I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

as time flows.

Through his mastery of the secret techniques and the blessing of his "late bloomer" destiny in terms of comprehension, Wei Tu fished for the immortal energy in the bottle at an increasingly faster pace.

Now that he has been identified as an "internal traitor" by the other cultivators, Wei Tu will no longer deliberately hide his abilities. After all, the more "first-mover advantage" he has now, the safer he will be.

Although this speed is only a few breaths faster than before, making it difficult to achieve the miraculous effect of decay... in terms of specific performance, it has already surpassed the most esteemed dragon-born cultivator in the arena—the Great Princess Qian Ying'er.

"Unfortunately, he is not a cultivator of my clan." Upon seeing this, Qian Ying'er was slightly lost in thought, paying even more attention to Wei Tu, wishing she could uncover Wei Tu's true identity at this moment.

Within the Feathered Dragon Clan, among the younger generation, there wasn't a single cultivator who could fight her to a draw.

Wei Tu... surpassed her in this aspect.

The speed at which she fished for the immortal aura might not seem to prove anything, but being there, she knew all too well what it meant for Wei Tu to surpass her in this speed.

In ancient texts, fishing for immortal energy from the Yin-Yang Treasure Bottle in the "Dragon Refining Ancient Hall" was known as "Dragon Fishing".

The cultivators who can participate are all unparalleled dragon prodigies of their time. And those who win first place in the "Dragon Fishing Competition," provided they don't perish, have a 50% chance of attaining the Mahayana realm.

Nowadays, the true dragon race has long since perished in history, and the value of "dragon fishing" has become far less than it used to be over the past tens of thousands of years.

However, since Wei Tu was able to surpass her, the direct daughter of the Great Vehicle Dragon Lord... the prestige of her first place must be comparable to that of the "first place winners" in ancient times.

"If Lei Bao and the others take this opportunity to cause trouble, they might be able to protect this cultivator a little..." Qian Ying'er thought to herself. If she could win over a dragon descendant cultivator with the potential for Mahayana cultivation to submit to the Feather Dragon Clan, it would be a great achievement for her.

……

Three days later.

The tenth immortal energy belonging to Wei Tu, under Wei Tu's divine control, successfully broke free from the "yin and yang energies" at the bottom of the bottle and landed inside the pill bottle in his hand.

And this time.

The Great Princess "Qian Ying'er" barely managed to catch the ninth immortal aura.

Princess Wangyuan and Prince Heng were still battling the sixth tail of immortal energy at the bottom of the bottle.

"Ah Da," who was at the very back, was already drenched in sweat and looked extremely exhausted after only fishing for the third celestial aura.

"Big brother, should we make a move..." Behind Lei Bao, two Divine Armor Clan cultivators of the same clan were itching to act.

Currently, the Feathered Dragon Clan cultivators have fished out thirty-four tails of immortal energy, which already accounts for more than half of the immortal energy in the [Yin Yang Treasure Bottle].

This is the perfect time to take action.

"Wait a little longer." Upon hearing this, Lei Bao did not make a move, but instead narrowed his eyes and suppressed his ambition.

"Wait until Qian Ying'er finishes fishing for the tenth immortal aura..."

"You and I may steal other people's immortal energy, but we must never steal this woman's..."

Lei Bao said in a deep voice.

He had no intention of becoming mortal enemies with the Feathered Dragon Clan, especially Qian Ying'er, the only daughter of the Great Ascension Dragon Lord.

The three dominant clans produce outstanding young talents generation after generation, but very few are able to attain the Mahayana stage.

The "Dragon Lord," who holds great power in the Feathered Dragon Clan and is the father of the Great Princess, is far superior to ordinary Mahayana cultivators within the clan.

The "celestial energy" within the Yin-Yang Treasure Bottle is an opportunity that this Mahayana Dragon Lord has ordained for his daughter.

If he oversteps his bounds, even if the Divine Armor Clan can spare his life, his fate will be far more tragic, and he will pay a heavy price for it.

