After the soul search was completed,
Wei Tu and High Priest Mu Feng began clearing the traces of the battle from the battlefield, as well as the clues Liu Moqun had left behind regarding the two of them.
What Wei Tu was most grateful for was that High Priest Mu Feng did not ask about Liu Moqun's background or the purpose of Wei Tu's soul search.
On the contrary, High Priest Mu Feng praised Wei Tu for his cautious handling of the matter.
Once everything was settled,
The two of them returned to the Fen Shan Tribe.
...
Back at the Fen Shan Tribe,
Wei Tu took some time to organize the spoils from the joint operation to kill Liu Moqun.
During the battle,
Among the many magical artifacts Liu Moqun used, aside from the trident, which had some spiritual damage, all the other magical artifacts were destroyed.
However, Wei Tu didn't mind the destruction of the other artifacts, as the trident was the most valuable and precious item Liu Moqun possessed.
It was of the highest rank, reaching the peak of the second-tier.
After playing with the trident for a while, Wei Tu erased the magical imprint left by Liu Moqun and began refining the second-tier artifact.
"Blue Trident Dome?" After completing the refining process, Wei Tu learned the name of the trident.
The "Blue Trident Dome," as he had seen during the fight with Liu Moqun, was an offensive and defensive artifact.
It could emit thin blue crystalline threads, which, when gathered together, could form a "blue crystal net" for capturing and restraining cultivators or be used for defense.
However, compared to its offensive capabilities, the defensive strength of the "Blue Trident Dome" was relatively weak.
Otherwise, Liu Moqun would not have been so easily killed by the "Sky Wind Arrow" technique.
"Nevertheless, having this artifact as an auxiliary tool in battle will provide a significant advantage," Wei Tu thought to himself as he weighed the "Blue Trident Dome."
Liu Moqun's battle tactics were limited and couldn't make full use of the "Blue Trident Dome." But for Wei Tu, it would be different.
After refining the "Blue Trident Dome,"
Wei Tu took Liu Moqun's storage bag, erased its magical imprint, and probed inside with his divine sense.
Like most cultivators,
Liu Moqun's storage bag was divided into sections: "Jade Slip Section," "Elixir Section," "Magical Artifact Section," "Spirit Stone Section," "Miscellaneous Section," and so on.
After briefly passing over the "Elixir Section" and "Magical Artifact Section," Wei Tu focused his attention on the "Jade Slip Section."
After a battle where Liu Moqun had killed and stolen treasures, Wei Tu would never casually consume any of the elixirs, especially considering that the elixirs in Liu Moqun's storage bag were mostly just ordinary healing pills.
As for the magical artifacts, Liu Moqun had already used most of them during the battle. The remaining artifacts in the storage bag were just a few common second-tier items.
"What a pity, no 'Extreme Yin Scripture,' just some ordinary geography and local knowledge about Kang Kingdom," Wei Tu muttered after inspecting the dozen or so jade slips in the "Jade Slip Section."
But he had expected this outcome.
Though disappointed, it wasn't a major letdown.
In the world of cultivation, aside from rogue cultivators, it was rare for sect cultivators to carry jade slips containing cultivation methods and secret techniques around with them in their storage bags.
Liu Moqun's situation was actually more typical.
The last time he killed Sun Yu, he didn't find any profound Qingzhu Mountain cultivation techniques in Sun Yu's storage bag either.
But—
In the "Miscellaneous Section,"
Wei Tu discovered something of interest.
It was a brocade box containing three purple fruits, each about the size of a fist.
"Purple Candle Fruit," Wei Tu exclaimed in surprise upon recognizing the fruit.
At this point, as a second-tier alchemist, Wei Tu had developed a certain level of identification ability for many spirit herbs in the cultivation world.
Moreover, this "Purple Candle Fruit" was one of the spirit herbs Wei Tu had been searching for in recent years.
Over a decade ago, when Wei Tu and Bao Siyuan had ventured into the tomb of the Venerable Master Shen Tu, they had encountered seven jade boxes.
Inside the first three jade boxes were jade slips, while the remaining four contained four rare and unique treasures.
The four treasures were a jade Needle, a white jade rhinoceros horn, a plate of sandalwood, and a small green vial.
Later, Wei Tu had obtained the "Jade Needle" and the "Green Vial."
The jade Needle was the "Cloud Piercing Needle" Wei Tu was currently using.
Inside the green vial, the spiritual item was identified by Wei Tu after reviewing the jade slips left behind by the Venerable Master Shen Tu. It was called "Ice Silkworm Cloud Dew," a spirit medicine.
The "Purple Candle Fruit" and "Ice Silkworm Cloud Dew" just so happened to be the two main ingredients for refining the third-tier top-grade pill, the "Purple Candle Pill."
