Under her divine sense, Bai Zhi could clearly see that the Wind Cleaving Eagle's demon core was protected by a black demonic light released from the pitch-black finger bone.
With that light shielding it, the Wind Cleaving Eagle's demon core wasn't affected by the secret realm's restrictions at all. But maybe because of this protection, the Wind Cleaving Eagle had fallen into a deep sleep and still hadn't woken up.
"This pitch-black finger bone, according to what Fellow Daoist Wei said, was found inside the storage pouch of a Qingzhu Mountain disciple when he explored the Cloud Ze Secret Realm…" Bai Zhi muttered thoughtfully.
At first, like Wei Tu, she had simply assumed this finger bone was a demonic bone slip used to carry the Profound Nether Yin Fire technique.
But now, seeing the black light it emitted—light strong enough to resist the realm's restrictions—she no longer thought it was that simple.
After all, no matter how powerful a demonic giant had been in life, once they died and lost all spiritual essence, their remains were basically no different from ordinary matter. She had never seen a demonic bone slip that continued to grow over time.
Yes, Bai Zhi had also noticed that the pitch-black finger bone inside the Wind Cleaving Eagle had grown longer compared to when she first saw it. It had changed from just a segment of finger bone to nearly a complete finger.
"Besides, the black light it's releasing is still getting stronger. Is there something in the Cloud Ze Secret Realm that's providing it with energy?"
Bai Zhi furrowed her brows. She cast a spell to extract a portion of the black light from the Wind Cleaving Eagle's body, then used a sensing technique to search around the stone hall for anything with the same aura.
Now, Bai Zhi couldn't help but suspect—maybe it wasn't a coincidence that she and the Wind Cleaving Eagle were transmitted directly into this stone hall when they entered through the spatial formation. After all, the spatial barrier here was much thicker than at the realm's outer edge.
"Found it!" A moment later, she locked onto a direction by following the aura and flew toward it at high speed.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Ni Meixian, carrying a "secret treasure," had led a few Ni family cultivators to a spiritual area on the outskirts of the Cloud Ze Secret Realm called Redleaf Ravine.
"Fourth Sister, Third Brother, hurry up and finish repairing the teleportation array. Don't waste time. If I delay in finding treasures for Senior Fu, it won't end well…"
Floating in midair, Ni Meixian glanced coldly at the fellow clan members surrounding her, looking quite authoritative.
A few days ago, while talking with Wei Tu, she had "accidentally" brought up the fact that the Cloud Ze Secret Realm still held an ancient stone hall medicine garden left behind by the Southern Nanhua Sect.
As she expected, Wei Tu was instantly intrigued and questioned her in detail about the site.
Seizing the opportunity, she, as a Nascent Soul concubine, confidently took on the task of helping Wei Tu explore the secrets of the stone hall's medicine garden.
Of course, as a direct descendant of the Ni family, Ni Meixian knew that the garden had already been thoroughly looted by previous visitors. There was almost nothing left in it.
If that weren't the case, the Heavenly Maiden Sect wouldn't have handed control of the garden over to the Ni family and a few other clans.
Still, Ni Meixian's real plan wasn't to gather treasure for Wei Tu but to use this task to show her obedience and earn his favor.
In other words, this was her attempt to flatter the Nascent Soul elder.
But while she was full of anticipation, the others weren't so pleased.
Unlike Ni Meixian's daydreams and scheming, the other Ni clan cultivators looked annoyed at her arrogant commands. Some even secretly mocked her behind her back.
"Second Sister's totally changed since gaining Senior Fu's attention. She's acting way too bossy."
"Who knows how low she stooped to please him…"
Ni Bingyan was bitter and quietly criticized her.
In her mind, she was already picturing Ni Meixian flaunting herself shamelessly before Wei Tu, putting on a cheap display to curry favor.
…
Above the Cloud Ze Secret Realm, Wei Tu sat high in the clouds, unaware of Bai Zhi's current trouble or the finger bone's mutation. He was taking this moment of peace to stabilize his Nascent Soul cultivation.
