Chapter 144: Wind-Cleaving Eagle’s Breakthrough, The Might of the Phantom Puppet

Over sixty years ago, when Wei Tu slayed the Blood Demon Elder, Wind-Cleaving Eagle had already reached the late first-rank stage. After more than ten years, it advanced to the peak of first-rank, just one step away from breaking through to become a second-rank demonic beast. However, breaking through to the second rank was extremely difficult. Without the aid of medicinal pills, even though Wind-Cleaving Eagle possessed a profound bloodline equivalent to a mid-grade spiritual root among humans, it still struggled to form a Foundation Establishment core. Thus, its breakthrough had been delayed repeatedly, up until today. Of course— If Wei Tu had chosen to, he could have helped Wind-Cleaving Eagle advance years ago, or even a decade earlier. Two years ago, Wei Tu had already obtained the Golden Ganoderma Pill, but in order to bring Wind-Cleaving Eagle into the Cloud Ze Secret Realm, he had deliberately postponed its breakthrough. —Bringing a second-rank demonic beast into the Cloud Ze Secret Realm would have required purchasing an extra entry slot from the Heshan Huang Clan. Such an unnecessary expense was not something Wei Tu was willing to pay. Several days later. Inside the cave at Moyun Cliff, the surrounding spiritual energy suddenly became restless, surging violently toward the depths of the cave. Nearby demonic beasts, sensing this disturbance, immediately rushed toward Wei Tu’s location. "A mere first-rank beast dares to approach me?" Wei Tu sneered, stepping out of the cave as he activated the Ice Jiao Sword, effortlessly slashing down several beasts in succession. Seeing their kin slain so easily, the remaining beasts hesitated, their eyes filled with fear, unwilling to attack recklessly. At that moment— A sharp eagle’s cry suddenly echoed from inside the cave. Upon hearing this piercing call, the surrounding beasts trembled violently, their expressions filled with terror. Then— A larger, radiant Wind-Cleaving Eagle, now shimmering in golden light, soared out of the cave. Its razor-sharp claws grabbed a rhino-like demonic beast by the skull, lifting it high into the air before smashing it down onto the ground. A quarter of an hour later— The dozens of first-rank beasts that had surrounded the cave lay dead. Wind-Cleaving Eagle devoured their flesh and blood, then turned its gaze toward Wei Tu. Its red-tinged eyes burned with eagerness, as if it wanted to challenge him. In Wei Tu’s care, it had often been starved or given only scraps. It had long held resentment toward Wei Tu. However— Before it could act, a formidable pressure suddenly descended upon it. Wind-Cleaving Eagle’s eyes widened in horror, its wings immediately folding beneath it, and its entire body trembling uncontrollably. This pressure— It could clearly sense—belonged to a third-rank demonic beast, comparable to a Golden Core cultivator. "The rumors of demonic beasts turning against their masters… seem to be true," Wei Tu narrowed his eyes slightly and walked calmly to Wind-Cleaving Eagle’s side, a cold smirk appearing at the corners of his lips. Spirit pets were, after all, demonic beasts forcibly tamed by human cultivators, their wild instincts never truly erased. Wind-Cleaving Eagle’s origins were even more complicated— Wei Tu had seized it from the Blood Demon Elder, meaning that its previous masters had likely been many. Wei Tu waved his sleeve, unleashing his Geomagnetic Yuan Light, which pressed down upon Wind-Cleaving Eagle. Then, he reached out his right hand, gripping its skull and extracting a wisp of its soul essence. He then re-refined this soul essence into the Beast Control Token before releasing his Geomagnetic Yuan Light and letting Wind-Cleaving Eagle go. After this incident, Wind-Cleaving Eagle no longer held defiance in its eyes when looking at Wei Tu. Instead, it was filled with submission and reverence. "Good thing you didn’t know about my Phantom Puppet when I refined it," Wei Tu muttered, stepping to a nearby shrub and retrieving the Phantom Puppet he had acquired from Master Yu Kui, before storing it back into his spatial pouch. Earlier, it was this very puppet that had exerted an illusionary third-rank beast’s aura, causing Wind-Cleaving Eagle to freeze in fear. "Chirp! Chirp!" Wind-Cleaving Eagle immediately changed its demeanor, rubbing against Wei Tu’s robes, as if trying to apologize for its earlier defiance. However, Wei Tu was unmoved. He shoved aside Wind-Cleaving Eagle’s wings, which had wrapped around his leg, and issued new orders—commanding it to scout the surrounding area. The outer region of the Cloud Ze Secret Realm contained only minor spiritual herbs—not particularly valuable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. At the moment— Wei Tu had two choices. First, he could use the Twin Resonance Jade to sense Qin Zhenren’s location and meet up with Qin Zhenren and Kou Hongying. Second, he could head to the nearest inner region site, the Dragon Bone Forest. "These two objectives aren’t