Chapter 578: Fellow Daoists, Aid My Sword Sect in Eradicating Demonic Evil

“Demonic cultivator?”

Wei Tu’s heart immediately tightened with vigilance.

In the cultivation world, righteous cultivators who practiced demonic arts or secret techniques weren’t rare. For example, both he and Kou Hongying had deep knowledge of demonic cultivation methods.

However, something as sinister as Tian Qiuyun’s demonic art—he had never seen or heard of anything like it in the righteous territories.

‘This woman and Situ You are hiding something strange.’

Wei Tu’s breath control was flawless. The flash of shock on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by calm composure as though nothing had happened.

He didn’t know exactly why Tian Qiuyun was cultivating such an art, but he could easily guess: after Situ You emerged from seclusion, they must have struck some new bargain. That was why her head still sat on her shoulders today.

This bargain was the real reason Situ You spared her life.

But what Wei Tu couldn’t figure out was—what could a mere Golden Core cultivator like Tian Qiuyun possibly offer as leverage to suppress Situ You’s killing intent?

“Old Demon Zhu, can you tell where this demonic art comes from?” Wei Tu sent a thought to the Ancestor Chilong, hoping to glean some clue from Tian Qiuyun’s practice.

In theory, the changes between Situ You and Tian Qiuyun had little to do with him.

Yet any righteous cultivator who discovered his friend colluding with demonic sects would be cautious. He had to look deeper, if only to make sure their betrayal didn’t drag him down with them.

“At a glance, this art is unfamiliar to me. But its roots… it looks like something from the Hehuan Sect’s line.”

Not long after, Ancestor Chilong’s voice echoed in his mind.

“Hehuan Sect?”

The instant those three words reached him, Wei Tu shivered, a sharp realization striking him. This “change” in Situ You and his wife likely pointed directly at him.

Among the five major demonic sects, the one he had the deepest blood feud with was none other than the Hehuan Sect.

Ancestor Ningyan, Liu Yu Daoist…

Yin-Yang Corpse, Joyous Nuo Mask…

The enmity between him and Hehuan Sect was irreconcilable.

Decades ago, he had joined forces with Cao Mi and the three Divine Masters of the Ying Ding Tribe to slay the Liu Yu Daoist, seizing the treasure Joyous Nuo Mask from his hands. From that day, he had prepared for the sect’s revenge.

Now, decades later, their vengeance had finally come.

And Tian Qiuyun was very likely a key piece in Hehuan Sect’s scheme against him.

…

Having sorted his thoughts, Wei Tu quickly formed a plan.

He looked at Situ You and Tian Qiuyun, cupped his hands with a faint smile, and said, “The gift I bring this time has to do with Madam Situ. I must trouble Madam Situ to step aside with me for a moment to see if this offering suits her taste. If not, I’ll replace it and add another to the gift list.”

“After all, if I present something lacking, Fellow Daoists will surely laugh at me for being stingy.”

As his words fell, none of the cultivators welcoming him found it strange. Instead, they saw it as proof of how much the Divine Master valued his friendship with Situ You.

Smiles spread across their faces, praises rising about the closeness between Wei Tu and the couple.

“In that case… I’ll step aside with Divine Master Wei to take a look at his gift.”

Though Tian Qiuyun felt suspicious, Wei Tu had spoken so directly that refusing would be a breach of courtesy. As the Sword Master’s wife, she couldn’t afford to lose face.

Besides, she didn’t believe Wei Tu could possibly uncover anything from her.

If he did, wouldn’t that mean doubting the absolute strength of Envoy Ji?

And of Ji Wuyai, that mid-Nascent Soul powerhouse, Tian Qiuyun had complete confidence.

Soon, under the eyes of the gathered cultivators, Wei Tu and Tian Qiuyun flew from the gates of Ancient Sword Mountain to a barren spot a few miles away.

Then, with a wave of his sleeve, a barrier of spiritual power fell, cutting off all divine sense from outside.

“Divine Master Wei, what gift do you wish to show me?”

After landing, Tian Qiuyun bowed politely, her manner poised and proper. No longer did she carry the overt seduction or cloying sweetness she had once shown at Wei Hua’s cave residence.

Every gesture radiated the refined dignity of a noble matron.

Seeing this, Wei Tu paused briefly.

If not for what he knew of her from Wei Hua’s memories, he might truly have been fooled by her facade.

But it was exactly this chameleon-like nature that had bewitched Situ You so thoroughly in the past.

“This is my gift. Please, Madam Situ, take a close look.”

Wei Tu inclined his head slightly, drew a storage pouch from his sleeve, and stepped forward to offer it to her.

