With the terms settled, Wei Tu didn't delay. He followed Cao Mi deep into the cave residence, preparing to activate the "Body Reshaping Soul Return Array," casting a remote spell to strip Shen Yunqiu of her true spirit essence.
"Once I get the Moonshadow Snow Phoenix's essence, I might really have a shot at forming a Nascent Soul."
Half a day later, as Cao Mi saw streams of formation light shoot out under Wei Tu's control, her face lit up with excitement. She whispered to herself.
Breaking through the three stages of the Nascent Soul realm wasn't easy, but with her foundation, passing the first stage—shattering the core and forming the Nascent Soul—wasn't too hard.
The real challenge lay in the second stage, condensing the "Nascent Soul Spirit Body," and the third, the "Spirit Awakening" tribulation.
But… if she had the Moonshadow Snow Phoenix's essence, those stages would no longer be such a hurdle.
That essence not only helped cultivators awaken their spiritual sense but also refined and purified their mana. It was like an all-purpose treasure for Nascent Soul cultivators.
Of course, while its effects were broad, in terms of specialization, it was far inferior to spirit treasures like "Spiritual Awakening Relics" or "Iceheart Spirit Dew."
At best, it could raise her chances of forming a Nascent Soul from around 20% to 40–50%—almost half. Any higher was unrealistic.
In contrast, Wei Tu, with both "Spiritual Awakening Relics" and "Iceheart Spirit Dew," even without counting the Nascent Transformation Pill, already had 60–70% odds of breaking through.
Of course, Cao Mi had no idea that this seemingly ordinary Wei Tu right in front of her actually had a Nascent Soul opportunity that she would kill to obtain.
'Back then, I included a clause in the soul oath that if he helped me, I'd consider him as a Dao partner once I formed a Nascent Soul. Wei Tu didn't seem interested at all… Looking back, he was wise not to agree.'
Cao Mi thought to herself.
She had always suspected Wei Tu might be a Nascent Soul old monster who had taken over someone's body, but even then, such a cultivator couldn't compare to someone like her who was on the verge of forming a Nascent Soul for the first time.
Their futures were on completely different levels.
Back then, her promise had been made in desperation, trying anything out of urgency.
On the other side, Wei Tu was still focused on operating the formation. He didn't know what Cao Mi was thinking. After activating each formation base, he flipped his hand and took out a jade-green array plate, sending in several complex incantations.
This jade array plate wasn't just the control core for the Body Reshaping Soul Return Array—it was also the soul-path artifact where Bai Zhi now resided.
With its concealment, Wei Tu didn't have to worry about Cao Mi discovering that someone else was actually running the array, not him—the so-called "amateur."
Truthfully, with his knowledge, Wei Tu could handle first- and second-grade arrays just fine.
But controlling a top-tier third-grade array targeting Shen Yunqiu was beyond him.
Moments later, the jade array plate and the formation bases of the array inside the cave started glowing with shimmering light. That glow intensified under the array's activation, quickly filling the entire chamber.
"Condense!" Wei Tu formed a hand seal and sent a wave of mana into the jade plate.
The moment the word left his mouth, the chamber burst with light, accompanied by a clear, piercing phoenix cry that echoed to the depths of the soul.
Then, a five-colored phoenix burst from the formation, gathering all the light as it transformed into a blood-red streak and shot toward the hidden spiritual vein gate below the cave.
"Daoist Wei truly has impressive formation skills. With this grand array, Shen Yunqiu's true spirit essence doesn't stand a chance!"
Seeing this, Cao Mi's eyes lit up. She stepped forward and engaged Wei Tu in conversation.
The Body Reshaping Soul Return Array was a high-level formation passed down from ancient times.
Its original purpose, as the name implied, was to rebuild the physical body for cultivators who'd lost theirs and summon back their scattered spirit and soul.
But reversed, it could be used to steal someone's distant soul through their physical remains.
