Judging from the content recorded on the jade slip, the Xuanhou Qi Clan had possessed the “Myriad Spirits Demon Infant” for over six hundred years.

In six hundred years, for a clan with Foundation Establishment cultivators to refine “Immortal Spirit Dew” and give rise to a Golden Core cultivator shouldn’t have been difficult.

—Breaking through to the Golden Core stage, even without the help of a “Blue Flame Pill” or a “Mortal Shedding Pill,” was only less probable, not impossible.

“This Immortal Spirit Dew might have some hidden flaw… one that helps Foundation Establishment cultivators grow faster in power, but… blocks them when they try to reach Golden Core,” Wei Tu mused silently.

From its described effects alone, Immortal Spirit Dew could indeed be a true opportunity for someone to reach the Golden Core. Aside from this explanation, it was hard to make sense of why the Qi Clan had yet to produce even a single Golden Core cultivator.

Of course, there was always the chance that the Qi Clan’s cultivators were simply of poor talent—so poor that even with the Dew’s assistance, they couldn’t break through.

But the likelihood of that… wasn’t very high.

“I’ll just take it first. I’ll study the exact effects later,” Wei Tu thought.

Knowing that Kou Hongying and Qi Feng were still waiting outside, he didn’t hesitate any longer. With a sweep of his mana, he swept the “Myriad Spirits Demon Infant” into his storage pouch and turned to leave.

As soon as he stepped back through the stone pillar entrance—

Wei Tu glanced at Qi Feng, who was still immobilized by Kou Hongying’s mana, and immediately gave his word: “The Qi Clan’s treasure is indeed quite valuable to me. As promised, I will gift you a Foundation Establishment Pill within three years.”

Back at the underground auction—

He had made a deal with Qi Feng: if the Qi Clan’s treasure proved useful to him, she would receive concubine status and a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Now, by saying this, Wei Tu was telling Qi Feng—he would honor that promise.

Even though the “Myriad Spirits Demon Infant” currently had no practical use for him, Wei Tu firmly believed that its worth far exceeded the seven hundred spirit stones he paid to redeem Qi Feng, as well as the value of a single Foundation Establishment Pill.

“Thank you, Senior Wei.” Upon hearing this, Qi Feng finally relaxed. Her tense heart finally settled.

In the world of cultivation, cultivators who turned their backs on promises after getting what they wanted were too common.

Those like Wei Tu—willing to uphold their word—were rare.

Standing nearby, Kou Hongying witnessed this exchange. She neither interjected nor asked what Wei Tu had found within the stone pillar.

This time, she had only accompanied Wei Tu on the trip—she hadn’t come to claim any portion of the Qi Clan’s treasure.

Since she wasn’t greedy for what the Qi Clan had, there was no need to question Wei Tu about it and risk sowing discord.

Cultivators all had secrets. Asking too much—even between Dao partners—would eventually strain trust.

Besides, Kou Hongying didn’t believe that a minor clan like the Qi Clan would have any treasure truly worth coveting.

“Now that Qi Changdao is dead… is Miss Qi planning to stay in the Qi Clan, or leave with me?” Wei Tu glanced at Qi Feng and asked calmly.

Qi Feng was the daughter of the previous clan leader. With her status, and with his reputation as backing, living in the Qi Clan would be more comfortable than returning with him to the Xia Ya Mei Clan’s territory, where she’d live under someone else’s roof.

In addition, with his power, helping Qi Feng reclaim leadership of the Xuanhou Qi Clan wouldn’t be difficult.

“I wish to follow Senior Wei,” Qi Feng replied after a brief pause, eyes resolute.

She might have more freedom within the Qi Clan, where she wouldn’t have to endure others’ cold glares.

But she understood well—no matter how pleasant her surroundings, they couldn’t compare to cultivating and growing stronger.

Staying by Wei Tu’s side—even if he didn’t care much for her—she could still obtain enough resources through his generosity to further her cultivation.

Wei Tu was, in her eyes, a true powerhouse. One destined to accomplish great things in the future.

“Very well.” Wei Tu nodded slightly, accepting her decision.

“Now that Qi Changdao is dead, and Miss Qi does not wish to stay in the clan… do you have anyone in mind for the next clan leader?”

Wei Tu’s tone was casual, but the matter behind it wasn’t.

This time, he had come in the role of the “Qi Clan’s son-in-law,” to put down internal strife and execute the usurper Qi Changdao.

So, having obtained the “Myriad Spirits Demon Infant,” he couldn’t just walk away.

He had to tie up loose ends and help the Qi Clan choose a new clan leader—a successor to Qi Feng’s father.

“My Fifth Uncle, Qi Changgu… he’s always been upright and sincere. Two years ago, when I was sold to the Jiu Yun Merchant Guild by Qi Changdao, he secretly slipped me a pouch of spirit stones.”

Qi Feng didn’t hesitate long before recommending Qi Changgu.

“Good, then let him be clan leader,” Wei Tu agreed readily.

Half a day later.

Under Wei Tu’s direction, the cultivators of the Qi Clan didn’t hesitate much before appointing Elder Qi Changgu as the new clan leader.

