Chapter 550: Driving Back Powerful Enemies, Wei Tu’s True Strength
There were many cultivators like Liu Heihai.
Now, when they saw Wei Tu, a vigorous mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, showing such a hard stance, none dared to provoke him further. Each feared becoming the example he would use to establish his authority after joining Five Elder Mountain—a warning through blood.
Yet among the divine senses probing Five Elder Mountain’s gates, a few clearly weren’t afraid of his warning.
When Wei Tu drew the Koi Dragon Yin Blade, these few immediately activated defensive measures, shielding their divine senses.
“What now? Five Elder Mountain has a cultivator breaking through to Nascent Soul, and you still want to cover it up?”
“Watching from the side for a bit—surely that’s not too much?”
Voices filled with dissatisfaction rang out all around Five Elder Mountain.
With those words, the divine senses that had receded like a tide began to surge back once again.
“They’re the ancestors of Fireburn Sect and Savage God Sect,” the Second Mountain Lord frowned, quietly reminding him.
Wei Tu nodded. He didn’t bother replying. With a single hand seal, the Koi Dragon Yin Blade transformed into a jet-black arc of blade light, slashing toward the direction of those voices.
The Fireburn Sect and Savage God Sect were first-rate powers on Yunyang Island, same as Five Elder Mountain.
The three forces once shared a brief alliance.
But after the Grand Mountain Lord’s death, Fireburn Sect and Savage God Sect became the sharpest fangs trying to tear apart Five Elder Mountain’s foundation, stirring conflict again and again.
Because Five Elder Mountain was weaker, for decades it had swallowed its anger and taken the path of appeasement.
Even after Wei Tu joined, the two sects had been quiet for a time.
Now, with them provoking again, Wei Tu needed no guess—it was just an excuse to test his strength.
The best solution was to strike back hard, show them his edge, and make them feel pain. Otherwise, such provocations would never end.
In the next moment, with Wei Tu’s ruthless strike, the divine senses of Fireburn Sect and Savage God Sect’s ancestors were severed at Five Elder Mountain’s gates, reduced to ashes.
“How dare you!”
“You dare strike at the two of us?”
Two aged figures quickly appeared above Five Elder Mountain, both showing cold anger.
One was tall and broad-shouldered, his body built like iron. The other was gaunt, wrapped in a layer of crimson spirit flames.
“There’s a good show now.”
“After two years of patience, Fireburn Sect and Savage God Sect are finally making their move against Five Elder Mountain.”
The surrounding cultivators of Yunyang Island whispered with interest.
A cultivator breaking through feared interference above all.
These two had chosen this moment deliberately, killing two birds with one stone.
They could both test Wei Tu’s strength and disturb the new Nascent Soul’s advance.
“Unless… Fellow Daoist Fu and the Second Mountain Lord can quickly defeat them both, make those two wary…”
The watching cultivators silently thought.
Five Elder Mountain still had other Nascent Souls, but if they wanted to avoid a full-scale clash of three sects, the only path was to overwhelm Fireburn Sect and Savage God Sect with raw individual power.
But everyone knew how hard that would be.
The Second Mountain Lord’s strength was well known—comparable to either of the two old ancestors, without much difference.
The only real variable was “Fellow Daoist Fu.”
But could he really be stronger than his peers? That seemed unlikely.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already had Third Brother and Fourth Brother release the sect’s stored spiritual qi. Fellow Daoist Fu’s breakthrough won’t be too affected,” the Second Mountain Lord, preparing to fight alongside Wei Tu, offered a few reassuring words.
He himself didn’t think much of Wei Tu, doubting he could push back either Fireburn or Savage God’s ancestor.
But unlike the outsiders speculating, he had already made his preparations.
With those measures, even if they lost, the aftermath wouldn’t be disastrous.
“Many thanks, Second Mountain Lord.”
Wei Tu didn’t boast, nor did he claim he wasn’t afraid.
He cupped his hands in thanks, then lifted his gaze, his face showing wariness toward the two peers before him.
Wei Tu knew his own limits.
Yes, he had killed Zhang Nanqiu not long ago—but he also knew that without Madam Jin’s earlier battle to wear Zhang down, he never could have seized that chance.
Now, facing the Fireburn and Savage God ancestors—even if weaker than Zhang Nanqiu—they were by no means easy opponents.
‘Still… while killing them might be out of reach, I should be able to seriously injure at least one.’
Wei Tu’s lips curved into a cold smile.
He wasn’t arrogant, but he wasn’t self-deprecating either.
Even weakened, Zhang Nanqiu’s strength far surpassed most. Killing him proved Wei Tu’s strength already exceeded the peak of mid-stage Nascent Soul.
