I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

"Fellow Daoist Wei, do you perhaps think that I am some kind of fool who, knowing that you killed Senior Zi Qian... would still presumptuously attempt to kill you..."

Upon hearing Wei Tu's question, Jiang Lingzi's heart skipped a beat, and his left hand, which was behind his back, trembled slightly. His senior demeanor was momentarily broken, and he gave a wry smile, using these words to express his sincerity.

The words fell.

Wei Tu's gaze softened slightly.

He could naturally sense that Jiang Lingzi's cultivation level was currently the same as his, only at the 'early stage of Integration', and it was unlikely that he would dare to come alone to intercept and deal with him.

However, this move was too 'abnormal', so he had no choice but to be cautious.

"What is Senior Jiang Lingzi's intention?"

Wei Tu continued to ask questions with slightly narrowed eyes, but his tone became much gentler.

Back then, when Jiang Lingzi descended to the mortal realm, he provided him with much guidance and support during his Nascent Soul stage. Even though the purpose was to deal with Ghost Shadow Palace and the Mist Ghost Clan behind it, the kindness of nurturing him was genuine.

After ascending to the Spirit Realm, he repeatedly protected and shielded him. The spot in the 'Stone Cocoon Secret Realm' was a genuine opportunity given to him by Jiang Lingzi.

Now that Jiang Lingzi has no 'hostility' towards him, there is no need for him to directly turn against him and create another enemy out of nowhere.

"My purpose in coming here... well, there's nothing special about it. To be frank, it's just that I have my own selfish reasons. After all, Fellow Daoist Wei is someone I know well, and he is also a human cultivator... There are no irreconcilable conflicts between us."

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Lingzi didn't beat around the bush and spoke the truth.

At this moment, he was perfectly clear about it.

He appears to be an 'official' representative of the human race's high command, tasked with capturing Wei Tu, but in terms of actual strength... this senior figure is far inferior to Wei Tu.

Therefore, between the two, he was the truly weaker party.

Moreover, no matter how high he thought of himself or how much he valued Wei Tu'en, the death of the Purple-Faced Hermit was undoubtedly a sharp knife hanging over his neck... He had no choice but to speak softly and treat him weakly because of this.

"Driven by selfish motives?" Upon hearing this, Wei Tu was surprised, but also somewhat relieved by Jiang Lingzi's 'boldness'.

Back when he was in the lower realm, he already knew about Jiang Lingzi's personality and knew that this cultivator was far more ruthless and cunning than ordinary cultivators.

A ruthless and heartless person is unlikely to maintain absolute loyalty to the human race's leadership, especially when allying with them seems to offer greater benefits.

Just like his 'suspicion' towards the Bloodwinged Demon, loyalty, intelligence, and strength will always be an impossible triangle.

But after a moment's thought, Wei Tu's state of mind became somewhat subtle.

After all, Jiang Lingzi had always been a respected senior figure in his eyes, a mentor and friend, and someone who was both kind and authoritative. Now, he was suddenly acting like a petty swindler for his own selfish reasons, which was hard to accept.

“But that was more than a thousand years ago.” As if seeing through Wei Tu’s thoughts, Jiang Lingzi gave Wei Tu a deep look and admitted his 'clumsiness' without any hesitation.

His gaze toward Wei Tu was slightly unfocused, as if the scenes of that junior in the human realm addressing Wei Tu as "senior" and bowing to seek his guidance were still vivid in his mind, yet only a fleeting moment had passed.

But after the scene of today intertwined with the scene of yesterday, all that remained was his deep-rooted 'awe' for power—and the figure of the powerful being who had killed the Purple-Faced Wanderer and made a name for himself in the world!
"Mortals live no more than a hundred years, and can still be old and live long. But we cultivators who have reached the Integration stage are all immortal beings. If we give up the opportunity to learn from the most accomplished and give up great opportunities because of some 'seniority complex'... I'm afraid that after ten thousand years, we will only be a handful of dust."

Jiang Lingzi revealed his true feelings.

“A thousand years ago, when I broke through to the Integration stage, even though I knew that breaking through to the Mahayana stage would be extremely difficult, I did not believe that this realm was insurmountable or an insurmountable barrier to my path in life.”

High above, Jiang Lingzi stood with his hands behind his back, shifting his gaze from Wei Tu's face to overlook the magnificent scenery of the Great Yan Cultivation Realm in the distance. At this moment, he seemed like an immortal who was detached from the world.

"But alas, I failed."

"My unparalleled talent, which is praised by the world, is difficult to advance even a step in the Integration Realm. Compared with the Integration Realm experts of the Human Ancestor Hall... I am not outstanding."

"We cultivators who ascend from the lower realms have long understood this principle. In the process of cultivation, there will always be those who are blocked by the high mountain called the realm... Now, it is finally my turn."

"However, what truly broke my heart was the Purple-Faced Hermit. More than five hundred years ago, when I was ordered by Fellow Daoist Duan to descend to the mortal realm to break the seal on the Corpse-Sinking Evil Land, I learned that he, like me, had once been an ascended cultivator from the mortal realm."