"Sister Yue Shan, after we drive away the Feather Dragon Clan cultivators, we'll divide the remaining immortal energy among ourselves." After speaking with his clansman, Lei Bao turned to look at Zou Yue Shan, his eyes flashing, and then transmitted these words to her telepathically.

Zou Yueshan was not surprised to hear this. After seeing "A-Da" appear in the outer hall, she had expected this. As the strongest party present, Lei Bao could not possibly not have the idea of ​​breaking the "contract" and obtaining more immortal energy.

"The Great Princess cannot be taken. As for the immortal aura on Prince Heng and the others, our two clans will each rely on their own abilities at that time..." Zou Yueshan smiled lightly and casually agreed.

"Also, whoever captures those two Feathered Dragon Clan servants first will have the immortal energy in their possession, along with the remaining immortal energy in the Yin-Yang Treasure Bottle, belong to that clan..."

After a moment of contemplation, Zou Yueshan proposed a new and more specific allocation plan.

"Let's talk about strength?" Upon hearing this, Lei Bao raised an eyebrow, quite surprised. He had only proposed sharing the remaining immortal energy to take care of Zou Yueshan.

"Could it be that Zou Yueshan is hiding her true strength...?"

Lei Bao frowned. He could tell that Zou Yueshan was far inferior to him in terms of individual strength, but... in real combat, the outcome was determined by much more than just individual strength.

"Since Sister Yueshan is so confident, then I, Lei, will respectfully comply..." Lei Bao laughed heartily and agreed to Zou Yueshan's request in a seemingly generous manner.

However, what the two were unaware of was...

At that moment, Ah Da, who was sweating profusely while fishing for the "fairy energy" at the bottom of the bottle, was also communicating with Wei Tu telepathically, discussing their escape plan.

"Thunderstorm and Zou Yueshan... I'm afraid they'll lose their temper and make a move," A-Da warned coldly.

"Later, when we make our move, I will protect you if necessary. But the prerequisite is that you can buy yourself twenty breaths... and not perish..."

Ah Da remained calm and spoke indifferently.

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu was taken aback.

A few days ago, when we were outside the mural space, A-Da didn't explain things to him in such "details," let alone say anything like "protect him" or "keep him safe."

“If it’s not a deception, then it is…” Wei Tu gripped the elixir bottle tightly, roughly understanding that it was this “immortal energy” in his hand that “protected” his life, making A Da try his best to save his life and prevent him from getting into trouble.

This is also the main reason why he wanted to be the first to fish out the ten immortal auras.

Carrying valuable treasures is a path to death, but in special circumstances, it can be used to ensure one's safety.

Not just Ah Da...

Even the Feathered Dragon Clan would likely have to protect him before they could seize the immortal energy.

"Twenty breaths..."

Wei Tu gazed at the mural space where the Dragon Emperor was in the distance and guessed that this time should be the shortest time required to open this space, as calculated by A Da.

……

The conspiracies were all secretly planned.

But Princess Qian Ying'er also vaguely sensed the tense atmosphere of "a storm brewing".

While fishing for the seventh immortal aura, she had already secretly refined her spiritual treasure and made defensive preparations.

"The eighth tail..."

"The Ninth Tail..."

"The tenth tail..."

Qian Ying'er remained calm, but in her heart she was secretly calculating the time and releasing her vast divine sense to monitor her surroundings.

At this moment, the tenth celestial aura is about to "come ashore".

At this moment, Lei Bao and Zou Yueshan, who had been conserving their energy, finally made their move!

His eyes were sharp. He drew a line across his chest with his fingers, and as a stream of blood seeped out, pale purple flames quickly ignited on his body. These flames, combined with his life essence, transformed in an instant into an extremely dazzling purple armor.

The next moment, a flash of light and shadow appeared, and the cultivator, like a savage beast, exuded a terrifying aura and charged straight at Wei Tu.

