I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

"It's like a conspiracy."

Wei Tu's eyes flickered slightly. After gleaning this information, he did not linger and returned to the rented cave with a flick of his sleeve.

After that, he no longer stayed in the rented cave for long.

After confirming that the Bat King was in seclusion in his cave, refining the 'Demon Lord's Remains' and the 'Demon Blood Altar', he immediately set off for the 'Corpse Immortal Ancient Tomb' beneath the 'Corpse Immortal Ancient City'... and explored this ancient secret realm a little.

Of course, due to the danger of this secret realm, Wei Tu dared not venture too far into its inner area. He only wandered around the outer area, searching for the tomb of the Danyang Emperor that could trigger the 'Holy Emperor's Decree' in his hand.

Unfortunately, even with the assistance of the 'Holy Emperor's Decree,' he, like those high-ranking human officials, found it difficult to find any trace of the remains of Emperor Danyang in this ancient tomb of the Corpse Immortal.

It was as if Geng Qiaozi's information had been false from beginning to end.

"Since there's no suspected tomb of Emperor Danyang outside the Corpse Immortal Tomb, only the inner area of ​​this place could be the site... However, the inner area of ​​this Corpse Immortal Tomb..."

Inside the Corpse Immortal Tomb, Wei Tu gazed at the ancient cave in the distance, which resembled a sinkhole, was bottomless, and was shrouded in a dark blue mist. A rare look of apprehension flashed in his eyes.

The Corpse Immortal Tomb is a tomb upon a tomb, built around the legendary "Corpse Immortal Cave." The deeper one goes, the more ancient and mysterious the tomb becomes.

The outer area is already a dangerous place for ordinary combined beings.

Deeper still, it is difficult for anyone who is not a fully-fledged cultivator or a half-step Mahayana cultivator to enter, but within it... it may also be a forbidden area for immortals and gods.

Because the spatial rifts that are everywhere within it can not only kill people alive, but also randomly teleport cultivators to ancient tombs that have never seen the light of day and have remained unopened for tens or hundreds of thousands of years.

The miasma there is so potent that contact with it is almost fatal.

"It seems that using the remains of Emperor Danyang's tomb for seclusion to break through to the Mahayana realm can be temporarily abandoned... In this place, unless Emperor Danyang himself comes, it will be extremely difficult to find his tomb below the Mahayana realm..."

Wei Tu sighed inwardly, shook his head, and had no choice but to abandon the plan that had arisen in his mind when he was in the 'Holy Emperor's Palace'.

Of course, he wasn't entirely without options at this point.

The 'Confucian-robed corpse spirit' that escaped from the 'Illusory Mirage Realm', as a member of the ancient immortals of the human race, has a considerable chance of knowing where the tomb of the 'Emperor Danyang' is located.

However, the current whereabouts of this man were a mystery even ten years ago.

Finding the 'Confucian-robed corpse spirit' is just as difficult as finding the tomb of the 'Emperor Danyang' in this ancient tomb of corpse immortals.

……

After Wei Tu decided to abandon the Corpse Immortal Ancient Tomb.

Xue Qiongyu's combined heavenly tribulation also arrived as scheduled.

However, with Wei Tu, a 'fusion-level cultivator', protecting her, the process of overcoming the tribulation was not too difficult for this woman. After half a year of twists and turns, she safely advanced to the fusion realm.

"It's just a pity that I can't tell my father this good news..."

After several months of breakthroughs and initially stabilizing her cultivation, Xue Qiongyu, who was once again entwined with Wei Tu, couldn't help but feel a little homesick.

She lay in Wei Tu's arms and uttered these words softly.

From the time she was abducted by Wei Tu during the breakthrough ceremony until now, a thousand years have passed since she left the Snow Infant Clan.

This period of time occupied almost half of her life.

However, Xue Qiongyu quickly realized something and apologized, saying that she did not mean she did not want to stay by Wei Tu's side for long.

"This matter is not a problem. Not only is it for Fairy Xue, but it is also true for me..."

Wei Tu narrowed his eyes, gazing indifferently into the distance.

This gaze seemed to transcend the boundaries of the cave dwelling, reaching the human race of the Spirit Realm, the Feathered Dragon Clan, and then seemingly crossing over to the Heavenly Demon Realm, the Purple Palace Realm, the Radiant Light Realm, and the Primordial Demon Source Realm...

After being hunted down by Tianyan Shangren and forced to flee to the Ancient Demon Realm, he was practically a 'homeless dog' in both the human and spirit realms.

After escaping from Madam Wanmiao's clutches, the Ancient Demon Realm was also in turmoil, so when he met Luqiu Qingfeng in the Heavenly Demon Realm... they could not recognize each other and had to flee far away like strangers.

Fortunately, he was quite fortunate, and through all the pursuit and attacks, he made continuous progress and reached his current level.

There is now some hope... to regain my true form and reunite with my old friends.

However, with the 'Corpse Immortal Ancient Tomb' as the designated breakthrough site temporarily abandoned, he could only ponder and find another suitable place to break through.

This matter will inevitably take some time.

