Tank Charges In (Seeking Follow-up Reads, Seeking Votes)

It was far faster than before. After all, one Placement Slot operated at "2 wisps/day"; two meant "4 wisps/day." Slot Three had to hold the [Corpse Demon Secret Art] and could not be touched.

Placing the Main Cultivation Method in both Placement Slots also doubled the efficiency of deducing and advancing it into a Second Tier cultivation method. Twenty Years had been reduced to ten—a major benefit for him as well.

After all, the slight improvement to aptitude from the Cold Blood Art was of vital importance to him.

On the day he emerged from seclusion, a Talisman Letter was pasted onto the isolation ward around Wang Yu's residence. After reading the message on it, he could not help but smile.

"A Second Tier Corpse Refinement arm... I didn't expect they really found one."

Three Days later, he went out to keep the appointment.

Meanwhile, in the increasingly impoverished Xu Estate, the massive Xu Jiao Jiao stood before Su Qing Shan. A glint of cold light flickered in the slitted eyes buried beneath layers of fat, difficult for outsiders to detect, while her voice remained sweet and coquettish.

"Brother Su, Father was taken away by the Law Enforcement Hall, and there has been no word from him since. Are you sure Wang Yu was the one pulling strings behind this?"

"Of course."

Su Qing Shan wore an expression of complete confidence, his analysis flowing with impeccable logic. "Jiao Mei, according to my investigation, that Zhu Surname Grandfather and Grandson in Father-in-law's shop were reported by Wang Yu. He also benefited from it and caught the eye of Zhuo Shouqing from the Law Enforcement Hall.

"Zhu Xiao Sun offended the Third True Disciple of Evil God Peak. He and his grandfather, Shopkeeper Zhu, conspired at Xu's Pill Shop to swindle Father-in-law and seize Xu Clan resources, intending to use Spirit Stones to wipe away his crime.

"Wang Yu ruined this matter. Nearly one hundred thousand Spirit Stones were swallowed by Zhuo Shouqing. When the True Disciple of Evil God Peak learned of it, he coveted that sum and used an excuse to detain Father-in-law, hoping to take a share.

"At the root of it all, Wang Yu is the one to blame!"

There was nothing false about Su Qing Shan's investigation, and his sources were highly accurate. This proved that he did have some ability. Yet placing the blame on Wang Yu's head was utterly unreasonable.

But this was the only option available.

Neither Zhuo Shouqing nor the True Disciple of Evil God Peak was someone the Xu Clan or he could afford to offend. They could only blame Wang Yu and hate Wang Yu.

Was this not a kind of self-deception, like covering one's ears while stealing a bell?

Evil God Peak already ranked near the bottom of the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect. For a dignified True Disciple to covet this batch of Spirit Stones was something only they could do. Steward Xu was simply unlucky.

By opening a pill shop in Evil God Ward, he had in fact already offended the people of Evil God Peak. The Spirit Stones he paid went, firstly, to the Alchemy Hall, representing the sect's orthodox line.

Secondly, they went to the Xu Clan branch of Fifth Peak, Savage Ghost Peak. They were all disciples of Savage Ghost Peak and paid for its protection.

How could Evil God Peak accept that? There was a High probability that the Zhu Surname Grandfather and Grandson had been instructed personally by Evil God Peak's True Disciple to swindle resources from Xu's Pill Shop.

Because Xu Jiao Jiao cultivated a Demonic Dao Cultivation Method that her father had obtained through a fortunate encounter, she had transformed from a young maiden into an ugly sow. She never dared go out and face people, and her nature was both pure and twisted.

She was pure because she still believed in love, willingly gave Su Qing Shan the pills she used for cultivation to refine, and believed that once he broke through to Foundation Establishment, he would cast aside the strange looks of the world and marry her!

She was twisted not only because of her bizarre, tormenting fetishes, but also because of her strange and perverse temperament.

Su Qing Shan had led Xu Jiao Jiao into hating Wang Yu because he wanted to obtain secret information about Tantai Chan from Wang Yu, thereby seizing the High-grade Foundation Establishment Pill in her possession.

But ever since Tantai Chan returned from Heaven Treasure City, many first-generation Foundation Establishment cultivators had fallen silent. Even the Alchemy Hall had invited Tantai Chan to lecture the Inner Disciples studying alchemy.

