At this moment, two years had already passed.
According to the pace of the journey, Gui Luo the Demon Lord, True Monarch Wanhai, and the others who were behind him should have already crossed Xieshan Ridge and Blood Slaughter Sea, reaching the final checkpoint of the Great Void Realm—the Cold Crystal Platform.
They might have even passed the Cold Crystal Platform and entered the inner domain of the Great Void Realm.
So now, since Wei Tu was still in the Blood Slaughter Sea, there was no need to worry about anyone chasing from behind. He could just leave the Blood Slaughter Sea and return to the underground palace.
“Fellow Daoist Bao is probably already dead by now,” Wei Tu sighed inwardly as he thought of Bao Siyan.
Bao Siyan had calculated everything but failed to account for the existence of the Great Void Realm beneath the underground palace.
If she had brought along someone other than him—this bottom-ranked Golden Core cultivator—say, her master Che Gongwei or Qi Changdao, she never would have encountered such danger.
“There’s the spirit poison of Seven Star Begonia in the inner domain of the Great Void Realm. If Gui Luo the Demon Lord and the others enter the inner domain, they might also become infected, just like Master Shentu, and fall into a weakened state…”
“I might have a chance to kill them…”
“But that risk can’t be taken! It must be avoided as much as possible. Leaving is the safest option.”Wei Tu pondered briefly and made up his mind.
Even though Gui Luo the Demon Lord and the others were weaker in cultivation than Master Shentu, that didn’t mean they would definitely get poisoned upon entering the inner domain and see their power drop.
After all, Master Shentu was just a rogue cultivator with early Nascent Soul cultivation and wasn’t particularly outstanding.
In terms of knowledge and secret techniques, he didn’t necessarily surpass those from major sects like Gui Luo and True Monarch Wanhai.
Though the former was Nascent Soul early stage and the latter two were peak Golden Core, the gap between them wasn’t all that vast.
At least, Wei Tu didn’t think his own current knowledge and secret techniques completely surpassed his Foundation Establishment peak self.
Besides, the treasures in the inner domain were poisoned. Even if he obtained them, they’d be useless. Better to leave early.
—The “ancient bronze mirror” and “yellow jade tablet” Master Shentu acquired when leaving the inner domain were already top-tier treasures within the Great Void Realm.
…
After confirming his plan.
Wei Tu didn’t rush to leave. He took out the jade hairpin magic tool obtained from the underground palace and began refining it.
This jade hairpin magic tool was named the “Piercing Cloud Hairpin.” It was a third-rank top-grade artifact that Master Shentu had used back when he was at the Golden Core stage.
Its function was the same as the second-rank top-grade artifact “Cuiyun Needle” he had gotten from Alchemist Shu—it was made for surprise attacks. It just didn’t have the extremely toxic poison that the Cuiyun Needle carried.
Of course, “toxic” was a relative term.
To Golden Core cultivators, the poison on the Cuiyun Needle was nothing special.
With the Piercing Cloud Hairpin in hand, Wei Tu could now swap out the Cuiyun Needle and use this treasure as his main sneak attack weapon.
Several months flew by in a blink.
Inside the stone cave, Wei Tu had fully refined the Piercing Cloud Hairpin and even applied a small amount of the Seven Star Begonia poison from the yellow jade tablet onto its tip.
Though he didn’t apply much spirit poison, it was more than enough to severely harm a same-realm opponent.
With all preparations completed—
Wei Tu, still beneath the Blood Slaughter Sea, cautiously emerged from the water and made his way out.
He concealed his aura, flying low in the air, swiftly heading toward the direction of Xieshan Ridge.
But—
To his surprise—
The mouth of the valley at Xieshan Ridge was not empty. An old man, seemingly in his seventies, was secretly lurking underground near the valley entrance.
Thanks to “Know Heaven Crossing”—a top-tier perception technique—and the boost to his divine sense after devouring the Ghost Infant, Wei Tu had already sensed the old man’s presence, while the latter remained unaware of him.
“Isn’t that the one who was with True Monarch Wanhai?” Wei Tu’s brows furrowed slightly, puzzled.
Logically, this elderly cultivator should’ve crossed Blood Slaughter Sea with True Monarch Wanhai and gone to Cold Crystal Platform. He shouldn’t still be here.
From a human nature perspective—
Wei Tu didn’t believe this old man would willingly give up the treasures of the Great Void Realm’s inner domain just to lie in wait here.
Wei Tu could see that this old man was surrounded by withering aura—he didn’t have many years left.
“Could it be this person, like me, knows about the spirit poison in the Great Void Realm inner domain, so he’s staying behind to wait?” Wei Tu narrowed his eyes, forming a new suspicion.
If Gui Luo and the others were informed by Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators like Wei Tai—
That was traceable.
But if True Monarch Wanhai and the others showed up a month later, that was far more suspicious.
Wei Tu suspected this old man might be a disciple of the Stone Demon Sect and was aware of the secrets within the Great Void Realm’s inner domain.
“The Cold Crystal Platform is bitterly cold. Even Golden Core cultivators can barely cross it. Fu Lin and that female cultivator might’ve been left outside.”
