Chapter 608: I, Wang Yu, Though Covered in Blood, Am Also a Good Person, Fellow Daoist

Wang Yu paced with his hands behind his back, speaking leisurely.

“Ascension, naturally, is better sooner than later. Whether it's you, Fellow Daoist, or those prodigies valued by the Upper Realm's major sects, the sooner one ascends, the sooner they can enjoy the resource support within their lineage.

“The resources available in the Lower Realm are simply too scarce. The spiritual energy concentration in the environment alone is vastly different. You're eager, and so are they.”

Qing Qing immediately frowned.

“But what does this have to do with Brother Wang's talk of cutting in line? If you intend to incite lower-ranked prodigies to snatch the first spot, even if they succeed, setting aside whether they are worthy opponents, why should I be the one to ascend first?”

The method of incitement might seem feasible, but it's a castle in the air.

It can only light a prairie fire, without guaranteeing it won't consume oneself. If the desired benefits cannot be obtained, there's no need to light this fire.

It would be utterly pointless.

“Ah, Fellow Daoist Qing Qing, you've misunderstood,” Wang Yu said. “How could I be such a despicable person? We are all people of standing. Little do you know that besides orthodox ascension, there are other methods in this world.”

At this point, Qing Qing understood Wang Yu's implication.

“Stowaway?”

“What 'stowaway'? This is called finding an alternative wondrous method.”

“Qing Qing is not rigid, but how can safety be guaranteed? The environment in the Cosmic Sea is extremely perilous, full of natural disasters and deadly zones. Even one encounter would be the end of us.”

“But what if there is a safe method?”

Seeing Wang Yu's confident demeanor, Qing Qing also crossed her arms and began to ponder.

“As far as I know, besides the Ascension Passage, there are indeed quite a few relatively safe methods.

“Such as the World-Opening Divine Vessel, the Immortal Flying Bridge, the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Pagoda... these are external objects for crossing. If one could enlist a Mahayana Dao Master, they could also traverse immeasurable distances. Brother Wang, which method do you possess?”

Qing Qing possessed considerable strength and a profound background.

She only lacked a bit of luck. Therefore, Wang Yu was willing to expose some of his own methods, wanting to draw her into his upcoming plan.

After all,

He was not from Shanhai, nor was he a cultivator with a strong background who borrowed a path for ascension. It would be incredibly difficult for him to obtain an ascension slot, and he would also face exclusion from the Nascent Soul circles of Shanhai.

Ultimately, his background was non-existent.

It couldn't withstand scrutiny at all, so he couldn't openly compete with Shanhai's Nascent Soul cultivators for the limited slots. But after learning that one could ascend at the early stage of Nascent Soul, he no longer wanted to wait.

Since he couldn't contend or seize,

He might as well find another way. The main keel structure of the World-Opening Divine Vessel still had cracks that hadn't been repaired. It would be perfect to collect a wave of 'fares' to completely repair the Divine Vessel, allowing him to use it without restraint in the future.

Furthermore,

If the World-Opening Divine Vessel could replace the Ascension Passage, he could actually depart alone, without needing to mingle in the Shanhai Realm.

However,

Wang Yu couldn't do it because there were too many challenges.

First, coordinates! The Immortal Domain of Vastness governs countless worlds, and even Middle Thousand Worlds can reach the Dao Integration stage in terms of scale and cultivation upper limit. What if he went to the wrong place?

The World-Opening Divine Vessel was not in its peak condition and had limited range. Coupled with the environment of the Cosmic Sea, if he lost his way, he would die without even knowing why.

Therefore, repairing it and collecting fares would be easily achievable.

Ensuring safety.

Second, no matter how nicely 'unauthorized passage' was phrased, it was still unauthorized passage. Especially with Wang Yu himself entangled with that True Immortal and unable to discern their intentions, taking a shortcut carried immense risk.

