I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

Of course, what truly sent chills down his spine was not the old woman with snake scales coveting Ruan Shui'er, but the danger that was so close to him without him even realizing it.

—The one who coveted Ruan Shui'er was not Clan Chief Liu, a Void Refinement cultivator, but rather his clan's Integration Stage Ancestor!

In other words, if he takes even the slightest wrong step in this Deer Mountain Dojo, and is not as careful as before, the public identity he has finally obtained in this 'Black Cloud Minor World' is destined to be abandoned... and may even expose his true identity!

During his more than ten years of travel in the Black Cloud Minor Realm, although he did not find out the specific information about Madam Wanmiao's wanted notice for him, he could easily sense that some forces were paying special attention to 'seventh-order alchemists'.

Ironically, the old woman with snake scales from a hundred years ago had plotted against him.

"But why is the Liu family patriarch so eager for Ruan Shui'er? Is he planning to use her as a material for crafting treasures? Or is he going to possess her body and reincarnate to cultivate again?" Wei Tu's expression remained unchanged, seemingly unaware that the two people standing nearby, Chief Chai and Chief Chai, were slowly flying towards his cave. He pondered to himself.

He never bothered with such trivial matters.

Nowadays, it's not much of an exception.

Firstly, he and Ruan Shui'er were not very familiar with each other. They were just 'strangers' who had met a few times while hiding their identities at the Lushan Dojo.

Secondly, for him, the most important thing right now is to go to the 'Heavenly Demon Realm' to cultivate... and accumulate power, so as to break through to the late stage of the Integration Realm, or even the Mahayana Realm.

Compared to that, it's not worth taking the risk for this woman.

However, Wei Tu's departure from Ruan Shui'er's cave still attracted the attention of Chief Chai and the Snake-Scale Old Woman.

The two withdrew their gaze from Ruan Shui'er's cave and gradually shifted their attention to him.

Although their words were obscured by divine sense, Wei Tu could still glean some information from their lip movements.

"This is... a disciple my grandson took in? A top-grade dragon bloodline, not bad."

The old woman with snake scales nodded slightly and praised Wei Tu a few times.

As long as it doesn't affect her own interests, she doesn't mind having more new connections within the clan that would be beneficial for the future.

Of course, this is also largely due to Wei Tu's indifference towards Ruan Shui'er in her cave.

This means that even if Wei Tu knew that Ruan Shui'er had been possessed or had encountered some misfortune, he would not react much and would not harbor hatred towards the "Nine-Snake Liu Clan".

"This boy's talent is indeed remarkable, comparable to those direct descendants of the Feathered Dragon Clan cultivators that I saw in the Spirit Realm..." Upon hearing this, Chief Chai smiled lightly, praised Wei Tu, and openly revealed his origins.

Having overheard this, Wei Tu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

These two people undoubtedly regarded him as a 'young junior' who was closely related to the Nine Serpents Liu Clan. As long as he continued to pretend to be deaf and dumb, Ruan Shui'er's matter would not implicate him.

But right now.

The next sentence spoken by Chief Chai suddenly caught his attention.

"This girl has a pure body and a perfect foundation, making her an excellent candidate for possession."

"However—if I can lend you a hand in your reincarnation and cultivation this time, so that you can perfectly possess that girl... you also have to find a way to get the 'ancient snake remains' that your cousin obtained, as an exchange."

The two seemed to be discussing a deal involving mutual benefits.

“Cousin? Ancient snake remains?” Upon hearing this, Wei Tu’s heart stirred slightly.

According to the information he had previously gathered, the combined ancestor of the 'Nine Serpents Liu Clan' was not just one person. In addition to this snake-scaled old woman, there was another person who had already 'ascended' to the Heavenly Demon Realm and become a member of the Heavenly Demon Realm.

This is why the Nine Serpents Willow Clan is among the top ten clans in the Black Cloud Minor Realm, and has the resources to join forces with the other four major clans to hold the Five Clans Auction.

But... he was a little confused about the 'ancient snake remains' that Chief Chai mentioned.

This was a spirit he had never heard of before.

However, this name is likely just a metonym, not a specific spiritual object. Otherwise, given the ancient jade slips he obtained that contained the 'knowledge base' of the Seven Treasures Demon Ancestor, they would have included something else entirely.

“Fellow Daoist Chai, you should understand that a cousin is a cousin, and I am I… I also covet his ‘Ancient Serpent Remains,’ how could I let him give it up so easily? You must know, that is a treasure that will be of great use to his cultivation path…”

Upon hearing this, the old woman with snake scales refused directly, her expression turning slightly unpleasant.

“I am naturally aware of this matter. There are very few ‘Ancient Serpent Remains’ in the Heavenly Demon Realm. Each one is a supreme treasure of the serpent race and plays a significant role in helping the serpent race break through to the Mahayana Realm… However, the reason why I dared to mention this matter to Fairy Liu this time is that I was prepared.”

