I am a Late Bloomer in the Immortal World

Chapter 429: The Slap-Tap Plan, Heading to the Yu Clan

A single Nascent Soul spell was enough to protect a Golden Core-level clan like the Yan family for a thousand years.And three spells…

If used wisely and in the right places, just like they hinted earlier—overthrowing Lougao Sect and turning it into their private domain—wouldn’t be a big deal.

After all, while three Nascent Soul spells might fall short in a head-on battle against a seasoned Golden Core expert, they were more than enough for sneak attacks and assassinations.

That’s exactly why Wei Tu needed to know the Yan clan’s real reason for asking for these three Nascent Soul spells—so he wouldn’t get caught in trouble later.

"Reporting to Elder Wei, the purpose… is to kill the sect leader of Lougao Sect, Gongyang Gu."

Yan Zezhi didn’t hesitate much. He clenched his jaw and voiced his ambition.

He said, "Right now in Lougao Sect, aside from our Yan clan, there are three other major families holding most of the sect’s power. The four clans already have plans to split Lougao Sect apart and rebuild it as a new cultivation aristocracy."

"And the only thing standing in the way of that plan is Gongyang Gu."

"Once he’s gone, there’ll be nothing left to stop the Yan clan and the other three families."

Hearing this, Wei Tu immediately thought to himself, ‘Just as I expected.’

When he heard Yan Zezhi’s second request earlier, he had guessed this was likely a toned-down version of the first one.

Not because he was some genius tactician.

It’s just that for the Yan clan to move forward now, this step was almost inevitable.

After all, not every cultivator could expand outward and grow the pie. Most people only had the skills to cling to their turf and snatch up resources from those weaker or on their level using underhanded tactics.

That was often the norm before any power rose to prominence.

Still, Wei Tu didn’t plan to interfere.

Now that he’d reached this cultivation realm, he understood that in this world, most things came down to position, not right or wrong.

If it didn’t touch his own interests, he could stand on the side of righteousness and act righteously.

But now that he had taken Yan Xiaolan as a concubine, he naturally stood on the Yan clan’s side.

As for how capable or upright Gongyang Gu was as the sect leader of Lougao Sect—honestly, that had little to do with him as the Yan clan’s "son-in-law."

"But…"

Wei Tu thought for a moment, then looked around at the Yan clan cultivators. His tone turned serious. "But there’s probably a better way to handle this. There’s no need to go straight to killing Sect Leader Gongyang."

He had only agreed to compensate the Yan clan with one request because of the fault he bore during the "Xiao Han Mountain" incident.

Now, if he blindly approved this request just to make up for that, wouldn’t that defeat the point?

"A better way?"

The Yan clan cultivators looked at each other, puzzled.

To someone as strong as Wei Tu, wasn’t the best solution to just personally wipe Gongyang Gu out?

And if he didn’t want to dirty his hands, the Yan clan could do it for him. It’d be easy.

They couldn’t think of any other approach that would be simpler or more effective.

But old fox Yan Zezhi probably guessed what Wei Tu was getting at. He stepped forward and tried to persuade him.

"Elder Wei, the four clans have been negotiating with Sect Leader Gongyang for a long time, but he’s extremely stubborn and inflexible. He won’t listen to reason. Talking to him is just a waste of time."

"If we weren’t forced into this corner, we wouldn’t have gone so far as to consider removing him."

Yan Zezhi looked completely sincere.

"Fellow Daoist Yan, that’s your perspective. Not mine." Wei Tu shook his head, looking calm.

With that, he didn’t explain further. He swept out his divine sense, locked on to Gongyang Gu’s location, and flicked his sleeve. In the blink of an eye, he vanished.

A quarter-hour later…

Wei Tu reappeared outside the Yan clan’s prison cell.

This time, however, there was an elderly man with him—white beard, scholarly aura, with a goat-like chin beard.

As disciples of Lougao Sect, the Yan clan cultivators immediately recognized the man. It was none other than their sect leader, Gongyang Gu.

They all instinctively took a step back, surrounding him like they were facing a deadly threat.

If Wei Tu hadn’t been present, they probably would’ve attacked right away.

But before they could act, Gongyang Gu said something that left them all dumbfounded—and instantly lowered their guard.

"I am willing to follow Elder Wei’s decision and divide Lougao Sect among the Yan clan and the other three families."

Gongyang Gu gave a deep bow as he spoke.

"What? Sect Leader?"

"You agreed?"

Yan Zezhi's first instinct was disbelief. After all, he knew all too well how stubborn Gongyang Gu was—he was a true power-holder elder of the sect and had seen it firsthand.