Right after that, Wei Tu openly discussed the matter of purchasing the “Cold Crystal Flower” with the new clan leader Qi Changgu in front of all present.

In the end—

Wei Tu bought the “Cold Crystal Flower,” a second-tier spiritual material, at a slightly lower price than market value.

“Miss Qi is now my concubine, and the Xuanhou Qi Clan is her maternal clan… This second-tier high-grade talisman, I’ll gift it to the Qi Clan,” Wei Tu said calmly.

Just as the Qi Clan cultivators thought everything had concluded and were about to disperse—

Wei Tu, seated in the honored position, suddenly reached into his sleeve and pulled out a talisman, passing it to Qi Changgu.

As his words fell—

The Qi Clan cultivators were all visibly stunned, their faces showing disbelief.

Previously, although they felt Wei Tu had every reason to kill Qi Changdao—being Qi Feng’s husband and all—they were still unhappy that he interfered in their clan’s internal affairs.

They had stayed silent only out of fear of Wei Tu’s strength.

But now—

Seeing him gift a second-tier high-grade talisman, all those hidden complaints vanished into nothing.

At this moment, many of them even thought—why hadn’t Wei Tu come earlier, to set things right?

A second-tier high-grade talisman might have been nothing during the Qi Clan’s heyday.

Just a precious item, at most.

But now wasn’t then. The Xuanhou Qi Clan no longer had the resources to buy such talismans to intimidate enemies.

More importantly—

Wei Tu openly stating that he was gifting such a talisman carried enormous symbolic weight for the Qi Clan. It was practically a lifesaving grace.

This act of gifting—

First, it showed Wei Tu’s skill in talisman crafting had already reached the level of a second-tier high-grade talisman master. In terms of cultivation, this meant he was close to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, since crafting such a talisman required refined mana comparable to elite Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Second, it demonstrated how much Wei Tu valued Qi Feng as his concubine. Though he didn’t openly say he’d protect the Qi Clan, this act alone implied he would.

The protection of a second-tier high-grade talisman master—just how valuable was that? Every Qi Clan cultivator knew the answer in their hearts.

“Many thanks, Senior Wei, for your generous gift.” Qi Changgu was visibly moved, respectfully receiving the talisman with both hands and a grateful expression on his face.

“Senior Wei is so generous, but our Qi Clan mustn’t let him take the loss. Here are five hundred spirit stones, I hope Senior Wei will accept them,” Qi Changgu said sincerely. He gritted his teeth and took back most of the spirit stones Wei Tu had paid for the Cold Crystal Flower and returned them to him.

As for this return—

Wei Tu didn’t take all of it. He only accepted half of the spirit stones, then passed the pouch back to Qi Changgu.

—If he’d taken the full amount, it would’ve looked like he was forcing the Qi Clan to buy his talisman, rather than genuinely gifting it.

By taking only half—

It was just right.

This gifting of a talisman was not just about kindness—it was Wei Tu’s way of salvaging his own “public image.”

He was defining his killing of Qi Changdao as an act of justice, of helping Qi Feng take revenge and restoring order, not a case of “murdering for treasure.”

Of course, the wider cultivation world would never know that the Qi Clan’s ancestral forbidden ground had once housed a treasure like the “Myriad Spirits Demon Infant.”

After all, that treasure—regarded as the clan’s foundation—had only ever been revealed to Qi Feng, the old clan leader’s youngest daughter.

Outsiders had no way of knowing.

And more importantly, he hadn’t robbed them—it was Qi Feng, as the rightful heir, who had offered the treasure to him.

In terms of clan hierarchy, the Myriad Spirits Demon Infant was indeed a Qi Clan treasure, but after both the old ancestor and clan leader had died, it rightfully belonged to Qi Feng.

Those from branch lineages were still outsiders compared to the true bloodline.

…

After dealing with the Qi Clan’s matters—

Wei Tu had no more reason to remain in their territory. He exchanged simple farewells with Qi Changgu and the rest of the clan’s cultivators before leaving the Tian Shuang Ridge.

However, Wei Tu and Kou Hongying did not part ways there.

Instead, they continued to travel together toward Hongyan Mountain Marketplace.

As the saying went—return a peach for a plum.

The Hongyan Mountain Marketplace was close to the frontline of the war between righteous and demonic cultivators. The journey ahead was risky.

Wei Tu felt it would be inappropriate to accept Kou Hongying’s help without offering anything in return—so he chose to continue traveling with her, acting as her escort for a while longer.

Mutual support. That was the idea.

However—

Just when the two were halfway along the road, the Wind-Cleaving Eagle responsible for scouting suddenly flew back from ahead, letting out sharp cries.

“The Wind-Cleaving Eagle says there’s a demonic cultivator coalition ahead. We need to withdraw immediately!” Wei Tu said urgently, as he quickly deciphered the eagle’s warning through their spiritual connection.

“What? A demonic cultivator coalition ahead?” Kou Hongying’s expression instantly shifted to shock and alarm.

Hongyan Mountain Marketplace was where she was stationed. If the marketplace were to fall, she would be held accountable.

