She was confident that with a bit more effort, she could break through the turtle shell shielding Wei Tu.
"Forget Baohua for now. Taking down Wei Tu is what matters," Granny Ke shouted.
Time was tight. She planned to team up with Granny Ma and finish this fast.
"Alright." Hovering above the loft, Granny Ma—who had just begun a new skirmish with Fairy Baohua—immediately agreed.
Baohua's strength wasn't bad, and her talent wasn't low either. But within the three great tribes, she was just average. In the Feng Wu Tribe's list of targets, Wei Tu clearly ranked higher.
More importantly, Baohua belonged to the Ying Ding Tribe, whereas Wei Tu was an outsider.
If they took down Wei Tu, the Ying Ding Tribe might be upset, but the chance of them making a fuss was low.
"Baohua! Go die already!" Granny Ma gave a low shout, then spat out a narrow mithril arrow.
The tip of the arrow was shaped like a snake, flicking a crimson tongue. It burned with jet-black fire and exuded a cold, eerie aura.
"No!" Baohua's scalp tingled the moment she saw it. Startled, she instantly activated her Hundred Flowers Dissolution and escaped with her true form.
But unexpectedly, Granny Ma's attack was a feint.
Mid-flight, the mithril arrow suddenly curved and shot straight into the loft, aiming straight at Wei Tu.
"A feint to draw me away?! Wei Tu!" Baohua's heart sank. She knew all too well Wei Tu wasn't skilled in combat. Now, with both Granny Ke and Granny Ma attacking him together, his chances of survival were slim.
Meanwhile, with Granny Ma joining in, Granny Ke's assault gained momentum.
The gray-black dagger and the mithril arrow bombarded Wei Tu together. The golden defensive talisman shield in front of him began to dim, visibly crumbling under the pressure.
"We did it." A few breaths later, seeing the shield collapse, Granny Ke finally relaxed.
To eliminate this massive thorn in the Feng Wu Tribe's side, the tribe had sent all three of them as disposable pieces. If the mission failed at the final moment, she wouldn't even have the face to face her ancestors in the underworld.
But then—
Another twist.
Just as the gray-black dagger and the mithril arrow were only three steps from Wei Tu's forehead, he calmly pulled another talisman from his sleeve—identical to the last one.
A new, solid golden shield flared up before him. It instantly deflected the dagger glowing with eerie blood light and the poisoned arrow from Granny Ma's mouth.
"What?! Another tier-three superior-grade defensive talisman? Impossible! How does he have two of them?"
Granny Ke was stunned.
Granny Ma was equally dumbfounded.
Tier-three superior-grade defensive talismans could only be broken by a genuine late-stage Golden Core cultivator.
Even relying on their enchanted tools and secret techniques, it had already been difficult to break the first one. Now another appeared? They were nearly at the point of collapse.
Victory was slipping further and further away.
"Who gave us this intel?" Both women were furious.
According to the intelligence, Wei Tu was just a tier-three lower-grade talisman master. His teacher, Che Gongwei, was only a tier-three mid-grade talisman master.
Neither of them should have had the skill to create superior-grade talismans.
"Why did you two poison Lou Sanhua and try to frame me?"
Wei Tu's tone was cold. He didn't rush to counterattack, despite Granny Ke showing clear signs of exhaustion.
From the moment the Wind-Cleaving Eagle soared into the sky and drew the attention of Hujie Immortal City's cultivators, an entire incense stick's time had passed—yet the royal guards still hadn't shown up. That, to him, smelled off.
Killing these two wasn't hard. The problem was how to deal with the aftermath.
Should he reveal his strength and kill them both, or keep defending until help arrived?
He leaned toward the latter.
That gave him more flexibility.
After all, these two old women posed no real threat to him.
"Wei Tu! You poisoned the tea and killed the Saintess just to vent your grudge!"
"Yes, the Saintess was indeed overbearing and picked a fight over petty matters. But you… You stooped so low as to poison her. This is beyond disgraceful!"
Granny Ma quickly spoke up, trying to sway public opinion.
