Chapter 596: Mysterious Spirit High Immortal, Secret Realm Closes

"Treasure Command Seal?"

Wei Tu instinctively looked toward the direction of the Transmission Hall. If there was anywhere in the Zunwang Palace secret realm that might still hold the Treasure Command Seal for the Five-Element Demon-Slaying Ring, it could only be the Transmission Hall.

Of the three core palaces, the Armory Hall and the Locking Demon Hall had already been opened. Only the most crucial core inheritance—the Transmission Hall—remained sealed beneath restrictions.

"Of course, aside from the Treasure Command Seal, if you want to drive this Five-Element Demon-Slaying Ring and bring out some of its power… it’s not impossible."

Ancestor Chìlóng spoke while pulling a jade slip from within the Dragon Glass Pearl and handed it to Wei Tu.

"Three Yang Blood Sacrifice?" Wei Tu scanned it with his divine sense and glanced at the contents.

"The Three Yang Blood Sacrifice is one of the master inheritance arts of the Myriad Yin Sect. It’s a blood-refining art used to control spirit treasures. This old ancestor thought this secret technique would never see use for ten thousand years, but who knew you’d have such fortune in your generation—picking up a heaven-penetrating spirit treasure in the Zunwang Palace."

Ancestor Chìlóng sighed with emotion.

Among spirit treasures, any that had the Treasure Command Seal planted in them from the very start were without exception high-grade spirit treasures. And those high-grade treasures had another title—Heaven-Penetrating Spirit Treasures.

Heaven-Penetrating Spirit Treasures, as the name implied, could pierce the heavens, possessing immense power.

"Heaven-Penetrating Spirit Treasure?" Hearing this title that only appeared in ancient records, Wei Tu couldn’t help but think of the Heaven-Mending Bowl he had obtained in the Yunze Secret Realm.

That treasure carried the Heaven-Mending divine ability, capable of raising the grade of spiritual items to a certain degree and mending their foundations. It should also count as a Heaven-Penetrating Spirit Treasure of no small power.

However, because it had lost its artifact spirit, its power had weakened greatly, reduced to a broken treasure.

'Maybe the Three Yang Blood Sacrifice could also be used to drive the Heaven-Mending Bowl.' Wei Tu thought silently. He had never mentioned to Ancestor Chìlóng that he possessed the Heaven-Mending Bowl.

…

Blood refining the Five-Element Demon-Slaying Ring with the Three Yang Blood Sacrifice wasn’t something that could be done overnight. So Wei Tu wasn’t in a hurry. After putting the ring away, he began conserving his strength, waiting for the Zunwang Palace secret realm to end.

He hadn’t forgotten the two sea beast demons who shared an entrance with him and Cao Mi.

Each of those two monsters was on par with a Lüqiu Jinyuan, strong enemies he could not underestimate.

While breathing and refining qi, Wei Tu took the chance to ask about the external restrictions around the Transmission Hall.

Since the Yuan Gravity Divine Light had turned out to be the key to unlocking the Ziwu Strange Prohibition in the Locking Demon Hall, maybe the Transmission Hall’s restriction could also be broken through with the right divine ability.

And divine techniques were the one thing Wei Tu feared the least. He had no cultivation bottlenecks. As long as he accumulated steadily, he would eventually master them.

"The restriction around the Transmission Hall is, like the Ziwu Strange Prohibition, one of the top ten strange prohibitions of the cultivation world. It is called the Bifeng Divine Prohibition. But unlike the Ziwu prohibition, this one has no loopholes. You must withstand the winds inside the prohibition to enter the main hall of the Transmission Hall…"

"According to the calculations of the demonic path, resisting the Bifeng Prohibition requires either a Divine Transformation-level body or a defensive treasure that can endure ten breaths of attacks from a late-stage Divine Transformation cultivator." Ancestor Chìlóng shook his head.

As Wei Tu’s father-in-law, he wanted nothing more than for Wei Tu to succeed in entering the Transmission Hall and obtaining the Zunwang Palace’s core inheritance. He had no reason to hold back.

"A Divine Transformation-level body?" Wei Tu’s spirit stirred at the words, his heart full of expectation.

He didn’t have a defensive treasure that could withstand ten breaths of late-stage Divine Transformation attacks. But in six hundred years, before the next time he entered the secret realm, to raise his body to the Divine Transformation level—breaking through to Body Refinement Stage Five—that was still possible.

After all, six hundred years was not short. His lifespan had only just passed six hundred.

…

At the same time.

Within a chamber of the Zunwang Palace secret realm.

The instant Wei Tu obtained the Five-Element Demon-Slaying Ring, a burly man clad in golden armor suddenly showed shock on his calm face. He raised his head in disbelief toward the direction of the Locking Demon Hall.

"This time in the secret realm, both the Armory Hall and the Locking Demon Hall have been opened…"

Sang Divine Officer’s tone was filled with astonishment.

The people of today were not necessarily inferior to those of old.

He had long prepared himself for the possibility that cultivators might break into the core palaces’ divine prohibitions.

