Chapter 557: Entering the Ruins for Pilgrimage, The Ascension Order
As her words fell silent, Lǘqiū Qingfeng stayed quiet for a long time.
She had come here intending to work with Wei Tu, but her plan for the negotiation was simple—use a small portion of Ancestor Blood to keep him interested, then only pay in full if he succeeded in killing Lǘqiū Jinyuan… or just break the agreement entirely.
Yes, breaking the contract was always one of her backup options.
As someone in power, if the cost became too great, she would rather act ruthless than cling to the idea of "keeping promises."
But now…
Wei Tu’s strength had completely disrupted her plan.
Now, she had only two choices.
Either refuse Wei Tu and reject cooperation.
Or agree to cooperate, and take out enough Ancestor Blood for Wei Tu to break into mid-stage fourth-rank body refinement.
The first choice—she didn’t even have to think about it. The storage pouch already held the corpses of three cultivators at her same realm. To refuse Wei Tu now was to plant endless trouble for herself.
But the second choice…
'The price is too high!'
Lǘqiū Qingfeng’s heart bled. She could already picture her own resources flowing endlessly into Wei Tu’s hands, only to be refined and consumed.
She knew clearly—every bit stronger Wei Tu became, the closer Lǘqiū Jinyuan came to death. But such a massive handover of resources still pained her bitterly!
"Princess, if you can’t cut cleanly when needed, you’ll only bring chaos on yourself!"
Seeing her wavering, Nangong Zhe, who stood beside her, immediately sent a voice transmission to remind her.
As the president of the Blood Flood Dragon Merchant Guild, Nangong Zhe’s eyes were sharp. He knew this was the best chance, perhaps the only chance, in Lǘqiū Qingfeng’s life to eliminate Lǘqiū Jinyuan.
He would not allow her to miss this golden opportunity.
'If you can’t cut cleanly, you’ll only bring chaos…'
The words made Lǘqiū Qingfeng falter.
Over the centuries of vying for the throne, she had lost too many opportunities to Lǘqiū Jinyuan precisely because of her repeated hesitation.
That was how a mere concubine’s son had risen to stand above her, the imperial princess.
Thinking of this, Lǘqiū Qingfeng lifted her head and looked at Wei Tu. She finally made her decision, clenching her teeth as she said:
"This palace is willing to fully support Fellow Daoist Fu in breaking into mid-stage fourth-rank body refinement. But besides killing Lǘqiū Jinyuan, I have one more request."
If she had to pay such a heavy price, then she would seize the chance to wrest more benefit for herself.
Meeting someone like Wei Tu was her fortune. If she let this chance slip, there would be no second one.
Wei Tu, however, showed no sign of displeasure.
After all, they were still at the early stage of negotiations. Bargaining was natural. As long as her request wasn’t excessive, he didn’t mind agreeing.
"Please, Ninth Princess, explain in detail."
Wei Tu waved lightly and smiled.
"My request is not excessive. Once Fellow Daoist Fu eliminates Lǘqiū Jinyuan, I want you to stand by my side as a consecrated protector of the Donghua Demon Kingdom… for no less than 200 years!"
Lǘqiū Qingfeng looked at him intently as she spoke.
And as if fearing his refusal, she quickly added:
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Fu’s status within the Lǘqiū Clan will be equal to mine. I will not order you to do anything. After those 200 years, you may leave freely, and I will never interfere again."
"Consecrated protector?"
Hearing this, Wei Tu froze for a moment. This was the third time he had heard that familiar word since stepping into the cultivation world.
The Huang Clan of Heshan, the Ying Ding Tribe…
He had already served as consecrated protector for two different powers.
"Of course. With my strength, if Lǘqiū Qingfeng didn’t try to recruit me, that would be strange."
Wei Tu shook his head and thought to himself.
For a true powerhouse, as long as there was no mortal enmity, great factions would always choose to befriend, not offend.
And among the ways to build such ties, inviting someone as a consecrated protector was often the best choice.
"Ninth Princess invites me so sincerely, I certainly won’t refuse."
Wei Tu let out a light laugh and agreed.
Becoming a consecrated protector of the Lǘqiū Clan was all benefit and no harm. There was no reason for him to reject it.
Besides, he also needed the Lǘqiū Clan—a clan on the verge of producing Divine Transformation cultivators—as a stepping stone to glimpse into the Inner Void Sea.
When he soul-searched the Fireburn Sect Patriarch, he found two fragments of memory that caught his attention.
The first was Ruyi Tower.
That organization might have been the one to abduct Ancestor Luo.
The second was something more unusual—the so-called "Pilgrimage into the Ruins."
This pilgrimage referred to Nascent Soul cultivators like the Fireburn Sect Patriarch entering the Inner Void Sea to pay respects to several Divine Transformation Venerable Masters known as Saints.
Lower sects bowing to higher sects, Nascent Soul cultivators paying respects to Divine Transformation beings—this was nothing strange.
What drew Wei Tu’s attention was that this pilgrimage required qualification.
Every few centuries, those Saints would release a number of "Ascension Orders" across the Outer Void Sea. Only cultivators who obtained such an order were qualified to bring tribute and gain an audience.
Naturally, the Saints wouldn’t shortchange those who came to offer tribute. They usually returned gifts far more valuable than the offerings—sometimes several times over.
Many of those gifts were precisely the resources that Nascent Soul cultivators urgently needed for their cultivation.
Coincidentally, 100 years ago, the Fireburn Sect Patriarch had happened to acquire an Ascension Order on Yunyang Island.
Now, that Ascension Order had naturally fallen into Wei Tu’s hands.
But Wei Tu didn’t yet understand the true purpose behind the Saints holding this "Pilgrimage into the Ruins." So even with the Ascension Order, he dared not use it recklessly.
Having cultivated this far, he no longer believed in free pies falling from the sky.
For now, uncovering the secret behind the Ascension Order wasn’t urgent, but probing into it in his spare time wouldn’t hurt either.
Wei Tu believed firmly that one day he would step into the world of Divine Transformation Venerable Masters.
…
With both sides willing to cooperate, Wei Tu and Lǘqiū Qingfeng soon sealed a formal spiritual contract.
At that moment, Wei Tu hadn’t forgotten about his companion, the Second Mountain Lord. He turned and asked what reward he wanted afterwards.
Hearing this, the Second Mountain Lord felt grateful and then voiced his request.
"This old man wants a Longevity Pill to extend my lifespan," he said.
He was already on the verge of sitting down to die. Aside from life-extending items, other treasures held little appeal.
Of course, breaking through to late-stage Nascent Soul could also extend his lifespan indirectly. But he knew clearly that asking for a Longevity Pill was far more practical.
"Longevity Pill?"
Lǘqiū Qingfeng’s beautiful eyes flickered briefly toward Wei Tu. After all, she had said before that the resources she offered would only be for Wei Tu.
Naturally, the Second Mountain Lord’s reward should also fall within that scope.
But at this stage, she couldn’t very well deny Wei Tu face in front of the Second Mountain Lord.
And besides, a single Longevity Pill wasn’t such a precious resource to her.
Since she had already invested so heavily in Wei Tu, there was no point being stingy over something this small.
"Very well!"
Lǘqiū Qingfeng’s lips curved with a faint smile as she agreed.