However, if he brought along this group of prodigies with profound backgrounds, it would be vastly different. The law does not punish the masses. As he just said, Qing Qing was in a hurry, and so were those prodigies.

Remaining in the Lower Realm offered no path for cultivation and was merely a waste of time. If there were an alternative method, he believed they would be very willing to take the risk.

Third, Immortal Palace laws.

The rules of the Ascension Passage were clear. Without a doubt, unauthorized passage would certainly violate Immortal Palace laws. By mingling among them, Wang Yu could certainly 'borrow prestige' and 'wave a grand banner'.

He could also whitewash his own identity. The lower-ranking officials of the Immortal Palace would surely not dare to investigate these 'young masters.' Those who were sensible would naturally pretend not to see, thus solidifying his identity as an ascended cultivator from the Shanhai Realm and resolving future worries in one fell swoop.

These three benefits formed a plan that had spontaneously emerged after he listened to Qing Qing's words. To implement it, he still needed to find a suitable opportunity, deliberate on the details, and formulate a more comprehensive scheme.

In summary,

Exposing the existence of the World-Opening Divine Vessel had more advantages than disadvantages. Wang Yu was confident in his unparalleled divine abilities and also wielded the Grand Yin Dao. Given that the upper limit of a Small Thousand World was the peak of Nascent Soul,

What did he have to fear?

It was time for a drastic and bold approach.

With this thought,

Wang Yu waved his hand, and the main body of the Divine Vessel, encased in a spatial bubble, appeared in his palm. “Fellow Daoist Qing Qing, this is the World-Opening Divine Vessel. It is a divine object I obtained by chance. Its core is still slightly incomplete, but by collecting a fare from that group of prodigies, it can be fully restored within ten years at most, and will certainly be able to traverse the perils of the Cosmic Sea.”

“—What a treasure!”

Qing Qing, slightly agitated, leaned closer and reached out, intending to take the Divine Vessel into her palm for closer inspection. However, she found that the closer her hand got, the slower it moved, until it was almost completely still.

This was the Void Sky Myriad Laws: Inch-Stopping Marvelous Art!

A theoretically invincible spatial profoundness that could cover the surface of an object with layers upon layers of infinitely stacked space, as if extending a finite distance to infinity.

No matter how vast one's divine abilities, they could not truly touch an object enveloped by the Inch-Stopping Marvelous Art. When applied to a cultivator themselves, it was also an extremely powerful defensive technique.

The value of the Nine Tribulations inheritance was beyond doubt.

Wang Yu had only recently begun to learn this marvelous art and could, for now, only apply it to inanimate objects.

However,

It could also demonstrate that his own strength was certainly not shallow. Upon realizing she couldn't take it, a flicker of awe flashed in Qing Qing's beautiful eyes, and she quickly bowed.

“Qing Qing overstepped her bounds.”

Wang Yu gave a noncommittal response.

“For such a divine object, it is only natural for you, Fellow Daoist, to be tempted. Just ensure there isn't a next time. After all... I, Wang, have cultivated until now and am not a 'nice guy'.”

“Ha... naturally.”

In Qing Qing's perception, Wang Yu's demonic cultivation was incredibly pure. A terrifying murderous aura, like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood from countless killings, lay hidden beneath his skin.

Only occasionally could a sliver of red light be seen in his eyes.

He was even more ferocious than her, a natural drought demon who consumed resentment and drank blood. His demonic nature was ingrained, yet he could converse calmly like a normal person, indicating an exceptionally profound mental state.

He was certainly not some ignorant native or a 'hollow shell'.

As her beautiful eyes shifted, she pondered Wang Yu's proposal, wondering what he sought to gain from it.

Exorbitant fares?

And why seek her cooperation? Wouldn't it be more suitable to directly approach Lan Feng, who was ranked second?

Perhaps discerning Qing Qing's reservations, Wang Yu continued.

“Although I, Wang, have hands stained with blood, I am still a good person, Fellow Daoist! This matter is a win-win situation. How about you give me a definite answer?”

