Chapter 511: Margin for Error, Myriad Spirits Corpse Fluid
As her words fell, Cao Mi’s expression froze for a moment, then showed clear disappointment. She looked at the shattered black spiritual light of Liu Yu Daoist’s Nascent Soul with visible regret.
"I acted too fast..."
Cao Mi felt helpless and frustrated. It wasn’t that she had other considerations and purposely killed Liu Yu Daoist before he could be subdued.
She had just been afraid that Liu Yu Daoist might lash out in a final counterattack before death. That’s why she used full force, cutting him down quickly and decisively.
After all, even a dying camel is bigger than a horse.
The relic of Ancestor Chìlóng...
Although Liu Yu Daoist didn’t have time to explain everything, she could easily guess that this treasure was likely the true reason Wei Tu rose so quickly in such a short time.
If she could get her hands on this opportunity, maybe she too could break through to mid-stage Nascent Soul in just 100 years like Wei Tu.
Benefits tempt the heart.
And this wasn’t just some benefit—it was a heaven-sent opportunity.
But after a brief moment, Cao Mi seemed to think of something else. A hint of relief crept into her expression.
If this had been decades ago, when both she and Wei Tu were still in early Nascent Soul, she might have had a real shot at seizing the opportunity from his hands.
But now, Wei Tu had already broken through to mid-stage Nascent Soul.
The gap in cultivation between them was far too wide!
There’s nothing wrong with chasing after opportunities.
But if it’s blind chasing, that’s just being blinded by greed and asking for death.
In this regard, she actually felt lucky that she killed Liu Yu Daoist quickly. Knowing little about the secret spared her from falling into temptation.
"After all, Fellow Daoist Wei isn't someone I can deal with alone. If I wanted to team up, at the Nascent Soul level, who else can I trust besides him?"
Cao Mi calmed down and thought it through.
Master Hongjing.
Holy Son of Faguang.
Lüqiu Jinyuan.
Liu Yu Daoist...
Every Nascent Soul cultivator who died at Wei Tu’s hands—was any of them easy to deal with?
She didn’t believe she was an exception.
Besides, putting benefits aside, emotionally speaking, Wei Tu had treated her pretty well.
Otherwise, during the trip to Guixu Sea, she wouldn’t have gotten such a large share of the spoils.
And apart from all that, there was one more thing—something she was subconsciously avoiding.
That was Wei Tu...
He wasn’t someone who could be easily schemed against.
Right now, she was lucky to have intercepted Liu Yu Daoist’s Nascent Soul in this direction and killed him, thereby learning about this major secret.
But let’s flip it around—
There was a high chance that Wei Tu had already marked her as a "suspect" for knowing this secret and was on guard—or even preparing to make a move.
In fact, not knowing the full truth might be a blessing for her.
...
Cao Mi’s guess was not wrong.
When Wei Tu sensed that Liu Yu Daoist had died at her hands, his face remained calm without the slightest change. But deep inside, a trace of suspicion toward her had already sprouted.
Although Wei Tu didn’t know whether Liu Yu Daoist had figured out his demonic techniques came from Ancestor Chìlóng, he was sure of one thing—Liu Yu Daoist had gone through all this trouble to ambush him, not just to avenge past humiliation or retrieve his Yin-Yang Demon Corpse.
He wanted something more.
Wei Tu had seen that look in Liu Yu Daoist’s eyes during their battle—greedy, longing.
It was the look of someone coveting treasure, not someone blinded by hate.
So when Cao Mi killed Liu Yu Daoist without keeping him alive, it was only natural for Wei Tu to become more cautious around her.
Still, despite that, Wei Tu didn’t do anything extra toward Cao Mi.
Unlike Liu Yu Daoist, Cao Mi posed a limited threat to him. The strongest cultivator she could rally was... himself.
He was mid-stage Nascent Soul. There was no reason to fear someone at early Nascent Soul whose background he knew clearly.
Besides, the two of them had signed a soul oath on the "Heaven’s Nether True Page" to never betray one another.
His wariness was just what any proper cultivator in the world of cultivation should have.
"Let time sort everything out."
Wei Tu withdrew his thoughts.
Now that he had advanced to mid-stage Nascent Soul, he had enough strength to tolerate some risk. There was no need to act rashly out of paranoia and drive a wedge between himself and those around him.
He thought to himself that aside from the "Late Bloomer" destiny, the rest of the treasures on him—even if they were exposed—could still be protected with his current cultivation level.
This was the confidence that strength gave him.
Besides, if he truly didn’t trust Cao Mi, he wouldn’t have brought her into the Righteous Society over 100 years ago.
At the very least, after fighting side by side for those decades in the Guixu Sea cultivation world, the current Cao Mi was still someone he could trust.
