I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

"Is this young man trying to escape the human realm using the spatial rift on Golden Flame Island?"

After several days of pursuit, and sensing that Wei Tu's escape light was getting closer and closer to the Eastern Region of Great Yan, the Purple-Faced Hermit gradually realized this.

Now he had no doubt about Wei Tu's 'cowardice and retreat'.

"We absolutely cannot let this junior get away so easily."

The purple-faced hermit's eyes flashed with a cold light, and his face revealed a ruthless expression.

Five hundred years ago, Luqiu Qingfeng's successful escape right under his nose was a great humiliation for this 'Combined Body Cultivator'... Admittedly, this was partly due to his incomplete recovery of strength and his being only at the Nascent Soul stage, but it is undeniable that he was also too careless at that time.

Unexpectedly, the ancient demon-sealing land on Golden Flame Island had already been opened by human cultivators, and within it lay a 'spatial rift' torn open by the ancient demon...

If Wei Tu, Lu Qiu Qingfeng's Daoist partner, is allowed to escape now, today's events will likely become a laughing stock for him among the higher-ups of the human race.

"He must be stopped!"

Purple-faced Hermit felt a surge of ruthlessness. He bit his tongue and activated a secret technique. In an instant, his escape light, like Wei Tu, was stained with a layer of blood, and his speed increased several notches.

However, under the Blood Escape technique, the Purple-Faced Wanderer's mana consumption also increased rapidly in that instant. Therefore, after his escape speed greatly increased, he thought for a moment and with a flick of his sleeve, he retrieved the seventh-tier flying zombie and the cyan giant blade that he had previously summoned, and switched to pursuing Wei Tu with all his might.

After all, given Wei Tu's current state, he didn't seem to have any spare strength or the desire to fight him.

however--

Reality, however, greatly exceeded Purple-Faced Hermit's expectations.

Sensing this scene, Wei Tu suddenly stopped his escape light. The 'demon dragon' he had transformed into roared and swept up a rolling evil wind mixed with blood and demonic light. Suddenly, the dragon turned its head and attacked him from behind.

"Not good!" Instantly, the purple-faced hermit's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly retreated to avoid Wei Tu's sudden counterattack.

However, his movements were still a little slow.

When Wei Tu's 'demon dragon' had already shot out and was only a dozen feet away from him, he barely reacted and put up a magic shield to resist.

However, how could this temporary defense compare to the power of Wei Tu's magical artifact?

With a slight slash of its claws, his magical shield shattered with a loud crack, leaving only the innermost, temporarily erected 'rule domain' to barely withstand the power of Wei Tu's [Demon Dragon Scissors].

However, the 'Rules and Laws Domain' is not omnipotent. In the blink of an eye, the purple-faced wanderer's two large sleeves, which he hurriedly raised to defend, were completely shattered by the claw's attack. His left arm, which was slightly forward, was also covered in blood, with the flesh torn open, revealing the white bones that shone with spiritual light.

"A golden opportunity! We should seize this chance and finish them off in one fell swoop." Upon seeing the tragic scene, the Purple-Faced Hermit was initially startled, but then immediately overjoyed.

Just moments ago, he was worried that he wouldn't be able to successfully ambush and kill Wei Tu. But now, Wei Tu has been blatantly presented to him, and has greatly exposed his weaknesses!
Soon—with a thought from the Purple-Faced Hermit, the 'Seventh-Order Flying Zombie' and the 'Azure Giant Blade' that he had just put into his sleeve were once again summoned by him, and with a 'whoosh' sound of tearing through the air, they surrounded Wei Tu who was attacking him at close range.

But at this moment, another unexpected event occurred.

Wei Tu, who seemed to be at a disadvantage, suddenly transformed into a 'demon dragon'. In that instant, its tail also turned into a dragon's head. After letting out a dragon's roar, it soared into the air again without slowing down, leaving the purple-faced wanderer behind once more.

At the same time, as a flash of demonic light appeared, the seventh-tier flying zombie closest to Wei Tu also had several extremely conspicuous wounds appear on its body when Wei Tu was freed, causing the aura of this corpse to drop several notches.

"What a troublesome seventh-tier magical artifact..."

Gazing at Wei Tu, who had successfully escaped into the distance, and then looking down at the bloody wound on his left arm, the Purple-Faced Hermit's expression was extremely grim.

At this moment, it was not difficult for him to see the corresponding magical abilities of the seventh-tier magical treasure, the [Demon Dragon Scissors], that Wei Tu carried, as well as the specific tactical ideas he had devised to deal with him based on this treasure.

His purpose was indeed to escape the human world and avoid his pursuit by using the 'spatial rift' on Golden Flame Island.

However, by using the power of this magical artifact, it is highly likely that he intends to gradually weaken his strength during his escape and then turn the tables on him.

However, the primary motivation behind this idea was to use this treasure to intimidate him as much as possible, keeping him constantly on the run and preventing him from taking any further risks in the pursuit... After all, the Demon Dragon Scissors were an unavoidable obstacle in the pursuit of Wei Tu.

