Chapter 459: Undivided Focus, Donghua Demon Kingdom |
"True Lord Tu Xuan?" Wei Tu murmured as he heard the name. After a brief moment of thought, a flicker of contemplation passed across his face, as though he believed Old Man An's words.
"Where is this True Lord Tu Xuan you mentioned? Are you confident you can reach him quickly?"
He asked calmly.
If the person Old Man An was referring to was some eccentric hermit who roamed in seclusion, appearing and disappearing without warning, then this lead was as good as useless.
"Senior, since I dared to bring up this name before you, I wouldn’t dare speak nonsense or waste your time."
Old Man An’s expression tightened as he quickly made his promise.
He knew well that someone like Wei Tu, despite seeming easygoing, would turn on him in an instant if he were found lying.
And once that happened, not only would he lose the chance to have his injuries healed, but he would also greatly offend this senior—likely losing his life in the process.
That’s why he had spoken with confidence from the start. He genuinely believed he had a decent shot at getting the full sea chart from True Lord Tu Xuan.
Then, he respectfully held it up with both hands and offered it to Wei Tu.
Wei Tu didn’t take it.
The moment Old Man An began imprinting the information, Wei Tu had already used his powerful Nascent Soul divine sense to instantly scan and read all the contents of the jade slip.
"If what you say is true, then this time, you’ll personally go and get that sea chart for me."
Wei Tu’s eyes glinted slightly. He raised one hand, and with a sweep of his magic, he forcefully pulled Old Man An over to his side.
A burst of green light surged from Wei Tu’s palm as he struck Old Man An’s body several times. Then, five-colored restriction light emerged from his fingertips and touched the center of Old Man An’s dantian.
With a loud splurt, Old Man An’s face turned an unnatural shade of red, and he coughed up several mouthfuls of dark blood.
"My cultivation… it’s back?" Old Man An looked thrilled as he felt the return of the Golden Core power within his body.
He never imagined that his recovery would be so simple. Just a few strikes from this Nascent Soul cultivator had completely erased his injuries.
But before he could enjoy the feeling, he noticed something strange near his Golden Core.
There were now five glowing elemental rings—each radiating a thick aura—encircling his core.
Each ring was only the size of a thumb, yet the terrifying power they held made his heart tremble.
This was the Five-Element Spirit Control Ring—something Wei Tu had recently learned and previously used on Cao Mi.
Even a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn’t ignore this restriction.
So using it on a mere Golden Core like Old Man An was nothing.
"As long as you get the sea chart from True Lord Tu Xuan and deliver it to me, I’ll remove this restriction for you."
Wei Tu said calmly.
You can’t truly know a person’s heart just by looking at their face.
Though he preferred fair deals over coercion when dealing with non-demonic cultivators, that didn’t mean he’d let his guard down completely.
To put it simply—being cautious never hurts.
Back then, wasn’t Ancestor Chìshé of Qingzhu Mountain ambushed and killed by Mingwang Gate despite being a Nascent Soul cultivator, all because he got careless?
"This is understandable."
Old Man An didn’t have any objection. In fact, he agreed with the reasoning. If their roles were reversed, he’d have done the same.
He quickly nodded, signaling his understanding and that he wouldn’t hold a grudge.
Once their talk was finished…
Two figures—one man and one woman—appeared outside the courtyard gate.
Old Man An recognized both.
The woman was the white-clad cultivator who had stood silently behind Wei Tu in the shop.
And the man—his own grandson, An Jiuyuan, a recognized genius on Qingbie Island.
Seeing them, Old Man An immediately understood. His grandson An Jiuyuan had been taken as a hostage by this senior and the white-robed woman.
If he dared try anything foolish, not only would he lose his own life, but even his grandson would meet a tragic end.
'Root out the weeds, leave no survivors. This Senior Wei may appear polite, but in truth, his heart is as ruthless as they come.' Old Man An thought grimly.
He’d already known that betraying this man would end in disaster, not just for him, but for his descendants and friends as well.
But… seeing it with his own eyes was far more shocking than just imagining it.
"Whatever Senior Wei commands, this junior will carry it out, even if it means dying trying!"
Realizing he had no way out, Old Man An gritted his teeth and made his declaration again.
Only then did a faint look of satisfaction finally appear on Wei Tu’s otherwise indifferent face.
After giving his word, Old Man An didn’t waste a second. He took his leave from Wei Tu and departed from Qingbie Island, flying straight toward the spirit island where True Lord Tu Xuan resided.
Wei Tu and Cao Mi didn’t linger long at the An residence either. Once Old Man An left, they followed him at a distance, silently trailing from afar.