"Back then, when I escaped from the Spirit Realm, I not only stole the bloodline of the 'Ghost Phoenix Clan,' but I also have a 'Divine Phoenix Pill' that the Ghost Phoenix Clan prepared for its cultivators..." Chief Chai said with a faint smile.

"The Divine Phoenix Pill?" Upon hearing this, the old woman with snake scales immediately showed obvious emotion, as if this pill was a coveted treasure even for a Nascent Soul cultivator.

"While the Divine Phoenix Pill is valuable, it's not enough to exchange for the 'Ancient Serpent's Remains'... My cousin would never agree to that. If it were truly feasible, you would have already gone to my cousin's door in the Heavenly Demon Realm, instead of coming to me now to ask for it..."

The old woman with snake scales shook her head.

“Indeed! One ‘Divine Phoenix Pill’ is indeed not enough to exchange for the entire ‘Ancient Serpent Remains’, but what I, Chai, need is only half of it… In that case, we can barely make a deal.” Chief Chai continued calmly, his expression unchanged.

Upon hearing this, the old woman with snake scales' eyes flickered slightly, and a thoughtful look flashed across her face.

Just as Chief Chai said, the value of a single 'Divine Phoenix Pill' is barely enough to exchange for half of an 'Ancient Serpent Remains'... Even if that's not enough, with his help to her reincarnation this time, it's undoubtedly enough.

The only difficulty lay in how she could persuade her cousin.

This is why Chief Chai was willing to discuss this matter at length with her.

Only she could gain the trust of her cousin and facilitate this deal.

However, after several breaths, the old woman with snake scales still couldn't make up her mind to agree. After all, both the 'Divine Phoenix Pill' and the 'Ancient Serpent's Remains' were extremely important treasures, and it wasn't something she could easily agree to.

"Fairy Liu, as you know, among the Nascent Soul cultivators in the guild, although some, like me, have successfully reincarnated and started cultivating again, those people... have either died or disappeared within these ten thousand years. Only I, Chai, am left to lend you a helping hand in this matter." As if he couldn't wait any longer, Chief Chai snorted coldly and spoke these words directly.

"This..." Upon hearing this, the old woman with snake scales looked slightly more unpleasant.

After a moment, he looked helpless, said "Fine," and then nodded in agreement.

After exchanging a few more words, the two did not linger in the clouds above the Deer Mountain Dojo. With a flick of their sleeves, they vanished from the spot and disappeared without a trace.

Only Wei Tu remained—his eyes gleaming with a sharp light, having learned of this secret and now staying in his cave.

He didn't know whether the 'Ancient Serpent's Remains' was valuable or not, but as a seventh-level alchemist, he was very clear about the great reputation of the 'Divine Phoenix Pill' of the Ghost Phoenix Clan.

This pill is a seventh-tier secret medicine, which is very useful for cultivators to advance to the Mahayana realm!
Although this item alone is not enough to allow a Nascent Soul cultivator to directly break through to the Mahayana realm, having this item can increase the chances of a cultivator who has a chance of breaking through to this realm by half a percent!

Don't underestimate this 'half-grade'!
It should be noted that throughout history, the probability of cultivators who broke through to the Mahayana realm was usually less than 20% or 30% before they actually broke through.

Even a 50% chance of obtaining it is already a top-grade elixir that many cultivators aspiring to this realm dream of.

“No wonder! This Chief Chai is wanted by the Ghost Phoenix Clan! This ‘Divine Phoenix Pill’ is an extremely rare treasure in the Ghost Phoenix Clan... This cultivator’s act of seizing this pill is no less than the possibility of directly annihilating another Mahayana Immortal in the Ghost Phoenix Clan... Naturally, he will be hated to the bone by the Ghost Phoenix Clan.” Wei Tu narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself.

Besides that, there was another thing that concerned Wei Tu, namely the threatening words that Chief Chai had said to the old woman with snake scales.

It seems that the 'reincarnation method' practiced by these two individuals was not obtained by chance, but rather originated from a certain organization or force.

"The Heavenly Demon Realm?" Wei Tu pondered for a moment before looking in the direction of the Heavenly Demon Realm.

He had a gut feeling that this organization was very likely connected to the 'Heavenly Demon Realm', and that Chief Chai's joining the 'Heavenly Demon Realm' after escaping the Spirit Realm was also closely related to it.

Otherwise, even if a human cultivator who has escaped the Spirit Realm is very powerful, it is unlikely that he would directly become a rotating elder in the Heavenly Demon Realm.

"Let's take it one step at a time. If there's an opportunity, we can try to seize the 'Divine Phoenix Pill' and the 'Ancient Serpent Remains'... If there's no opportunity, we'll continue with the original plan, hide our identities in the Heavenly Demon Realm, and focus on cultivation."

After a moment's thought, Wei Tu took a deep breath and temporarily suppressed the adventurous thought in his mind.

……

Spring comes and autumn goes, and twenty years have passed quietly.

During these twenty years, Wei Tu once again opened the furnace to refine pills and produced the second 'Yinzhi Pill'.

