I am a Late Bloomer in the Immortal World

Chapter 506: Nightmare Insect Mind Control, Trust in Uncle Wei

Next.Wei Tu and the other three began discussing their specific plan to deal with Liu Yu Daoist and Divine Master Jin Xia.

Before long, they reached a consensus: "Use Kou Hongying as bait, then lure out Liu Yu Daoist and Divine Master Jin Xia."

At any other time, Wei Tu would never have agreed to such a decision. But now that Kou Hongying was already targeted by Liu Yu Daoist and Divine Master Jin Xia, whether he agreed or not, it was a fact he couldn’t change.

Instead, turning their scheme against them and wiping out these two powerful enemies would be the real way to protect Kou Hongying.

...

Once the counterattack plan was settled, Du Long Divine Master’s face turned cold. His gaze shifted to Yuan Jie, who lay on the ground unconscious.

His lips moved slightly, chanting a few incantations. Then he took out a black beetle the size of a bean from his sleeve and tossed it into Yuan Jie’s mouth.

"This is the Spiritual Dao ‘Nightmare Insect Mind Control Art.’ It can control a cultivator’s spirit and hypnotize them for a short time," Divine Master Donglai explained with a faint smile when he saw Wei Tu’s puzzled expression.

Hearing this, Wei Tu understood somewhat and thought to himself, 'So it’s a Spiritual Dao secret art.'

Spiritual Dao was the native power system of the Kangju Tribe. Though it had its roots in Immortal Dao and still cultivated qi, compared to orthodox Immortal Dao, it incorporated much of the ancient secret gu and witchcraft arts. In some techniques, it had unique methods—more like an offshoot of Immortal Dao.

Wei Tu had known this ever since he joined the Ying Ding Tribe over 300 years ago.

But this was his first time personally witnessing a high-ranking Spiritual Dao cultivator like Du Long Divine Master perform such a secret art.

The process looked similar to how some insect cultivators used spirit insects as a medium to cast spells, but the essence was vastly different.

For insect cultivators, the insects were spellcasting mediums.

But Spiritual Dao “spirit insects” were, in most cases, condensed through special secret techniques by Spiritual Dao cultivators—not actual living creatures.

Half a quarter of an hour later, Du Long Divine Master finished his spell. He clapped his hands, and the unconscious Yuan Jie instantly awoke.

"Divine Master Du Long..." Yuan Jie bowed deeply, greeting him respectfully.

He seemed completely unaware that his soul had been searched and he had been taken here without realizing it.

At the same time, it was as if his eyes couldn’t see any other Divine Masters besides Du Long.

"This time, I just want to ask you a few things about routine tribal matters. Since there’s nothing else, you may return to the Right Virtuous King’s manor," Du Long Divine Master said with a kindly smile, like a friendly elder next door, without any airs.

"Yes, Divine Master Du Long."

Yuan Jie nodded, then, like a normal cultivator, left the Divine Master’s residence.

After Yuan Jie left, Wei Tu once again used the Sun-Gazing Golden Eyes to watch his every move.

After observing for a while and seeing nothing unusual, Wei Tu finally relaxed.

"Royal power and wealth are nothing compared to Immortal Dao longevity," Wei Tu said with a sigh.

As the Right Virtuous King, Yuan Jie’s status in the Ying Ding Tribe was second only to the four Divine Masters—one man beneath, ten thousand above.

Normally, the four Divine Masters treated him with courtesy and never with any harshness.

But clearly... that was all on the surface.

Without real power to back it, such glory was just an illusion.

Today, when they turned against each other, Yuan Jie became like their servant.

His spirit was tightly bound and controlled, without even a single chance to wake up and defend himself.

"Without reaching Nascent Soul, one is like an ant." At this moment, Wei Tu found himself understanding Yuan Jie’s decision to betray the tribe for a Ghost-Faced Spirit Pill a little more.

A hundred years had passed, and Yuan Jie had changed.

But putting himself in Yuan Jie’s place—if he knew that after a lifetime of effort, the throne he hoped for was only that of a high-ranking servant to the Divine Masters—how could his state of mind not change?

And if a "friend" who used to be beneath him suddenly became his "master"...

That gap in mindset was enough to turn a man into a ghost.

Let alone turn a once-promising hero of the tribe into a traitor.

"Yuan Jie... what a pity."

Wei Tu shook his head, severing the last trace of old friendship he held for his former friend.

...

Two days later.

Following the plan, Wei Tu announced that he had come out of seclusion. He also quietly let slip to the outside world that Wei Yan and his other relatives were cultivating a secret art he had brought back from the Stone Demon Sect and would not be leaving the Divine Master’s residence anytime soon.

This was clearly meant to reassure Liu Yu Daoist and Divine Master Jin Xia, ensuring they wouldn’t suddenly change their kidnapping target.

But to outsiders unaware of the truth, there was nothing unusual to be seen.

With that done, Wei Tu began patiently waiting for Du Long Divine Master’s good news.

Just as planned...

