I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

"Senior Brother with the Purple Face... has fallen."

Ten days later.

The Spirit Realm, the Holy Emperor's Domain.

In an ancient temple that had been silent for a long time, a surprised voice suddenly rang out, startling the dozen or so portraits hanging on the altar inside. At that moment, one by one, the fragmented souls of the cultivators who were exactly the same as the portraits escaped.

These cultivators possessed powerful auras and dressed in various ways, including monks, Taoists, woodcutters, and fishermen. Each of them was at least at the late stage of the Integration Realm.

As these words fell, the dozen or so merged souls, their eyes slightly cold, all turned their gazes toward the portrait located in the center, second from the left.

The portrait on the second from the left depicts a Taoist priest in blue robes holding a soul bell and with a black rope hanging from his waist. The moment the gazes of the cultivators fell upon him, his spiritual light dimmed considerably, and in that instant, he spontaneously combusted without any wind.

"How could this be? Senior Brother Purple Face had the protection of a secret treasure passed down by our master, and he was in the lower realm... how could he suddenly perish?"

Seeing this, the dozen or so merged souls looked grim, and the same question arose in their minds.

The cultivators at the Fusion Realm in the lower realm are already unmatched powerhouses. Moreover, the Purple-Faced Hermit is no ordinary Fusion Realm cultivator; he was a Grand Fusion Realm cultivator who had already reached the peak of the Fusion Realm tens of thousands of years ago.

Unless Mahayana Buddhism is introduced into the world, no one will be a match for the Purple-Faced Hermit.

As for the human realm... this lower realm is bound by the laws of heaven and earth, and it is not an easy place for Mahayana practitioners to go.

Once a Mahayana cultivator uses methods and risks descending to the mortal realm, not only will their cultivation level be greatly suppressed, making it easy for their opponents to take advantage, but the targeting of the laws of heaven and earth alone will make it difficult for them to withstand.

Therefore, within the human realm, anyone could potentially attack the Purple-Faced Hermit, but it is highly unlikely that a Mahayana cultivator would risk descending to the mortal realm solely for the sake of the Purple-Faced Hermit.

The image of the spontaneous combustion without wind, which proclaimed the death of the Purple-Faced Hermit, was also true.

These 'portraits' contain hidden Mahayana Buddhist power. They are 'soul tablets' that their master, Iron Head Monk, spent a great deal of time making for them. Even if they are separated by a realm, they can receive death messages through the power of the laws.

"But cultivators who have achieved the Fusion Realm... unless they are natives born in the human realm, they will hardly have the strength to descend to the human realm."

The cultivators frowned deeply, pondering the mystery behind it.

A cultivator at the Mahayana stage might have the ability to kill the Purple-Faced Hermit, but for their own safety, they wouldn't descend to the mortal realm solely for the sake of the Purple-Faced Hermit... Furthermore, cultivators at the Integration stage are not native to the human realm and would find it difficult to descend. Even if they did, they would likely be no match for the Purple-Faced Hermit, who was at the peak of the Integration stage.

Therefore, at this moment, while they could accept and understand the fall of any other human being at the Fusion stage, they found it hard to believe that the Purple-Faced Hermit, who was in the lower realm, had suddenly died and been killed by someone.

"Junior Brother Duan, you personally orchestrated Senior Brother Zi Mian's resurrection in the mortal realm... Do you know the inside story?"

A middle-aged cultivator dressed as a woodcutter focused his gaze on 'Duan Jiu,' the only one in the ancient temple who was present in physical form and had just exclaimed in surprise.

"This..." Upon hearing this, Duan Jiu, who was dressed in iron armor and had a cold and stern face, couldn't help but show a bitter smile.

If he knew the reason for the Purple-Faced Hermit's death, he wouldn't have been so surprised before.

Seeing this, the middle-aged cultivator dressed as a woodcutter sighed inwardly, shook his head, and stopped pressing Duan Jiu, the junior brother responsible for guarding the ancient temple.

"Seven hundred years ago, Master was corrupted by the power of incense offerings, lost his mind, and became an incense offering deity. Incense offering deities can only carry out Master's 'obsessions' from his previous life, protecting the human race, which is almost the same as Dao Fallen..."

"These are turbulent times. Originally, if Senior Brother Zi Mian could return to the Spirit Realm and possess the 'Scorched Earth Drought Demon' Dharma Image he cultivated, along with our assistance... he could have advanced to the half-step Mahayana stage by relying on the foundation left by Master."

