Chapter 533: Essence Vitality Seal Condensed, A Great Crisis
After calming his thoughts, Wei Tu once again focused wholly on cultivation.
Not long after, deep in his dantian, a golden seal slowly took form.
This seal was only about one-third the size of his Nascent Soul’s fist. As soon as it appeared, it drifted about freely within his sea of mana, circling and playing alongside the three jade seals shrouded in bloodlight that were of the same size.
“The Essence Vitality Seal… finally done!”
A trace of joy lit Wei Tu’s face.
The Blood Seal of Life Preservation could strip away a cultivator’s blood essence to temporarily boost one’s mana.
But the Essence Vitality Seal was even more domineering. It directly seized a cultivator’s primal essence, using it to increase one’s power.
Essence gives birth to marrow, and marrow gives birth to blood.
Compared to blood essence, primal essence was a cultivator’s true foundation, the root of the body aside from the soul.
Blood could even be regarded as an extension of primal essence.
That meant with this Essence Vitality Seal added, Wei Tu’s strength had risen to an entirely new level.
Unlike blood essence, this seal seized energy straight from the root of the body, forcibly converting it into his own mana.
“The remaining Taisui Stones… I’ll use them to improve my body cultivation. Though the amount left isn’t enough to push me to mid-fourth stage, even a small gain is worth it…”
Wei Tu glanced at the jade box. Only one-third of the stones were left. He sighed softly.
Fourth-rank Taisui Stones could only strengthen a cultivator’s primal essence. They had no effect on refining the body itself.
Put simply, for a body cultivator, they were no different from pills that restored mana—useful, but incapable of raising the upper limits of cultivation.
Otherwise, these treasures wouldn’t have gathered dust for so long in the Wansheng Pavilion on Poison Demon Island, ignored by everyone.
So, as he saw it, if he wanted to break through to the mid-fourth stage of body cultivation, he had only two paths. Either find a body refinement elixir not weaker than a fourth-rank Taisui Stone, or use the Nine Secrets of Vitality to absorb every drop of essence from a late Nascent Soul cultivator.
But the latter option Wei Tu never considered.
Even setting aside the difficulty of killing a late Nascent Soul expert, achieving a breakthrough in that way would leave hidden flaws that would cripple his future path.
More importantly, he couldn’t accept the demonic mindset of ‘treating humans as pills.’
His goal wasn’t to rival late Nascent Soul cultivators—it was to surpass them, to break through that stage and reach Divine Transformation.
Though Ancestor Chilong had never said it outright, Wei Tu suspected the old man was stuck at late Nascent Soul precisely because of this issue—his essence was far too impure.
Mana being unrefined wasn’t so terrible; with secret arts and treasures, it could be resolved.
But essence being impure…
That wasn’t something one could solve so easily.
He couldn’t exactly cut apart his body inch by inch to remove tainted essence.
Even for a body cultivator, that was nearly impossible. For an immortal cultivator, it was unthinkable.
…
In cultivation, time lost its meaning.
In the blink of an eye, two months had passed.
During this time, Wei Tu refined all the fourth-rank Taisui Stones. His body cultivation rose by one small stage, reaching early-fourth stage at Major Accomplishment.
Though the improvement seemed slight, it was already a remarkable result. A normal Nascent Soul cultivator would need centuries of bitter training to achieve the same.
With his cultivation raised, Wei Tu didn’t immediately leave seclusion. Instead, he pulled two jade slips from his storage bag and studied them carefully.
One had been given by Ancestor Chilong, recording the demonic art “Great Vile Art of Spirit-Enslaving and Banner Control.”
The other was the promised payment delivered in advance by Venerable Master Jiu Li—“Little Big Dipper Star Divine Technique.”
At present, his body and mana had both reached a point where they couldn’t be quickly advanced.
If he wanted to grow stronger, he would have to rely on these two profound secret arts.
The first went without saying. To fully control the Soul-Refining Banner, he had to master it.
The second, for now, he only intended to study. But if he could actually cultivate it, all the better.
He wouldn’t mind grasping at the Nascent Soul stage a divine ability belonging to the Divine Transformation realm—Law of Heaven and Earth.
Time slipped by once more.
Several more months passed.
Through painstaking cultivation, Wei Tu finally succeeded. With the technique of banner control, he thoroughly refined the Soul-Refining Banner, this deadly weapon, and gained some insight into the vile art of spirit-enslaving.
