Chapter 586: Sea Beast Demon Clan, A Move to Steal Medicine

"Other than that… my spiritual root was also raised to a supreme-grade root by the Golden Purple Destiny, reaching the absolute limit of roots."

Wei Tu sank his mind into his sea of consciousness and glanced at the transparent, flawless dual roots of earth and wood that floated within. He thought quietly to himself.

Truthfully, once a cultivator reached the Nascent Soul Realm, the role of spiritual roots in advancing cultivation wasn’t very significant. At that point, what mattered most were high-level resources.

Still, a good spiritual root allowed cultivators to use their resources much more efficiently and even made breaking through realms a bit easier.

So at this moment, this sudden improvement in his root aptitude counted as an unexpected blessing for Wei Tu.

Now, in terms of aptitude, he could rank among the very top of Nascent Souls, second only to those with innate spirit bodies.

'Now that my roots have reached their peak, what path is left for improving my aptitude?'

Wei Tu suddenly thought of this question and considered it carefully.

Supreme-grade spiritual roots were the ultimate limit of roots. That meant no matter how much he used the Golden Purple Destiny, he couldn’t push them any further—since the ceiling was already locked.

The level above roots was spirit body aptitude.

But spirit bodies were usually innate, formed at birth. Even if he wanted to cultivate one later, he had no foundation for it.

The “Late Bloomer” Destiny could not enhance something that did not exist inside him.

Everything it had improved before—his [spiritual roots], his [postnatal qi], [innate qi], [talismans], [alchemy], [divine abilities]—these were all things that actually existed within him.

Of course, Wei Tu also thought of another possible path for improvement: [True Spirit Bloodline].

He could undergo a blood exchange together with the Wind Cleaving Eagle, then use either the purple-green branch within it or his “Late Bloomer” Destiny to strengthen the bloodline until it reached the level of pure-blood descendants.

But the limit of this kind of upgrade didn’t hold much appeal for him.

For example, the Nine Phoenix God bloodline of the Lüqiu Clan—by his estimation, its highest potential would only be up to the Void Refinement Realm.

Yet for him, following his steady pace, breaking through to the Divine Transformation Realm was not a difficult thing. There was no need to waste effort on something like that.

'Best not to overthink this. After I break through to the Divine Transformation Realm, I’ll see if there’s a more fitting path for enhancing my aptitude.'

Wei Tu shook his head, pushing aside those thoughts.

At the very least, with supreme-grade roots, his aptitude was already enough to carry him into Divine Transformation without dragging him down.

…

Two months later.

Wei Tu stabilized his realm and emerged from seclusion.

"Now I can head for Zunwang Palace."

He stood up, his gaze piercing through layers of barriers, staring out toward the outer seas of the Chiming Sea.

That was the place where Sun Chixin had once "picked up" Ancestor Chilong, and also where a hidden entrance to Zunwang Palace’s secret realm was located.

Entering Zunwang Palace wasn’t a simple matter.

First, one had to even know the secret realm existed.

Second, one had to know where the entrance lay.

Without knowing the entrance, even if one had heard of the high-level secret realm called Zunwang Palace, it was useless.

The so-called "knowledge blockade" set by Shengya Mountain was the first layer of restriction.

But that was only the first precaution to keep him out.

The second precaution—though Huyan Tu hadn’t said it outright—Wei Tu could easily guess. Most likely, the great Nascent Soul sects who controlled the entrances had been instructed not to bring him along.

That way, they could choke him off completely and trap him beneath mid-Nascent Soul forever.

Fortunately, he had inherited the legacy of Ancestor Chilong, which included a “private entrance” into Zunwang Palace that the great devil path expert had once used.

That made Shengya Mountain’s blockade nothing more than a joke.

Without wasting any more time, Wei Tu acted swiftly. He recalled the Wind Cleaving Eagle, who was still enjoying its “flock of mates,” back into the spirit beast pouch. He also left his sister and brother Wei Yan with a few instructions for while he was away.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a streak of rainbow light and disappeared from the lands of the Ying Ding Tribe.

…

One month later.

In the outer seas of the Chiling Sea, two weary figures suddenly appeared above the blue waters.

One was a man in a plain green robe, his face ordinary. The other was a woman in a white dress, beautiful and graceful, like a celestial consort.

"Wei Dao-brother, is this the spot where Sun Chixin once discovered the entrance to Zunwang Palace’s secret realm?"

