I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

The Great Cang Cultivation Realm is located to the south of the Great Yan Cultivation Realm, and is considered a barren land by many cultivators of the Great Yan Cultivation Realm.

After spending several months traversing the vast, spiritless land where these two cultivation realms intersect, Wei Tu returned to the northern part of the Great Cang cultivation realm—the Demon Extreme Sea—once again after a thousand years.

"This place has remained unaffected by the rise of the Corpse King Sect and still retains its original appearance?" Wei Tu, who had been gathering intelligence in the Demon Extreme Sea for several days, was quite surprised to learn of this news. After all, given the Purple-Faced Hermit's 'hatred' towards him, it would be strange if he didn't come to the place where he started his career.

However, he quickly changed his mind and felt relieved.

Firstly, in the battle along the coast of the Eastern Region of the Great Yan more than 500 years ago, the Purple-Faced Hermit was not without injuries. After returning to the Corpse King Sect in the Central Region with serious injuries, the Corpse King Sect's expansion in the Great Yan cultivation world came to a standstill, let alone its attempt to encroach on the Great Cang cultivation world.

Secondly, the purple-faced man's invasion of the Nascent Soul sect in the Great Yan cultivation world was not for the purpose of expanding his power. His main objective was to seize the fifth-order spiritual veins he occupied, which he intended to use to nurture his treasures.

With this in mind, the Purple-Faced Hermit would naturally find the barren Great Cang Cultivation Realm beneath his notice.

At most, he came to the Great Cang Cultivation Realm to inquire about the inheritance of Fairy Xuanling.

And this is something he would only do after he knew that he was a cultivator from the Great Cang Cultivation Realm.

Although his reputation was widespread in both the Great Cang and Great Yan cultivation worlds, very few people knew that he was a cultivator from the Great Cang cultivation world, not a native of the Great Yan cultivation world.

This is a classic example of being blinded by a single leaf.

"Even so, we must be careful, as this cultivation society may have left behind some contingency plans within the Great Cang Cultivation Realm."

Wei Tu remained cautious, and after only staying in the Demon Extreme Sea for a few days, he fled in a flash, heading straight towards the location of the 'Cloud Marsh Secret Realm'.

Yunze Secret Realm, as one of the four major medicinal gardens left behind by the Nanhua Sect in the Great Cang Cultivation World, also belongs to the Zheng Kingdom.

However, to Wei Tu's surprise, when he arrived in Zheng, Zheng was no longer the territory of the demonic path, but belonged to the 'righteous path'.

“Huangsha Gate…” He looked up, his gaze gazing a thousand miles away, and saw the majestic immortal gate located on the site of the old Honghe Mountain Market.

Through the jade plaque inscribed with the three characters 'Huang Shamen', his gaze shifted to the ancestral hall of this sect, where he saw—in the center, portraits of two people he was quite familiar with.

One is him.

One of them was Huangsha Sanren, whom he had met once in the secret realm of Zunwang Palace.

"Unexpectedly, the state of Zheng is now led by him, and Huang Shamen has taken over its domain." After his initial surprise, Wei Tu's face showed a hint of relief.

Huangsha Sanren was the most talented among the descendants of his mortal friends.

He was a Nascent Soul cultivator who was born by sheer luck among the descendants of the Shan family. Later, near the old residence of the Wei family, they found the "Minor Spring and Autumn Technique," which he had inscribed on the Martial Fortune Tower token after achieving some minor success in his cultivation...

He could be considered half a disciple of his.

"I'm afraid even Master couldn't have imagined that one day his descendant would become a Nascent Soul Ancestor and establish such a great sect..." Wei Tu shook his head, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

However, he had no interest in meeting Huangsha Sanren at the moment. After observing these novel changes, he flicked his sleeves and continued on his way to the 'Yunze Secret Realm'.

however.

It was similar to the "great change" in the state of Zheng.

At this time, the outer perimeter of the 'Yunze Secret Realm' was no longer as desolate and deserted as before. At the original site of the secret realm gate, there was now a fortress heavily fortified with forbidden formations, and a small market town attached to it.

But Wei Tu only glanced at it briefly and then ignored it. He tore open space in a deserted spot and directly entered this ancient secret realm.

The layout of the stone hall here is exactly the same as when he left after seizing the Heaven-Mending Bowl.

Even the remains of the black-faced cultivator from the Chishong Jia family, after his fierce battle with the Zhao family cultivators using the 'Blood Burning Technique,' are still clearly visible.

However, two days later, when he broke through the "Demon-Sealing Array" beneath the stone hall, he did not see the "ancient demon's remains" that should have been there and was being suppressed.

Even the demonic energy dissipated completely here.

"It seems that this part of the ancient demon's body in the Cloud Marsh Secret Realm... has successfully escaped from the Cloud Marsh Secret Realm." Wei Tu sighed inwardly.

