"Now, it's time to reap the rewards."
Wei Tu's face showed a rare hint of joy.
Si Qing had been the most troublesome opponent he had ever faced in his cultivation journey. Given her identity, the spoils from her death were bound to be abundant.
Wei Tu gestured, and the Wind-Cleaving Eagle swooped down to retrieve all of Si Qing's scattered belongings, carrying them back to his side.
At first glance, Wei Tu's attention was immediately drawn to the black string of bells that Si Qing had wielded earlier. His heart surged with excitement as he wasted no time in refining the remnant magical treasure and securing it on his person.
This battle had proven that without the restrictions on divine sense near the stone hall, Si Qing would have easily pinpointed his location. She had been forced to unleash the black string bells' area-wide attack, exposing herself in the process.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived the full force of that weapon's charged strike.
Even with all his defensive measures, the injuries he had sustained were merely from the aftershock of that attack.
During the fight, the black string bells' charged strike had reached near Core Formation-level power, far surpassing what a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator could normally handle.
"Demonic Buddha Bell..."
After fully refining the black string bells, Wei Tu finally learned its name.
His gaze then shifted toward Si Qing's other possessions.
A blood-red dagger, a scarred tortoise-shell shield, and a pair of pristine, delicate jade-like hands, eerily untouched by decay.
The blood-red dagger had never been used in the fight, meaning it was likely a ranged attack artifact. However, due to the restrictions on divine sense, Si Qing had been unable to properly control her artifacts, leaving it without a chance to shine.
The tortoise-shell shield, on the other hand, was something Wei Tu was already familiar with. This had been Si Qing's main defensive artifact, used to block his frontal assaults.
But the jade-white hands—those were something far more astonishing.
"During the battle, these hands had already suffered minor injuries. Later, they endured the impact of dozens of talismans, yet they remain intact? The Fractured Life Hand technique of the Heavenly Maiden Sect is truly terrifying…"
Wei Tu pressed the severed hands together, studying them with fascination.
They were soft and cold to the touch, but unnervingly resilient. Even when he tried cutting them with an artifact, he could only leave a faint mark on the surface.
After securing the three notable spoils into his storage pouch, Wei Tu's expression darkened slightly as he moved toward the white jade stone gate, searching for more of Si Qing's possessions.
During their battle, the Wind-Cleaving Eagle had successfully stolen Si Qing's storage pouch, yet afterward, Si Qing had nonchalantly retrieved several mid-grade spirit stones from her person.
Even after losing her storage pouch, she remained unfazed—as if she still had another hidden one.
"Where is it?"
Wei Tu scanned the area carefully with divine sense for half an hour but found nothing.
The only traces left were fragments of Si Qing's obliterated body.
After a moment of thought, Wei Tu grew cautious and activated his Geomagnetic Yuan Light, meticulously sweeping every inch of the ground near the white jade stone gate.
However—
To his surprise, his Geomagnetic Yuan Light failed to detect any trace of another storage pouch.
Unwilling to give up, Wei Tu abandoned both divine sense and Geomagnetic Yuan Light, opting to search by hand instead.
Several hours later—
Near the medicinal field, he suddenly stepped on something soft.
The texture was different from the soil.
Lifting his foot, he examined the ground beneath him—nothing. It was just plain dirt.
Wei Tu let out a soft hmm, crouched down, and reached into the earth. Moments later, his fingers grasped something small and smooth.
Pulling it out, he found a transparent, palm-sized cloth pouch.
His eyes narrowed—this was undoubtedly Si Qing's second storage pouch.
Testing it with divine sense and Geomagnetic Yuan Light, Wei Tu found that both simply passed through the cloth pouch as if it didn't exist.
Raising an eyebrow, he untied the drawstring and peeked inside.
Inside were two more storage pouches.
"What kind of material is this? It can block divine sense and can only be detected by touch…"
Wei Tu clicked his tongue in admiration.
This cloth pouch wasn't an artifact, nor was it imbued with any formations—its ability to conceal storage pouches was purely due to the special spirit material it was made from.
