Chapter 588: Slaying Two Nascent Souls in a Day, Bai Zhi Awakens

Last time, when Wei Tu ambushed Ji Yifeng, he chose to kill him in one strike to stay cautious, so he hadn’t captured Ji Yifeng’s Nascent Soul to search it.

The news about the Primordial Qi Ganoderma was something he only found later, while sorting through Ji Yifeng’s belongings. Because of that, the information was incomplete.

He only knew that the Yuan Yang Treasure Grounds contained it, but he had no idea where exactly to search.

Just now, after entering Yuan Yang Palace, he had already swept the surroundings with his divine sense, but found no trace of the Primordial Qi Ganoderma.

Seeing this, Wei Tu made a decisive choice. He gave up searching on his own and began waiting for the elders of the Tianyi Sect to arrive, planning to lie in ambush.

"At most 2 months, Bai Zhi will awaken."

The "spider eyes" in Wei Tu’s gaze flickered as he observed the rate at which Bai Zhi’s soul was separating from the demonic soul.

The Yuan Yang Qi inside the Yuan Yang Treasure Grounds was the nemesis of demonic souls. Once they touched, the demonic soul evaporated like steam.

If he didn’t restrain it, within only a few hours, the demonic soul clinging to Bai Zhi’s ghostly body would be completely purified.

But if that happened, Bai Zhi’s ghostly body would perish along with the demonic soul.

So, to keep Bai Zhi safe, he had to control the Yuan Yang Qi himself, slowing the process, driving out the demonic soul bit by bit.

…

Half a month later.

After Wei Tu’s patient wait, two elders—one tall and thin, the other ruddy-faced and heavyset—finally flew to the outer edge of Yuan Yang Palace.

"Shi Fei, who would’ve thought you old fox would come to Zunwang Palace alone this time? Where’s your sect master Ji? Why didn’t he come?"

"By all rights, that shouldn’t even be possible, should it?"

When they reached above Yuan Yang Palace, the fat elder chuckled, clearly amused by his own thought.

The inner hall of Zunwang Palace was vast, with thousands of palaces. Within the three core halls, sects without late Nascent Soul cultivators couldn’t hope to get a share, so they focused instead on the outer halls.

The Yuan Yang Treasure Grounds was one such palace, jointly controlled by the Shearing Spirit Sect and the Tianyi Sect.

Originally, the Shearing Spirit Sect was weaker than the Tianyi Sect. But if the rumors were true, and Ji Yifeng, the Tianyi Sect’s sect master, had died unexpectedly…

Then without doubt, the Shearing Spirit Sect would be stronger than the Tianyi Sect.

"In that case…"

A cold smile flickered at the fat elder’s lips.

"Elder Luo, are you hinting at tearing up our agreement so your sect can take the Primordial Qi Ganoderma alone?"

At that, the Tianyi Sect elder named Shi Fei gave a cold snort, exposing the man’s thoughts outright.

"This…" Elder Luo stammered and waved his hand, insisting that wasn’t his intent.

The Primordial Qi Ganoderma had been sealed in the Yuan Yang Palace during the last opening of Zunwang Palace, 1,200 years ago, by Nascent Soul ancestors from both sects. They’d left it there to continue absorbing Yuan Yang energy until it matured fully.

To open that hidden space, the spirit seals of both sects were required.

So, even if Elder Luo had such ambitions, he couldn’t turn on the Tianyi Sect yet. At least not until after they obtained the ganoderma.

Seeing him back down, Shi Fei’s expression eased, and he finally answered the earlier question.

"Sect Master Ji didn’t come because he was severely wounded outside. He’s close to death…"

"Close to death?" Elder Luo raised a brow, half-believing, half-doubting.

As they spoke, the two elders stepped into Yuan Yang Palace.

"Elder Luo, let’s prepare to claim the treasure."

Shi Fei pulled from his sleeve a square jade seal engraved with the two characters "Tianyi," smiling faintly.

But unseen, his right hand inside his other sleeve had already activated a jade talisman.

"Good!" Elder Luo, unsuspecting, nodded. He too produced an identical jade seal, engraved with the two characters "Shearing Spirit."

