Chapter 585: Demon King Changqing, Finally Reaches the Peak of Nascent Soul Mid-Stage

The next moment—

"Skreee! Skreee!" The Wind Cleaving Eagle cried, spread its wings, and shot out of the spirit beast chamber.

Once it lost the protection of the Divine Master’s Mansion formation, the thunder tribulation that had been brewing in the dark clouds struck down at once.

Bolts as thick as an arm smashed onto the eagle’s body, turning into a sea of lightning that engulfed it whole.

But at that instant, a layer of blood light suddenly spread across its body, firmly resisting the thunder.

The blood light was only as thin as a cocoon, yet incredibly tough, no weaker than a stage four defensive artifact.

While shielding against the lightning, the blood light also absorbed part of its power.

With the nourishment of thunder force, the eagle’s body faintly grew stronger, its claws sharper, its feathers glossier.

"Using the flesh to resist it? Tempering the body?"

Seeing this, Wei Tu was slightly surprised. He realized the stage four defensive artifact he had given was unnecessary.

The true spirit bloodline was even stronger than he had imagined.

For beasts, it was a complete enhancement. For those that chose the ancestral return path, their bodies were especially reinforced.

So much so that while most stage four beasts wouldn’t dare meet lightning head-on, the Wind Cleaving Eagle dared, and even absorbed it.

"The purple-green branch is also absorbing power from the tribulation?" At that moment, Wei Tu sensed the spiritual nature of the purple-green branch hidden within the eagle increase sharply.

Seeing this, his heart stirred. He planned to run experiments later to test the branch’s exact properties.

"But for now, the key is concealing the noise of this breakthrough. No one else can see this. Bathing in tribulation lightning is far too rare."

Wei Tu frowned, pulled out a bundle of colored formation flags from his pouch, and formed seals. Around the storm he raised a concealment array.

In an instant, the thunderous breakthrough of the Wind Cleaving Eagle became completely muffled.

Wei Tu was not an expert in arrays before, but after gaining Qi Chengchu’s legacy, his skill had advanced by leaps and bounds in the last century.

Though not yet a stage four formation master, setting up one or two arrays was now simple.

Outside the Divine Master’s Mansion, cultivators who had sensed the birth of a lightning tribulation and wanted to observe, all withdrew their divine sense once they saw Wei Tu raise the concealment array.

Breaking such an array wasn’t hard. The problem was—Wei Tu himself was inside. Even if they had the courage, none would dare act under his eyes.

…

Two days later.

The lightning storm faded. The Wind Cleaving Eagle had passed the tribulation and become a true stage four great demon.

Inside and outside the Ying Ding Tribe, congratulatory letters from every power came flooding to Wei Tu’s residence like falling snow.

"It’s about time I show my face."

Wei Tu glanced at the pile of letters on his desk, thinking to himself.

Now, with less than ten years left before the opening of the Zunwang Palace secret realm, time was tight.

Still, taking a few days to meet some outside cultivators wasn’t difficult.

Besides—

If he kept himself shut away even at such a grand event, it might arouse suspicion.

"Just a small gathering. No need to invite too many."

Wei Tu picked up his brush and wrote replies, planning only a family banquet, inviting close friends and kin, not holding a grand "Infant Formation Ceremony."

First, such ceremonies took time and effort. If he wanted to host one, he’d need to notify sects half a year in advance.

That clearly clashed with his need to save time.

Second, the Wind Cleaving Eagle was still a beast. It wasn’t fond of pomp and extravagance. Hosting a grand ceremony for it would be like playing music to a cow.

Better to reward it according to its own preferences.

Thinking of this, Wei Tu raised an eyebrow and wrote down "Nan Zi of the Beastmaster Sect" on the guest list, even sending his old friend a personal note.

…

Wei Tu set the family banquet for two months later, putting his two children and the stewardess Yan Yu in charge of arrangements.

Soon, invitations flew out from the Divine Master’s Mansion, reaching all caves in the Ying Ding Tribe and cultivators from allied sects with whom Wei Tu had good ties.

Among them, of course, was his old friend—Situ You.

Whether Situ You came was his own matter, but Wei Tu had to do his part.

"Situ You resigned, locked himself away in his sect?"

Only then, after long seclusion, did Wei Tu learn the news. He was stunned for a while.

After Tian Qiuyun’s "heroic sacrifice," he could see that Situ You’s bloody tears and hair-whitening in a single day had been forced by magic, a performance.

By reason, if he chose to act, he should have acted for life.