“I can try asking Fu Lin for some information.”
After thinking it through—
Wei Tu made his decision.
He turned his light around and headed back to the Blood Slaughter Sea, preparing to cross it again and head to the seventh checkpoint of the Great Void Realm—Cold Crystal Platform.
Right now, even though he had ten top-grade third-tier talismans left behind by Master Shentu and could protect himself, the elderly cultivator hiding nearby was also a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. Wei Tu didn’t want to start a fight and use up all his trump cards.
In short—it wasn’t worth it.
Cultivators with only a few years of life left usually didn’t carry much of their fortune on them. And if they did fight, they were often fearless of death.
Even bandits would curse at such targets for being bad luck.
The effort wouldn't match the payoff.
…
The Blood Slaughter Sea, as the sixth checkpoint of the Great Void Realm, was truly treacherous. Its crimson waters weren’t just filled with blood poison—they could corrode a cultivator’s magic power, body, and defensive artifacts.
However, for Wei Tu, who had now reached third stage in body refinement, it wasn't much of a challenge. He spent some time but ultimately crossed the sea and reached the Cold Crystal Platform.
Just as he left the Blood Slaughter Sea, Wei Tu felt a wave of biting cold air rushing toward him.
Looking up, he saw a massive circular platform several hundred zhang wide rising from the ground just a few li ahead.
This entire platform was made of glacial crystals, stacked with a thousand tiers of stairs. Around the outside, white icy mist drifted and radiated cold energy.
“The higher you climb on this Cold Crystal Platform, the stronger your cultivation needs to be. According to the jade slip Master Shentu left behind, he only barely reached the top back when he was at peak Golden Core.”
“So after advancing to Nascent Soul, he returned here and opened up the inner domain of the Great Void Realm.”
“But… this white mist now covers the entire platform, so I can’t see what’s inside. I can’t tell if Gui Luo the Demon Lord and the others are still somewhere on the platform or have already gone into the inner domain…”
Wei Tu took out a jade slip and glanced at the Cold Crystal Platform while thinking silently.
“Know Heaven Crossing.”
After a brief moment, he activated the advanced sensing technique to search for Fu Lin’s location.
As the words fell, black light burst from Wei Tu’s body, inky and thick, spreading into the clear space around him like dye in water.
One li, two li, a hundred li.
Fifteen minutes later.
Wei Tu finally sensed Fu Lin in a cave beneath the Cold Crystal Platform, together with the young female cultivator who always stuck close to him.
Thankfully.
Within his sensing range, Wei Tu found no trace of Gui Luo the Demon Lord, True Monarch Wanhai, or the others.
“Go.”
Wei Tu retracted his aura and sent his second-tier Seven-Colored Phantom Moth toward the cave where Fu Lin was hiding.
After more than a century apart, he could no longer guess what Fu Lin was thinking—whether he saw him as an enemy or still respected him as a close elder.
Not like the old days anymore—
Wei Tu still hadn’t fully let go of how Fu Zhizhou had completely severed ties with him.
And Fu Lin… was someone he believed was truly “like father, like son.” Someone who had even thrown in with the demonic cultivators.
So, to be cautious, Wei Tu didn’t go to Fu Lin in person. Instead, he used the Seven-Colored Phantom Moth.
If Fu Lin turned against him or if Gui Luo and the others were hiding nearby, he could retreat immediately and escape back to the sea beneath the Cold Crystal Platform.
…
Near the Cold Crystal Platform.
In the cave.
“Fu-lang, Auntie’s already been climbing the Cold Crystal Platform for two years. Could something have happened?” Leng Yuyuan's eyes showed concern as she looked at Fu Lin and gently asked.
The Great Void Realm was filled with danger everywhere.
After Old Ancestor Ningyan fell, even if Gui Luo didn’t come back for revenge, the chances of the two of them making it out were still slim.
Regular Golden Core cultivators already struggled with the trials here. Let alone the two of them, who were only at Foundation Establishment.
“One step at a time,” Fu Lin shook his head, looking distracted.
Leng Yuyuan noticed his lack of focus. She gently stroked his cheek, leaned in, and rested against him, her head on his chest.
“Fu-lang, once we leave the Great Void Realm, we can finally practice that secret technique and truly become one,” she said with a soft smile.
Hearing this, Fu Lin’s expression stiffened.
His eyes toward Leng Yuyuan turned cold, though he quickly adjusted and returned to normal as if recalling something.
Just then—
A transparent moth fluttered down and landed lightly on his shoulder.
At the same time, a voice exploded in Fu Lin’s mind, making his previously calm expression change to one of stunned disbelief.
“Uncle Wei?” Fu Lin gasped, staring in shock at the faint form of the Seven-Colored Phantom Moth on his left shoulder.
“How is this possible? Uncle Wei, how did you end up in the Great Void Realm?”
Fu Lin truly lived up to being a demonic cultivator. After a brief moment of shock, he quickly composed himself, his face betraying no hint of emotion.
“Two years ago, at the Xieshan Ridge, that green-robed cultivator ahead of you—that was me,” Wei Tu said through the Seven-Colored Phantom Moth.
