I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

As soon as these words fell.

Wei Tuwei was startled.

Back in the Purple Palace Realm, he had heard from Lin Tianqi about the Nanhua Sect leading its members to smuggle themselves into the Spirit Realm... Logically speaking, he should have been prepared for He Sanyao's words, and shouldn't be surprised or shocked.

But who can blame them? The meaning behind the name "Nanhua Sect" is so different from that of other sects in the Zichen Realm.

The Nanhua Sect originated from an ancient immortal sect that ascended from the human realm, and later became a lineage of the Zichen Realm!

In other words.

This sect, in theory, should be a human force. The cultivators of this sect are also human, not cultivators of other races.

And he-

Forgive his poor eyesight, but over the past few months, he had not been able to tell that the man in the Confucian robe was a human cultivator.

Although this cultivator is in human form, some features that are not typical of "humans" can be seen beneath his Confucian robes, such as faintly visible scales and claw-like hands...

"Is it because after 'bathing in dragon blood'... the human aura within my body is too weak? Is it no longer pure blood? Or is it that after the entire Nanhua Sect ascended to the Zichen Realm, it has completely integrated into the Zichen Realm and is no longer just a human force or a human race force?" Wei Tu looked at the man in the Confucian robe, his mind racing with thoughts.

He was more inclined to accept the first hypothesis.

Because the man in the Confucian robe first kept his promise to the Feathered Dragon Clan—transforming himself into a Dragonborn cultivator by 'bathing in dragon blood'—and then severed his own dragonborn bloodline, he then "retired" to this Dark Dragon Domain along with the other survivors of the Purple Chen Realm...

After this experience, even if they are pure-blooded humans, they will become a hybrid of different races.

This also led him to not initially consider these survivors of the Zichen Realm to be affiliated with the Nanhua Sect.

After all, in the history circulating in the Purple Palace Realm, the Nanhua Sect, which led its people to smuggle themselves to the Spirit Realm, was just one of many smuggling forces, and it perished in the long river of history because of its failed smuggling attempt.

Even now, calling it a success would be a stretch.

Because, not to mention the "Zi Family" of the Zi Chen Realm's lineage, in the Spirit Realm alone, the Nan Hua Sect only has two remaining descendants: "He Sanyao" and "Zi Chi Jun".

But that's exactly the case.

At this moment, Wei Tu also felt the dramatic and accidental nature of fate.

Who could have imagined that two hundred thousand years ago, the Nanhua Sect, which was appreciated by a noble person in the Zichen Realm and ascended to immortality as a whole, would... produce a Mahayana Realm expert after the destruction of the Zichen Realm, and then uphold the last remaining dignity of these Zichen Realm survivors?
Who could have imagined that the Nanhua Sect, which was considered extremely lucky and had just stumbled upon good fortune in the eyes of the younger generation of cultivators in the human realm, would produce a second Mahayana cultivator, something that the human race in the spirit realm had hoped for for many years but had never seen before!
“However, precisely because of this, this glory has nothing to do with the human race of the Spirit Realm… Even if He Sanyao and Zi Chijun are truly human cultivators, in their eyes, what they value more is the Zi Chen Realm, rather than the so-called human race of the Spirit Realm,” Wei Tu thought to himself.

Thinking of this, he suppressed his curiosity about whether He Sanyao was a human cultivator.

There's no other reason than that—although the Spirit Realm is vast, the human race is not some unknown force. The name of the "Ten Spirit Races" is already enough to reach the ears of this cultivator and the Purple Dragon Lord.

If he truly cares about the human race.

Even without his reminder, the two of them would have gone to find him, and would have secretly been having an affair behind the backs of the Feathered Dragon Clan.

If one doesn't care about this identity, even if he reminds them, it will be of no use.

Secondly, for him, the human race in the spirit world was not as supreme as he thought... though it was a place he felt a sense of belonging to.

But if we put ourselves in his shoes, if he hadn't ascended to the Spirit Realm, hadn't received the inheritance from Fairy Xuanling, and hadn't formed ties with human cultivators like Venerable Suxin... what would the so-called human race have to do with him?
Without tangible benefits or emotional connection, it is difficult to move any qualified cultivator who has grown up in this cruel cultivation world with just an illusory ethnic label.

That's how he was.

The same applies to He Sanyao and Zi Chijun.

Therefore, after He Sanyao revealed that he was the leader of the Nanhua Sect, Wei Tu did not discuss "human affairs" in detail. Instead, like a junior, he inquired about the past of the Nanhua Sect from He Sanyao, a senior from the Zichen Realm.

It seemed they had taken the hunchbacked old man's words seriously and were truly going to inherit the dying lineage of the Nanhua School.

But for that.

He Sanyao was very pleased, and he was happy to talk to Wei Tu about these "past events".

In his youth, he was brave and combative, and disliked endless chatter. But in his old age, he would care about the younger generation, about passing on traditions, about... everything that could be remembered.

