I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

At this moment, Xue Qiongyu, who was at the center of the conversation, did not feel the joy of Wei Tu standing up for her. Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes.

"What exactly does this cultivator want to do? Is it simply resentment, or... is he plotting something?" Xue Qiongyu's mind raced as she pondered Wei Tu's motives.

She knew very well that regardless of whether Wei Tu's intentions were "good" or "evil," his words had put her, Pei Hong's fiancée, in a difficult position. If she ignored Wei Tu and left, other cultivators would look down on her in the future, and it might even jeopardize the Snow Infant Clan's standing among its allies. After all, the difference in status between a "furnace vessel" who feared and was controlled by the Mist Ghost Clan and a genuine "fiancée" was enormous.

However... if one were to express praise for Wei Tu's words, it would mean severely offending the Mist Ghost Clan, one's future "husband's family."

Of course, there is also a middle option—that is to let it slide, pretend to be shocked and not yet reacting, and wait for Pei An or the Xueying Clan cultivator to speak up and help her resolve this crisis.

However, while this approach might yield a satisfactory answer for both the Snow Infant Clan and the Mist Ghost Clan, it also reveals her "cowardice" to everyone involved!
In the cultivation world, not resisting means being bullied to death!
Or rather, this choice and the first choice are essentially the same choice—to submit to the tyranny of the Mist Demons.

The only difference is in the performance.

Having figured this out, Xue Qiongyu realized that she was basically out of options. Under Wei Tu's "verbal pressure," she had no choice but to go either left or right; there was no middle ground.

"I suppose... I still have some right to be willful with Pei Hong. If he can't even tolerate this little thing, marrying into the Mist Ghost Clan would truly be no different from being a furnace cauldron."

Xue Qiongyu took a deep breath and made a decision.

She turned back, a smile on her face, "Fellow Daoist Fu and I had a very pleasant conversation, but the time is not right now... So, five days from now, I will host a banquet at the 'Heavenly Fragrance Immortal Inn' to entertain Fellow Daoist Fu and some of the young talents who participated in my breakthrough ceremony... At that time, Fellow Daoist Fu can also continue our conversation with me..."

Her words were devoid of any subtlety; she directly and openly invited Wei Tu—because being subtle would have exposed her "weakness." The cultivators present were all high-ranking officials and elites from their respective races; there were no fools among them.

However, she left room for the Mist Demon Clan. She changed the meeting with Wei Tu to a banquet for the group of young talents who attended her breakthrough ceremony.

In this way, her reputation will not be affected.

"Tianxiang Immortal Inn?" Upon hearing this, Wei Tu's tense nerves immediately relaxed, and he secretly exhaled a breath of stale air.

Tianxiang Xianzhan is not far from "Binglianbao" (Ice Lotus Castle), as it is located in the market area near Binglianbao.

But for him, being able to lure this woman outside Ice Lotus Castle was already a great victory.

However, at that very moment, Pei An, who was sitting in the second seat, immediately looked rather grim. Although he knew that Xue Qiongyu's words, in fact, were not an insult to him or the Mist Ghost Clan.

But the cultivation world is not a place for reasoning!
The Mist Ghost Clan prides itself on being one of the "Ten Spirit Clans," and its strength far surpasses that of the Snow Infant Clan, a "small clan." No matter how bad his words or statements may be, Xue Qiongyu and the Snow Infant Clan should accept them rather than resist them.

Xue Qiongyu's invitation to Wei Tu is now a direct slap in the face to him, a powerful being of the Mist Ghost Clan at the Fusion Realm.

His eyes flashed with cold light, and in front of all the cultivators, he immediately snorted coldly and pressed down on Wei Tu with the pressure of a fully formed body, intending to teach this junior a lesson.

At the same time, it also serves as a warning to Xue Qiongyu.

The next moment, a loud "boom" was heard, and Wei Tu, who was just sitting in the banquet, was instantly blasted away by the combined pressure and was embedded hard in the vermilion palace pillar behind him like a rag doll.

Half a breath later, an abnormal blush appeared on Wei Tu's face, and with a "pfft," he spat out a mouthful of blood.

His face turned deathly pale instantly.

"How dare a mere small clan provoke the might of my great clan?" At the same time, a contemptuous voice rang in Wei Tu's ears.

He dared not kill Wei Tu, the Dark Serpent Clan cultivator, for fear of provoking interference and retaliation from the Feathered Dragon Clan, but giving him a lesson would leave no room for argument.

"Fellow Daoist Fu..." Seeing this scene, Xue Qiongyu, no matter how maliciously she speculated about Wei Tu's motives, couldn't help but feel anxious and worried about Wei Tu's injuries.