mutually exclusive. I’ll head to Dragon Bone Forest first and, along the way, use the Twin Resonance Jade to track Qin Zhenren’s whereabouts." "Qin Zhenren is likely already on the way to one of the seven key locations." Wei Tu pondered briefly and made his decision. Although the Cloud Ze Secret Realm remained open for three years, this time frame wasn’t as long as it seemed. Fighting battles, recovering from injuries, and restoring spiritual energy—each of these could take months. Therefore— There was no time to waste. Once Wind-Cleaving Eagle confirmed that the path was clear, Wei Tu soared at low altitude, heading toward the Dragon Bone Forest. The Dragon Bone Forest spanned several dozen miles. Upon arrival, Wei Tu landed on a towering ancient tree, sweeping his spiritual sense across the area. Nearby, on a smaller tree, he immediately spotted several purple, dragon-scale-shaped fruits growing on its branches. His face lit up with delight. "Luck is on my side—I just entered the Dragon Bone Forest and already found Purple Cloud Fruits." According to the jade slip’s records, the three most valuable resources in the Dragon Bone Forest were: 1. Purple Cloud Fruit 2. Dragon Bone Flower 3. Earth Dragon Flesh Though the Purple Cloud Fruit was only a first-rank spiritual fruit, it was mild in nature, much like the Silver Luan Fruit he had consumed during his Qi Refinement days, making it useful for Foundation Establishment cultivators to absorb spiritual energy. "The only pity is that Purple Cloud Fruits can’t be transplanted elsewhere—they only grow in the unique environment of the Dragon Bone Forest." Wei Tu sighed. If Purple Cloud Fruits could be cultivated, then after several hundred years, a Foundation Establishment family could easily be established using its benefits. After picking the spiritual fruits, Wei Tu affixed several Concealment Talismans to his body before cautiously advancing toward the forest’s core. Compared to the Dragon Bone Flower and Earth Dragon Flesh, the Purple Cloud Fruit was insignificant. "Tai Xuan Sect disciples?" Midway through, Wind-Cleaving Eagle informed Wei Tu that several hundred meters ahead, a robe-clad cultivator was locked in a tense standoff with two others. Among the various factions in the Cloud Ze Secret Realm, only Tai Xuan Sect disciples wore robes, so Wei Tu immediately recognized the lone figure as a Tai Xuan Sect cultivator. "If there's no treasure involved, most cultivators wouldn't bother confronting a Tai Xuan Sect disciple." Wei Tu pondered for a moment but didn't rush forward. Instead, he chose to hide nearby, silently observing the situation. He retrieved the Phantom Puppet and placed it on Wind-Cleaving Eagle’s back. Now that Wind-Cleaving Eagle had broken through to the second rank, its wingspan had expanded to nearly ten feet, enough to completely conceal the puppet beneath it. Once everything was prepared, Wei Tu burrowed underground and slowly advanced toward the confrontation site. Fifteen minutes later. A sharp eagle’s cry suddenly pierced the sky above the Dragon Bone Forest, accompanied by the terrifying pressure of a nearly third-rank demonic beast. "What?! A top-tier second-rank eagle-type demonic beast, on the verge of breaking through to Golden Core level?" "Retreat! Now!" The three cultivators in the core region instantly panicked. Mistaking Wind-Cleaving Eagle for a guardian beast of some precious resource, they didn't dare stay any longer, immediately fleeing at full speed. They couldn’t afford to provoke an eagle-type demonic beast at that level. Though Foundation Establishment cultivators could fly, they were nothing compared to a true sky-dominating beast. Wei Tu remained hidden, observing the three figures retreating. "That’s her?" He quickly recognized the Tai Xuan Sect cultivator—it was none other than the female cultivator surnamed Guan, whom he had previously encountered at the Danqiu Mountain Marketplace. More than twenty years ago, when he and Kou Hongying had traded two Foundation Establishment-grade spirit herbs for a Foundation Establishment Pill, it was this very Guan cultivator who handled the exchange for them. As for the other two figures—Wei Tu glanced at them briefly and recognized them as disciples of Qingzhu Mountain. Once the three were far away, Wei Tu emerged from underground and approached their previous confrontation site. The location of the standoff was a vast field of skeletal remains. At the center of these bones, two bright red flowers swayed lightly in the wind, shrouded in a faint bloody mist. "The Dragon Bone Flower?" Wei Tu’s eyes lit up in delight. No wonder those three had been fighting—this was a rare, high-grade spiritual herb. He immediately commanded Wind-Cleaving Eagle to retrieve them. Before he did, however, Wei Tu activated his Fragrant Silk Nose technique, sensing the presence of a hidden demonic beast lurking underground. That explained why Guan and the two Qingzhu Mountain disciples had hesitated for so long without making a move—they were likely aware of the creature’s