"And he, whose talent far surpasses mine, is the personal disciple of the esteemed Iron-Headed Monk..."

"That's tens of thousands of years! Tens of thousands of years! Even though he was sealed for most of that time, there's no doubt that he had no hope of advancing to the Mahayana realm..."

"At that time, I realized just how difficult this seemingly simple realm was."

"Indeed, this realm is known as the Realm of Ascension to Immortality. How can one know the difficulty of ascending to immortality without reaching this realm!"

At this point, Jiang Lingzi chuckled self-deprecatingly. Although his aura, his pressure, and his realm were still formidable at this moment, befitting a powerful being revered by the world, his face showed an unusual hint of helplessness.

In these scenes...

Although Wei Tu's expression remained indifferent, after frowning, he felt a greater sense of empathy.

Although his cultivation has been smooth so far, this is largely due to his golden-purple destiny. Therefore, compared to Jiang Lingzi's self-proclaimed extraordinary 'talent,' he is more self-aware and understands better how difficult the path of cultivation is.

Even so, he understood that Jiang Lingzi's heartfelt words and emotional reflections were primarily aimed at gaining his trust...

—There must always be a reason for betrayal.

The so-called "acquaintances" and "old friends" have no place in matters of life and death.

……

"But Fellow Daoist Wei has shown me a glimmer of possibility, the possibility of breaking through the upper limit of my own realm."

Jiang Lingzi said with burning eyes.

Unlike ordinary people, after he descended to the lower realm and investigated that the Purple-Faced Hermit was killed by Wei Tu, he was not afraid or terrified, but saw an opportunity for himself to transcend the Integration Realm.

"To put it bluntly, if I didn't believe I was no match for Fellow Daoist Wei, I probably would have considered taking action against him..."

Jiang Lingzi spoke frankly.

At this point, even if Wei Tu was stupid, he could easily understand Jiang Lingzi's 'intentions' and the reason why Jiang Lingzi risked his life to stop him here.

Without it.

If they don't take action, then they'll try to extract a sliver of the "possibility" of breaking through to Mahayana Buddhism from him through "alliance of interests" or the principle of equivalent exchange.

The reason why Wei Tu said "possibility" of advancing to Mahayana, rather than the more direct "opportunity" of Mahayana, is that Wei Tu could easily see that Jiang Lingzi's statement was more about "befriending" him.

They placed their hopes for advancement to Mahayana Buddhism on certain expectations placed upon him.

"Senior Jiang Lingzi, what benefits can you bring me?" Wei Tu narrowed his eyes, speaking in a business-like manner.

Most people give gifts to old acquaintances out of pity, and they hesitate when it comes to actually using their savings.

He was no exception; it was impossible for him to produce something good just because of Jiang Lingzi's few words.

He also believed that Jiang Lingzi must have been prepared for this 'exchange of benefits'.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have 'lowered herself' and voluntarily 'revealed her shortcomings' in front of him... thereby erasing his impression of her as a senior and starting to treat him as an equal, discussing business with him.

Wei Tu understood.

At this moment, Jiang Lingzi did not hesitate and directly stated the bargaining chips he could exchange.

"Firstly, I will do my best to conceal the truth from the higher-ups of the human race, that it was Fellow Daoist Wei who killed the Purple-Faced Hermit."

"Although there are still one or two high-ranking members of the human race who have ascended to the human realm and can return to the human realm, the high-ranking members of the human race undoubtedly trust me now."

"After all, even the higher-ups of the human race would hardly know that the person who killed the Purple-Faced Hermit was Fellow Daoist Wei, and that Fellow Daoist Wei even had this connection with me..."

"Secondly, even if the cover-up fails, I will do my best to protect the deceased friends and descendants of the Defender in the human world, so that the Defender can live without worry in the human world."

"Thirdly, I will also provide Fellow Daoist Wei with another smuggling route to leave the human realm. This smuggling route does not directly reach the Thirteen Immortal Realms of the Human Race... Fellow Daoist Wei can then return to the Spirit Realm with peace of mind."

After stating these three bargaining chips, Jiang Lingzi remained silent, quietly waiting for Wei Tu to speak.

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu secretly pondered the gains and losses involved.

Of these three bargaining chips, the first two are dispensable to him. With his current strength and disguise skills, he is not too afraid of the human race's high-ranking officials.

Given the vastness of the spirit world, even if they wanted him, it would be difficult to catch him.

Moreover, with the death of the Purple-Faced Hermit, the already weakened human elites in the Spirit Realm would find it difficult to offend him for the sake of just one person...

As for his descendants and deceased relatives, although he had some concerns, he believed that the higher-ups of the human race would not be so unwise as to harm his distant relatives before he died, thus pushing him to the opposite side completely.

