"How is Wei Tu this strong?"
Sun Chixin felt both joy and shock.
In fact, the shock outweighed the joy.
He was glad Wei Tu had killed Liu Kun cleanly without causing any commotion or drawing attention from the Mingwang Sect elders.
But what alarmed him more was that Wei Tu's strength was far beyond what he could accept.
With that kind of power, even at his own peak, Sun Chixin wasn't confident he could last a few moves against him—let alone survive.
Originally, the reason Sun Chixin chose to work with Wei Tu against the Mingwang Sect wasn't just because Wei Tu was a guest cultivator from Zheng Kingdom with no background in the Xiao Kingdom. It was also because he believed Wei Tu had some strength—but not too much. That made him a manageable ally, someone who wouldn't pose a threat after the deed was done.
After all, the Nascent Infant Pill was just too valuable. If the Golden Core cultivator he partnered with ended up getting it, there was always a chance he might break their heart-devil oath and kill him to keep it secret.
'If Wei Tu could kill Liu Kun in an instant, then his body cultivation must be at least mid-stage Tier Three. With talent like that, he shouldn't take the risk of breaking a heart-devil oath…'
At that thought, Sun Chixin's tightly furrowed brow relaxed a bit.
For cultivators who had no hope of reaching the Nascent Soul stage, heart-devil oaths weren't much of a deterrent. But for Golden Core cultivators with real potential, the oath's binding force was second only to a soul contract.
Breaking it would make the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation even harder to survive.
"Daoist Sun, find the Great Ming Tiger-Subduing Skill, now."
Seeing Sun Chixin spacing out, Wei Tu reminded him sharply.
Although the kill had been clean and quiet, there was still a good chance that Liu Kun had left behind some kind of soul-bound tool in the sect's ancestral hall—like a life token or soul lamp—that would alert the sect of his death.
Of course, "instant notice" still came with delay. It wasn't like the lamp would go out the moment he died.
Otherwise, Wei Tu wouldn't have killed Liu Kun that easily. He would've used a binding artifact to trap him first.
"Alright!" Sun Chixin nodded and flew into Liu Kun's private cave to search the books and scrolls.
Wei Tu also began rummaging through Liu Kun's storage pouch for signs of the Great Ming Tiger-Subduing Skill.
Before even a full cup of tea's time had passed, both Wei Tu and Sun Chixin found copies of the technique hidden by Liu Kun. Their eyes met briefly, then without saying a word, they left the cave at once.
Half a quarter-hour later, using their restriction-breaking beads, they successfully escaped from the Mingwang Sect.
The whole process went off without a hitch. No one from the sect noticed anything was wrong, and no one pursued them.
Once they were clear of the sect, the two didn't stop flying. They headed straight away, putting as much distance between them and the Mingwang Sect as fast as they could.
After about two hundred li, they finally stopped.
As soon as they did, Sun Chixin's face changed. He backed up several hundred steps, putting distance between him and Wei Tu.
"Daoist Wei, I swear—this operation, and the fact you obtained the Nascent Infant Pill—I will not tell a soul…"
Sun Chixin raised his hand and swore to the heavens.
Even though he knew that someone like Wei Tu—a young Golden Core cultivator with real promise—was unlikely to break a heart-devil oath and ruin his own cultivation path, what if?
What if Wei Tu didn't care about heart-devil oaths? What if he didn't believe in or fear the consequences?
Then he would die, just like that—with no one ever finding his bones.
Wei Tu didn't answer. He just stared at Sun Chixin with an amused expression, a half-smile on his lips. It looked like he could turn hostile at any moment.
The atmosphere instantly turned deadly still.
Sun Chixin's expression gradually tensed.
Under the mounting pressure, he finally gave in and took another step back.
"I'm willing to sign a soul contract with you, Daoist Wei. That way, I guarantee none of this will leak..."
He clenched his jaw as he said it.
Once the soul contract was signed, his life and death would be tied to Wei Tu's will.
Unlike Wei Tu, he would face immediate consequences. If Wei Tu broke the heart-devil oath, the punishment came later—possibly during tribulation. But for him, the risk was now, and very real.
He had no choice but to surrender.
As the words left his mouth, the amusement on Wei Tu's face finally faded. He responded at last.
"I've always believed in Daoist Sun's character. I can promise that once I reach the Nascent Soul stage, I'll return the soul contract to you."
Wei Tu paused, then made his promise.
Truthfully, even if Liu Kun hadn't been involved, Wei Tu had always planned to force Sun Chixin to sign a soul contract after they left the Mingwang Sect. It was the only way to ensure the Nascent Infant Pill remained secret.
The cultivation world was ruthless. If you acted too pure or trusted too easily, you'd end up paying for it.
Good people didn't live long.
Luckily, that little show of power when killing Liu Kun had sped things along. Sun Chixin had backed down fast, making Wei Tu's job easier.
And to be fair, Wei Tu wasn't out to enslave him. He had no such intention. Now that Sun Chixin had yielded, he was more than willing to promise to return the contract once he advanced to the Nascent Soul realm.
After breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage…
By then, Sun Chixin would no longer be a threat to him, and there'd be no reason to keep holding on so tightly.
