Chapter 51: Earth Yin Corpse Puppet Array (Please keep reading, please vote)

His skin was grayish-white, entwined with black veins, and possessed the ridged corpse-armor characteristic of an Iron Armored Corpse, creating a stark color contrast with Wang Yu's right hand.

"What is this?"

Wang Yu spoke eloquently, without the slightest hesitation

"The arm of a Second-Order Armored Corpse. Gu Zhengshun asked for my help precisely because of this object and the secret method required to connect it.

"However, he was dishonorable and betrayed me first, so I naturally will not help him again. Senior Sister Liu, are you now interested in the secrets he is hiding?"

Lying caused Wang Yu no stress whatsoever. Given the current situation, speaking this way allowed him to stand on more advantageous ground; Gu Zhengshun would be unable to explain himself.

Hearing this, Liu Jinxian lowered her eyes and suddenly smiled.

"With a talent as fine as Junior Brother Wang assisting us today, I am certain that within the next five years, all your wishes will be fulfilled and everything will go smoothly. Is that correct?"

"Naturally."

Seeing an opening, Wang Yu took it. Showing appropriate toughness to demonstrate strength was fine, but overdoing the posturing would be seen as ungrateful; if the woman surnamed Liu turned around and called a mob to beat him, even if he didn't die, he would certainly lose any chance at the opportunity of the Profound Essence Flower.

Within the sect, he could still find opportunities to kill, but outside the sect, the dangers would increase threefold. He could not afford to be careless or underestimate his enemies.

Seeing Wang Yu adopt a posture of submission, Liu Jinxian breathed a sigh of relief and spoke with feigned magnanimity

"Since Junior Brother Wang has already cleared this area, it shall belong to you from now on. Regarding Gu Zhengshun's actions below, do you have any further intelligence?"

"I do not know," Wang Yu said, shaking his head bluntly. "Gu Zhengshun was on guard against me; he wouldn't even let me enter the formation. You can see that for yourself, Senior Sister."

It made sense.

The people of Heaven Corpse Peak were all hiding within the formation, leaving Wang Yu as a lone wolf outside. All signs indicated they were at odds, which allowed Liu Jinxian to feel more at ease.

"In that case, is Junior Brother Wang willing to follow me to break this wretched formation?"

"Please, Senior Sister."

Having successfully defused the danger, Wang Yu followed behind Liu Jinxian as she flew out from the 290th floor. He happened to see Su Qingshan standing at the edge of the 294th floor, gazing down below.

The other man's expression shifted slightly in surprise, but seeing Liu Jinxian's friendly attitude, he said nothing. He merely offered a distant salute from afar without stepping forward.

Such tactiness confirmed Wang Yu's judgment of Su Qingshan: merely a petty man skilled at opportunism and maneuvering; he only needed to be kept on guard.

A moment later.

At the bottom of Profound Bone Mountain, looking at the sky filled with black mist, Liu Jinxian produced a wooden seal. Under the drive of her spiritual power, it expanded instantly—it was a high-grade Dharma tool!

The seal, resembling a miniature rockery, smashed down violently.

The black mist rapidly condensed and gathered, only to be scattered by the strike of the seal. Upon the second strike, a piercing sound rang out as three Bronze Armored Corpses leaped out simultaneously, using their bodies to forcibly repel the seal. Afterward, they retreated back into the black mist, vanishing without a trace.

Liu Jinxian was visibly startled and cried out

"The Earth Yin Corpse Puppet Formation!"

Wang Yu's mind stirred, and he inquired, "Is Senior Sister very familiar with this formation?"

"Yes."

Choosing not to hide it, Liu Jinxian now fully agreed with the suspicion that Gu Zhengshun was harboring even greater secrets. Driven by growing greed, she said

"Gu Zhengshun's grandmaster went by the title 'Earth Yinzi' and once received the inheritance of an Earth Array Master. One of the formations included in that inheritance, which is considered top-tier even among those at the Foundation Establishment stage, is this very formation!"

Considered top-tier even among Second-Order formations?

Wang Yu fell into thought. Given how much Gu Zhengshun was willing to invest, it was clear the value of his hidden secrets was immense. He wanted them as well.

Array Masters were divided into hierarchies even within the same rank based on their inheritance: Heaven Array Masters were the highest, followed by Earth Array Masters, with ordinary Array Masters being the most common.

