The atmosphere remained silent for quite a while.
Seeing Wang Yu's strange expression, Wei Hao wasn't sure if he had said something wrong, or if Wang Yu actually didn't have an absolutely indispensable need for the **[Earth Spirit Fruit]**.
After careful consideration,
Wang Yu still felt Wei Hao was a very good partner. Even if he was "careless with his words," he could still be seriously considered.
Moreover, Wei Hao was a former True Inheritance disciple of the Corpse Peak. The skills he had learned complemented Wang Yu's corpse refining very well.
To be honest, since raising the Grand Yin Malice Corpse and the Thunder Corpse, he had found that the Demon Corpse, which had not yet been born, had already exceeded the limit his spiritual sense could control.
After all, the former two would also advance; they couldn't remain at the early third rank forever. Once they advanced to mid-stage, the pressure on his spiritual sense would surge.
This was the limitation of not cultivating a Corpse Path technique.
The Demon Corpse could seemingly be sold to Wei Hao. The other's original life-bound corpse had been refined of its essence by Senior Disciple Jiang to create the **[Corpse Commander]**. Currently, he should still be lacking one.
The Demon Corpse, with a little cultivation, could advance to the third rank.
Thus, with their combined strength, plus the Core Formation experts from the Wei Clan, they could indeed contend for the Earth Spirit Fruit.
Thinking this, Wang Yu directly slapped down a Nether River Contract.
Wei Hao was confused: "City Lord Wang, what is the meaning of this?"
"Come, let's make a deal first. Wang needs spirit medicines that can directly increase true essence capacity. Quantity doesn't matter, as long as the total can increase true essence by a thousand drops."
Wei Hao, not understanding, said somewhat helplessly,
"Spirit medicines that increase true essence capacity by a thousand drops? Brother Wang, surely you're joking?"
Wang Yu shook his head seriously.
"Trust me, you'll be satisfied. It's something you urgently need. With it... perhaps Brother Wei can even turn the tables against that fellow surnamed Jiang."
Wei Hao fell into thought, recalling his earlier judgment about Wang Yu. He gritted his teeth and said,
"Fine."
"Brother Wei is indeed generous! Don't worry, you absolutely won't regret it. Besides the spirit medicines that increase true essence capacity, after we cooperate to seize the Earth Spirit Fruits, Wang has the right to take one extra."
The other conditions were the most basic ones, like not harming each other.
Seeing him adding more conditions, Wei Hao was starting to feel unsure.
"What exactly is so precious?"
Wang Yu smiled without answering. After Wei Hao signed the contract, Wang Yu took out the Demon Corpse, ready to be awakened at any time, from the Nourishing Malice Coffin.
"What do you think?"
Instantly.
Wei Hao rushed to the Demon Corpse's side, reaching out a slightly trembling hand to stroke it: "This... this... This is a demon corpse refined from a living corpse fiend! It only needs to reverse this breath of vitality to be born!"
The other was indeed knowledgeable. The Demon Corpse was only the most basic version. Depending on the malice energy refined into it, it could advance into different types of demon corpses.
Each and every one was a special variant.
Given how rare corpse fiends were, only a place like the Eastern Extremity Capital might have one. And Wang Yu had shattered its demon soul, refining it into a zombie while alive—absolutely the finest of the finest.
For a Corpse Path cultivator, a top-tier zombie was no less than the most perfect Dao companion.
This Demon Corpse was even more outstanding than Wei Hao's previous life-bound corpse.
He even began to feel fortunate for losing the "Corpse Battle Tournament"; otherwise, how could one easily replace a life-bound corpse?
"Good! Excellent!
"Brother Wang is actually willing to offer such a heavy treasure. Wei is extremely satisfied."
"Satisfied is good. If Wang were a disciple of the Corpse Peak, this Demon Corpse would absolutely not be sold. I wonder how much time Brother Wei needs to prepare? Regarding the Earth Spirit Fruit matter..."