Then—

Both infused dozens of incantations into their seals and pressed them into the void.

A moment later, a black vortex appeared. Deep within it shone a luminous ganoderma as thick as a child’s arm, bearing nine leaves, each sparkling and crystal-clear, glowing with inner light as it swayed gently in the unseen wind.

"So this is the Primordial Qi Ganoderma?"

"No wonder I couldn’t find it—it was hidden in a separate space by both sects."

Wei Tu, hidden in the shadows, muttered to himself.

This method of concealment was much like how Ancestor Chìlóng had hidden the Soul-Refining Banner. Without knowledge of the spatial node and the exact unlocking method, it was nearly impossible to retrieve.

Only someone deeply skilled in spatial arrays could find a clue.

'Time to strike!' Wei Tu’s mind sharpened as he prepared to attack Shi Fei and Elder Luo and seize the Primordial Qi Ganoderma.

If the Tianyi Sect and Shearing Spirit Sect had sent more Nascent Soul cultivators, he might have hesitated.

But with only two mid Nascent Souls…

He had nothing to fear.

Only—

Just as Wei Tu descended upon them with the Curse Ghost Blood Escape Art, Shi Fei suddenly vanished, wrapped in a burst of white light.

"A Great Shift Talisman?"

Wei Tu froze in surprise for a moment.

Then he understood—it was a ploy. Shi Fei, or rather the Tianyi Sect, had set a trap.

The Great Shift Talisman was a fourth-rank talisman, higher than the Small Shift Talisman, and it was the go-to lifesaving charm for Nascent Soul cultivators.

It could instantly transport the user up to 300 li away.

At such a distance, even the divine sense of most late Nascent Soul cultivators couldn’t easily reach.

But without prior preparation, activating the talisman required at least three breaths.

That was its one flaw.

Now, from the moment Wei Tu struck to the instant Shi Fei escaped, it had all happened in just a breath. Normally, that wasn’t enough time for Shi Fei to trigger the Great Shift Talisman.

If one said Shi Fei had prepared in advance, wary of Elder Luo… that didn’t make sense either.

After all, the strength of those two was about the same. Who would win wasn’t certain.

And by rights, when Shi Fei fled, he should have had a chance to seize the Primordial Qi Ganoderma as well.

The only explanation was this: he had calculated Wei Tu would appear here.

Wei Tu could guess the reason easily enough. As the one who killed Ji Yifeng, if he had obtained Ji Yifeng’s records about the Yuan Yang Treasure Grounds and the Primordial Qi Ganoderma, it was almost certain he would come here to steal it.

"Playing an open scheme? A two-birds-with-one-stone plan?"

Wei Tu hovered in the air, glancing at the ganoderma still swaying inside the hidden space and then at Elder Luo, who stood guarding it with his weapon already drawn, clearly wary of him.

He had to admit—this scheme from the Tianyi Sect, or Shi Fei himself, was quite clever.

Whether Wei Tu or Elder Luo, whoever wanted to monopolize the Primordial Qi Ganoderma would inevitably clash.

No matter who died, or who was gravely injured, the Tianyi Sect would only benefit.

And if things went favorably, Shi Fei could return later and act as the "yellow sparrow" swooping in on the cicada and the mantis.

To break out of this situation, there were only two paths.

Either one person gave up the ganoderma and withdrew voluntarily, or both sides joined forces and split it.

The first option was impossible.

Neither Wei Tu nor Elder Luo would willingly give up the Primordial Qi Ganoderma.

The second… perhaps had a sliver of possibility.

But they were strangers, with no foundation for cooperation. The situation had already grown tense, blades practically drawn.

"Too bad—you miscalculated!"

Wei Tu turned coldly toward Shi Fei’s escape route, mockery flashing across his face.

Ancestor Chìlóng’s divine sense extended far beyond 300 li. His strength was far beyond an ordinary mid Nascent Soul. Shi Fei had no qualification to play the role of the yellow sparrow.

Wei Tu patted his spirit beast pouch, releasing the Wind Cleaving Eagle, sending it off with the Dragon Glaze Pearl to hunt Shi Fei down. At the same time, his gaze locked once more onto Elder Luo.