“The Five-Element Infant…”
At that moment, Wei Tu’s divine sense entered the space within the banner. Looking at the five-colored infant inside, his face showed a thoughtful expression.
The benefits of refining a "second Nascent Soul" didn’t need to be said. It was equal to gaining a perfectly obedient helper. Whether in battle or cultivation, it could be considered flawless.
But deep down, Wei Tu rejected the “Five Elements Infant.” He didn’t want to refine it into his second Nascent Soul. After all, the tragic sight of Qi Chengchu being torn open at the dantian by this infant was still fresh in his memory.
‘Every craft has its specialists.’
Wei Tu knew his mastery of the soul path could never compare with Ancestor Tianxie, an old demon who had toyed with the souls of cultivators for several thousand years. To erase the Five Elements Infant’s spirit and then refine it as a “second Nascent Soul” was never in his plans.
After much thought, Wei Tu came up with what could be considered a wasteful but safer solution—he would refine the Five Elements Infant into the main soul of the Soul-Refining Banner.
With the banner controlling the Five Elements Infant, even if Ancestor Tianxie found a way to incite rebellion later, it wouldn’t harm him. On the contrary, he might even seize control of the infant himself through the banner.
Thinking this through, Wei Tu let out a cold laugh. He raised the Soul-Refining Banner in his hand, and the Five Elements Infant, along with several fiendish spirits trapped inside, flew out.
The moment those fiends saw the light, their faces lit up with excitement. Their greedy eyes locked onto the Five Elements Infant. They clearly remembered that months ago Wei Tu had promised them that this infant would become their blood food.
"Wei Tu, it’s you?"
The Five Elements Infant had long been bound to Qi Chengchu, and it knew of the grudges between Wei Tu and him. So, the instant it was released, it recognized Wei Tu’s true identity.
It shrieked: "Wei Tu, you’re dead! I am the treasured creation of the Soul-Capturing Sect. If you dare touch me, Ancestor Tianxie will never spare you!"
But even after shouting this threat, it saw no trace of fear on Wei Tu’s face.
Then, noticing Wei Tu’s hands forming strange seals, as if casting some vicious demonic art, the infant trembled. As though realizing what was about to happen, it quickly cried out and began begging for its life.
The pleas, however, were useless.
Moments later, when a black light fell onto its head, the Five Elements Infant felt its consciousness growing weaker. An irresistible urge to submit to Wei Tu as its master welled up inside.
"Wei Tu, may you die miserably! The Soul-Capturing Sect will avenge me. The ancestor is already on his way to the Myriad Yin Sect… you’ll die, you’ll die…" The infant cursed bitterly, its face twisted with venomous hatred.
But as time passed, its curses grew fainter and fainter.
Wei Tu extended his hand, seized the Five Elements Infant that had been subdued by the “Soul-Enslaving Evil Method,” and began soul-searching.
Soon, the memories of the infant’s spirit flooded Wei Tu’s mind—from the very moment it was created through evil means, all the way to its impending death.
He began extracting intelligence about the Soul-Capturing Sect, cross-referencing it with Qi Chengchu’s last words.
"Wait… Duan Changjing?"
At that instant, Wei Tu suddenly saw memories of the Five Elements Infant secretly communicating with Duan Changjing within the last hundred years, bypassing Qi Chengchu.
From these memories, it was clear: Duan Changjing had long been cooperating with the Soul-Capturing Sect.
Qi Chengchu was not the only pawn planted in the Myriad Yin Sect. They had split their plan into two fronts. The hidden one was none other than the vice sect master—Duan Changjing.
Qi Chengchu, that so-called Young Master Jingchen, was merely the catfish sent to stir up the muddy waters of Myriad Yin Sect. Wei Tu himself, the so-called “Young Sect Master,” had simply become the spark that pushed Duan Changjing fully into the Soul-Capturing Sect’s arms.
Without Wei Tu’s arrival, Duan Changjing would have remained disloyal but still kept the secret ambition of replacing Madam Jin. But now… the situation had evolved, and Duan Changjing had become someone who was bound to betray.
The realization sent a chill down Wei Tu’s spine.
He didn’t fear Zhang Nanqiu. He didn’t fear Ancestor Tianxie. He didn’t even fear Duan Changjing. But if they all joined hands, Myriad Yin Sect would become his grave.
Duan Changjing hadn’t acted yet, likely because he hadn’t finalized terms with the Soul-Capturing Sect. Once conditions were agreed upon…
The more Wei Tu thought about it, the more his heart sank. Suddenly, he understood why Zhang Nanqiu hadn’t gone all out while chasing him. The man had been waiting for Ancestor Tianxie to arrive, planning to sweep them all away in one net.