With a slight nod, he tied the transparent pouch to his waist.
Regaining his composure, Wei Tu cleaned up the battlefield, retrieving the command token from the white jade stone gate.
He closed the gate, then hid within the medicinal field, beginning his recovery process.
As Wei Tu meditated, he overheard voices outside the stone gate—several Jia Clan cultivators discussing how to open it.
To be safe, he buried himself underground once again, just as he had done before.
Unlike Si Qing, however, these Jia Clan cultivators clearly had no knowledge of the stone hall's mechanisms.
They struggled for days, but the white jade stone gate remained shut.
Seeing this, Wei Tu relaxed and focused on his recovery.
On the fourth day of their fruitless efforts—
Wei Tu's injuries had healed, and his dantian was fully restored.
At last, he had the energy to examine the contents of Si Qing's three storage pouches.
Wei Tu pondered silently.
"Does the storage pouch left behind by Si Qing contain a way to leave this Nanhua Sect's relic site?"
While erasing the lingering traces of Si Qing's spiritual imprint on the storage pouch, he mulled over this crucial thought.
He had no intention of spending the rest of his days trapped in this place.
Si Qing had been at the same cultivation level as him, both at the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Because of that, he didn't have to exert too much effort to break through the spiritual imprint sealing Si Qing's three storage pouches.
The first storage pouch was the one she had originally tied to her waist.
When Wei Tu probed it with his divine sense, he found that aside from some mid-grade spirit stones of decent value, the rest of the items inside were relatively unimportant.
He wasn't disappointed by this discovery.
If he had the ability to hide storage pouches like she did, he wouldn't place his most valuable possessions in the most obvious location either.
And just as he expected—
The two storage pouches found inside the transparent cloth bag were far more valuable.
One of them contained numerous jade boxes filled with spirit herbs.
Wei Tu deduced that these herbs must have been obtained by Si Qing after killing members of the Heshan Huang Clan and robbing them of their treasures.
"The Heshan Huang Clan cultivators never entered the core area, yet they still managed to gather two Foundation Establishment-grade spiritual herbs…" Wei Tu's brows furrowed slightly.
At that moment, he became even more certain that the intelligence Heshan Huang Clan had provided him about the Cloud Ze Secret Realm was incomplete.
Just as he suspected, they had concealed significant details.
"But if Si Qing was a mere external offering like me, how did she know the secret gathering locations of the Huang Clan cultivators? Could it be… that one of them was colluding with her?"
Wei Tu speculated further.
Since the Huang Clan cultivators operated covertly and had avoided the seven publicly marked spirit lands recorded in the jade slip—after all, none of those locations were known to contain Foundation Establishment-grade spiritual herbs—then how could Si Qing have known exactly where to ambush them?
That suggested there was much more to this situation.
"I don't have enough information yet to determine which of the Huang Clan cultivators was a traitor."
Wei Tu shook his head.
Of the four remaining cultivators from the Huang Clan—excluding the three who had already perished, including Huang Caiyu—any one of them could be the mole.
The final storage pouch, however, yielded fewer visible rewards.
It was evident that this was Si Qing's primary personal storage pouch.
Inside, there were several jade slips, some healing pills, a small black bowl with a worn surface, and a set of plain garments, including her undergarments.
Wei Tu ignored the clothing and focused his attention on the jade slips and the black bowl.
Based on the time it had taken for Si Qing to arrive at the herb garden, he surmised that she must have obtained some kind of significant treasure inside the stone hall before making her way here.
However—
To his disappointment, no matter how much he examined the small black bowl, it remained completely inert.
It appeared no different from an ordinary object, and had it not been for its incredible durability, he would have dismissed it as nothing more than a mundane artifact.
Wei Tu sighed and returned the bowl to the storage pouch before shifting his focus to the remaining jade slips.
Among them, one detailed intelligence collected by the Heshan Huang Clan regarding the Cloud Ze Secret Realm.
Unlike the information Wei Tu had received earlier, this jade slip recorded nine known spiritual sites—two more than the seven he had been previously informed about.