"This time, asking me to take An Jiuyuan hostage seems kind of unnecessary," Cao Mi said while sitting cross-legged at the rear of the flying boat. She glanced at Wei Tu, who was steering the boat at the bow, and brought it up casually.
She wasn’t criticizing him. It was just that since Wei Tu had already planted a restriction on Old Man An, taking An Jiuyuan as a hostage on top of that felt like overkill.
Whether or not they held someone like An Jiuyuan made no real difference to their plans.
"What, then, does Junior Sister Cao think isn’t unnecessary?" Wei Tu replied with a faint smile, showing no annoyance.
It was perfectly normal for cultivators to have differing philosophies.
And the fact that Cao Mi chose to raise her concerns after the deed was done already put her ahead of most cultivators, at least in terms of character.
After all, this was their first time working together for an extended mission in the overseas cultivation world. A period of mutual adjustment was inevitable.
"That…" Cao Mi was briefly at a loss for words.
She couldn’t just come out and say that Wei Tu’s method felt petty, like something a rogue cultivator or even a demonic cultivator would do, lacking the grace of a righteous sect cultivator.
That would be the same as insulting him outright.
"I’ve been cloistered in my sect and lack worldly experience. I hope Senior Brother Wei can enlighten me," Cao Mi said after a moment’s thought, choosing to genuinely ask for guidance on Wei Tu’s way of handling things.
After all, from his tone, it didn’t seem like he was unaware that his approach wasn’t in line with the usual style of a righteous Nascent Soul cultivator.
She also understood that the difficulty of Wei Tu’s path to Nascent Soul was vastly different from hers.
If he had trained under a powerful Nascent Soul sect since youth, he’d probably have achieved even greater accomplishments by now—likely far beyond her.
After all, Nascent Soul cultivators who emerged from the path of rogue cultivation were incredibly rare.
Without exception, those few had iron will and unwavering determination.
So Wei Tu must have his own reasons for doing this.
"Junior Sister Cao, we’re peers. No need to be so formal," Wei Tu smiled and waved her off, signaling her to relax.
But after saying that, he didn’t give a direct answer. Instead, he began telling her a story from his time in the mortal world, when he lived with the Li family in Qingmu County.
"The Li family weren’t nobles. Just a line of street peddlers. They built their wealth over generations of hard work, eventually becoming a well-off household."
"When I was with them, Old Master Li and the First Madam were both very frugal. Even during holidays, they only had meat once every two or three days."
"But the eldest and second young masters were different. They spent money like water."
"Of course, the Li family didn’t fall because they squandered their wealth. They went down the wrong path and got into trouble with the Zheng Kingdom’s court."
Wei Tu spoke slowly.
At first, Cao Mi didn’t quite grasp the lesson.
She was more struck by the fact that Wei Tu had once been a stable hand in a mortal household—something she found almost unbelievable.
But with her intelligence, after thinking it through for a moment, she caught the meaning behind his words.
Wei Tu’s point was simple.
Everyone has their own way of doing things. His methods weren’t necessarily the best or guaranteed to lead to immortality… but they were what worked for someone like him—a rogue cultivator. They minimized risk and avoided catastrophic mistakes.
"As for being petty…"
"Someone who used to be a stable hand—how could he possibly act like a noble cultivator from a prestigious sect?" Cao Mi chuckled at herself, finally understanding the difference between a second-generation cultivator like her and a first-generation one like him.
Wei Tu had clawed his way up, step by step, through hardship and struggle.
Her current achievements, on the other hand, were built mostly on her ancestors’ foundation.
To put it plainly—
In Wei Tu’s eyes, sacrificing small profits for the sake of seeming magnanimous was unnecessary.
A first-generation cultivator like him wanted substance, not the superficial pride that others cared about.
"In mortal families, fortunes built over generations can be ruined in one. But for cultivators, as long as they keep striving forward without falling into indulgence or arrogance… the path never ends."
With that thought, Cao Mi grew more reflective. The look she gave Wei Tu carried a new trace of admiration.
A Nascent Soul at four hundred years old.
Whether in the Great Cang Immortal Cultivation Realm or the overseas realm, that was an unrivaled genius.
If Wei Tu truly kept his focus and willpower, maybe he could reach the peak of both cultivation realms—the legendary Divine Transformation stage.
Old Man An handled things smoothly.
In just half a month, he found True Lord Tu Xuan and traded the third-rank sea beast demon core in his possession for a complete map of the Red Algae Sea Region.
With the map in hand, Wei Tu kept his promise. He casually lifted the Five Elements Spirit-Control Rings from Old Man An’s body and let the old man reunite with his grandson.