Wang Yu left his words unfinished, wanting to hear if Wei Hao's sudden change of mind was due to other variables or something else.
Hearing this, Wei Hao gradually calmed down.
Spirit medicines that increase true essence...
"Just now, Brother Wang said he was going to Peach Prefecture to find Purple-Gold Peaches. Wei's clan actually has some reserves. How about trading with this spiritual material?"
"Agreed."
"As for the Earth Spirit Fruit matter, hearing that something happened in Yellow-White City, Wei's subordinates were thus able to be reassigned. Brother Wang can rest assured and wait a few days. We can go later."
Seeing he had a plan, Wang Yu temporarily settled down in the Wanglong City Lord's Manor. He wanted to break through to the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment before the Earth Spirit Fruit struggle was decided.
At that time,
he might be able to use the power of the Earth Spirit Fruit to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment in one go. Returning to Gui Ling, he could then proceed with forming his core, effectively saving thirty or forty years.
Such spiritual materials that directly increase cultivation were not common.
Wang Yu had only encountered the Ghost-Eye Spider and the Black Night Wormwood Grass. Now, the Earth Spirit Fruit he encountered was an ancient spiritual material, only found in ruins.
Chasing Moon Prefecture was too far from the mountain gate. The Wei Clan's territory was also within **[Blood Abyss Prefecture]**. The spiritual materials couldn't be transferred over immediately.
But because they had signed the Nether River Contract, the Demon Corpse had already been handed to Wei Hao. He was now preparing to directly refine it into his life-bound corpse. As for whether to push it and cultivate it directly to the third rank,
depended on whether he himself had the confidence to survive the thunder tribulation.
The difficulty of the third-rank thunder tribulation wasn't too great, after all there were only three bolts of lightning. The fourth rank was the truly fatal one, with a full nine bolts, each strike doubling in power.
Wei Hao, with his Core Formation second-layer cultivation, wouldn't proceed without preparation.
While waiting for the spiritual materials to arrive, Wang Yu, using his entry-level Spirit-Seeing Golden Pupils, took some time to walk outside the city, collecting the earthly energies of the four directions.
These things were quite easy to collect. Any tall, majestic, and grand mountain would have earth veins. Fertile plains soil, a surging river—there would be water veins and earth veins.
As long as the source wasn't cut off, earthly energy, like spiritual energy, was almost inexhaustible.
Thus, he only lacked **[Shadow-Copper]** to refine the Feng Shui Compass, which would have targeting, geomancy, formation-breaking, esoteric arts, vein-seeking... effects.
It would make up for a major disadvantage while continuing to add to this main skill, serving an auxiliary cultivation effect.
Days passed one after another.
News about the **[Earth Spirit Fruit]** became more and more detailed. Wang Yu also understood why Wei Hao wasn't the least bit worried.
It turned out they were trapped by the local power of Yunling Prefecture, **[Mount Luofu He Clan]**! This was a top-tier Golden Core family in Yunling that primarily cultivated demonic sword techniques!
During this period, there had been successive battles. The cultivator holding the Earth Spirit Fruits fled in panic and barged into Mount Luofu's sword formation during the chase. The person died, but the storage bag remained.
Of course,
there was also news saying this person was the lover of a female cultivator from the He Clan, going there to seek protection.
But since the person was gone, few discussed this joke. The Earth Spirit Fruits were still highly watched.
The Mount Luofu He Clan wanted to monopolize all the Earth Spirit Fruits, but before they could, the pursuing cultivators from behind caught up.
These people were almost all Core Formation, some were loose cultivators, some were from local forces in Yunling Prefecture, among whom were mixed in several peak Core Formation cultivators who came from the You Prefecture border.
The two sides confronted each other. No one was allowed to enter the sword formation to retrieve the storage bag. It was said they fought daily, with no deaths for now.
They said they needed to discuss and decide on a distribution plan.
Wang Yu listened somewhat anxiously. The longer it dragged on, the further the news spread, and the more competitors there would be. The Mount Luofu side certainly also understood this simple truth.
