I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

"Has the Mastiff Lord been defeated?"

At this moment, outside the 'teleportation channel', the other three races' combined cultivators, including Pei Hong, finally arrived.

Upon witnessing the scene of the Mastiff Lord fleeing with its hoof broken, there was an uproar and great shock.

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

The Six Divine Sovereigns in their combined form are not to be trifled with; rather, they represent the absolute power of the Spirit Realm in the last ten thousand years. Their status is so high that even Mahayana Immortals must show them some respect.

Now that Lord Aoshan has been defeated, doesn't that mean that the 'Wei Tu' they are hunting is a terrifying existence comparable to the combined Six Divine Lords?
Whether it's innate talent or ability.

“This cultivator must have been possessed by an ancient demon.” Pei Hong’s eyes narrowed slightly, his mind became more certain, and his expression suddenly relaxed a lot.

If he had previously harbored some doubts about Wei Tu's identity, believing that he was an 'Ancient Demon' was merely wishful thinking, the evidence now undeniably proves that he could not possibly be possessed by an Ancient Demon.

No matter how talented or extraordinary, it is impossible for someone to possess such great power in just a short period of a thousand years, to the point of defeating the Mastiff Lord and forcing him to flee in disarray.

However, seeing Pei Hong's expression, Da Yuanfei fell silent, because she knew that if Wei Tu was truly an ancient demon, it would have been impossible for him to throw 'Geng Qiaozi' into her hands at that time... and leave the words 'I have no intention of being an enemy of the human race' in 'Geng Qiaozi's' soul.

If nothing unexpected happens.

Wei Tu should never have changed; he is still a human, still the human cultivator who ascended from the lower realm to the spirit realm.

However, all of this was far too cruel for Pei Hong, so after a moment of silence, she swallowed the words back down and remained silent as if nothing had happened.

But this 'peace' was soon broken by Daibuchi Kei and the wounded Aoyama-kun.

Da Yuanjing still had reservations, but... Lord Aoshan didn't care at all. He looked coldly at Da Yuanfei's waist, as if some treasure was hidden there.

"Fairy Consort, I don't want to interfere in your affairs with that... demon, but I hope you will hand over 'Geng Qiaozi'. This is our only chance to learn about this demon..." Lord Aoshan said coldly.

At this moment, he smoothly changed Wei Tu's title from 'Master Ruan Dan' to 'Demon,' attributing this great defeat to being tricked by an ancient demon, rather than... truly being defeated by human cultivators.

As for Geng Qiaozi...

Although he did not believe that he had the ability to obtain information about Wei Tu, after all, the fact that Wei Tu was able to throw his 'dismembered body' to Da Yuanfei meant that this cultivator did not have much 'value'.

But all of this is relative.

As a high-ranking member of the human race, the intelligence he possesses about the human race is invaluable.

Putting everything else aside, the method that Geng Qiaozi possesses for entering and exiting this human treasure land of the 'Illusory Mirage Realm' is of great use to any of the cultivators from the three races.

"This..." Upon hearing this, Consort Dayuan frowned slightly and secretly groaned.

After receiving the "Geng Qiaozi" from Wei Tu, she also searched his soul, but the only information and memories she obtained were the sentence "Ruan does not wish to be an enemy of the human race".

Therefore, even if she were to give the "Geng Qiao Zi" to Lord Aoshan and the others in its entirety, this cultivator probably wouldn't believe her. He would only think that she intended to conceal the information here and monopolize the benefits of this "treasure land of the human race".

Even if they believed her... they wouldn't publicly acknowledge her statement in front of everyone.

It is more likely that they will use this opportunity to launch an attack and profit from it.

In a word.

At this point, she was speechless and unable to defend herself.

"What a vicious scheme. This Ruan fellow really knows me inside..." Consort Da Yuan cursed Wei Tu inwardly. How could she not understand that this was Wei Tu's deliberate design to put her in this dilemma?

"Furthermore, if we were to submit to Lord Aoshan at this moment and hand over this woodcutter, wouldn't that mean we would greatly offend that person surnamed Ruan? If he is not 'Wei Tu' but another human cultivator... this would be no less than offending a future Mahayana cultivator..." Da Yuanfei's beautiful eyes flickered slightly as she pondered to herself.

Intimidated by Wei Tu's power, she had to consider the potentially serious consequences of offending him.

She understood that Wei Tu had given her the 'Geng Qiao Zi' in the intention of using her to hand over the cultivation to the higher-ups of the human race, rather than letting her handle it herself.

Although the Mastiff Mountain Lord in front of them, and the Howling Sky Clan behind him, were not easy to deal with, compared to Wei Tu, a ruthless person with no ties and terrifying strength, their threat was far less terrifying.

It can be considered as choosing the lesser of two evils.

