I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

"Furthermore—just to return to the Ancient Demon Realm and open the mustard seed space on this deserted island… Fellow Daoist Wei also needs to cultivate that mysterious technique…"

An Liangcai pondered for a moment and then said.

Unaware that his imprisoned remnant soul had been controlled by Wei Tu through the 'Blood Demon Soul Split,' he had condensed true demonic energy, opened the 'mustard seed space' on this deserted island, and found the interdimensional teleportation array.

Therefore, when he said this at this moment, it seemed that he was thinking of Wei Tu's best interests, but it also contained a lot of persuasive and guiding words.

"I would like to ask Fellow Daoist An to swear an oath to the Heavenly Demons, stating that this technique is harmless, before I, Wei, will dare to cultivate it..."

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu was in no hurry to expose the matter. He narrowed his eyes and said.

"Harmless? How could I possibly know whether this technique is harmless? This technique was created by the Seven Treasures Demon Ancestor, who... is a giant of the demon realm, only one step away from the realm of demon gods... Who knows if he has hidden some tricks within this technique..."

"However, this technique is indeed a shortcut to breaking through to the Demon Ancestor realm. The 'True Demon Qi' condensed through this technique... I know very well just how powerfully it helps in breaking through to the Demon Ancestor realm!"

"Moreover, as long as you hold the line and do not absorb the essence blood of the Seven Treasures Demon Ancestor, no matter how much the Seven Treasures Demon Ancestor schemes... he will find it difficult to plot against you."

An Liangcai replied with a wry smile.

After he finished speaking, he swore an oath to the heavens and demons to prove that he had not lied.

……

"It seems that even someone at An Liangcai's level would find it difficult to know the true nature of demonic energy, whether it is good or evil..."

"Their purpose was merely to escape, not to harm me."

After An Liangcai finished speaking, Wei Tu frowned and pondered for a moment. Then, as if he had thought of something, he flipped his palm and took out a pitch-black compass.

This compass was the very magical treasure he obtained after killing the white-haired evil cultivator, the one used to suppress the severed arm of the Demon Ancestor Jialan.

Then, as before, he began to use the 'ancient demon's broken arm' within him to perform divination regarding this matter.

"Half-step Mahayana blood offering..." A few breaths later, after seeing the offering written on the ground by the ancient demon's severed arm, Wei Tu's expression changed slightly, and he became somewhat pale.

Back in the Lingyan Heavenly Palace, he had also used the ancient demon's severed arm to divine the 'mysterious technique' passed down by the Seven Treasures Demon Ancestor... and at that time, the required offering was merely an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.

The reason why he now requires such high offerings is not only because his cultivation level has improved, but probably more so because this mysterious technique does indeed contain... a hidden danger sufficient for the Mahayana level.

"If we can avoid going to the Lingyan Heavenly Palace, we should!"

"Including this interdimensional teleportation array, the dangers behind it are unpredictable... The Seven Treasures Demon Ancestor is no benevolent being... Until we find another way to reach the Ancient Demon Realm, we should avoid using this interdimensional teleportation array if possible..."

Wei Tu made up his mind and thought to himself.

……

After resealing the 'interdimensional teleportation array' on the deserted island.

Wei Tu did not linger there. With a flash of light, he returned to Feiyun Island and began to patiently await the day when the 'Feiyun Grand Gathering' would arrive.

Simultaneously.

He did not waste the few years he had left.

With the blessing of the "Golden Elixir," the "Suspended Yang Yin Zombie" Dharma Form of the Corpse Rigor Secret Technique was finally condensed by him after decades of arduous cultivation.

As he unfurled his sleeves, a phantom of a flying zombie, hundreds of feet in size, with a red face and fangs, immediately appeared behind him, radiating intense heat like the sun.

"Suspended Yang Yin Stiff Dharma Form (1/100): Practice once every seven days, and it will be completed in four thousand years."

"It takes four thousand years to cultivate this Dharma Form to perfection. This 'Corpse Stiffness Secret Technique' truly deserves to be called a top-tier extraordinary technique in the cultivation world..." Wei Tu thought to himself as he looked inward at the line of words that appeared on his golden-purple destiny.

The time it takes for this Dharma form to reach perfection is also a benchmark for the speed of cultivation in the early stages of the Body Integration Realm, achieved solely through this technique, without relying on elixirs or miraculous medicines.

In other words, according to the assessment of the Golden Purple Destiny, it would take him approximately four thousand years to cultivate to the peak of the early stage of the Integration Realm.

The duration of his cultivation was roughly in line with his initial expectations.

—It is considered incredibly fast in the spirit world, but it is difficult to attain the Mahayana state within ten thousand years.

"step by step."

Wei Tu shook his head, waved his sleeve and took out the 'Five Strange Corpses' from the corpse-nurturing bag, and began to nourish these five refined corpses with the 'Suspended Yang Yin Corpse' Dharma Image.