After all, Wei Tu's injury at this moment is essentially Pei An's revenge for her words just now.

That's true! Wei Tu and she are not related. Even if he had designs on her, he wouldn't be foolish enough to offend a Nascent Soul cultivator at this moment and bring disaster upon himself.

His actions were probably more out of resentment and recklessness after seeing this beautiful woman being "imprisoned".

She was well aware of her own beauty. Therefore, it was not surprising that she attracted the wrath of a young prodigy who was "angry for her beauty."

"The Mist Demon clan is truly domineering in its dealings."

“Giving this junior a small punishment may seem petty, but it also gives us a glimpse into the power of the Mist Ghost Clan. No wonder they dare to compete with the human race for the title of one of the Ten Spirit Clans.”

The cultivators discussed among themselves, and unanimously, they all felt a sense of awe towards Pei An and the Mist Ghost Clan behind him.

Large clans behave differently from small clans.

If they are gentle and reasonable, people will think that their tribe is weak and unworthy of its name.

That's why Pei An acted so recklessly just now.

He knew in his heart that losing a small courtesy was not a big deal, but if the Snow Infant Clan and other small clans thought that the Mist Ghost Clan was not worthy of its name, that would be a big crisis.

"Qiong Yu, it's good to teach this junior a lesson. Then... let's call off the banquet at Tianxiang Immortal Inn."

On the stage, the Snow Infant Clan Chief also sighed softly, telling Xue Qiongyu to calm down and not to dwell on the matter any longer.

He understood that this would damage Xue Qiongyu's reputation, but with the "generous gifts" from the Mist Ghost Clan and Pei Hong, all of this became irrelevant.

He could clearly distinguish between his people and his daughter.

It's just a matter of saving face... As the patriarch of a "minor clan" in the spirit world, he has suffered far more humiliation than Xue Qiongyu.

"Yes, father."

Xue Qiongyu nodded slightly, raised her hand to beckon the maid following behind her, and had her take out a healing pill to give to Wei Tu before preparing to leave Wei Tu's seat.

But the next moment.

Something happened that left Xue Qiongyu completely astonished.

Wei Tu, who was severely injured by Pei An's combined power, took some healing pills and his injuries improved slightly. He then bowed to her and said that he would definitely go to Tianxiang Immortal Inn in five days and hoped that she would not break her promise.

"Could it be... that this cultivator has fallen in love with me at first sight and harbors feelings of affection for me?" Xue Qiongyu couldn't help but think.

There was no other reason than that she knew these words would anger Pei An again, yet she still spoke so frankly. Apart from this reason, she really couldn't imagine what else motivated Wei Tu.

This is blatant, combined killing intent!
"Father..." Xue Qiongyu hesitated and asked the Xueying Clan Chief for his opinion on the matter via telepathy.

Watching Wei Tu get seriously injured by Pei An had already caused her and the Xueying Clan to lose face. Although she was forced to back down because of her father's words, she couldn't help but feel resentful.

Now that Wei Tu is showing such fearlessness, if she continues to give in... she will probably be ridiculed by all the cultivators present for eternity.

"Qiongyu, I will help you this time." Upon hearing this, the Snow Infant Clan Chief shook his head and sighed softly.

After speaking, he flicked his sleeve, immediately dispelling the combined pressure that Pei An had once again exerted after hearing Wei Tu's words.

"Chief Xue, are you also going to protect this junior?"

Pei An's face darkened, and he questioned him.

“Protection? What protection?” The Snow Infant Clan Chief’s eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled faintly, “Since this fellow Daoist surnamed Fu is a guest of my Snow Infant Clan, he should naturally be treated as such… I do not know why this young man offended Fellow Daoist Pei, but if he has done anything wrong, I will apologize to Fellow Daoist Pei on his behalf.”

The words of the Snow Infant Clan Chief were dozens of times more weighty than those of Snow Qiongyu.

Upon hearing this, no matter how dissatisfied Pei An was, he could only frown inwardly and suppress his anger.

Secondly, he had already achieved his goal.

The first move was a powerful demonstration, making it clear to the Snow Infant Clan and the other minor clans present that the Mist Ghost Clan was powerful and domineering, ensuring that these minor clans would not dare to disrespect the Mist Ghost Clan in the future.

At this point, it would be going too far to take action again without giving face to the Snow Infant Clan Chief.

It made him seem too petty and didn't take the Xueying Clan, his in-laws, seriously.

"What can a junior like him do to cause trouble?"

Pei An looked disdainful, not believing that Wei Tu had the ability to steal Xue Qiongyu away and ruin her chastity.

He knew Xue Qiongyu somewhat. Although she was a bit arrogant, she had always been very obedient because she couldn't bear to leave her clan.