"Only those who cultivate the Corpse-Stiffing Secret Technique and reach the half-step Mahayana level can conveniently carry out that plan and give birth to the next Mahayana immortal of our human race... Now, with this variable, this matter is probably difficult to achieve."

The middle-aged monk dressed as a woodcutter sighed softly and spoke slowly.

But as soon as he finished speaking, a pale-faced scholar with feminine features and a delicate temperament beside him frowned slightly and offered a contrary opinion.

“That method is also an evil one. Master never considered it when he was alive. Now that Senior Brother Purple Face has died… the four half-step Mahayana cultivators are missing one person. It’s just right to abandon this plan.”

"Evil magic? So what if it's evil magic? Master never carried out this plan during his lifetime. But Master also left us the spiritual materials needed to carry it out... For the sake of humanity's long-term future, no matter how bloody this method is, it is worth a try."

Upon hearing this, one of the dozen or so merged and divided souls in the temple immediately raised a slightly unpleasant objection.

"That old ghost Pei from the Mist Ghost Clan, didn't he also use evil magic to advance to the Mahayana realm? Which of the other ten spirit clans didn't act ruthlessly when the autumn harvest was scarce?"

"To sacrifice one feather for the benefit of the whole race, that is what we, the higher-ups of humanity, should consider... Mercy is the least valuable thing when faced with life and death."

Another voice said coldly, "The two souls are now united and separated."

"Alright! Let's put this matter aside for now. With the incense-burning deity of our master protecting us, the human race won't be wiped out in the short term... If all else fails, I'll swallow my pride and beg the Purple Dragon Lord of the Feathered Dragon Clan..."

When the middle-aged cultivator dressed as a woodcutter saw the cultivators arguing about this, he immediately snorted and interrupted them.

He observed that the crowd should refrain from speaking.

At this moment, the middle-aged cultivator dressed as a woodcutter turned his gaze back to Duan Jiu.

"Junior Brother Duan, I'll leave the matter of Senior Brother Zi Mian's demise to you to send someone down to the mortal realm to investigate... As for guarding the temple, I'll leave that to your Seventh Senior Brother."

he ordered.

"Yes, Senior Brother." Upon hearing this, Duan Jiu nodded slightly, offering no objection to the arrangement.

The "seventh senior brother" he mentioned, the "pale-faced scholar," did not accept the offer immediately upon hearing it. Only after feeling the intense gaze of the middle-aged cultivator dressed as a woodcutter did he reluctantly nod and agree.

……

As Duan Jiu left the ancient temple, preparing to investigate the cause of the Purple-Faced Hermit's death...

Wei Tu once again set foot on the territory of the Central Region of the Great Yan, arriving at the Corpse King Sect founded by the Purple-Faced Hermit.

The Corpse King Sect is merely a game created by the Purple-Faced Hermit, a 'powerful figure in the spirit world,' to conceal the true nature of its cultivators. Unlike normal sects, it does not have any legitimate disciples or members. Apart from servants used for pleasure, there are no other cultivators with any other identities.

Therefore, after finding the sect's treasury and looting all its resources, Wei Tu turned and prepared to leave directly for the nearby 'Sinking Corpse Land' to search for the 'Five Strange Corpses'.

"That's... the Snow Maiden with Heavenly Eyebrows?"

But at that very moment, Wei Tu's immense divine sense suddenly spotted the Snow Maiden with Heavenly Eyebrows, who was rumored to have been refined into a 'replenishment furnace' by the Purple-Faced Hermit, within the gates of the Corpse King Sect.

This woman seemed to have her magical powers imprisoned by the Purple-Faced Hermit, and was doing what an ordinary person would do in a secluded mansion, sweeping the courtyard and tending to the medicinal herbs.

"Indeed, the Purple-Faced Hermit has drained a lot of my mana."

Wei Tu narrowed his eyes, sensing that the woman's foundation was unstable, her magical power was weak, and that there was a subtle, alluring charm in her movements.

His expression was slightly strange, as if he hadn't expected that these so-called rumors in the cultivation world were actually true.

However, after thinking about it for a moment, he felt relieved.

Having been sealed away for tens of thousands of years, the Purple-Faced Hermit had long forgotten the taste of flesh. It's not hard to understand why, after his rebirth, he sought out beautiful female cultivators to enjoy himself with.

Cultivators are not just dead people who only know how to cultivate; they also have emotions and desires.

