The Right Virtuous Prince's second prince didn't answer immediately. After a short pause, he explained,
"Wei Tu's backers in the royal court are the Great Mage Qu Bei and the Cangkun Alliance. But Great Mage Qu Bei is connected to Mu Feng, the old high priest of the Fen Shan Tribe. By Wei Tu's generation, the relationship has become distant."
"So if Wei Tu gets provoked and wants to vent, the people he's most likely to turn to for support are Yuan Jie and Baohua, whom he's close with in the Cangkun Alliance."
"Yuan Jie? Baohua?" Daoist Wolfslayer was stunned. He didn't understand what Wei Tu seeking help from those two had to do with benefiting the Right Virtuous Prince's estate.
He wasn't too familiar with Baohua.
But Yuan Jie—he knew well. They were both going to participate in the upcoming Sacred Spring Conference.
Seeing Daoist Wolfslayer still clueless, the second prince had no choice but to spell things out more directly.
"Yuan Jie is of royal blood and is eligible to be chosen as the new king through the Golden Tent election. And my royal father… is getting old."
Hearing this, Daoist Wolfslayer's heart skipped. He immediately understood why the Right Virtuous Prince's estate was targeting Yuan Jie.
Under normal circumstances, the position of the Left and Right Virtuous Princes in the royal court was hereditary, passed to the most outstanding offspring of the two great branches who would then oversee the royal court.
But there was one exception.
That was the Golden Tent election.
The Golden Tent election was where the tribal chiefs under the royal court gathered to vote for a new king.
Historically, several "new kings" had been elected in this manner to take up the position of either the Left or Right Virtuous Prince.
Compared to the second prince, Yuan Jie was not only younger and more promising, but as the vice leader of the Cangkun Alliance, he had natural ties with many tribes and held high prestige.
Given that, Daoist Wolfslayer believed the second prince could indeed be passed over for the throne.
"But I still don't get it. What does Wei Tu asking Yuan Jie and Baohua for help have to do with Yuan Jie losing the throne?" he pressed further.
Daoist Wolfslayer wanted the full picture.
After offending Wei Tu, he was now effectively in the same boat as the Right Virtuous Prince's estate in opposing Yuan Jie.
"This matter…" The second prince now grew cautious and didn't answer aloud. Instead, he used a sound transmission technique to speak directly to Daoist Wolfslayer.
They exchanged a few silent messages.
A few moments later,
Daoist Wolfslayer suddenly looked enlightened. He let out a hearty laugh and clasped his hands. "Then this poor Daoist will go ahead and congratulate Your Highness on becoming the Right Virtuous Prince in advance."
"This will depend on Daoist's help and counsel," the second prince replied with a smile and returned the bow.
At that, the conversation ended.
The second prince bid farewell to Daoist Wolfslayer and left the guest hall.
Seeing this, Wei Tu's heart stirred. He once again controlled the Seven-Colored Phantom Moth to tail the second prince.
However, after that, he didn't learn anything more from observing the second prince.
The second prince simply returned to his quarters. Like Daoist Wolfslayer, he refrained from speaking to anyone and focused on meditation.
"I'll leave the estate for now. Once Daoist Wolfslayer leaves Hujie Immortal City, I'll strike and extract the information I need from him," Wei Tu thought to himself.
He was very patient.
If one year wasn't enough, then he'd wait ten, or even a hundred.
Back in the day, after his grudge with Sun Yu, he had waited decades before eventually killing him.
Besides, by lying low in the Fen Shan Tribe and holding back for now, it would actually be the Right Virtuous Prince's estate that grew anxious first.
The next day,
Wei Tu found an opportunity to retrieve the Seven-Colored Phantom Moth from the estate, then returned to the Fen Shan Tribe and waited quietly for Daoist Wolfslayer to leave the city.
…
Just as Wei Tu expected—
After he "swallowed his anger," it was the Right Virtuous Prince's estate that grew restless first.
The second prince, feeling Daoist Wolfslayer had failed, sent him out again to the Fen Shan Tribe to provoke Wei Tu and redirect his hatred.
This time, Wei Tu used the excuse of secluded cultivation to refuse the meeting and had Yan Yu turn away the guest.
"Alchemist Wei is in seclusion?" Daoist Wolfslayer raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. He figured it was just an excuse for Wei Tu to avoid him.
But if Wei Tu refused to meet him, how could he provoke him enough to make him snap?
You couldn't start a fight without a target to provoke!
"How outrageous! You dare serve a high Daoist like me spirit tea that's gone cold!" In the guest hall, Daoist Wolfslayer randomly picked a reason and glared at Yan Yu with fury.
"Senior, it must be a misunderstanding,"
Yan Yu, unaware of the setup, stepped forward to explain.
However—
Just as she got close to Daoist Wolfslayer, a crisp smack rang out. He slapped her across the face with his right hand.
Yan Yu's delicate cheek instantly swelled, and a trace of blood welled up at the corner of her mouth.
"Next time you serve tea, be more careful! This poor Daoist is just helping Alchemist Wei discipline you."
Leaving those words behind, Daoist Wolfslayer left in satisfaction. He didn't believe Wei Tu could endure this and stay silent.
But what Daoist Wolfslayer didn't know was—
After their last encounter, Wei Tu had already laid out a plan to kill him. He'd never intended to just endure it.