But two fists are no match for four hands, let alone facing ten hands, twenty hands!
One clan's Core Formation cultivators, how could they fight against so many Core Formation experts? Even if they wanted to delay, they might not be able to. Once the numbers reached a certain gap, they would definitely be forcefully attacked.
Wei Hao was waiting for precisely this opportunity.
Fifteen days after arriving at Wanglong City.
The true essence spiritual material Wang Yu longed for, **[Purple-Gold Peach]**, finally arrived—a full eleven peaches. Each spirit peach could increase true essence capacity by a hundred drops.
Comparable to a second-rank, top-grade spirit pill.
"Junior Brother Wang, how is it? Satisfied?"
"Satisfied, of course satisfied."
Examining this plate of spirit peaches, each was plump and juicy, their bodies presenting a rose-red color, the tips purple-gold, the fruit fragrance rich and mouth-watering.
However,
Wang Yu pointed out: "Brother Wei, why are there eleven?"
Hearing this,
Wei Hao laughed even more: "Junior Brother Wang, since you were willing to yield a top-tier zombie like the Demon Corpse to your senior brother, this extra one is a gift in return for your trust."
"When the struggle for Chasing Moon Prefecture ends, if Wei is still alive, I will definitely build closer ties with your Gui Ling City."
"Easy to say, easy to say."
This meant he was taking a fancy to him. The Wei Clan had a Nascent Soul Patriarch, so they had some say. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Wang Yu entered seclusion again.
Eleven Purple-Gold Peaches were enough for him to ascend another level.
Entering the cultivation quiet room Wei Hao prepared for him, Wang Yu wiped a peach and took a bite.
Spiritual energy swirled, juices abundant.
The mouth was filled with sweet peach fragrance, crisp, tender, and refreshing. It was not only a spiritual material for boosting true essence but also a rare delicacy.
One Purple-Gold Peach was devoured by him in barely over ten seconds. Wang Yu kept the peach pit. Although it would be difficult to grow a Purple-Gold Peach tree of the same species,
planting it in the Gui Ling City Lord's Manor would add another type of spirit peach to taste. He had always been frugal and reluctant to waste.
During refining, Wang Yu discovered the third-rank perfected technique also greatly enhanced the refining efficiency.
It was much easier to refine than top-grade spirit pills, completely digested in barely a day.
"That means I only need ten days. Ten days to increase true essence by a thousand drops. These family second generations are really wealthy. Feeding on such top-tier resources, no wonder they break through so quickly."
Thinking of this, the images of the Three Young Masters of the Reverse Spirit Sect appeared in Wang Yu's mind. Speaking of which, with their status, such true essence spiritual medicines shouldn't be lacking.
They would only be stuck at the third, sixth, and ninth layers, not the fourth layer... And Zhuo Shouqing had displayed Foundation Establishment fourth-layer cultivation.
Would cultivation to accumulate true essence be stuck?
He always felt the other was hiding something from him, from Zuo Qiuming and Yu Xing.
"Since things have come to this, let's eat the peaches first."
And so.
Eleven days passed in the blink of an eye.
"—Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer!"
Having eaten all the Purple-Gold Peaches in one go, Wang Yu refined for eleven days without moving. The results were also pleasing.
With the aid of these peaches,
true essence increased by another 1100 drops, surpassing his efforts over the past six years. Thinking this, his heart felt a bit sour.
Total true essence reached 6150 drops, entering the final sprint phase, also the most protracted stretch of the journey.
Increasing true essence amount to 9999 drops would achieve the peak of Foundation Establishment, forming the **[Lake of True Essence]** and allowing one to proceed with Core Formation.
Normally, the time required was still long.
Having opportunities was another matter.
Just as he pushed open the stone door of the secret room, Wang Yu looked up at the sky.
"Third-rank thunder tribulation? It's the Demon Corpse!"
*(End of Chapter)*