But soon, he remembered the terrifying pressure Wei Tu could exert as a Nascent Soul cultivator, and his doubts eased a little.

'Still, using intimidation on Gongyang Gu isn’t the best solution. That would leave the Yan clan with future trouble… and even Elder Wei might have to deal with the aftermath later.'

Thinking that far, Yan Zezhi secretly shook his head. In his mind, Wei Tu had made a foolish and indecisive choice.

But right after, he couldn’t help but feel relieved that Wei Tu wasn’t a ruthless and cold-blooded old monster. Otherwise, things wouldn’t have gone this smoothly after he came to the Yan clan.

"Rest assured, Elder Yan. What I just said was from my own will. It wasn’t something I was forced into by Elder Wei."

It was as if Gongyang Gu had read Yan Zezhi’s thoughts. He smiled faintly, stroked his beard, and said this calmly.

Originally, he had no intention of agreeing to Wei Tu’s proposal to divide Lougao Sect. But the rewards Wei Tu offered were simply too tempting. So tempting that he couldn't say no.

"I don't understand. Elder Wei, could you please explain?"

This concerned the future of the entire clan. Yan Zezhi didn’t dare take it lightly. He gritted his teeth, cupped his hands respectfully toward Wei Tu, and asked why Gongyang Gu had suddenly changed his mind.

Wei Tu didn’t bother to hide anything.

He glanced at Yan Zezhi and casually said, "I didn’t do much. Just transferred two of the three Nascent Soul spells I was going to gift the Yan clan to Sect Leader Gongyang."

As soon as he said this, the Yan clan cultivators all froze.

Those three Nascent Soul spells were supposed to be gifts for the Yan clan. How did it end up that only one would remain in their hands?

But unlike most of the crowd, Yan Zezhi and his uncle Yan Zhenping actually thought this move was brilliant.

Because if they’d stuck to the original plan—killing Gongyang Gu—they probably would’ve only ended up with one Nascent Soul spell, if not none at all.

Not to mention, in carrying out the assassination, the Yan clan would’ve had to shoulder the risk of "murdering their sect leader."

Now, thanks to Wei Tu’s "peaceful" solution, the Yan clan didn’t have to take any risk. On top of that, they could now ally with Gongyang Gu and pressure the other three families into giving up more than their fair share.

'No wonder Elder Wei could reach the Nascent Soul stage at such a young age,' Yan Zezhi thought with admiration.

Sure, being ruthless and cunning was a trait shared by more than 80% of the old cultivators in the world of cultivation. But being able to resolve conflict without turning things hostile—that was not something an ordinary cultivator could do.

Handled the way Wei Tu did, not only would he avoid creating karmic entanglements, but he’d also win the loyalty of both the Yan clan and Gongyang Gu. That gave him a strong network within Lougao Sect’s territory.

He had basically turned an enemy into an ally.

Simply put, judging from the results, Wei Tu’s smooth cultivation path likely had a lot to do with how he handled problems.

Step by step, he had expanded his network. And his journey on the Dao had only gotten easier with time.

…

Now that Gongyang Gu and Yan Zezhi had reconciled and formed a shared-interest alliance…

Wei Tu didn’t delay. He immediately began fulfilling his promise and started sealing the Nascent Soul spells for both parties.

With a flick of his sleeve, three sealing scrolls floated out into the air and slowly unfurled in front of everyone.

"Go!" Wei Tu muttered the incantation, flipped his palm, and used his mana to form three cyan arrows.

These three arrows were transformed from "Qingyuan Thorn," the only offensive secret art in his Divine Wood Origin Technique.

Wei Tu didn’t use Qingyuan Thorn much in daily fights, but that didn’t mean it was weak.

It’s just that compared to its power, he had even stronger divine abilities like the Koi Dragon Yin Blade as backup.

Back in the Great Void Realm, Bao Siyan had almost succeeded in assassinating him using this very technique, even while crossing several minor stages in strength.

A quarter-hour later...

Once the mana in the three cyan arrows had stabilized, Wei Tu uttered the word "Seal!" Then he compressed them with his divine sense into the scrolls.

"That easy?"

All the cultivators were stunned.

Especially Gongyang Gu, who had seen far more of the world than Yan Zezhi.

As sect leader of Lougao Sect, he knew very well just how difficult it was for a cultivator at early Nascent Soul to seal their own spells.

At first, seeing how young Wei Tu looked, Gongyang Gu thought the reward would be postponed. But to his surprise, Wei Tu completed it right there in the Yan clan—sealing three Nascent Soul spells in one go!