Wei Tu, though not his blood descendant.

But the fact that she "received his favor" and was willing to listen to him recount these past events was enough to make him extremely happy.

"...Do you know that the Transcending Tribulation Immortal of the Purple Palace Realm—the Venerable Monk Kubei—was the ancestor of my Nanhua Sect. He was his personally accepted disciple. Thanks to his kindness, my Nanhua Sect has grown from a small Nascent Soul sect to one of the Thirty-Six Dao Sects, on par with many major sects in the realm..."

"After we leave, the thirty-six Dong families that you descendants initially built must have originated from this."

"However, this period of peace was short-lived. Eleven thousand years ago, the ancient demons invaded the Purple Palace Realm. Our ancestor died in battle, and the Venerable Monk Kubei was also besieged by the demon gods of the ancient demon realm... His whereabouts remain unknown to this day..."

He Sanyao recounted the past of the Nanhua Sect, as well as the past of the Zichen Realm, which was closely related to the Nanhua Sect.

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu suddenly realized the true story behind the tale of the Nanhua Sect's ascension to immortality after being appreciated by a noble person from the upper realm.

Simply helping the upper realm suppress the ancient demons is clearly not enough to qualify for the enormous reward of the entire sect's ascension.

However, if his ancestor was appreciated by a Transcending Tribulation Immortal and taken as a personal disciple, all of this could be explained.

"only……"

"The fate of this immortal who transcended tribulation in the Purple Palace Realm, named the Monk Kubei, is probably not that he disappeared, but that he was killed by the demon gods and his spirit was suppressed in the Heavenly Abyss Holy City."

Wei Tu sighed inwardly, thinking to himself.

He still vividly remembered the powerful spiritual pressure he felt when he first arrived in Tianyuan Holy City.

What was an unparalleled glory for the ancient demons was undoubtedly terrifying in the eyes of this spiritual cultivator.

"As for my Nanhua Sect, perhaps we have had some entanglements with the Spirit Realm in the past..." At this point, He Sanyao seemed to have thought of something, narrowed his eyes, and earnestly instructed Wei Tu: "Now that you have decided to join the Feathered Dragon Clan, you must not flirt with other forces in the Spirit Realm or be half-hearted. The Feathered Dragon Clan is your greatest support. You need to remember this."

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Based on his previous speculation, he could easily guess that He Sanyao's words were a self-admonition after he escaped to the Spirit Realm and learned that he was a human cultivator.

Now, seeing his descendants, they have naturally begun to pass on this experience.

However, this also confirms his earlier guess.

—He Sanyao and Zichijun are human cultivators, but they are not close to humans. At least, in front of the Feathered Dragon Clan, they must draw a line between themselves and humans.

“Indeed! You and I are different. If you have the opportunity, you can try to go to the ‘human realm’ of the human race. There, my Nanhua Sect still has a few treasures left behind... These treasures are also closely related to my ancestors of the Nanhua Sect.”

Just as Wei Tu was inwardly grumbling, He Sanyao's sudden words jolted him awake.

"The human realm of the human race?"

"treasure?"

Wei Tu was immediately taken aback.

Fortunately, he was already very composed. At this moment, although he was extremely shocked, his expression remained perfectly calm, only revealing his surprise upon hearing these words, without showing any other emotion.

"Indeed, the human realm of the human race. The human race is one of the ten most powerful races in the spirit realm, second only to the three dominant races of the Feathered Dragon Clan. They control a lower-level realm..."

"The birthplace of my Nanhua Sect is in this realm. There, our ancestors were ordered to suppress an ancient demon... After two hundred thousand years of suppression, this demon should be on the verge of death. With your cultivation level, it should not be difficult for you to deal with this demon and obtain those treasures."

“Those treasures… were personally bestowed upon my Nanhua Sect by the Venerable Monk Kubei. Even if they are ordinary, they are more than enough for you to wield, given by a Transcending Tribulation Immortal.”

“I once asked Zi Chi Jun to do this. But unfortunately, he grew up too fast, perhaps because he didn’t want to get too involved with the human race… so to this day, he has never gone to retrieve those treasures.”

He Sanyao, without any suspicion, spoke slowly.

Wei Tu's identity as a remnant of the Zi Chen Realm is his greatest natural disguise.

No matter how suspicious he was, he wouldn't believe that Wei Tu would have any connection with the human race in the spirit world.

This treasure is indeed considered a "good item".

But... for both him and Zi Chi Jun, its value was not as great as imagined.

It is an opportunity that can be presented to future generations and is something worth sharing.

however--

When Wei Tu heard this, things weren't so simple.

Firstly, it seems that the treasure He Sanyao mentioned is coincidentally in his possession.

However, it wasn't several items, but only "one".

After all, of the four medicinal gardens used by the Nanhua Sect to suppress that ancient demon, he only visited one.