"If it had been Divine Master Du Long or the others who intercepted and killed Liu Yu Daoist, would I have struck them down as well, repaying kindness with betrayal?"
Wei Tu shook his head.
With his strength, killing Liu Yu Daoist outright was still pushing it.
If Liu Yu Daoist hadn’t been spooked by the siege from him and Divine Master Du Long’s group—forcing his Nascent Soul to try and flee—then the outcome of their battle might’ve been entirely different.
From this angle, even if Cao Mi really did find out the reason Liu Yu Daoist coveted him, this pain was something he had to endure right now.
...
"Fellow Daoist Wei."
As she saw Wei Tu descend from the clouds, Cao Mi smiled lightly and stepped forward, giving a respectful greeting.
"Junior Sister Cao." Wei Tu gave a slight nod, raising his eyes to glance at Liu Yu Daoist’s shattered Nascent Soul remains and the silver storage bangle left behind.
But upon seeing it, he didn’t rush to take it. Just like Cao Mi, he stood there patiently.
In this kill, while he had done most of the work and Cao Mi had reaped the result, Divine Master Du Long and the others had barely taken any action. Still, the whole matter stemmed from him, and their involvement had been mostly to support him.
So both sentimentally and logically, he couldn’t just take all of Liu Yu Daoist’s belongings for himself. He had to wait for Divine Master Du Long and the others to arrive so they could discuss the division together.
Wei Tu still understood the principle of “one who walks in righteousness gains much support, while one who walks in unrighteousness finds little help.”
Half an hour later, Divine Masters Du Long, He Di, and Donglai, having received the message, arrived at the site where Liu Yu Daoist fell.
"Let Fellow Daoist Wei decide how to divide the spoils. We barely did anything in this battle."
Divine Master Du Long said cheerfully with a smile.
The older he got, the more cautious he became. While he did covet Liu Yu Daoist’s belongings, facing a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator like Wei Tu, he wouldn’t dare push too hard.
After all, as long as Wei Tu respected him, he could still call him "Fellow Daoist." But if Wei Tu stopped respecting him, he wouldn’t even have the courage to get angry.
"Exactly! Fellow Daoist Du Long speaks well."
Divine Masters He Di and Donglai had no objections and voiced their agreement.
Seeing this, Wei Tu didn’t hesitate. With a sweep of his magic power, he erased the imprint from Liu Yu Daoist’s storage bracelet and began pouring out all the spiritual items inside.
In no time, all the items had been sorted into small piles by category, forming miniature mountains.
"So many Tier-Four spirit items?"
Divine Master Du Long and the others widened their eyes in shock at the sheer amount of Tier-Four spirit herbs and materials now scattered across the ground.
Even though they had expected that Liu Yu Daoist, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, would have plenty of treasures, they never imagined his wealth would be worth over ten times more than their own combined fortunes.
Unlike the stunned expressions of Divine Master Du Long’s group, Wei Tu and Cao Mi remained calm, as if these treasures were of little importance to them.
They weren’t faking it.
It was simply that after being spoiled by the wealth of Nascent Soul cultivators in the Guixu Sea cultivation world, their expectations had been raised.
In terms of Tier-Four herbs and materials, Liu Yu Daoist’s possessions were far more abundant than those of the Nascent Soul cultivators Wei Tu and Cao Mi had killed before.
But if spirit crystals were included, Liu Yu Daoist’s overall wealth wasn’t even worth mentioning.
In total value, he didn’t even compare to the Holy Son of Faguang.
So after giving the spirit items just a few glances, Wei Tu turned his attention to the jade slips Liu Yu Daoist had left behind.
"Found it!" Before long, Wei Tu located the jade slip among the pile—containing the method to refine the Yin-Yang Demon Corpse.
One hundred years ago, he had stolen Liu Yu Daoist’s Yin-Yang Demon Corpse from the Hehuan Sect’s branch. While it had been a profitable move, it also forced the corpse to awaken prematurely, greatly reducing its potential power.
If the Yin-Yang Demon Corpse had been properly nurtured, even a single corpse would have had power equal to mid-stage Nascent Soul.
Once Yin and Yang fused, it would have unmatched might, rivaling late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.
That was the real reason Liu Yu Daoist had valued it so highly—he had intended to use it as his life-saving treasure after reaching late-stage Nascent Soul.
At present, the Yin-Yang Demon Corpse was still useful to Wei Tu, but he had many other powerful means at his disposal. They could easily replace it.
If that was all, then using other methods to replace the corpse would be perfectly reasonable.
After all, controlling corpses didn’t match the image of a righteous cultivator like him.
But the key issue was…
The potential of the Yin-Yang Demon Corpse could last him well into late-stage Nascent Soul, even the Deification realm. Giving it up now would be a huge loss. So, at this point, finding a way to nurture the Yin-Yang Demon Corpse had basically become something he had to do no matter what.