"If we are looking for a place to cultivate... Husband, why don't we go back to the Stone Cocoon Secret Realm where we first met?" Suddenly, Xue Qiongyu seemed to have thought of something, and with a thought, she reminded Wei Tu.

"The 'turtle belly space' of that Stone Cocoon Secret Realm was known only to my Snow Infant Clan and the cultivators of the Human King's Society a thousand years ago... The inheritance and spiritual objects related to the Lishan Daoist within have long been explored and completely exhausted by my Snow Infant Clan... The secret realm within is considered abandoned, and the token to open that 'turtle belly space' is still in my hands."

Xue Qiongyu said slowly.

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu's expression immediately showed a hint of interest.

What he lacked was not a secluded place for seclusion, but a place to transcend tribulations that could reduce the impact of heavenly calamities.

Although the 'turtle belly space' of the Stone Cocoon Secret Realm is far less effective at resisting heavenly tribulations than places like the 'Hundred Tombs Yin Land' and the 'Corpse Immortal Ancient Tomb', as the 'tomb' of the powerful true spirit of the Lishan Daoist, its restrictions and formations are still top-notch and should not be underestimated.

It is more than sufficient as an alternative.

"This matter is not urgent. We will go to the Stone Cocoon Secret Realm to break through after we have resolved the troubles in the Corpse Immortal Ancient City."

Wei Tu nodded slightly in agreement, then turned his gaze toward the direction of the Strange Bat King's cave.

Although he was neither a devout believer nor a pushover, he did not want to cause suffering to the spirits because of his own selfish desires.

Moreover, the "Weeping River Demon Ancestor" whom the Bat King summoned through the "Blood Altar" also harbored considerable resentment towards him.

Once this demon successfully crosses the boundary and brings other demon ancestors to the spirit realm, the consequences will be unpredictable for him.

……

While the Bat King was refining the 'Blood Altar of Demon Invocation'.

Wei Tu also began refining the 'Eternal Flame Ointment' needed to activate the [Longevity Immortal Lamp] inside the cave.

Having decided to pursue this path, any increase in Mahayana practices will ensure his safety.

Moreover, the power of the [Longevity Immortal Lamp], a top-grade spiritual treasure, is no less than that of the powerful methods of the 'Owl Demon Yin Ghost' among his many abilities.

In fact, its explosive power surpasses that of the 'Owl Demon Ghost'.

“Divine blood, Pure Bright Grass, Five-Colored Demonic Soil…” Wei Tu added these rare spiritual materials, hard to find in the cultivation world, to the alchemy furnace one by one, and then slowly refined them into liquid using the secret technique obtained from the 'Ancestral Beast Stele'.

One day.

Two days...

Six months later, the spiritual liquid inside the alchemy furnace gradually took shape, transforming into a seven-colored spiritual paste.

"In terms of quality, these ointments... are difficult to compare with the 'Eternal Flame Ointment' obtained in the Immortal Ruins of Dinghai, since the required 'divine blood' was only obtained from the 'Buddha statue' of the purple-faced man. However, their quantity is far superior..."

Wei Tu's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at the 'Eternal Flame Ointment', which could easily fill several jade boxes, and he was secretly excited.

If the quality isn't good enough, make up for it with quantity.

These 'Eternal Flame Elixir' are enough to allow him to activate the [Longevity Lamp] more than twenty times.

These twenty-odd times may not seem like many, but it's important to know that this treasure is often used as a final, decisive move to decide the outcome.

More than twenty times is a very, very large number.

Even if someone is a 'second-generation immortal,' their Mahayana techniques are no match for these boxes of 'Eternal Flame Demon Cream.'

However, this is normal.

The Longevity Lamp was originally a treasure passed down by the True Dragon Clan within the 'Sea-Stabilizing Immortal Ruins'.

If the ancient True Dragon Clan hadn't worried that future generations would possess this treasure, strip it of their bloodline, and indiscriminately kill living beings, and hadn't specifically restricted its use to only three times, and artificially severed the method of refining the 'Eternal Flame Ointment'... with the power of this treasure, Wei Tu would have long been able to wreak havoc everywhere.

Now that Wei Tu has successfully refined the 'Eternal Flame Ointment,' he has finally unlocked this dragon clan treasure.

"Next, we just need to wait patiently."

After placing the 'Eternal Flame Ointment' into the jade box, Wei Tu sat cross-legged and began to slowly recover his magical power, waiting for the Strange Bat King to continue his actions.

Although he did not know the specific timing of the Bat King's plan.

However, he intuitively felt that this cultivator would not waste too much time. After all, in order to save time, he even passed on the method of refining the 'Demon Lord's Remains' to him. It was impossible for him to stay in the cave for a long time after successfully refining the 'Demon Blood Altar'.

as predicted.

After waiting for three years, Wei Tu...

The slightly weary Bat King finally broke through the cave's formation, transforming into a streak of light and heading straight into the 'Ancient Tomb of the Corpse Immortal' beneath the 'Ancient City of Corpse Immortals'.