"But, but... that's true, but the person in front of me is Lord Aoshan..." Da Yuanfei's pink face stiffened slightly, she swallowed hard, finding it difficult to make up her mind to directly risk becoming an enemy of Lord Aoshan and the Xiaotian clan behind him.

This is no longer a simple argument; it involves a fundamental conflict of interests. The slightest misstep could lead to a great war between the two races, a bloodbath and mountains of corpses.

However, at that very moment, she suddenly sensed something, and her eyes lit up.

"If I can get a promise from 'Master Ruan' because of this, it won't be too bad..." Da Yuanfei secretly calculated, and the scales in her heart had already tilted towards Wei Tu's side.

That's right! Just now, she was contacted by Wei Tu again through that 'clone' that Wei Tu had captured, and received a personal promise from Wei Tu.

This promise, though seemingly unbelievable—after all, she had made a blood pact with Wei Tu and Geng Qiaozi using the 'Blood Curse Secret Book'—had left her with almost no other choice but to risk believing it and give it a try, as Wei Tu had suggested.

……

"This old thief, Gengqiao, I can hand him over to Fellow Daoist Aoshan, but... when Master Ruan handed this thief over to me, he also instructed me to return him to the human race..." Da Yuanfei's tense face suddenly broke into a bright smile as she spoke these words openly in front of the three races' Nascent Soul cultivators.

As soon as he said this...

The surrounding atmosphere suddenly became deathly silent.

"Does the Fairy Consort mean that you are still cooperating with that demon?" Lord Aoshan narrowed his eyes, instantly understanding the meaning behind the words from the Fairy Consort Dayuan.

Immediately afterwards, he couldn't help but sneer and said "No wonder" several times.

"No wonder that demon threw this 'woodcutter' to Fairy Consort, so that's why..." Lord Aoshan's face showed anger as he glanced at the surrounding fellow cultivators, as if signaling these Xiaotian clan cultivators to prepare to launch an attack.

However, the next moment, something surprising happened to Aoshan-jun.

These fellow cultivators, as he had instructed, also adopted an attitude of great anger.

But privately, several close friends began to whisper to him, advising him not to provoke him too much.

"Today we are enemies, my brother has been defeated by this demon... but we are not yet enemies. If we were to force the fairy concubine to abdicate today, we would not only greatly offend the Mist Ghost Clan and the Four-Armed Ape Clan, but we would also probably offend that demon as well..."

“Brother, since this demon cannot be restrained by the six Divine Sovereigns at the Integration Stage, then, without the Great Ascension Stage appearing, who can stand against him? Our Xiaotian Clan is not a small, insignificant clan consisting of only us, but a large clan with hundreds of millions of members…”

Words of advice instantly began to echo in Aoshan-jun's mind.

As he finished speaking, the coldness on his face deepened, but he didn't utter another threatening word.

In ordinary times, the background is more important than anything else.

However, when facing a 'strongman' like Wei Tu, whose origins and background are unknown and who is uncontrollable by anyone... background will become the biggest weakness.

Consort Da Yuan had grasped this point, which is why she ignored his threat at this moment.

"What do you mean by 'difficult to subdue a Mahayana being'? It's nothing more than the belief that this demon is superior to me and has the potential to become a Mahayana being... and that I don't want to offend him too much." Lord Aoshan sneered inwardly.

After thinking it over, he gave Da Yuanfei a cold look and stopped bothering her. With a flick of his sleeve, he tore through the void, flew away from the 'Illusory Mirage Realm', and headed straight for the battlefield outside.

There, there also exist high-ranking members of the human race, just like 'Geng Qiaozi', who are currently engaged in a fierce battle with the combined forces of the three races.

Originally, these high-ranking human leaders came to rescue the "Gengqiaozi" as external aid.

But at this moment, it could also become another medium through which he could glimpse the secrets of this 'treasure land of humanity'.

—Compared to offending Wei Tu, these 'high-ranking human race members' are easier to bully and less likely to be taken advantage of.

"Mother (Third Sister), have you really started cooperating with that 'Master Ruan'?"

The moment Aoshan Jun led the Xiaotian Clan cultivators away, Pei Hong and Dayuan Jing, who were beside Dayuan Fei, were immediately struck by a thought and asked Dayuan Fei about it.

They knew that this time, Consort Dayuan, like Geng Qiaozi, had fallen into trouble with Wei Tu.

However... even within the cultivation world, there's a saying: "No fight, no friendship."

At this moment, the enmity between the two sides is far from reaching the point of 'life or death'.

Given Wei Tu's strength and future prospects, he could easily persuade the two powerful clans, the Four-Armed Ape Clan and the Mist Ghost Clan, to set aside their differences and cooperate with him.

As for the suspected 'human identity'...

It's not worth mentioning.

Among the major powerful clans, which one hasn't taken in 'rogue cultivators' from other clans to serve as guest elders or senior members?

