Half a quarter of an hour later, after listening to Hu Yantu's explanation, Wei Tu had a clearer understanding of the Flying Immortal Alliance.
Though its name was similar to the Rogue Immortal Alliance, the internal structure was completely different.
It was more like a tightly organized trading guild than an independent faction.
First, the alliance leader of the Flying Immortal Alliance had no authority over its members. The only power they held was preferential trading rights within the secret market they organized, along with a share of the profits.
Second, regarding member identities, aside from the recommender, the alliance leader, and the Elders' Council, no one else knew who anyone really was. Only their designated code names were known.
So in Wei Tu's view, the Flying Immortal Alliance resembled those underground trade fairs he used to attend back when he was in the Foundation Establishment stage.
Or rather, a much larger secret society.
The difference was, the threshold to join the Flying Immortal Alliance was extremely high—one had to be a Nascent Soul Venerable Master with a clean record and decent reputation.
"Well, that makes sense. A Nascent Soul Venerable Master is a supreme figure in any faction. They're free and unrestrained—why would they be bound by anyone else's rules?"
With just a moment's thought, Wei Tu understood it clearly.
At the end of the day, every group or force needed its own soil to exist. Without that soil, there'd be no foundation for it to survive.
Unlike the Rogue Immortal Alliance, the Flying Immortal Alliance didn't face pressure from "orthodox sects." Naturally, it didn't form any strong unifying identity either.
In other words, at the Nascent Soul level, it was basically impossible to see an open and unified "rogue cultivator organization" like the Rogue Immortal Alliance.
After all, those at Divine Transformation stage were so rare, there were probably only a handful across the entire Great Cang Immortal Realm.
And then… just imagine—what if there really was a massive organization made up of a huge number of Nascent Soul cultivators? How terrifying would that be?
The entire power structure of the Great Cang Immortal Realm might be turned completely upside down!
"Old Demon Zhu, does your demonic path also have something like the Flying Immortal Alliance?"
That thought sparked Wei Tu's curiosity, and he asked.
Unlike the Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core stages—where resources were abundant—the Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation stages were all about scarcity.
In such a situation, if a cultivator still shut themselves away to focus only on training and ignored everything else, then unless they had a great opportunity fall into their lap, most would end up dead along the path.
In other words, only those like Ancestor Chìlóng who had reached late Nascent Soul stage were likely to have found ways to exchange resources with others at the same level, helping each other survive and advance.
"An organization like the Flying Immortal Alliance?" Ancestor Chìlóng snorted. "Of course there is. Just look at the Five Demonic Sects—the Blood God Sect drains blood, the Devil Slaughter Sect refines corpses, the Hehuan Sect harvests Yin and Yang essences… they all have clearly defined roles."
"You think they just formed naturally? We Old Demons came to an agreement in secret about what cultivation methods each sect should specialize in. Only then did it all come together."
"Honestly, what demonic sect doesn't dabble in blood or corpse refining?"
At that point, Ancestor Chìlóng paused, then finally got to the real topic and revealed some hidden truths about the demonic path.
"The Five Demonic Sects form their own system. The old ancestors of those five sects created a higher alliance called the Sacred Demon Alliance. Outside of that, the rest of us have smaller, interest-based coalitions."
"I'm not one to brag, but back then I founded the 'Chìlóng Alliance.' It brought together twelve demonic sect Nascent Soul Venerable Masters!"
Chìlóng Alliance?
Wei Tu was secretly stunned. He couldn't help but wonder—maybe the one who founded the Flying Immortal Alliance was just like Ancestor Chìlóng: a powerful late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
Only cultivators at that level had enough influence to gather elite talents from two kingdoms and form a cross-national Nascent Soul alliance built on mutual benefit.
"Fellow Daoist Wei, once you enter the Zunwang Palace, I'll introduce you to these Nascent Soul alliances. At that point, more or less... all of them will show up inside Zunwang Palace."
After saying this, Ancestor Chìlóng withdrew his divine sense from Wei Tu and completely hid his spirit within the Dragon Glaze Pearl.
Even for a Nascent Soul Venerable Master, using divine sense to talk while in a weakened state consumed considerable effort.
"Zunwang Palace…" Wei Tu's eyes glinted slightly. He etched those three words deep into his memory.
Zunwang Palace opens once every six hundred years.
Four hundred years ago, Ancestor Chìlóng was ambushed by a powerful enemy in Zunwang Palace and forced to perish. That's when he sealed his spirit inside the Dragon Glaze Pearl, waiting for the chance to reincarnate.
That meant, in another two hundred years, the secret realm of Zunwang Palace would open again.
If he hadn't made great progress by then, if he was still as he was now, all he could do was sigh at the opportunity and wait another eight hundred years for the next one…
Since the Flying Immortal Alliance was just a mutually beneficial exchange network for Nascent Soul cultivators and not a restrictive organization, Wei Tu naturally didn't reject Ancestor Yu's offer to join.