At this, Tian Qiuyun’s brows knit faintly, as though displeased by his deliberate closeness.

Men and women did not hand things directly.

Among cultivators, the norm was to pass items across a distance with spiritual force. Unless absolutely necessary, no one would move in so close.

‘Could it be… he’s taken a liking to me again?’

Tian Qiuyun’s heart filled with suspicion. As a cultivator of the Hehuan Sect, she wouldn’t mind sharing a night with a Nascent Soul True Lord like Wei Tu.

Her present frown was nothing more than a mask to uphold her status as the Sword Master’s wife.

But she still remembered—over 200 years ago, she had tried to seduce Wei Tu, and he had firmly rejected her. So why was he now taking the initiative to get close?

‘Could it be he wants to play such games right under Situ’s nose…’

She cursed in her heart, thinking Wei Tu far too bold, harboring such twisted tastes.

At another time, perhaps she might have agreed. But now, with “Envoy Ji’s” major affair at stake, she dared not comply recklessly with Wei Tu’s whims.

As Tian Qiuyun was still puzzling it out, she suddenly noticed that Wei Tu’s hand had already slid onto her jade arm, seeming ready to move further…

“Divine Master Wei, please show some respect!”

“This concubine… is not that casual a woman!”

Her face frosted over as she quickly stepped half a pace back, scolding sharply.

The words had barely left her lips when Wei Tu’s hand froze in mid-motion.

He raised a brow, instantly guessing her thoughts.

“Ridiculous!” Wei Tu’s face revealed disdain. His confidantes, each more beautiful and noble-born than Tian Qiuyun, why would he ever covet a wanton like her?

“Soul Search!”

Wei Tu’s eyes turned cold. Without waiting for Tian Qiuyun to react, he flicked his sleeve. The Yuan Gravity Light instantly bound her body, and his fingers pressed firmly against the space between her brows.

In the next instant, streams of memory flooded before Wei Tu’s mind.

“Hehuan Sect’s Envoy… Ji Wuyai… ambush within Ancient Sword Mountain, ensnaring formation… ‘True Canon of the Demonic Fetus Borrowed Infant’…”

Not long after, Wei Tu grasped the truth behind Situ You and Tian Qiuyun’s change, along with Ji Wuyai’s specific scheme to capture him.

“So that’s it.”

His heart cleared. He now understood why Tian Qiuyun was so intent on being the Sword Master’s wife.

It was closely tied to the ‘True Canon of the Demonic Fetus Borrowed Infant.’

This demonic method could steal the “Nascent Soul” of one’s Dao partner, and merge it into oneself.

And every Sword Master of Ancient Sword Mountain, without exception, had a strong chance of becoming a Nascent Soul True Lord.

But unfortunately for her, despite all her calculations, she misstepped and tried to plot against him.

Even if he hadn’t uncovered this conspiracy, just Ji Wuyai alone could never capture him—a cultivator whose combat strength had already reached the peak of mid-Nascent Soul.

And once Ji Wuyai failed, Tian Qiuyun’s life would be forfeit.

“Ji Wuyai…”

Wei Tu withdrew his fingers, letting the unconscious Tian Qiuyun fall. He mouthed the name a few times, a cold smile curling at his lips.

Now that he had seen through the scheme, there was no way he would let this demonic cultivator walk away unscathed.

However—he wasn’t foolish enough to charge headlong into Ancient Sword Mountain and walk straight into their trap.

…

Outside the gates of Ancient Sword Mountain.

After a short wait, the barrier surrounding Wei Tu and Tian Qiuyun finally dissolved.

There she stood again, clutching the storage pouch, her face alight with joy.

“What kind of treasure could make Madam Situ so delighted?”

The gathered cultivators whispered in surprise, their eyes filled with envy.

Though Tian Qiuyun was only a Golden Core cultivator, her Dao partner Situ You had already lifted her into a circle belonging to Nascent Soul experts.

In other words, only a gift of the Nascent Soul level could make her so pleased.

“Divine Master Wei truly lives up to being Sword Master Situ’s close friend.”

The cultivators quickly added their praises.

In the barren lands of the Great Cang cultivation world, even veteran Nascent Soul cultivators rarely gifted items above fourth rank. And Wei Tu had only recently broken into the Nascent Soul Realm—yet he offered something of such level?

Hearing this, Situ You’s face remained all smiles, but inside, guilt gnawed at him.

Even under Ji Wuyai’s watchful eye, given the distance between him and Wei Tu, he absolutely could have warned him to flee.

But he dared not.

The consequences of betraying Ji Wuyai were too dire.