presence. But now— With Wind-Cleaving Eagle’s imposing aura keeping the beast at bay, the hidden demonic creature did not dare to attack. Wind-Cleaving Eagle swiftly plucked both Dragon Bone Flowers, securing them before the demonic beast could react. As soon as they retreated, an angry roar erupted from beneath the ground, followed by the sounds of trees being violently smashed apart. Wei Tu continued searching the Dragon Bone Forest for valuable treasures. During his exploration, he encountered multiple groups of cultivators from various factions, including some from Heshan Huang Clan. However, he deliberately avoided direct contact, keeping his distance and moving alone. He knew that in treasure hunts like this, even so-called allies could turn into enemies in the blink of an eye. Unless it was someone he completely trusted, he had no intention of working with anyone else. Within the Cloud Ze Secret Realm, the laws and structures of the outside world meant nothing. Even the Golden Core ancestors watching from outside the realm were aware of this reality and chose to turn a blind eye. As long as one didn’t kill members of their own faction, any slaying of rival cultivators wouldn’t be punished or questioned. Every faction wanted their own members to secure as many resources as possible. However— That didn’t mean that people from the same faction could always be trusted. As long as one was discreet enough, even killing someone from the same clan or sect wouldn’t necessarily be discovered. Outside the Cloud Ze Secret Realm. Time passed swiftly. "Fan’er… is dead?" Several months later, an elder of the Zheng Clan from Snowpeak suddenly felt the shattering of a soul token within his storage bag. His expression darkened, and he let out a deep sigh. The Cloud Ze Secret Realm opened only once every two hundred years. Even without the involvement of Chisong Jia Clan, the death rate inside was already close to twenty percent. Now, with Chisong Jia Clan stirring trouble, it was no surprise that the mortality rate had increased further. And the Zheng Clan wasn’t the only faction to have suffered losses. Other factions, too, had lost members within these past months. Whether they fell to demonic beasts or were slain by rival cultivators, no one could say for sure. "Heshan Huang Clan… hasn’t lost a single person yet." Huang Xinglie, the Golden Core ancestor of Heshan Huang Clan, smirked as he glanced at the soul tokens at his waist. His clan had always delved deeper than most into the Cloud Ze Secret Realm. And their jade slips contained far more locations than the seven publicized sites. Their members only traveled to hidden locations, avoiding unnecessary conflicts with rival factions. However— Just then, a flying boat approached the Heshan Huang Clan’s stronghold. The one aboard was none other than Heshan Huang Clan’s patriarch, Huang Changshun. Upon landing, Huang Changshun’s expression was grim. He immediately bowed to Huang Xinglie and reported: "Ancestor… The Five Demonic Sects have invaded the Jing Kingdom. The immortal sects are calling for reinforcements—they demand that our clan’s Foundation Establishment cultivators head to the front lines." "What? Demonic cultivators are invading?" Huang Xinglie’s face immediately changed. The Cloud Ze Secret Realm had just opened, and many of Heshan Huang Clan’s strongest cultivators were inside. For the Five Demonic Sects to attack now, of all times— This was terrible timing. "How many contracted cultivators do we still have left outside?" Huang Xinglie asked, frowning deeply. For the sake of preserving the clan’s future, he couldn’t afford to send too many core members into battle. The remaining vacant slots would have to be filled by hired cultivators. "Ancestor, we only have one left—Master Xia Qi," Huang Changshun responded. "Master Xia Qi?" Huang Xinglie paused for a moment before nodding slightly, signaling for Huang Changshun to send Xia Qi to the battlefield. "Understood, Ancestor," Huang Changshun replied with a solemn expression. Although Master Xia Qi had married into the Huang Clan, compared to the direct bloodline members, his life held far less value. "Ancestor… there's something else I must report." Huang Changshun hesitated before continuing. "Over ten years ago, Wei Tu signed a spiritual contract with our clan, guaranteeing his entry into the Cloud Ze Secret Realm." "But… most hired cultivators don’t usually sign spiritual contracts." "Is it possible that he knew about the demonic invasion ahead of time?" "Over the years, many of our clan’s secrets have been leaking… and this invasion was only known to the highest-ranking members of the three immortal sects." "So how could a mere rogue cultivator have possibly foreseen this event?" "I suspect… we have a traitor within the clan!" Huang Changshun clenched his fists, his voice tense. If a traitor had infiltrated their ranks, and he had failed to eliminate them, that would be his greatest failure. "A traitor?" Huang Xinglie narrowed his eyes. 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