I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

"It's done! This treasure has successfully sensed the exact location of Geng Qiaozi."

A moment later, upon seeing the incantation fall and the 'Soul-Fixing Evil Puppet' floating in the air glow red and slowly drift away into the distance, the Great Abyss Consort, who controlled this skeletal puppet, was also overjoyed and greatly excited.

She used her divine sense to inform Wei Tu about the matter, and then immediately and without hesitation, she and Pei Hong flew out of the main hall one after the other, following closely behind the 'Soul-Fixing Evil Puppet' in the direction where Geng Qiaozi had left.

At this moment, Wei Tu, who was a few steps behind, was not in a hurry. Instead, he frowned slightly and continued to carefully examine the dark palace in front of him where many 'iron coffins' were placed.

There are no inscriptions or murals, only nearly a hundred identical cast-iron coffins placed here in a solitary and desolate manner... Judging from their function, it seems that they are only meant to "trap" outsiders who trespass on this land.

It itself doesn't have much value.

This can be seen from the fact that Geng Qiaozi, a "high-ranking member of the human race," was able to escape quickly.

“Perhaps we can try that ‘secret technique’…” Wei Tu’s heart stirred, and then his lips moved slightly as he quickly formed hand seals and struck at a nearby ‘iron coffin’.

The lineage of the Tianhai Sect has never been interrupted since ancient times... He didn't believe that Geng Qiaozi, being a fellow high-ranking member of the human race, would know far more information about this place than the ancestors of the Tianhai Sect.

He intuitively felt that the secret technique to unlock this 'Land of Human Heritage' was no different from the method to break the 'Spiritual Restriction of the Coffin'.

Previously, Consort Dayuan had followed closely behind and entered this palace. In order not to arouse suspicion, he did not use this secret technique to open the 'coffin spirit seal', but instead used force to break it open...

But now, the woman has already used the 'Soul-Fixing Evil Puppet' to chase after Geng Qiaozi, leaving him alone here. His previous slight concern has vanished.

Soon—as one spell after another was cast, the powerful spiritual restriction that had just been able to stop Wei Tu and force Da Yuanfei to use a 'Great Ascension Technique' to break through it was completely disintegrated in the blink of an eye.

At that very moment, a seven-colored radiance suddenly appeared on the inner wall of the 'iron coffin'. Like quicksand, it condensed into an exceptionally ancient mural and several lines of ancient spiritual characters on the inner wall of the coffin.

Moreover, what is quite strange is that these murals and inscriptions existed for a very short time, disappearing completely in the brief moment they were formed.

However, as a cultivator, Wei Tu also possessed the ability to remember everything he saw. After just one glance, he memorized all the murals and texts.

"Mustard Seed Immortal Boat... Holy Emperor's Palace... Tribulation-Avoiding Immortal Jade, Earth Mother Divine Medicine, and... Eight Thousand Soul-Breaking Ghosts..."

In an instant, Wei Tu deciphered the contents of several lines of ancient characters on the inner wall of the coffin.

The contents of this document are not complicated; they are a simple introduction by our ancestors about the treasures and dangers contained within the Mustard Seed Immortal Boat.

After all, this place has been given the name of 'Land of Inheritance', so it will not allow future generations to take too many risks.

However, before Wei Tu could even rejoice over the two supreme treasures he mentioned, the 'Avoiding Calamity Immortal Jade' and the 'Earth Mother Divine Medicine'... the subsequent introduction of the 'Eight Thousand Ghost Spirits' sent a chill down his spine.

It turned out that the ancient human cultivators he saw outside the Mustard Seed Immortal Boat, who swarmed around it like ants and lived within the boat, were not living people, but rather the 'Eight Thousand Corpse Ghost Spirits' formed from the flesh and blood severed from the physical body of an ancient human immortal from a bygone era…

As a corpse puppet, it has been guarding this land of human heritage since ancient times!
Wei Tu has seen many examples of the 'Flesh and Blood Regeneration' technique used by advanced body refiners, and he himself has used it quite a few times.

But he had never heard of a body cultivator who dared to cut off his own flesh and blood and use great magic to transform it into a series of strange creatures that resembled 'corpse puppets', and the number of them was a terrifying eight thousand!

"This is an ancient immortal powerhouse, a terrifying existence comparable to a tribulation-crossing immortal..." Wei Tu murmured to himself, his mind racing.

however--

At the same time.

Suddenly, a deafening roar, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing, resounded outside the hall. Powerful waves of magical energy traveled along the ground and reached Wei Tu.

“Is it Consort Dayuan? This woman has used Mahayana techniques again? Well, those ‘Eight Thousand Demons’ are not easy to deal with…” Wei Tu’s eyes flickered, and he immediately had some guesses.

Those who are not human and do not know the method of refuge recorded on the inner wall of the coffin, ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators who leave this hall without authorization will probably only be torn apart by those eight thousand demons in an instant.