At the same time, wisps of visible, chilling corpse energy were absorbed by the 'Suspended Yang Yin Jiang' Dharma Image, extinguishing some of its intense heat.

First comes Yang, then Yin, and then Yin reaches its extreme and gives rise to Yang...

This is the path to advancement for the three major Dharma forms: 'Suspended Yang Yin Zombie', 'Blue-Eyed Flying Zombie', and 'Red Earth Drought Demon'.

It is several times more refined than the combined cultivation techniques he had mastered before; it is a profound cultivation method that directly leads to the Mahayana stage.

……

Seven years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Before we knew it, the day of the Flying Cloud Gathering had arrived.

This grand event, as it is called, is not a small trade fair or auction with only a few dozen participants, but a large-scale auction with hundreds of powerful beings at the combined level!
If we add the auctions for Nascent Soul and Void Refinement levels held in the side hall of the auction house, the number of cultivators participating this time should be in the tens of thousands.

Thanks to the presence of the Great Princess.

At the beginning of the event, Wei Tu had already entered the private box on the third floor, which was specially set up for the Feathered Dragon Clan, so he didn't have to squeeze into the hall like the early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators in the main hall.

"That's... Qing Jianzi?"

"He's advanced to the Integration Realm?"

Suddenly, looking down at the lobby on the first floor, Wei Tu spotted a familiar face in the bustling crowd.

This cultivator and he only met once. They fought side by side when the Yu family invited them to the human race's 'Ancient Sacred Land' to deal with the Jiang family.

At that time, this cultivator was already a 'Refining Void Grand Cultivator,' only one step away from the Integration Realm.

However, he was still quite surprised that it took him only a thousand years to successfully break through to the Fusion Realm.

"Moreover, besides Qing Jianzi, one of the Five Kings of Fusion has also arrived..." Wei Tu narrowed his eyes and looked at the fat old man next to Qing Jianzi, who was wearing a red robe and holding a white bone staff.

"Flame Spirit King." Wei Tu's lips moved slightly as he softly recited the Daoist title of this cultivator.

According to Fairy Xuanling, this cultivator possesses a supreme elixir called the 'Yinlingzhi Horse,' and coupled with the fact that the Five Kings of the Fusion Body frequently visit various immortal ruins and secret realms...

He was incredibly wealthy.

"However, Fairy Xuanling's information is still a bit behind. This Flame Spirit King... his current realm is no less than that of the Green Ant Ancestor. Although he has not yet reached the peak of the Integration Realm, he is not far from it."

After sensing the Flame Spirit King's specific realm, Wei Tu sighed inwardly and then dispelled the unrealistic greed and extravagant desire in his heart.

Besides Qing Jianzi and Yan Lingwang, two human fusion beings that Wei Tu was quite 'familiar' with, other fusion powerhouses also appeared at this 'Flying Cloud Gathering'.

However, compared to the fame of the Flame Spirit King, these people were much less well-known. They could only be identified as Nascent Soul cultivators from the ancient saintly family's lineage based on their cultivation techniques, aura, and family crests on their robes.

Of course, the auction venue was not only filled with cultivators from the human race at the Integration Stage; cultivators from the other ten spirit races also appeared one after another.

However, because the treasures at the 'Flying Cloud Gathering' were not of such high quality that they were indispensable to the Grandmasters of the Integration Realm, most of the Grandmasters of the Integration Realm who attended were at the early or middle stages of the Integration Realm... Including the three major clans, only the Feathered Dragon Clan and the Ghost Phoenix Clan were present.

The remaining members of the Divine Armor Clan did not even show their faces.

Even the Ghost Phoenix Clan cultivator present this time was not a direct descendant cultivator, but an unknown collateral descendant cultivator.

but.

This was also within Wei Tu's expectations.

Even if the Mist Demon clan were willing to spend a fortune to curry favor with him, they would never offer him the truly rare and precious treasures of the Spirit Realm at a drastic discount, practically giving them away for free.

Therefore, it is reasonable that this auction was of a lower standard.

……

Unlike cultivators at other realms, cultivators at the Integration Realm are already high-ranking members and leaders of major forces, and they are not lacking in spiritual treasures.

Therefore, as time went by, the items appearing at auctions gradually became more focused on cultivation treasures such as elixirs, pills, and ancient secret techniques.

Two days later.

After the ordinary spiritual items were auctioned off one by one.

The second half of the auction finally brought us to the auction of the grand finale that Wei Tu had been eagerly anticipating.

He snapped out of his reverie, his expression hardening. He stared at the three prized items of the "Flying Cloud Gathering," arranged in a triangular pattern and shrouded in a protective aura, displayed on the auction stage.

“Crimson Ghost Golden Marrow!” Wei Tu took a deep breath, suppressing his inner joy, and saw the seemingly ordinary green pill bottle under the light of the restriction.

With Pei Hong's help, he knew what kind of treasures would be auctioned at the Feiyun Grand Gathering long before it even started.

Of these three treasures, the one that helped him the most and was most beneficial to him was the 'Crimson Demon Golden Marrow', which was ranked second.