Notably, the two additional sites contained the exact types of Foundation Establishment-grade spiritual herbs Si Qing had possessed.
The other jade slips contained various demonic cultivation techniques from the Heavenly Maiden Sect.
However, none of them included the sect's core cultivation method; rather, they were supplementary demonic arts and abilities.
After skimming through them, Wei Tu finally focused on the last jade slip.
This was the one he had been waiting for—the one that contained records of the Nanhua Sect relic site.
The information was written from the perspective of someone in a position of power.
According to its contents—
The Cloud Ze Secret Realm was once a medicinal garden of the Nanhua Sect.
It was highly probable that the sect's sacred treasure, the Heaven-Mending Bowl, had been left behind within it.
Thus, Si Qing had been assigned the task of infiltrating the Heshan Huang Clan in order to gain entry into the secret realm and locate this artifact.
At the end of the jade slip, there was a rough map of the Nanhua Sect relic site.
"The Heaven-Mending Bowl?" Wei Tu's eyes narrowed, and he immediately recalled the small black bowl he had just set aside.
"Unfortunately, this jade slip doesn't explain how to use the Heaven-Mending Bowl."
Wei Tu sighed inwardly.
Right now, he was in possession of an incredibly rare treasure, but he had no idea how to utilize it—much like a wealthy noble in a famine, who, despite their riches, couldn't buy a single grain of rice.
"For now, I should focus on finding a way out of this relic site."
Wei Tu steadied his thoughts and continued analyzing the map recorded on the jade slip.
After half an incense stick's time, he finally found a marked location within the stone hall that likely housed a teleportation array leading out of the relic site.
After all, Si Qing had only repaired an existing formation to teleport inside—this meant there was a high probability that an exit formation existed elsewhere within the ruins.
Having confirmed his theory, Wei Tu's gaze turned toward the white jade stone gate.
He was currently in the herb garden behind the stone hall.
If he wanted to reach the teleportation formation, he would have to open the stone gate once more.
But just a few days ago, members of the Chisong Jia Clan had arrived outside.
Wei Tu wasn't entirely certain whether they had left yet.
"Wait."
"Zhao Qingluo, Qin Zhenren, and Kou Hongying will eventually break free. Once they encounter the Jia Clan cultivators, a battle will be inevitable. After the fight is over, I'll make my move."
"There are still two years before the Cloud Ze Secret Realm's passage reopens. The teleportation formation is likely hidden within a secret area of the stone hall… and from what I've observed, the locking mechanism on its entrance is the same as this white jade stone gate."
"If they don't have the necessary token, they won't be able to open it easily."
Wei Tu pondered deeply and made his decision.
He chose not to take any unnecessary risks and instead remained hidden in the herb garden, waiting for the right moment.
Although killing Si Qing had yielded significant rewards, it had also depleted most of his trump cards.
The three Ice Jiao Swords he had prepared for the secret realm expedition were now reduced to just one.
All the talismans he carried had been used up in the battle against Si Qing, leaving him with only two defensive talismans.
His Geomagnetic Yuan Light had also been drained by 70%, leaving only 30% of its power.
In his current state, he had no confidence in dealing with the late Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Jia Clan.
From what he had observed, both Gu Xuan and Zhao Pengzong carried powerful talisman treasures.
It was reasonable to assume that the Jia Clan cultivators also had such treasures in their possession.
If Wei Tu lacked favorable terrain, fighting them now would be no different from Gu Xuan easily slaughtering Zheng Xian—it wouldn't take much effort at all.
Thus, considering all these factors—
Remaining hidden in the herb garden and waiting for the Zhao Clan cultivators, Qin Zhenren, and Kou Hongying to clash with the Jia Clan was the safest option.
As for Kou Hongying's safety, there was little he could do at this point.
If he had the power, he would certainly help.
But since he didn't, his top priority was to ensure his own survival.
Before entering the Cloud Ze Secret Realm, all cultivators—whether from the Three Great Immortal Sects or the Golden Core Clans—had already accepted the possibility of perishing in this place.
Kou Hongying was no exception.