After all—

Aside from certain special circumstances, normally speaking, in knowledge and cultivation arts, each generation surpassed the last.

This time, the five demonic sects had combined forces to break the Armory Hall’s prohibition, proving this point.

They had built on the work of their predecessors to break the restriction outside the Armory Hall.

But unlike the Armory Hall, which had been broken into by many cultivators together, the Ziwu Strange Prohibition of the Locking Demon Hall had been silently broken by someone alone!

'I just wonder if this person has that treasure my clan needs.'

Sang Divine Officer’s eyes grew deep with thought.

The Zunwang Palace secret realm had deep ties to his people—or rather, this place had once been their home.

But because of a great event, it had been turned into an inheritance secret realm. Their clan had been driven out by the Earth Sovereign Pearl. Since then, like human cultivators, they could only enter once every six hundred years through the secret entrance.

Thinking of this, Sang Divine Officer pondered for a moment, then pulled a golden seal from his sleeve. With great care, he dripped several drops of his own blood onto it.

Not long after, the golden seal flashed with light. A streak of five-colored radiance shot out, landing before Sang Divine Officer and transforming into a graceful woman in white robes, her bearing serene and aloof.

Yet there was one flaw—her face was blurred, making it impossible to see her true appearance.

"Your servant Sang Huai greets Mysterious Spirit High Immortal…"

Sang Divine Officer knelt low in deep respect, not daring to raise his head.

He knew well how exalted the figure before him was. Even if it was only a shadow of spiritual power sealed within the golden seal, it was not something a lowly servant like him could ever show the slightest disrespect toward.

"What is it?" The woman called Mysterious Spirit High Immortal asked, her voice devoid of emotion.

"Your servant wishes to know the identity of the cultivator who opened the Locking Demon Hall," Sang Divine Officer said softly.

As descendants of the clan that once served Mysterious Spirit High Immortal, though they could not directly inherit the Zunwang Palace’s legacy, they still held small privileges within the secret realm.

For example, at this moment, he could ask the identity of the cultivator who had broken the Ziwu Strange Prohibition of the Locking Demon Hall.

"When I left, I said that in light of your Sang Clan’s loyalty, I would grant your clan three chances to claim inheritance within the Earth Sovereign Pearl. Four thousand years ago, your grandfather used one. Now, this is the second."

"Are you certain you wish to use it?"

Her tone was cold, indifferent.

Hearing this, Sang Divine Officer’s face filled with hesitation. After all, the chance of the item he sought being within the Locking Demon Hall was not great. It might be wiser to save this chance for when the Bifeng Divine Prohibition of the Transmission Hall was opened.

But then he thought of Wei Tu—this great unknown variable—and his wavering heart quickly grew firm again.

"I beg High Immortal to grant her grace."

He pressed his forehead to the ground.

But instead of immediately revealing Wei Tu’s identity, the woman in white parted her lips and continued: "If I reveal his identity to you, then I will also reveal your covetous intent to him. Because he has a certain chance of succeeding in obtaining my legacy."

Helping the Sang Clan was repayment for old ties.

Helping Wei Tu, who had opened the Locking Demon Hall, was out of impartial duty in selecting a true successor.

She could tell the difference.

"This…" Sang Divine Officer froze, his once-firm heart shaken again.

If Wei Tu knew his identity, he would quickly become the target of countless cultivators in the Great Cang cultivation world.

Moreover, with the Ziwu Strange Prohibition of the Locking Demon Hall still intact, even knowing Wei Tu’s identity, he would find it nearly impossible to get close and seize the treasure from him.

"Your servant Sang Huai… chooses to give up."

After weighing gains and losses, Sang Divine Officer dared not take the risk. Gritting his teeth, he spoke those words.

…

Inside the main chamber of the Locking Demon Hall, Wei Tu remained unaware that he had almost had his true identity exposed by an “accident.”

He was still immersed in cultivation.

"Six point four inches, already past the mid-Nascent Soul limit." Wei Tu’s inner sight observed his own infant form, which had already grown to rival that of ordinary late Nascent Soul cultivators.

For early Nascent Soul, the limit was three inches.

For mid-Nascent Soul, the limit was six inches.

For late Nascent Soul, the limit was one foot.

A hundred years ago, before breaking into mid-Nascent Soul, he had already surpassed the early-stage limit, reaching three point seven inches.

Now, at the peak of mid-Nascent Soul, his continued cultivation still pushed his boundaries higher.

Or rather, he felt he had not yet reached full "perfection" in this realm.

"This time, I might truly reach the extreme of mid-Nascent Soul!" Wei Tu’s eyes gleamed.

Last time, breaking the early-stage limit, he had only reached three point seven inches, falling short of the extreme three point nine inches due to insufficient accumulation.

But now, he had a faint sense that he could reach the true extreme of mid-Nascent Soul, with the infant body at six point nine inches.

"Now, I just need the aid of a Plastic Qi Pill…"

He cast a glance toward the Primordial Qi Ganoderma in his storage pouch, deep in thought.

The Plastic Qi Pill was the perfect elixir to aid the breakthrough into late Nascent Soul.