As for Sun Yu, since Sun Chixin didn't know anything, Wei Tu wouldn't bother punishing his whole clan for it either.
"Nascent Soul realm…"
Hearing this, Sun Chixin let out a sigh of relief.
In the past, even though he knew Wei Tu was talented, he didn't believe he had a real shot at reaching the Nascent Soul realm.
But now that Wei Tu had a Nascent Infant Pill in hand, his confidence in Wei Tu's chances had grown significantly.
"This is my soul contract."
Sun Chixin acted fast. Without any hesitation, he drew out a strand of his divine soul and formed a soul contract, handing it to Wei Tu.
"Daoist Sun really handles things decisively."
Wei Tu gave him an approving nod.
Understanding pros and cons was one thing. Being able to act on that understanding was another. Most people could only do the first, not the second.
Not everyone could match their actions to their thoughts.
The two quickly signed the soul contract.
Right away, through the contract, Wei Tu sensed a faint but real bind between his soul and Sun Chixin's.
The contract didn't let Wei Tu kill Sun Chixin instantly. But seriously injuring him would be easy.
Also, thanks to the contract's spiritual link, Wei Tu could now track and pursue Sun Chixin across thousands or even tens of thousands of li.
"This is the three Nine Elephant Pills I promised you earlier."
Then Wei Tu took out a small pill bottle and tossed it to Sun Chixin.
The Nine Elephant Pill was a Tier-Two body refinement breakthrough pill. It was useless to Wei Tu now, but since Liao Prefecture was rich in body-refinement herbs, refining and selling these pills abroad could be extremely profitable.
So before this, Wei Tu had already prepared a full batch.
Now, he simply used them as payment for Sun Chixin.
"Daoist Wei, you truly are a man of your word."
Seeing the pills, Sun Chixin regained some trust in Wei Tu. He nodded, gave Wei Tu a polite salute, and turned to leave.
With the Great Ming Tiger-Subduing Skill and this bottle of Nine Elephant Pills, he had a clear path back to cultivation. There was no reason for him to return to Peach Immortal City to be some store manager anymore.
Once Sun Chixin was out of sight, Wei Tu thought for a moment, then turned and flew toward Peach Immortal City.
Sun Chixin had no reason to stay because there was no benefit left for him. But Wei Tu was different. By continuing to refine pills for the Fu siblings, he could still profit handsomely.
Besides, now that the Fu siblings knew his real identity, it wouldn't be right to leave without saying anything. It might cause trouble later.
At the same time, far away at Qing Lion Mountain in Feng Prefecture, the Mingwang Sect elders finally discovered Liu Kun's death—and that Ancestor Chishe's corpse had vanished.
"Could it be the remnants of Qingzhu Mountain?"
The Mingwang Sect elders were suspicious.
While Ancestor Chishe's corpse was valuable, to other Golden Core cultivators it was just a regular Tier-Four spiritual material—not worth the risk of stealing.
Only someone from Qingzhu Mountain would have the motive to steal it.
"Losing the corpse is one thing. After all these years, we never noticed anything strange... What truly matters is the cultivation of whoever killed Liu Kun…"
Inside the Thunder Sound Hall, an old man with graying hair sat at the head seat, his face heavy.
Liu Kun's corpse was gone.
They couldn't confirm how he died.
But they could reasonably deduce that the one who killed him was a Golden Core cultivator.
At the very least, mid-stage Golden Core.
"Most of Qingzhu Mountain's elders were wiped out. Over twenty years ago, only Sun Chixin and Gan Chengzhang managed to escape badly wounded..."
"Besides them, back in Zheng Kingdom, Qingzhu Mountain's True Lord Wanhai also went missing. There's a real chance that the intruder is Wanhai."
The Mingwang Sect elders discussed.
Mid-stage Golden Core wasn't enough to kill Liu Kun in one clean hit. Only someone like True Lord Wanhai, at the peak of Golden Core, could pull that off so quietly.
What the elders didn't know was that Wanhai had actually died long ago. Qingzhu Mountain had confirmed it but kept it secret because of how important he was to the sect.
Wei Tu, for his part, could never have guessed that a Nascent Soul cultivator dead for over 100 years had accidentally taken the blame for him—and become the top suspect in the eyes of the Mingwang Sect.
"Contact Youmen. Step up the wanted notices for True Lord Wanhai, Sun Chixin, and Gan Chengzhang."
The gray-haired old man gave his order.
Youmen, full name Taiyou Sect, was once one of the dominant forces in the Xiao Kingdom. But after the righteous-demonic war ten thousand years ago, their power declined. From a top-tier sect, they fell to being just another minor immortal sect in the Xiao Kingdom.
Several thousand years ago, the Taiyou Sect chose a new path. They began working behind the scenes for the major sects, rebranding themselves as Youmen, handling tasks inconvenient for righteous sects.
One of their jobs was bounty hunting.
"Yes, Sect Master."
Yuan Chunhe, standing in the hall, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He bowed and accepted the command.
As manager of the Silver Moon Pool, he held some responsibility for the loss of Ancestor Chishe's corpse.
The gray-haired elder hadn't mentioned that matter—at least not yet. That was already doing him a favor.