With his decision made—
Wei Tu cast an earth-element spell, forming a stone table.
He then retrieved a talisman brush and spiritual ink from his storage pouch, preparing to craft new second-tier talismans to deal with future dangers in the stone hall.
Time passed slowly.
One month.
Two months.
After the third month, the sounds of battle echoed from within the stone hall.
However, it seemed to be a small skirmish, as Wei Tu didn't hear any mention of Qin Zhenren or Kou Hongying among the voices.
One year later—
The intensity of the battles increased.
Wei Tu speculated that two opposing factions had finally converged, leading to a full-scale conflict.
Another half a year passed.
Having waited patiently in the herb garden, Wei Tu finally decided to follow through with his year-and-a-half-old plan—
He would reopen the White Jade Stone Gate and re-enter the stone hall.
Taking precautions—
He activated a protective qi shield, summoned the Tortoise Shell Shield, and adhered several defensive talismans onto his body.
Only then did he carefully activate the Yuan Gravity Law Seal to slowly open the White Jade Stone Gate.
Crack… crack…
The sound of ancient mechanisms shifting echoed.
A moment later—
The White Jade Stone Gate opened.
"No one's here."
Wei Tu exhaled in relief.
After commanding Wind-Cleaving Eagle to take the lead, he cautiously stepped forward.
"There was a chaotic battle… I can still sense the fresh blood of the Zhao Clan cultivators."
Wei Tu twitched his nose, sniffing the lingering scent of blood in the air as he proceeded according to the map's guidance.
Along the way—
He noticed dark red bloodstains on the stone corridor and the rotting remains of several corpses.
"Zhao Shuyuan and two unknown cultivators… It seems that only two Jia Clan cultivators are left."
Wei Tu's eyes gleamed as he analyzed the situation.
From what he knew—
Only six Jia Clan cultivators had entered the Cloud Ze Secret Realm.
Two of their juniors had already perished at the altar, leaving four remaining Jia Clan cultivators.
Now, judging by the scent of two unknown corpses, it was clear that these were Jia Clan members.
Seeing this—
Wei Tu relaxed slightly.
Halfway through his journey—
A sudden clamor erupted from the distance.
The sound of magical artifacts clashing and the roars of cultivators battling filled the air.
Sticking close to the corridor walls, Wei Tu peered ahead to observe the battlefield.
And what he saw was—
Qin Zhenren, his disciple, and three Zhao Clan cultivators had completely surrounded the last two remaining Jia Clan cultivators.
The Jia Clan cultivators, wielding defensive artifacts, struggled bitterly to hold their ground.
It was clear they were on the verge of collapse.
Although Wei Tu had not predicted this exact scenario, upon careful thought, it actually made perfect sense.
The Jia Clan cultivators, like Si Qing, had no idea that their opponents had also been teleported into the stone hall.
This gave the Zhao Clan the element of surprise.
Moreover—
From a numerical standpoint, the Jia Clan had only four members in the stone hall.
Meanwhile, the Zhao Clan alone had as many people as the Jia Clan did—not to mention the addition of Qin Zhenren and his disciple.
A six-versus-four scenario—
For the Jia Clan not to suffer casualties would have been highly unusual.
"Qin Zhenren! Mirror Water Pavilion has no affiliation with the Zhao Clan. Why must you help them fight against us?"
"If you're willing to switch sides… I, Jia Mou, swear that once we leave the Cloud Ze Secret Realm, the Jia Clan will gift you a Mortal Shedding Pill to ensure your breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm!"
After a brief stalemate, the darker-skinned Jia Clan cultivator suddenly turned to Qin Zhenren and made this tempting offer.
The moment Mortal Shedding Pill was mentioned—
All the Foundation Establishment cultivators present visibly wavered, their eyes flickering with undeniable desire.
While the Three Great Immortal Sects allowed cultivators to exchange Foundation Establishment-grade spiritual herbs for Mortal Shedding Pills, the required price was five Foundation Establishment-grade herbs—far more than the two herbs required for Foundation Establishment Pills.