"The Tomb of the Corpse Immortal? This cultivator actually chose the Tomb of the Corpse Immortal as the first choice for the Demon Ancestor's cross-realm transformation?" Wei Tu's eyes showed surprise.

The Corpse Immortal Tomb is extremely yin and evil, and it is often explored by cultivators who have reached the fusion stage... Apart from some secluded tombs, such as the tomb of the 'Emperor Danyang' that he hoped to find, the rest of the place is not suitable for such private matters.

"Could it be that this Bat King also possesses a hidden tomb unknown to anyone?" Wei Tu wondered to himself.

However, there was no point in thinking about it. Seeing that the Strange Bat King had already set off, he did not hesitate any longer and followed closely behind the cultivator. He also transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the 'Corpse Immortal Ancient Tomb'.

Fortunately, at this moment his divine sense had surged to the 'peak of the Integration Stage', and he was only a step away from the 'half-step Mahayana Stage'.

Otherwise, simply following closely behind the Bat King without being noticed by this cultivator would already be a difficult task.

"As expected, this cultivator knows this 'Corpse Immortal Ancient Tomb' like the back of his hand. Indeed, he has been hiding in this 'Corpse Immortal Ancient City' for some time, probably with the intention of setting up the 'Demon Blood Altar' here."

Soon, when Wei Tu saw the Strange Bat King familiarly moving through the passageways of the various tombs in the 'Corpse Immortal Ancient Tomb', he thought to himself, 'No wonder.'

"Are we approaching the inner area of ​​the Corpse Immortal Tomb?"

Half a day later, after noticing that the surrounding yin energy was getting thicker and thicker, Wei Tu's face became more solemn.

The Yin energy within the 'Corpse Immortal Ancient Tomb' is not merely 'Yin energy'. It also carries 'miasma', which causes immense damage to the cultivator's physical body.

Ordinary cultivators who enter will suffer severe damage to their souls and spirits within moments, turning into walking corpses to be swallowed by the 'Corpse Immortal Cave'.

It is only because of the powerful physique of a cultivator who has achieved the Integration Stage that they can stay in this forbidden area for so long.

Moreover, the dangers within the inner region are not limited to this.

It contains even greater terror and danger.

Therefore, even though he held many trump cards and cultivated both body and magic, he had not dared to venture into the inner domain to search for the tomb of the 'Emperor Danyang'.

Fortunately, the Bat King seemed to have sensed the danger of his surroundings. With a swift movement, he flew directly to a rather secluded tomb nearby and stopped in its living room.

Immediately afterwards, just as he had done in the private room of the Immortal Inn, he made a hand seal and used the "Invocation of the Netherworld God" technique to summon the phantom of the woman in yellow robes once again.

At the same time, he flipped his palm and took out an altar made of demonic bones. He then used a magical artifact to cut open his own palm and sprinkled drops of spiritual blood onto the altar.

Soon, with the dripping of this spiritual blood...

On the dark altar forged from demonic bones, dazzling runes the size of tadpoles immediately appeared. They danced continuously on the black demonic bones, then merged with the spiritual blood, transforming into blood runes that were as red as blood and exceptionally cold.

Immediately afterwards, the Bat King waved his sleeve again, throwing out a pair of combined spiritual cultivators wrapped in stone figurines, and suspending them in the air at the Yin and Yang positions of this 'Invitation to Demon Blood Altar'.

At this moment, the woman in yellow robes, Blood Shadow, standing beside the Bat King, also began to move. Her lips moved slightly as she continuously raised her palms and formed hand seals, casting spells onto the two stone figures.

The ceremony lasted for nearly half a month.

The stone figures on the Demon Bone Altar gradually began to glow with demonic light, and at the same time, it seemed as if demonic shadows emerged from the void and landed on the stone figures from afar.

"The time is almost here." At this moment, Wei Tu, who was hidden inside the [Earth Emperor Pearl], also showed a slight change in expression, preparing to make his move when the opportunity arose.

He was familiar with the entire process of the 'Inviting the Demon Blood Altar' ritual.

Besides 'human sacrifice'.

The 'Alien Bat King' who held the ceremony also had to pay a huge price, becoming a 'sacrifice' for the Demon Ancestor's crossover.

At that time, the Bat King, as a cultivator undergoing a major transformation, would also be at the weakest and most vulnerable stage of his cultivation journey.

"Soul Possession!"

At the same moment, inside the tomb, the Bat King seemed to have gone mad. After shouting out this sentence, he bit his tongue, spat out several mouthfuls of blood onto the stone statue, and cut off one of his own hands, throwing it near the stone statue's mouth.

Suddenly, the stone figure in the 'yang position' began to change, with demonic and spiritual light constantly emerging from its body, and the 'illusory image of the Demon Ancestor' that tore through the void became more and more obvious.

At this moment, seemingly to assist this 'illusory image of the Demon Ancestor', the illusory image of the woman in yellow robes standing next to the Strange Bat King also flew up and landed inside the stone terracotta warrior.

A moment later, the stunningly beautiful face of a woman slowly emerged on the 'stone figurine'.

But... this serene and peaceful expression hadn't lasted long before it suddenly turned into one of shock. (End of Chapter)