Chapter 589: Bai Zhi’s Choice, Visitors from Another World

She understood Wei Tu’s meaning. His words came from goodwill, not from any desire to bind her or deny her freedom.

Now, after waking, her most urgent problem was lifespan.

Two hundred years… too long.

She had almost no time left.

But if she shifted from ghost cultivator to the “artifact spirit” of the Refining Soul Banner, her lifespan could be extended again.

It was indeed a way to prolong life.

Yet the premise was simple—she could not fail.

To become an artifact spirit and seize the so-called “fruit of longevity” was never easy.

Many cultivators had tried this path.

In history, only a tiny handful had succeeded. Even then, all they gained was extended life.

As time passed, the soul of the artifact spirit might endure, but the cultivator’s mind would slowly decay until a new kind of “death” arrived.

Thus, the artifact spirit path was only a temporary solution, never true longevity.

She had once chosen the ghost cultivator path because there was at least the slim hope of “returning to the sun” and becoming immortal.

The chance was small, but there was still a glimmer of light.

It wasn’t a dead end.

The artifact spirit path, however, had none at all.

…

After long thought, Bai Zhi finally decided.

She looked at Wei Tu and bowed deeply. "Life has an end. I would rather be reborn as a human. Even if… I only have a few decades of lifespan, I won’t regret it."

After hundreds of years, she had already forgotten what it felt like to have flesh and blood.

Instead of clinging to that hollow “immortality,” she would rather be reborn and die as a human.

But her voice trembled as she spoke. She feared Wei Tu would be angered—after all, her choice was purely for herself, without considering him as her “master.”

So her words sounded more like a plea than a decision.

"Reborn as human?"

Wei Tu was slightly surprised.

In his memory, Bai Zhi had always feared death. Otherwise, she would never have signed a soul contract with him back then.

That she now abandoned her only chance at continued existence was unexpected.

"Once we leave Zunwang Palace, I’ll arrange a body for you to seize." Wei Tu nodded lightly, agreeing without any trace of displeasure.

He had saved Bai Zhi from demonic corruption, not for gain, but simply because he could.

In the same way, offering her the Refining Soul Banner’s main soul was nothing more than giving her another way to extend her life.

Since she refused, he would not force her.

Besides that, he knew another way to help her through her lifespan crisis and continue her cultivation.

It involved the Heaven Ghost Soul Seed, the supreme treasure of the Myriad Yin Sect, which could make her part of the Heaven Ghost race.

But the Heaven Ghost Soul Seed belonged to Ancestor Chìlóng. Wei Tu would never force him to hand it over, not for Bai Zhi alone.

After all, Ancestor Chìlóng was both his master and Wang Sutai’s father—his father-in-law.

For now, saving Bai Zhi and giving her this choice was already his way of honoring their old bond.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Wei."

Bai Zhi’s pale cheeks showed a faint ripple of emotion. Rising, she bowed once more.

…

With Bai Zhi awake, Wei Tu had no reason to linger in Yuan Yang Palace.

He tucked her into his sleeve, then shot forward in a streak of light, heading toward the “core three palaces” in the inner region.

The core three palaces were the true heart of Zunwang Palace.

Unlike the rest of the secret realm, treasures within them renewed every 600 years, endlessly.

And the main chambers of these palaces… no cultivator had ever opened them.

"Old Demon Zhu, you’re certain this Locking Demon Hall can be opened with my Yuan Gravity Divine Light?"

As Wei Tu flew, he asked.

Over two hundred years ago, when he first met Ancestor Chìlóng and bound his remnant soul with the Yuan Gravity Divine Light, he had seen the old ancestor’s excitement.

Back then, he had already grown suspicious. But since it was their first meeting, he pretended not to notice.

Only decades later, after marrying Wang Sutai, did Ancestor Chìlóng reveal to him the secret behind the Yuan Gravity Divine Light.

The Yuan Gravity Divine Light—though famous across the cultivation world, it wasn’t the only divine ability of that level.

What truly made Ancestor Chìlóng value it was that the Yuan Gravity Divine Light could undo the restriction sealing one of the core three palaces of Zunwang Palace: the Locking Demon Hall.

Among the core three, the Locking Demon Hall didn’t attract as much attention as the Transmission Law Pavilion or the Weapon Refining Hall. But the treasures hidden within its main chamber were no less precious than those of the other two.

