Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

"Hongying, go to the Yuquan Mountain Marketplace and see if you can rent an Array. We can use its power to trap and kill Gong Shulan."

Wei Tu made the most prudent arrangement.

Renting an Array wasn't cheap, but this was no time to pinch pennies when a precious treasure was at stake.

"Alright, Uncle Wei." Kou Hongying nodded in agreement, preparing to leave the cliff and sneak off to the Yuquan Mountain Marketplace.

But as Kou Hongying began to move,

Gong Shulan's gaze immediately shifted to her and Wei Tu.

"Fairy Kou?" Gong Shulan recognized Kou Hongying's aura. Her cold eyes glinted, and she let out a soft laugh. "A dignified Foundation Establishment Master from Jingshui Pavilion, resorting to such sneaky business? Doesn't that tarnish the name of your Sect?"

Seeing that she had been discovered, Kou Hongying simply stopped hiding. She revealed herself and flashed her Sect Token at Gong Shulan. "Fellow Daoist Gong, don't make a fatal mistake and think of attacking me. Otherwise... if I summon a Golden Core True Monarch from my Sect, I'm afraid even with the help of this Human Puppet, you won't be able to escape."

Upon seeing the Sect Token,

A look of apprehension immediately appeared on Gong Shulan's face. She recalled the "Hu Yao" Human Puppet that had been preparing to strike Kou Hongying, pulling it back to her side.

Then, she knitted her fine brows and said, "Fairy Kou, you've been eavesdropping for so long, yet you haven't crushed your Token... You're probably not here with the intention of vanquishing a demon, but have other designs on my Gong Family's Secret Treasure..."

"But as you can see, Fairy Kou, I truly do not have the Gong Family's Secret Treasure on me. All I have... is this Human Puppet..."

"How about you let me go this once, Fairy Kou? I will be sure to reward you generously in the future."

The Help Tokens of the Three Immortal Sects were not to be crushed lightly, only in moments of true crisis.

However, if it was for the sake of eliminating a "Demonic Cultivator" like her, that was a different matter.

If Kou Hongying crushed the Token to summon experts from the Immortal Sect to eliminate a Demon Cultivator, not only would she not be punished, but she would also receive a reward.

Therefore,

Gong Shulan's attitude toward Kou Hongying, an Early-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, was not only far from confrontational but even held a hint of a plea.

"No need for future rewards!" Kou Hongying refused outright. She glanced at the Storage Bags tied to the two withered corpses and said with a laugh, "The contents of Ren Yifeng and Chentang's Storage Bags should be quite substantial. I hope Fellow Daoist Gong can part with them."

'Since seizing the "Gong Family's Secret Treasure" from Gong Shulan would be too difficult, settling for the next best thing—taking Ren Yifeng and Chentang's Storage Bags—is also a viable option.'

'The collections of two Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators would be enough to make her fabulously wealthy.'

"Fairy Kou, you are far too greedy!"

Upon hearing this, Gong Shulan's expression turned cold. She controlled "Hu Yao," preparing to strike Kou Hongying.

'This time, she had paid a considerable price to kill Ren Yifeng and the other man.'

'If she gave up these two Storage Bags, not only would she have gained nothing from this battle, she would have actually lost a significant portion of her resources.'

Of course,

Gong Shulan wasn't actually planning to attack Kou Hongying with "Hu Yao" at this moment. She wasn't that bold, not so close to the Yuquan Mountain Marketplace.

She was merely threatening Kou Hongying, hoping she would know when to quit while she was ahead and not push things too far.

Giving up one Storage Bag—

That, Gong Shulan could grudgingly accept.

"Fellow Daoist Gong, what if you add me to the equation?" At that moment, Wei Tu's indifferent voice echoed from nearby on the cliff.

"Wei Tu?" Gong Shulan's expression shifted slightly as she looked at the young Male Cultivator who had suddenly appeared before her.

'A Tier Two Talisman Master.'

'An Immortal Sect Foundation Establishment cultivator.'

'Although their combined strength couldn't compare to Ren Yifeng and his companion, the threat they posed to her was actually greater.'

'After all, she was no longer at her peak as she had been just moments ago.'

'And her techniques had been seen clearly by Wei Tu and Kou Hongying, who had been hiding nearby.'

"Fellow Daoist Gong?"

"Or should I say... Fellow Daoist Hu?"

Wei Tu revealed his True Body. He looked at Gong Shulan before him, his brow furrowing slightly as he spoke.

'Although he didn't know much about the Ghost Puppet Sect's Human Puppet Technique, judging from Chentang's reaction, it was obvious he hadn't known that Gong Shulan could transfer the damage taken by "Hu Yao."'

'From this small clue, he guessed that the Human Puppet Technique Gong Shulan was using was either more advanced than those commonly seen in the outside world, or... there was another reason.'

'And the fact that Gong Shulan's Human Puppet was none other than her sworn enemy, Hu Yao, forced him to question the true relationship between "Hu Yao" and "Gong Shulan."'

'Knowing Hu Yao's cautious nature, she wouldn't have easily left Danqiu Mountain, let alone allowed a "sworn enemy" like Gong Shulan to capture and refine her into a Human Puppet.'

Therefore,

Wei Tu had a bold guess—Hu Yao was Gong Shulan, and Gong Shulan was Hu Yao.

'Gong Shulan's cold and distant demeanor during the fight just now was very similar to the state he had seen Hu Yao in during her Cultivation at the Inner Collection in the Shantytown.'

'It was just a guess, however, and he wasn't certain.'

"Fellow Daoist Wei, you certainly have sharp eyes to have seen through my identity." Gong Shulan smiled, and her voice suddenly changed to that of "Hu Yao."

"To be honest with you, Fellow Daoist Wei, I possess a Ghost Spirit Body—One Soul, Two Bodies. From the very beginning, Hu Yao was merely my spare Physical Body."

Seeing Wei Tu, Gong Shulan seemed to have found someone to confide in. She let out a soft sigh and recounted everything that had happened to her on Danqiu Mountain.

"Over two hundred years ago, my grandfather—the Gong Family's Foundation Establishment Master—obtained the 'Blood Ghost Jade.' His potential had been exhausted, but he suddenly succeeded in his Foundation Establishment, shocking all of Danqiu Mountain..."

As Gong Shulan spoke,

Wei Tu finally understood. The Skull Jade Pendant that Gong Shulan had spat out earlier was indeed the Gong Family's ancestral Secret Treasure, but this "Blood Ghost Jade" Secret Treasure was also a powerful Killing Artifact.

"Besides condensing a 'Human Puppet,' the 'Blood Ghost Jade' could also use the puppet to absorb Essence Blood, thereby improving one's aptitude and increasing their potential."