All of this happened in a flash. Elder Luo reacted, but his attention stayed fixed on Wei Tu.

The moment Wei Tu let the eagle go, Elder Luo formed seals and shouted, "Cut!"

In an instant, a massive yellow pair of scissors appeared above Wei Tu’s head. The blades snapped shut.

"Got him?" Elder Luo exhaled in relief, shoulders relaxing.

The Shearing Spirit Sect was a sect focused on tools and weapon arts, similar to sword sects, but instead of swords, they cultivated "spirit scissors."

Once the spirit scissors closed on their target, even an equal-rank cultivator would suffer grievous wounds.

Normally, hitting Wei Tu wouldn’t have been so easy. But luck seemed on his side—Wei Tu appeared to be focused on chasing Shi Fei and had ignored him.

However—

Just as Elder Luo felt smug, he noticed something wrong.

Wei Tu, caught between the blades, hadn’t been injured at all. Instead, cracks spread along the edges of his spirit scissors.

"A fourth-rank body cultivator?"

Elder Luo’s heart lurched in terror. Like Ji Wuyai before him, he knew he had no way to fight someone trained in both body and arts.

Before the spirit scissors vanished, he desperately snatched the Primordial Qi Ganoderma, stuffed it into a jade box, and tossed it into his storage pouch. Then he turned into a streak of light, fleeing at full speed.

"Damned Shi Fei, he must have known another monster was lurking here!"

"In the hall earlier, this man was with a woman in white. If his strength alone is already like this, then with her help…"

Elder Luo cursed in his heart.

But the next moment, as soon as he took off, he saw an enormous figure, hundreds of zhang tall, appear right in front of him. Two colossal palms clapped toward him.

"Law of Heaven and Earth?"

Elder Luo’s face went pale. He spat out a five-colored feather fan and swung it forward.

The blast from the fan caused Wei Tu’s Law of Heaven and Earth body to stall briefly. Elder Luo seized the moment, his escape light darting away by a hair’s breadth.

But as soon as he broke free, dread filled him again—he had leapt from the tiger’s jaws into the wolf’s maw.

This time, it wasn’t Wei Tu’s divine ability blocking him, but Wei Tu’s true body.

"Go!" Elder Luo swung the feather fan again.

The very next instant—

Wei Tu’s incoming punch froze mid-motion, just like before.

But this time, Wei Tu had prepared. His body shed a thin cicada shell, and with its momentum unbroken, his fist smashed forward.

A wet crack.

Elder Luo’s chest caved in, a gaping hole torn open. He coughed blood violently, spraying it across his beard as he tumbled like a kite with its string cut.

"No good! He’s too fast. Even the Seven Birds Spirit-Controlling Fan can’t create an opening!"

As he staggered away, Elder Luo’s mind raced desperately, trying to think of a way to survive Wei Tu’s onslaught.

The Seven Birds Spirit-Controlling Fan was his restraining weapon. Against normal cultivators, it was devastating. But against a body cultivator like Wei Tu, it was only good for buying time.

Because even if he froze Wei Tu, he had no means to break through that fourth-rank body.

"His target is the Primordial Qi Ganoderma. If he gives it up, he can live."

Elder Luo began to consider whether he should make a desperate sacrifice, abandon the treasure, and save his life.

But just as the thought rose, a black banner suddenly appeared before his eyes.

The banner trembled, and from it poured out two strange-colored infants, along with more than 20 Nascent Soul evil ghosts.

"Refining Soul Banner?"

"And such powerful main souls?"

Elder Luo’s face changed drastically. He hastily pulled every defensive artifact and talisman from his storage pouch, activating them and sticking them onto his body.

But it was already too late.

Under the combined assault of the Two-Forms Infant and the Five-Element Infant, Elder Luo’s protective talismans and artifacts shattered bit by bit within just a few dozen breaths.

"If I can’t get this treasure, then before I die, I’ll make sure you don’t get it either!"

His face twisted with malice. He didn’t beg for mercy with the ganoderma as leverage—instead, he pulled out the jade box containing the Primordial Qi Ganoderma, ready to crush it with a surge of spiritual power.