"Very well, there is a past connection after all. This woman's misfortune is also related to me to some extent." Wei Tu shook his head, and from his cloud-like position, he raised a finger and released the restrictions on the woman's body, setting her free.

"Today, the Purple-Faced Hermit has been slain by me. You are now free to leave the Corpse King Sect..."

After speaking these words telepathically, he flicked his sleeve and prepared to leave in a flash of light.

However, what happened next was completely unexpected.

Upon being released, the Snow Maiden with Heavenly Eyebrows was initially surprised and overjoyed. After expressing her gratitude, a ruthless look immediately appeared on her face. She then flew to a secluded spiritual place, which was suspected to be the family's residence, some distance away from the Corpse King Sect.

After using his divine power to imprison this area, he immediately began the slaughter, killing his way from outside the clan to inside.

At this moment, Wei Tu noticed that the aura of a young man in brocade robes was extremely similar to that of Tianmei Xue Nu and Zi Mian Sanren.

This child was also referred to as a 'bastard' by the Heavenly Eyebrow Snow Maiden.

"The Purple-Faced Hermit actually left behind descendants in the human realm?" Wei Tu was slightly taken aback.

Under normal circumstances, even if a powerful being from the upper realm uses a female cultivator as a vessel for pleasure, he will not deplete his own vital essence and leave offspring in the lower realm.

This is something that defies common sense.

"Something's not right! There's something strange about this kid's physical body." Wei Tu narrowed his eyes, flew to this spiritual place, and before Tianmei Xue Nu could kill the kid, he waved his sleeve and blocked the magic power that was about to erupt from her palm.

"Is it that...senior?"

Sensing the powerful magic that suddenly erupted before her and the terrifying pressure that rushed towards her, Tianmei Xue Nu was startled and looked up at the sky.

Soon, a slender figure in a green robe came into view in her clear, bright eyes.

"Wei Tu?" She was suddenly startled, and an expression of disbelief appeared on her face.

She knew Wei Tu very well, more than anyone else.

Back then, for the sake of Ghost Shadow Palace's 'husband', she attempted to assassinate Wei Tu but failed... and was instead captured alive by Wei Tu, imprisoned, and reduced to a 'spirit slave'.

Even though later, due to her disciple Golden Silkworm Snow Maiden and her husband Ghost King's 'betrayal', this grudge was wiped clean... the power to control her 'spirit slave' was also transferred to her grand-disciple 'Lin Xuan'er' by Wei Tu after his ascension.

Unexpectedly, the 'freedom' she regained today came from Wei Tu by some twist of fate.

Nothing in this world is more absurd than this.

However, she never imagined that Wei Tu, who had ascended to the mortal realm long ago, would actually descend to the mortal realm and possess such terrifying strength that he could kill the Purple-Faced Wanderer!

As the "furnace" of the Purple-Faced Hermit for hundreds of years, she had some understanding of this cultivator and knew that he was not as ordinary as he appeared, but most likely a cultivator from the Spirit Realm above.

"After a thousand years, Fellow Daoist Tianmei doesn't recognize me?"

Wei Tu smiled faintly, then descended from the clouds in an instant, arriving in front of Tianmei Xue Nu.

At this moment, he had no intention of hiding his identity. In the battle with the Purple-Faced Hermit, many cultivators from the Eastern Region had already seen his 'true form' and learned his 'real name' from the Purple-Faced Hermit's words—even if he wanted to 'cover his mouth', he would find it difficult to silence the hundreds of millions of cultivators in the entire cultivation world.

Rather than that, it's better to be straightforward. After all, he is no longer an 'ordinary cultivator,' but a true and undeniable Nascent Soul cultivator and Mahayana successor!
After saying this to the woman, he turned his head, his gaze sharpening as he looked at the young man in brocade robes in front of him. Then, his right hand shot out like lightning and gripped the young man's wrist.

"Thank you for your mercy, senior, for saving my life."

Seeing that Wei Tu had stopped Tianmei Xue Nu from killing him, the young man in brocade robes was overjoyed and thanked Wei Tu with gratitude.

At the same time, the young man in brocade robes looked at the Snow Maiden with a hint of sadness in his eyes, as if he was grieving over why his 'birth mother' would call him a 'bastard' and show no mercy in trying to kill him.

but--

Seeing that it was Wei Tu who had intervened and stopped her, Tianmei Xue Nu's expression was somewhat complicated, but she seemed to accept Wei Tu's way of handling things as if she had resigned herself to her fate.

