Chapter 595: A Gentleman’s Pact, Newlyweds Sweet as Honey

This time, after searching Venerable Master Jiuli’s soul, the three of them learned that Wei Tu’s true identity was Daoist Fu. They also learned that Daoist Fu’s junior brother was none other than Wei Tu himself, the Divine Master of the Ying Ding Tribe, who had once formed a bitter enmity with Shengya Mountain.

Though the matter of his junior brother was only Venerable Master Jiuli’s speculation, it had undeniably given them a foothold, a target through which to seek revenge against Daoist Fu.

Just now, when they saw Lian Shourang fall, the thought had already risen among them—once the secret realm closed, they would return to the cultivation world, capture Wei Tu, and then hunt Daoist Fu down.

But now, after hearing Daoist Fu’s words of threat…

They had to hesitate, weighing whether they and their sects could withstand the consequences of his furious retaliation.

After all, Daoist Fu had just shown the strength to kill Shengya Mountain’s sect master, Lian Shourang.

In another 100 or 200 years, he might well grow strong enough to threaten them too.

“A gentleman’s pact can be made.”

“We agree that hatred stays between individuals. It won’t touch family, clan, or old friends.”

While Ding Lezheng wavered, Gongshu Chou cut in, speaking for him.

“A gentleman’s pact?” Ding Lezheng frowned, lifting his gaze toward Gongshu Chou, as though weighing the possibility.

His earlier furious rebuke of Wei Tu wasn’t because he didn’t see Daoist Fu’s immense threat to Shengya Mountain. It was because Lian Shourang’s death had nearly shattered his reason, forcing words out of him that lacked thought.

Now, as his anger cooled slightly, he could think more clearly.

He understood Gongshu Chou’s meaning—time was on their side.

On the surface, Wei Tu was a rising star in the cultivation world, about to become a great power, his strength soon to outstrip theirs. But in truth, it wasn’t so.

Not for a while at least.

Because Ding Lezheng had already gained a chance for Divine Transformation within the Weapon Refining Hall.

Crossing the heavenly gulf into Divine Transformation was now only a matter of time.

Once he achieved it, Wei Tu’s threat to him and to Shengya Mountain would be nothing at all.

“When Fellow Daoist Ding reaches Divine Transformation, killing one Daoist Fu will be like a butcher slaughtering a chicken,” Gongshu Chou flattered.

Normally, if Ding Lezheng, head of the righteous path, achieved Divine Transformation, their Hehuan Sect should tremble. But with Wei Tu standing before them now, attracting all the hatred, they actually felt some relief.

After all, they had no power to stop Ding Lezheng’s breakthrough anyway.

Better to welcome him than to make an enemy.

And besides, according to their sect’s ancestral records, cultivators from the lower realm who reached Divine Transformation suffered certain restrictions from heaven and earth. They couldn’t freely wield their full power against weaker cultivators.

That knowledge, passed down by generations of forebears, was no lie.

Meaning that once Ding Lezheng dealt with Daoist Fu, he would have little strength left to trouble the demonic sects.

Daoist Fu would become, by twist of fate, their shield against Ding Lezheng’s ascension.

“After Divine Transformation…”

Ding Lezheng’s eyes narrowed slightly. He wasn’t blind to Gongshu Chou’s intent.

But he didn’t care to meddle in the struggles between righteous and demonic paths. His private gain mattered more. If not, hundreds of years ago, he wouldn’t have stood by while three border kingdoms were swallowed by the demonic sects.

“Fine. We’ll settle on a gentleman’s pact for now. Once I break through to Divine Transformation, I’ll deal with him then.”

Ding Lezheng nodded in agreement.

This was the best course under the weight of mutual caution—a temporary halt to their war.

…

“A gentleman’s pact?”

Inside the main chamber of the Locking Demon Hall, Wei Tu’s face showed clear surprise at those words.

It wasn’t hard to guess—this pact was Ding Lezheng and the others’ fallback, after their ploy had failed.

Unlike Shengya Mountain and the Hehuan Sect, with their vast clans and countless ties, his identity as Daoist Fu left him little visible weakness.