But at that instant, a beam of gray radiance fell upon him. Elder Luo’s body froze in place.

"Yuan Gravity Divine Light?" Elder Luo was horrified. He hadn’t expected Wei Tu to have hidden such a terrifying divine ability.

The next moment, pain stabbed through his abdomen.

He looked down.

His belly had been pierced open, and his Nascent Soul was already snatched out by the green-robed cultivator in front of him, tossed casually to the two laughing, strange-colored infants circling nearby.

"Dead… just like that?"

Elder Luo’s consciousness dimmed, his breath ceased.

Never in his life did he imagine that a mid Nascent Soul cultivator like himself would end in such an easy, miserable death.

"Next… is Shi Fei."

Wei Tu stored Elder Luo’s corpse into his pouch, then extended his sense, locking onto the Wind Cleaving Eagle’s aura, and instantly sped off in pursuit.

…

Half a day later.

Wei Tu returned to Yuan Yang Palace. Inside his pouch—or rather, his corpse-storing bag—there was now another fresh mid Nascent Soul corpse.

Like Elder Luo, Shi Fei’s strength wasn’t weak. But in the face of Wei Tu, who fought outside the bounds of convention, defeat had been only a matter of time.

"Now, I’ll wait for Bai Zhi to awaken."

He played with the Seven Birds Spirit-Controlling Fan for a while, then turned his gaze toward the stone platform, where Bai Zhi lay with a peaceful expression.

Two hundred years ago, when he had just stepped into the Nascent Soul Realm, Bai Zhi had been struck down by a demonic soul and forced into a coma.

Now, he was already at mid Nascent Soul, just a step away from late Nascent Soul, brushing against the apex of Da Cang’s cultivation world.

Two hundred years wasn’t long, but for him it felt like lifetimes had passed.

One and a half months slipped by.

Just as Wei Tu had foreseen, Bai Zhi—her demonic soul finally stripped away—slowly awoke.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, this place is…"

Bai Zhi held her head as she sat up from the stone bed, looking around in confusion.

The surroundings gave her the feeling of being outside the Da Cang cultivation world—there was a strange foreign aura here.

"Zunwang Palace Secret Realm."

Wei Tu smiled faintly as he answered.

"Zunwang Palace Secret Realm?" Bai Zhi was stunned. In her memory, she had never heard of such a place existing in Da Cang.

Wei Tu chuckled softly, casually explaining this high-level secret realm that was sealed below the Nascent Soul realm and little known among cultivators.

After hearing, Bai Zhi’s face didn’t brighten with joy. Instead, a trace of loneliness flickered across her features.

She had lost two hundred years.

Waking now, the gap between her and Wei Tu had grown vast, almost unbridgeable.

She couldn’t imagine what use she could still be to him. At best, she could only exist as an "old friend," a reminder of bygone days.

But she didn’t want Wei Tu to notice her feelings. Forcing a smile, she bowed and offered a few polite words of congratulations.

Yet Wei Tu already understood. With Su Bing’er before, he had long since grown sensitive to such hidden emotions.

"If Fellow Daoist Bai doesn’t mind, I would like to invite you to become the main soul of my Refining Soul Banner."

Wei Tu spoke after some thought.

Right now, the Refining Soul Banner’s main souls were the Five-Element Infant and Two-Forms Infant, seized from Qi Chengchu and Zhang Nanqiu. But if Bai Zhi devoured them and took their place, it was possible.

Though doing so would weaken the banner, Wei Tu no longer relied on it. And birthing a ghost king with higher potential would be far more valuable.

This was the place Wei Tu had reserved for Bai Zhi—her position at his side.

"Of course, if Fellow Daoist Bai is unwilling, I won’t force it. Once we leave Zunwang Palace, I’ll arrange a new body for you to possess and be reborn."

Wei Tu’s voice softened with sincerity.

Her lifespan was nearly spent. Even as a ghost cultivator, she could last at most another 100 years before fading.

Possession would grant only a few decades more before her soul collapsed.

So if she wished, he would simply set her free.

"Ghost King? Main soul of the Refining Soul Banner?"

Bai Zhi didn’t answer immediately. Her brows furrowed in thought.