I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

The hatred between the human race and the Mist Ghost race had already existed when he was alive.

He was naturally familiar with the renowned 'Supreme Secret Technique' within the Mist Ghost Clan.

Because... this secret technique is sufficient to control a 'split soul' to possess another person and engage in cross-dimensional combat.

In other words, the 'Wei Tu' that he had just killed with all his might was merely a 'false body' that he had created using the 'body regeneration' technique.

During their days of pursuit and escape, Wei Tu's true form must have been extremely far from the battlefield.

Even the 'Blood Demon Soul' controlled by Wei Tu... was able to escape after he used the 'Great Ascension Treasure' several times, hiding inside the immortal demon body due to his 'carelessness'.

“How is that possible? Neither the ‘demon body’ of this innate ancient demon nor the ‘blood ghost parasitic evil technique’ of the Mist Ghost Clan can be possessed by a newly merged being… And that immortal lamp, even the Xuanling Fairy probably didn’t have it when she was alive.”

"Wei Tu, who exactly are you? Who exactly are you?"

The purple-faced wanderer's nascent soul cried out in disbelief, as if at this moment, his mental defenses had completely crumbled.

At this moment, an impossible 'possibility' faintly rose in his mind, that is—Wei Tu is Wei Tu, the human Wei Tu that he knows.

Because if Wei Tu were truly possessed by the ancient demon, given the characteristics of the ancient demon's 'demon body,' there would be no need to use the Mist Demon clan's 'Blood Demon Parasitic Evil Technique' to prevent him from turning the tables on him before his death...

But this made it even harder for him to accept.

Clearly, he is the world-renowned 'predecessor' who ascended to heaven hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Furthermore, he was entrusted with high hopes by his master, Iron Head Monk, as the foundation of the human race, having survived to this day, and will bear the heavy responsibility of protecting the human race in the spirit world in the future.

With this thought in mind, his ambush and killing of Wei Tu was the same as his annihilation of cultivators from sects like the Great Snow Mountain and Sword Fire Palace. It was all about clearing out the weeds and making some necessary sacrifices... Because, in his eyes, Wei Tu was far less important than him, far less talented than him. Wei Tu was one of those 'rogue cultivators' who could be sacrificed and who was detached from the upper echelons of the human race!
However, Wei Tu has now proven with his actions that his title of 'senior' is merely due to being many years older and simply an old codger who has survived to this day.

His pursuit and his greed, stripped of all the high-sounding reasons, were nothing more than his selfish desires.

however--

On the battlefield, the immortal demonic body, which had been controlled by Wei Tu's 'Blood Demon Soul Split' and was now healing again, showed no interest in answering the Purple-Faced Hermit's questions.

Its demonic shadow transformed into thousands of black phantoms in an instant, rushing straight towards the purple-faced wanderer in the distance.

For a moment, it was difficult to discern their true form.

Moreover, its speed is so fast that even the Purple-Faced Hermit's two great spiritual treasures, the Corpse-Binding Rope and the Azure Giant Blade, are difficult to catch and react a beat slower.

The Demon Dragon Scissors and the 'Ten Thousand Forbidden Demon Curse'—this demonic treasure and this supernatural power—also flickered with demonic light in that instant on the demon's large hand, turning as black as ink.

But just as this 'sneak attack' was about to succeed...

The golden statue once again protected the Purple-Faced Wanderer. At that moment, the golden light on its surface suddenly shone brightly, condensing into a thick shield.

After a muffled 'plop' sound.

A huge, visible crack appeared on the surface of the golden statue, starting from the neck.

The golden shield it formed and the spiritual light on its surface dimmed considerably in an instant, as if it would be completely destroyed if it were to withstand another blow.

"Wei Tu, stop! I don't care if I die, but the grand plan of our human race cannot be ruined..." Upon seeing this, the belatedly aware Nascent Soul cultivator with the purple face was greatly alarmed and hurriedly cried out.

Unfortunately, upon hearing the words "the grand plan of the human race," Wei Tu's attack did not falter at all; on the contrary, it accelerated even further.

They didn't seem to be affected at all.

However, with the protection of the golden statue shield, the purple-faced wandering cultivator's nascent soul was able to catch his breath and reactivate the [Binding Corpse Rope] and the 'Azure Giant Blade' to attack Wei Tu, who was right in front of him.

However, the Purple-Faced Hermit, whose crisis had been temporarily averted, showed no joy on his face at this moment. Instead, he looked extremely sorrowful.

After all, his fate is already sealed.

Their current desperate resistance is merely a temporary chance to save their lives.

The reason he didn't die was simply because Wei Tu's main body hadn't arrived yet; he only used this 'demon body clone' to strangle him to death with his last bit of strength.

