I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

This scene was naturally noticed by Huangsha Sanren. He glanced at Su Die out of the corner of his eye, and a look of regret similar to Wei Tu appeared on his face.

As the first Nascent Soul cultivator in Zheng State who had attained enlightenment many years ago, he had encountered many confidantes after embarking on his path of cultivation... At this moment, it is not difficult to see the changes in Su Die's gaze towards Wei Tu after more than twenty years.

Compared to the past, there was a noticeable increase in subtle emotions.

Of course, in his view, it was normal for Su Die to have such changes, because few female cultivators could remain unaware of the feelings of affection that would arise after years of being 'accompanied' by an ascended great power.

Moreover, Wei Tu also left this woman a broad and open path to the Nascent Soul stage, which was a great boon to this Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Unfortunately, in Wei Tu's eyes, the person he was taking care of was merely the descendant of an old friend, and it was difficult for him to have any other thoughts about him.

It's possible for Su Die and Su Bing'er to resemble each other, after all, they are strikingly similar in appearance. But... when Wei Tu left, his shake of his head and soft sigh already indicated that this was impossible.

Huangsha Sanren was very familiar with Wei Tu's ability to cultivate his inner strength, knowing that he would not easily reveal his emotions. Therefore, the purpose of the 'sigh' he let out when he left was quite clear: to remind Su Die not to have any unrealistic expectations.

"But encountering someone so amazing at such a young age is too cruel for this junior..."

Huang Sha Sanren glanced at Su Diefen's disappointed face and, with the mindset of a senior who had been through it all, secretly shook his head.

……

A month later.

Wei Tu, who had fled from Huangshamen, stopped in the central region of the Great Yan Cultivation Realm.

After hiding in the clouds, he immediately began to use his magic incantation to spy on the Corpse King Sect's headquarters, which was adjacent to the dangerous place of "Sinking Corpse Evil Land".

Even under the cover of restrictions, the mountain gate, the sect square, the council hall, and the cave dwelling in the back mountain were all clearly seen by his evil eyes.

"That... is the Purple-Faced Hermit?" A moment later, Wei Tu saw the Purple-Faced Hermit, whom he had only heard of for decades in the mortal realm but had never seen in person, in a hidden cave behind the Corpse King Sect.

Contrary to popular belief.

This middle-aged Taoist, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, with a purple aura on his face and a long beard, was not in seclusion in his cave to recuperate from his injuries. Instead, he seemed to be practicing some secret technique, and his cultivation level had soared from the 'early stage of Nascent Soul' more than five hundred years ago to the 'peak stage of Nascent Soul' now.

While cultivating the secret techniques, the residual power he released was already enough to tear apart the surrounding void, as if he could ascend to heaven in broad daylight, or even break through to the Void Refinement Realm, if not for the limitations of heaven and earth.

However, this 'situation' undoubtedly matches Wei Tu's guess.

—The Purple-Faced Hermit has a very deep connection with the 'Upper Realm' and is not an ordinary cultivator from the Lower Realm.

"But why is there a statue of a deity placed in front of this cultivator? Could it be that this statue is related to the secret technique he is currently practicing?"

Soon, Wei Tu noticed a palm-sized, Buddha-like statue floating in front of the Purple-Faced Hermit.

The next moment, as the Purple-Faced Hermit made a hand seal, the Buddha statue immediately emitted endless golden light, which flowed slowly into the Purple-Faced Hermit's seven orifices like flowing water... and was then refined by the Purple-Faced Hermit.

After these golden lights were refined, the Purple-Faced Hermit's realm visibly increased, directly entering the 'Refining Void Realm'.

But soon, a dense power of rules erupted from this cultivator's body, forcibly suppressing his cultivation level and returning him to the 'Peak of the Nascent Soul' realm.

"Not just the Nascent Soul stage?"

This scene surprised Wei Tu, but also brought him some relief.

Whether it's the connection between this cultivator and the 'human race of the spirit world,' or the fact that the spirit zombie was suspected of being resurrected... it's enough to prove that his realm is far from being as simple as an ordinary Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.

However, at this very moment...

An unexpected turn of events occurred!

After absorbing the golden light from the statue, the purple-faced hermit, who was sitting cross-legged, seemed to sense something and suddenly opened his eyes, looking up in the direction where Wei Tu was.

In that instant, although the two were separated by layers of palaces and spiritual barriers, Wei Tu felt as if he and this cultivator were looking at each other.

"A Fusion Realm expert, at least at the late stage of the Fusion Realm!" Wei Tu's heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

The Hun'e Evil Eye, this 'innate spiritual eye' and rare treasure of the cultivation world, is powerful, but it is not invincible.

If he uses his pupil power to spy, and encounters a cultivator whose spiritual sense far surpasses his, there is a certain possibility that he will be perceived by these people with keen spiritual senses.