Even considering his true self…

Among the Wei clan, the only ones he truly cared about were Wei Yan, Wei Xiuwen, and Wei Changshou.

And in the cultivation world, though threats against family to force cultivators’ compliance did happen, they were rare.

Wei Tu didn’t believe that after he had ruthlessly slain Lian Shourang, Ding Lezheng and the others would think him some soft fruit to squeeze.

“Very well. I, Fu, will make this gentleman’s pact with the three of you. So long as you keep to it, I will not trouble Shengya Mountain or the Hehuan Sect again.”

Wei Tu nodded and spoke coldly.

Whether their words were true or false, this pact held no harm for him on the surface.

Neither side bothered with false oaths. Without the binding power of the Heaven’s Nether True Page, oaths were empty, broken or kept on a whim.

That was why Gongshu Chou had called it a gentleman’s pact in the first place.

After that, Ding Lezheng, Gongshu Chou, and Madam Yin Lian did not linger near the Locking Demon Hall. They shared a glance, then vanished as streaks of light.

After all, they belonged to opposing camps of righteous and demonic paths. Such cooperation could not be exposed.

…

Once the three left, Wei Tu returned to the depths of the Locking Demon Hall. From his storage bag, he took out three Shengyang Pills and handed them to Madam Jin, Wang Sutai, and Cao Mi.

The Shengyang Pill was a tier four healing pill he had purchased from the sacrificial hall of the Lüqiu clan while in the overseas cultivation world.

Its effect was extraordinary. Last time, when he slew Ji Yifeng, this pill had helped him recover almost entirely in a short time.

“Thank you, husband…”

“Thank you, Fu’er…”

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist Fu…”

Wang Sutai, Madam Jin, and Cao Mi each rose to thank him.

But Cao Mi, clever as ever, carefully changed her form of address—she called him Fellow Daoist Fu instead.

“Junior Sister Cao, there’s no need to keep it hidden anymore. After today, I expect Teacher’s Wife and Sutai will both be able to guess my true identity.” Wei Tu waved his hand as he spoke.

When he consummated his marriage with Wang Sutai earlier, he had used his true face. So once they returned to the Great Cang cultivation world, if Madam Jin and her daughter wanted to investigate, finding out his real identity would not be difficult.

Rather than continue hiding it, it was better to lay everything bare now, to openly tell the two women who he really was.

It was also, in a way, his acknowledgment of Wang Sutai’s position.

“Dao Brother Wei.”

Cao Mi understood and changed her greeting.

At that moment, Wei Tu also spoke his real name aloud.

“Wei Tu?”

Hearing this, Madam Jin frowned slightly, and intelligence concerning Wei Tu quickly surfaced in her mind.

Though she had secluded herself on Beiyuan Island for nearly 100 years of cultivation, before that she had been the head of the Myriad Yin Sect. She knew well enough of the major events between righteous and demonic paths.

The name Wei Tu was not unfamiliar in demonic circles. In fact, it was very well-known.

After all, a cultivator who dared to form enmity with the Heavenly Maiden Sect, who gained the Void Realm opportunity of the Stone Demon Sect, and who formed a Nascent Soul within 400 years—any one of these feats was extraordinary.

But what puzzled Madam Jin was why Wei Tu had dealings with her husband, Ancestor Chìlóng, and during that time even took him as his master.

That was something she had planned to ask once she broke into late Nascent Soul, riding the momentum of that breakthrough to press Wei Tu.

But now, after seeing the tragic death of Lian Shourang, she no longer had the courage.

For her, keeping things as they were was good enough.

At least Wei Tu had shown “filial piety,” stepping out of the Locking Demon Hall in time to save her and her daughter once again.

“Teacher’s Wife, the three of you came together only to be hunted by Ding Lezheng. What exactly happened in the process?”

“And how did Ding Lezheng learn of my alias?”

After a brief exchange, Wei Tu went straight to the point.

That Cao Mi and Madam Jin’s daughter had joined up he could easily guess—most likely they had been saved by Madam Jin while fleeing Ding Lezheng and the others.