Today, that's exactly what Wei Tu was doing—using the reversed array, anchored on the Moonshadow Snow Phoenix's flesh in Moon Condensation Palace, to strip Shen Yunqiu of her true spirit essence.
With this array's power, Cao Mi was confident the essence would be hers.
"Palace Master Cao, the task isn't done yet. We shouldn't be too quick to draw conclusions."
Compared to Cao Mi, Wei Tu remained calm. He glanced at the floating jade array plate and said in a low voice.
Even with everything prepared, he didn't believe Shen Yunqiu was some easy target. She was a Golden Core expert, not some clueless fool waiting to die.
"Daoist Wei is right."
Hearing that, Cao Mi nodded solemnly, regaining her composure.
…
At the same time.
Mirror Water Pavilion, Yuping Mountain.
Rear cave residence.
More than twenty years had passed since Shen Yunqiu's fake breakthrough. Now, her real breakthrough was finally coming.
The True Lord of Mirror Water Pavilion, dressed in a golden robe and with a cold, noble aura, was circulating her cultivation technique, blending her aura more and more deeply with the essence of the Moonshadow Snow Phoenix.
As the resonance deepened, the round Golden Core in her dantian began to crack slowly, releasing streams of pure true essence.
If any cultivator were present and saw Shen Yunqiu's current cultivation state, they'd instantly realize she was going through the critical stage of "shattering the core and forming the infant."
As soon as the Golden Core completely shattered and recondensed into a Nascent Soul Spirit Body, she'd be ready to enter the Spirit Awakening stage.
Once Spirit Awakening was complete and she overcame the lightning tribulation, she'd become one of the peak cultivators of the current age—a Nascent Soul Venerable Master.
"After I form the Nascent Soul, Qin Yuling and Kou Hongying… I'll definitely wipe them out completely!"
Shen Yunqiu silently vowed.
In her heart, neither Wei Tu nor Wei Yan ranked as true enemies.
Back then, obstructing Wei Yan's cultivation path was just her being willful.
The ones she truly hated were from Qin Yuling's lineage.
Of course, if the chance came, she wouldn't spare Wei Tu and his daughter either. After all, cutting weeds required removing the roots. Their enmity was already too deep for any reconciliation.
"And then there's Ning Xuefeng!"
Suddenly, Shen Yunqiu recalled another person who had crossed her.
After the fake breakthrough, Ning Xuefeng never openly blamed her for causing trouble for the sect. But her words had subtly hinted at it more than once, which was truly infuriating.
"Once I form the Nascent Soul, such petty annoyances will be like skin diseases—not worth a mention."
Shen Yunqiu let out a cold snort.
Decades ago, during a high-level meeting in Mirror Water Pavilion, when Ning Xuefeng yielded on Wei Yan's core formation matter, Shen Yunqiu had thought she wasn't so bad.
Who would've thought she was no different from the hypocrites of Qin Yuling's faction?
"No… Something's wrong. Why is my mind suddenly restless, thinking of all this during a breakthrough?"
Her expression suddenly changed, a cold gleam flashing in her eyes.
Regardless of her temperament, given her cultivation level, she shouldn't have been distracted at a time like this. Especially with the Moonshadow Snow Phoenix essence aiding her—it should've been easy to stay calm and focused.
"Is it the phoenix essence acting up?"
Shen Yunqiu had a faint sense something was wrong and looked up at the white phoenix in front of her.
But before she could think further, a streak of blood-red light suddenly shot into her cave, lunging straight at her.
"What is that?!"
Seeing it, Shen Yunqiu's face twisted in shock.
What stunned her wasn't just the powerful pull this blood light had on her true spirit essence, but how suddenly it had appeared.
Her cave was nearly the most heavily guarded in Mirror Water Pavilion—second only to the one belonging to Lord Hongjing.
For someone to bypass all of Mirror Water Pavilion's defenses and attack her so directly… it could only mean their power and methods were extraordinary.
"The Moonshadow Snow Phoenix is my key to forming the Nascent Soul—I can't lose it!"
After a moment's hesitation, Shen Yunqiu gritted her teeth and gave up the idea of summoning help.