The woman in the white dress glanced around at the seemingly empty sea, her face showing surprise.

This woman was none other than the Palace Master of Moon Condensation Palace—Cao Mi—who had once asked Wei Tu in the Five Elder Mountain to take her to Zunwang Palace.

This time, Wei Tu was heading to the secret realm, and of course, he brought Cao Mi along as an ally.

"There shouldn’t… be a mistake."

Wei Tu shook his head as he answered.

Although Sun Chixin had passed away many years ago from old age, with Ancestor Chilong guiding him, it was impossible he had mistaken the location.

"Old Demon Zhu, what’s going on here? Why isn’t it like you told me?"

After answering Cao Mi, Wei Tu’s thoughts shifted as he communicated with Ancestor Chilong inside his sleeve.

"By rights, the deserted island with the entrance should be here. It shouldn’t be gone."

"Only… more than two hundred years have passed. Perhaps some change occurred."

Ancestor Chilong spoke hesitantly.

Clearly, even he did not know why the secret entrance had vanished.

"But I’m certain the entrance hasn’t disappeared. Such restrictions can’t be destroyed by ordinary cultivators. And even if one found it, most likely they’d seize it for themselves, not go out of their way to destroy it."

At that, Ancestor Chilong’s voice grew more confident.

The entrance to Zunwang Palace’s secret realm was an irreplaceable treasure to every Nascent Soul sect.

"If not a human cultivator, then…"

Wei Tu arched a brow and began scanning the sea with his Spirit Eyes technique.

Half a day later, hundreds of meters below the surface, he finally caught a trace.

"Break!"

Wei Tu raised his brow, formed hand seals, and cast over a dozen spells into a section of empty space.

The next moment, it was like a thin veil lifted, revealing the scenery behind it.

It was exactly the deserted island Ancestor Chilong had spoken of, unchanged in appearance.

"An illusion?"

"Someone got here before us?"

Cao Mi reacted instantly, her face turning wary.

She knew that with Wei Tu’s "Sun-Gazing Golden Eyes" and "Ghost-Eyed Demon Spider" dual-eye techniques, his mastery of Spirit Eye arts was unmatched among Nascent Souls.

Yet even so, this illusion had taken him half a day to uncover.

Didn’t that mean whoever set it was at least a mid-Nascent Soul or higher?

"Don’t worry. There’s no trace of divine sense left inside the island." Wei Tu shook his head, dispelling Cao Mi’s guess as he explained the island’s condition.

Still, like her, he couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy.

According to the rules of the secret realm, once he entered through this entrance, he would have to leave through the same one.

That meant eventually he and the cultivator who had set up this illusion would meet, and a confrontation was likely.

After all, the value of a secret realm entrance was immense. Few Nascent Soul cultivators could share such a prize willingly.

"Skreee! Skreee!"

Just then, the Wind Cleaving Eagle inside Wei Tu’s spirit beast pouch let out several sharp cries.

"What? You mean… the one who entered the entrance isn’t human, but a demon clan?"

Wei Tu froze in surprise.

He had never imagined that his competition over the entrance would be none other than demon beasts, so rare within the Great Cang cultivation world.

"Could it be sea beasts?"

Wei Tu furrowed his brow, thinking.

Though the Chiming Sea was not as rich in spiritual energy as the Guixu Sea, its vast waters still nurtured many powerful sea beasts.

If it had been a land-based demon clan, it would have been almost impossible for them to cross the ocean to this faraway sea to discover the entrance.

But if it was sea beasts… then it was entirely possible.

After all, back then Ancestor Chilong had deliberately loosened the island’s formation to bait cultivators for his possession.

"Sea beasts? Who would have thought even they know about Zunwang Palace’s secret realm?"

Ancestor Chilong could also understand the Wind Cleaving Eagle’s cries. After a moment’s thought, he too guessed the demon clan occupying this entrance must be sea beasts.

"Wei Dao-brother, be cautious. These fourth-rank sea beasts are no gentle kind."

Ancestor Chilong paused before giving his warning.

Wei Tu nodded slightly, signaling him to explain further.

…

"Sea beasts achieving the Dao is harder than land-based demon beasts. But once they develop spiritual intelligence, their strength can rival the royal clans of the demon race…"

Feeling that such a description wasn’t vivid enough, Ancestor Chilong gave a comparison.

"Every fourth-rank sea beast is about on the same level as Lüqiu Jinyuan."