"Wei Tu, if you are still human, answer me. Though I am not talented, I am fortunate enough to have some inheritance... Moreover, after my death, I will do my best to leave these treasures to you..."

The purple-faced hermit moved his lips slightly and spoke to Wei Tu's split soul, which was residing in the demon's body, using a telepathic technique.

"Aren't you curious about what our human race's grand plan is? This is a plan that could give birth to our human race's second Mahayana cultivator... If you can participate in it, you will surely obtain corresponding fortune..."

"I can also pass on my master's unique skills to you, as if I were teaching on behalf of my master."

"The Great Ascension Realm is not easy to break through; without the support of a clan's foundation, it is extremely difficult to achieve enlightenment!"

Tempting words flowed from the Purple-Faced Hermit's mouth and reached Wei Tu's ears.

However, Wei Tu still ignored this completely.

soon.

Under the immense power of time.

After more than ten breaths, the Purple-Faced Hermit, who was already at his wit's end and had sacrificed his nascent soul to exhaust his last bit of magic power, was no longer able to resist Wei Tu's indestructible demonic body.

As the two great magical treasures, the Corpse Binding Rope and the Azure Giant Blade, weakened due to their waning magical power, the golden shield formed by the golden statue shattered instantly under the crushing force of the Demonic Dragon Scissors!

The next moment, the [Demon Dragon Scissors] flashed with demonic light again.

The purple-faced Nascent Soul cultivator, who was sitting cross-legged on the golden statue, couldn't help but let out a miserable scream, shattering into pieces like a porcelain doll.

However, this cultivation did not perish as a result.

In that instant, a divine soul resembling a flying zombie with a blue face and fangs suddenly emerged from the top of his nascent soul. With a flash of cold light, it viciously pounced directly at the demonic body controlled by Wei Tu using the 'Blood Ghost Soul Split'.

It seemed that they intended to compete with Wei Tu for control of this demonic body.

However, Wei Tu seemed to have anticipated this. His three-eyed, four-armed demonic body suddenly opened its vertical pupil at the center, releasing a dazzling green light. After uttering a "Hurry!", the "Ten Thousand Forbidden Demon Spell" in his palm appeared and protected his body.

While resisting the Purple-Faced Hermit's 'body-snatching', it also spread out like a large net to capture the cultivator's soul.

However—the Purple-Faced Wanderer, who had long been aware of the power of the 'Ten Thousand Forbidden Curse,' after witnessing this scene, coldly glanced at Wei Tu and, without hesitation, slapped his forehead, his soul dissipating and he died.

It's amazing.

The soul and nascent soul of this cultivator who died at this moment did not cause much of a stir in the sea, and were even less powerful than some Golden Core cultivators who self-destructed... This shows how much of his magical power had been squeezed out.

"A Nascent Soul cultivator, just like that... died, killed by me?"

Looking out over the vast, calm sea after the storm, Wei Tu, who had been constantly battling and on edge for the past six months, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

His face showed surprise, smug satisfaction at his successful scheme, and a sigh of regret at seeing this cultivator perish.

To be precise, his confrontation with the Purple-Faced Hermit was a last-minute decision, and he hadn't made much preparation beforehand.

After all, according to intelligence, this cultivator was still a Nascent Soul cultivator more than 500 years ago... He was even seriously injured and forced to recuperate for many years because of fighting against a group of Nascent Soul cultivators from the Great Flame Sect.

Who would have thought that his hidden realm had actually reached the peak of the Integration stage?

Moreover, bearing a heavy responsibility and representing the foundation of the human race, it was 'resurrected' by the human race in the spirit world.

"As for... the grand plan of the human race? What does that have to do with me?" Wei Tu sneered inwardly, revealing his rogue cultivator mentality.

Back during the 'Battle of Righteousness and Demonic Power' in the State of Zheng, he had already lost interest in the practices of the righteous sects, let alone the human race of the Spirit Realm with whom he had no connection whatsoever.

He knew that not all of the human race's high-ranking members were like the Purple-Faced Hermit, nor were they as 'dark' as some might think. Compared to other races in the Spirit Realm, they were not outcasts... It was just that the opportunity he had obtained was so great that the Purple-Faced Hermit was willing to fight for it even at the cost of his dignity as a senior member of the human race, which led to all of this.

The same applies to other races in the spirit world.

The Feathered Dragon Clan might be a little better, but that's not because of the inherent nature of their higher-ups. Rather, it's because the opportunities their descendants have are often comparable to those of Mahayana lineage inheritors, so they don't develop excessive greed for the opportunities he has.

If he didn't have the inheritance of the Fairy Xuanling, he would probably be regarded as a valuable junior by the Purple-Faced Hermit, just as she said... and then taken in as a disciple and taught.

But all this is a story for later.