The phoenix essence wasn't just any opportunity. It was once the possession of the sect itself.
Ning Xuefeng and the others were already unhappy with her. If she called for help and they discovered that her Nascent Soul opportunity was actually the sect's long-lost true spirit essence… not only would she lose it, but she could also fall into complete ruin.
With the Moonshadow Snow Phoenix, she could ascend to Nascent Soul. So could the other Golden Core cultivators of Mirror Water Pavilion.
Shen Yunqiu knew herself well. She didn't believe she had any unique advantage over the others.
"This suction isn't unlimited. I should be able to hold it off!"
She flipped her palm and summoned a yellow jade seal, channeling her mana and blasting it at the blood-red light.
This yellow jade seal was a top-grade third-tier magical treasure. Its power was immense—one casual strike made her entire cave tremble, and the outer formations wavered.
However, against the blood light, the seal wasn't enough.
Even after being shattered by the seal's strike, the blood light quickly reformed almost completely, its size barely diminished.
Having failed, Shen Yunqiu watched as the blood light lunged at her again, slamming into her mana barrier.
At that moment, she felt a terrifying suction force constantly draining the Moonshadow Snow Phoenix essence from her.
Her mana started to unravel and dissolve…
Without the support of her mana, her black hair quickly turned white. Her once-beautiful face began to wrinkle and fade.
Within moments—barely a tea's time—Shen Yunqiu had gone from a cold, proud fairy to a middle-aged woman.
"What kind of sinister sorcery is this?!"
Her body trembled as she formed one hand seal after another, desperately trying every secret art and divine ability she knew to counter the blood light.
But clearly, nothing worked.
After just a quarter of an hour, her appearance had aged again—from a middle-aged woman to an elderly lady in her sixties.
"At this point, there's only one way left!"
Driven to the brink, Shen Yunqiu's eyes turned fierce. She stopped trying to dispel the blood light and instead formed a new seal, drawing on her mana to frantically devour the Moonshadow Snow Phoenix essence within her body.
Her goal was simple.
That was to go all out, shatter her core and form the infant in one breath, then use the newly formed Nascent Soul Spirit Body to resolve the crisis before her.
Though this would use up the true spirit essence far too early, severely lowering her chances of passing the Spirit Awakening stage, it was still better than letting someone else steal it and forever losing the chance to ascend.
"Break!" Shen Yunqiu shouted.
In an instant, the perfectly round Golden Core within her dantian shattered under the pressure of her mana, breaking into thousands of fragments that scattered into her sea of spiritual power.
"The Nascent Soul shall be formed now!"
Shen Yunqiu formed hand seals and started forcefully condensing the Nascent Soul Spirit Body with a huge surge of power.
In just a blink, a tender baby arm materialized from her mana.
The moment the pale baby arm appeared inside her dantian, it began mirroring Shen Yunqiu's own hand seals, resisting the blood light flooding in from outside.
With the baby arm's help, Shen Yunqiu could now handle the pulling force of the blood light with ease. She even started taking back the true spirit essence she had lost earlier.
…
"Nascent Soul power?"
Inside Moon Condensation Palace, in Cao Mi's cave.
Sensing the blood light was being dispersed by Shen Yunqiu, Bai Zhi's expression changed. Nestled within the jade array disk, she quickly transmitted a message to Wei Tu.
Hearing that, Wei Tu raised his brow slightly, cursing his luck.
This time, because the Nascent Soul elders from both factions were away, he and Cao Mi had finally found the perfect time to act against Shen Yunqiu. But that timing only applied to external conditions—not the internal ones.
The ideal internal timing…
Had actually been over 20 years ago, the day Shen Yunqiu blocked Wei Yan's cultivation path.
That day, Shen Yunqiu had been confirmed to have faked her breakthrough.
Her strength was still within peak Golden Core.
But now? That was no longer the case.
They had stumbled right into Shen Yunqiu's real breakthrough this time.
