Chapter 572: Wind Cleaving Eagle’s Transformation Complete, Joining the Lüqiu Clan

After Nangong Zhe’s reminder, Wei Tu didn’t immediately leave the Spider Heart Sect to return to Five Elder Mountain.

He was waiting for the Wind Cleaving Eagle to finish its transformation.

In another 2 or 3 months, the eagle, having merged with Elder Guang’s blood essence, would complete its bloodline advancement.

“Late third-tier, just one step away from breaking through to the fourth tier.” Two months later, Wei Tu studied the eagle before him. Its crown feathers had turned completely white, and satisfaction showed on his face.

The Wind Cleaving Eagle had already been in late third-tier. Now, after using the Reverse Spirit Blood Exchange Art to devour part of Elder Guang’s mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, it would have been strange if it hadn’t advanced.

“Skree! Skree!” Seeing Wei Tu, the eagle flapped its wings, soared onto his shoulder, and rubbed its beak affectionately against his cheek.

This bloodline transformation had been a life-or-death ordeal. Without Wei Tu’s help, it would have exploded and perished.

Toward its master, its heart now held only two words: “deep gratitude.”

“Blood Puppet Art!”

After sharing a moment of closeness with the eagle, Wei Tu patted its wing, signaling it to stand still. Then his lips moved, and he gave a low command.

In the next instant, his index finger split open. Two drops of crimson blood flew into the air, splitting into thin blood-red threads. They slid into the eagle’s beak and burrowed deep inside, embedding firmly within its body.

The ends of the blood threads linked together, forming the character for “puppet” and branding it upon the eagle’s heart.

Once it was done, Wei Tu instantly sensed every part of the eagle’s body. Through the Blood Puppet Art, its entire being was under his firm control.

As the name suggested, the Blood Puppet Art was a blood-path technique for binding others as puppets.

The origin of Ancestor Chìlóng’s Blood Puppet Rebirth Technique was connected to this very art.

Compared with beast-control tokens used to command spirit beasts, this method wasn’t especially superior. But the advantage was clear—the branded beast’s every movement was tightly controlled, leaving no room for betrayal.

This became Wei Tu’s second layer of insurance for the Wind Cleaving Eagle that would later be entrusted with guarding the violet-green tree branch.

He didn’t doubt the eagle’s loyalty much, but the cultivation world had countless ways to bypass beast-control bonds and steal away spirit beasts.

He couldn’t leave it to chance.

Furthermore, since this Blood Puppet Art used his own essence blood as the seal, it also helped shield the eagle. It would prevent cultivators with special spirit-pupil techniques from spying on it and discovering the existence of the violet-green tree branch.

“Open your mouth!”

With the imprint completed, Wei Tu drew out the violet-green tree branch from his sleeve and signaled for the eagle to swallow it.

Moments later, through the Blood Puppet Art, he sensed the branch’s effect within the eagle’s body. It was slowly enhancing its true spirit bloodline.

Wei Tu judged that in another 100 years, perhaps the eagle’s bloodline would reach the level of a true “pure-blood descendant,” just like Lüqiu Jinyuan.

After all, Elder Guang had been a dignified mid-stage Nascent Soul expert of the Lüqiu clan. His bloodline was only a step below Lüqiu Jinyuan’s.

Of course, that 100 years could very well shorten once the eagle advanced in cultivation realm again.

…

A few months later.

As promised, Lüqiu Qingfeng went to Five Elder Mountain to invite Wei Tu to serve as a guest elder of the Lüqiu clan.

Aside from Wei Tu, this time she also added another—“the Second Mountain Lord.”

This wasn’t a last-minute decision by Lüqiu Qingfeng, but something Wei Tu had strongly requested during their discussions.

The one who stands out most is the first to rot.

If Lüqiu Qingfeng only invited him, whether or not the Lüqiu clan suspected his involvement in Lüqiu Jinyuan’s death, they would definitely investigate him in secret.

Of course, the investigation wouldn’t go too deep, since on the surface he was only an ordinary mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. But with an extra “Second Mountain Lord” beside him, the pressure he faced would surely be cut in half.

And for the Second Mountain Lord, this position was a blessing in itself.

It was a win-win.

“The leader of Kang Mountain’s Den of Ghosts?”

“The Second Mountain Lord of Five Elder Mountain?”

On Yuangjun Island, within the restricted grounds of the Lüqiu clan, the current monarch of the Donghua Demon Kingdom—Lüqiu Qingfeng’s father, Lüqiu Yeming—looked carefully at the two men standing before him, then nodded slowly.

At this moment, he didn’t connect Wei Tu and the Second Mountain Lord to Lüqiu Jinyuan’s assassination. He only assumed they were followers attaching themselves after Lüqiu Qingfeng succeeded in her struggle for the throne and advanced to late Nascent Soul.

“Qingfeng, this Wei Tu is young in years and lifespan. He’s a rare prodigy of the Immortal Dao. You must win him over.”

“As for the Second Mountain Lord, let him live or die as fate decides…”

Lüqiu Yeming gave his daughter a discreet voice transmission, offering his advice.

“Yes, Father.”

Hearing this, Lüqiu Qingfeng nodded in agreement, showing she understood what needed to be done.

At the same time, she couldn’t help but think: since Father had already told her to make every effort to win over Wei Tu, then if she took it upon herself to betroth the Seventeenth Princess to him, it wouldn’t count as overstepping.

—Both of them were late Nascent Soul cultivators. Within the clan, she stood equal to her father, Lüqiu Yeming.

But within the Demon Kingdom, as a princess, her status was still below that of Lüqiu Yeming, the reigning monarch.

After paying respects to Lüqiu Yeming, Lüqiu Qingfeng led Wei Tu and the Second Mountain Lord deeper into the restricted grounds to another cave dwelling, to meet the Lüqiu Renwang.

This Lüqiu Renwang was the very peak Nascent Soul expert who had issued a first-class kill order in the Red Algae Sea against the “true culprit” behind Lüqiu Jinyuan’s assassination.

“Don’t worry. Lüqiu Renwang was born of the direct line—he’s my great-grandfather. The royal throne has always been passed down through our bloodline. Though he admired and even favored Lüqiu Jinyuan, when it comes to matters of right and wrong, he knows where to stand.”

“Even if he knows you assassinated Lüqiu Jinyuan, he’ll turn a blind eye and let it pass.”

As they flew, Lüqiu Qingfeng secretly sent this message to reassure Wei Tu.

Hearing it, Wei Tu raised his brow. Inwardly, he thought Lüqiu Jinyuan’s fate within the Lüqiu clan was truly tragic.

From Lüqiu Qingfeng’s words, it wasn’t hard to hear that the higher-ups of the clan had always subtly rejected the existence of this concubine-born prince.

Lüqiu Jinyuan was like an outcast.

It was only blood ties that kept them from openly moving against him.

Everything he had built collapsed the instant he died, like a castle in the clouds.

Wei Tu couldn’t help but think maliciously—if he hadn’t struck, the clan’s elders might well have plotted Lüqiu Jinyuan’s death themselves, just to prevent turmoil at the top.

“It’s none of my concern.”

After a moment, Wei Tu pulled back his thoughts and shook his head.

The struggle between direct and concubine-born lines was played out everywhere in the cultivation world. Lüqiu Jinyuan might have been prominent, but he was still just one among the many.

Lüqiu Qingfeng might represent the decayed side, but that didn’t stop Wei Tu from pursuing deep cooperation with her for mutual benefit.