This magical treasure is not only offensive and defensive, but it can also be integrated into a cultivator's physical body, 'merging into one' to transform into a 'two-headed demonic dragon' to fight against enemies.

Its convenience means that while chasing Wei Tu, he also needs to devote a considerable amount of mana to maintaining the 'protective magic treasure' to prevent the 'demon dragon' transformed by Wei Tu from suddenly changing direction and launching an attack!

He's gambling!
I'm betting he won't dare to recklessly pursue and kill me!

"This lad underestimates me." The Purple-Faced Hermit sneered inwardly. After glancing at Wei Tu in the distance, he flicked his sleeve, which he had reconstituted with his magic power, and once again rose in a burst of light, giving chase.

As for the seventh-tier flying zombie and the 'cyan giant blade' that he had just summoned, he did not recall them this time, but left them to float beside him for protection.

In terms of mana consumption during this pursuit, he was consuming significantly more mana than Wei Tu, but he believed that the difference in their cultivation levels was enough to make up for it.

Previously, he was being 'cautious' and unwilling to waste his magic power... He also intended to create a 'flaw' to deceive Wei Tu into making a move, which is why he actually revealed his flaw.

After all, Wei Tu's speed of action and the power of the [Demon Dragon Scissors] were things he hadn't anticipated.

Now that he has learned of this intelligence, he will no longer give Wei Tu any chance to launch a sneak attack.

……

With Wei Tu's speed, it would take at most half a month to travel from the 'Corpse-Sinking Evil Land' in the central region of the Great Yan to the 'Golden Flame Island' overseas in the eastern region of the Great Yan.

Currently, with the speed of Blood Escape, this time can be shortened to ten days.

But having discovered Wei Tu's purpose, how could the Purple-Faced Hermit give Wei Tu this chance to escape?

The two pursued and fled, and despite the desperate interception by the Purple-Faced Hermit, more than ten days later, Wei Tu was still three or four days' journey away from 'Golden Flame Island'.

At this moment, the Purple-Faced Hermit seemed to realize that Wei Tu was already at his last gasp.

Every time Wei Tu tried to approach 'Golden Flame Island', he was repelled by its powerful methods.

no doubt.

At this moment, the roles of offense and defense have reversed between the two!

Like a cat playing with a mouse, the Purple-Faced Hermit was gradually reducing the danger of Wei Tu's 'Mahayana successor' turning the tables in despair.

The Mahayana lineage is different from ordinary fusion.

If one truly possesses a 'powerful weapon,' it wouldn't be impossible for them to kill this Grandmaster cultivator through underhanded means.

"That's... Fellow Daoist Wei?"

"There's also the Purple-Faced Hermit?"

Several days later, the earth-shattering battle on the sea quickly attracted the attention of cultivators from nearby islands.

At this moment, even Master Lan and Black Wolf Taoist, who were on Golden Flame Island, discovered traces of the battle between Wei Tu and Purple-Faced Hermit.

The group exclaimed in unison, seemingly unable to believe that Wei Tu and Zi Mian Sanren, who had previously been at the same level as them, possessed such earth-shattering and awe-inspiring combat power.

It seemed that even the realm of Nascent Soul was no match for their mere touch.

And this time.

Sensing the arrival of these people, Wei Tu frowned slightly, and then, as if he had made up his mind, he vanished in a flash, heading away from 'Golden Flame Island'.

"You young man are quite sentimental."

Upon seeing this, the Purple-Faced Hermit couldn't help but show surprise. He had thought that Wei Tu was like him, not caring much about these ordinary old friends.

Even so, he did indeed have some intention of capturing Master Lan, Black Wolf Taoist and others alive, and forcing Wei Tu to submit.

"These individuals are also Nascent Soul cultivators of the human race. Even at this level, they are considered as insignificant as weeds in the Spirit Realm. But in the human realm... they are still grandmasters of a sect, worthy of being passed down through generations."

“Even if I were despicable, I wouldn’t lay a hand on them. Wei Tu, if you surrender now, my word will still stand… I’ll take you as my disciple and save your life.”

"Judging by the time, my lifespan is not long. If I do not break through to the Mahayana realm, the resources I leave behind can only be given to you. After all, tens of thousands of years have passed, and my descendants, old friends, and all those I knew have long since died."

The Purple-Faced Hermit smiled faintly, not forgetting to continue trying to persuade Wei Tu to surrender.

As he spoke, a hint of genuine emotion appeared on his face.

It was as if his promise to Wei Tu was absolutely true, and not a deliberate deception.

However, upon hearing this, Wei Tu only showed a slight change in expression before his face hardened, and he turned and fled into the deep sea of ​​the Eastern Region of Great Yan without looking back.

"I swear an oath to guarantee this statement."

"You live in the future, so you may not know my reputation among the higher echelons of the human race, but... you should know that since my master was able to use me as the foundation of our race for revival, it is conceivable that my character is by no means a wicked person..."

While pursuing and killing, the Purple-Faced Hermit continued to persuade the enemy to surrender with ease.

He could already sense that Wei Tu's magical power was weak and lacked the strength to continue.