In comparison, Consort Dayuan was already very fortunate, possessing various "Great Vehicle methods" to protect herself and avoid immediate death.

"hold on……"

"We'll rescue her when she's used up some of her 'Great Vehicle Techniques' and her trump cards are almost gone."

Wei Tu flicked his sleeves, using the secret technique he obtained from the 'inner wall of the coffin' to conceal his aura and escape from the hall, all the while thinking to himself.

Half an hour later, he easily followed the route carved on the inner wall of the coffin and walked along the corridor inside the Mustard Seed Immortal Boat to the core of the Mustard Seed Immortal Boat—the Holy Emperor's Palace.

Here, one can clearly see the 'Great Abyss Consort', whose delicate body radiates celestial light, struggling alongside her son Pei Hong against the nearly endless 'Eight Thousand Soul Spirits' within this 'Mustard Seed Immortal Boat'.

However, unlike ordinary corpse puppets, these 'spirit ghosts' formed from the flesh and blood of ancient immortals seem to have consciousness and use various spells and magical treasures, rather than being rigid and attacking Da Yuanfei and Pei Hong with only their flesh and blood.

"However, this attack seems weaker than before?" Wei Tu, who was observing the battle from a distance, frowned slightly.

This situation is understandable, after all, these 'demon ghosts' have lived in this [Mustard Seed Immortal Boat] for millions of years. Even if they are formed from the flesh and blood of ancient immortals, they are bound to decay, age, and their strength will deteriorate.

However, this is quite different from his previous plan to weaken the strength of 'Great Abyss Consort'.

But just as he was about to take out the communication artifact to respond to the woman's 'distress signal', a new 'spirit ghost' suddenly appeared among the densely packed 'spirits', with an astonishing aura and suspected to be a 'half-step Mahayana' level spirit.

This scene immediately made Wei Tu raise an eyebrow and let out a soft "Eh."

There was no other reason than that this half-step Mahayana 'spirit' did not appear suddenly. He was dressed in a Confucian robe and had a refined demeanor. He was no different from the group of 'spirits' who had just attacked Pei Hong and Da Yuanfei.

It was as if... suddenly, his cultivation level had increased dramatically!
"What the 'inner wall of the coffin' said should be true. These 'ancient human cultivators' who appear to be normal cultivators are actually 'dead ghosts' created by the ancient human immortals through secret techniques after cutting off parts of their own flesh..."

"It is equivalent to a corpse puppet. Its strength is fixed at the time of its birth, and under normal circumstances, such a change should not occur."

"Unless—the corpse transforms into a spirit!"

Wei Tu's gaze sharpened, and he instantly thought of the Thousand Cloud Demon Ancestor he had encountered inside the 'Precious Sun Divine Tower'.

This demon was originally a part of the demonic body of the Demon Ancestor Garan. After the death of the Demon Ancestor Garan, it was through the 'spirit transformation' that it was reborn with consciousness and thus became a new ancient demon.

Even the corpse of the Demon Ancestor Garan possesses this effect...

What's more, what about the eight thousand demons, who are even more numerous and formed from the flesh and blood of ancient human immortals?

In Wei Tu's view, this might even be the intentional act of this ancient human immortal.

Under the 'Heavenly Tribulation of Life Expiration', no one lives long, but their 'corpse' remains after they perish.

In the event of its own demise, it probably wouldn't mind that the 'corpse puppet' formed from its own flesh and blood would, after countless years, become a 'corpse spirit' and allow it to be reborn.

At the same time.

Just as Wei Tusheng had this thought, the situation on the battlefield changed again.

Previously, Pei Hong and Da Yuanfei had gained the upper hand by virtue of their "Mahayana methods," but the situation took a sharp turn for the worse after the sudden appearance of this half-Mahayana "Zhi Gui."

Soon, it became precarious.

With a "click".

Pei Hong, the weakest among them, was the first to succumb, his magical shield and spiritual treasure shield being torn apart by the 'Confucian robe corpse spirit' in the blink of an eye.

However, at this moment, the 'Confucian-robed corpse spirit' did not kill Pei Hong directly as Wei Tu had expected. Instead, it grabbed Pei Hong's body with one hand and withdrew from the battlefield in a few moments... Then, it chanted a spell and, right under Da Yuanfei's nose, directly began to possess Pei Hong's body.

It seems that they coveted Pei Hong's physical body.

This method of possession is also extremely strange, quite different from the possession methods commonly seen in the cultivation world.

After its 'divine soul' left its physical body, it transformed into nine cold, inch-long nails in an instant, which pierced into Pei Hong's dantian one by one.

A few breaths later, accompanied by Pei Hong's wailing, the 'Confucian-robed corpse spirit' suddenly stiffened, as if it had lost consciousness, and collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

At the same time, Pei Hong, who was controlled by the 'Confucian robe corpse spirit', suddenly changed his aura, and his face became extremely cold, as if he had been possessed by the 'Confucian robe corpse spirit'.

