I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

Upon witnessing this scene, Wei Tu felt a surge of tension, as if he were walking on pins and needles, for he was truly walking right under the noses of a group of powerful enemies.

But soon, when he saw that the group of Feathered Dragon Clan cultivators was not as complete as he had imagined, but rather missing several princes and princesses, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Clearly, these people, like the Prince Qing he fabricated, were also temporarily absent due to some matters.

This is undoubtedly good news, and others will believe his words, just like Princess Fuxin.

"That's... Qian Fei?" At this moment, Wei Tu also turned his extra gaze to the female cultivator in the crowd, who was dressed in a light gold dragon dress and looked elegant and noble.

It is worth noting that this woman seems to have a poor relationship with the other princes and princesses of the Feathered Dragon Clan. She is clearly quite "distancing" from the others in terms of her position, standing in a corner with her personal servants.

Undoubtedly, this "Princess Wangyuan," who came from a commoner family, was valued by the royal family of the Feather Dragon Clan because of her outstanding talent, but because of her background, she was also ostracized by the other princes and princesses.

The struggle between legitimate and illegitimate children is a timeless theme everywhere.

Just then, Wei Tu also keenly sensed the divine sense probing from this group of princes and princesses. After all, it was quite strange that Prince Qing had "fallen behind" and that only a servant was here. He pretended not to know and just played with the drum-shaped spiritual treasure that Princess Fuxin had given him to appease his resentment.

A moment later, seeing that Wei Tu was not acting strangely, the divine sense probe ended. The group of high and mighty princes and princesses withdrew their gazes and began to whisper among themselves.

Then, as a female cultivator dressed in a pear-white fairy dress, with a veil of the same color and a powerful aura, suddenly flew out from the "back hall" of the underwater palace, the conversation stopped and all eyes were turned to her.

These gazes were not without a hint of awe.

Even Qian Fei, who had a bad relationship with the other princes and princesses, namely Princess Wangyuan, maintained a humble attitude at this moment.

"The Dragon King's own daughter—the Great Princess 'Qian Ying'er'..." Upon seeing this woman, Wei Tu's eyes narrowed slightly.

Unlike other princes and princesses, this Grand Princess had no official title and was simply referred to as "Grand Princess" within the Feathered Dragon Clan.

However, this title truly reflects the woman's extraordinary status within the Feathered Dragon Clan.

He is the Dragon Lord of the Feathered Dragon Clan, the only offspring left behind by the Great Ascension Dragon Lord who ruled the royal family of the Feathered Dragon Clan after reaching the Great Ascension Realm.

In the cultivation world, the higher the cultivation level and the stronger the bloodline of a cultivator or demon beast, the more difficult it is for them to leave offspring.

That Mahayana Dragon Lord possessed both.

One can imagine that after this woman was born, she possessed "extraordinary bloodline" and held a high status within the Feathered Dragon Clan royal family.

If the bloodlines inherited by the princes and princesses present were those of dragons, then the bloodline of this eldest princess was that of a true dragon, above them.

When the Great Princess arrived, she didn't say much. She simply glanced at the cultivators and then flipped her jade hand, summoning a blue spirit boat that was a hundred feet long and wide, resembling a beautiful jade carving.

The next moment, a gentle magical force descended from the sky, enveloping Wei Tu and A Lian, and boarded the azure spirit boat along with a group of Feathered Dragon Clan cultivators.

The one who made the move was none other than Princess Fuxin.

However, Princess Fuxin had no time to say much to the servants, such as Wei Tu and A Lian. With a flick of her jade sleeve, she sent the two of them to the lower deck of the spirit boat where the servants were.

Of course, Wei Tu was happy to do so. His biggest worry was spending a long time with these princes and princesses of the Feathered Dragon Clan. After all, it was hard to guarantee that these "second-generation immortals" from extraordinary families might possess a secret treasure that could see through his disguise.

Before long, the jade spirit boat, under the control of the Great Princess, rose with the wind and headed straight for the "spirit barrier" above the underwater palace.

The moment the two touched, the jade spirit boat seemed to have been squeezed into a swamp, unable to move forward even an inch.

But soon, as countless silver runes flashed on the surface of the spirit boat, the "spirit barrier" began to fluctuate, revealing a black hole several meters long and wide, resembling a vortex.

Immediately afterwards, with a loud "boom", the jade spirit boat broke free from the "spirit barrier" that had been trapped and began to move rapidly forward in the seawater.

The moment it stepped out of the underwater palace, the jade spirit boat was inevitably besieged by the group of sea beasts surrounding it. In that instant, several powerful sixth-order sea beasts, under the command of a near-seventh-order sea beast, charged forward fearlessly.