Clearly, the Purple-Faced Hermit, who had been holed up in the Corpse King Sect for five hundred years and had not emerged from seclusion, belonged to this category of cultivators.

His spiritual sense was far superior to his!

It should be noted that his divine sense, after cultivating the Demon Ancestor-level secret technique 'Seven Eyes of the Nether Cauldron', was much stronger than that of other cultivators of the same level... After breaking through to the Integration Realm, it was already comparable to a mid-stage Integration Realm cultivator.

Therefore, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Purple-Faced Hermit's current cultivation level is at least at the 'late stage of the Integration Realm'!

This is vastly different from the combat power it displayed five hundred years ago!

However, this was within his 'expectations'.

Or rather, this was the worst-case scenario he made after guessing Cixiu's identity.

Great danger is the source of great opportunity!
"Was it a deliberate trap to lure me in? No, impossible. The Purple-Faced Hermit could never have known that I would suddenly descend to the mortal realm and return to the Great Yan Cultivation World..."

Wei Tu's expression turned slightly grim. He forced himself to calm down and think things through.

After all his physical bodies broke through to the 'Fusion' realm, he was fully confident in his combat strength, believing that he could fight against a late-stage Fusion cultivator and escape unscathed.

But when facing a powerful being in the late stage of the Fusion Realm, no matter how confident he was, he couldn't help but feel flustered.

After all, this is a life-or-death battle, not child's play. One wrong move and you could be dead.

"No! There's no need to panic. This is the human realm. Whether you're in the late stage of the Integration Realm or the early stage, your cultivation level will be suppressed to the Nascent Soul Realm... At most, you can only use some power of laws."

"Compared to this, I have a greater advantage in cultivating both the physical body and the Dharma body."

In an instant, Wei Tu's mind was made up.

However, after a flash of his eyes, he did not linger there, but instead fled away in a flash of light, heading in a direction far away from the Corpse King Sect.

Upon witnessing this scene, the Purple-Faced Hermit, who had sensed Wei Tu's presence, hesitated slightly.

The hemp pole beats the wolf and is afraid of both sides.

Wei Tu was afraid of this late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and he was also worried that the 'Nascent Soul cultivator' he suddenly encountered in this human realm was no ordinary person.

But then, when he saw Wei Tu's 'true face' through his disguise technique, his tense mind immediately relaxed, and a relaxed smile appeared on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, it has been many years since we last met. Why did you suddenly leave?" The Purple-Faced Hermit laughed loudly, flicked his sleeves, and soared into the air from within the Corpse King Sect, chasing after Wei Tu's escape light while shouting loudly.

At this moment, he no longer intended to conceal his identity. After all, as long as Wei Tu descended to the lower realm, he would inevitably be able to guess the 'suspicious points' about his identity from his various unusual actions in the Great Yan Cultivation Realm.

Furthermore, exposing his identity would have little impact on his "important matters".

Previously, the reason for concealing this matter was simply because they were worried that it would cause unrest and panic in the human world.

"Fellow Daoist, are you truly... that Spirit Zombie?"

As soon as he said this, just as the Purple-Faced Hermit had predicted, Wei Tu was indeed drawn in. His expression turned ugly, and his escape light slowed down as a result.

“A thousand years ago, when Fellow Daoist Wei came to my underground palace to steal a corpse, didn’t he already sense my displeasure?”

Purple-faced hermit seized the opportunity and quickly caught up, closing the distance to Wei Tu to less than ten miles.

It seems that in the blink of an eye, we can catch up completely.

"However, I did not expect that in just over a thousand years, your cultivation level would have broken through to the Integration Realm... No wonder the Ming family is so wary of you and instructed me to do my best to hunt down your old friends and relatives..."

As if to lure Wei Tu into stopping, the Purple-Faced Hermit calmly revealed a new piece of information that was enough to attract Wei Tu's attention.

"Ming family?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu's expression changed slightly.

However, realizing the Purple-Faced Hermit's plan, he did not stop there. Instead, he slapped his chest, spat out a mouthful of blood essence, and used Blood Escape to speed up his escape.

"Anyone who enters the underground palace shall die!"

"This is a warning I left for you, my descendants, in this place where corpses are scattered."

"You junior, since you won't obey, then don't blame me for taking revenge... Tsk tsk, that female cultivator with the bloodline of the Heavenly Phoenix, isn't she your Daoist partner? She didn't last long under my palm before she screamed and died a miserable death..."

Seeing Wei Tu escape with a blood-escape technique, the Purple-Faced Hermit's confidence soared. He quickened his pace to pursue Wei Tu while trying to provoke him with words, forcing Wei Tu to turn his escape light around and engage in a decisive battle with him.

However, Wei Tu, who already knew about Luqiu Qingfeng's secret letter, would not be deceived by the Purple-Faced Hermit's lie.