"Miss Yan, are you alright?" Wei Tu stepped out from the seclusion chamber. Seeing the handprint on Yan Yu's face, a hint of guilt crossed his expression.
That slap—she had taken in his place.
Before High Priest Mu Feng passed away, he had asked Wei Tu to take good care of Yan Yu, his last disciple. Now that Yan Yu had suffered such humiliation, Wei Tu couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.
"High Priest, I'm fine."
Yan Yu shook her head lightly and gave a small smile.
This time, Daoist Wolfslayer had come to Flameburn Mountain purely to provoke Wei Tu, not to start a life-or-death feud. So that slap hadn't involved any true force—just a bit of Golden Core pressure.
"These are some healing pills. They should help you recover. As for Daoist Wolfslayer…"
"This grudge, I'll handle personally," Wei Tu said, his eyes flashing with a cold gleam.
"Thank you, High Priest." Yan Yu took the pill bottle. As soon as she heard those words, warmth bloomed in her heart, her eyes glistening with tears.
Back then—
When Daoist Wolfslayer extorted him, Wei Tu had chosen to endure and not confront him, planning to take revenge later.
Now, just because she'd been humiliated, Wei Tu chose not to tolerate it any longer and was ready to settle the score.
And she was just a mere alchemy attendant at his side.
—When her master Mu Feng was alive, she wasn't just any attendant. But after his passing, that was all she was now.
"High Priest, Daoist Wolfslayer is strong. Please don't do anything rash for my sake..." Seeing that Wei Tu seemed ready to leave and take revenge, Yan Yu quickly stepped in to stop him.
She didn't want Wei Tu to suffer again.
"This..." Wei Tu paused for a second. He realized that Yan Yu might have misunderstood.
This move had been part of his plan all along, not some impulsive act out of anger for a woman.
But he didn't bother to explain.
"With the Wind-Cleaving Eagle around, even if I lose, I can still retreat in one piece," Wei Tu reassured her.
With that said, he didn't hesitate any longer. Turning into a streak of green light, he chased after Daoist Wolfslayer.
…
Daoist Wolfslayer wasn't moving particularly fast.
In his eyes, the straight path from the Fen Shan Tribe to Hujie Immortal City was a safe zone.
No need to rush.
The faster you traveled, the more energy it burned. Maintaining a steady pace balanced the rate of energy use and spirit qi absorption. It was an efficient way to conserve cultivation time—a little trick of the trade.
So, even though Wei Tu had started a bit late, with the help of the Wind-Cleaving Eagle, he found Daoist Wolfslayer's trail in the wilderness in less than a quarter-hour.
"Wei Alchemist?" Sensing the sudden appearance of Golden Core aura behind him, Daoist Wolfslayer turned to see Wei Tu and let out a scornful chuckle.
Wei Tu had backed down time and again.
In his eyes, Wei Tu was already a spineless coward.
"Strike!" Wei Tu didn't waste words. He flicked his sleeve and unleashed five Ice Jiao Swords, slashing toward Daoist Wolfslayer a hundred paces away.
Five streaks of icy sword light instantly closed the gap, aiming at various points on Daoist Wolfslayer's body.
But seeing this—
Daoist Wolfslayer showed no fear. A smirk played on his lips as he casually raised a barrier of spiritual power, stopping the five talisman swords in their tracks.
"Wei Alchemist really doesn't know how to fight. Even in a rage, all he can throw are kids' toys."
Daoist Wolfslayer sneered.
These five talisman swords were top-tier weapons for Foundation Establishment cultivators, but among Golden Core cultivators, they were just average. Far below third-rank artifacts.
Wei Tu ignored the insult. He pinched a hand seal and muttered, "Explode."
The five Ice Jiao Swords around Daoist Wolfslayer erupted with a burst of talisman power, each detonating just outside the spiritual shield.
Seeing the explosions, Daoist Wolfslayer finally showed a hint of seriousness. He slapped his storage pouch and summoned a black-scaled shield, positioning it in front of him.
Moments later—
The sound of explosions ceased.
Daoist Wolfslayer lowered the black-scaled shield and glanced coldly at Wei Tu in the distance. He shook his head, as if mocking Wei Tu's overconfidence.
But right then—
He suddenly sensed a powerful Golden Core aura behind him, like a savage beast—dense in qi and blood, radiating a dominating pressure.
"Body refinement third rank?"
Daoist Wolfslayer's heart jumped. A chill ran through him. He retreated quickly and raised the black-scaled shield once more to block the charging "beast."
"No, that's an afterimage?" In the same instant, he noticed the Wei Tu standing opposite him was already dissipating like a phantom.
As he turned, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the so-called savage beast—it was Wei Tu, already clad in the Demonfiend True Armor, unleashing the full strength of a third-rank body cultivator.
Crack! Rip!
A yellow jade token reversed in Wei Tu's hand, easily shattering Daoist Wolfslayer's spiritual shield and stabbing toward his right leg.
The whole move came too fast.
Daoist Wolfslayer was caught completely off guard.
Even though, at the last moment, he blocked the yellow jade token with his black-scaled shield, his right lower leg was still grazed.
"Poison?"
Daoist Wolfslayer had just steadied himself when he felt a fierce spiritual toxin surging through the wound and spreading rapidly through his body.
And it was almost impossible to suppress.
As the poison spread, his cultivation level began to slowly decline.