Her current power had already reached the quasi-Nascent Soul stage, much stronger than peak Golden Core.
Although the difference between the two realms seemed small on the surface, the power gap was like heaven and earth.
After all, the latter had already stepped into the Nascent Soul realm.
"But the good news is, Shen Yunqiu likely rushed her breakthrough to counter the 'Reforming Body and Returning Soul Array'… which should lower her success rate."
Bai Zhi added.
Hearing that, Wei Tu's expression relaxed a little.
Although their plan to strip Shen Yunqiu's true spirit essence using the array had essentially failed, he had still achieved the majority of his goal.
From the beginning, his main purpose wasn't to steal the true spirit essence but to disrupt Shen Yunqiu's Nascent Soul formation, cutting off her path so his own wouldn't be blocked in the future.
Looking at the situation now, he'd basically succeeded.
—Shen Yunqiu's chances of forming the Nascent Soul had shrunk drastically. Practically zero.
"But then there's Cao Mi…"
Wei Tu frowned.
His objective was fulfilled, but Cao Mi's was far from it.
What's worse, with this failure, he wouldn't get the 'Mortal Shedding Pill' Cao Mi had promised to lend him. Not to mention, the 'true spirit flesh' she'd promised was probably off the table too.
And that true spirit flesh mattered greatly to his body cultivation.
"Is there any other way?"
Wei Tu asked after thinking for a moment.
"There is!" Bai Zhi nodded and said, "I can smuggle myself through the spirit vein's hidden gate into Shen Yunqiu's cave, then use the Five Ghost Soul Devouring Art to forcibly seize her body and devour the true spirit essence inside her…"
"Once it's done, I'll spit it all back out."
"Five Ghost Soul Devouring Art?"
Wei Tu's heart stirred.
He knew the technique well. Back then, the ghost infant of Master Shentu had used it right in front of him.
It nearly succeeded in taking over his body. If not for his Golden Purple Destiny flaring up, who could say whether he'd still be Wei Tu—or if he'd have become 'Master Shentu'?
"Is it dangerous?"
Wei Tu asked, a hint of concern in his tone.
He wasn't made of stone. Bai Zhi had followed him for many years. Even if she hadn't earned much merit, she'd endured a lot of hardship.
"There's definitely danger. After all, the one I'd be trying to possess is nearly a Nascent Soul cultivator. But with the Reforming Body and Returning Soul Array aiding me… my chances aren't bad."
"Plus, if I manage to devour the true spirit essence, it'll be hugely beneficial for me. I might even find my path to Nascent Soul from it."
Bai Zhi paused a moment before answering.
She had always feared death. That's why she'd submitted to Wei Tu back then.
So unless she felt very confident, she wouldn't take such a desperate step.
"Since you're willing, then I won't stop you."
Wei Tu understood her thoughts and nodded in agreement.
Just because he could resist the Five Ghost Soul Devouring Art didn't mean it wasn't powerful.
If it was strong enough to be the trump card of Master Shentu's ghost infant, it was far from some common secret art.
"But I do have a treasure that I can lend you to increase your chances."
Wei Tu thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice.
As he spoke, he flipped his palm and retrieved the "Jia Yuan Silver Armor" from his sea of consciousness, handing it into the green jade array disk where Bai Zhi resided.
This Jia Yuan Silver Armor was a soul-path treasure, once owned by Master Shentu's ghost infant.
With this treasure aiding her, Bai Zhi's chances of successfully taking over Shen Yunqiu's body increased by several degrees.
"Many thanks, Daoist Wei."
Seeing the Jia Yuan Silver Armor, Bai Zhi no longer hesitated. Hidden within the glow of the Reforming Body and Returning Soul Array, she cloaked her ghostly aura and plunged into the hidden gate of the underground spirit vein.
Just before leaving, she paused at the gate. She looked up toward Wei Tu, far away in Cao Mi's cave.
Her feelings for Wei Tu were complicated.
If it weren't for him, she wouldn't have ended up in this inhuman, ghostlike state.