So not long after Hu Yantu finished his explanation, Wei Tu nodded and accepted the matter.
"This is the kindness of Fellow Daoist Yu and Fellow Daoist Hu Yantu… Brother Hu's recommendation flatters me—how could I turn down such generosity?" Wei Tu smiled as he spoke courteously.
'People carry others in a decorated sedan,' as the saying goes.
Hearing this, both Ancestor Yu and Hu Yantu were clearly pleased.
"To join the Flying Immortal Alliance, you need the recommendation of three internal members. That old ghost from the Cai family is an old acquaintance of mine. Counting him, that makes the full set."
Ancestor Yu added with a smile.
"The Cai family? The one from Shangliang?" Wei Tu paused, thinking for a moment before asking.
Unlike other kingdoms, Chu Kingdom's political system relied less on sects and more on noble families. It was ruled by a joint alliance of seven Nascent Soul families and two immortal sects.
And the Shangliang Cai family was a powerful Nascent Soul clan, no weaker than the Guangyuan Yu family.
"In Chu Kingdom, besides the Shangliang Cai family, what other Nascent Soul cultivator do you think would be named Cai?"
Ancestor Yu chuckled and covered her mouth, clearly amused by Wei Tu's question.
With the business settled, Ancestor Yu didn't delay further. According to the earlier spirit contract, she immediately handed over 100,000 spirit stones to Wei Tu.
Of course, these 100,000 spirit stones were delivered in the form of ten supreme-grade spirit stones, not ordinary ones, which were useless to a Nascent Soul cultivator.
"Fellow Daoist Yu, you're thoughtful."
Wei Tu glanced at the spirit stone pouch and cupped his hands in thanks.
After all, even if she'd given ordinary spirit stones, the contract didn't require anything better, so he couldn't complain.
"Fellow Daoist Wei is a valued guest of the Yu family. I wouldn't dare be impolite."
Ancestor Yu smiled warmly.
But after thanking her, Wei Tu didn't reach out to take the pouch. Instead, a troubled expression crossed his face. He hesitated briefly, then once again cupped his hands and bowed.
"However, I do have one matter that's difficult to bring up… I wonder if I should speak?"
"What kind of matter?"
Ancestor Yu's brows furrowed slightly. She thought Wei Tu might be trying to raise the price at the last moment and demand a share of the refined pills. After all, there were alchemists in the cultivation world who did that.
Given Wei Tu's current cultivation level, status, and pill-refining skill, he certainly had the right to do so.
In truth, she was already near the end of her lifespan. On certain matters, she had no choice but to yield to a newly risen Nascent Soul cultivator like Wei Tu.
'Letting him join the Flying Immortal Alliance might've been premature.'
Ancestor Yu silently regretted the timing.
But then Wei Tu's next words put her worries to rest and rekindled the warmth she'd felt earlier when welcoming him.
"Back then, Elder Gongshou and the others helped escort me safely back to the Kāng Kingdom. Later, they also protected the spiritual vortex when my daughter was forming her Golden Core…"
"So if possible, I hope Fellow Daoist Yu can spare some thought for the descendants of Elder Gongshou and the others when distributing the Mortal Shedding Pills."
Wei Tu's tone was sincere.
"So that's all?" Ancestor Yu exhaled in relief.
If Wei Tu had asked her to give the pills to some obscure member of the Yu family, she might have felt stuck. But if it was for the descendants of Gongshou and the others, that was a different matter.
First, those three were senior members of the Guangyuan Yu family and already had a say in the pill distribution. Wei Tu's request just nudged the odds in their descendants' favor—from a decent chance to nearly guaranteed.
Second, even if their descendants weren't especially gifted, they had strong family backing and wouldn't be completely hopeless.
In other words, giving the Mortal Shedding Pills to these "second-generation immortals" wouldn't be a waste.
As the Yu family's Nascent Soul Ancestor, she happened to know that among the descendants of Elder Gongshou and the others, one or two were quite outstanding.
With that in mind, it was easy to agree to Wei Tu's request.
Seeing her agree, Wei Tu stepped aside, took the spirit stone pouch, and moved to one side, leaving the table with the pill bottles open.
A short while later—
With both the money and goods exchanged, the old spirit contract was officially fulfilled.
Afterward, under Ancestor Yu's arrangement, Wei Tu temporarily stayed in a side courtyard of the Yu residence while waiting for the arrival of the Cai family's old ancestor from Shangliang.
Once that elder arrived, the three would formally sponsor him into the Flying Immortal Alliance.
...
Six months later.
The "Old Ghost Cai" that Ancestor Yu had mentioned arrived as promised.
Like Ancestor Yu, he also radiated an aura of decay. But judging from his presence, he likely had 100 to 200 more years of life left than Ancestor Yu.
"This is Fellow Daoist Wei?"