“That was you, Uncle Wei?”
“I can't believe it… After a hundred years, Uncle Wei, you actually formed your Golden Core and broke through to the Golden Core Realm?”
Fu Lin couldn’t quite believe it. He was well aware of Wei Tu and the other seniors’ natural talent.
Even he, practicing demonic cultivation techniques, had only a slim chance of reaching the Golden Core Realm.
Let alone Wei Tu, who had always followed the orthodox path.
But now wasn’t the time to question it. Besides, a cultivator’s foundation wasn’t something one should casually ask about.
“I thought you’d either fallen in the Blood Slaughter Sea or died on the Cold Crystal Platform. I didn’t expect you to survive and escape Gui Luo’s pursuit.”
Fu Lin sighed.
He had followed Gui Luo the Demon Lord closely and knew just how much hatred Gui Luo bore toward Wei Tu and Bao Siyan.
If not for the terrain at Xieshan Ridge, Gui Luo would’ve killed them both long ago to vent his anger.
“Just luck,” Wei Tu replied casually, then steered the conversation to another topic, asking for intel on Gui Luo and True Monarch Wanhai’s groups.
Fu Lin didn’t hide anything and relayed all he knew.
“Bai Zhi of the Heavenly Maiden Sect, Old Ancestor Ningyan of the Hehuan Sect, Jia Tianlong of the Chisong Jia Clan, Lady Lan, the Dao companion of Master Jiuli…”
In an instant, Wei Tu learned from Fu Lin the backgrounds of the two groups of Golden Core cultivators.
However, while Fu Lin knew about Gui Luo and the Heavenly Extinction Demon Palace, he didn’t know much about the faction itself.
He only knew it was a powerful demonic faction independent of the Five Great Demonic Sects. Its leader, the Heavenly Extinction Demon, was a famed Nascent Soul demonic cultivator.
“Master Jiuli is a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator from Zheng Kingdom. He’s extremely powerful. Uncle Wei, you should definitely avoid offending Lady Lan,” Fu Lin added after sharing their backgrounds.
Wei Tu nodded.
Then he asked, “I’ve been hiding near the Cold Crystal Platform for a while, but haven’t seen Jia Tianlong. Did he go somewhere else?”
Wei Tu still didn’t fully trust Fu Lin.
So he didn’t mention that Jia Tianlong was currently hiding at the valley entrance of Xieshan Ridge. Instead, he made up a reason to gather more info about Jia Tianlong’s status in the Great Void Realm.
“Uncle Wei, Jia Tianlong is dead,” Fu Lin said, slightly surprised. “He was gathering Blood Thread Fruit in the Blood Slaughter Sea when Gui Luo the Demon Lord took the chance to kill him. His body fell into the sea.”
Dead?
Wei Tu raised his brows slightly. He understood—this was likely Jia Tianlong’s trick to slip away.
What he couldn’t tell was whether the ‘killing’ had been secretly arranged between Jia Tianlong and Gui Luo, or if Gui Luo had simply been fooled.
As for the Blood Thread Fruit…
Wei Tu had already learned about this longevity-extending spiritual item that grew uniquely within the Blood Slaughter Sea when he soul-searched Wei Tai.
But by the time he entered the stone cavern and completed his breakthrough, two full years had passed.
By now, the Blood Thread Fruit had surely been completely harvested by Gui Luo and his group.
So Wei Tu had no interest in exploring the spiritual grounds where those fruits grew.
As for why Fu Lin and Leng Yuyuan hadn’t been targeted and killed by True Monarch Wanhai’s group...
He suspected that Old Ancestor Ningyan had reached some agreement with them—to “let off” Fu Lin and Leng Yuyuan, these two Foundation Establishment cultivators who posed no real threat.
“And that female cultivator who came with me? Did she survive?” Wei Tu suddenly thought of Bao Siyan and asked.
“That woman in the conical hat? I don’t know where she went. Maybe she reached the Cold Crystal Platform before Gui Luo and the others,” Fu Lin replied, suppressing his doubts.
Hearing this, Wei Tu could only quietly pray that Bao Siyan wasn’t caught and killed by Gui Luo’s group on the Cold Crystal Platform.
But he knew the odds were slim. Bao Siyan was only at early-stage Golden Core, barely at the peak. She likely couldn’t make it all the way up the Cold Crystal Platform…
More likely, she got stuck halfway and was killed by Gui Luo’s group.
With that, Wei Tu had roughly formed a picture of the situation within the Great Void Realm.
“Uncle Wei… aren’t you going to ask me about anything else?” Fu Lin asked, a bit tense when he saw Wei Tu go silent, not asking further questions.
“Your personal affairs are your own. They have nothing to do with me,” Wei Tu replied bluntly, showing no intention of meddling in Fu Lin’s relationships.
To him, it was a good thing that Fu Lin had let go of emotions and focused solely on the Dao.
Fu Lin gave a bitter smile.
He understood. After a hundred years apart, and now that he was clinging to Old Ancestor Ningyan…
It was only natural that his relationship with Wei Tu had grown distant.
Not asking about his private matters… in a way, that was Wei Tu’s form of respect.