"I, your ancestor, entered Zunwang Palace’s secret realm twice. I know its restrictions inside out—how could I lie to you?"

"The Locking Demon Hall is sealed by the Ziwu Strange Prohibition, one of the top ten divine prohibitions of the cultivation world. This prohibition is extremely profound. Even a Divine Transformation cultivator would struggle to break it. But… if the Yuan Gravity Divine Light interferes, then it’s nothing at all."

"In a sense, the Yuan Gravity Divine Light is the natural nemesis of the Ziwu Strange Prohibition."

"I just never expected you to actually cultivate the Yuan Gravity Divine Light. Your constitution clearly isn’t one of the special spiritual bodies capable of producing this divine ability…"

Ancestor Chìlóng clicked his tongue in amazement.

In the cultivation world, most high-level divine abilities weren’t things cultivators could learn just because they wanted to. No matter how talented, it wasn’t possible.

The Yuan Gravity Divine Light was one of those.

Normally, one had to be born with the right spiritual body and then train for hundreds of years before they could possibly condense this divine ability.

Otherwise, the Ziwu Strange Prohibition sealing the Locking Demon Hall would have been broken long ago—since the ones coveting it were always among the most brilliant prodigies of both righteous and demonic paths.

Yet Wei Tu had clearly broken this rule.

"Just an old stroke of fortune," Wei Tu replied with a faint smile, brushing it off.

With the destiny of [Late Bloomer], there was no technique or divine ability beyond his reach. As long as he persisted, results would always come.

Of course, that was something he would never tell anyone.

And since there were no rumors of treasures like the Golden Purple Destiny in the cultivation world, he wasn’t worried that Ancestor Chìlóng might guess the truth.

After all, there were countless cultivators with unusual constitutions. His ability to casually cultivate any technique or divine ability could just be regarded as a kind of special spiritual body.

Seeing Wei Tu unwilling to elaborate, Ancestor Chìlóng didn’t press further. By the time one reached the Nascent Soul stage, everyone had their own secrets and opportunities.

Now, with their interests tied and bound as in-laws, there was no need to dig deeper.

"Still… while the Yuan Gravity Divine Light can indeed break the Ziwu Strange Prohibition, entering the Locking Demon Hall won’t be easy. With so many cultivators gathered at the three palaces, the moment we act, they’ll notice."

Ancestor Chìlóng’s voice turned serious, laying out the situation.

At those words, Wei Tu’s expression grew cautious.

Even two fists couldn’t fight four hands.

Let alone when the “hands” were a whole group of late-stage Nascent Soul powerhouses.

He knew his own limits.

"We’ll act according to the situation. If it doesn’t work, we can wait another 600 years for the next opening of the Locking Demon Hall."

Wei Tu paused for a moment, then spoke with calm maturity.

He was just over 600 years old now, his lifespan still long. He had no shortage of time.

By the time the secret realm opened again, he would no longer appear weak.

Perhaps he would even enter at the Divine Transformation stage.

But just then, he noticed Ancestor Chìlóng’s remnant soul suddenly withdraw into the Dragon Glaze Pearl, suppressing its aura to the extreme.

Seeing this, Wei Tu’s mind stirred. He extended his divine sense and scanned the surroundings. Soon, he spotted a figure in golden armor, helmet on head, dressed like a mortal general, swiftly flying past toward the core three palaces.

"Sang Divine Officer?" Wei Tu raised a brow, watching the mysterious golden-armored figure vanish into the distance.

Back then, it had been Sang Divine Officer who struck down Ancestor Chìlóng, forcing his Nascent Soul out of his body and nearly scattering his soul completely.

No wonder Ancestor Chìlóng was terrified. Even at his peak he hadn’t been able to defeat this man—let alone now, reduced to a remnant soul.

Still, one thing puzzled Wei Tu.

He didn’t remember seeing Sang Divine Officer among the cultivators in the hall before the secret realm opened.

If this person had simply been late, then he was far too late.

After all, Wei Tu had already stayed in Yuan Yang Blessed Land for a full two months.

But before Wei Tu could think through the reason, Ancestor Chìlóng—hiding inside the Dragon Glaze Pearl—suddenly showed an excited expression.

"I finally understand! I finally understand why that Sang Divine Officer chased me!"