Once the third main ingredient, "Earth Essence Mushroom," was gathered, the spiritual herbs needed for the "Purple Candle Pill" would be almost complete, and Wei Tu could try refining the pill.
—This pill formula was also included in the jade slips left behind by the Venerable Master Shen Tu.
"The value of these three Purple Candle Fruits is no less than the Blue Trident Dome to me," Wei Tu smiled as he examined the fruits.
The remaining items in the storage bag were rather mundane, mostly common goods.
Only the more than 20,000 spirit stones in the bag caught his eye.
...
After organizing the spoils of the battle,
Wei Tu stood up, pushed open the secret chamber door, and made his way toward the fifth floor of the Floating Tower.
The fifth floor of the Floating Tower housed Su Bing'er.
This time, Wei Tu was going to visit Su Bing'er to fulfill his senior brother duties and remove the "Spirit Binding Talisman" that Liu Moqun had implanted on her.
The Spirit Binding Talisman had restricted Su Bing'er's cultivation.
Without removing the talisman, Wei Tu wouldn't be able to retrieve the "Light-Setting Pearl" and the third-tier formation flags she had in her storage bag.
—At this point, Su Bing'er no longer had the magical power to open her storage bag.
Otherwise, during his battle with Liu Moqun, Wei Tu would likely have chosen to refine the "Light-Setting Pearl" first and then teamed up with High Priest Mu Feng to deal with Liu Moqun.
Upon reaching the fifth floor of the Pagoda.
Wei Tu walked to Su Bing'er's recovery room, paused at the door, and knocked.
"Who is it?" Su Bing'er, lying on the cold jade bed and healing, exclaimed in surprise, hastily asking.
After speaking, Su Bing'er quickly realized that she was at the Flame Mountain—the spiritual venue of her senior brother, Wei Tu.
Moreover, someone who would politely knock was most likely not an enemy.
"Is it Senior Brother Wei?" Su Bing'er's gaze softened, showing an expression of anticipation as she glanced at the door.
This time, Wei Tu did not hold any grudges and was still willing to save her life in a critical moment.
The prejudice she had toward Wei Tu had completely disappeared, replaced by... a faint sense of affection.
Especially when she had fallen earlier, Wei Tu had firmly held onto her. This was her first time experiencing such intimate and close contact with a man.
Meanwhile, outside the door.
Wei Tu, hearing Su Bing'er's words, replied with, "Yes."
After a moment, the door opened.
Wei Tu, in his blue robe, entered.
"Since I began cultivating, this is the first time I've faced an enemy like Liu Moqun, a demonic cultivator. When I used my power to break the Spirit Binding Seal earlier, my heart was also plagued by demonic thoughts..." Su Bing'er's face showed an apologetic expression as she apologized for her previous overreaction.
When she became a disciple, she had been the top in battle among the many disciples.
However, in reality, throughout her cultivation journey, aside from her early injury to her spiritual body, things had gone smoothly, and she had never encountered a life-or-death battle.
Naturally, in terms of mentality, she could not compare to Wei Tu, a cultivator who had experienced life-threatening struggles.
"It's nothing, Junior Sister Su. You don't need to worry about it."
Wei Tu smiled and comforted her.
"Senior Brother Wei is a good person..." Su Bing'er thought to herself as she saw this.
At this moment, all of her previous prejudice, thinking of Wei Tu as a "smiling tiger," was completely gone.
"There are only two ways to break the Spirit Binding Seal. One, a member of the Spirit Binding Sect can use a curse to remove the seal, and two, a high-level cultivator can use immense spiritual power to wear it down."
"As for Liu Moqun, I've already killed him. The first method is no longer possible."
Wei Tu got to the point.
"Liu Moqun... is dead?" Su Bing'er was shocked when she heard this. She remembered that Liu Moqun and Wei Tu were almost evenly matched in their battle. How could it be that, not long after she arrived at the Flame Mountain, Liu Moqun was killed by Wei Tu?
"It was a joint effort between me and High Priest Mu Feng."
Wei Tu spoke succinctly, requesting Su Bing'er to keep this matter confidential.
"I hope you don't tell anyone about Liu Moqun's death, not even Master," Wei Tu said in a deep voice.
"Master?"
Su Bing'er was confused.
In her view, Master Che Gongwei and Wei Tu had a good relationship. Moreover, Master Che Gongwei had taken care of her, helping her resolve her "spiritual body injury" for the past several decades.
"Liu Moqun comes from the Spirit Binding Sect, a major sect in the demonic path. Once I kill him... if word of his death leaks, it would be a matter of life and death for me," Wei Tu explained after carefully choosing his words.
In fact, this sounded somewhat exaggerated.