Unfortunately, under a dazzling burst of spiritual light, the sea beast, which was dozens of times larger than the Azure Jade Spirit Boat and could be considered a majestic sixth-order or near-seventh-order sea beast, was quickly "split in two" and died tragically in the seawater.

The remaining sea creatures, seeing this, whimpered for a moment and then dared not approach again.

However... the Azure Jade Flying Boat did not take the opportunity to leave. The princes and princesses on the deck smiled faintly and began to slaughter these considerable numbers of sea beasts.

Each and every one of them possesses unparalleled talent, unmatched by anyone of their rank.

Moreover, it's a case of the strong bullying the weak.

Dealing with these low-intelligence sea beasts living in the "Dragon Refining Sea" is naturally a sure way to win.

Even though these sea beasts had an absolute advantage in numbers, they could not shake the defensive network built by the princes and princesses.

Half a day later, the area around the underwater palace returned to calm.

The vast sea was now a blood-red expanse.

Hundreds of sixth-order and near-seventh-order sea beasts were turned into floating corpses, their useful demon cores and essence blood were removed, and then the princes and princesses of the Feathered Dragon Clan threw them into the sea.

Although Wei Tu did not participate in this killing spree, as a "servant," he still received a "reward" from his master, Princess Fuxin.

Two rare late-stage sixth-order demon cores fell into his hands with ease.

“No wonder, even though dragon-born cultivators like A-Tong and A-Lian know that becoming servants of these princes and princesses is an extremely humiliating thing, they still join in with great enthusiasm…” Wei Tu sighed after accepting the reward.

The rare treasures of the underwater palace were not for servants like A-Tong and A-Lian. If he hadn't represented Prince Qing, he wouldn't have been able to obtain that drum-shaped spiritual treasure. However, the remaining less important items were generously bestowed upon them by the Feathered Dragon Clan royal family.

The extent of this generosity is truly remarkable!

It was indeed given to servants like Atong and Alian to drink soup.

“That’s true. As a dominant race that has ruled the Spirit Realm for millions of years, the Feathered Dragon Clan could not possibly have achieved anything beyond strength…” Wei Tu’s eyes flickered as he pondered to himself.

Externally, they are decisive and ruthless.

In places like Dingyuan Immortal City, if any signs of the "Life-Locking Stake" secret technique being leaked are discovered, the entire city will be massacred without any leniency.

Although this matter was the work of the Ghost Phoenix Clan, the prohibition of the "leakage" of evil magic is a "consensus" among the three dominant clans.

Internally, the principle is to be kind and benevolent.

It provides a certain degree of advancement for cultivators with humble backgrounds but outstanding talent.

Such a powerful clan would find it difficult to decline.

……

After slaughtering the sea beasts near the underwater palace, the Azure Jade Spirit Boat, under the control of the Great Princess "Qian Ying'er", immediately headed towards the Dragon Refining Sea, and further into the "deep sea area".

“Immortal aura…” Wei Tu, in the lower deck of the spirit ship, caught this familiar yet unfamiliar word from the conversation of the princes and princesses.

Celestial energy is a more powerful and higher-level form of energy than spiritual energy.

The simplest difference between immortals and cultivators is that immortals absorb immortal energy and generate immortal power within their bodies, while cultivators absorb spiritual energy and generate spiritual power within their bodies.

In the spirit world, according to common sense, it is absolutely impossible for "celestial energy" to exist.

But it seems... Dinghai Immortal Ruins has broken this convention.

“The reason why Mahayana cultivators are called Mahayana Immortals is because they can condense immortal power within their bodies. They are basically no different from immortals in the upper realm. If one can obtain a wisp of immortal energy to establish a foundation before breaking through to the Mahayana realm…” Wei Tu’s eyes flickered slightly, and the conversations between the princes and princesses in the spirit boat over the past few days echoed in his mind.

The biggest attraction that drew these princes and princesses to Dinghai Immortal Ruins was the "immortal energy" that existed in this secret realm.

Therefore, due to its uniqueness, Dinghai Immortal Ruins is a rather special existence among the twelve immortal ruins of the Divine Wilderness...

Other immortal ruins are not without "immortal energy," but the conditions for obtaining it are extremely harsh. Even Mahayana and Tribulation Transcending Immortals find it very difficult to obtain, unlike the Dinghai Immortal Ruins, where any cultivator at the Refining Void or Integration stage has a chance to obtain it.

“But before entering the Immortal Ruins of Dinghai, the information I gathered did not mention this matter…” Wei Tu’s mind raced, realizing that this secret was most likely monopolized by powerful clans like the Feathered Dragon Clan.

Even if other minor clans were fortunate enough to obtain the "Immortal Ruins Token," they would not have the ability to further acquire this true fortune.

Thinking about it this way, his accidental entry into the 'Dragon Refining Sea' could hardly be considered a disaster...