After learning the news, Liu Yu Daoist and Divine Master Jin Xia deliberately sent Yuwen Liangu to contact Yuan Jie and verify whether the information was real.

With the Nightmare Insect Mind Control Art firmly controlling Yuan Jie’s mind, there was no chance of error at this stage.

Yuan Jie confirmed the intel as genuine and even took the initiative to hand over a secret letter Wei Tu had sent to Mirror Water Pavilion.

A talisman message could only be transmitted over short distances. For long distances, most cultivators would leave the letter at the nearest relay station, to be delivered by a merchant guild specializing in such tasks.

As a Nascent Soul elder, Wei Tu naturally used a higher-grade method—having the Ying Ding Tribe’s official “messenger” deliver his letters.

Even though the messenger never passed the letter through Yuan Jie’s hands, as the Right Virtuous King of the Ying Ding Tribe, Yuan Jie had more than enough means to deal with the messenger assigned to Wei Tu.

This was one of the reasons Liu Yu Daoist and Divine Master Jin Xia valued Yuan Jie as an inside agent.

"On the seventeenth of the sixth month, the Righteous Society will reunite to honor the spirits of our eldest and second brothers in the heavens..." Yuwen Liangu glanced at the secret letter with her divine sense.

Finding nothing suspicious, she slightly nodded, flicked her feathered sleeve, and departed from the Ying Ding Tribe.

The seventeenth of the sixth month.

Only two months away from now.

So when they saw Yuwen Liangu leave, Wei Tu and the other three did not hesitate. After exchanging glances, they all left the Ying Ding Tribe together, heading toward the Righteous Society’s meeting location—Yushan Marketplace.

"Liu Yu Daoist and Divine Master Jin Xia should be elsewhere right now. They haven’t yet arrived in the Moon Condensation Palace region."

As they neared Yushan Marketplace, Wei Tu flew up into the clouds, looked down for a moment, and sent this message to Du Long Divine Master and the others.

Seeing this, Du Long Divine Master and the rest couldn’t help but be surprised, wondering how Wei Tu could be so sure that Liu Yu Daoist and Divine Master Jin Xia weren’t there.

For Divine Master Jin Xia, it was understandable—she was also at early Nascent Soul stage like them, unable to escape the divine sense of Wei Tu, who was mid Nascent Soul.

But Liu Yu Daoist was different. He was a cultivator of the same stage as Wei Tu, even one or two minor realms higher.

Sensing an opponent of higher rank across realms was something that sounded far too unbelievable.

However, since the matter was sensitive and might seem like probing Wei Tu’s secrets, Du Long Divine Master and the others kept their doubts to themselves and asked nothing.

Half a quarter of an hour later, Du Long Divine Master, He Di Divine Master, and Donglai Divine Master followed Wei Tu into Moon Condensation Palace, where they temporarily lay low.

Yushan Marketplace was less than 100 li from Moon Condensation Palace. For Nascent Soul cultivators, that distance could be crossed in an instant.

As the host, Cao Mi naturally had no objections to Wei Tu’s arrangement and warmly welcomed Du Long Divine Master and the others.

She even offered to help Wei Tu in encircling and striking Liu Yu Daoist and Divine Master Jin Xia.

Hearing this, Du Long Divine Master and the rest were taken aback. They hadn’t expected Wei Tu to have such a close connection with Cao Mi—that she would actually be willing to fight alongside him.

After all, taking on a mid Nascent Soul old demon was no small matter. A single misstep could mean death.

"Just one escort job and he’s already captured Palace Master Cao’s heart. Fellow Daoist Wei may look ordinary, but… he’s certainly not lacking in close female companions," Du Long Divine Master and the others thought with a touch of misunderstanding, clicking their tongues in amazement.

They didn’t know that compared to them, Wei Tu and Cao Mi had long fought side-by-side, battling multiple Nascent Soul cultivators together.

Their alliance was far stronger.

And while Liu Yu Daoist’s grudge was mainly with Wei Tu, those who had shared in the spoils of his Yin-Yang Demon Corpse included Cao Mi as well.

She also had her own reason to secretly want Liu Yu Daoist dead and her trouble removed for good.

Wei Tu thanked Cao Mi for her assistance, but did not stay in Moon Condensation Palace for long. That very night, he returned to the Ying Ding Tribe and even appeared outside the Divine Master’s residence once, deliberately letting himself be seen.

...

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

On the fourteenth of the sixth month, only three days remained until the agreed date of the seventeenth.

Before thinking of victory, he thought of possible failure.

To be absolutely sure, Wei Tu first used an instant teleportation array to send Wei Yan and his other relatives away from the Ying Ding Tribe.

This way, even if Liu Yu Daoist and his people saw through his plan and made a sudden return strike, he wouldn’t have to worry about trouble breaking out in the rear.

After finishing these preparations, Wei Tu set off toward Yushan Marketplace.

"Old Demon Zhu, do you have a way to hold off Liu Yu Daoist for me? If you can… I’ll agree to send Divine Master Jin Xia’s Nascent Soul into the Dragon Glaze Pearl for you."

