I am a Late Bloomer in the Immortal World

Chapter 448: Mid-Stage Nascent Soul, Escape from Death

"Who is it?"Ancestor Ningyan’s face instantly changed. Panic spread across her features as she looked around in every direction.

Someone had suppressed her with nothing but pressure—effortlessly. There was no doubt. This was someone at the Nascent Soul realm.

But what she couldn’t figure out was—when had she ever offended a Nascent Soul elder?

And how did this one break through Hehuan Sect's branch-protecting formation so easily? That grand array was fourth-grade, strong enough to withstand the combined attacks of several Nascent Soul elders at once.

"Fellow Daoist Ningyan, you really are forgetful. After we parted ways in the Great Void Realm, you don't recognize me anymore?"

A misty voice echoed in the air.

The moment Ancestor Ningyan started to suspect who it might be, Fu Zhizhou—who had been surrounded by Hehuan Sect cultivators just a few hundred paces away—was suddenly gone.

When he reappeared, he stood behind a green-robed cultivator.

That cultivator’s face was someone Ancestor Ningyan recognized instantly—Wei Tu.

"Wei Tu, it’s you?" Ancestor Ningyan’s pupils contracted, dread flickering in her eyes.

The Kang Kingdom and Jing Kingdom were neighboring nations, but one belonged to the righteous path, the other to the demonic. They shared no intelligence.

Besides, it had only been a little over ten years since Wei Tu held his Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony.

So today was the very first time Ancestor Ningyan learned that her "old friend" Wei Tu had already stepped into the Nascent Soul realm.

"You were the one who took the sentient item from the Stone Demon Sect?"

Ancestor Ningyan stared hard at Wei Tu. She had only just pieced it together.

Back then, she, Madam Lan, Qi Chengchu, Fox Mountain, and the others had fought to the death in the Spirit Herb Garden of the Stone Demon Tower. But none of them got the prize—it had been snatched away early by this unexpected guy.

Otherwise, how could Wei Tu, who was only mid-stage Golden Core back then, manage to break through into the Nascent Soul realm in under a hundred years?

"You really are clever, Fellow Daoist Ningyan. No wonder my fourth brother and I ended up falling into your trap today. The plan failed."

Wei Tu chuckled and admitted the whole thing without shame.

"Fourth brother?" Ancestor Ningyan blinked, then finally recalled—Fu Zhizhou had a strong connection to Wei Tu. He was the “fourth brother” Wei Tu had just mentioned.

"That guy managed to escape twice in the Great Void Realm and even seized a fortuitous treasure. He’s definitely not some simple-minded fool."

As she spoke, a bad feeling crept into Ancestor Ningyan’s heart.

She didn’t believe for one second that Wei Tu was chatting to her just to show off his success.

No doubt, he was just stalling for time so Fu Zhizhou could escape.

She had clearly seen the instant transmission array in Fu Zhizhou’s hand earlier.

Still, even though she realized what was happening, Ancestor Ningyan didn’t act out right away. She quietly crushed a contact talisman hidden in her sleeve, one that linked her to the Hehuan Sect’s Nascent Soul elder, Ancestor Liuyu. On the surface, she kept the conversation going, playing along with Wei Tu.

She knew that unless she triggered a Nascent Soul tribulation right now, her odds of surviving against Wei Tu were slim.

And given her current state, trying to overcome tribulation would be a joke—just suicide.

So instead of provoking Wei Tu and getting herself killed, she’d rather go along with his act for now.

"He’s here."

A few breaths later, when Ancestor Ningyan sensed Ancestor Liuyu approaching from the back mountain, a smirk played at her lips, and a flicker of sarcasm shone in her eyes.

Even if Wei Tu had set up an instant transmission array, the spatial passage wouldn’t be stable in such a short time.

By then, all Ancestor Liuyu had to do was strike once, and the passage would collapse—just like earlier.

At that point, neither Wei Tu nor Fu Zhizhou would be able to escape.

However—

What happened next left Ancestor Ningyan stunned.

As the spatial gate behind Wei Tu started to stabilize, he didn’t step into the golden crystal portal. Instead, he cast a Nascent Soul-level spell to guard it, then turned around and flew straight toward the approaching Ancestor Liuyu.

"Ancestor Liuyu is mid-stage Nascent Soul?"