His eyes flickered slightly, and following the words of the purple-faced hermit, he asked the question that was hidden deep in his heart.

"Spiritual zombie, who in the Upper Realm resurrected you? You've been asleep for so many years, it's impossible for you to suddenly revive... and it's even more impossible that you would slaughter the entire Great Yan cultivation world just for Wei alone..."

Unfortunately, in the eyes of a seasoned cultivator like the Purple-Faced Hermit, Wei Tu's 'counter-strategy' was rather clumsy.

These words, ironically, made him more wary.

However, after considering Wei Tu's age, the purple-faced man abandoned his 'caution' and chuckled, a hint of arrogance appearing on his face.

"The juniors are still juniors, lacking in experience. I, on the other hand, reached the Great Integration stage tens of thousands of years ago. In the entire human race, apart from my master, who can surpass me? Let alone revive me?"

"I, a humble Taoist, have willingly slumbered for tens of thousands of years for the sake of humanity. The peace you descendants enjoy in the human realm is inextricably linked to our contributions!"

"The Purple-Faced Hermit said in a detached tone."

"Dedication?"

Wei Tu raised an eyebrow. He carefully examined the purple-faced hermit behind him with his divine sense and noticed that the purple-faced hermit's expression had become more 'holy' when he said this, as if he was not lying.

"Among the human race, Fairy Xuanling only broke through to the Mahayana realm in the last ten thousand years... Before that, only Iron-Headed Monk was at the Mahayana realm..."

"Are you a disciple of Iron-Headed Monk?"

Wei Tu narrowed his eyes and pressed on with the question.

At this moment, he also vaguely realized the reason why the Purple-Faced Hermit, or rather the 'Spirit Zombie', had suddenly revived.

This is inseparable from the fact that Tie Tou Tuo was corrupted by the power of incense and faith, and transformed into an incense deity!

—This is the only major event that has occurred within the human race of the spirit realm in the last thousand years.

In other words.

The Purple-Faced Hermit is very likely a 'foundation' left behind by the human race in the Spirit Realm over a long period of time to maintain the strength of their race.

This also explains why a mere spirit zombie has such a long lifespan and can survive one 'lifespan calamity' after another.

"That's right! My master is Iron-Headed Monk."

Upon hearing this, the Purple-Faced Hermit did not refute it, but instead chuckled and nodded in acknowledgment.

however.

Upon seeing this scene, Wei Tu's expression turned somewhat grim. He was somewhat glad that he hadn't sought help from the Human Ancestor Palace after anticipating being hunted down by Tianyan Shangren, but instead had escaped directly using the [Boundary-Severing Stone].

It is true that the human race was protected by the Iron-Headed Monk.

However, it is not necessarily true that they will treat every human cultivator with equal fairness.

The fact that Zi Mian Sanren would 'massacre' sects like Da Xue Shan and Jian Huo Gong after his resurrection is a testament to his nature.

“Indeed, hoping that the emperor will love his people like his own children is a luxury for ordinary people. It’s the same in the world of cultivation.” Wei Tu thought to himself, and felt much more at ease.

This was a principle he had already understood when he was a military officer in the mortal realm.

However, Tie Tou Tuo, being a Mahayana practitioner of the human race and having protected humanity for hundreds of thousands of years, acted with such 'righteousness' that he overlooked this fact.

Of course, it wouldn't be accurate to say he 'ignored' it; he had long been wary of the human authorities, after all, he had witnessed Jiang Lingzi's demonic actions firsthand...

Ultimately, today's Purple-Faced Hermit and yesterday's Spirit-Driving Child are the same kind of people.

However, the latter shared common interests with him, and since he did not have the Mahayana lineage to rely on at that time, he was not enough to arouse the latter's covetousness. Therefore, they had always lived in peace and were even teacher and friend.

but--

Putting himself in their shoes, if he were Jiang Lingzi or Zi Mian Sanren, he probably wouldn't be able to maintain his so-called 'original heart' or not be tempted by the Mahayana inheritance.

While the interests of one's clan are important, selfishness and the pursuit of immortality are the naked truths within the cultivation world.

At this moment, it was true that the Purple-Faced Hermit was chasing him, but he did not use the so-called righteousness of the human race to force him to submit.

Clearly, he also understood how ridiculous it was to use the so-called 'human race's greater good' to bind other cultivators.

“Wei Tu, you are considered a prodigy of our human race. If you reveal the inheritance of Fairy Xuanling and provide her secret treasures and resources… I may forgive your previous transgressions…”

“It is even possible to take you as my apprentice.”

After continuing the pursuit for several days, noticing that Wei Tu's complexion was noticeably paler than before, the Purple-Faced Hermit smiled calmly and spoke in a composed tone. (End of Chapter)