His face was as pale as paper, his eyes bulged out and resembled a skeleton, and he was so thin that only skin and bones remained, which was a manifestation of the excessive consumption of blood essence by the Blood Escape technique.

Although he now only has less than 30% of his magical power left, he is still far stronger than Wei Tu.

It's enough to sustain us until the day Wei Tu runs out of magic power and dies!
One day.

two days.

Time passes slowly.

On the seventeenth day...

Wei Tu's escape speed noticeably slowed down, by about 20% compared to before. Furthermore, under the sword aura strike of the Purple-Faced Wanderer's 'Azure Giant Blade,' one of his palms was sliced ​​off, and he looked like he was about to die.

Even borrowing the [Demon Dragon Scissors] to transform into a 'Demon Dragon' was already quite a stretch.

However, the Purple-Faced Hermit still dared not push Wei Tu too far.

At this moment, he actually increased the distance between himself and Wei Tu to prevent Wei Tu from using the Mahayana 'secret treasure' passed down by Fairy Xuanling to drag him down with him.

Several months passed in the blink of an eye.

In the chase, the two had reached the deepest part of the Great Yan Cultivation Realm's outer sea. Through the vast, colorful 'Northern Magnetic Yuan Light' zone, they could already glimpse a corner of the Guixu Sea Cultivation Realm in the distance.

"The Sea of ​​Return to Nothingness? Wei Tu, do you want to go there? Could it be that there is a spatial rift there, just like the one on Golden Flame Island?"

"Or... do you have other important business there?"

"I haven't explored this place since my revival. But since you're not a cultivator from the Great Yan Cultivation Realm, then this Guixu Sea Cultivation Realm is very likely the region where you originated..."

The purple-faced hermit narrowed his eyes, looking at Wei Tu in the distance with a half-smile, and spoke in a threatening tone.

At this point, Wei Tu was not yet exhausted.

But he didn't mind using those words to provoke Wei Tu again, trying to squeeze as much of Wei Tu's magic power as possible.

as predicted!

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu's expression changed slightly, and he once again summoned the [Demon Dragon Scissors] in his hand. At the cost of sacrificing his other hand, he transformed back into a 'Demon Dragon' and attacked the Purple-Faced Wanderer as if fighting to the death.

However, having successfully provoked Wei Tu, the Purple-Faced Hermit did not intend to engage in a prolonged battle with him.

He pointed his fingers, and the seventh-tier flying zombie in front of him roared and charged directly at Wei Tu.

At the same time, he flipped his palm, and a black rope engraved with gold patterns and exuding a sinister aura appeared in his palm. Driven by his magic, it moved like a snake and bound Wei Tu.

After unleashing the mysterious black rope, the purple-faced man also leaped backward dozens of miles, remotely controlling the [Corpse Binding Rope], the seventh-tier flying zombie, and the 'cyan giant blade' to deal with Wei Tu.

"This Corpse-Binding Rope, though not my trump card, is a treasure that brought me fame in the Spirit Realm tens of thousands of years ago... The Mysterious Spirit Fairy's Mysterious Spirit Golden Chain is merely a replica of this treasure, obtained from the Human Ancestor Palace..."

At the same time, this arrogant statement from the Purple-Faced Hermit also reached Wei Tu's ears from afar.

But at this moment...

The purple-faced hermit's face also turned slightly pale, clearly indicating that simultaneously activating the three great treasures and fighting Wei Tu was extremely strenuous for him.

One moment, two moments...

Time passed quietly.

In the blink of an eye, half an hour had passed.

The purple-faced hermit's face remained pale, and his skin and flesh had thinned, making him look emaciated. It seemed that, like Wei Tu, this was due to excessive consumption of his vital essence.

"It's done!" Suddenly, the Purple-Faced Hermit noticed that Wei Tu seemed to be lost in thought, staring intently in his direction. He was slightly pleased and immediately activated the [Binding Corpse Rope] to bind Wei Tu.

At the same time, the seventh-tier flying zombie flashed behind Wei Tu in an instant, and its claws suddenly emitted a strange black light as it reached for Wei Tu's back.

It seemed as if it had been coated with a potent poison.

In the distance, the 'Azure Giant Blade' rang out loudly, and streaks of azure sword energy slashed out one after another, completely blocking Wei Tu's retreat and covering several miles of the surrounding sea.

but--

Right now.

A fleeting message suddenly reached the ears of the Purple-Faced Hermit.

"It seems that Senior Spirit Zombie, like me, is unable to bring high-level elixirs down to the mortal realm... At this point, with his magic power exhausted, he can only tough it out, sacrificing his physical body and using his life essence to sustain himself..."

"Several months is enough time to confirm this conjecture."

"You—" As soon as he finished speaking, the purple-faced hermit looked up in astonishment, staring in disbelief at Wei Tu, who was already trapped in the 'encirclement' in the distance.

He didn't understand why Wei Tu, who was currently at his wit's end, would suddenly say those words.

Clearly, the scales of victory have completely tipped in his favor!
Clearly, he lasted much longer than Wei Tu, not just a day or two, but several months!

Only now was his magical power nearly exhausted! (End of Chapter)