The Earth Yin Corpse Puppet Formation used refined corpses as the formation eyes, connecting to the Earth Yin to draw inexhaustible power. Nourished by the formation's momentum, it could grow over time, even possessing the possibility of mutation.

Such a sturdy formation was impenetrable unless one possessed specialized formation-breaking Dharma tools or talismans.

This indicated he was prepared to stay inside indefinitely. If it did not involve the "True Yuan Gate"—the third trial of Foundation Establishment—then a First-Order Profound Essence Flower would actually be sufficient for a Qi Refinement cultivator's needs.

Thinking this way, the probability that he was aiming for a realm breakthrough while waiting for the right celestial timing was much higher!

What Wang Yu thought of, Liu Jinxian also thought of. She looked at him and said, "I will contact Situ Hong to ask if he has any treasures capable of breaking the formation. If you think of a way, you may come to me."

"Understood—"

Finally, after seeing Liu Jinxian off, he breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the silent, black mist, he shook his head and sighed, flying straight back to the 290th floor. He had to guard the flower; he had no time to cause more trouble.

Returning to the protection of the [Blood Mist Spirit-Hiding Formation], Wang Yu took out the two storage bags he had harvested.

Over two thousand spirit stones, eight carcasses of Bone-Rending Lions, various medicinal pills, and miscellaneous items. Wang Yu generally did not consume pills of unknown origin, as they held little value to him.

The only exception was a bronze bell-shaped object, which was a high-grade Dharma tool. It specialized in defense and possessed the effect of sonic area-of-effect attacks; it was quite good.

After refining it, he would have one more method at his disposal.

"It's a pity that the spells and secret incantations these sect disciples learn are obtained directly from divine sense jade slips and are never passed on externally, unless they come from opportunities found outside the sect."

Obtaining manuals or secret techniques was essentially impossible in the short term; the probability was negligibly low.

He actually felt some interest in the Gu arts of the Gu Poison Peak.

Logically, the Nine Peaks and Ten Inheritances of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect should allow for mutual teaching, aside from the fundamental Nascent Soul inheritance, yet the sect rules prohibited it for mysterious reasons that he could not comprehend.

Perhaps only in the future would he understand the crux of it.

After today's events, Wang Yu basically stopped leaving his quarters, honestly guarding his small patch of land. He survived solely on Bigu Pills like a bitter cultivator, refining the medicinal power of the Top-Grade Cold Blood Pills every day.

Six months had passed since his breakthrough to the fifth level of Qi Refinement.

The Placement Column had increased his spiritual cultivation by seventy-two units, the Top-Grade Cold Blood Pills had increased it by fifty units, and his own cultivation had increased it by one unit.

Currently, his spiritual cultivation had accumulated to 423 units. The progress was remarkable and the effects significant, far exceeding the speed an inferior spiritual root should possess, and not lagging behind even a dual spiritual root.

But he knew his own situation best; even if he practiced every day to the limit his meridians could endure, the improvement was minimal. Talent was a chasm, and he was determined to find a way to change it.

The Cold Blood Manual and the Corpse Demon Secret Method had limited effects; even if the manual ascended to the Second Order, it would be difficult to raise his talent to a Mid-Grade spiritual root unless he sought out demonic arts and secret techniques in that specific field.

When it came to seizing another's foundation, only demonic cultivators excelled at it.

The Demonic Path had a long history; there were surely descendants of powerful experts who struggled to cultivate longevity due to talent issues. Since the Demonic Path produced heroes, there must be supreme secret techniques for reversing one's talent.

The Reverse Spirit Blood Sect was his opportunity. He would eventually climb high enough to possess the capital; but before that, he had to reach Foundation Establishment to gain higher status and a greater voice.

"Profound Essence Flower... I hope you can help me take that next step!"

Since Liu Jinxian seized most of Gu Zhengshun's Profound Bone Mountain, Situ Hong had not asked a single question. Time passed like drifting clouds, vanishing in an instant.

At the end of May the following year, during the transition from late spring to early summer.

The Profound Essence Flowers bloomed in succession, emitting a fragrance that attracted more swarms of Corrosive Poison Bees and Bone-Rending Lions. Wang Yu was well-prepared; he discovered that most of these external monsters and insects were emerging from desolate caves.