This item is a specialty of the Mist Ghost Clan, and it is of great benefit to cultivators in body refinement. According to Pei Hong, it is extremely rare within the Mist Ghost Clan, and it takes tens of thousands of years to accumulate just one bottle.

Regardless of whether it's the Spirit Realm or the 'Primordial Demon Source Realm', seventh-tier body-refining holy medicines are extremely rare.

Therefore, he ignored the several breakthrough pills that appeared in the auction, which would greatly help his spiritual cultivation, and focused all his energy on this bottle of 'Crimson Ghost Golden Marrow'.

Once this treasure is refined, it should not be difficult to raise one's body refinement realm to the peak of the early stage of the seventh rank within a few hundred years.

His improvement may not seem significant, but it's important to know that his physical foundation is greatly enhanced by the 'Dark Laws,' making it several times stronger than that of ordinary cultivators.

Once he reaches this level, he will likely be able to rival a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator with his physical body alone.

"Two thousand mid-grade spirit crystals..."

"Three thousand mid-grade spirit crystals..."

As Wei Tu's eyes were fixed on the 'Crimson Ghost Golden Marrow' on the stage, a fierce competition erupted in the venue for the first item to be auctioned—the 'Wood Heart Pill'.

This pill is a high-grade seventh-rank spiritual pill, a breakthrough pill that can significantly improve the cultivation of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Apart from the fact that large clans produce them, it is difficult to find even one outside of auctions like the Flying Cloud Gathering.

“Five thousand mid-grade spirit crystals.” Qian Ying’er, sitting next to Wei Tu, spoke with her red lips slightly parted.

Clearly, this 'Wood Heart Pill' had also stirred the heart of this Feathered Dragon Clan Princess.

"The Feathered Dragon Clan? It was a Feathered Dragon Clan cultivator who spoke up?"

As soon as these words fell.

In an instant, the noisy auction hall fell silent.

Ordinary Feathered Dragon Clan cultivators wouldn't be feared by the Nascent Soul stage experts present, but the arrival of the Great Princess Qian Ying'er was information they had already gathered within Flying Cloud Island.

No one knows whether this princess might harbor ill will towards the one who succeeded in obtaining the elixir because she failed to do so...

Therefore, as a small clan that is not from a major clan, they naturally have to be extremely cautious when bidding for this pill at this moment.

See this scene.

Wei Tu was overjoyed.

In an auction, using force to oppress others is generally disliked and considered unethical, but if it benefits the perpetrator, then it's a different story.

—The cultivators were wary of the Great Princess bidding for the 'Wooden Heart Pill', and they would naturally be even more wary of him bidding for the 'Crimson Ghost Golden Marrow'.

But also at this time.

Suddenly, a cold-faced old man in white robes appeared silently on the auction stage. With a faint snort, his aura as a half-step Mahayana expert poured out like a tidal wave.

"The Flying Cloud Gathering is the territory of my Eight Fiend Sea Clan. You bidders need not worry about the power of others... If anyone harbors any malicious intentions, I will personally escort you away from Flying Cloud Island..."

The old man in white robes spoke in a cold tone.

"He is the Heavenly Crane Ancestor, one of the Eight Fiends?"

"With the protection of Ancestor Tianhe, we will have no fear of the three major overlord clans and the ten spirit clans at this auction..."

The cultivators below the stage exchanged glances and whispered among themselves.

"It's him?"

"He was originally the Heavenly Crane Ancestor?"

At this moment, Wei Tu, who was sitting in the private room, also tensed up.

This was not because of this repair that his good deed was ruined.

Rather, he had seen Ci Xiu's appearance once in the Bloodwinged Demon's soul memory.

He was the murderer who killed Bloodwing Mo's parents.

That mysterious fusion powerhouse!

“One of the Eight Fiends? No wonder the Heavenly Crane Ancestor was able to kill the Bloodwing Mo’s biological father. After all, that Heavenly True Spirit… was also at the half-step Mahayana realm…” Wei Tu narrowed his eyes and thought to himself.

A person's name, the shadow of a tree.

The Eight Fierce Sea Clan, this powerful 'unaffiliated cultivator alliance' is able to stand independently from the 'Three Tyrants and Ten Spirit Clans,' forming its own lineage and dominating the distant seas... Therefore, the 'Eight Fierce' as their leaders are naturally no ordinary individuals.

It possesses strength sufficient to be the most powerful among its peers!

Just look at how the Heavenly Crane Ancestor managed to kill the Bloodwinged Demon's biological father within the same realm; that alone speaks volumes about his divine power.

Otherwise, he would not be qualified to be ranked alongside the two Mahayana immortals among the Eight Fiends, and be one of the 'Eight Fiends'.

"It seems that to avenge the Bloodwinged Demon, I'll at least need to break through to the Mahayana realm..."

Thinking of this, Wei Tu shook his head secretly, concealing the complex emotions in his eyes and returning to his usual composure. (End of Chapter)