"So that's why. His body is actually the Xuanbing Body, a rare find even in a thousand years, and it has been cultivated with secret medicine for hundreds of years..." After his magical power circulated within the young man in brocade robes for a moment, Wei Tu's face gradually showed a look of realization, and he murmured to himself.

"Senior, I wish to become your disciple." Upon hearing this, the young man in brocade robes breathed a sigh of relief.

To him, this sounded like Wei Tu valuing his talent, since his own father, the Purple-Faced Hermit, had also praised his abilities before.

However, before he could finish speaking, he had already said that.

He then saw Wei Tu's expression suddenly turn cold, and he pointed a finger directly at his brow.

The next moment, within his sea of ​​consciousness, he saw that his soul was being devoured and pulverized little by little by the wisp of soul that Wei Tu had implanted between his eyebrows.

"No—" The young man in brocade clutched his head, fell to the ground, and let out a shrill wail.

"Mother, Mother, save my life!" The young man in brocade robes tried to grasp at the last straw, begging the Heavenly Eyebrow Snow Maiden to save his life.

However, even after his soul dissipated, the Heavenly-Eyebrowed Snow Maiden standing before him remained completely unmoved.

"As expected, I was right about Senior Wei. Senior Wei is not the kind of person who would leave behind any future troubles."

Tianmei Xuenu lifted her skirt, knelt down, and looked up at Wei Tu with a respectful posture.

Back then, after Wei Tu captured her alive, he was able to force the Golden Silkworm Snow Maiden to join forces with him to deal with the Blissful Marquis of the Southern Region of the Great Yan by threatening her life... This shows that he is by no means a kind person.

Just now, I saved that bastard child. Most likely, it's just that the bastard child is still useful to me.

Therefore, she stopped in time, refraining from the reckless act of killing the brocade-clad youth before Wei Tu could.

“Indeed, this corpse is the best material for refining the ‘Toad Water Yin Corpse’ among the Five Extraordinary Corpses of the Purple-Faced Hermit.” Upon hearing this, Wei Tu nodded slightly and told Tianmei Xue Nu without any reservations the reason why he spared the life of the brocade-clad youth.

Cultivators like him and Tianmei Xuenu would never feel any remorse for the 'bastard child' they were forced to give birth to.

Those were the marks of the humiliation this woman had suffered.

Rather than descendants in the true sense.

Just now, this woman went on a killing spree, intending to kill this young man in brocade robes with her bare hands, which is the best proof of this.

While he wouldn't normally go to great lengths to eliminate the threat completely, since the young man in brocade robes' 'corpse' was useful for his cultivation, he wouldn't easily give it up.

"It is my blessing that this bastard child can be of use to Senior Wei..." Upon hearing this, Tianmei Xue Nu immediately understood and breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as Wei Tu had thought, she didn't care about the life or death of this bastard, but the fact that Wei Tu had taken its body made her feel a little strange and uncomfortable, after all, it was something that was closely connected to her by blood.

Of course, compared to Wei Tu saving her life and setting her free, this matter is insignificant.

However, after she finished speaking, she suddenly realized that Wei Tu, who was standing in front of her, had disappeared without a trace.

He had no interest in even talking to her.

"He didn't even place any restrictions within my body to prevent future troubles! Just how high has his current realm and strength reached?" Kneeling on the ground, Tianmei Xue Nu subconsciously gazed at the distant sky.

Given Wei Tu's cautiousness and ruthlessness, she would never believe that he refrained from doing so simply because of past affections.

Instead... now, her status as a Nascent Soul cultivator poses a negligible threat to him, to the point that he can kill her with a flick of his finger and doesn't care about her at all.

However, at that moment, an indifferent voice also rang in her mind.

"Fellow Daoist Tianmei, you are, after all, an old friend of mine. There are some things I must remind you of. This Purple-Faced Hermit is no ordinary cultivator; he is a visitor from the Spirit Realm, a Nascent Soul expert... After escaping the Corpse King Sect, remember to conceal your tracks to prevent trouble from the Upper Realm..."

As soon as these words fell.

Tianmei Xuenu looked up in surprise, seemingly not expecting that Wei Tu, with his 'cold-blooded' nature, would deliberately leave her this reminder.

"A visitor from the spirit realm, a powerful being at the Integration Realm..." Tianmei Xueshen spoke softly, her expression blank.

These eight simple words, though not explicitly stating Wei Tu's current realm or strength, have already revealed it perfectly in their implied meaning. (End of Chapter)