Chapter 515: Heading to Chu Kingdom, Meeting Ziyang
On the side, when Qiu Huaisu saw the expression Kou Hongying showed just now, she was stunned for quite a while.
This was the first time she’d ever seen her usually stiff and dignified master show such a girlish look.
"So Master has this side too."
Thinking that, Qiu Huaisu’s calm expression softened, and a smile crept onto her lips.
...
Five days later.
Once Wei Tu saw that Kou Hongying’s cultivation of the Reversing Spirit Blood Exchange Art had completely stabilized with no signs of backlash or other mishaps, he picked an appropriate time to bid farewell to both Kou Hongying and Qiu Huaisu.
"I already promised Hu Yantu. Once the time is right, I’ll make a move against Venerable Master Ziyang."
Wei Tu explained this to Kou Hongying, who was trying to persuade him to stay longer.
Now that he had broken through to the mid Nascent Soul stage, it was time to make another trip to Chu Kingdom and settle this matter.
If the destruction of the Shangliang Cai family dragged on too long, it wouldn’t be good for him either.
"Venerable Master Ziyang?"
Kou Hongying was shaken. She immediately realized the wild rumors from Chu Kingdom about "Old Ghost Cai’s death" were actually linked to Wei Tu.
After all, if it wasn’t something serious, Wei Tu wouldn’t casually help the Beastmaster Sect to act against someone like Ziyang.
She guessed that most likely, Wei Tu killed that Old Ghost Cai first, and only afterward made this promise.
"More than fifty years ago, he killed Golden Core cultivator Old Ghost Cai. Over fifty years later, he took down another mid Nascent Soul cultivator, Liu Yu Daoist… Uncle Wei, you’ve already come this far?"
Kou Hongying muttered, momentarily dazed.
Being invincible among one’s own realm—it sounded simple but was extremely hard to achieve. What was even harder was doing it like Wei Tu had, doubling his combat power in just a few decades.
But rather than joy, what filled Kou Hongying’s heart was worry.
Because… such strength also meant Wei Tu had a knack for attracting trouble.
'You walk too often by the river, your shoes are bound to get wet.'
She thought about it for a long time but didn’t know what identity or tone she could use to advise Wei Tu. As the elder, he could scold her, but as the junior, trying to lecture him would be stepping out of line.
So after hesitating for a long while, she only managed to softly say, "Uncle Wei, stay safe," then quietly watched as Wei Tu left Qiu Huaisu’s cave and the Mirror Water Pavilion.
...
At the same time—
Deep in the Demonic Extreme Sea, at the main headquarters of the Hehuan Sect.
Inside the main hall of a certain cave-dwelling—
A beautiful middle-aged woman in a red coat was seated in the main seat, delicately picking at the food on the table with her chopsticks.
Her movements were graceful and calm. If the food she was savoring hadn’t been a freshly severed human hand, no one would have mentally associated this elegant lady with the infamous and terrifying Madam Yinlian of the demonic path.
"Liu Yu is dead." After finishing her meal, Madam Yinlian dabbed the blood at the corner of her lips with a handkerchief, then looked up at a handsome young man sitting in the lower seat and said slowly.
"What? Liu Yu is dead?"
The moment her words landed—
The young man was stunned for a second, then shock quickly spread across his face.
"Is that true, Vice Sect Master? Liu Yu is really dead?" he asked uncertainly, thinking he might have misheard. After all, Liu Yu Daoist was a solid mid Nascent Soul cultivator.
He looked up at Madam Yinlian and asked in a doubtful tone.
"Two days ago, I saw his soul tablet shatter in the Ancestral Hall."
Madam Yinlian gave a slight nod and calmly confirmed it.
Hearing this, the young man no longer had any doubts. Excitement bloomed on his face, hard to conceal.
After all, with Liu Yu Daoist dead, one of the sect’s top positions was now vacant.
That meant a real shot at promotion for him.
Besides, Liu Yu Daoist possessed the Joyous Nuo Mask, a dual-cultivation treasure of extraordinary value.
Back when Liu Yu was alive, he wouldn’t have dared covet it. But now that the man was dead, by sect rules, the Joyous Nuo Mask was now an unclaimed item.
If he could seize it, he would become its rightful owner and one of the Hehuan Sect’s three Grand Elders.
As for whoever killed Liu Yu—
The young man wasn’t worried at all.
As long as he had solid intel and called on one or two allies to back him up, it wouldn’t be too hard to take care of.
Unless it had been a surprise encounter, cultivators in this world rarely fought one-on-one like fools.
Thinking all that through—
In the next instant, the young man switched to another expression. He sighed softly, putting on a mournful face and said with sorrow, "Vice Sect Master, do you know where Elder Liu Yu was killed? As his fellow sect member, I must avenge him and fulfill his final wish."
Madam Yinlian gave a faint mocking smile when she saw this little act but didn’t call him out. She knew exactly what the younger Nascent Soul cultivator was thinking.
She had summoned him here today precisely to have him replace Liu Yu Daoist and serve as a useful ally in her bid for Sect Master in the future.
Unlike most sects that gave more authority to the Grand Elders over the Sect Master, the Hehuan Sect had always been structured differently—where the Sect Master held the highest authority and Grand Elders ranked just beneath.
So after a brief pause, Madam Yinlian shared the intelligence the sect had gathered on where Liu Yu Daoist had perished.