Secondly, there is the origin of this ancient demon.

This demon was not the ordinary ancient demon that Wei Tu had initially thought, but a rare innate ancient demon within the "Primordial Demon Origin Realm".

"No wonder this demon was chosen to be suppressed by the Nanhua Sect and the higher-level Zichen Realm, rather than killed directly... The vitality of innate ancient demons is incomparable to that of acquired ancient demons, and it is simply difficult to kill them by ordinary means."

At this moment, Wei Tu felt a sense of sudden realization, as if the mystery had been solved.

If He Sanyao hadn't revealed this secret...

Even if he had seen those ancient demons sealed and suppressed in the human realm with his own eyes, he would have had no idea that the ancient demon suppressed under the Cloud Marsh Secret Realm was actually an innate ancient demon.

Because of the varying degrees of difficulty in killing the ancient demons.

It varies from person to person.

For cultivators from the lower realms to join forces and seal an ancient demon is already an extremely difficult feat.

Who could have predicted that... the mere Nanhua Sect of the mortal realm would have such an extraordinary background, reaching the level of a Transcending Tribulation Immortal?

"Ancient Demon of Primordial Form..."

Wei Tu was a little envious.

Spiritual practitioners avoid ancient demons at all costs, and can only choose to kill or suppress them.

But for him, a "half-ancient demon".

Ancient demons of innate nature are no ordinary beings.

In his eyes, it was even more valuable than the few "treasures" left behind by the Nanhua School.

Especially this kind of innate ancient demon that has been suppressed for many years and whose magic power has become extremely weak.

Not only is it of great benefit to his cultivation of the "Dark Laws", but it is also an excellent "King of Medicines" that can be used to refine pills and make medicine!
One of the characteristics of innate ancient demons is their innate knowledge of the "Laws of Darkness." Once they grow up, they will become powerful and potentially formidable fusion demon lords.

Second.

The arrival of this mystery also provided him with the best "excuse" to go to the human realm of spirits.

Before coming to the Dark Dragon Domain and meeting He Sanyao and the others, he was still struggling with what reason to give Zi Chijun and get him to help him escape the "surveillance" of the Feather Dragon Clan and go to the human territory without arousing suspicion.

At this point, He Sanyao did not hesitate at all, and casually took out the human realm map that the Nanhua Sect had passed down for many years, and handed it to Wei Tu.

"Indeed...it is one of those four great medicinal herb gardens."

Wei Tu looked up and found the Cloud Marsh Secret Realm, which he was familiar with, on this seemingly real yet unreal map of the human world, along with the "Heaven-Mending Bowl" marked on it.

"But...can this be considered a priceless treasure?"

Wei Tu frowned secretly. The Heaven-Mending Bowl in his hand was only of the fifth rank, and it was a damaged treasure. He rarely used it after reaching the Nascent Soul Realm.

To say that the rank of the "Heaven-Mending Bowl" has decreased due to the passage of time is a bit of a stretch.

However, he couldn't say this directly to He Sanyao.

Secondly, he didn't believe that He Sanyao knew much information about this matter.

After all, it's unlikely that they would hide too much from him on this matter. If they knew this "insider information," they would most likely mention it to him at this moment.

It doesn't make sense. They've said everything, yet they're deliberately hiding something on this trivial matter.

"If given the opportunity, I will travel to the human realm to help my Nanhua Sect obtain its most precious treasure..."

Wei Tu suppressed his distracting thoughts and made the promise with a happy expression.

"No need to force it."

"This treasure is merely an ancestral instruction. Whether it will be of use to you is still unknown."

He Sanyao nodded slightly and smiled.

……

After the reminiscing about the past ended.

He Sanyao and the other survivors of the Zichen Realm seemed to know the Great Princess's instructions to Wei Tu, and "rushed" Wei Tu to leave the Dark Dragon Domain, not allowing him to linger there for long.

"If it's feasible..."

"It would be best to have Lord Zichi find you a suitable princess for marriage. Remember, the Feathered Dragon Clan will be your second home from now on. As for this place... don't think about it! Don't think about it!"

"Even if you are still willing to come, we will not see you again. You junior, don't even think about getting anything from us."

Before leaving, He Sanyao spoke these farewell words to Wei Tu in a stern tone.

"Although I am not from this hometown, this Zichen Realm can be considered my second home."

Wei Tu sighed softly, gazing at the Dark Dragon Domain, which had been swallowed up by the barrier and hidden in the darkness.

The warmth of the cultivation world is the hardest to find.

Those cultivators at the bottom of the hierarchy who are in humble positions are generally willing to befriend and help others without much ulterior motive.

As for high-level cultivators... being in a superior position, they mostly see smiling faces.

People like the descendants of the Purple Palace Realm, who selflessly help him, their junior.

Very rare, very rare... (End of Chapter)