But after so many years by his side, she had gotten used to being his "maid."
And along the way, she had offered him guidance in cultivation.
"May Daoist Wei ascend smoothly and walk a long immortal path," Bai Zhi whispered softly.
Though she didn't want to admit it, Wei Tu had become her only remaining trace in the world of cultivation.
In a way, he carried her path forward too.
After speaking, she turned into a stream of ghostly mist and charged toward the spirit vein's hidden gate, heading in the direction of Mirror Water Pavillion.
…
Mirror Water Pavillion.
Back mountain cave at Yuping Peak.
Staring at the partially formed Nascent Soul Spirit Body in her dantian, Shen Yunqiu was both thrilled and resentful.
If someone hadn't tried to sabotage her, why would she have rushed this breakthrough?
Why lower her chances at clearing the Spirit Awakening stage?
"If I find out who plotted against me, I'll tear them limb from limb!" Shen Yunqiu hissed.
As she spoke, she formed hand seals, planning to collect the blood light in the cave to trace the attacker later.
But just then, a ghostly force appeared out of nowhere and slammed toward her.
"What the hell is this now?"
Shen Yunqiu was stunned.
She was already considering halting the breakthrough and moving to another cave.
Anyone would break under this many back-to-back ambushes.
"A Golden Core ghost cultivator?"
As Bai Zhi approached, Shen Yunqiu immediately figured out her attacker's identity.
Knowing Bai Zhi's cultivation level, Shen Yunqiu was furious—but she couldn't help but sneer.
The damned never reach sanctity.
Ghost cultivators, unless extremely rare exceptions, were always the weakest in their tier.
And now, she had already begun forming a Nascent Soul Spirit Body. She was a quasi-Nascent Soul cultivator, possessing some of that realm's power.
With her strength, dealing with a ghost cultivator like this should've been easy.
"You little wretch, die!"
Shen Yunqiu flung her sleeve and summoned the same yellow jade seal as before, smashing it toward Bai Zhi.
Faced with the crushing blow, Bai Zhi's expression turned serious.
Just before the seal hit, she formed a hand seal mid-air and split her ghost body into multiple streams of ghost qi, scattering them across the space.
At the same time, she waved her sleeve and released a green array flag, controlling the nearby blood light to block Shen Yunqiu's movements.
In just a moment, Bai Zhi's battle experience came through in full force.
Shen Yunqiu, on the other hand, was clearly different.
Her long period of seclusion had dulled her combat edge. Though she didn't panic after her first strike failed, her fighting style was full of holes. After just a few exchanges, Bai Zhi found an opening.
Five Ghost Soul Devouring Art!
Bai Zhi dashed forward and transformed into five ghostly figures. Each one carried blood light from the Reforming Body and Returning Soul Array, crashing directly toward Shen Yunqiu's spiritual core at her forehead.
Their distance at that moment was less than a palm's width.
"Die!" Shen Yunqiu roared.
She controlled the infant arm inside her dantian, making it shoot outward to stop the possession.
The infant arm turned into a massive hand of spiritual power, smacking down at Bai Zhi's five ghost forms.
But Shen Yunqiu hadn't completed Spirit Awakening yet. Her Nascent Soul Spirit Body was still a dead infant, not yet fused with her soul. Against Bai Zhi's possession attempt… she was barely different from a regular peak Golden Core cultivator.
If Bai Zhi made it into her sea of consciousness, even if she resisted in the end, she'd still lose her last chance to ascend. The chaos in her soul would ensure failure in Spirit Awakening.
But—
One of the ghost figures suddenly flashed with a solid silver light shield, blocking the infant arm's strike.
"Not good!" Shen Yunqiu's face changed slightly.
She no longer hesitated. Immediately, she sent a distress signal to Mirror Water Pavillion.
At this point, no matter whether Bai Zhi succeeded or not, her chance to form a Nascent Soul had completely collapsed.
Given that, she might as well call for backup.
If she was lucky, they could kill Bai Zhi.
And that would at least take care of her grudge.