As he flew, Wei Tu spread his divine sense into the Dragon Glaze Pearl, speaking to Ancestor Chìlóng.

In truth, when it came to fighting Liu Yu Daoist, he wasn’t entirely confident he could kill this demon.

The reason was simple—defeating a cultivator of the same stage was one thing, but killing them was several times harder.

To kill Liu Yu Daoist, he would at least need the strength of late Nascent Soul stage.

This time, even with Du Long Divine Master and the other three lending a hand, the strength needed for the plan could be lowered a little. But… it clearly couldn’t be lowered too much.

That’s why extra help was still crucial.

As for the way he had just addressed Ancestor Chìlóng…

It wasn’t that Wei Tu was being disrespectful or ignoring proper etiquette. Back when he had taken Chìlóng as his master, the old ancestor had specifically told him to keep everything as it was.

No need to call him “Master.”

Wei Tu had thought about changing it anyway, to prove he wasn’t the kind of man to discard his bow once the birds were gone. But the moment he tried, Ancestor Chìlóng stopped him in a hurry.

So even now, Wei Tu still used the old name—“Old Demon Zhu.”

"Fellow Daoist Wei, I’m no immortal. I’m just late Nascent Soul. How would I have the power, in nothing but a remnant soul, to hold off Liu Yu Daoist?" Ancestor Chìlóng rolled his eyes and replied with clear annoyance.

If he’d truly had that kind of power, he would’ve made his move against Wei Tu the moment he was discovered—why would he save it until now?

"But… if you want a method, there is one." Ancestor Chìlóng paused.

"What method?" Wei Tu’s heart lifted and he asked at once.

"It’s simple. Give up your plan to encircle Liu Yu Daoist for now. Go to Myriad Yin Sect, take my Soul-Refining Banner, and then deal with him…"

Ancestor Chìlóng spoke in a thoughtful tone.

Hearing this, Wei Tu shook his head without hesitation and refused outright.

It wasn’t that he was too foolish to understand the logic of strengthening himself first before facing his enemy. But at this stage, he had no time to waste.

The Demonic Extreme Sea lay at the far northern edge of the Great Cang cultivation world, a place known as the land of all demons.

Even at his mid Nascent Soul speed, the round trip would take at least two to three years by the most conservative estimate.

And if anything happened along the way to delay him, it could easily stretch into nearly ten years.

That might be fine for him—but what about Kou Hongying? What about his family in the Ying Ding Tribe?

If he hadn’t left seclusion in time, and learned from Yuan Jie about Liu Yu Daoist and Divine Master Jin Xia’s plan to target Kou Hongying… he might have been left with nothing but bitter regret.

"Other than that suggestion, I really can’t think of a way to help you," Ancestor Chìlóng spread his hands in helplessness.

"Then I can only do all I can… and leave the rest to fate."

Wei Tu wasn’t too discouraged. He narrowed his eyes, his voice steady and firm.

Relying on Ancestor Chìlóng for everything was a habit he had developed back in his early Nascent Soul stage.

But times had changed.

Now that he had stepped into mid Nascent Soul, the places where Ancestor Chìlóng could help him would inevitably grow fewer. It was something he had expected.

Just now, he’d only failed to adjust his thinking quickly enough.

…

Two months ago, Wei Tu’s secret letter had already reached Mirror Water Pavilion.

Since it concerned honoring her late father and reuniting the Righteous Society, Kou Hongying would never break such an appointment. She changed into a blue palace gown, told her disciple Qiu Huaisu to guard her cave, and prepared to descend the mountain for her meeting with Wei Tu at Yushan Marketplace.

She wasn’t in a hurry. Before leaving, she checked the life-saving talisman Wei Tu had once given her, as well as her own life-bound treasure she had forged more than ten years ago.

Once she confirmed both were fine, she looked long in the direction of Yushan Marketplace. A flash of cold light passed through her eyes, and then she took to the air, leaving her sect.

As one of the old members of the Righteous Society, Kou Hongying was very familiar with everything about it—including its real gathering time.

The thirteenth of the sixth month.

That was the Society’s true reunion date.

Most people wouldn’t think much of this, but she clearly wasn’t “most people.”

"Seventeenth of the sixth month, thirteenth of the sixth month." Kou Hongying had no trouble seeing the meaning—between those two dates lay the character for “death.”

In other words, there was a high chance she would face a mortal calamity on this trip down the mountain.

An ordinary person, after learning such a secret, would have been scared out of their wits and never left the sect.

After all, this was a death warning from Wei Tu, a Nascent Soul elder.

If he was telling her to be careful, that meant the danger level was definitely at Nascent Soul scale.

"But… I am the Jade Rakshasa." Kou Hongying’s lips curved into a faint smile. There was not a hint of worry on her face.

She trusted Wei Tu more than she trusted herself.

She had braved deadly dangers countless times back when she was just starting out. Even if the threat now was something she had never faced before…

She believed that if Wei Tu dared to send her this letter, then he absolutely had the means and confidence to get her out alive.