But what he didn’t understand was how Ding Lezheng, Gongshu Chou, and Madam Yin Lian had learned that his alias was Daoist Fu, when none of them had been captured.

‘Could it be Venerable Master Jiuli…?’

He thought of a possible leak.

“Yes, that Venerable Master Jiuli was unfortunately captured alive by Ding Lezheng while in the Weapon Refining Hall.”

At these words, Madam Jin nodded, confirming his suspicion.

“Venerable Master Jiuli…”

“This…”

Wei Tu sighed, his face complicated.

He and Venerable Master Jiuli had only been casual acquaintances. Whether the man lived or died, he would not have felt much.

But this time, Venerable Master Jiuli’s death was tied to him, and he could not ignore that.

If not for their brief stay together in the palace hall of the Zunwang Palace secret realm, perhaps Venerable Master Jiuli would never have drawn the attention of Ding Lezheng and his group, never fallen into this calamity.

More plainly—

Venerable Master Jiuli had been dragged down and killed because of him.

He died an undeserved death.

Thinking of this, Wei Tu drew from his sleeve the Heaven’s Nether True Page he had signed with Venerable Master Jiuli earlier. Looking at the soul oath, at the words “Old Demon Jiuchuan,” he silently engraved it in his heart.

Though Venerable Master Jiuli had not been his friend, Wei Tu did not mind honoring their contract—he would kill Old Demon Jiuchuan, who had caused Madam Lan’s death, and use that head to honor Venerable Master Jiuli’s soul.

With his current strength, this was no difficult task.

“It’s just a pity that by keeping this contract, after killing Old Demon Jiuchuan I’ll no longer be able to obtain the lower half of the Little Big Dipper Star Divine Technique.”

Wei Tu shook his head, feeling regret.

But fortunately, he had many divine abilities at hand now. Even without the latter half of that technique, his combat strength would not be greatly affected.

“Sutai, you and Fu’er haven’t seen each other in a long time. You should spend more time together.”

At this point, Madam Jin’s beautiful eyes shifted toward Wang Sutai, watching her for a while before suddenly speaking up.

From the time they had entered the Locking Demon Hall until now, Wang Sutai had spoken no more than three sentences, all of them polite greetings to Wei Tu, nothing at all like a wife to her husband.

Back then, she had thought Ancestor Chìlóng’s marriage arrangement, having Wang Sutai wed Wei Tu, was beneath her daughter. Wang Sutai carried a spiritual body—her future would not be worse than Wei Tu’s, even if not as bright.

But now, it was obvious. No matter how biased a mother she was, she could see plainly that her daughter had married far above herself.

And now, besides, Wei Tu had Cao Mi, another stunning female cultivator, by his side.

How could she not be anxious? How could her heart not burn with worry?

“Mother?” Wang Sutai was startled by her words, not knowing how to respond.

Though she had shared the marital bond with Wei Tu, they had not known each other for long, not even half a year in total.

And now, they had been separated for decades…

They were almost strangers again.

“Sutai, you won’t deepen your bond with your husband? Do you expect me to do it for you? For now it’s still alright, but when it comes to the pleasures of the bedchamber, do you still want your mother to take your place?”

Madam Jin snapped angrily, scolding her daughter for her lack of effort.

As the former head of the Myriad Yin Sect, she had seen all manner of situations. She was not shy in speaking of such things.

As her words fell—

Wang Sutai’s face flushed pink. She thought to herself that her mother was far too blunt, nothing like the former mistress of the Myriad Yin Sect who had managed countless affairs, but more like a rustic village woman.

Beside her, Wei Tu shook his head slightly.

He understood that Madam Jin’s words weren’t just meant for Wang Sutai, but also for him.

“Sutai, let’s talk alone.”

Wei Tu spoke on his own initiative.

He wasn’t the sort to abandon someone after gaining them. Since he had married Wang Sutai decades ago, he would never cast her aside.

Besides, Ancestor Chìlóng still lingered at his side. For that master’s sake alone, he had to treat Wang Sutai well.

“Yes, husband.”

Wang Sutai answered softly, barely above a whisper, and nodded.

…

A few days later.