Back in the Great Void Realm, after breaking through, he hadn't stayed long—just five days—before leaving in a hurry. That short span wasn't nearly enough to solidify his new realm.
Fortunately, from Tonghu Mountain to here, he hadn't encountered any crises or major battles. Otherwise, though he wouldn't have lost his breakthrough, it would've still affected his future cultivation.
Time passed quickly.
In a flash, one year had gone by.
This day, while cultivating with a spirit stone in hand, Wei Tu finally opened his eyes. His aura had completely stabilized.
"Though I used up all my top-grade spirit stones this year, being able to completely solidify my realm during this time is still a great outcome."
Wei Tu let out a soft sigh.
Over this year of cultivation, he found that only top-grade spirit stones were still useful to his realm. The spiritual energy from ordinary stones was so impure it wasn't even as good as the waste gas he exhaled during breathing.
Now, Wei Tu finally understood why Divine Transformation Venerables were so rare in the Dacang cultivation world.
It was simple—the resources here couldn't even satisfy most Nascent Soul cultivators, let alone those trying to advance another level.
"No wonder most Nascent Soul cultivators here are stuck in the early or mid-stage."
At that moment, Wei Tu suddenly thought of Lady Lan's Dao companion—"Master Jiuli."
Even though he was only in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he was still treated as an honored guest by major powers. Even the five demonic sects had to show him respect.
That alone said a lot. Cultivators who had reached the late-stage Nascent Soul realm were rare across the entire Dacang cultivation world.
"Right now, my strength is practically the weakest tier of the Nascent Soul realm. Since it's hard to advance through qi cultivation alone… focusing on body cultivation first is clearly the smarter path."
Wei Tu thought silently.
Once he completed dual cultivation of both body and qi at the Nascent Soul level, he could possibly jump straight to the top tier among early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.
Then, when it came to fighting for cultivation resources at this realm, things would get much easier.
"By now, Bai Zhi should've sensed Ni Meixian's presence. The question is… does she have the skill to set up a reverse teleportation array to get out of the Cloud Ze Secret Realm?" Wei Tu made some mental calculations and wondered.
Unlike Master Jiuli, he hadn't planted any clone techniques on Bai Zhi. All he'd done was embed a strand of his own power into Ni Meixian.
That strand could resonate with the soul contract on Bai Zhi. In other words, as long as Ni Meixian entered the secret realm, Bai Zhi and the Wind Cleaving Eagle inside would likely be able to sense it.
Just to be safe, Wei Tu had also guided Ni Meixian with spiritual influence, making her "willingly" agree to go into the stone hall medicine garden and help him search for treasure.
The stone hall medicine garden and the inner and outer zones of the Cloud Ze Secret Realm belonged to different spatial layers.
"But it doesn't matter. Waiting another two years here isn't a big deal."
Wei Tu shook his head.
The Cloud Ze Secret Realm could only be opened once every three years.
If Bai Zhi couldn't set up a reverse teleportation array, then just leaving the secret realm alongside Ni Meixian's group would be another solution.
Having sorted out his thoughts, Wei Tu returned to his cultivation.
But this time, he wasn't stabilizing his realm. He began cultivating the high-grade secret technique Golden Toad Qi.
Only after reaching the Nascent Soul stage did Wei Tu truly realize how precious Golden Toad Qi was—a method that absorbed solar essence instead of spiritual energy.
Compared to the impurities in spiritual energy, solar essence was absolutely pure.
In other words, by breathing in solar essence through this method, it was basically like absorbing the power of a top-grade spirit stone directly from the air.
However, due to the limitations of his Dao body, he could only absorb a small amount each day.
Roughly every twenty days, the amount of solar essence he could absorb equaled a single top-grade spirit stone.
Still, that was enough to keep Wei Tu excited.
Thanks to his "Late Bloomer" destiny, his Dao body had been reshaped by destiny power. Sooner or later, his ability to absorb solar essence would rival the origin of this technique—the ancient true spirit "Heavenly Firmament Golden Toad."