"I've heard a lot. You're even younger than I imagined!"
As soon as they met, Old Ghost Cai started flattering Wei Tu with his words.
He was nearly fawning—none of the usual pride a Nascent Soul Venerable Master might show.
Wei Tu guessed he must've already heard about his extraordinary pill-refining skills from Hu Yantu and Ancestor Yu.
Compared to other Nascent Soul Venerable Masters who were mostly indifferent toward their own forces, someone like Old Ghost Cai—patriarch of a noble family—naturally held deeper bonds with his descendants. So he wouldn't mind befriending a high-grade alchemist to secure a better future for the Cai family juniors.
Wei Tu didn't mind that at all. In fact, he preferred straightforward people like Old Ghost Cai.
At the very least, flattering talk was better than cold sarcasm from arrogant cultivators who might otherwise become enemies.
Before long, Wei Tu and Old Ghost Cai were chatting warmly. Taking advantage of the moment, they struck a deal and signed a spirit contract for pill refinement.
Of course, this time the fee was no longer the discounted price he'd given the Guangyuan Yu family—it matched fair market rates.
"Now that Old Ghost Cai has arrived, the four of us should set off for the Flying Immortal Alliance," Ancestor Yu said after the deal was sealed, sweeping her gaze across the others, including Hu Yantu.
As soon as she spoke, Wei Tu, Hu Yantu, and Old Ghost Cai exchanged glances and all nodded.
Moments later, the four of them took to the skies in streams of light and vanished into the depths of the Yu family grounds.
...
The headquarters of the Flying Immortal Alliance wasn't in Chu Kingdom, but in its neighbor—the Wushan Kingdom.
Wushan Kingdom was different from the other three inland nations. More than 90% of its land lay within a vast mountain range called the Wushan Mountains.
Because of this terrain, ordinary mortals were nearly nonexistent in the country. Only the immortal clans and sects managed to survive in the mountains.
One month later, the four who had departed from Chu Kingdom arrived in one of the three great immortal cities of Wushan Kingdom—Abyssal Marsh Immortal City.
As the name implied, Abyssal Marsh Immortal City was built inside a massive abyss in the Wushan Mountains.
All the city's structures were distributed along the sheer cliffs surrounding the abyss.
With Ancestor Yu, Old Ghost Cai, and Hu Yantu leading the way, they brought Wei Tu to a modest-looking pavilion.
This building, like the rest, stood on the cliffside. From the outside, it looked unremarkable.
There was a sense of hiding in plain sight.
"The restriction here might look ordinary, but only Nascent Soul cultivators can pass through it," Ancestor Yu explained, pointing at a faint yellow barrier over the pavilion's entrance.
After speaking, she flicked her sleeve and instantly passed through the light curtain, disappearing from view.
Hu Yantu and Old Ghost Cai followed her in the same way.
Seeing this, Wei Tu hesitated briefly. Then he clenched his jaw and stepped through the barrier as well.
The interior wasn't particularly extravagant, but as Wei Tu glanced around the tables and chairs, he spotted two humanoid puppets radiating late-Golden Core aura. They were acting as attendants, serving tea to Ancestor Yu and the others.
Wei Tu spread out his divine sense and immediately found more than ten additional puppets of similar level hidden in the corners of the pavilion.
'Just the number of Golden Core puppets here rivals that of a full immortal sect,' Wei Tu thought in surprise.
Still, his expression stayed calm. Imitating the others, he sat down on a sandalwood chair as if nothing was unusual.
Once he was seated, one of the puppets walked over and gracefully poured him tea.
Just as the tea was finished, a white-robed male cultivator appeared on the main seat. Half of his face was hidden beneath his robe.
"Greetings, Alliance Master Tan," Ancestor Yu, Old Ghost Cai, and Hu Yantu all stood up and bowed as soon as they saw him.
The white-robed man waved them off casually, signaling them to sit.
Then his eyes landed on Wei Tu. Smiling, he said, "So this is Fellow Daoist Wei? I heard a while ago that Kang Kingdom had produced a Nascent Soul cultivator under four hundred years old. Never thought you'd be joining our Flying Immortal Alliance so soon."
Wei Tu wasn't surprised the man knew his background. After all, if this white-robed cultivator lacked even that much awareness, he wouldn't be fit to lead the alliance.
"I am indeed Wei Tu," he replied, standing and offering a respectful bow.
"Since you are Fellow Daoist Wei, then even without the recommendation of these three, our Flying Immortal Alliance would gladly welcome you."
Seeing that Wei Tu was polite and didn't carry the arrogance of someone newly ascended to power, the white-robed man nodded in approval, showing a rare hint of satisfaction.
With a flick of his fingers, a light-gold token engraved with the words "Flying Immortal" appeared before Wei Tu.
"From now on, you are one of us. If any secret market gatherings are held in the future, this token will serve as your invitation."
The white-robed cultivator's tone became firm as he spoke.