…
Before long, Wei Tu and the Second Mountain Lord stepped out of Five Elder Mountain. Their gazes met, and without a word, each instinctively picked the opponent most suited to them.
Wei Tu chose the ancestor of Fireburn Sect.
Though the man’s fire-controlling divine abilities weren’t something Wei Tu could easily counter, he was still far easier to deal with than the Savage God Sect ancestor—that brute with skin like iron.
The cultivation of Savage God Sect’s lineage carried both law and body refinement effects. Though not on par with true body cultivators, for ordinary cultivators they were extremely troublesome opponents.
And unless absolutely necessary, Wei Tu didn’t want to reveal his body cultivation. That was one of his trump cards, hidden at the bottom of his chest.
“You chose me?”
“Fellow Daoist Fu, though this ancestor may not have Old Savage’s raw strength, my fire-controlling arts are no trivial thing. Fight me, and you’ll either die or be crippled.”
“I’ll give you a chance to reconsider.”
The Fireburn Sect ancestor frowned when he saw Wei Tu heading toward him. He realized at once that Wei Tu thought him an easier target, a “soft persimmon.” The old man’s expression soured, his tone cold.
At his stage, breaking through further was nearly impossible. What remained to pursue, beyond longevity, was reputation.
Wei Tu’s true strength was “unknown.”
Unknown meant risk. Risk of losing face, of humiliating defeat.
So if he could choose, he’d much rather fight the familiar Second Mountain Lord than a stranger who seemed young, maybe weaker, but was uncertain.
But of course, he couldn’t admit this outright. So instead, he spoke in circles, hinting that Wei Tu should change opponents.
But clearly…
Wei Tu had no intention of listening.
He frowned slightly at the words, then struck first.
Several Golden Flame Pearls shot from his hand. At the same time, his figure flashed like lightning, appearing above the Fireburn Sect ancestor. With a clawing motion, the Soul-Refining Banner appeared in his grip.
In the blink of an eye, a pack of Nascent Soul evil spirits surged out, surrounding the ancestor in a deadly net.
“This one isn’t inexperienced.”
Seeing the attack, the Fireburn Sect ancestor abandoned all thoughts of persuasion. Stroking his beard, he swept his gaze over the incoming threats and muttered, “Condense.”
Instantly, scarlet flames condensed from thin air, forming a blazing fire domain around him.
Walls of fire rose, blocking the Golden Flame Pearls and the evil spirits from the Soul-Refining Banner.
Unlike ordinary flames, these scarlet fires twisted space itself, trapping both pearl and ghost in burning furnaces. The heat roared, incinerating all within.
Boom! Boom!
The Golden Flame Pearls exploded first, but in that scarlet domain, the blasts didn’t raise even a ripple.
The evil spirits, too, faltered, their souls nearly torn apart.
“As expected of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.”
Wei Tu wasn’t alarmed. In fact, a flicker of admiration crossed his face.
If this were an early-stage Nascent Soul, they would have perished under his opening moves.
‘That smile… not good!’
The Fireburn Sect ancestor had been carefully watching Wei Tu from the start. When he saw the man smiling now, his face tightened, a sense of dread flashing through him.
At the edge of his vision, he suddenly caught sight of a five-colored infant darting through the scarlet flames, rushing straight at him.
“Five-Element Escape Technique?”
Shock rippled across his face. The five elemental escape arts weren’t rare, but to fuse them so seamlessly, wielding them to perfection like this infant—such mastery was nearly unheard of.
Otherwise, even with his divine sense, he wouldn’t have failed to notice its stealthy approach.
“Fire Lotus Art!”
As the infant closed in, the Fireburn Sect ancestor’s hands blurred through seals, and he spat a mouthful of blood essence to hasten the spell.
Scarlet flames swirled like a receding tide, condensing into a giant crimson fire lotus.
The lotus wrapped tightly around his body, sheltering him within.
“Go!”
He roared, and the lotus petals fell away, merging into a blazing sword of scarlet light that slashed at the five-colored infant.
As it flew, the blade deepened to violet, radiating searing heat.
But the infant wasn’t afraid. It opened its mouth and spat out a red bowl etched with dragon patterns, settling it atop its head.
This was Wei Tu’s Firecloud Canopy, a mid-grade fourth-rank defensive treasure. Not only did it ward against all fire, it was a sturdy shield in itself.
With it, the violet blade could make no headway.
Just as the Fireburn Sect ancestor poured more power into his strike, intent on breaking through, a black-and-white ring suddenly dropped from above, descending fast.
“What is that?”
He couldn’t tell the ring’s nature. Alarmed, he retreated several hundred feet in a rush, avoiding its fall.
In the next breath—
The ring flashed, transforming into a black-and-white infant, the same size as the five-colored one.