If he did, the target of the Hehuan Sect’s pursuit would instantly shift from Wei Tu to himself.

And unlike Wei Tu, he had no ability to escape from the clutches of a mid-Nascent Soul powerhouse.

Besides, if the matter were ever exposed…

Not only would he be branded guilty of colluding with demonic cultivators, but once Tian Qiuyun’s scandal was exposed, he might never raise his head again for the rest of his life.

“Wei brother, forgive me.”

Situ You sighed inwardly, offering silent apology.

He had already decided that once Wei Tu was dead, he would make sure to protect Wei Tu’s descendants, at least preserving a single branch of his line so the Wei Clan’s immortal path could continue.

At the side, Wei Tu was exchanging pleasantries with the gathered cultivators, unaware of Situ You’s thoughts. But even if he knew, he wouldn’t blame him too harshly.

In short—forcing him to betray Ji Wuyai was simply too much to ask.

He and Situ You were friends, but not sworn brothers who would entrust each other with their lives.

Expecting a friend to throw away his life for you was unrealistic.

The fact that Situ You had repeatedly spoken up for him in front of Ji Wuyai was already commendable.

Not long after, Wei Tu, along with Situ You, Tian Qiuyun, and the cultivators who had come to greet him, arrived before the gates of Ancient Sword Mountain.

Unexpectedly, Tian Qiuyun suddenly stepped ahead of everyone and entered the gate first, standing at the entrance of the Hall of Guests.

Seeing this, no one thought much of it. They assumed she wanted to personally announce the gift from Wei Tu to show the closeness of their two families.

But in the very next instant, as her voice rang out, every face darkened, all growing tense as if facing a great enemy.

“The old thief Ji Wuyai of the Hehuan Sect has hidden himself in our sect, threatening me and my child. For the sake of survival, my husband and I had no choice but to bow to him.”

“Fellow Daoists, I beg you—aid my Sword Sect in eradicating this demonic evil and restoring clear skies to our sect!”

Her sharp, piercing voice rang across Ancient Sword Mountain, stabbing into everyone’s ears.

Then, before the watching crowd, Tian Qiuyun suddenly convulsed as if controlled by a soul-restricting seal. After a brief, painful scream, her head exploded, blood splattering the ground.

“What? Ji Wuyai?”

“Who is Ji Wuyai?”

Low-level cultivators below the Nascent Soul realm froze in shock for a moment before their faces twisted with fear.

They didn’t know who Ji Wuyai was, but they knew one thing—any demonic cultivator who could threaten Sword Master Situ and drive his wife to self-detonation had to be stronger than a typical Nascent Soul True Lord.

“Ji Wuyai?”

“He’s a Supreme Elder of the Hehuan Sect, a mid-Nascent Soul powerhouse.”

Soon, a more knowledgeable cultivator explained Ji Wuyai’s identity to those around him.

At that moment—

Without anyone noticing, Situ You turned to glance at Wei Tu, who was feigning surprise beside him.

His eyes narrowed slightly, giving Wei Tu a deep, meaningful look before withdrawing.

He wasn’t stupid. How could he not realize Tian Qiuyun’s “strange state” had something to do with Wei Tu?

It was clear that during the short time she had spent alone with him, Wei Tu had secretly acted.

But Tian Qiuyun’s words could not be refuted—nor did he want to refute them.

In fact… he was glad to see it happen.

Collusion with demonic cultivators was indeed a grave sin, but done for the sake of one’s Dao partner and child, it wasn’t entirely unforgivable.

And now, with Tian Qiuyun sacrificing herself so tragically, how could any sect bear to hold him accountable?

Moreover, her dramatic death ensured her scandal would be buried with her, sparing him the shame of mockery from the cultivation world.

“By order of this Sword Master, all disciples of Ancient Sword Mountain—follow me in eradicating Ji Wuyai!”

The next moment, Situ You’s eyes brimmed with blood tears as he drew the sect’s ancestral spirit sword from his sleeve, shouting fiercely.

“Ji Wuyai! For the murder of my wife, this Sword Master will have revenge!”

His voice thundered with rage.

“Fellow Daoists! Madam Situ has perished tragically within Ancient Sword Mountain—how can we stand idly by?”

“This Wei will not sit back!”

Wei Tu rose into the air, summoning his “Firecloud Shield.” The dragon-etched small bowl inverted, covering the entire Ancient Sword Mountain.

At the same time, his right hand hidden in his sleeve pinched a seal. Within Tian Qiuyun’s corpse, several black beetles the size of beans dissolved into nothing.

These were no ordinary insects but his own creations—demonic dream bugs, refined through the Nightmare Insect Mind Control Art.