Her family is this woman's Achilles' heel!

In other words, this woman knew that once her chastity was broken, ruining her own holy son's plans... the Snow Infant Clan would face a devastating blow.

Furthermore, this powerful being at the Fusion stage was watching Xue Qiongyu from nearby—what kind of trouble could this woman cause during her "dealing" trip to Tianxiang Immortal Inn?

"Since Fairy Qiongyu is so kind as to host a banquet at Tianxiang Immortal Inn for the young talents who are participating in this breakthrough ceremony... As an elder, how can I refuse?"

Pei An replied calmly and in a light voice, as if his attack on Wei Tu had never happened.

……

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside the Tianxiang Immortal Inn, countless "enthusiasts" who had heard about the "Combination Ceremony" that took place a few days ago had gathered.

Although the Snow Infant Clan Chief strictly forbade the matter to be spread outside, the cultivators seated in the hall were all powerful figures who could stand on equal footing with him, so how could they really take these words to heart?

Of course, given their status, they would disdain spreading such trivial matters, but they couldn't help it when their relatives, friends, and Daoist companions who accompanied them to the banquet told others about these "secrets."

The story spread like wildfire, and within a few days, all the cultivators who had gathered for Xue Qiongyu's breakthrough ceremony had heard about this much-talked-about "scandal"!
That's right! Just as Xue Qiongyu understood, Wei Tu's act of risking serious injury to publicly invite Xue Qiongyu was seen by a group of busybodies as Wei Tu's admiration for Xue Qiongyu.

Even if some clear-headed people understand that this matter may not be so simple, no matter how hard they rack their brains, they can hardly figure out why Wei Tu, this "young prodigy," would do such a foolish thing, and can only be forced to accept this explanation.

At this moment, thanks to the clan's secret artifacts and the array formations they had set up, Pei An, who was in Ice Lotus Fortress, also crossed a million miles to contact the Holy Son, Pei Hong, who was recuperating in the Mist Ghost Clan's "Clan Territory".

"You need to contact me for such a small thing?"

Inside the Ice Lotus Castle, in a room, Pei Hong's young, handsome face slowly appeared in an ancient bronze mirror floating in front of Pei An.

But upon hearing this, he frowned slightly, revealing the same disdain as Pei An had shown before.

Like Pei An, Pei Hong did not believe that a mere Dark Serpent Clan cultivator could pose a threat to him.

Xue Qiongyu accepted the invitation only out of consideration for her reputation and because she couldn't back down.

"However, Uncle did a good job. Although this matter is insignificant, we must nip it in the bud. The pure Yin energy in Xue Qiongyu's body is crucial to me; it is a good medicine to repair my soul... It cannot be lacking."

After hearing the whole story, Pei Hong nodded slightly, expressing his approval of Pei An's actions.

In particular, Pei An's ruthless actions in the main hall were exactly what he wanted—if he didn't strike hard over these trivial matters, others would think that Pei Hong was easy to bully.

He probably wouldn't have cared before.

However, once the soul is damaged, it is something to be wary of.

“What the Holy Son says is absolutely right. Although this cultivator is insignificant, for the sake of the Holy Son and the Mist Ghost Clan, taking action is unavoidable…”

Pei An chuckled.

"Besides reporting this matter, I also wanted to let the Holy Son see how I, this elder, will teach that junior a lesson after the banquet at Tianxiang Immortal Inn is over," Pei An said with a smile, stroking the three strands of his beard.

He didn't intend to get rid of Wei Tu as soon as possible, after all, Wei Tu had suffered greatly while under his command, and had been seriously injured by his combined power.

Later, although he was persuaded by the Snow Infant Clan Chief to stop, he couldn't hold Wei Tu responsible for this humiliation.

The reason for now, to "exterminate them all," is naturally to please the holy son "Pei Hong" in the mirror.

He was well aware of Pei Hong's high status within the Mist Ghost Clan and the vast resources he could mobilize.

—It was also because of his injuries that he missed the time to break through to the Integration Realm; otherwise, he would probably have become Pei Hong's subordinate long ago.

"Uncle, you're too kind." Pei Hong understood Pei An's meaning, nodded, and accepted the gesture.

Although he didn't consider Wei Tu his "love rival" and looked down on Wei Tu, he was still happy to see this great Xiu suffer a setback in his spare time.

"Holy Son, please look, this is the Dark Serpent Clan cultivator." Pei An stopped wasting words, made a hand seal, and Wei Tu, pale-faced, appeared in front of the ancient bronze mirror as he emerged from the market cave.

He was constantly being pointed at and whispered about by the surrounding cultivators, his expression shifting unpredictably, like a clown. (End of Chapter)