"People’s hearts are hard to fathom."

Wei Tu shook his head and dropped the thought.

…

Two months later—

The family banquet celebrating the Wind Cleaving Eagle’s breakthrough was held on schedule inside Wei Tu’s Divine Master’s Mansion.

"Palace Master Cao of Moon Condensation Palace, arriving!"

As the ceremony began, the steward at the gate saw a cloud palanquin descending from the sky, with an official plaque displaying Cao Mi’s name and title at the front. He dared not delay and immediately called out the name.

"Cao Mi? Again, Cao Mi?"

"This Palace Master Cao is truly close with Fellow Daoist Wei."

Divine Master Du Long and Divine Master He Di exchanged cheerful words. Both believed Wei Tu’s ties with Cao Mi were already close to the level of dao companions.

They were happy to see this happen.

If Wei Tu married Cao Mi, then most of Moon Condensation Palace’s foundation would fall into the hands of the Ying Ding Tribe.

"Brother Wei."

Cao Mi stepped gracefully down from the palanquin and entered the hall. She bowed to Wei Tu, who sat at the main seat.

But when her eyes shifted to the Wind Cleaving Eagle seated beside him, she hesitated, not knowing how to greet it.

As a cultivator of the Righteous Alliance, she was no stranger to the eagle.

She had even patted it a few times before.

But times had changed.

Back then, it was just a common spirit beast, and ignoring it didn’t matter much.

Now, after breaking through to stage four, its status had risen sharply. Though still Wei Tu’s beast, at the gate of a prime minister even a seventh-rank official must be respected.

What’s more, this banquet was held specifically for it. She couldn’t slight the "host."

"Earlier, I already gave the Wind Cleaving Eagle a name. It’s now called Wei Changqing."

Wei Tu smiled faintly, giving Cao Mi an opening.

"Wei Changqing?"

At that, Cao Mi chuckled softly, then followed along, addressing it as the Demon King Changqing.

"Greetings, Demon King Changqing."

After her, disciples of Moon Condensation Palace and some Golden Core juniors also rose and bowed respectfully to the eagle.

"Wei Changqing…"

Among them, Wei Changshou twitched his brow at the name. It sounded a bit too similar to his own, both carrying the character "Chang."

But he dared not speak nonsense.

The Demon King Changqing was his grandfather Wei Tu’s beast, so by seniority it was one generation above him.

If he called it wrongly, wouldn’t it place him above his own father?

After Cao Mi joined the banquet, another Nascent Soul elder soon arrived.

"Ancestor of the Beastmaster Sect from Chu Kingdom, arriving!"

With the announcement, Hu Yantu strode into the hall, clad in beast hide and radiating a savage aura.

Following him were Nan Zi and Nan Zi’s disciple, Qiu Buchen.

All three paid respects to Wei Tu and the Demon King Changqing.

"Demon King Changqing, I’ve come today with a special gift for you. I hope you won’t take offense."

After the greeting, Hu Yantu laughed and slapped the beast pouch at his waist. Out flew several sleek and graceful female eagles.

At the sight, the Wind Cleaving Eagle’s eyes lit with joy. But instead of rushing forward, it looked to Wei Tu for his decision.

The servant of a servant is still the master’s servant.

Taking "concubines" had to be approved by its master.

Seeing this, Wei Tu chuckled and nodded his consent.

In fact, Hu Yantu had prepared this gift at Wei Tu’s request.

Marriage and offspring were natural.

For beasts, the same.

As a proper master, Wei Tu would not suppress the eagle’s desires. Better to guide than to block.

Moreover, he wanted to see if the artificial true spirit bloodline within the eagle could be passed down.

If so, through the eagle he might nurture a true innate pureblood descendant.

Seeing Wei Tu’s nod, the eagle was overjoyed. It quickly accepted the beast pouch containing the female eagles, filled with delight.

After that—

Yu Tongzi of Earth Sword Mountain, Kou Hongying of Mirror Water Pavilion, and Qiu Huaisu with his disciple also entered the banquet one after another.

With Wei Tu’s wealth, the feast was lavish, the spirit dishes abundant and fragrant.

Before long…

The dishes were passed around, flavors enjoyed, and the wine had gone three rounds.

"Divine Master Wei, I wonder if you’ve heard of the Zunwang Palace Secret Realm?" At that moment, Hu Yantu suddenly spoke up from the table.

"Zunwang Palace Secret Realm?"