‘I was too confident. I underestimated the cunning of these old devils.’
"Old Zhu, I’m heading to Myriad Yin Sect’s long-distance teleportation array right now. Be ready to activate it at a moment’s notice."
Wei Tu only wanted to escape this dangerous place as quickly as possible.
He stood, packed his belongings, and sent a secret message to Ancestor Chìlóng, explaining the current situation.
Ancestor Chìlóng was equally decisive. Concerned only for his own life, he didn’t even bring up whether they should fetch his family. If he did, Duan Changjing might get wind of it, and both he and Wei Tu would lose their chance of escaping alive.
Within moments, Wei Tu had stripped down to essentials and was rushing to the teleportation array, prepared to flee far away.
Half an hour later, in a hidden place within Myriad Yin Sect, the long-distance teleportation array was activated with Ancestor Chìlóng’s sect master token. Spatial ripples began to stir.
But after a while, the array failed to lock onto its destination.
"Not good! It’s a space-sealing formation…" Ancestor Chìlóng’s face changed.
Though teleportation arrays were powerful, they became useless when caught in a space-sealing formation.
"It’s Duan Changjing."
Wei Tu’s expression turned cold. To set up a space-sealing formation wasn’t easy. Even Ancestor Tianxie couldn’t bypass Myriad Yin Sect’s protective array to do so. The only possible culprit was Duan Changjing himself.
Breaking the formation wasn’t hard. All one had to do was find the bases of the array and dismantle them one by one. But the problem was that breaking it would inevitably alert Duan Changjing. With his interference, using the long-distance array would be almost impossible.
"Go to Madam Jin!"
Wei Tu quickly made his decision. He turned into a streak of light and flew straight toward Madam Jin’s residence.
At this point, whether he wanted it or not, he had no choice but to ally with her to fight for a way out.
Half an hour later, when Madam Jin heard that Wei Tu had come to visit, her brows rose slightly, a flicker of puzzlement in her eyes. His past betrayal wasn’t enough to make them enemies, but it wasn’t something that could simply be brushed aside.
"Did this boy bring any gift?" she asked her attendant after a moment of thought.
If Wei Tu came bearing apologies, even if she didn’t forgive him, it would at least soothe her feelings.
"No, Madam," the servant shook her head.
"No gift? Then why bother coming?" Madam Jin frowned, a trace of irritation flashing across her face. But remembering that this boy might one day become her husband, she forced herself to suppress the displeasure.
"Let him in."
She flicked her sleeve, sat down in the main seat, and waved dismissively.
Soon after, Wei Tu entered the cave residence and calmly took a seat beside her. Madam Jin’s brows knit slightly, but she didn’t comment.
"What does the Young Sect Master seek from me?" she asked coolly.
Her words deliberately reminded him of his past—half a year ago, when he broke his promise.
"Madam, I came to discuss an urgent matter. It concerns Seventh Miss." Wei Tu bowed slightly, his face calm, unaffected by her cold demeanor.
"Sutai?" Madam Jin was surprised. She hadn’t expected him to remember that she still had an unmarried daughter.
But then she heard his request for privacy. Considering the matter might be sensitive, she agreed.
"You all may leave." Madam Jin dismissed her attendants and set up a soundproof barrier.
Seeing this, Wei Tu wasted no time. He spoke directly about Duan Changjing’s collusion with the Soul-Capturing Sect. Of course, he concealed his real identity and Ancestor Chìlóng’s whereabouts.
"Out of concern for you and Seventh Miss’s safety, I came to warn you," Wei Tu said, calmly telling a small lie. He couldn’t say outright that he was seeking cooperation because he couldn’t escape alone.
Having been in power for nearly 500 years, Madam Jin wasn’t a naive woman. She showed no panic at his words, as if what she heard was a trivial matter.
"Where is the Five Elements Infant?" she asked instead, demanding the key evidence. Without proof, she would not believe him.
Wei Tu was prepared. With a wave of his hand, he sent over the infant, whose memories he had partially erased.
"Is this… real?"
After soul-searching the infant, Madam Jin’s expression flickered with rare alarm. Though it vanished in an instant, Wei Tu still caught it.
"Please decide, Madam. Shall we join forces to resolve this crisis? Or shall we each seek our own way out?" Wei Tu said, bowing respectfully.