However, unlike the previous pill, he did not immediately consume this 'Yinzhi Pill'. Instead, he temporarily stored it in the pill bottle, saving it for future use when attempting to break through to the 'Late Stage of Body Integration' realm.

Now, Wei Tu has set his sights on the upcoming 'Five Clans Auction' for the elixirs he needs to enhance his cultivation.

After a century, the Five Clans Auction, jointly organized by the five major clans of the 'Black Cloud Minor World', was once again held as scheduled.

Unsurprisingly, among the final treasures of the 'Five Clans Auction' were mid-grade seventh-rank spiritual pills that were beneficial to cultivation.

This time, Wei Tu did not hold back again. The seventh-order refined corpse controlled by the Bloodwing Mo immediately bid a high price at the auction and won the bid for the seventh-order mid-grade spirit pill on his behalf.

"With this pill and the Yinzhi pill... in another three or four hundred years, I will be able to enter the late stage of the Integration Realm..." Wei Tu thought to himself after obtaining the elixir.

These three or four hundred years also include the time he needed for arduous cultivation.

With just financial resources and elixirs, he could potentially halve the time required to directly break through to the late stage of the Integration Realm.

But this is very detrimental to his foundation.

His goal is not limited to the 'late stage of integration', so he naturally wouldn't use such a foundation-damaging method.

"Once I break through to the late stage of the Fusion Realm and the 'Azure-Eyed Flying Zombie' Dharma Image transforms into the 'Crimson Earth Drought Demon' Dharma Image, I can then inscribe the 'Corpse Sealing Array' and undergo my tribulation again..." Wei Tu thought to himself. This was something he planned to accomplish in the Heavenly Demon Realm. Undergoing one's tribulation in the Heavenly Demon Realm would be much safer than in the Ancient Demon Realm or the Black Cloud Minor Realm.

Soon, half a day later, this year's Five Races Auction came to an end once again.

As before, this 'Five Races Auction' did not result in any fighting or conflict.

Among cultivators at the Integration Realm, harmony seems to be valued more than anything else, unlike the fierce battles fought for resources among cultivators at the Lower Realm.

Of course, this is just an illusion. The real reason is that although the treasures that appeared at the Five Races Auction were precious, they were not so precious that people would risk their lives for them.

Furthermore, since this is an anonymous 'black market transaction,' no one can discern the other person's strength, background, or resources... Naturally, no one dares to act rashly.

Thanks to this, Wei Tu, who left the Five Clans Auction and returned to the Deer Mountain Dojo, did not cause any disturbance, just like last time.

He began refining the mid-grade seventh-rank spirit pill he had just acquired, while patiently waiting for the ten years to come.

In ten years, it will be the day that Chief Chai and the other rotating elders of the Heavenly Demon Realm have been talking about, the day they will be guided to the 'Heavenly Demon Realm'.

"Mid-stage 'Great Completion' of the Fusion Realm, not bad at all."

Five years later, Wei Tu felt a hint of joy on his face as he realized that he had broken through his cultivation level.

It should be noted that only a little over a hundred years had passed since he broke through to the mid-stage of the Fusion Realm in the Radiant Glory Realm.

Over a hundred years is a period of time that most Nascent Soul cultivators spend in seclusion and meditation, making it extremely difficult to achieve breakthroughs in such a short period of time.

"The remaining stages of the mid-stage of the Integration Realm will be achieved through arduous cultivation, step by step. After that, I will use that 'Yinzhi Pill' to break through to the late-stage of the Integration Realm in one fell swoop..."

Wei Tu's eyes flickered slightly. After stabilizing his realm, he made hand seals, turning the elixir residue in his body into wisps of turbid air, which he slowly exhaled from his mouth.

Cultivation takes no time.

In the blink of an eye, several years have passed, and the day of the Heavenly Demon Realm's 'Guidance' is fast approaching.

In that year, Wei Tu stopped his arduous training at the Lushan Dojo. He was personally taken by Clan Chief Liu to the 'Nine Serpents Liu Clan' to await the arrival of Elder Chai and other rotating elders.

During this time, the Liu clan chief also took the opportunity to tell Wei Tu about the power of the 'Nine Serpents Liu Clan' in the Heavenly Demon Realm, so that Wei Tu could have more support from then on.

Inside, there stood the old woman with snake scales and another cultivator from the Nine-Snake Liu clan, whom Chief Chai had mentioned earlier.

Its name is 'Yu Linzi'.

She is undoubtedly a prodigy of the 'Nine Serpents Liu Clan'.

Even the current patriarch of the Liu family only managed to become a Nascent Soul cultivator by taking advantage of the "Jade Unicorn".

Of course, given Wei Tu's current status, he is not qualified to meet 'Yu Linzi' in the Heavenly Demon Realm.

The reason why Clan Chief Liu said this and introduced this person was only to make Wei Tu rely on this cultivator so that he wouldn't become a 'rogue cultivator' with no background.

"If we disregard past grievances, Chief Liu truly deserves to be called a good master..." Wei Tu nodded secretly, feeling more favorably disposed towards Chief Liu and the Nine Serpents Liu Clan. (End of Chapter)