Even though they had collected some of these herbs in the Cloud Ze Secret Realm, most of them belonged to the group collectively rather than to any single individual.
If the Jia Clan's offer was genuine—
And they truly gifted Qin Zhenren a Mortal Shedding Pill—
Then for him, this was undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Wei Tu remained still, quietly observing the battlefield.
None of the cultivators present fully believed the Jia Clan cultivator's words. It was clear to all that this was nothing more than desperate flattery—a final attempt to sway Qin Zhenren.
However—
Even if no one truly believed him, the Jia Clan cultivator's words still had an effect.
Though the Zhao Clan cultivators did not voice their doubts, their eyes revealed a subtle wariness toward Qin Zhenren and her disciple.
At this moment—
The remaining Zhao Clan cultivators were all wounded.
Among them, Zhao Pengzong, the last Foundation Establishment expert from their side, had even lost an arm. His face was pale, and his breathing was labored.
In contrast—
Qin Zhenren and Kou Hongying were relatively unharmed.
Although both of them bore injuries, they were far less severe than those of the Zhao Clan cultivators.
It was immediately obvious—
Qin Zhenren was in a much better state than Zhao Pengzong.
If, at this moment—
The battle ended with the Jia Clan cultivators slain, Qin Zhenren might very well turn against the weakened Zhao Clan cultivators, tempted by the Mortal Shedding Pill.
This scenario was not entirely impossible.
Wei Tu made no move.
He simply continued to observe the battlefield, carefully analyzing the unfolding situation.
For half a day, the two sides remained in a tense standoff.
And then—
The situation suddenly changed again.
The black-faced Jia Clan cultivator, having recovered some of his spiritual power, suddenly summoned a golden bell talisman treasure and hurled it at full force toward Zhao Pengqi.
The golden bell shimmered brilliantly.
In an instant, it expanded to the size of a small house, crashing down toward the Zhao Clan cultivators.
Yet just as Zhao Pengqi was about to counter it—
The golden bell suddenly shifted.
Instead of targeting Zhao Pengqi, it veered sideways, smashing toward another mid-Foundation Establishment Zhao Clan cultivator standing beside Zhao Qingluo.
Under the overwhelming power of the talisman treasure, the mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator barely lasted a moment—
Before he was crushed into pulp beneath the golden bell.
Having executed this brutal strike, the Jia Clan cultivator immediately turned his attention to Zhao Qingluo—the next target.
Watching from a distance—
Wei Tu instantly understood their plan.
The Jia Clan cultivators had deliberately sown mistrust between Qin Zhenren and the Zhao Clan.
Now, they were using decisive attacks to further weaken the Zhao Clan's strength—forcing a deeper divide between them and Qin Zhenren.
It was a bold and open strategy—one that even if seen through, was difficult to counter.
If the Zhao Clan weakened further, they would become hesitant to attack the Jia Clan cultivators—fearing that Qin Zhenren might betray them once their common enemy was gone.
Clang!
Realizing the danger—
Zhao Pengqi acted immediately, summoning his dual-ring magical artifact to collide forcefully with the golden bell, preventing it from slamming down on Zhao Qingluo.
At the same time—
A blue light shimmered around Zhao Qingluo.
Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be her spiritual bracelet, activating a protective barrier.
The golden bell pressed down against the barrier, pushing it several feet downward—nearly crushing Zhao Qingluo's head.
However—
Before the golden bell could exert its full force, it stopped abruptly.
Or rather—
The black-faced Jia Clan cultivator chose not to expend all of its power on Zhao Qingluo.
With a simple hand gesture, he recalled the golden bell, turning it back into a talisman, which floated neatly into his palm.
"Heh… Heh… Heh…"
The black-faced Jia Clan cultivator let out a sinister laugh.
"Zhao Pengqi—You may stop me for now, but can you stop me forever?"
"Even if we die today, we will drag your Zhao Clan down with us!"
"You have two choices—either let us leave or continue fighting to the death. It's up to you."
His words fell like a stone in the water, sending ripples across the battlefield.
At once—
Zhao Pengqi's expression darkened.