The dead held moral high ground.
With Lou Sanhua's death, whether people saw the truth or were fooled by the lie, they'd naturally side with the Feng Wu Tribe.
But this time, the Feng Wu Tribe's plot still lacked one final piece—Wei Tu's death.
Only if he died would their story come full circle.
Then, no one would question it.
After all, Wei Tu was just an outsider. While alive, he was useful. Once dead, he was worthless.
"You two old hags... I think you're the ones trying to stir up trouble between the Ying Ding and Feng Wu Tribes. You killed Lou Sanhua and are now trying to pin it on me."
Hearing that, Wei Tu's expression turned cold. He didn't bother defending himself and instead hurled the accusation right back at Granny Ke and Granny Ma.
—Proving innocence only muddied the waters further. In the cultivation world, justice wasn't something people cared about.
Lou Sanhua's death was just a convenient excuse the Feng Wu Tribe used to justify assassinating him.
So defending himself wasn't the point. What mattered was undermining the legitimacy of their actions and turning the situation to his and the Ying Ding Tribe's advantage.
"Sharp-tongued brat! I'll rip that mouth right off!" Granny Ke snarled.
She tried to muster the last of her strength, hoping to end it all in one move and kill Wei Tu for good.
But before her pale face could squeeze out another drop of blood essence, the Wind-Cleaving Eagle struck again.
"Why is this eagle suddenly so fast?!"
Just as she was about to cast a technique, Granny Ke panicked. She tried to dodge like before but was shocked to find that the eagle had locked tightly onto her energy. She couldn't escape.
It wasn't that the eagle had suddenly grown stronger. It was because her repeated attacks on Wei Tu had drained a good portion of her spiritual power and blood essence.
In short, she was already seriously injured.
On top of that, Wei Tu had never let the Wind-Cleaving Eagle go all-out until now. He'd used it only to distract Granny Ke and wear her down.
Now, a peak early-tier tier-three beast going against a heavily injured "mid-stage Golden Core" cultivator stood a very good chance of winning.
"Cold Sword Talisman! Gale Talisman!" Wei Tu followed up with support. He flipped his palm and threw out several offensive talismans.
"You brat, if you want to kill Granny Ke, you'll have to get through me!" Granny Ma sneered and moved to intercept.
But at that moment, Baohua reappeared above the loft. She waved her silk sleeve and summoned her flower basket treasure, blocking Granny Ma's path.
"Old hag, your opponent is me."
Baohua gave a light smile. There was relief in her eyes.
Before, she'd feared that Wei Tu might die because she let her guard down.
But to her surprise, Wei Tu not only held off the two attackers but also drained much of their power.
Granny Ke and Granny Ma's cultivation was temporarily boosted by secret arts and couldn't last long. With the way Wei Tu had worn them down, their chances of winning had dropped significantly.
On top of that, she could now sense the aura of Qian Yue True Lord rapidly approaching.
"Damn it!" Granny Ma cursed under her breath and had no choice but to focus fully on Baohua again.
Meanwhile—
The moment Baohua blocked Granny Ma, Wei Tu's talismans shot toward Granny Ke.
Over a dozen frost-forged blades, radiating with cold energy, sliced through the air and landed near her.
"More talismans, huh?"
"Just some tier-three low-grade junk. They're nothing."
Granny Ke's claw-like hands glowed with black-purple light and shredded the Cold Sword talismans.
Then she twisted and dodged two surprise attacks from the Gale Talismans coming from behind.
After neutralizing the talismans, she looked up solemnly. The Wind-Cleaving Eagle was diving at her again. She racked her brain for a way to handle the incoming blow.
'Avoid the vital spot!' She gritted her teeth and twisted her skinny body unnaturally, trying to take the hit with her right side.
But just as she moved, her body suddenly froze. Something had locked her in place.
"Fixing Light Orb?!"
Granny Ke instantly thought of the tool Wei Tu had once had the rogue cultivator alliance's Yan Qing forge for him.
In the next breath—
The Wind-Cleaving Eagle, a hundred paces away, seemed to blink into existence right in front of her. Its metallic talons slammed down on her skull and yanked upward.