Of course, before that, Wei Tu also drew blood essence from both grandfather and grandson as a form of leverage to ensure their silence.
"If Wei hears anything in the outside world about me or Junior Sister Cao, I won’t let you two off so easily," Wei Tu said coldly.
But now that he was free, Old Man An wasn’t as fearful as before.
A seasoned veteran like him could tell that Wei Tu and Cao Mi were clearly righteous cultivators. What they said was just a matter of putting things on the table—deal first, respect later.
"I swear I’ll keep the secret!" Old Man An raised his hand and vowed.
Seeing this, Wei Tu nodded in satisfaction. Without saying another word, he flicked his sleeve and took Cao Mi with him as they left Qingbie Island, flying toward a place marked on the map—Yuanjun Island.
…
The sea map obtained from True Lord Tu Xuan wasn’t just detailed—it also included a lot of information about the Red Algae Sea Region and surrounding powers.
After studying it, Wei Tu and Cao Mi finally had a broader understanding of the overseas cultivation world.
What they’d learned on Qingbie Island was only a sliver of the Luojing Archipelago.
The term "overseas cultivation world" was just their way of referring to it. The real name of this realm was the Guixu Immortal Realm—or more accurately, the Guixu Sea Immortal Realm.
Guixu Sea was what the local cultivators called this vast sea they were standing on.
It wasn’t called the Chiming Sea, as it was in the Great Cang Immortal Realm.
Guixu Sea was divided into Inner Guixu Sea and Outer Guixu Sea. The Red Algae Sea Region was one of the five major regions of the Outer Guixu Sea.
What really caught Wei Tu’s attention was that all the Divine Transformation cultivators listed on the map came from the Inner Guixu Sea. As if that was the only place where such experts could emerge.
"If I get the chance, I must visit the Inner Guixu Sea," said Ancestor Chilong, far more excited than Wei Tu.
After all, after cultivating for over 1,000 years with no breakthrough, the Divine Transformation realm had become a lingering obsession for this Nascent Soul Old Demon.
Now that he had found concrete signs of Divine Transformation experts, how could he not be thrilled?
"For now, let’s just focus on Yuanjun Island and getting the Ning Po Pill. One bite at a time," Wei Tu thought, remaining calm.
From the moment he stepped into the overseas realm, his goal hadn’t changed.
He began reviewing the map carefully, searching for intel about Yuanjun Island.
Soon, he found a summary of relevant info.
Yuanjun Island was located in the southern part of the Red Algae Sea Region. Not only was it the capital of the Donghua Demon Kingdom, it was also one of the three major trading islands in the region.
Despite being called a "demon kingdom," Donghua wasn’t a land overrun with demonic beasts. Instead, most of its population consisted of humans with partial demon bloodlines.
These half-demons all had ancestry that traced back to at least heavenly beasts. Some could even trace their bloodlines to true spirits.
In a sense, those with true spirit blood were descendants of true spirits themselves.
However, these half-demons in Donghua didn’t call themselves "descendants of true spirits"—they called themselves "true spirit clans."
Currently, the ruling power of the Donghua Demon Kingdom lay in the hands of one such true spirit clan—the Lüqiu Clan.
The Lüqiu Clan was known as the royal family of Donghua and held a lofty status within the kingdom.
The upcoming auction on Yuanjun Island was hosted by the Lüqiu Clan’s Third Prince—Lüqiu Jinyuan.
…
After leaving Qingbie Island, Wei Tu and Cao Mi traveled quickly and reached Yuanjun Island a few months later.
But attending the high-tier auction on the island presented one more issue: identity.
The auction had a minimum entry requirement of mid-Foundation Establishment stage. But to actually win a treasure like the Ning Po Pill without drawing trouble, they’d need at least a Nascent Soul identity.
Nascent Soul cultivators were extremely rare in the Red Algae Sea Region—hard to impersonate.
If two unknown Nascent Soul cultivators suddenly appeared and won a high-profile treasure like the Ning Po Pill, it would definitely draw attention.
Wei Tu’s solution was simple: temporarily join a local power as a guest elder and participate in the auction under their name.
The group he chose was the Blood Flood Dragon Merchant Guild—a Nascent Soul-level commercial power.
Compared to sects or clans, merchant guilds were more open to outsiders.
According to Wei Tu’s investigation, the Blood Flood Dragon Merchant Guild had recently gotten into some trouble and was actively seeking to bolster its guest elder ranks.
With his cultivation, joining them might raise suspicions from the top brass, but that wouldn’t be an issue until after the auction.
And after that…
He would just slip away when the time was right.