"This matter is likely tied to Wei Tu, who stole Elder Liu Yu’ Yin-Yang Demon Corpse about one hundred years ago."
Madam Yinlian spoke in a low, serious voice.
"Wei Tu?" The handsome young man raised his brows when he heard the name. He wasn’t unfamiliar with it—Wei Tu was one of the very few Nascent Soul cultivators who had ever made Elder Liu Yu suffer a setback.
But as far as he knew, Wei Tu was just a newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator. There was no way someone like that could kill Liu Yu.
No matter how bold he was, he couldn't believe that in just one hundred years, Wei Tu had grown strong enough to kill someone like Liu Yu.
'Could it be someone backing him?'
Suddenly, that idea struck the handsome youth.
He remembered from the sect's past intelligence that Wei Tu had some connection to Shengya Mountain.
And Shengya Mountain… was the number one orthodox sect in the Great Cang cultivation world.
If Shengya Mountain had taken action, then the fall of Liu Yu wouldn’t be surprising at all.
Thinking of that, the handsome youth couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. No matter how reckless he was, he wouldn’t dare set foot on Shengya Mountain’s territory, let alone provoke them.
If this incident involved Shengya Mountain, then what had seemed like a golden opportunity was suddenly filled with thorns.
"Is there any detailed intel?" the young man cupped his fists and looked at Madam Yinlian.
If there wasn’t enough intel, he’d rather stay quietly in the sect and continue cultivating. He wasn’t about to risk everything for something this uncertain.
Even if he had good prep and managed to kill Wei Tu, what then?
It’s not like killing Wei Tu would guarantee he’d get the Joyous Nuo Mask.
"No." Madam Yinlian’s face showed a flash of impatience as she replied coldly.
Then she gave a cold snort and said, "If this were an easy job, I wouldn’t be giving it to you."
But after that awkward silence, Madam Yinlian suddenly got up and gracefully walked down the steps. Her jade-like fingers gently lifted the young man’s chin.
"But Ji Wuyai, this Madam can promise you this—if you manage to retrieve the Joyous Nuo Mask, I’ll dual cultivate with you three times to help you break through to the peak of mid Nascent Soul."
Madam Yinlian’s lips curled into a smile as she softly exhaled beside his ear.
With those words, she placed a kiss mark on Ji Wuyai’s forehead and then turned to leave the hall without another word.
"Dual cultivation three times?"
Once Madam Yinlian left, Ji Wuyai finally snapped out of it. His thoughts were spinning, and his expression shifted to one of interest.
The Joyous Nuo Mask and the Grand Elder’s position alone hadn’t tempted him enough. But now… with Madam Yinlian’s offer added to the mix…
That made things a whole lot more appealing.
...
Ji Wuyai’s growing interest—
Wei Tu, far away in Chu Kingdom, knew nothing of it.
But when he killed Liu Yu Daoist, he’d already anticipated this outcome.
After all, someone like Liu Yu wasn’t a disposable pawn in the Hehuan Sect. His death was bound to stir up some reaction.
But now that Wei Tu had reached the mid Nascent Soul stage, why would he fear retaliation from the Hehuan Sect?
As long as the entire sect didn’t come after him—
He had nothing to be afraid of.
"Mid Nascent Soul?"
A few days later, back in the Beastmaster Sect, Hu Yantu cried out in shock when he learned about Wei Tu’s new cultivation level. His face was full of disbelief.
Last time Wei Tu came to buy “Fourth-Rank Spirit Beast Flesh,” he had just assumed Wei Tu was trying to use dual cultivation to boost his power. Never did he expect that within just thirty years, Wei Tu would break through to the mid Nascent Soul stage.
A Nascent Soul level dual cultivator…
Mid Nascent Soul cultivation…
Fourth-rank talisman master…
Hu Yantu couldn’t wrap his head around how a cultivator under five hundred years old could achieve so much.
Still, after the shock, Hu Yantu didn’t forget why Wei Tu came.
"Since Fellow Daoist Wei has… found the right time, I’ll inform Venerable Master Ziyang right away."
Hu Yantu respectfully replied.
Hearing that, Wei Tu couldn’t help but smile.
Back when they first met through an introduction from the Yu family’s old ancestor, Hu Yantu had warmly called him “Brother Wei.”
Now that he knew Wei Tu had reached mid Nascent Soul, he switched to calling him “Fellow Daoist Wei.”
His skill at managing relationships was clear as day.
"Very well," Wei Tu nodded and accepted the arrangement without objection.
But before the fight, he once again changed his appearance to match the face he had used the first time he met Venerable Master Ziyang, concealing his true identity.
For now, he didn’t want the news of his mid Nascent Soul breakthrough to spread like wildfire.
Half a day later.
With a message talisman from Hu Yantu, Venerable Master Ziyang arrived promptly.
"It’s you?" Seeing Wei Tu’s “black-faced cultivator” disguise, Venerable Master Ziyang frowned, clearly on high alert.
Last time, it had only taken a few exchanges for him to realize how tricky Wei Tu was. That was why he had stopped trying to reason with him.
Now that Wei Tu had returned…
If he refused to talk again and teamed up with Hu Yantu and the Yu family’s old ancestor—
No matter how strong he was, he could very well end up defeated, or even dead on the spot.