Crack!
A crisp snap echoed.
Granny Ke's vision went black. Her consciousness vanished completely.
It looked like a long sequence, but from the eagle's dive to Granny Ke's death, less than three breaths had passed.
Throughout, the coordination between Wei Tu and the eagle had been tight, with no wasted motion.
"Good… She was weak enough that I didn't have to show my true power."
Inside the golden shield, Wei Tu finally let out a breath of relief.
In this fight, aside from using a few tier-three superior-grade talismans and his Yuan Chong Divine Light, he had kept the rest of his abilities hidden.
Even the Yuan Chong Divine Light had been concealed with the Fixing Light Orb.
That divine power—Yuan Chong Divine Light—had emerged when he broke through to mid-stage Golden Core at the Sea of Blood Slaughter's cave dwellings. It evolved from the Yuan Chong Restriction.
After returning to the Fen Shan Tribe, Wei Tu had looked into many demonic texts. He'd found the name of this power by chance in an old tome.
"Go, help Daoist Baohua."
Wei Tu flicked his sleeve, picked up Granny Ke's storage pouch and the gray-black dagger, and gave the Wind-Cleaving Eagle a command.
Caw! Caw!
The eagle cried out and soared into the sky, flying off to join the battle between Baohua and Granny Ma.
"Lou Sanhua."
At that moment, Wei Tu turned and looked toward the corner of the loft, where Lou Sanhua's face had gone dark and lifeless.
Unlike low-level cultivators, Golden Core cultivators had finer control over their spiritual power. During fights, they didn't waste energy needlessly. And since both sides hadn't used any large-area attacks, Lou Sanhua's body remained intact and untouched.
"So ruthless. Just to assassinate me, they didn't hesitate to throw Lou Sanhua away like trash."
Wei Tu's expression turned grim. He hadn't expected the Feng Wu Tribe to go this far.
The plain-robed elder, Lou Sanhua, Granny Ke, Granny Ma—three Golden Core cultivators and one Foundation Establishment—were all sacrificed to kill him.
Especially Lou Sanhua. She was a direct disciple of Divine Master Xuan Tong and served as the Feng Wu Tribe's envoy in the Ying Ding Tribe. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a person of great value.
"When a tree grows tall in the forest, it's the first to be struck by the wind. Fellow Daoist Wei, you've offended the Sun Shooting Tribe and Feng Wu Tribe, and you're a tier-three alchemist… Trading Lou Sanhua's life for yours—some might call that a fair bargain."
Bai Zhi smiled slightly as she spoke.
"But you don't need to worry too much. With your strength, handling this sort of crisis is no problem. The three Divine Masters of the major tribes won't easily take the field."
She offered some reassurance.
She could guess what Wei Tu was thinking. He wasn't afraid of people like Granny Ke. He feared that Divine Masters like Xuan Tong might break the rules and step in directly.
If that happened, no matter how many tricks Wei Tu had, he'd stand no chance against a Nascent Soul cultivator.
"You're right, Fellow Daoist Bai."
Wei Tu's expression eased slightly at her words.
Right now, he was just someone the Divine Masters of the Sun Shooting and Feng Wu Tribes considered a potential threat—not someone they were absolutely determined to kill.
Without the perfect opportunity, the odds of those Divine Masters taking action themselves weren't high.
Just like last time—when he left Zhenwu Immortal City safely alongside Hu Shan and Qi Chengchu. If they really wanted to kill him, that would've been the better time.
This assassination attempt had used Lou Sanhua as a scapegoat.
"Even though Lou Sanhua is dead, her soul fragment still lingers. I can use ghost techniques to gather the remnants and prove your innocence."
Bai Zhi spoke up at the right moment.
"No need."
Wei Tu shook his head. "Those who are clear don't need to prove it. With Divine Master Du Long present, I'll be fine."
As he finished, he looked up toward the ongoing fight between Baohua and Granny Ma above the loft.