'This guy... aside from being an alchemist, he’s probably also a pretty advanced talisman cultivator.'

Only a high-ranking talisman expert could make sealing spells seem this simple and effortless. Compared to drawing fourth-rank talismans, sealing Nascent Soul spells was easier for a skilled talisman master.

Thinking that, Gongyang Gu felt a deeper sense of awe toward Wei Tu.

Meanwhile, Wei Tu, unaware of everyone’s thoughts, casually tossed the three sealed scrolls toward Gongyang Gu and Yan Zhenping after finishing the job.

Watching this, Yan Zezhi was clearly disappointed, but he didn’t dare voice any complaints. After all, Yan Zhenping was Yan Xiaolan’s biological father. It made sense for Wei Tu to show him some favoritism.

And at that moment, Wei Tu wrapped an arm around Yan Xiaolan’s waist and vanished from Lougao Sect without a trace.

"Find out—within the past 100 years in Xiao Kingdom—any faction that’s had a Nascent Soul tribulation. Also, gather the names of these newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivators!"

Once they confirmed Wei Tu had left, Gongyang Gu and Yan Zezhi exchanged glances, immediately returned to their respective strongholds, and issued that exact order to their core forces.

…

After leaving Lougao Sect, Wei Tu didn’t stay long in Xiao Kingdom. He made a brief trip to Liaozhou to gather information about the Fu siblings, then detoured to neighboring Chu Kingdom.

He hadn’t forgotten the alchemy contract he signed with the Yu clan from Guangyuan over 70 years ago.

"I remember drawing up this spirit contract to guard against Ji Zhang and the Fu siblings coming after me."

On the road, Wei Tu pulled out the contract from his sleeve. After looking it over carefully, a faint smile tugged at his lips.

Times had changed.

Now it was Ji Zhang who had to hide from him.

If not for the fact that he couldn't act openly during the Nascent Soul ceremony and go after Ji Zhang, the man would’ve been dead long ago. After all, Ji Zhang, a mere Golden Core enemy of his, should’ve been long wiped out.

'I still don’t get how Ji Zhang ended up in this sorry state… How did he fall so far and become just a fake Nascent Soul cultivator?'

'Could it be Fu Linglong really did what she claimed—finding a beggar to dual cultivate with during Ji Zhang’s awakening? That would’ve driven Ji Zhang into a rage, inviting inner demons...'

Wei Tu pondered silently.

While digging up info on the Fu siblings in Liaozhou, he’d heard from a Jinglian An cultivator that Fu Linglong had gone into seclusion 10 years ago to attempt the Nascent Soul breakthrough.

If things were really as he suspected, and Fu Linglong wrecked Ji Zhang’s path to cultivation just to spite him—hurting herself in the process—then her chances of succeeding in the breakthrough would’ve dropped a lot.

Even most female cultivators would find it hard to stomach sleeping with a beggar, let alone someone like Fu Linglong, with her vindictive pride.

…

Three months later.

Wei Tu arrived at Shengyang Mountain in Chu Kingdom.

Shengyang Mountain used to be a fourth-rank spiritual land owned by the Yu clan of Guangyuan. Over 300 years ago, they handed it over to the Beast Taming Sect that had migrated to Chu Kingdom.

But not all of the Yu clan’s people left the mountain. Many continued cultivating in its nearby spiritual grounds.

Half a quarter-hour later…

Upon receiving Wei Tu’s message talisman, Yu Jianglong, Qiu Buchen, and others came out from the Beast Taming Sect to greet him.

"Jianglong greets Elder Wei!"

Yu Jianglong bowed respectfully as soon as they met, clearly aware that Wei Tu had advanced to the Nascent Soul stage.

"Elder Wei?"

Hearing this, Qiu Buchen and the others were stunned at first, but quickly understood. They all bowed in greeting too.

"That woman…"

At that moment, Nan Zi suddenly noticed something strange. Wei Tu, usually alone, was now accompanied by a cold and stunningly beautiful female cultivator. From their behavior, they seemed quite close.

But her cultivation level was far inferior to Wei Tu’s—only Foundation Establishment stage.

'He took in a concubine?'

Nan Zi felt like she’d been hit with a hammer.

In her eyes, Wei Tu had always been a reclusive, pure-hearted cultivator. He had ignored all her hints time and again.

Yet now, not long after his breakthrough to Nascent Soul, he had already taken a new concubine.

Wei Tu's speed left Nan Zi seriously doubting her own charm.