With his strength combined with Qin Zhenren's, it wouldn't be difficult to kill the two Jia Clan cultivators.
The problem was—
The Jia Clan cultivators had shifted all of their hatred onto the Zhao Clan.
Even if they died, the Zhao Clan would have suffered severe losses.
And the worst part?
Qin Zhenren and Kou Hongying would reap all the benefits—standing over the corpses of the Zhao Clan cultivators.
This was an unacceptable outcome.
However—
Just as Zhao Pengqi was still weighing his options—
The Jia Clan cultivators suddenly changed their aura.
Their faces turned red as blood, their eyes gleamed with an eerie glow.
At the same time—
The golden bell talisman, which had just turned back into a talisman, was activated once more.
Only this time—
Its size was even larger than before.
With explosive power, it shoved back Zhao Pengqi's dual-ring artifact, as well as Qin Zhenren's Azure Hook Chain.
"No… This is bad!"
Zhao Pengqi's expression shifted drastically.
"They're using demonic cultivation's Blood Ignition Technique!"
He was utterly shocked.
In over a hundred years of warfare between the Zhao and Jia Clans—
He had never seen a Jia Clan cultivator use this kind of demonic technique.
The Blood Ignition Technique was a notorious demonic art, capable of multiplying one's strength by several times in a short period.
The cost?
The practitioner's lifespan and vitality would be burned away at an accelerated rate.
More than 50% of practitioners who used this technique died instantly once its effects wore off.
Aside from these deadly risks—
The Blood Ignition Technique also had a fatal flaw—
It required a lengthy preparation time, typically taking two to three hours to fully activate.
Zhao Pengqi clenched his fists in frustration.
He had completely misread the Jia Clan cultivators' intentions.
They hadn't been trying to provoke conflict between him and Qin Zhenren.
Instead—
They had deliberately stalled for time to fully activate the Blood Ignition Technique!
Even Wei Tu, watching from the sidelines, was caught off guard.
He had expected a cunning scheme, but not this level of desperation.
"I must never underestimate any cultivator again."
Wei Tu made a mental note to remain vigilant in the future.
Meanwhile—
The battlefield erupted into chaos.
Under the effects of the Blood Ignition Technique, the Jia Clan cultivators were now overpowering Zhao Pengqi and Qin Zhenren.
At this moment—
Qin Zhenren's eyes flickered with calculation.
Realizing that the Jia Clan cultivators had no intention of targeting her, she made a split-second decision.
Without hesitation—
She activated her light movement technique, turning into a streak of light and retreating from the battlefield.
Kou Hongying followed closely behind.
The two of them vanished into the corridors of the stone hall—leaving the Zhao Clan cultivators to fend for themselves.
Wei Tu remained silent, watching as the battlefield became a scene of utter carnage.
Before long, Zhao Pengqi was left alone to bear the wrath of the enraged Jia Clan cultivators.
"Qingluo, your uncle will hold them off. Run, don't look back! When their Blood Ignition Technique fades, come back and avenge me!"
Zhao Pengqi spat out blood as he staggered forward, shielding Zhao Qingluo from the pressure of another Jia Clan cultivator's attacks.
"Uncle!" Zhao Qingluo's eyes filled with tears.
She hesitated for just a moment, then clenched her teeth and fled into the corridor on the opposite side—
Coincidentally, the same direction where Wei Tu was hiding.
Wei Tu's mind went blank for a second when he saw Zhao Qingluo rushing toward him.
Without wasting a moment, he hurled several second-rank talismans onto the passageway, creating a defensive barrier to slow down the Jia Clan cultivators.
"Wei Tu?"
Zhao Qingluo instinctively halted when she saw the array of talismans ahead.
Just as she was about to avoid them, her eyes caught sight of Wei Tu hiding nearby.
She hesitated for a brief moment—her movement flickering in hesitation.
"Don't stand there. Follow me!"
Wei Tu didn't waste time explaining.
Out of their years of friendship, he called out to her, then turned and dashed toward the medicine field.
The two of them moved swiftly.
Their light-enhanced steps carried them through the stone corridors.
Only four or five breaths later—
The two Jia Clan cultivators, having finished off Zhao Pengqi, began pursuing Zhao Qingluo.
At that moment—
Wei Tu's trapped talismans exploded, delaying the pursuers for a few seconds.
A moment later—
Wei Tu reached the medicine field.
As soon as Zhao Qingluo dashed past the White Jade Stone Gate, he activated his Yuan Gravity Law Seal, slamming the gate shut behind them.
They made it just in time.
By the time the Jia Clan cultivators arrived—
The White Jade Stone Gate was already sealed.
BOOM! BOOM!
A series of violent impacts echoed through the stone hall.
From the other side of the gate, the furious voices of the Jia Clan cultivators rang out, filled with rage and frustration.
Yet—
Their attacks were useless against the White Jade Stone Gate.
"The Blood Ignition Technique only lasts for fifteen minutes."
"They wasted their final moments chasing Zhao Qingluo here… That should have given Kou Hongying enough time to escape."
Now that they were safe, Wei Tu realized this and let go of his concerns about Kou Hongying.
"Wei Daoist, are we safe?"
Zhao Qingluo, still panting from exhaustion, wiped away the lingering tears in her eyes and turned to Wei Tu.
"We should be."
Wei Tu didn't give a definitive answer.
After all, in the world of cultivation, anything was possible.
Who knew if the Jia Clan cultivators would find a way to force open the White Jade Stone Gate before their technique expired?
"Then that means we are safe."
Zhao Qingluo studied Wei Tu's expression and made her own judgment.
Having known Wei Tu for decades, she understood his nature well—he was not the type to boast or exaggerate.
A moment later—
The booming attacks outside the White Jade Stone Gate gradually subsided.
At the same time—
Zhao Qingluo slowly regained her composure.
She wiped her tears, turned to Wei Tu, and looked at him with serious eyes.
"I have some questions for you, Wei Daoist. Will you answer them?"
"What questions?"
Wei Tu's brows arched slightly.
He immediately understood what this was about—
Zhao Qingluo had pieced together the truth from years ago.
Sure enough—
Her gaze turned sharp as she slowly spoke:
"Seventy years ago, I was saved by a Foundation Establishment senior."
"This senior left a message on the stone wall, saying—'I saved your life, and in exchange, I took one Foundation Establishment Pill. We are now even.'"
"Afterward, I searched the surrounding Foundation Establishment families, but I never found anyone who fit the description of that cultivator."
"But two years ago—when I saw your Wind-Cleaving Eagle…"
"I began to suspect the truth."
Zhao Qingluo locked eyes with Wei Tu, her expression complicated.
If they had been nothing but strangers, she wouldn't have brought up the matter.
She would have simply buried it as a past event.
But the problem was—
Wei Tu was a longtime acquaintance.
And the truth from seventy years ago was something that she couldn't ignore.
Her most humiliating moment had been witnessed by someone she knew.
"So, Zhao Daoist, how do you plan to handle this?"
Wei Tu's expression remained calm as he met her gaze head-on.
He continued in a flat tone:
"Are you planning to offer yourself in gratitude?"
"Or do you have some other form of repayment in mind?"
"After all—that Foundation Establishment cultivator already took a Foundation Establishment Pill as payment. The debt has already been settled."
The moment Wei Tu said "offer yourself"—
Zhao Qingluo's face turned red.
She had indeed developed feelings for Wei Tu after he saved her twice.
However—
After hearing Wei Tu's words, her blush paled slightly.
His tone was indifferent.
It was clear rejection.
A rejection that cut away all possibilities of deepening their relationship.
A woman of her beauty and talent could stir the hearts of many cultivators.
Even the coldest cultivators would be tempted by the idea of romance and companionship.
But Wei Tu?
He saw Zhao Qingluo's affection as a dangerous trap—
A deadly poison.
He had no intention of entangling himself with the deadly power struggles between the Zhao and Jia Clans.
At best—
His alliance with the Zhao Clan was a temporary cooperation.
It was never meant to be a permanent allegiance.