Bai Zhi quietly admired Wei Tu's composure. He hadn't lost his head despite the sudden assassination attempt. He had already grasped the bigger picture and made the right judgment.
Just like Wei Tu, Bai Zhi also realized that the outcome of this incident didn't depend on the truth behind Lou Sanhua's death. It depended on what the Divine Masters decided.
Still, as his spirit servant, it was her duty to give him these reminders. She couldn't presume to make decisions on his behalf.
…
After Granny Ke died.
Granny Ma couldn't hold her ground alone. Not long after Qian Yue True Lord arrived, within just a few dozen breaths, she too followed Granny Ke's fate—killed by Baohua, the Wind-Cleaving Eagle, and Qian Yue True Lord working together.
The assassination attempt had finally come to an end.
"It's all my fault. If I hadn't been greedy for the Form-Shifting Spirit Ganoderma, you wouldn't have suffered like this."
Baohua stepped down into the loft and bowed deeply to Wei Tu with a guilty look in her eyes.
Though she knew that the assassination had been premeditated, had she not shown interest in the ganoderma, she wouldn't have given Granny Ke and the others that opportunity. Wei Tu, cautious as he was, might not have been caught off guard.
"You can guard against a thief for a thousand days, but you can't stop them from stealing on the thousandth. I was careless too. I thought that once I refined the Blood-Cleaving Pill, Lou Sanhua would have no reason to keep provoking me..."
Wei Tu waved his hand, motioning for Baohua not to blame herself.
After all, he had agreed to the deal for the Form-Shifting Spirit Ganoderma. If anyone was responsible, it was him more than anyone else.
"But it's been quite a while since the attack, and still no sign of the royal guards..."
Wei Tu cast a meaningful glance at Baohua.
Earlier, he had suspected that Lou Sanhua's timing—arriving right before the Golden Tent election—was no coincidence, but part of a larger plan.
Now, seeing how the royal guards had failed to respond, Wei Tu didn't even need to think hard. He could already tell the assassination attempt wasn't just aimed at him. Yuan Jie, the future Right Virtuous King, was likely a target as well.
A double kill—one move, two birds.
"You mean…"
Baohua froze for a moment. But then, realizing that both she and Qian Yue True Lord were here at Wei Tu's side, her expression suddenly changed. She immediately understood.
"Yuan Jie is also a target!"
"Now he barely has anyone left with him."
"And that thing with the Right Virtuous King's talisman orders..."
Baohua's mind cleared instantly. She now understood the deeper motive behind Granny Ke's attempt on Wei Tu's life.
—Anyone who could command the royal guards, apart from the three Divine Masters, would have to be the Left and Right Virtuous Kings.
Four months ago, the Eldest Princess Yuan Ying had bulk-purchased talismans from Wei Tu. It wasn't just to weaken his strength and prepare for today's assassination attempt by Granny Ke and the others. It was also part of the plan for the Right Virtuous King's faction to assassinate Yuan Jie.
At the time, the Cangkun Alliance thought the Right Virtuous King's faction had finally come to their senses and given up on their claim to the throne. But looking back now, the Cangkun Alliance had simply been too rational—too young and naive.
To win the throne, the Right Virtuous King's faction had gone as far as to conspire with outsiders just to eliminate their rival.
"Qian Yue, you and I must head to the Golden Tent Platform immediately and protect Yuan Jie."
Fairy Baohua acted decisively. Once Wei Tu pointed out the situation, she responded without hesitation.
Hearing this, Wei Tu raised his brows slightly and thought to himself, 'So I was right.'
Back in Falling Sun City, he had already suspected that Qian Yue True Lord, the Cangkun Alliance leader, was likely a servant or subordinate of Yuan Jie—much like Bai Zhi was to him.
Now, based on how Fairy Baohua addressed Qian Yue—treating this powerful cultivator like a subordinate—Wei Tu was completely sure.
"As for you, Fellow Daoist Wei…"
Fairy Baohua turned to look at Wei Tu. Her expression showed some hesitation.