Time passes slowly.

Two months later.

After entering a deep abyss in the "deep sea area," the speed of the jade spirit boat gradually slowed down.

half year later.

After a long period of darkness, the jade flying boat, which had sunk to the bottom of the abyss, finally glimpsed a ray of light.

It was a hole only a few feet in diameter, emitting a faint milky-white light.

Above this natural "hole" hangs a man-made "jade plaque" with the three large characters "Lianlong Cave" written on it.

Right now.

Then, Wei Tu heard the clear, cold voice of the Great Princess "Qian Ying'er," like jade beads falling onto a plate.

"This is the secret place of the Dragon Refining Sea, the 'Dragon Refining Cave'. In the past few days, I'm sure... you servants have heard a lot about the immortal energy we've been talking about."

"Indeed, the depths of this Dragon Refining Cave contain celestial energy that is extremely rare even in the Spirit Realm. But before obtaining this celestial energy, one must first traverse the Dragon Refining Cave..."

"The 'Dragon Refining Sea' of Dinghai Immortal Ruins has a great connection with the True Dragon Clan, the former overlords of the Spirit Realm... And this Dragon Refining Cave is said to be a secret place created by the True Dragon Clan's True Spirits, who were unwilling to accept their weak bloodlines, to purify their bloodlines by combining it with a secret treasure..."

"But things in this world often come at a price. This Dragon Refining Cave can purify bloodlines, but it also has a high mortality rate."

"We princes and princesses possess pure bloodlines, so passing this trial, though difficult, is not particularly perilous. However, you are quite different. According to our clan's history, seventy percent of the mixed-blood dragon descendants who enter perish..."

"However, if you can successfully overcome this life-or-death crisis, it will be a great blessing for you. Your bloodline... has the opportunity to be elevated to the same level as ours."

"Furthermore, clan rules stipulate that any cultivator who successfully passes through the Dragon Refining Cave will have their slave status revoked and be promoted to royal status within the Feathered Dragon Clan..."

As soon as these words fell.

Wei Tu clearly noticed the excitement and rapid breathing of the group of dragon-blooded servants around him.

With no further progress in cultivation and a bleak future, becoming a personal servant of princes and princesses is an excellent option for them.

But... compared to the opportunity to "rise to the top in one step" right in front of them, the personal servants of the princes and princesses are nothing.

...Even if this opportunity is extremely dangerous, with a mortality rate as high as 70%.

“Your Highness, this servant is willing.” Wei Tu heard A-Lian, who was standing quite close to him, express her opinion.

This woman was similar to the Kshatriya woman he had met before; she was also a snake-person cultivator, but she had long since lost her legs.

"Alright." Princess Fuxin smiled, flipped her hand, took out a bottle of pills, and tossed it to Alian. "This is the Desire-Cleansing Pill, which has a certain miraculous effect on the Dragon Refining Cave... We are master and servant. If you can successfully pass through the Dragon Refining Cave, after leaving the Dinghai Immortal Ruins, you can join my Nujiang Dragon Palace faction..."

"Thank you, Princess." A-Lian's face showed surprise and delight as she curtsied to express her gratitude.

At this time, the other servants also received some pills from their masters and were preparing to break into the Dragon Refining Cave.

After bestowing the pills upon A-Lian, Princess Fuxin's gaze fell upon Wei Tu, her eyes burning as if waiting for him to ask for more pills.

She had no choice but to bestow that drum-shaped magical artifact upon Wei Tu, and had always wanted to take it back.

If Wei Tu asks for Dan, she can use this as an exchange.

Unfortunately, Wei Tu seemed oblivious to her gaze, staring at the entrance of the Dragon Refining Cave with a thoughtful expression.

“It must be that Prince Qing had made preparations long ago…” Princess Fuxin frowned slightly and sighed inwardly.

And that is exactly the case.

While Princess Fuxin was retrieving the elixir, Wei Tu also found a similar elixir among Prince Qing's belongings.

Clearly, Prince Qing, who had a deep bond with A-Tong, had already made certain preparations for A-Tong to get through the Dragon Refining Cave.

There's no need to overthink the conspiracy theories surrounding these Feathered Dragon princes and princesses.

For the personal servants, shedding their "slave status" and becoming part of the Feathered Dragon Clan royal family was not a "disgrace" but a great thing that would benefit their development of power.

Even if these servants were freed from slavery, they were still branded as princes and princesses, making them natural allies of this faction.

As long as one is powerful enough, no servant will be foolish enough to offend their former "benefactor".

"I wonder if I, a cultivator without any dragon bloodline, can survive this Dragon Refining Cave..."

As Wei Tu flew into the entrance of the Dragon Refining Cave along with the other servants, this same thought arose in his mind. (End of Chapter)