After helping the Five-Element Infant deflect the violet sword strike, the black-and-white infant joined forces with it, surrounding the Fireburn Sect ancestor who was hiding inside the fire lotus.
Two unorthodox mid-stage Nascent Soul infants striking together, moving in perfect coordination, quickly forced the Fireburn Sect ancestor into a miserable state.
Both the Five-Element Infant and the Two-Yi Infant were operating outside their shells, their speed astonishing, each wielding formidable divine abilities far beyond that of an ordinary mid-stage Nascent Soul.
And above him, Wei Tu loomed, watching coldly.
This fight was essentially three against one.
That the Fireburn Sect ancestor could even hold on without collapsing was already proof of his considerable strength.
‘Only two paths can reverse this fight. One, Old Savage comes to help. Two… I ignore those infants and strike directly at Wei Tu’s true body.’
His mind spun furiously, searching for a way out.
But just as he was about to act, Wei Tu suddenly moved.
The man who had been remotely controlling the two infants with his Soul-Refining Banner now expanded in size. His law body swelled, reaching dozens of zhang tall, a giant towering in the air.
His aura surged, pushing close to the late-stage Nascent Soul level.
“Law of Heaven and Earth?”
Exclamations rippled from the cultivators watching near Five Elder Mountain.
They knew full well that this wasn’t the true Law of Heaven and Earth, which only Divine Transformation experts could wield. It was a technique imitating that ability.
But the power boost it granted was so immense that it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
“Die!”
Wei Tu’s cold snort echoed as a massive hand of condensed law force reached down, grasping at the Fireburn Sect ancestor.
That giant hand was formed entirely of mana and was unaffected by his flames.
Hiss! Crack!
The ancestor’s crimson fire seared into the hand, burning it until white bone shone through.
But it wasn’t enough to destroy the conjured giant hand, nor stop Wei Tu’s “Law of Heaven and Earth.”
In less than a breath, the hand closed in, clutching at the crimson fire lotus that wrapped the ancestor.
The grip tightened.
Cracks spread with sharp shattering sounds, the lotus breaking like fine glass under crushing force.
“No! This one can’t be fought head-on!”
“He’s at least at mid-stage Nascent Soul peak level!”
The ancestor’s face changed drastically. Inside the cracking lotus, he hurriedly formed seals, spitting several mouthfuls of blood to fuel his escape art.
He chanted a rapid incantation.
Just before Wei Tu’s giant hand could squeeze him, his body dissolved into streams of blood-red flame, slipping through the hand’s cracks like water.
Moments later, his figure reformed hundreds of zhang away.
Face pale, he cast Wei Tu a long, fearful look, then turned and fled, retreating all the way back toward Fireburn Sect on the western side of Yuanjun Island.
Seeing this, the Savage God Sect ancestor no longer bothered fighting the Second Mountain Lord either. With a single glance, he too turned tail and ran.
Soon after, the Nascent Soul cultivators watching scattered like startled birds, not one daring to linger, nor leaving their divine sense to probe Five Elder Mountain again.
“Fellow Daoist Fu’s strength… truly astonishing.”
The Second Mountain Lord withdrew his treasures and walked up beside Wei Tu. His expression was complicated, his tone tinged with surprise.
He had assumed Wei Tu’s power was on par with his own—an ordinary mid-stage Nascent Soul.
But now it was clear—Wei Tu could grievously wound, even kill, peers of the same rank.
Such strength…
He no longer knew if accepting the “Cave Ghosts’ Leader of Kangshan” into Five Elder Mountain had been a blessing or a disaster.
Once he passed away, with Wei Tu’s power and backing, seizing Five Elder Mountain’s foundation and roosting in its nest would be no difficulty at all.
If Wei Tu had been a righteous cultivator, he might have comforted himself with thoughts of honor and integrity.
But Wei Tu wasn’t.
Like their own Mountain Lord, he straddled both righteous and demonic paths.
‘Still… leaving Five Elder Mountain to Fellow Daoist Fu is better than having it seized by outsiders.’
The Second Mountain Lord sighed inwardly.
At least if Wei Tu held it, his descendants and the other mountain lords could still remain as elders, enjoying privileges.
If Fireburn Sect or others claimed it, they would all be slaughtered.
That calculation was simple enough.
‘Besides… even if I disapprove, I lack the strength to resist him.’
He knew his own limits.
Better to hand over Five Elder Mountain and maintain mutual benefit than to be crushed without dignity.
…
At the side, Wei Tu guessed at the Second Mountain Lord’s thoughts, but that wasn’t where his focus lay.
“Fireburn Sect.”
He brushed the Taimao Treasure Mirror in his robe, a faint glint flickering in his eyes.