Ancestor Chìlóng laughed loudly.

Hearing this, Wei Tu was stunned. He quickly asked for the exact reason.

He had always thought Sang Divine Officer hunted Ancestor Chìlóng either to steal his treasures or to settle a grudge. But now it seemed there was some hidden truth he hadn’t known.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, you should have noticed just now too—this Sang Divine Officer arrived far too late."

"Normally, he should have gone to the core three palaces as early as those late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. But instead… he was delayed by two whole months."

Ancestor Chìlóng spoke slowly.

"Delayed on purpose?" Wei Tu’s expression turned thoughtful.

Cultivation world experts almost never lacked a sense of timing.

And certainly not when entering a place as important as the Zunwang Palace secret realm. To arrive late here was absurd.

"You mean to say…"

"Sang Divine Officer was also late before?"

Wei Tu quickly grasped the key point.

"Exactly!" Ancestor Chìlóng confirmed with a nod. "I once puzzled over it. I hadn’t provoked him, nor had I obtained any great treasure in the secret realm. So why did he relentlessly pursue me, determined to kill me?"

"Now I understand! It’s because 1,200 years ago, just like you, I also saw… that when Sang Divine Officer entered the Zunwang Palace secret realm, he was late!"

When those words fell, Wei Tu’s face first showed surprise, then shifted into deep contemplation.

With Ancestor Chìlóng’s reminder, it wasn’t hard to see that Sang Divine Officer’s repeated ‘delays’ must be tied to some great secret.

‘Could it be…?’

After a moment, Wei Tu frowned at Ancestor Chìlóng and said, "Could it be that Sang Divine Officer isn’t a cultivator of the Great Cang cultivation world? Maybe… not even a cultivator of this realm at all? Because of space travel, he lost track of time?"

If not for this, Wei Tu truly couldn’t imagine why Sang Divine Officer was always "late."

Ancestor Chìlóng gave his agreement.

"Then why didn’t this man attack me?" Wei Tu asked with doubt.

At this, Ancestor Chìlóng chuckled. "Normally, a Nascent Soul cultivator can only enter Zunwang Palace three times in their entire life. This is your first time. Even if you saw his delay… without my reminder, could you have guessed he was an outsider from another world?"

"Perhaps there are reasons beyond our understanding restraining him from striking at you."

"Of course, it’s also possible I’m wrong. Perhaps when he hunted me back then, it was for some other reason, not because he’s an outsider."

Ancestor Chìlóng paused, then spoke again.

Cross-realm transmission wasn’t unimaginable in the cultivation world. But at the Nascent Soul level, it was far too rare.

So while he suspected, he dared not be too certain.

However—

Just then, Ancestor Chìlóng heard Wei Tu’s calm reply.

"Old Demon Zhu, since he’s your enemy and might also target me, then… why not just kill him and search his soul? Why bother thinking so much?"

Hearing this, Ancestor Chìlóng froze for a moment. Then he felt immense satisfaction.

If anyone else had said such words, he would have dismissed it as bravado. But Wei Tu was different. Ancestor Chìlóng firmly believed Wei Tu would one day kill Sang Divine Officer and avenge him.

After all, Wei Tu was already stronger at his current stage than he himself had been back then. His potential was higher too, with clear hope of reaching Divine Transformation.

And Ancestor Chìlóng had once crossed blows with Sang Divine Officer. He didn’t believe that man was truly invincible.

"Decades ago, marrying off Xiao Qi to Wei Tu… that move was not a mistake," Ancestor Chìlóng thought secretly, deeply pleased with his decision to ‘sell his daughter for glory.’

…

Several days later.

Wei Tu finally reached the "core three palaces."

Without hesitation, he first went to the far-left Locking Demon Hall.

Like Yuan Yang Palace, the Locking Demon Hall was a sprawling complex of palaces. The outer halls had their restrictions opened, but the innermost chambers were still wrapped in a barrier of red and black light, tightly sealed.

Inside the accessible chambers, seven or eight Nascent Soul cultivators were stationed, constantly unleashing divine abilities to bombard the treasures within.

At first glance, each item looked ordinary. But on closer inspection, every single one was at least fourth-tier, all rare treasures.

Even the fruit piled on plates on the tables released an enchanting medicinal fragrance.