After a thousand years of waiting, Qing Qing's thoughts were incredibly complex.

She could be said to be the most anxious one, so taking some risks for this was not out of the question.

“Alright then, Brother Wang, since you possess such resources, Qing Qing is willing to hitch a ride. Let's first talk about this Nascent Soul boy.

“Previously, this venerable self was lured by that Revered Xia to the Withered Prosperity Mountain in Leizhou. There were rumors that the Withered Prosperity Venerable once left behind a secret method of rebirth through death there. I knew it was a bait, yet I still went.”

Just as she had said before, intelligent zombies all wished to become human again, yet some people sought to become zombies for power. How absurd!

Rebirth through death was what she most desired.

Thus, she stepped in without hesitation, which led to the incident of Situ secretly refining the Calamity Flame Ginseng.

“The Calamity Flame Ginseng he refined was actually a false body formed by this venerable self's severed corpse qi and fire qi. Now that Revered Xia has been lured out, I have reason to confront her.

“At that time, I will cause a commotion at the Minor Ultimate Palace, engaging in a confrontation with that Ruthless Ancestor Li Chunyi, thoroughly escalating the matter. The thousand-year wait of this venerable self can then be fully publicized, causing those prodigies and immortal sprouts to become restless, naturally gathering all the elites at the Minor Ultimate Palace.

“By then, whether Brother Wang can invite enough passengers will be up to you. My only condition is that my fare be waived, how about it?”

“Sounds good.”

Wang Yu stroked his chin, considering the rationality of the matter.

The matter of unauthorized passage certainly could not be known by the Minor Ultimate Palace. Therefore, this affair needed to be both ostentatious and subtly secretive.

He was thinking about how to intervene as the situation developed.

In what capacity, from what angle.

Just then,

Both simultaneously looked up, their gazes seemingly piercing through space to see a group of people rapidly approaching the edge of the Barren Land's core.

“Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation... who are these people?”

Empress Qing Qing was equally perplexed.

“I don't know either.”

“Fellow Daoist, please wait here. I'll be right back.”

Wang Yu, however, actively took on this unexpected incident. He lacked understanding of the Shanhai Realm and had originally intended to find an entry point through Situ Qiutian.

Empress Qing Qing's appearance had led him to quickly formulate a more aggressive plan, rendering Situ Qiutian's utility moot, except that the latter was to be used as evidence to trouble Revered Xia.

This current group of people could perfectly help him compensate for his lack of basic information, potentially allowing him to quickly find an entry point for his plan.

A thousand li of Barren Land.

Wei Shuyue, who was barely resisting the endless heat with the tattered Black Emperor Water-Controlling Flag, supplemented by high-grade spirit stones, grew increasingly anxious as she searched. The tattered treasure could only be used once before being completely destroyed.

The high-grade spirit stones were the Wei family's foundation.

They were left behind by their ancestors, and the descendants had only cultivated to the perfect Core Formation stage at most, unable to gather such rare treasures as high-grade spirit stones again. If they couldn't find Senior Situ this time,

Her Wei family would be exterminated, hence her exceptionally firm resolve to find him.

“Only two hours left. If we still can't find him, we should head back.”

The white-bearded elder advised again.

“Miss, as long as there are green hills, there'll be no shortage of firewood. Even if the Wei family declines temporarily, as long as you are here, there might be a chance for a future resurgence.”

“Elder Fu, no need to say more. If it succeeds, it's for the best; if not, then only death awaits. That Fang Long, in alliance with the Purple Cloud Sect, is attempting to seize our Wei family's Five Elements Corpse Workshop. There must be instigation from Cloud Mist Mountain behind this.

“Everyone knows that Revered Xia and Empress Qing Qing are at odds. Our Wei family has repeatedly used the advantages of the Barren Land to refine high-grade fire corpses, so it's only reasonable for them to suspect us. If we escape this time, we will truly have no hope left.”