So in the months that followed, Wei Tu kept watch on spatial fluctuations near the Cloud Ze Secret Realm while continuing to refine his mastery of Golden Toad Qi.
But a few months later, Ni Shihuang's arrival forced him to interrupt his cultivation.
"Senior Fu, why didn't you notify us before arriving at our clan?"
Ni Shihuang flew up through the clouds, bowed with clasped hands, brushed her hair back, and gave Wei Tu a teasing look.
The Ni clan ancestor accompanying her was a bit surprised to see his normally proud and aloof "Phoenix Girl" acting so sweet and bashful.
After all, she had never shown this kind of behavior even in front of her pursuer, the Blood God Son.
But after thinking it over, he found her attitude quite reasonable.
Because the man before them was no ordinary person—he was a newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator.
Even though new Nascent Soul cultivators might not be as strong as veterans, they were still extremely valuable to Golden Core cultivators like them.
Why? Because newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivators usually lived far longer than their older counterparts.
"Still… I'm not sure whether I should say this. Meixian is already this Senior Fu's concubine..."
The Ni clan ancestor sighed inwardly with some regret.
It wasn't hard for him to see that Ni Shihuang was now showing signs of affection toward Senior Fu.
Though that feeling might not be strong yet, it clearly existed.
After all, having a Nascent Soul Dao companion could save her hundreds of years of cultivation setbacks.
But if she acted on it now, it would inevitably seem like she was competing with her own sister, Ni Meixian, for favor.
"Well, so be it. Let them compete. Meixian has no chance of becoming Senior Fu's Dao companion—at best, she's just a concubine. But Shihuang… she has the talent and status to become his true Dao partner."
The Ni clan ancestor thought to himself.
…
Wei Tu had already expected Ni Shihuang to show up.
His Nascent Soul divine sense had been covering all the cultivators of these major clans for some time.
In fact, he had seen the talisman message the Ni clan ancestor sent to Ni Shihuang a year ago.
So he already had a response prepared.
"Mm… I left the Great Void Realm earlier to take care of something important. After finishing that task, I happened to run into your clan on the Southern Desolate Plain. Remembering your earlier invitation, I decided to stay a while…"
As he spoke, Wei Tu looked at Ni Shihuang with just the right hint of desire in his gaze.
And when he saw she didn't seem to mind, he let his gaze roam even more boldly.
This behavior perfectly fit his current persona—"Fu Dalu," the lustful man who had taken Ni Meixian as a concubine—and conveniently explained why he was here.
When Ni Shihuang saw his openly suggestive look, she was inwardly annoyed. After all her years of cultivation, no man had dared look at her that way.
But then she thought about it more—her beauty had been acknowledged by this powerful Nascent Soul elder—and a faint sense of satisfaction crept into her heart.
"So that's the reason."
Ni Shihuang acted like she understood and nodded slowly, seemingly accepting Wei Tu's explanation.
"This place is too plain. It's hard for me to properly host Senior Fu here. Why don't you come with me to Yunhe Mountain? Once we're there, I'll host a welcoming banquet to wash away the dust and celebrate your successful Nascent Soul formation."
She smiled gently and offered a reasonable suggestion.
"Exactly! Exactly! This place really isn't suited to receive a senior like you."
The Ni clan ancestor immediately agreed. He wasn't actually worried about hospitality, but about something else entirely—if Ni Meixian came out of the Cloud Ze Secret Realm and ruined Ni Shihuang's chances, it would spell trouble for the entire Heshan Ni family.
"Let's talk about going to Yunhe Mountain after Meixian comes out. She's my concubine now—I can't just leave without her."
Wei Tu used Ni Meixian as an excuse and declined politely.
"What? Concubine?"
Ni Shihuang's face changed instantly, clearly stunned.
Back when she first met Wei Tu in the Great Void Realm, she had indeed considered introducing Ni Meixian and Ni Bingyan to him—both were her younger sisters—and hoped they might become his concubines.
But she never imagined he'd really go through with it, and so quickly.
If Wei Tu were still in the Golden Core stage, it wouldn't matter much. She'd just see it as a new connection. But the issue was—he was now a Nascent Soul ancestor.