Now that the trend of becoming enemies has emerged, it is impossible for him to compromise himself for the sake of the so-called greater good of the race in order to complete the "great plan of the human race".

"Moreover, the so-called high-ranking members of the human race are essentially just a combination of the master-disciple faction led by Iron-Headed Monk and the ancient saint families... I, a rogue cultivator, have already missed the opportunity to join them."

Wei Tu shook his head and pondered.

Without a series of extraordinary encounters in the spirit world, his path would most likely have been the same as Jiang Lingzi's: first becoming a member of the human race's high-ranking master-disciple faction, then 'merging' with them, and eventually becoming a legitimate member of the human race's high-ranking ranks.

However, with more opportunities from the outside world, it has become quite difficult for him, a 'fusion powerhouse,' to integrate into the upper echelons of the human race... not to mention, he has just killed the Purple-Faced Wanderer.

"I'll take it one step at a time. With the Spirit Realm being so vast, how could it lack a place for me to stay..."

Wei Tu took a deep breath, calmed himself, and suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind.

At this moment, he also inexplicably felt the sense of displacement and desolation of the people of the Purple Palace Realm in another world.

A rogue cultivator is not burdened by the greater cause of humanity, but correspondingly, he loses a place of refuge that he feels a sense of belonging to.

He understood, of course, that the high-ranking members of the human race and the word "human race" were not the same thing.

"Perhaps this is why, despite being human, Zi Chi Jun has not recognized the human race for so many years... After all, factionalism and conflicts of interest far outweigh kinship..."

Wei Tu sighed inwardly.

……

After much thought...

Suppressing his distracting thoughts, Wei Tu looked at the golden statue floating in the air before him, and the half-destroyed remains of the Purple-Faced Wanderer, protected by its dim spiritual light.

“The power of incense and faith…” Wei Tu narrowed his eyes, reached out and took the statue, examining it closely.

This object was neither gold nor jade, but rather resembled a condensation of flowing light. However, its flaw was that it had been completely cracked during his battle with the Purple-Faced Hermit, as if it would shatter instantly with a single squeeze.

Even more regrettably, the incense power within it was almost completely depleted by the Purple-Faced Hermit's constant draining, leaving only a few wisps lingering within the statue.

"The power of incense is useless to me. This item doesn't seem to be a treasure that can help the Purple-Faced Hermit resist the Heavenly Tribulation of his lifespan and be used to transcend the tribulation..." Wei Tu flicked his sleeves and put the golden statue into his pocket. He then re-examined the Purple-Faced Hermit's body, seemingly intending to search for other treasures on his body.

After descending to the mortal realm, the reason he targeted the Purple-Faced Hermit was not only because this cultivator had specifically targeted him, slaughtered the Great Snow Mountain Sect and the Sword Fire Palace Sect, and hunted down his Daoist partner, Luqiu Qingfeng...

Another reason is that he possesses a tribulation-crossing treasure that he might be able to control and resist the power of heavenly tribulation.

This treasure will play a crucial role in his progress within the Integration Realm and his breakthrough to the Hidden Fate Realm.

After erasing the magical imprint on the Purple-Faced Hermit's storage artifact.

In that instant, his entire fortune was laid bare before Wei Tu.

Unsurprisingly, the word that came to mind was 'poor'.

The huge storage space was empty, with only three jade slips and a pale gold seashell that resembled a 'sound transmission shell' remaining.

However, this was also within Wei Tu's expectations.

The Purple-Faced Hermit encountered the same problems he faced in the lower realm. Being able to carry some spiritual treasures down to the lower realm was already his limit... It was impossible for him to carry any high-level spiritual materials or elixirs.

"Found them." Wei Tu scanned the three jade slips with his divine sense, and after examining them for a moment, a look of surprise immediately appeared on his face.

"However, this corpse-sealing formation..."

Wei Tu frowned, touched his chin, and a thoughtful expression appeared between his brows.

Contrary to his expectations, the method used by the Purple-Faced Hermit to overcome the 'Heavenly Tribulation of Life' was not some kind of tribulation-crossing treasure, but rather the use of a very ingenious high-level spiritual array that needed to be set up in the lower realm...

It was through the power of this formation that it survived the "life-ending tribulation" time and time again, remaining alive for hundreds of thousands of years.

However, the difficulty in setting up this formation lies in deceiving 'heaven and earth' as ​​much as possible to reduce the difficulty of the tribulation. Furthermore, one must also possess the aptitude to cultivate the "Corpse-Stiffening Secret Technique" practiced by the Purple-Faced Hermit…

Because of the former reason, the Purple-Faced Hermit, or rather, the higher-ups of the human race, chose to set up an array in the human realm, sealing him away for tens of thousands of years. (End of Chapter)