He already had a complete Primordial Qi Ganoderma. As long as he gathered the auxiliary herbs, he could open the furnace and refine this pill.

As long as more than one pill formed, then he could achieve two things at once—reaching the extreme of mid-Nascent Soul and breaking through into late Nascent Soul.

And in his memory, those auxiliary herbs were not rare in the Guixu Sea cultivation world.

Once he ventured to the overseas cultivation world again, he could follow through step by step to reach late Nascent Soul.

Time passed swiftly, years like flowing water.

Soon, several springs and autumns had gone by. The day the Zunwang Palace secret realm was about to close had arrived.

"Sutai, you and Teacher’s Wife should spend the coming days cultivating quietly on Beiyuan Island. Wait until I come for you both before making any moves…"

Before leaving, Wei Tu gave extra instructions to Wang Sutai.

Though he had a gentleman’s agreement with Ding Lezheng, Gongshu Chou, and Yinlian Madam not to harm each other’s kin, he wasn’t optimistic. He didn’t think that pact would last long.

So, for safety’s sake, it was best for Madam Jin and her daughter to remain in seclusion on Beiyuan Island, where a fourth-rank concealment formation was set. They should stay hidden there until he had the strength to deal with Ding Lezheng and the others.

Wei Tu believed Madam Jin was sharp enough to understand this herself, but it didn’t stop him from personally warning Wang Sutai again.

"Rest assured, husband. I understand," Wang Sutai replied warmly, hugging Wei Tu tightly for a while.

Though her time with him had been short, she now saw Wei Tu as the closest person to her after her mother.

Madam Jin, overhearing this, let her eyes soften, showing that familiar feeling of ‘the more a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law, the more pleasing he seems.’

"You’ve already taken a master, so you shouldn’t be lacking in divine abilities and techniques. Still, as your Teacher’s Wife, I can’t send you off without giving you something. These are some demonic arts once cultivated by my father. If any suit your liking, go ahead and study them."

Madam Jin smiled faintly and pulled a stack of blood-colored jade slips from her storage pouch, handing them to Wei Tu.

"The legacy of the Golden Ghost King?"

Hearing this, Ancestor Chìlóng’s remnant soul inside Wei Tu’s sleeve couldn’t help but feel sour. Back then, as Madam Jin’s husband, even he had been barred from these inheritances, guarded tightly as though he were an outsider.

But now, she was handing them all over to Wei Tu without hesitation. Didn’t that mean Wei Tu held more weight in her heart than her own husband?

Still, Ancestor Chìlóng wasn’t petty enough to quarrel over such matters. After a moment’s thought, he gave Wei Tu some targeted advice about learning the Golden Ghost King’s arts.

"These legacies aren’t very different from the demonic arts I’ve passed on to you. But his ghost-controlling arts were renowned a thousand years ago.

"Since your Yin-Yang Infant was badly injured fighting Ping Chen, you can refine it using the Golden Ghost King’s Ghost-Feeding Technique. Make Ping Chen its fodder, helping the Five Elements Infant break into late Nascent Soul…

"As for the blood food, you can use those two sea beast demons at the secret realm’s entrance."

Ancestor Chìlóng explained.

Wei Tu couldn’t help but feel joy. He hadn’t expected such an unexpected harvest from Madam Jin.

He clasped his hands in thanks and carefully accepted the stack of blood jade slips.

After that, they stopped exchanging pleasantries and quietly waited for the Zunwang Palace secret realm to close.

Half an hour later, a flash of white light descended, and Wei Tu and Cao Mi were once again standing on the desolate island in the outer seas of Chiming, at the same secret realm entrance where they had entered before.

But this time, two additional figures stood beside them—those very same "suspicious candidates" they had seen earlier in the great hall of Zunwang Palace.

One was a tall, broad-shouldered middle-aged man in black robes, radiating killing intent, his hair a rare crimson red. The other was a delicate, beautiful young woman, her eyes full of watery charm, like a pool of spring water.

"Human cultivators?"

The two sea beast demons, freshly expelled from the secret realm, looked at Wei Tu and Cao Mi with initial surprise, which quickly hardened into deep vigilance.

"Two mid-Nascent Soul. The woman only just broke through, a bit weaker… we hold the advantage," the young woman said with a flick of her brow, sending a secret transmission.

"But though they weren’t at the Weapon Hall, I can feel it… this man’s body and blood essence are terrifying, far beyond the ordinary…"

Unlike her, the man in black grew more wary, not at ease at all.

"What?"

"This one is strong enough that even you, Brother Gui, must be cautious?" the young woman asked in surprise.

"Just cautious, nothing more."

The black-robed man shook his head.

As his words fell, a wave of thick crimson demonic power burst from him, almost tangible.

In an instant, the ground beneath the island cracked apart, and a massive storm of demonic winds surged up, forming a hundred-zhang-high vortex that swept toward Wei Tu and Cao Mi.

Seeing this, the young woman no longer hesitated. With a sweep of her sleeve, she sent two spirit swords burrowing underground, aiming to ambush Cao Mi at Wei Tu’s side.