Then, having completed all this, the 'Confucian-robed corpse spirit' looked up and took a deep look at the 'Great Abyss Consort' whose expression had changed drastically, before disappearing into the [Mustard Seed Immortal Boat] in a flash of light, its whereabouts unknown.

At the very moment the 'Confucian-robed corpse spirit' retreated, the group of 'spirits' who had just attacked Consort Dayuan also seemed to lose control, and their strength greatly decreased.

"Are these 'spirits' controlled by that 'Confucian-robed corpse spirit'?" Upon seeing this, Wei Tu was secretly shocked, and as if he had thought of something, a look of lingering fear appeared on his face.

Using the refuge methods recorded on the inner wall of the coffin, he could conceal his aura and avoid the siege of these 'ghosts' inside the Mustard Seed Immortal Boat, just like the woodcutter.

But... if I had stepped in to support 'Da Yuan Fei' just now, things would have been very different.

At that time, he will surely be noticed by this 'Confucian robe corpse spirit', just like Pei Hong and Da Yuanfei.

Compared to Pei Hong, that 'Confucian-robed corpse spirit' would probably be more eager for his physical body, that of a human body cultivator.

Even if he manages to escape by then, he'll likely suffer greatly for it.

"Could it be... that the cultivator's physical body that broke into this place is the key for that corpse spirit to escape from this [Mustard Seed Immortal Boat]?" Wei Tu narrowed his eyes and glanced in the distance at the direction in which the scholar-robed corpse spirit had left.

That direction is precisely the other exit from this [Mustard Seed Immortal Boat], besides the [Holy Emperor's Hall], as recorded in the 'inner wall of the coffin'.

Aside from this reason, he really couldn't figure out why this 'Confucian-robed corpse spirit' cared so much about Pei Hong's body and went to such lengths to possess it.

“However, this is a good thing for me.” Wei Tu narrowed his eyes and thought to himself.

Under the very nose of Consort Dayuan, the 'Confucian Robe Corpse Spirit' that possessed 'Pei Hong's body' was destined to find it difficult to reconcile with this woman and the Mist Ghost Clan.

The fact that the Mist Demon clan is causing so much trouble also means that the mental energy available to deal with him will be greatly reduced.

Of course, more importantly-

This would greatly reduce the difficulty for him to escape the 'Illusory Realm'.

At this moment, he had not forgotten the schemes that Consort Dayuan and Pei Hong had plotted within this 'Illusory Mirage Realm'.

If the 'rune passage' leading to this [Mustard Seed Immortal Boat] hadn't disappeared, he and Geng Qiaozi would probably have faced a group of powerful beings from the Mist Ghost Clan and the Four-Armed Ape Clan.

……

Although he was overjoyed, when Wei Tu emerged from the shadows to support Consort Dayuan, he pretended to know nothing and asked the woman about Pei Hong's whereabouts.

“Hong’er has been killed by… a ‘corpse spirit’ here…” Consort Da Yuan said, her face grim.

However, Wei Tu could also sense that the woman did not seem to be too sad about this matter. After all, the 'Pei Hong' who came here with her was most likely just a 'blood ghost split soul' rather than the true body of this cultivator.

Although the loss of a 'blood demon soul fragment' was enormous, it was not to the point that Pei Hong and Da Yuanfei could not bear it.

But... Wei Tu still pretended not to know and offered a few words of comfort.

But soon, something quite surprising happened.

The woman seemed to sense his attempt to comfort her, and felt that this was a great opportunity to take advantage of him. Suddenly, a look of sadness and pity appeared on her rosy cheeks.

"Hong'er's death was all because of that woodcutter... As long as Fellow Daoist Ruan can help me deal with that old thief, I will do everything in my power to agree to whatever comes my way..." Consort Dayuan said through gritted teeth, her eyes cold.

"Do everything possible?"

"Is Lady Oobu truly telling the truth?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu couldn't help but sneer inwardly, but outwardly he went along with the woman's words and asked her a question.

"Of course it is true." Seeing that Wei Tu had taken the bait, Consort Dayuan was delighted and nodded.

Although she didn't think Wei Tu would help her much with this, this 'pain of losing a child' could undoubtedly be a great opportunity for her to lull Wei Tu into a false sense of security.

At the very least, it can greatly unite the front against Geng Qiaozi.

"Very well, after my wife and I have dealt with that old scoundrel Geng Qiaozi, I hope you will not go back on your word."

Wei Tu smiled faintly, not exposing the lie, and continued to agree.

After finishing his remarks, he ended the topic.

He said no more to the woman, glanced at the distant 'Holy Emperor's Palace', and then, in a flash, flew straight towards it. (End of Chapter)