Technically, Wei Tu was a member of the Cangkun Alliance and had a responsibility to help Yuan Jie. But knowing that Wei Tu wasn't good at combat, and had just exhausted himself against Granny Ke, she figured he likely didn't have much left in terms of life-saving trump cards. To ask him to go fight again would be unreasonable.
—Like Granny Ke had assumed, she too believed that Wei Tu no longer had any tier-three high-grade defensive talismans left.
Wei Tu saw her hesitation. After a moment of thought, he released the Wind-Cleaving Eagle, which had been resting in his spirit beast pouch.
"My strength is limited, but this little bird of mine can still fight. I'll lend it to you for now, Fellow Daoist Baohua."
With the eagle helping, he'd contributed not only goodwill but also combat strength to the Cangkun Alliance.
"Thank you for your assistance, Fellow Daoist Wei."
Fairy Baohua smiled in delight at the sight of the massive, dark-blue eagle before her.
She had seen its ferocity earlier when it battled Granny Ma.
'Clearly, Fellow Daoist Wei surviving today's ambush owes a lot to this spirit beast,' she thought to herself.
The Wind-Cleaving Eagle, intelligent and able to understand human speech, looked gloomy when it realized it was being sent on such a dangerous mission. It seemed a little disheartened.
When fighting beside its master, it knew every battle would end in survival. But now it was being told to go fight alongside others—it lacked the same confidence.
Still, unhappy as it was, the eagle had long gotten used to obeying Wei Tu's commands. It didn't refuse.
Soon after, Fairy Baohua and Qian Yue True Lord were standing on the eagle's back. With a sharp, clear cry, the eagle took off, soaring at near Golden Core late-stage speed toward the Golden Tent Platform.
Once they had gone, Wei Tu stood silently in the shop for a while. He hesitated, then turned into a streak of light and trailed distantly behind the eagle.
A few breaths later, a hidden divine sense quietly withdrew from the Wei Clan Pill and Talisman Hall and returned to a large hall somewhere in Hujie Immortal City.
…
Thirty li outside of Hujie Immortal City, along a road that led to the Golden Tent Platform.
Several cultivators were hiding among the clouds. They blended perfectly into the mist around them, bodies flickering in and out of sight, like phantoms.
"Another half a quarter hour and Yuan Jie will be here," said a veiled woman with a pink face covering. She glanced at the sundial-like magical tool in her hand and spoke to the cultivators beside her.
"Your Highness, Yuan Jie is the heir chosen by Divine Master Du Long. If we ambush him and the Divine Master finds out… won't that be disastrous?"
A black-robed old man showed clear fear in his eyes. He shrank back as he spoke in a low voice.
The power of a Divine Master struck fear into every heart.
Offending someone like Divine Master Du Long didn't just mean death. It could mean being expelled from the tribe, branded a criminal, and having one's family condemned to slavery with no hope of redemption.
"The strong rule. That's the law of the tribes. As long as Yuan Jie hasn't inherited the title of king, he's just an ordinary tribesman. The royal court doesn't need a reason to kill him."
Yuan Ying's voice was cold.
Given the blood feud between Yuan Jie and the Right Virtuous King—after Yuan Jie killed the Second Prince—they could never coexist. If they didn't eliminate Yuan Jie now, once he took the throne, the Right Virtuous King's faction would have no chance left.
At that point, Yuan Jie would hold all the cards, and their faction would never rise again.
"Your Highness is absolutely right," said the black-robed old man, nodding. His fears eased.
The group fell into silence, quietly waiting.
Half a quarter hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Yuan Jie's team from the Cangkun Alliance appeared at the edge of the clouds in the distance.
"Baohua and Qian Yue True Lord aren't with him. Looks like the diversion worked."
The Eldest Princess Yuan Ying showed a flash of joy.
"A pity about Wei Tu. If only he'd chosen to serve our faction, he wouldn't be suffering the fate he is now."
She sighed.
In her eyes, Wei Tu was just a weak Golden Core cultivator being coerced by Daoist Wolfslayer. He was nothing to fear and had no chance of surviving a real assassination attempt by the Feng Wu Tribe.