That said, Kou Hongying understood the gravity of the situation. She didn’t foolishly stay behind or rush ahead to scout for information. Instead, she promptly used a “Tunneling Talisman” together with Wei Tu and swiftly retreated from the area.

Once they reached a safe zone—

Wei Tu performed a secret technique to project the Wind-Cleaving Eagle’s memories.

—This technique was called the “Splitting Light Projection Technique.” He had obtained it from the Zhaos of Qiyue. Back when he was investigating Si Qing and the Jia family cultivators in the secret realm, the Flame-Winged Sparrow of the Zhao Clan had used this same technique.

Very quickly, a hazy illusionary scene was projected from the Wind-Cleaving Eagle’s mind.

What first appeared in front of Wei Tu and Kou Hongying were several dozen demonic cultivators hovering midair. They were divided into two distinct groups: one group wore blood-red robes and radiated an aggressive, violent aura, while the other consisted of alluring female cultivators, graceful and seductive.

These several dozen demonic cultivators were all wielding their respective magic tools, furiously attacking a bluish-white light barrier below them. That light barrier was clearly the defensive formation protecting Hongyan Mountain Marketplace.

Under the barrage of magic tools, the bluish-white shield flickered violently, with some areas even forming faint cracks. It looked like the shield might collapse at any moment.

Seeing this, Kou Hongying—who had been anxious just a moment ago—secretly muttered a “what luck,” feeling relieved that she had delayed her return to the marketplace.

Had she been a few days earlier, she might have shared the same fate as her fellow sect members stationed there—facing certain death.

“The Blood God Sect’s Blood God Son… and the Heavenly Maiden Sect’s Ni Demoness?” At that moment, Kou Hongying caught sight of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators leading the attack and couldn’t help but exclaim.

The Blood God Son and the Ni Demoness were the two most prominent rising stars in the demonic path over the past decade of the righteous-demonic war.

In terms of both strength and potential, the two of them were top-tier representatives of their respective sects.

“Blood God Son? Ni Demoness?” Wei Tu’s expression grew serious upon hearing the names.

Over the past few years, he had gathered considerable intelligence about the righteous-demonic war fronts, and naturally, he was well aware of how dangerous those two were.

“The situation is urgent. I’ll take my leave first.” Kou Hongying’s face turned grim after watching the projection. She bowed respectfully to Wei Tu before transforming into a stream of light and shooting off toward a nearby marketplace to request reinforcements.

“Let’s hope Hongying makes it out of this alive.” Watching her departure, Wei Tu sighed inwardly.

…

At that same moment—

Outside Hongyan Mountain Marketplace.

“Interesting. I didn’t expect someone else in Zheng Kingdom to also have a second-tier Wind-Cleaving Eagle,” Blood God Son remarked, raising his hand.

Instantly, a black speck appeared in the sky.

That black dot grew larger and larger, gradually revealing the form of an eagle-type spirit beast.

If Wei Tu had been there, he would’ve recognized it at a glance—this spirit beast looked almost identical to his own Wind-Cleaving Eagle. The only difference was that this one had a crimson vertical slit between its brows.

“Oh? There’s someone else in Zheng Kingdom who also has a Wind-Cleaving Eagle like you, Fellow Daoist Blood?” At that moment, a nearby female cultivator from the Heavenly Maiden Sect—Ni Shihuang, known as the Ni Demoness to Kou Hongying—looked intrigued.

She tilted her head slightly in curiosity, gazing at Blood God Son as she waited for his reply.

Ni Shihuang was well aware that Blood God Son’s “second-tier Wind-Cleaving Eagle” had originally come from a “Beast Robbery Operation” two hundred years ago, when the Blood God Sect ambushed the Beastmaster Sect of Jing Kingdom.

Back then, the Blood God Sect caught the Beastmaster Sect off guard and stole a large number of spirit beasts, including twelve Wind-Cleaving Eagles.

Among those twelve, seven had Mysterious-grade bloodlines, while the remaining five were Earth-grade.

—The Wind-Cleaving Eagle perched on Blood God Son’s shoulder was one of the five Earth-grade bloodline eagles.

When he heard her question, Blood God Son turned and looked at Ni Shihuang. There was a faint glimmer of admiration in his eyes as he looked at the Heavenly Maiden Sect’s famed beauty—but he masked it well.

The Heavenly Maiden Sect was known for producing beautiful female cultivators, but even among them, Ni Shihuang stood out like the moon among stars.

The others, like mere petals, only served to accentuate her beauty.

Floating in the air, Ni Shihuang wore a pale pink palace gown. Her features were flawless, her lips the shade of cinnabar. Yet this outfit didn’t make her look gaudy—instead, she gave off a cool and aloof elegance.

“I don’t know the details,” Blood God Son replied, shaking his head. “It’s possible his Wind-Cleaving Eagle was obtained from the Beastmaster Sect.”

Aside from the Beastmaster Sect, he also recalled that about a hundred years ago, a relative of his who had raised Wind-Cleaving Eagles betrayed the Blood God Sect and fled with one of the Mysterious-grade eagles.

That said, he didn’t think the one he just saw was that particular eagle.

That would be too much of a coincidence.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep