Now, there were still about three to four days left until Wei Tu's breakthrough, as predicted by the Heavenly Corpse Old Demon.
Facing off against Hu Shan, Gui Luo the Demon Lord, and others, it was clear that the Heavenly Corpse Old Demon did not have the strength to intervene. Even if he tried, he would not be able to hold them off for another three to four days.
"He's still alive?" On the other side, standing next to Hu Shan, Qi Chengchu's eyes showed some surprise upon seeing Heavenly Corpse Old Demon.
After the battle with Wei Tu and Heavenly Corpse Old Demon, Qi Chengchu had assumed Wei Tu faked his death to escape. He didn't expect that Heavenly Corpse Old Demon also used corpse-changing secret arts to fake his death in front of him, not truly perishing.
"This is good news!" Qi Chengchu felt happy inside. With Heavenly Corpse Old Demon on their side, he felt more confident in escaping and obtaining the opportunities in the Great Void Realm.
At the same time, Heavenly Corpse Old Demon's gaze shifted toward Hu Shan, Qi Chengchu, and the others, as he noticed Che Gongwei and Su Bing'er standing behind Qi Chengchu.
Although Heavenly Corpse Old Demon didn't recognize Su Bing'er, the black hat and gown she wore were exactly like those of the female cultivator he remembered from his past trips to the Great Void Realm with Wei Tu.
However, unlike the previous female cultivator, this 'Su Bing'er' had a much more lively expression, showing vitality. She no longer resembled the zombie-like figure she had been before.
As for Che Gongwei, Heavenly Corpse Old Demon knew him well. How could he not recognize the nominal master of Wei Tu?
Looking at this strange sight, Heavenly Corpse Old Demon quickly realized that during the ten or so days that he and Wei Tu had hidden in the cave, their once-enemies, Hu Shan and Qi Chengchu, seemed to have "changed."
It was similar to what happened half a year ago under the Zhen Wu Immortal City, where Hu Shan and Qi Chengchu, who had been hunting Wei Tu, had formed a partnership with him due to the pressure from the She Ri Tribe and Feng Wu Tribe, turning their former enemy relationship into a cooperative one.
Times had changed!
With Gui Luo the Demon Lord's involvement, the enmity between him and Wei Tu and Hu Shan had shifted again into an alliance. They were now working together to find a way out and advance further.
Realizing this, Heavenly Corpse Old Demon no longer hesitated. During the standoff between both sides, he took out a blank jade slip, engraved it with information, and used his power to send it towards Che Gongwei outside the cave.
As expected, after receiving the jade slip, Che Gongwei began discussing matters with Hu Shan, Qi Chengchu, and the woman in the black gown, rather than immediately attacking the cave to interrupt Wei Tu's breakthrough.
Fifteen minutes later, the forces led by Gui Luo the Demon Lord and Ning Yan Old Ancestor withdrew, followed by Hu Shan and Qi Chengchu's group. They distanced themselves from the cave.
"Thank goodness!" Heavenly Corpse Old Demon finally let out a sigh of relief. He sat cross-legged at the entrance of the cave, grasping a spirit stone in each hand and began to recover his energy.
Inside the cave, covered by the three-tiered formation, Wei Tu also quietly exhaled. He took a small blue crystal orb from his hand and placed it back into his storage pouch. Then, he closed his eyes again and continued his cultivation.
This egg-sized blue crystal orb wasn't just any object. It was the "Great Void Stone" Wei Tu had obtained over fifty years ago from Jia Tianlong's storage pouch.
Once activated, the Great Void Stone would allow Wei Tu to be transported out of the Great Void Realm, leaving the secret realm immediately.
With Bai Zhi helping to protect the formation, Wei Tu was aware of the changes in the Blood Slaughter Sea the moment Heavenly Corpse Old Demon sensed them.
Thus, Wei Tu had gradually slowed down his breakthrough over the past two days, intending to stabilize his breakthrough process to avoid any unexpected disturbances that could result in injury.
So, once Gui Luo the Demon Lord and Hu Shan's group attacked the cave, Wei Tu would activate the Great Void Stone and leave immediately.
—Though, at that time, he wouldn't have the time to consider Heavenly Corpse Old Demon.
After all, the difference in strength between the two sides was too great. Remaining in the Great Void Realm would only mean becoming another dead body, which had no meaning. It would be better to leave first, quietly cultivate, and later take revenge for Heavenly Corpse Old Demon.
Fortunately, the crisis had taken a turn for the better.
Wei Tu wouldn't have to feel guilty about selfishly leaving.
...
Five days later, a blue-robed cultivator and a straw-robed old man broke through the waves at the bottom of the Blood Slaughter Sea. After exchanging a glance, they turned to gaze at the two groups of cultivators on the shore.
"Daoist Wei, let me give you some advice. It's still not too late for you to use the Great Void Stone to leave the Great Void Realm. I still have several corpse path secret arts that can help me escape." Heavenly Corpse Old Demon's expression was heavy as he advised Wei Tu.
Half a day ago, after Wei Tu successfully broke through and removed the defensive formations, Heavenly Corpse Old Demon had already advised him to leave using the Great Void Stone, but... Wei Tu had rejected his proposal.
"With both sides at a standoff, there might be an opportunity for us. I will not abandon Daoist Tian and leave before the final moment," Wei Tu shook his head firmly.
Now, both his Qi Refinement and Body Refining had broken through to the mid-stage Golden Core. In terms of strength, he could match even the later stages of Golden Core cultivators.
Moreover, in terms of treasures, he was far stronger than his former self from fifty years ago.
Even if he couldn't defeat Gui Luo the Demon Lord and the others, he was still able to hold out for a while and escape the Great Void Realm.
This wasn't arrogance on Wei Tu's part.
He had asked Bai Zhi about this, and after hearing her response, he reached this conclusion.
—After all, Bai Zhi had personally fought Gui Luo the Demon Lord and successfully escaped from him.
If not for Bai Zhi being seriously wounded by the "Seven Stars Begonia Poison" and Gui Luo the Demon Lord using ghost path secret arts to weaken his strength less significantly, the outcome of that battle could have been uncertain.
"Senior Bai, once we enter the Great Void Realm's inner region, I'll rely on you to keep an eye out for these two groups of cultivators."
With that, Wei Tu stepped on the water and walked toward the shore, standing behind Hu Shan and Qi Chengchu's group.
"No good deed goes unpunished; if someone is too eager to be kind, they must have ulterior motives." Wei Tu didn't believe that Gui Luo the Demon Lord and the others had let him off five days ago out of goodwill or any kind-heartedness.
— They must have thought there was something to gain from him, which is why they retreated, leaving him to break through inside the cave undisturbed.
And that benefit, Wei Tu didn't need to think too much about to know, was certainly related to the secrets of the Great Void Realm.
After all, if they were after treasures like the Heaven-Mending Bowl, they wouldn't have waited for him to finish his breakthrough before attempting to seize it.
After standing firm, Wei Tu furrowed his brow, his gaze lingering on Gong Shulan's face for a moment. He didn't know why Gong Shulan had suddenly arrived in the Great Void Realm and teamed up with Hu Shan and the others.
And Gong Shulan didn't know how to explain all this to Wei Tu.
She certainly couldn't say that she had come here because she liked Wei Tu and wanted to avenge him, but had inadvertently ruined his plans, leaving him in this crisis.
No one would believe a person who had lied so much, suddenly speaking the truth.
"Hu Shan wasn't wrong about me. I really am despicable." Gong Shulan thought bitterly. As a demon cultivator, how could she possibly fall for a righteous cultivator who had nearly caused her death?
"I don't even deserve to be with him. Just seeing him alive makes me happy enough."
Her heart was heavy as she thought this.
…
Wei Tu's appearance caused a shift in everyone's emotions, not just Gong Shulan's.
Especially Bao Siyan, who was visibly excited when she saw Wei Tu. Her face was cold, and her eyes were filled with hatred.
Had Wei Tu helped her back then, had he entered the Blood Slaughter Sea cave with her, she wouldn't have fallen from a proud Golden Core cultivator to become a mere servant under Gui Luo the Demon Lord.
All of her suffering was closely tied to Wei Tu.
"Daoist Wei, you should explain this cave. Who left it behind? With your strength, you couldn't have created such a cave under the Blood Slaughter Sea." Bao Siyan coldly sneered, her tone threatening as she tried to learn more about the "Great Void Realm secrets" Wei Tu knew.
Though Bao Siyan had already guessed that Wei Tu most likely learned this secret from Shen Tu, it was just a guess, and given the importance of the matter, she couldn't take that for granted.
Wei Tu had already anticipated this when he reached the shore.
Calmly, he began speaking the words he had prepared in advance.
The story he told was half true and half false.
Out of ten sentences, nine were true, and one was false.
Wei Tu plainly stated that he had obtained the secret from Shen Tu.
However, he didn't mention the "demon infant" matter. He only said the secret was hidden within the "Daoist Holding Sword Map."
He had accidentally acquired it, which was how he had survived his last trip to the Great Void Realm.
"Not a decent man!" Bao Siyan's hatred for Wei Tu deepened after hearing this.
At first, she had thought Wei Tu had his reasons.
She hadn't expected that it was all her misunderstanding. From the beginning, Wei Tu had seen her as a stepping stone for his escape.
Seeing this, Wei Tu secretly shook his head and sighed.
At first, Wei Tu had intended to explain to Bao Siyan what had happened back then.
Back then, he hadn't noticed Bao Siyan following him, and once he entered the cave, he immediately fought with the demon infant of Shen Tu, leaving him no time to help Bao Siyan escape.
However, after receiving the transmission from Che Gongwei, Wei Tu changed his mind. Instead of "pleasing" Bao Siyan, he decided to "provoke" her.
This would influence Gui Luo the Demon Lord's judgment.
— After all, if Wei Tu had once betrayed Bao Siyan, betraying other companions now would cause him no guilt.
Small victories accumulate into a bigger win, a chance to turn the tide.
…
"Enough! Stop talking."
Gui Luo the Demon Lord interrupted, his voice sharp.
He looked at Wei Tu, paused, and then asked, "Since you received Shen Tu's legacy, does it include the Xumi Tablet?"
The Xumi Tablet?
Wei Tu's eyes gleamed with a sharp light.
He quickly understood that a large part of Gui Luo the Demon Lord's interest in him was related to the "Xumi Tablet."
And Gui Luo the Demon Lord couldn't be certain that the token was in Wei Tu's possession. If he had been sure, he would have tried to seize it days ago, not be asking questions now.
"The legacy left to me by Shen Tu does not include any tokens. I believe the so-called Xumi Tablet is not part of it," Wei Tu replied, shaking his head.
"No?" Gui Luo the Demon Lord's eyes flickered for a moment. He said nothing further, but the mocking look on his face made it clear he didn't believe Wei Tu's words.
"Now that you've broken through, it's time for you to come with us and explore the inner region of the Great Void Realm."
Ning Yan Old Ancestor stepped forward and spoke coldly.
When these words were spoken, the two groups of cultivators on the shore, both with ulterior motives, nodded in unison, agreeing to the proposal.
The next moment, the cultivators crossed the Blood Slaughter Sea, heading toward the Cold Crystal Platform, advancing deeper into the Great Void Realm's inner region.
"Master, if you suspect that Wei Tu has the Xumi Tablet, why not just kill him now?" Bao Siyan asked out of curiosity during the journey.
"Kill him?"
Gui Luo the Demon Lord shook his head. "With Hu Shan, Qi Chengchu, and Gong Shulan here, killing him now would only lead to mutual destruction. Once we reach the inner region and see the Stone Demon Tower, these people will force Wei Tu to hand over the Xumi Tablet. By then, we won't need to do anything. They'll start fighting amongst themselves."
"Fighting among themselves?" Bao Siyan doubted this possibility. After all, with Gui Luo the Demon Lord as their formidable enemy, Hu Shan and the others, no matter how foolish, wouldn't start a fight at this moment.
What Bao Siyan didn't know was that Gui Luo the Demon Lord had a different plan, one that she, as a servant, had no right to know.