However, Wei Tu wasn't particularly surprised by this.

Two thousand years ago, when he had just advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm, a portion of the "demon soul" of this innate ancient demon had already secretly possessed Bai Zhi's soul body and escaped from the Cloud Marsh Secret Realm...

Unfortunately, when she tried to ambush him, he "counter-attacked" her.

Later, the Celestial Maiden Sect and he had warned the "Heshan Ni Family," who controlled this secret realm, to be careful of any changes that might occur within it...

But given the cunning and abilities of that innate ancient demon, escaping the Cloud Marsh Secret Realm is not an unimaginable thing.

—Without the "Heaven-Mending Bowl," a relic of Nanhua, the Demon-Sealing Array of the Secret Realm naturally becomes increasingly difficult to suppress and hold back the ancient demons within it as time goes by.

With this shift in power, it was almost inevitable that the innate ancient demon would escape the Cloud Marsh Secret Realm.

"Moreover, a thousand years have passed, and this secret realm... no longer belongs to the Ni family of Heshan..." Wei Tu stared intently at the man and woman who were suddenly entering the Yunze Secret Realm by using the secret realm's barrier, as well as a dignified middle-aged cultivator following behind them.

The man and woman were both young and beautiful, and both were at the late Foundation Establishment stage. They looked intimate and resembled a couple.

The man wore the same yellow robe as the Huangshamen monks, while the woman wore a moon-colored dress with a large "Liu" character embroidered on the chest.

The character "Liu" is exactly the same as the insignia worn by cultivators inside that fortress outside the Yunze Secret Realm.

Clearly, the Yunze Secret Realm has fallen into the hands of a cultivation family with the surname Liu within the Zheng Kingdom over the past thousand years.

Although the middle-aged male cultivator's specific faction was unclear, his appearance and the Golden Core aura he was currently displaying made it easy to tell that he was an elder of the female cultivator surnamed Liu.

"The infighting among the younger generation is none of my concern. Besides, the Ni family of Heshan who remained in Zheng was only a branch... The rest had long since followed Ni Shihuang and moved to Xiao..."

Wei Tu withdrew his gaze, shook his head, and then, with a flick of his sleeve, prepared to tear through space and leave the Yunze Secret Realm.

Furthermore, he did not intend to inquire about the Liu family stationed here regarding information about the Primordial Demon. After all, given the demon's cunning and the fact that it had escaped, it was unlikely that it would spread information about itself over a wide area, thereby attracting the "pursuit" of human cultivators.

Even if these cultivators knew some information, it would be of little use to him and would be of no benefit to him.

It's highly likely that this demon is currently living in hiding as a human cultivator, secretly searching for the locations of the other three major medicinal gardens of the Nanhua Sect. Alternatively, it may be seeking a way to escape the human realm and return to the "Primordial Demon Source Realm."

He only needs to find the other three major medicinal gardens of the Nanhua Sect, and with the "remains" of this demon in these three gardens, it will not be difficult to use the "Blood Guiding Secret Technique" to locate the demon's whereabouts...

This is much easier than gathering intelligence and hunting down this innate ancient demon.

only--

Just as he was about to escape, the conversation between the three of them suddenly caught his attention.

"Nephew Luo, it's time to tell me about the benefits of having my Liu family support you in breaking through to the Golden Core realm..."

"If it were merely mutual affection between you and my daughter, that would be far from enough."

The middle-aged cultivator gave the young cultivator in the yellow robes of the Shamen sect a deep look and asked in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, the young cultivator surnamed Luo immediately became serious. He nodded, scanned his surroundings with his divine sense, and, seeing that no one was around, breathed a sigh of relief before bowing and replying:

"This matter concerns the great succession of my Huangsha Sect. I dare not speak of it without coming to such a secluded place."

At this point, the cultivator surnamed Luo asked in return, "Uncle, do you know when my grandmaster achieved the Nascent Soul stage?"

"When?" Upon hearing this, the middle-aged cultivator's heart stirred, and he vaguely guessed what it was.

"Are you saying that the Yellow Sand Ancestor will soon reach his end?"

The middle-aged cultivator's expression changed slightly.

Since his rise to power, Huangsha Laozu has become the undisputed number one Nascent Soul cultivator of the righteous path within the territory of Zheng. Once he passes away, the future landscape of Zheng will inevitably undergo a major change.

When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?

At that time, the Liu family will also be 'coerced' into this situation, and their safety will be uncertain.

"That's right. According to my master, my grandmaster will live for at most two hundred years before he passes away."

The Luo-surnamed cultivator from Huangshamen nodded slightly, confirming the middle-aged cultivator's guess.

"And the nobles... are the vassal forces of my Huangsha Sect. Once there is any change in my Huangsha Sect, even the smallest fluctuation will be a major event for the nobles..."