"And he’s just a fresh Nascent Soul. How does he even dare?!"

Ancestor Ningyan’s face twisted in disbelief.

This was even more shocking than learning Wei Tu had become a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Over eight hundred years of cultivation had shown her many familiar Golden Core cultivators ascend into high and mighty Nascent Soul elders.

But a brand-new Nascent Soul fighting a mid-stage Nascent Soul?

This was the first time she’d seen it.

'How the hell did someone this reckless even make it to Nascent Soul?' she thought.

Blood and guts weren’t virtues among high-level cultivators.

At that level, everyone had a little bit of cowardice in them.

After all, not everyone was born with heaven-defying talent or blessed encounters. If someone in this world wasn’t careful with their choices, they'd eventually fall into some huge trap and die far from home.

Ancestor Ningyan didn’t know Wei Tu well, but she understood clearly—he wasn’t the reckless type. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have escaped multiple times in the Great Void Realm.

But—

Before she could figure out exactly what Wei Tu was relying on, a jarring voice suddenly rang out from the ground, catching everyone's attention.

"Senior Fu! I’ve never betrayed you! I’ve always followed the plan loyally... I don’t know when that old hag Ningyan saw through it, but I swear, I never sold you out..."

"Please, Senior Fu, spare me! Take me with you!"

Qiao Gao was on the ground, begging with all his might.

"Traitor!" Ancestor Ningyan’s face went cold as soon as she heard that. She raised her hand, ready to slap Qiao Gao to death.

It was one thing for Fu Zhizhou and Wei Tu to call her an old hag—they were her peers, and in Wei Tu’s case, even her senior. But what right did Qiao Gao, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, have to call her that in front of everyone?

If she didn’t punish him, wouldn’t her reputation go down the drain?

Still, with Wei Tu standing right there, Ancestor Ningyan didn’t want to draw too much attention. She had no choice but to swallow her rage for now.

"Didn’t betray me?"

Hearing that, Wei Tu raised an eyebrow and gave Qiao Gao—still kneeling on the ground—a long look.

To be honest, he had never expected much in terms of loyalty or honor from anyone on the demonic path.

In his eyes, real demonic cultivators ranked even lower than spirit beasts.

There was no point in playing fair with beasts in human clothing.

But right now, he was acting under his true identity. With so many eyes watching, he couldn’t just flip the script and go back on his word. He had to keep up appearances.

Otherwise, his reputation among the demonic path would be worth nothing.

That would make things harder down the line.

"If you’ve truly been loyal and never betrayed me... then I’ll save you this once."

Wei Tu gave a small nod. With a wave of his sleeve and a burst of powerful energy, he grabbed Qiao Gao and tossed him next to Fu Zhizhou.

Right then, the instant transmission array's spatial tunnel had fully stabilized.

Fu Zhizhou and Qiao Gao each stepped into the golden crystal array gate, ready to teleport away.

"Third Brother... take care."

Unlike Qiao Gao, who was grinning with relief, Fu Zhizhou wore nothing but guilt and regret on his face.

If he’d died a little sooner, maybe Wei Tu wouldn’t have had to take this risk to save him.

But now, it was too late.

All Fu Zhizhou could do was follow Wei Tu’s instructions seriously.

Acting on impulse now wouldn’t help—it would just become a burden.

He had no choice but to believe, once more, in that stable hand who once came from Qingshan County as a lowly horse groom.

Wei Tu himself was a living miracle.

Back when the four of them had first stepped onto the cultivation path, none of them had imagined one of their group—just ordinary mortals—would one day become a Nascent Soul elder.

...

At the same time.

Just then, Ancestor Liuyu, who had come rushing from the rear mountain of the Hehuan Sect branch, finally arrived. He darted straight toward Wei Tu.

Without a word, he launched a punch toward the golden crystal array gate, aiming to destroy the transmission and trap Fu Zhizhou and Qiao Gao here.

"Fellow Daoist Liuyu, you're really in a rush. Why not ask for my opinion first?"

Wei Tu didn’t panic. With a faint smile, he swept his sleeve and stepped forward, blocking Ancestor Liuyu’s strike.

"Peak third stage body refinement?"

A flicker of surprise flashed in Ancestor Liuyu’s eyes.