This target was not unexpected for Qian Ying'er. After all, one should pick on the weakest target – Wei Tu's cultivation level and the immortal aura he exuded were bound to attract attention.

"Stop fishing for immortal energy, protect A-Tong!"

Qian Ying'er gave a soft shout, raising her delicate hand to grab the tenth immortal energy in the void before her, while simultaneously summoning a small dragon scale shield to protect Wei Tu from the thunderstorm.

As soon as these words fell.

Prince Heng and Princess Wangyuan could only sigh inwardly, "What a pity!" as they discarded the blood threads they were using to fish for immortal energy. With a flash of light, they stepped forward and used their supernatural abilities to resist the remaining Divine Armor Clan cultivators and the Ghost Phoenix Clan cultivators who were taking advantage of the situation to launch an attack.

"Go!" Seeing this, Zou Yueshan, who was hiding behind the Ghost Phoenix Clan cultivators, curled her lips slightly. She flipped her palm, and instantly a strange beast spirit resembling a white shark but with two claws appeared in her palm.

After letting out several eerie cries, its eyes flashed with a fierce light, and an astonishing chill emanated from its body, freezing and cracking the surrounding void. With an unparalleled momentum, it spread its wings and pounced on the overlooked "A-Da".

—The immortal energy within the Yin-Yang Treasure Bottle can only be fished out by dragon-descended cultivators who have passed through the Dragon Refining Cave.

To obtain the remaining immortal energy in the bottle, both the Divine Armor Clan and the Ghost Phoenix Clan must capture a Dragonborn cultivator.

Among the dragon-born cultivators present, only A'da and Wei Tu had the lowest status and the weakest strength, making them the easiest targets... and they were also suspected of being traitors, so even if they were killed, there was no need to worry about incurring a deadly enmity with the Feathered Dragon Clan.

"A late-stage seventh-tier demon beast essence? No! The aura of this demon beast essence has already reached near-eighth-tier..."

As soon as Zou Yueshan made her move, she immediately attracted the attention of all the cultivators present.

All the cultivators wore solemn expressions, revealing a hint of apprehension.

Even though the essence of a near-eighth-tier demon beast is suppressed by the laws of the Sea-Stabilizing Immortal Ruins and can only exert the strength of the peak of the Void Refinement stage, its power is still beyond the resistance of ordinary cultivators.

“Ah Da has no need for protection; let him live or die as he pleases.”

After weighing the pros and cons, Qian Ying'er immediately gave the order.

When facing a powerful enemy, dividing your forces is a major taboo.

And coincidentally, among all the cultivators of the same clan, Ah Da's importance was undoubtedly the lowest.

Even if they die, it won't affect them.

"Thunderstorm, you have violated the three-race pact and attacked our race without authorization... Have you considered the consequences of facing our race's wrath?"

Qian Ying'er shouted angrily in front of everyone, trying to force Lei Bao to stop by using the prestige of the Feathered Dragon Clan.

"...The Great Princess has misunderstood me."

"What I, Lei, have done is precisely for the sake of my three great clans. These two, A-Da and A-Tong, are clearly cultivators from other clans in disguise under the 'Illusion-Breaking Divine Eye' of my clan... I even have the right to suspect that these two are ancient demons who have infiltrated the Dinghai Immortal Ruins..."

Lei Bao chuckled and gave a pre-prepared excuse.

After speaking, he moved swiftly and instantly approached the "Dragon Scale Shield" that Qian Ying'er had summoned.

He raised his hand and pressed down gently. Under the impact of the powerful body-refining blood energy, the spiritual light of the "Dragon Scale Shield" quickly began to dim and shatter.

If he were outside, with his strength, he wouldn't be able to shake Qian Ying'er's protective treasure.

—The legitimate daughter of the Great Ascension Dragon Lord, her protective treasures are at least of the seventh-grade superior quality.

Unfortunately, this is the Immortal Ruins of Dinghai!
The limitations are not only limited to the cultivator's realm, but also to the grade and power of the spiritual treasure.

