After confirming how they'd split the benefits, Wei Tu and Cao Mi began discussing the timing and details of stripping Shen Yunqiu's true spirit essence.
"The sooner the better. Delay will only bring trouble," Cao Mi said slowly. "Ideally, we should act within the next few years."
"I've heard Shen Yunqiu is using her failure to break through half a month ago as an excuse. She's currently in seclusion, supposedly recovering in the back mountain of Yujing Mountain…"
"This is the perfect opportunity for us to move," she added, her face lighting up with excitement at the thought of getting the true spirit essence that could let her break into Nascent Soul.
After all, aside from the few reclusive Soul Transformation Venerables, Nascent Soul cultivators were the pinnacle of the Great Cang cultivation world, revered by countless people.
Compared to the eager Cao Mi, Wei Tu stayed calm and cautious. With the secret gate in Yujing Mountain's spiritual vein, they could use the Body-Remolding Spirit-Returning Array to cast spells at a distance and strike Shen Yunqiu from afar.
But the key problem was that Shen Yunqiu wasn't some solitary rogue cultivator—she was a high-ranking Golden Core elder in Mirror Water Pavilion with Nascent Soul potential.
If she called on Mirror Water Pavilion's Nascent Soul ancestor for help, their entire scheme could be exposed instantly. Then, instead of gaining anything, they'd end up facing serious trouble.
"The Moonshadow Snow Phoenix's essence used to be one of Mirror Water Pavilion's greatest treasures… Shen Yunqiu probably wouldn't call on the sect's Nascent Soul ancestor unless it's absolutely necessary," Cao Mi said.
Her excitement dimmed immediately, hesitation creeping into her expression. She had thought of this risk before but had let dreams of the huge rewards push it aside. Now, Wei Tu's words forced her to face it again.
"It would be best to lure Shen Yunqiu out of Mirror Water Pavilion and finish her off outside," Wei Tu suggested calmly.
"Of course, if Palace Master insists on going ahead now, I'll only help set up the array inside Moon Condensation Palace. I won't take part in the rest of the plan," he added.
By sticking just to the array setup and not the actual execution, he'd keep his own exposure to the absolute minimum—essentially eliminating his risk.
Even if things went wrong, Mirror Water Pavilion wouldn't dare flip things and seize Cao Mi, the palace master of Moon Condensation Palace, to forcibly soul-search her.
And thanks to the Heaven's Nether True Page oath, Wei Tu wasn't worried Cao Mi would ever reveal his involvement later.
Of course, this strategy could only protect him from direct evidence. It couldn't completely remove suspicion if Mirror Water Pavilion started guessing.
But Wei Tu wasn't concerned about that. Without hard proof, even if they suspected him, they'd have no way to act. It was just like when Shen Yunqiu had tried to ruin his daughter's cultivation with a fake breakthrough—Mirror Water Pavilion couldn't do anything without concrete evidence.
Moreover, compared to Mirror Water Pavilion, the powerful Ying Ding Tribe, with its three Grandmasters, was much stronger and could offer him protection.
"No, that won't do," Cao Mi shook her head, rejecting his suggestion.
The array's effectiveness didn't just depend on its level but also on whether the formation master controlled it directly.
If Wei Tu personally handled the Body-Remolding Spirit-Returning Array during the operation, the success rate would be over 80%. Without him at the helm, that chance would drop sharply.
"To avoid this danger, we'd have to make sure Shen Yunqiu can't call on her sect's Nascent Soul ancestor…" Cao Mi murmured, deep in thought.
But even after a long time, she couldn't come up with a good solution to resolve the dilemma.
"If an opportunity arises within the next few years, I'll contact you," Cao Mi finally sighed, ending the conversation for now with a note of helplessness.
She was willing to shoulder some risk herself, but it was clear Wei Tu had no intention of doing the same.
"My daughter still needs another year or two to stabilize her realm… During that time, I'll help Palace Master set up the formation," Wei Tu said after a pause. "As for whether you find a chance to act—that's up to fate."
Success depended on timing as much as planning. If destiny favored them, their preparations would become an inescapable deathtrap for Shen Yunqiu.
If not, at least this effort would repay the help Cao Mi had given him earlier. It was a way to balance favors and obligations.
"Agreed," Cao Mi nodded slightly, accepting his terms. As she did, she remembered what she'd thought when she first met Wei Tu: he really was an easy man to deal with.
…
With Bai Zhi's assistance, it didn't take Wei Tu long to lay the foundation for the Body-Remolding Spirit-Returning Array.
In less than two months, he completed this upper third-level array in Cao Mi's palace, ready to use against Shen Yunqiu when the time came.
After that, Wei Tu returned to his previous routine in Moon Condensation Palace, devoting most of his time to studying the Purple Candle Pill formula while waiting.