This greatly intimidated everyone harboring ill intentions.

This was someone with backing—this was the common consensus!

Thus, Su Qing Shan gave up on the opportunity surrounding Tantai Chan and turned instead to seeking a Foundation Establishment opportunity from his father-in-law. After all, with Xu Jiao Jiao there, if he could sacrifice his looks and persuade her with words—

He did not dare guarantee a High-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, but there was still a High probability of obtaining a Low-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill such as an Inverse Blood Pill. It was settling for the next best thing.

Then... there was no then.

Steward Xu had been detained, Xu's Pill Shop had been sealed, and there was also the enormous deficit of nearly one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. Even if Father-in-law escaped imprisonment, preparing a Foundation Establishment Pill for Xu Jiao Jiao would be a problem, much less for him, the son-in-law who had not yet entered the family.

His hatred for Wang Yu had reached the extreme. Using a secret art, he controlled several Outer Disciples from Five Yin Peak and sent them to lie in wait for Wang Yu, intending to kill him without delay.

Who would have thought they would all be counter-killed? At the critical moment, he controlled their minds and had them confess the name Xu Jiao Jiao, clearing suspicion from himself. Thus came today's events.

—Another ambush killing!

At this moment, Wang Yu had a terrible headache. Having learned wisdom from a setback, he generally avoided tucked-away corners. Today, he had arranged to meet an Inner Disciple from Heavenly Corpse Peak.

Yet near the Corpse Raising Ground of [Heavenly Corpse Ward], he ran into Xu Jiao Jiao.

The Corpse Raising Ground contained a Yin Gathering Formation and covered an enormous area. It was located at the very outskirts of [Heavenly Corpse Ward]. Apart from several small lofts where corpse raisers lived, it was no different from the wilderness.

For her to locate him so precisely, the Heavenly Corpse Peak Inner Disciple who had arranged to meet him must have sold him out. Thinking this, he tried to reason with her.

"Miss Xu, Wang believes he bears neither grievance nor enmity toward you. I even helped Steward Xu once. Why are you so determined to cling to Wang?"

"Cling to you? Helped my father?

"What utter nonsense!"

A savage fury appeared on Xu Jiao Jiao's fat-covered face. "When did this young lady ever cling to you? You are the one refusing to let my Xu Clan go—you deserve to die!"

Wang Yu keenly sensed that something was off, but with the arrow on the string, it had to be loosed. Seeing that tiger-shaped tank charge at him, how could he willingly submit to capture?

"Hmph, stubborn to the bitter end!"

Times had changed. Compared to a year and a half ago, Wang Yu's transformation had been nothing short of earth-shaking.

With a flicker of his body, he immediately pulled out nine phantom bodies that scattered in all directions. Taking up the Nine Palaces formation, he formed a sword incantation with one hand.

Beside every phantom body, ten sharp Ice Swords condensed. More than a hundred shot forth in a dense barrage!

Nine false, one true. The crystalline blades shimmered with a ghostly light, almost impossible to distinguish.

Xu Jiao Jiao stomped her feet into the ground, sank her qi into her dantian, and let out a fierce roar.

It was an exceedingly rare sound-wave spell. Savage Ghost Peak was renowned for the strength of its physiques. Though it was not a true Body Refinement Cultivator inheritance, it had still grasped sixty percent of the essence.

This was a High-grade spell—Savage Ghost Roar!

Piercing shrieks raised visible waves of sound. All the false Ice Swords formed by the phantom bodies vanished, leaving only the Ice Sword cast by Wang Yu's true body still advancing.

Xu Jiao Jiao then swept out her thick arm. Her right hand was suddenly enveloped in black smoke, swelling several times larger and transforming into a black ghostly hand that swept away every Ice Sword.

A grave expression appeared on Wang Yu's face. Xu Jiao Jiao's cultivation had shockingly Reached the Qi Refining Eighth Layer. A full three layers separated them, and the pressure Soared!

He formed another incantation, increasing the spell's power.

"Ice Coffin Spell: Bind!"

The temperature rapidly fell, frost spread across the ground, and four Ice Walls appeared around Xu Jiao Jiao, closing in within an instant.

Next, ice crystals sealed the openings above and below, and a gigantic Ice Coffin floated horizontally in the air.