Body refinement, this power that returns to oneself, is also bound by the laws of the Immortal Ruins, but is undoubtedly least affected by them.

As one side grows while the other diminishes.

Outside, even the Great Princess, who is no weaker than him, can only barely resist him within the Dinghai Immortal Ruins.

"Great Princess, step aside. I only want the immortal energy on him; I don't care about his life or death. This cultivator... has such excellent aptitude. Even if he's a traitor, as long as he's a dragon descendant cultivator, subduing him will greatly benefit your Feathered Dragon Clan..."

Lei Bao used both threats and inducements.

"Heh. After taking away the immortal energy from A-Tong, do you two clans really think you'll just let it go?"

Qian Ying'er sneered, unmoved by the situation.

According to the agreement on spiritual energy, the Feathered Dragon Clan would receive 40% of the "immortal energy," which would be equivalent to 20 tails.

Even if we exclude the immortal aura on Wei Tu, she, Prince Heng, and Princess Wangyuan together have more than twenty tails of immortal aura on them.

This amount is clearly more than what would have been allocated according to the Spirit Pact!
It wasn't hard for her to see that Lei Bao's first target was indeed Wei Tu, but the remaining targets were still Prince Heng and Princess Wang Yuan.

By standing by and watching the interests of her own kind suffer such severe damage, even if she, the Great Princess, can preserve all her immortal energy, she cannot escape the blame!
"It may be difficult for the two of us to determine a winner in a short time. But it's not so certain for Prince Heng and Princess Wangyuan..." Lei Bao said casually, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

Upon hearing this, Qian Ying'er was slightly shocked. Prince Heng and Princess Wangyuan did not have a "protective talisman" like her. They were forcing the Ghost Phoenix Clan and the Divine Armor Clan too far. The life and death of these two people was truly unpredictable.

Furthermore, the claim about thunderstorms is not untrue.

With their individual strength alone, it would be difficult to withstand the combined power of the Ghost Phoenix Clan and the Divine Armor Clan.

Moreover... she didn't quite understand the thoughts of Wei Tu and A Da, these two "traitors." If they turned against her at the last minute, she would have nowhere to go but to regret it.

However, she was unwilling to give up and return empty-handed!
however--

Just then, an unexpected event occurred.

Suddenly, "A-Da," who had been considered by everyone to be destined to lose to Zou Yueshan, displayed astonishing fighting power.

With a flick of his wrists, countless black phantoms appeared on his body, shooting out and instantly enveloping a small portion of the mural space.

Moreover, what was even more shocking was that, in the eyes of the cultivators, the extremely powerful near-eighth-tier demon beast spirit was temporarily held back by the fine black mist exhaled by the cultivator's several black phantoms.

"Who is this cultivator? How could he possess such supernatural powers?"

For a moment, all the cultivators present were stunned.

However, similarly, after "A-Da" displayed his extraordinary power, Wei Tu, who had been protected by Qian Ying'er, now also attracted countless prying eyes—

Princess Qian Ying'er even took the initiative to withdraw the protective magic treasure from Wei Tu. After a flash of her almond eyes, she handed Wei Tu over to the incoming thunderstorm, as if she did not intend to pay any more attention to it.

"Take only the immortal energy, spare his life!"

Qian Ying'er secretly instructed Lei Bao, this was her bottom line, and also one of the conditions of her deal with Lei Bao.

Whether the thunderstorm would comply, she wasn't sure.

But she knew that since Wei Tu dared to impersonate "A Tong" and break into the Dragon Refining Ancient Palace, he must be quite powerful. Even if he was not as strong as "A Da", he would not easily lose his life at Lei Bao's hands.

"Twenty breaths..." At this moment, Wei Tu was also silently calculating the time. He had already glimpsed that A'Da's hidden black phantom was holding a tattered ancient token and using a secret technique to force it into the spirit-restricting wall of the mural space where the Dragon Emperor resided. (End of this chapter)