Wei Tu returned hand in hand with Wang Sutai, once more standing before Madam Jin and Cao Mi.

But compared to before, Wang Sutai now lowered her head shyly, her face covered in red blush, her arm tightly entwined with Wei Tu’s.

As someone with experience, Madam Jin only needed one glance to understand exactly what had happened to her daughter.

A faint smile spread across her face. She looked at her son-in-law with growing satisfaction, feeling as if she were once again seeing the Ancestor Chìlóng of the past.

In those years, her beauty was famous throughout the land, her name known across the demonic path. The reason she had married Ancestor Chìlóng wasn’t only because he was then a young heroic genius.

“Did you use the Divine Soothing Incense?”

Madam Jin quietly asked her daughter. That incense had been her and Ancestor Chìlóng’s treasure during their pleasures together—it not only heightened ecstasy but also aided dual cultivation.

“Yes…” Wang Sutai was embarrassed to answer, but under her mother’s pressing question she had no choice but to reply.

“When we return to Beiyuan Island, I’ll give you three more sticks.”

Madam Jin chuckled lightly.

“Three?” Wang Sutai, recalling the sweetness of what she had just experienced, stretched out her hand and secretly made the sign for five.

Naturally, none of this escaped Cao Mi’s notice. She glanced over calmly, then looked away, her expression as still as a deep well.

With her experience, how could she not see that Madam Jin was deliberately posturing, declaring her daughter’s claim?

But remembering that Madam Jin had saved her life before, she chose not to fuss over it. After all, Madam Jin and her daughter indeed had their bond with Wei Tu.

Besides, when it came to closeness with Wei Tu, Cao Mi didn’t think herself inferior.

After all, the greatest secret about Wei Tu—the overseas cultivation world—had never been mentioned to Madam Jin or her daughter.

But she knew. She had not only fought alongside him as a comrade but was also a member of the Righteous Society, a true sworn ally.

In other words—

She believed that as Wei Tu’s “spiritual partner,” she was no less than Wang Sutai, who had only shared fleshly ties with him.

…

Time passed.

In the blink of an eye.

Five years later, the time Bai Zhi had said was needed to break the Demon Refining Array and retrieve the Five-Element Demon-Slaying Ring finally arrived.

About this treasure, Wei Tu revealed nothing to Madam Jin, Wang Sutai, or Cao Mi. He deliberately set up a concealing formation to hide it.

In the cultivation world, cultivators were fundamentally independent. Even with a dao-companion vow, one’s own treasures remained under personal control—sharing them was a matter of choice.

And Madam Jin, being from a great background, was perceptive enough not to pry. She would not, just because of family ties, try to spy on what Wei Tu had obtained in the Locking Demon Hall.

Of course, there was another reason.

Even if Madam Jin, Wang Sutai, and Cao Mi had thoughts of seizing it, they were well aware they could not match Wei Tu.

“This treasure is finally in my hands.”

Inside the concealing array, Wei Tu stretched out his right hand and pulled the Five-Element Demon-Slaying Ring into his grasp. His face instantly lit with excitement.

From the memories of the demon flood dragon Peng Chen, this ring was a rare spiritual treasure, valuable even among Spirit Realm cultivators.

But just as Wei Tu prepared to refine it, he found that the mana he poured into the ring vanished without a trace, as if swallowed whole, with no reaction at all.

“What’s going on?”

Wei Tu frowned deeply, surprised.

From Peng Chen’s memories, there had seemed to be no restriction on refining this treasure.

“Fellow Daoist Wei, this old ancestor has a guess.”

At that moment, Ancestor Chìlóng’s voice echoed in Wei Tu’s mind.

“What guess?”

Wei Tu asked curiously.

Ancestor Chìlóng didn’t hold back. He said directly, “I’ve heard of such matters in the Spirit Realm. All treasures of higher grade are without exception imprinted with a ‘Treasure Command Seal’ by their creators. Without that seal, even if someone obtains the treasure, they cannot use it.”

“So, I suspect this Five-Element Demon-Slaying Ring was imprinted with such a Treasure Command Seal by the master of the Zunwang Palace. If you want to unlock it, you must first obtain that seal.”