"This matter..." Upon hearing this, Consort Dayuan's fair face stiffened slightly, and her expression turned somewhat unpleasant. She didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

Clearly, this was something she had no choice but to do in order to consider the overall situation.

But right now, Pei Hong and Da Yuanjing's tone seemed to suggest that she had gotten a great deal out of this situation.

Admittedly, the two men's thoughts are understandable.

To be defeated by a strong opponent but not perish, and even to become, in some sense, their 'messenger'... from any perspective, this is a good thing.

However, Consort Dayuan had not forgotten the humiliation she suffered in the 'Holy Emperor's Palace,' nor the threatening words Wei Tu uttered when he threw the woodcutter at her...

"Fortunately, we made some contact." But in front of Da Yuanjing, Da Yuanfei had no choice but to swallow her pride and force a smile, fabricating some facts.

Among the four-armed ape clan, after Pei Hong became a disciple of Zi Chi Jun, they began to harbor some resentment towards her, Pei Hong's birth mother...

If she were to find out that she had offended a future Mahayana powerhouse, it's hard to say whether he would draw a line between them and drift further and further apart in the future.

Conversely, while fabricating this fact might be humiliating to her, she could also see the immense benefits it secretly held on a factual level.

"Misfortune and fortune are intertwined. If this 'Alchemist Ruan' really becomes acquainted with Third Sister, it might be of great help to our clan in the future." Da Yuanjing, oblivious to the humiliation in Da Yuanfei's heart, smiled faintly and echoed her sentiment.

But upon hearing these words, Princess Da Yuan felt a chill run through her from the bottom of her heart.

She was too lazy to explain anything further to Pei Hong and Da Yuanjing. After taking a deep breath, she focused her gaze on the battlefield outside the 'Illusory Mirage Realm' and, like Aoshan Jun and the others, quickly flew away from the 'Illusory Mirage Realm' and headed towards the battlefield.

When acting, you have to go all the way.

At this moment, she dared not keep the hot potato of "Geng Qiaozi" in her hands any longer.

Soon, the battlefield outside the 'Illusory Mirage Realm' appeared.

The high-ranking members of the human race, who were engaged in a fierce battle and standoff with Lord Aoshan and others, showed disbelief upon hearing the purpose of 'Consort Dayuan's' visit, just like the cultivators of the three races before them.

"No wonder, no wonder... this Mastiff Lord is missing an arm; it was injured by this cultivator..."

"Senior Brother Gengqiao...is he on the verge of death?"

For a moment, the group of high-ranking human leaders who had come to support 'Geng Qiaozi' were filled with mixed feelings of sorrow and joy.

Tragically, the woodcutter nearly died.

The good news is that the 'treasure' of this human race's heritage site has also fallen into the hands of a human cultivator... and this human cultivator does not have much hostility towards the human race.

"But who exactly is this cultivator? How did such a talent suddenly appear among our human race?"

The high-ranking members of the human race exchanged bewildered glances.

It's one thing if ordinary cultivators who have achieved the Fusion Realm are overlooked within the clan.

But it seems unlikely that a 'combined powerhouse' capable of fighting and defeating the Mountain Lord would remain so unknown.

"This 'Alchemist Ruan' possesses the [Boundary-Severing Stone], and is suspected to be 'Wei Tu' who is wanted by the Ancient Demon Realm..."

Seeing this, Consort Dayuan glanced deeply at the group of human leaders and then said Wei Tu's name in a detached tone.

She also urgently needs the human race to verify the specific origin of 'Weitu' in order to facilitate future responses.

"Wei Tu?"

"If it were him..."

"Perhaps there's still a slim chance. His name is on that list within the Spiritual Palace of the Dark Crow Tower..."

Upon hearing this, the high-ranking members of the human race were greatly surprised and secretly pondered the accuracy of this intelligence.

"Was it Wei Tu who defeated Lord Aoshan?"

But at this moment, Duan Jiu, who was among the high-ranking members of the human race, couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

He still remembered that back then, Wei Tu was still following behind 'Jiang Lingzi', seeking his protection.

"If it's Wei Tu... this boy killed two of my fellow disciples..." Immediately, the expressions of the high-ranking members of the human race became somewhat subdued.

One person could be considered to have misunderstood.

But what about the two of them...?

Even if they reluctantly agreed, they didn't believe that Wei Tu would have much goodwill towards them, the 'high-ranking members of the human race'.

"The cultivation world is inherently treacherous and a matter of life and death. If this cultivator is indeed Wei Tu, then his words... aren't they a sign that he wishes to restore good relations with our human race?"

"According to Junior Brother's suggestion, this time, not only should we not punish this cultivator, but we should also protect him in the name of our human race." At this moment, Duan Jiu, who had been in a daze, finally came to his senses. He glanced at the group of high-ranking human leaders who were his fellow disciples, pondered for a moment, and then spoke these words. (End of this chapter)