Chapter 468

This lotus platform was a pseudo-second-rank artifact he had crafted using a technique blueprint exchanged from the Sunset Valley.

It was called pseudo-second-rank because the artifact should have used second-rank “Yang Gang Jade” as its primary material, but since it was too rare to find, he had to substitute it with first-rank “Warm Jade.”

The resulting pseudo-second-rank artifact could assist in cultivating the Red Sun Divine Art, but its effectiveness and usage duration were severely limited, and one misstep could destroy it.

It seems I must search for this “Yang Gang Jade” within the Chaotic Spirit Domain.

If I can truly find it, crafting a genuine second-rank auxiliary artifact would further accelerate my cultivation of the Red Sun Divine Art.

In addition, after reaching the fourth layer of the Red Sun Divine Art, I will need another auxiliary pill—“Bing Li Pill”—whose main ingredient is the core of the first-rank beast, the Bing Li Ant, unique to the Eastern Wastelands, and I must also gather some “Ice Marrow,” which can directly replace the Bing Li Pill.

Although I have no pill formula for the Bing Li Pill, as long as the main ingredients remain unchanged, I believe I can find a similar formula with comparable effects within the Eastern Wastelands.

As Wang Yu pondered this, he pressed the white lotus platform against his waist, and it vanished.

He then closed his eyes and sent a thread of spiritual sense into his own spiritual sea.

Within the spiritual sea, besides a pale silver talisman, there was a complex red pattern composed of ninety-eight crimson symbols—the rune diagram of the second-rank primordial spell, “Flame Blade.”

Before his second return to Blue Star, he had already fully comprehended this spell, so upon reentering the cultivation world, he immediately used the system’s power to permanently solidify this rune diagram within his spiritual sea.

In other words, he truly needed no time to cast it—he could unleash this second-rank spell instantly—and its power did not disappoint him; in fact, it exceeded his expectations.

A single strike had slain a Foundation Establishment cultivator protected by two artifacts.

Even if he was only a Foundation Establishment second-layer cultivator, he was still regarded as a great elder by most hermits and small clans.

The only regret Wang Yu felt was that this second-rank spell, though immensely powerful, consumed enormous spiritual energy—a single strike drained two drops of his liquid spiritual energy.

Remember, his current third-layer cultivation granted him only eleven drops of liquid spiritual energy total in his dantian—meaning that while the Flame Blade could be cast instantly, after five consecutive strikes, his spiritual energy would be insufficient for a sixth.

Yet, conversely, such heavy consumption was not unreasonable.

After all, what appeared as a single strike of the Flame Blade actually contained two astonishing powers.

The first was the flame energy inherent in the Flame Blade itself.

This energy absorbed vast quantities of fire spiritual energy from the void, combined with Wang Yu’s own Red Sun Divine Art, making its power unimaginably strong.

The second was a solidified crystal blade formed by forcibly compressing and condensing the gathered fire spiritual energy.

This crystal blade was a manifestation of all the fire spiritual energy within a ten-zhang giant blade, compressed into a single dense mass—its temperature approached that of high-energy lasers on Blue Star; most second-rank artifacts, upon contact, were instantly sliced open by the blade’s temperature exceeding ten thousand degrees, offering no resistance—nearly invincible among second-rank artifacts.

According to Wang Yu’s own judgment, only Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivators might have the means to withstand this spell outright.

But if three consecutive Flame Blade strikes were unleashed, even a Foundation Establishment peak cultivator could only retreat temporarily—otherwise, they could not escape unscathed.

In short, with this ninety-eight-rune second-rank Ultimate Flame Blade spell alone, even if he could not yet dominate the Foundation Establishment realm, he possessed the capability to fight against late-stage and peak cultivators.

Of course, if he unleashed three consecutive Flame Blade strikes and failed to defeat his opponent, he himself would likely have no choice but to flee in panic—and given the massive spiritual energy drain, the risk of being counter-killed by the opponent would increase significantly.

According to the primary mission assigned by the Kai Tian Team before his departure from Blue Star—to ensure his survival in the cultivation world and return safely to Blue Star—

All other missions were secondary, to be pursued only after securing his absolute safety.

Additionally, the Kai Tian Team researchers had provided him with multiple contingency plans and recommendations, one of which was to establish his own force at the appropriate time and use it as cover to quietly complete his experimental tasks.

With a personal force, he could leverage it to rapidly accumulate the cultivation resources he needed, like a snowball rolling downhill, and feed them back into his own cultivation.

Wang Yu strongly agreed with this point.

In the past, had it not been for the Yin Clan’s assistance, he could never have easily gathered so many books and alchemical and artifact-making resources.

This was precisely why, upon learning that the Hanlan River region had few Foundation Establishment cultivators, he immediately founded the Mi Mountain Sect.

The consequence might attract the attention of major forces or high-rank cultivators, but it was indeed the fastest way to establish a foothold in the Chaotic Spirit Domain.

Yet beyond these matters, he had something even more important to arrange first.

As Wang Yu thought of this, his eyes subtly narrowed.

Half a day later.

In the great hall of the black fortress.

Wang Yu sat upon a white jade chair carved from jade, while Duan Tianming and Shi Qiuping stood on either side.

Before them, the man dressed as a fisherman from Lingxi Bay, surnamed Tian, was presenting a new ledger to the three.

“...The original spiritual veins previously controlled by the Black Sand Sect have now been fully taken over by our Mi Mountain Sect. However, most of the stockpiled resources in these locations were taken away by the Black Sand Sect. Fortunately, they did not destroy any of the industries on these spiritual veins. Here is the current inventory of our sect’s assets:

Two spiritual streams, three spiritual springs, one spiritual pool, three spiritual forest patches, five first-rank spiritual herb gardens, seventy-one mu of inferior spiritual farmland, twelve mu of medium-rank spiritual farmland, two metal ore veins—one iron vein and one copper vein, both small-scale—and one low-grade jade mine with considerable reserves but difficult to extract.

In addition, the Mi Mountain Sect currently governs thirteen mortal towns: one medium-sized city housing three hundred thousand people, two small cities with populations of one hundred thousand each, and the rest are all small villages with fewer than thirty thousand residents...”

“Are the safety and well-being of these mortal towns now entirely the responsibility of our Mi Mountain Sect?” Wang Yu suddenly interrupted the Tian man’s report.

“Yes, Sect Master.

According to ancient customs of the Eastern Wastelands, any cultivation force—whether clan or sect—that controls a spiritual vein automatically assumes responsibility for the safety of nearby mortal towns. Any force that ignores this rule will be jointly opposed by all human cultivators.

Because all human cultivators in the Eastern Wastelands, whether hermits or sect disciples, originate from mortals; if too many mortals perish, human cultivators will rapidly decline, making it impossible to maintain a foothold in the Eastern Wastelands.” The Tian man set down the ledger and replied respectfully.

“We of the Mi Mountain Sect will certainly uphold this rule. But since our Chaotic Spirit Domain borders the beast lands, the greatest threat to these mortal towns should be beasts or the beast clans, correct?” Wang Yu stroked his chin and asked further, noncommittally.