Her words made sense, and the white-bearded elder was helpless. Yet, by chance, someone else overheard them.

“Interesting.”

Through layers of advancing water curtains, Wang Yu arrived in an instant.

He abruptly clamped his right hand around the white-bearded elder's neck. The Soul-Searching Incantation silently activated, and black light erupted from the elder's seven orifices. His limbs thrashed wildly, but it was futile.

Seven hundred years of memories completely entered Wang Yu's grasp.

Allowing him to browse and ponder.

In a mere moment, it helped Wang Yu complete his basic understanding of the Shanhai Realm, and he even fully comprehended the origins and stories of the group before him.

It turned out that

The Shanhai Realm, due to its direct governance by the Immortal Palace, had the Minor Ultimate Palace as its supreme authority, which administered a total of 1,324 states.

Its area was nearly a hundred times larger than that of Ice Prison.

Thanks to resource support from the Immortal Palace and the convergence of cultivators from dozens of surrounding Small Thousand Worlds, half of the states had Nascent Soul Venerables, and some, like Yunzhou, even had multiple Nascent Soul cultivators.

In other words, this vast Shanhai Realm had at least over seven hundred Nascent Soul cultivators. This number was something Wang Yu had never dared to imagine; it was truly terrifying!

Then the question arose.

If these people queued according to the rules of the Ascension Passage, the ones at the very end would have to wait over seventy thousand years. Wasn't that ridiculous?

Since it served as a transportation hub for surrounding worlds,

There must be more than just the Ascension Passage as a means. But Empress Qing Qing hadn't mentioned it earlier, which implied that unauthorized passage might already be a tacit understanding.

As for why the top-ranked prodigies didn't use such methods, Wang Yu estimated it was due to insufficient safety, making accidents likely.

In that case, it was better to simply wait. After all, they were at the front of the queue, and their cultivation still had room for improvement. While they were certainly eager, it wasn't to the extent that they would face the end of their lifespan if they didn't resort to unauthorized passage.

Such a disparity was simply stifling.

But with so many Nascent Soul cultivators, Qing Qing's plan had some issues. Her matter could only serve as a warning to those prodigies with backgrounds.

After all, they were of the same echelon.

If Qing Qing could be suppressed, why couldn't they? Thus, it was inevitable that a fear of the Minor Ultimate Palace's power would arise. However, those Nascent Soul cultivators already ranked lower were likely already numb to it.

Perhaps he could earn a huge sum?

Wang Yu made a slight adjustment to his plan in his mind. His strength still had room for improvement, and choosing to let things unfold gradually was also an option.

The current matter of the Wei family could serve as his entry point into the Shanhai Realm. In an instant, the intensity of the Soul-Searching Incantation significantly lightened.

Given his cultivation realm, soul-searching a Core Formation 'ant' was enough to know everything without harming their soul.

Thus,

After a few moments of profound silence, the slightly weakened white-bearded elder collapsed to his knees, gasping for air, his eyes filled with the terror of having narrowly escaped death.

Seeing Wang Yu finish the soul-searching, Wei Shuyue quickly knelt and said,

“I did not know Senior was cultivating here. It was my fault to disturb you rashly. Please, Senior, be merciful. We are willing to offer all our belongings.”

“What are you afraid of? Stand up.”

Wei Shuyue froze for a moment, then gritted her teeth and shakily stood up, reluctantly raising her head to look at Wang Yu.

At that glance, she felt her spirit lighten.

An unprecedented surge of immense surprise welled up in her heart. She couldn't explain why, but she recognized the Senior's appearance. Wasn't this her ancestor?

The first progenitor of the Wei family, whose portrait was enshrined in the ancestral hall—she remembered it vividly.

“Unworthy descendant Wei Shuyue pays respects to the Wei family progenitor!”

“Rise. I have pursued the Dao for a long time, and returning home today, I did not expect the Wei family to face such a calamity.”

—This was a lie!