Wei Tu was surprised. He hadn’t expected someone like Hu Yantu, a borderland Nascent Soul cultivator, to know about this secret realm.

After all, the information on this high-level secret realm was always held tightly by the great Nascent Soul sects. Ordinary cultivators rarely knew of it.

But then he recalled that Hu Yantu’s deceased ancestor, Hu Yanpeng, had once been a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. That explained it.

"This secret realm, Wei does not know."

Wei Tu shook his head and showed a look of curiosity.

His relationship with Hu Yantu wasn’t yet close enough to drop all defenses.

"The Zunwang Palace Secret Realm is the highest grade secret realm in the Dacang cultivation world. My ancestor once went there and gained greatly."

Hu Yantu’s face carried a trace of nostalgia as he began recounting some tales about the realm.

These stories, Wei Tu had already heard from Ancestor Chìlóng. There was nothing new.

But Hu Yantu’s next words immediately made him alert.

"Brother Hu Yan, you mean… Shengya Mountain sent word to all major sects, ordering them not to disclose anything about the Zunwang Palace Secret Realm to me…"

Wei Tu was stunned.

He never imagined Shengya Mountain would stoop so low, directing the sects to impose a ‘knowledge blockade’ against him.

At first glance, this blockade seemed harmless. But in truth, if not for his access to the treasure trove of the overseas cultivation world, he might have been doomed to mediocrity forever.

Why? Because the Zunwang Palace Secret Realm represented the hope for Nascent Soul cultivators in Dacang to advance further.

If he were still at early Nascent Soul and had no knowledge of this realm, even reaching mid-stage would have been extremely difficult, let alone advancing to late stage.

"Brother Hu Yan, why tell Wei this secret?"

"If Shengya Mountain learns of this, your life may be forfeit."

Wei Tu fixed his gaze on him.

He didn’t believe their friendship was close enough for Hu Yantu to risk death just to inform him. Clearly, he had another motive.

"Shengya Mountain doesn’t know your true strength. They think you’re still early Nascent Soul. But I know better… so I thought to build some goodwill."

"And besides… I do have a request."

Hu Yantu smiled faintly.

Wei Tu inwardly muttered, ‘As expected.’ Outwardly, he stayed calm and asked Hu Yantu to speak plainly.

Hu Yantu didn’t explain further. Instead, he used his magic power to hand Wei Tu a jade slip.

Wei Tu raised a brow, accepted it, and examined it with his divine sense.

The contents were simple.

It was a map of the outer region of Zunwang Palace. On it, a spirit herb was specially marked in red.

"Cicada Divine Flower?"

Wei Tu recognized it. Though not as high-grade as the Primordial Qi Ganoderma sought by the Heaven’s Will Sect, it was still a rare treasure for Nascent Soul cultivators.

"This was discovered by my ancestor during his visit to the Zunwang Palace Secret Realm. But at that time, the herb wasn’t mature. So he only set up a concealment array and left…"

"Now, after 600 years, it should be fully mature."

"If Brother Wei agrees to obtain this herb for me when you enter the realm, then I will not only tell you the exact entry method but also give you the detailed records of what my ancestor gained there."

Hu Yantu’s face was earnest.

But Wei Tu did not respond.

He shook his head, returned the jade slip, and his refusal was clear.

"600 years—Wei can still afford to wait."

His meaning was simple.

He wasn’t refusing to enter the Zunwang Palace Secret Realm forever, but he wouldn’t enter in this cycle.

He was still young, just over 600 years old.

In the cultivation world, still a ‘youthful’ Nascent Soul.

With his foundation not yet firm, to rashly step into such a perilous realm was nothing but courting disaster.

If he waited another 600 years, it would not be too late. By then, he could also aim for resources to push into late Nascent Soul.

Of course, this was a lie.

He simply didn’t want to cooperate with Hu Yantu on this matter.

"True enough." Hu Yantu looked disappointed but not surprised. In his eyes, Wei Tu had only recently broken through to mid-stage.

If it were him, he too would choose to quietly build strength before entering such a realm.

…

The family banquet lasted a full day before coming to an end.

Wei Tu returned to his chamber to resume seclusion.

As for the Wind Cleaving Eagle, he let it roam freely within the mansion, building bonds with his children.

Time passed like flowing water.

In the blink of an eye, seven years went by.

That year, a terrifying surge of magic power burst out from the closed chamber.

"Finally broke through."

"Peak of Nascent Soul mid-stage."

Wei Tu looked inward at his dantian. His Nascent Soul had grown another inch, and joy spread across his face.