During this period, Fairy Bao Hua from Ying Ding Tribe visited Moon Condensation Palace once. She asked Wei Tu when he planned to return to the division—and, with a seemingly casual tone, probed about where Wei Yan, now a Golden Core cultivator, would pledge her allegiance in the future.
Unlike Wei Tu, after moving from Zheng Kingdom to Kang Kingdom, Wei Yan and Wei Xiuwen didn't officially join the Ying Ding Tribe. They were still registered as Zheng Kingdom cultivators living abroad, basically counted as rogue cultivators.
Wei Tu understood that Fairy Bao Hua's questions about Wei Yan's allegiance were mostly meant to test his loyalty to the Ying Ding Tribe.
After all, with its wealth and power, Ying Ding Tribe didn't lack average Golden Core cultivators like Wei Yan.
It was easy to predict: if he agreed to let Wei Yan join Ying Ding Tribe, both he and Wei Yan would receive more attention and resources from the division. From then on, apart from their birthplace, his family would be no different from native Kang Kingdom cultivators.
But Wei Tu felt conflicted about this decision.
First, Cao Mi had promised him earlier that if their plan succeeded, she'd give him part of Moon Condensation Palace's spiritual land so he could establish his own Golden Core family there.
Compared to being part of Ying Ding Tribe, founding a Golden Core family meant far more independence and a better future.
Second, the power of the She Ri Tribe and Feng Wu Tribe could reach into Ying Ding Tribe's territory.
Although he had no fear of revenge with his own cultivation level, his family would be exposed and vulnerable.
This was exactly why he'd always kept Wei Yan and Wei Xiuwen near Yujing Mountain—to avoid such risks.
"I may be Wei Yan's father, but I haven't managed her strictly… so I can't make a decision about her future alone," Wei Tu said gently, his tone sincere.
"Then once Wei Yan finishes consolidating her realm, I'll ask her directly," Fairy Bao Hua replied with a faint smile, setting the matter aside for now. Though she was a bit dissatisfied with Wei Tu's answer, she remembered he had once risked his life to save Yuan Jie, which softened her attitude.
"Daoist Wei, you're a senior member of our Cangkun Alliance. Even if Wei Yan doesn't join Ying Ding Tribe, it won't affect our relationship," she added seriously, pausing in her flight to look at Wei Tu before disappearing with a flick of her sleeve.
Wei Tu watched her go and just shook his head without saying more.
Though he felt torn about letting Wei Yan join Ying Ding Tribe, he truly didn't want to dictate her future for his own benefit.
It was the same reason he hadn't married the newborn Wei Yan off to Dan Yangong's son to seal a political alliance—providing resources didn't mean he should control his children's lives.
Now that Wei Yan was a Golden Core cultivator on par with him, she deserved her own say.
But just as Wei Tu was waiting for her to leave seclusion so he could ask her thoughts, a letter suddenly arrived.
"A letter from Junior Sister Su?" Wei Tu's eyebrows lifted when he saw Su Bing'er's name on the envelope, a bad feeling rising in his chest.
Though Su Bing'er liked him, she wasn't the type—unlike Nan Zi—to send him letters for no reason.
And it was right when Ancient Sword Mountain and Earth Sword Mountain were locked in a fierce war.
"Master… has fallen."
As he feared, the letter brought tragic news. Fate could not be defied.
Wei Tu finally understood what that phrase truly meant.
A year ago, when he returned to Kang Kingdom, he'd happened to find Che Gongwei and Su Bing'er in danger and had saved them both.
But now, a year later, Che Gongwei, caught in the middle of the two sects' battle, had still died.
And the killers were none other than the sword cultivator couple Wei Tu had let go before—Yao Chongshan and Guan Yingzhi.
"Yao Chongshan! Guan Yingzhi!" Wei Tu repeated their names, eyes fixed on the letter in his hand.
He'd spared them then because they'd had no grudge against him, and he wasn't part of Ancient Sword Mountain or the Loose Cultivator Alliance. He didn't want to involve himself in a war or become enemies with Earth Sword Mountain, a Nascent Soul sect.
But in letting them go, he'd unknowingly unleashed them to kill his master, Che Gongwei.
Of course, he knew that even if it hadn't been Yao Chongshan and Guan Yingzhi, Che Gongwei—trapped in the chaos of the two sects' war—would likely have died anyway. His chances of survival had always been slim.
Still, knowing exactly who was responsible filled Wei Tu with regret.
If only he'd been a little less rational back then, maybe the outcome would have changed.
"This grudge… I will avenge!" Wei Tu's eyes flashed with killing intent as he clenched the letter.
He had spared Yao Chongshan and Guan Yingzhi out of courtesy, not wanting to make enemies unnecessarily. He hadn't expected them to repay his mercy with treachery.
He hadn't expected gratitude—but on the battlefield, they should at least have shown some respect and spared Che Gongwei.
Anyone else might have killed his master as part of the war, but for those two, it was disgraceful and shameless to do so.