Liu Moqun had only dared to abduct Su Bing'er outside the Rogue Cultivator Alliance. Now, he was in the Ying Ding Tribe and held the title of High Priest... unless the Spirit Binding Sect sent a Nascent Soul ancestor, Wei Tu was not really afraid of some Golden Core True Monarch.
And as for the possibility of a Nascent Soul ancestor, Wei Tu knew how slim that chance was.
No matter whether in the righteous or demonic realm, the Spirit Binding Sect, a malevolent faction, was an object of hatred and persecution.
Both the righteous and demonic paths would love to take down any Nascent Soul ancestor of the Spirit Binding Sect if they dared to show themselves.
It wasn't like the Spirit Binding Sect's ancestor had the time or inclination to come after him.
However, while he wasn't afraid, Wei Tu didn't want to provoke this trouble just yet.
"Junior Sister Su understands." Su Bing'er lightly nodded, raising her jade arm to swear an oath to eliminate the demonic thoughts in her heart.
Once the Spirit Binding Seal was removed and she returned to the Golden Peak Valley, she would prepare for her foundation establishment. By then, it wouldn't matter whether or not she told Master Che Gongwei.
She would have the strength to protect herself.
However, while making this vow, Su Bing'er didn't realize that, unknowingly, in her heart, Wei Tu's priority had become equal to or even surpassing Master Che Gongwei's.
"Su Bing'er is a Spiritual Body of the Profound Wood. It's even better than the Ice Root Bone of Qiu Huaishu. Senior Brother Wei, your fundamental cultivation technique, the Divine Wood Origin Skill, if you could cultivate this girl, your progress in the Golden Core realm would be exponential."
"Even if you don't absorb her energy, normal dual cultivation could greatly shorten your cultivation time."
Bai Zhi, having seen through Su Bing'er's thoughts, made this suggestion to Wei Tu.
Qiu Huaishu still needed time to mature.
It would take two hundred years for him to become a qualified furnace.
But Su Bing'er didn't need that.
She was just one step away from establishing her foundation.
"Normal dual cultivation?" Wei Tu's heart stirred. After all, this wasn't absorbing energy and didn't go against the righteous path.
There was no psychological burden.
But then, Wei Tu remembered Su Bing'er's rejection and her foolish behavior toward him, so he shook his head.
"Everything depends on fate."
Wei Tu politely declined Bai Zhi's suggestion.
The Holy Spring Society, the Purple Candle Pill—these two were opportunities he could seize to advance his Golden Core cultivation.
If he met the right female cultivator, walking the path of dual cultivation wouldn't be an issue. But if it wasn't right, forcing it wouldn't bear fruit.
A Dao partner was someone to support for a lifetime.
In terms of relationships, they were more important than even biological children.
Wei Tu couldn't afford to waste time supporting another female Golden Core cultivator of the same level in his cultivation journey.
...
"Junior Sister Su, the Spirit Binding Seal was placed on you by Liu Moqun, and this matter is related to me. It wouldn't be proper for me to just send you back to Master's side."
"However, removing the Spirit Binding Seal will take at least three to four months, during which there will be some intimate contact... It's up to you how you choose to proceed."
Wei Tu paused before speaking.
Although his intention in removing the seal was good, men and women were different, and he had to consult with Su Bing'er first.
Intimate contact?
Hearing this, Su Bing'er's eyelashes fluttered, and her delicate body stiffened slightly, unsure of what to do.
Before this, when Che Gongwei had helped her treat her spiritual body injuries, there were some intimate contacts, but at that time, she was just a child, so even if there was contact, it wouldn't have attracted any suspicion.
But now, it was different.
She had... everything she was supposed to have.
"If Brother Wei doesn't remove the curse, when we return to the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, I'll probably have to ask Master for help…" When she thought about this, Su Bing'er's resistance to the matter lessened.
— The Rogue Cultivator Alliance didn't lack female True Lord, but Liu Moqun's attempt to kill her was tied to her spiritual body, so it wouldn't be good to make a big deal out of it and attract the attention of other Golden Core True Lord.
Compared to the risk of leaking the secret, a small amount of intimate contact now didn't seem like much.
"Thank you, Brother Wei." Su Bing'er bit her lips lightly, slowly walked to the cold jade bed, and calmly lay down, allowing Wei Tu to begin his work.
Upon seeing this, Wei Tu couldn't help but admire her. Su Bing'er knew when to take action and when to let go. She didn't insist on being stubborn when it came to her "enemy."
"A qualified cultivator," Wei Tu commented.
After Su Bing'er calmed her breathing, Wei Tu walked to the cold jade bed, looking down at this young sister who had an inexplicable enmity toward him.
To be honest, Su Bing'er was indeed a beautiful female cultivator now.
