely not give up.

"Life Absorption Art: Great Heavenly Demon Dance!"

In an instant, the Life Demon transformed into myriad streams of flesh and blood light, rushing towards all parts of the Lunar Star. Bloodlines extended between them, like a vast net completely sealing off the entire moon.

Wang Yu also sensed something was wrong.

The moment he left the battlefield, he activated the second stage of his Moon-Returning Eye Art. He had clearly already sensed the Lunar Star projections from other worlds, but they were suddenly blocked by the net of flesh and blood.

This was an extremely sophisticated spatial sealing secret art.

This was truly beyond his expectations. Simultaneously, flesh and blood began to regenerate in the nearby air, and using this vast net, the Life Demon once again pinpointed his location.

In a flash, an idea sparked in Wang Yu's mind.

As powerful as the Moon-Returning Eye Art was, it was still merely a Void Refinement Eye Art. The World-Cleaving Divine Ark, however, was a cross-realm supreme treasure, having already stored a sufficient amount of Chaotic Qi for propulsion.

"—Shatter Space!"

With a soft cry, the net of flesh and blood silently shattered. The Life Demon, whose flesh and blood body had just formed, stared with eyes about to burst.

"No!!!"

The moment the spatial seal shattered, a vast and boundless Lunar power suddenly descended. A spatial channel filled with moonlight quietly opened, leading to the Lunar Star projection in another world.

Wang Yu was drawn into the channel, and his lips curled up slightly.

The situation was decided.

However.

The Life Demon's rushing figure suddenly froze, its eyes fixed straight behind Wang Yu, revealing an expression of extreme terror.

Sweat suddenly beaded on Wang Yu's forehead.

The channel formed by connecting to the Lunar Star projection was silently frozen. Wang Yu's entire body stiffened, yet he had no choice but to turn his head and look.

It was a pair of eyes like those of the Heavenly Dao.

Cold and emotionless, yet containing the ultimate truths of the world.

—A True Immortal's Divine Sense!

The power of Karmic Fate Transference seemed to be nothing before these eyes. Wang Yu truly hadn't expected that the True Immortal behind the Ice Prison Realm was an immortal proficient in the Dao of Karma.

Reaching this point made him break out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, his "Placement Slot" was not a physical treasure like the Sky-Palm Bottle. Even if this True Immortal could see right through him, they would be unable to detect the existence of the Placement Slot.

This was a blessing in disguise.

Staring into the True Immortal's eyes, the passage of time seemed to slow down. The other party clearly did not speak, yet Wang Yu perceived two messages.

"You are permitted to join my Grand Profound Heaven lineage after achieving Dao and ascending." Wang Yu experienced immense ups and downs in this desperate situation. With his mind shaken, he quickly bowed respectfully, indicating his obedience!

Meanwhile, a storm of thoughts raged in his mind.

Compared to the scale of a realm, a single person was naturally incredibly tiny; even a seventh-level Soul Transformation cultivator was merely an insignificant grain of sand.

The First Human Emperor was able to depart with the True Immortal.

If he demonstrated the same value, it would naturally outweigh the slight loss of origin from the Ice Prison Realm. He had worried that the True Immortal would obstruct his path, little knowing that an immortal capable of setting up the Demonic Prison for humanity's sake would be anything but vile.

After all his painstaking efforts, he was still within the world held in another's palm.

How similar he was to that Monkey King!

Wang Yu gave a wry smile. He had overestimated himself and underestimated the immortal's magnanimity and divine abilities.

"Grand Profound Heaven..."

He murmured to himself, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, the Life Demon was flicked away by a finger formed from the power of heaven and earth, sent spanning a long distance directly into the seal within the Sword Sect's floating immortal mountain.

Such immense power was completely beyond Wang Yu's comprehension.

But those immortal eyes had already vanished, and he too departed through the Lunar channel.

He cast a final glance at the lands of the Ice Prison Realm.

A feeling of three parts melancholy and seven parts anticipation arose within him.

As the saying goes: "A great roc, soaring with the wind in a single day, ascends ninety thousand li into the sky!"

With this step, the world would be vastly different!