"And unlike facing Lüqiu Jinyuan, with these thick-skinned, tough-fleshed sea beasts, you can’t rely on tricks. Their physical bodies… are no weaker than fourth-rank body refiners. The only difference is that they lack your so-called ‘spirit body.’"

Ancestor Chilong spoke slowly.

"No weaker than Lüqiu Jinyuan?"

Wei Tu’s face darkened. Earlier, the Wind Cleaving Eagle had already sensed at least two sea beast demon clan auras on this deserted island.

That meant when he left Zunwang Palace’s secret realm, he’d have to face at least two enemies as strong as Lüqiu Jinyuan.

That pressure… was quite heavy.

Of course, in Wei Tu’s view, surviving such a calamity wasn’t impossible. He could take a beating. If he couldn’t win against those sea beasts, escaping wouldn’t be difficult.

"Only… what about Junior Sister Cao?"

Wei Tu turned to Cao Mi and told her everything he had discovered, as well as his concerns.

"Missing this chance at Zunwang Palace, I don’t know when I’ll advance again, or when I’ll avenge my Master-uncle…"

"If I retreat over something so small, how can I face my Master-uncle in the Nine Springs?"

Cao Mi shook her delicate head, her expression firm.

"In that case…"

Seeing this, Wei Tu thought for a moment, and soon a plan formed.

He recalled the "Cicada Divine Flower" that Hu Yantu had once asked him to collect inside Zunwang Palace.

That spirit herb, combined with some spirit crystals, could help Cao Mi, who was at the peak of early Nascent Soul, to advance further and break into mid-Nascent Soul.

If so, Cao Mi’s strength would greatly increase. Not only could she be of more help inside the secret realm, but when leaving it, she’d also have enough power to protect herself.

The only issue was… doing so would make Wei Tu seem rather underhanded, like he was stealing Hu Yantu’s medicine.

"Urgent times call for special measures."

"With the Cicada Divine Flower’s aid, Junior Sister Cao will break through. Afterward, she must resolve this karmic debt with Hu Yantu herself."

Wei Tu spoke calmly after some thought.

He didn’t say she had to repay Hu Yantu with an equivalent spirit herb, because that wasn’t realistic.

After all, Hu Yantu had only provided information about the Cicada Divine Flower, not the actual herb itself.

Entering Zunwang Palace was already extremely dangerous. Otherwise, Hu Yantu wouldn’t have begged him to risk the journey to gather it.

In the end, how this debt would be resolved would depend on Cao Mi and Hu Yantu.

If she was generous enough, she might someday repay him with something of equal value.

"I understand."

"I’ll never make things difficult for you, Wei Dao-brother."

Hearing this, Cao Mi felt joy rise in her heart. She looked at Wei Tu with gratitude and respect.

She knew that if not for her safety, Wei Tu’s temperament would never allow him to touch a "family treasure" of Hu Yantu.

"That’s good then."

Wei Tu nodded slightly, saying nothing more.

Then, without delay, the two turned into streaks of light, flying to the center of the island. They began casting secret arts to teleport into Zunwang Palace’s secret realm.

…

Before long.

Bathed in scarlet radiance, Wei Tu and Cao Mi stepped into what seemed like an ancient, solemn corridor resembling a spatial passage.

Looking up, the two saw at the end of the corridor a majestic palace floating in the heavens. A plaque above it bore three words: "Zunwang Palace."

The palace towered nearly 100 zhang high, built from fine jade and carved redwood, glowing faintly with crimson and violet light, like the residence of immortals.

"Each corridor is an entrance."

Golden light flickered in Wei Tu’s eyes. Through the formations shielding this passage, he saw over 20 similar corridors beyond it.

At this moment, other cultivators were walking along those corridors just as they were.

But just as Wei Tu tried to probe deeper with his divine sense, a hazy gray barrier appeared around the corridor, blocking his sight.

"Does this palace itself have a spirit? Or is it an automatic formation?" Wei Tu murmured, surprised.

Still, now wasn’t the time to ponder such things. He shook his head and stepped toward the end of the corridor.

Soon, Wei Tu and Cao Mi reached the end. Passing through, they were engulfed by a flash of white light and emerged in a grand hall.

The hall was entirely built of white jade and stretched thousands of zhang across. By the time Wei Tu and Cao Mi arrived, more than 10 cultivators were already seated cross-legged inside.