To him, someone at peak third stage in body cultivation meant little. But if a fellow Nascent Soul cultivator had such physical strength, it made a big difference.

After all, even with the aid of spells, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator’s body wasn’t guaranteed to be stronger than someone at peak third stage physical refinement.

With that level of physical strength, Wei Tu had clearly patched one of his weaknesses. Against a mid-stage Nascent Soul like himself, it made things far more even.

What’s more, Ancestor Liuyu noticed that Wei Tu’s body wasn’t just peak third stage. It was already approaching the fourth stage—a level far stronger than ordinary third-stage cultivators.

"Daoist Wei, you stopped me so they could escape. But now, you're in trouble."

Ancestor Liuyu gave a casual smile and stopped chasing the two who had already left.

To him, Fu Zhizhou and Qiao Gao were just thorns in Ancestor Ningyan’s side—nothing to do with him.

Wei Tu, on the other hand, was the one he truly cared about.

If he could capture Wei Tu and use him as a resource, his own cultivation would take a huge leap.

After all, a righteous cultivator like Wei Tu—his Nascent Soul and body—was worth several times more than a demonic cultivator of the same level.

"Wei Tu smiled and shook his head. “Hard? That might be what you think, Fellow Daoist Liuyu, but not me!”

As he spoke, he saw that Fu Zhizhou and Qiao Gao had already finished teleporting away. The golden crystal array gate had vanished as well. With nothing left to delay him, he flung his sleeve and darted off.

In an instant, Wei Tu exited the battlefield, retracing the path he came in on.

"Trying to run?" A smirk appeared on Ancestor Liuyu’s face. He pulled out a crimson array disc and activated a few spells.

Beams of red light shot out from the array disc and hit the barrier overhead, instantly sealing the half-human-sized hole Wei Tu had blasted through earlier.

However—

The next moment, something unexpected happened.

Wei Tu didn’t head toward the hole he’d created earlier. Instead, he turned toward a red glowing dot on the other side of the barrier.

The instant he touched it, the red dot turned into a ray of multicolored light and began corroding the newly reinforced barrier with force.

"A fourth-rank anti-barrier artifact?"

Ancestor Liuyu finally lost his cool. The smile vanished from his face, and a wave of spiritual light surged from his body as he transformed into a crimson streak and took off after Wei Tu.

But just after leaving the Hehuan Sect branch and flying no more than a few dozen li, Ancestor Liuyu was suddenly blocked by two giant red beasts with dragon heads and tiger bodies, each over 10 feet tall.

These were clearly the chi dragon beasts summoned by Wei Tu using his Firecloud Shield.

"This kid really has tricks up his sleeve."

"That little red bowl must be the artifact used to summon those beasts. Judging by its aura, it’s probably a mid-grade fourth-rank artifact."

Instead of being startled, Ancestor Liuyu’s eyes gleamed with greed.

Most Nascent Soul cultivators still used upper-grade third-rank artifacts. Only a few lucky ones had access to fourth-rank tools.

Even he, after cultivating for so many years as a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, only had two low-grade fourth-rank artifacts. No mid-grade ones.

So seeing Wei Tu wielding something like the Firecloud Shield stirred serious desire in his heart.

To him, Wei Tu was like a toddler holding a pile of gold in the middle of a market—easy prey.

Grinning coldly, Ancestor Liuyu raised a hand.

Suddenly, six massive, rotting bone beasts surged out from behind him, each exuding a rank, putrid stench, charging straight at the two chi dragon beasts.

Not long after, the glow around the chi dragon beasts began to dim. Cracks started forming across their illusionary forms.

"Let’s see what other tricks you’ve got left."

Ancestor Liuyu licked his lips, pulled a bone blade from his sleeve, and flew toward Wei Tu, who was still manipulating the beast illusions.

But then—

He suddenly smelled blood.

Wei Tu stood with both fingers forming a spell seal. Behind him, a massive ghostly shadow appeared.

The phantom mimicked Wei Tu’s movements, slowly forming the same seal with eerie precision.

Blood mist seeped from Wei Tu’s body. The ghost behind him faded, turning into a dim black light that mingled with the blood mist.

"No! Blood Escape Technique!"

Only then did Ancestor Liuyu realize what was happening. His face paled in shock.