Her face was like snow, her skin like jade.
She wore a smoke-colored long dress that outlined her nearly perfect figure: curvaceous, with a full chest and narrow waist.
Because of her injury, her lips were slightly pale, giving her a delicate, frail beauty that made her even more charming.
After assessing her, Wei Tu's expression turned cold again. His right hand emitted a green light as he pointed his finger at Su Bing'er's forehead.
"This is a bit troublesome. This Spirit Binding Talisman is not only fused with her soul, but it is also intertwined with her spiritual power."
Wei Tu frowned slightly.
He guessed that it was during her healing period, when she had tried to break the Spirit Binding Talisman, that the issue arose.
If it was only her soul, the work would have been much easier.
"I'll just need to spend a little more time," Wei Tu muttered, shaking his head.
After diagnosing the "condition," Wei Tu calmed himself and began focusing on remove the Spirit Binding Talisman.
He was surrounded by a surge of green light, continuously pouring his spiritual power into Su Bing'er.
The effect was remarkably good.
In just five or six days, the Spirit Binding Talisman inside Su Bing'er's body slowly began to show on the outside of her soul.
However, at this moment, Su Bing'er suddenly turned pale, her breath becoming shallow as pain appeared on her face.
Soon, cold sweat began to soak her dress.
She was drenched in fragrant sweat.
"Spiritual body's old illness," Wei Tu saw this and withdrew his spiritual power, quietly thinking.
This old illness had been a long-standing problem for Su Bing'er.
Normally, it shouldn't flare up at this moment, but the Spirit Binding Talisman was too sinister and directly robbed the cultivator's essence.
When Wei Tu attempted to remove the Spirit Binding Talisman, it inevitably affected her spiritual body's essence, causing this reaction.
"Brother Wei, I can endure," Su Bing'er opened her eyes, enduring the pain.
Upon hearing this, Wei Tu was about to withdraw his spiritual power, but he continued to pour it into her body, focusing on removing the Spirit Binding Talisman.
However, for Su Bing'er's safety, Wei Tu hesitated for a moment, and his free left hand placed itself three inches below her navel, where her dantian was located, to stabilize her restless spiritual body's essence.
Feeling this, Su Bing'er's heart filled with shame. She squeezed her legs together, enduring the discomfort.
...
Time slowly passed.
Six months later.
A black spiritual talisman slowly emerged from Su Bing'er's fair forehead, and Wei Tu took it into his hand.
"Spirit Binding Talisman?" Wei Tu's eyes gleamed as he examined the runes on the talisman.
Spirit Binding Talisman, Transformation Spirit Talisman.
These were the two great secret techniques of the Binding Spirit Sect.
If he could learn these two peculiar talismans, not only would his methods in battle increase, but his expertise in talisman techniques would also advance further.
The reason he had helped Su Bing'er remove the talisman was not only to help her, but also to acquire the talisman for his own study.
"Thank you, Brother Wei, for saving me." Su Bing'er's face flushed slightly. She gritted her teeth and, with her injured body, sat up and thanked him.
During her healing, Wei Tu had inevitably had several intimate contacts with her. Such contact... was not any different from the closeness between Dao partners.
Su Bing'er began to reconsider her relationship with Wei Tu.
Although Wei Tu looked plain, his character was good, and he had saved her life...
"However, I had previously been so hostile toward this 'smiling tiger'... He probably won't accept me."
A hidden worry rose in Su Bing'er's heart.
She could tell that Wei Tu had been indifferent toward her.
"The matter of Foundation Establishment is more important." Su Bing'er shook her head, reminding herself of her urgent task.
Compared to personal feelings, her priority now should be preparing for Foundation Establishment and preventing any future incidents with the Binding Spirit Sect.
"These are Brother Wei's Light Orb and the array flags."
After thanking him, Su Bing'er took out the artifacts she had transported on her mission from her storage pouch.
A fist-sized orb that emitted a cold light, and twelve red array flags, each about a foot long.
"Brother Wei, I still plan to stay in the Fen Shan Tribe for a while. I hope you will permit it," Su Bing'er hesitated for a moment and made her request after Wei Tu took the artifacts.
This wasn't because she had feelings for him.
Rather, her injuries weren't fully healed, and returning to Golden Dragon Valley rashly would be dangerous.
"You can rest assured and heal," Wei Tu nodded, agreeing to her request.
It was just a small matter.
After saying this, Wei Tu took his leave.
"Brother Wei, I'm sorry," Su Bing'er watched his departing figure, letting out a deep sigh.
This time, after treating her injuries, Wei Tu showed no signs of nostalgia or warmth, behaving in a rather indifferent manner. It didn't feel like the normal sibling relationship... Su Bing'er understood that all of this stemmed from her earlier prejudice.