"Second Sister acted way too fast."
Ni Shihuang shook her head with a soft sigh.
Now that Ni Meixian had already become Wei Tu's concubine, she had no intention of stooping to share a man with her.
After all, she was a proud genius of the Heavenly Maiden Sect, with real potential to reach Nascent Soul herself.
"In that case, I'll just wait here with Senior Fu for my sister to return."
Her expression cooled as she took a deliberate step back, keeping some distance from Wei Tu.
Wei Tu didn't care at all. He had no interest in chatting with someone who had once tried to kill him.
But of course, the emperor wasn't in a rush—the eunuch was.
Seeing the atmosphere turn cold, the Ni clan ancestor grew increasingly anxious.
He knew all too well the difference between a Nascent Soul Dao companion and a Nascent Soul concubine.
If Ni Shihuang became Wei Tu's Dao partner, the Heshan Ni family could truly rely on him. They'd all benefit—when one person rose, the entire clan would be lifted.
But if it was only Meixian… then it was just her. The clan wouldn't gain much at all.
Even so, the Ni clan ancestor didn't dare push either Wei Tu or Ni Shihuang too hard. After thinking for a while, he simply kept his mouth shut.
…
Time passed quickly.
In a blink, another two years had gone by. The Cloud Ze Secret Realm opened again.
With the Ni clan ancestor and others casting spells, the spatial portal was once more forced open.
"There it is—Bai Zhi's aura!"
The moment the gate opened, Wei Tu instantly sensed Bai Zhi's presence.
Golden light flashed in his eyes as he used Golden Sun Gaze to peer deep into the realm.
There, amid a crowd of cultivators, Ni Meixian stood surrounded by her clan members. Compared to when she entered, she now wore several more storage pouches.
Among them, a green array disk tied to her waist stood out clearly.
"That's it! Bai Zhi's inside the array disk."
Wei Tu let out a breath of relief.
Before Ni Meixian entered the secret realm, he had lent her the green array disk where Bai Zhi had been residing. She used it as a hidden treasure against other cultivators.
It looked like a formation tool, but it was actually a soul-path artifact—very useful in battle.
But this time, its biggest use wasn't in fighting. It was to let Bai Zhi reside inside and safely leave the realm along with Ni Meixian.
The next moment—
As soon as the spatial channel fully stabilized, Wei Tu moved. He flew down from the clouds to the portal and, under the gaze of the surrounding elders, swept his sleeve and pulled Ni Meixian straight to his side.
"Meixian is my concubine. I hope none of you interfere with what she gained in the secret realm."
Hovering above, Wei Tu looked down at the Ni clan ancestor and the others, his voice direct and overbearing.
Even with his skills, he couldn't guarantee Bai Zhi's aura wouldn't leak out in front of people like Ni Shihuang. So he had no choice but to go with this blunt approach—snatch Meixian the moment the gate opened, before anyone could notice the green disk at her waist.
Of course—
This kind of move fit perfectly with how high-level demonic cultivators normally acted. There was nothing inappropriate about it.
After all, a demonic cultivator who wasn't domineering wouldn't be considered truly demonic.
"This is an honor! We wouldn't dare interfere."
The Ni clan ancestor and the others responded with smiling faces, nodding quickly.
They had expected this outcome long before Meixian entered the realm.
Now that Wei Tu had "taken" her, it was within their acceptable range.
In fact, the Ni clan ancestor was telling the truth. They were more than happy with this result.
After all, the resources spent inside the Cloud Ze Secret Realm had gone into Meixian, not Wei Tu directly. And Meixian reaching the Golden Core stage was a win for all the clans involved.
…
Seeing that no one objected, Wei Tu gave a small nod. He turned into a streak of light and brought Ni Meixian to the outer edge of a mountain valley. With a flick of his hand, he cast a fog spell to block off any noise or sight from within.
"Congratulations, Senior Fu. I've successfully captured a phoenix essence spirit inside the stone hall."
Ni Meixian dropped to one knee, offering the green array disk with both hands as she tried to earn some praise.