"The good thing I mentioned is that after my master becomes the head of the Huangsha Sect, he will issue an imperial decree to accept Lin'er as his personal disciple and nurture her as a future Nascent Soul seed... I wonder if this benefit can earn you the full support of the nobles today?"

He spoke eloquently.

"A Nascent Soul seed?" Upon hearing this, the middle-aged cultivator was immediately intrigued.

Even though he knew that even with Huang Shamen's dedicated training, the chances of his daughter 'Liu Lin' becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator were extremely slim, this was still a golden opportunity to promote the family's legacy.

"However... your master is only at the peak of the Golden Core stage. He probably can't compete with your senior uncle Zeng You for the position of sect leader, as he is at the Nascent Soul stage!"

The middle-aged cultivator was not easily fooled and continued to ask questions in an extremely cautious tone.

However, the Luo-surname cultivator from Huangsha Sect was clearly prepared for this question. He smiled and said, "Uncle is right. In terms of the choice of sect leader, Senior Uncle Zeng does have an absolute chance of winning."

"But...who says the Huangsha Sect's system can't be changed? In this vast cultivation world, there's more than one path for Nascent Soul cultivators to become sect leaders."

"Other sects often honor their Nascent Soul ancestors as Supreme Ancestors, and then select Golden Core cultivators skilled in handling internal affairs as their sect leaders to wield great power..."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged cultivator was slightly taken aback at first, and then his eyes lit up instantly.

The Golden Elixir is inferior to the Nascent Soul stage; this is an ironclad rule.

Even if the latter did not succeed to the position of sect leader and was only a Supreme Elder, his status would still far surpass that of the former.

However, when it comes to specific sect affairs, such as the control of sect resources... having the title of sect leader is crucial.

Moreover, unlike other sects, Huangsha Sect was founded by Huangsha Patriarch, and the position of the second sect leader has been undecided for a long time, with the sect structure still undecided. Therefore, no one inside or outside Huangsha Sect would object to whether they chose a Nascent Soul disciple with a high cultivation level or a Golden Core disciple with a low cultivation level as sect leader.

"But... what about your senior uncle..." The middle-aged cultivator frowned and asked again.

This was his only concern.

While Huangsha Laozu was alive, no one would question his decisions. But after his death, that might not be the case.

For a Nascent Soul cultivator to deal with a Golden Core cultivator is as simple as flipping their palm.

"Uncle need not worry about this. My master and Uncle Zeng grew up together and have a close relationship. He has also consulted Uncle Zeng on this matter... Uncle Zeng largely agrees with it, after all, he has vividly witnessed our grandmaster's failure to attain immortality... He is unwilling to waste his time on dealing with internal sect affairs..."

"The only difficulty lies in our Grandmaster's decision. He is unwilling to let Master Zeng go easily. Once Master Zeng becomes a Supreme Elder who is detached from worldly affairs, he will inevitably drift further and further away from Huang Shamen in pursuit of opportunities..."

The cultivator surnamed Luo sighed softly.

Upon hearing this, a hint of agreement appeared on the middle-aged cultivator's face.

As the patriarch of the family, he deeply understood the 'dilemma' in the heart of Huangsha Patriarch.

They fear both a lack of descendants and the possibility that their descendants will become too outstanding and gradually abandon the family ancestral temple.

The same applies when you move to Huangshamen.

Although the State of Zheng was large, it was far too small for Zeng You, the newly ascended Nascent Soul cultivator of Huangshamen, and could not contain his entire life's journey.

"Then what does it have to do with my Liu family supporting your breakthrough to the Golden Core stage, and your grandmaster changing his mind?"

The middle-aged cultivator returned to the main topic and asked a question.

He didn't believe that a mere Golden Core cultivator could change Ancestor Huangsha's future decisions.

"Because only those at the Golden Core Realm... can be convincing enough for the Ancestor to recognize me as the next sect leader, and thus allow my master to succeed as the second sect leader of the Yellow Sand Sect."

The cultivator surnamed Luo smiled faintly.

However, this "good grandson" rhetoric clearly failed to convince the middle-aged cultivator, whose expression turned slightly unpleasant.

This cultivator then said, "What if I were confident that I could find Grandmaster Wei and have him grant me this opportunity?"

"Have you found traces of Ancestor Wei?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged cultivator was instantly shocked, his face filled with disbelief.

"...If you can find Elder Wei and obtain the opportunity bestowed upon you by Elder Wei, given Elder Huangsha's personality, he should appoint you as the young sect leader."

"Back then, my Liu family of Xia Cliff was promoted to a Golden Core family by Ancestor Huangsha because we had some blood ties with Ancestor Wei..."

The middle-aged cultivator suppressed his surprise and doubt, and said in a hoarse voice. (End of Chapter)