Luckily, his fortune wasn’t bad. He managed to kill Liu Yu Daoist and found the nurturing methods among his belongings.
"Myriad Spirits Corpse Fluid..."
"Yin-Yang Parasite Spirit Method..."
"Corpse Dual Cultivation Technique..."
As Wei Tu flipped through the jade slip, he found three methods to nurture the Yin-Yang Demon Corpse.
1. The Myriad Spirits Corpse Fluid used heaven and earth spiritual items to raise the corpse—it was the “resource-based” method.
2. The Yin-Yang Parasite Spirit Method and the Corpse Dual Cultivation Technique used the cultivator’s own cultivation to nourish the corpse—these were from the “bitter cultivation” school.
Each method had its strengths.
Liu Yu Daoist had used both—he not only used the Myriad Spirits Corpse Fluid, but also slowly boosted the corpse’s origin power through his own cultivation.
"It’s just... this Corpse Dual Cultivation Technique..."
Seeing this, Wei Tu’s expression turned strange. He thought, 'Only the Hehuan Sect could come up with something like this—even their corpse-refining techniques are this deep.'
"Myriad Spirits Corpse Fluid!"
After thinking for a moment, Wei Tu set his sights on the only method he could realistically use.
He wasn't even going to consider the Corpse Dual Cultivation Technique.
And the Yin-Yang Parasite Spirit Method wasn’t suitable for him either. He saw the Yin-Yang Demon Corpse as a combat tool, not something to form a symbiotic bond with.
If he used that method and left a part of his spirit inside the corpse for too long, it would severely drain his soul and energy, slowing down his cultivation progress.
The Myriad Spirits Corpse Fluid, though a rare resource in the cultivation world, wasn’t something too hard to obtain for a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator like him.
This jade slip conveniently had a few spiritual locations marked by Liu Yu Daoist where the fluid might be found.
When the time came, he’d just go and collect it.
"Maybe Gong Shulan has it."
Suddenly, Wei Tu thought of her. After all, when it came to corpse-refining, her skill wasn’t below Liu Yu Daoist’s—maybe even better.
...
Not long after, Wei Tu, Cao Mi, Divine Masters Du Long, He Di, and Donglai had finished dividing Liu Yu Daoist’s belongings.
Everyone was satisfied with the outcome. No complaints.
At that moment, Divine Master Du Long also took out Divine Master Jinxia’s storage pouch and handed it to Wei Tu, letting him decide how to split that loot as well.
Wei Tu was a bit surprised.
After all, he hadn’t lifted a finger in killing Divine Master Jinxia.
But when everyone looked to him, he didn’t insist on declining either.
Compared to Liu Yu Daoist’s stash, Divine Master Jinxia’s belongings were pretty sad—just a few valuable Tier-Four spirit items.
"This is a Sun Essence Stone?"
Wei Tu's eyes lit up when he noticed a fist-sized golden spirit stone.
As the name suggested, the Sun Essence Stone stored the energy of the sun.
It wasn’t exactly rare in the cultivation world, but ones this large and this pure were much harder to come by.
"Since Fellow Daoist Wei cultivates the Golden Sun-Gazing Eyes, we’ll yield this to him. Fellow Daoist, please don’t refuse."
Divine Master Donglai had sharp eyes. The moment he saw Wei Tu taking an interest in the Sun Essence Stone, he immediately spoke up.
Hearing that, Wei Tu didn’t argue. He gave a slight nod, waved his sleeve, and swept the stone into his own storage pouch.
...
Divine Master Jinxia and Liu Yu Daoist—those two major threats were dead, but there was still one person... alive.
After Divine Master Du Long and the others left, Wei Tu acted. His escape light flared as he headed alone to the valley where Kou Hongying and Yuwen Lianggu were fighting.
"This treasure... is the most valuable thing Liu Yu Daoist left behind."
Landing in the valley, Wei Tu glanced at the unconscious Yuwen Lianggu lying on the ground. The corners of his mouth lifted in a smile.
This time, he and the four Divine Masters had planned together to take down Liu Yu Daoist and Divine Master Jinxia.
But at the start of the battle, it had been him alone who came to this valley, saved Kou Hongying, and fought Liu Yu Daoist directly.
Now, without hesitation, he reached out and touched Yuwen Lianggu’s face, peeling off a thin human-skin mask.
It was this very mask that had nearly made him mistake Yuwen Lianggu for Qianyue Sanren.
If not for the Ghost-Eyed Demon Spider, he might not have recognized her true identity.
To be able to fool a Nascent Soul ancestor...
That alone showed just how precious this human-skin mask really was.