Because—in essence, his killing of the Purple-Faced Hermit, a high-ranking human, was suspected of 'betraying' the human race. However, since the Purple-Faced Hermit killed someone in order to seize treasure, his retaliatory killing of this cultivator was, in a sense, acceptable to the public.

Therefore, in terms of the situation, he is far from being at the point of engaging in a life-or-death struggle with the human race's high command.

However, the two bargaining chips mentioned by Jiang Lingzi were not useless to him; they were the best choice to nip problems in the bud.

What Wei Tu truly cares about.

It is the third bargaining chip that Jiang Lingzi uses in the exchange.

This is a matter of real importance, concerning his own safety.

He could easily imagine that 'spatial rifts' like the Lost God Ridge, which intersect with the spirit world, were probably already under the surveillance of the human race's higher-ups.

The danger would be immense if one were to venture there.

“However, judging from Jiang Lingzi’s words, my Sky-Splitting Eagle hidden in the Divine Fire Immortal Domain should not have been discovered by the human race’s higher-ups yet…” Wei Tu’s eyes flickered slightly as he pondered to himself.

Before he descended to the mortal realm, he hid in a desolate valley near the Sky-Splitting Eagle. Although this "nearby" was actually extremely far from the "space node," it was far beyond the range of a Nascent Soul cultivator's divine sense.

Furthermore, with the 'concealment formation' he set up, even if there were cultivators at the Integration Stage monitoring him, the probability of discovering him would be extremely low unless they were intentionally searching for him.

Just as Jiang Lingzi said, no one in the human race of the Spirit Realm knew that he had killed Zi Mian Sanren and had smuggled himself to the human realm from a spatial node of the Divine Fire Immortal Domain...

Judging from intuition, the probability that the higher-ups of the human race in the spirit realm suspected that it was a Mahayana cultivator from another race who made the move was far higher than that of a Nascent Soul cultivator from their own race.

Therefore, while they likely do monitor the vicinity of the 'space node,' it's certainly not to the extent of being on high alert.

"But... this matter cannot be taken lightly. The longer it drags on, the more likely it is to change." Wei Tu secretly warned himself.

"Please tell me frankly, Senior Jiang Lingzi, what is the other smuggling route out of the human realm?"

"This matter requires my utmost caution. If our clan's fusion body happens to be lying in ambush near that spatial node... wouldn't I be walking right into a trap?"

Wei Tu asked with a wary expression.

"Fellow Daoist Wei need not worry about this. Anyone could set up an ambush at that spatial node, but it is absolutely impossible for human cultivators to do so..." Jiang Lingzi replied with a faint smile.

"What Senior Jiang Lingzi was talking about, could it be..."

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu's heart stirred, and he immediately formed a certain guess.

“That’s right! That spatial node is the one where the human realm and the territory of the Mist Demon Clan intersect.”

"Back then, during the war between the two races, Pei Hong used this to send a fragment of his soul down to the mortal realm, and secretly deployed his own Qiankun Spirit Puppet..."

Jiang Lingzi nodded slightly, confirming Wei Tu's guess.

"As far as I know, although the Mist Ghost Clan has cultivators guarding the end of this 'spatial node,' they don't take it seriously; it's just one or two Void Refinement cultivators..."

"After all, this place is generally a forbidden area for human cultivators. Even if one ascends, it is impossible to go there by this route. Secondly, this place is quite far from the core territory of the Mist Ghost Clan, so there is no need to leave any heavy troops here."

After speaking, Jiang Lingzi pondered for a moment, then took out a ghostly gold paper from his pocket and slowly handed it to Wei Tu in the distance using his magic.

"The Blood Curse Book?" Upon seeing this, Wei Tu's doubts about Jiang Lingzi's words instantly diminished.

The backlash from the 'blood pact' in the Blood Curse Secret Book is difficult for anyone other than a Mahayana cultivator to eliminate.

Secondly, even if a Mahayana cultivator can remove the backlash of the 'blood pact' after breaking the contract, the cultivator himself will still suffer irreversible damage to his physical body.

This may not be a matter of life or death, but for cultivators who aspire to the path of cultivation, it can be a matter of life and death.

Otherwise, this 'Blood Curse Secret Book' wouldn't have become such a valuable life-saving item among the second-generation immortals of the Spirit Realm.

Wei Tu did not believe that Jiang Lingzi, who had just advanced to the Integration Realm and had a bright future, would be so unwise as to joke about his future path.

In short! Even if the human race's higher-ups bestow generous rewards upon Jiang Lingzi, what could they possibly offer that would be worth sacrificing his own cultivation path in exchange?
"The bargaining chips that Senior Jiang Lingzi can offer are indeed beneficial to me. I can accept them. As for the reward..."

Wei Tu stroked his chin, and under Jiang Lingzi's expectant gaze, he uttered a few words with slightly parted lips.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, is what you say true?"

"Is there really such a token for entering and exiting the Immortal Ruins?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lingzi was overjoyed and quickly asked Wei Tu to confirm. (End of Chapter)