Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 663 - 647: Lost and Found, Seeking Truth Treasure Mirror [Request for Monthly Tickets, Request for Subscription]
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The "Ten Thousand Miles Soul Chasing Technique" was not as easily performed as Zhouyang had imagined. After the Chen Family Ancestor obtained the fresh blood of the sand bandit provided by him, they still needed to prepare a specialized altar to cast the spell.
This was also the first time Zhouyang had heard that spell casting required altar materials to be prepared.
Following the principle of asking when in doubt, after returning to the residence arranged by the Chen family for the three Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Zhou family, Zhouyang curiously asked the old clan leader, Zhou Minghan, about this matter.
Not only was he curious about this question, but so was Zhou Xuanhao. Their time in Foundation Establishment was still too short, and in terms of knowledge and experience, they certainly weren't as strong as an experienced cultivator like Zhou Minghan, who had been in Foundation Establishment for over a hundred years.
Moreover, whether the Chen Family Ancestor could succeed was a matter of concern to their Zhou family, as it related to whether they could obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill decades later. Naturally, they had more reason to be concerned about this matter.
"It's normal for you not to know about this, Xiao Jiu. In fact, many cultivators don't know that the 'Ten Thousand Miles Soul Chasing Technique' is not actually a Tier Four High-grade Spell, but a genuine Tier Five Magic!"
"However, many years ago, a senior cultivator, while researching the blood sacrifice secret techniques of the Demon Dao, discovered that some aspects of this spell could be substituted with the blood sacrifice technique of the Demon Dao, allowing Late-Stage Purple Mansion cultivators to cast this technique using an altar."
"But since the blood sacrifice technique is an evil technique strictly forbidden by the Immortal Dao, that senior cultivator modified the blood sacrifice technique, creating an alternative method that uses an array altar to replace the blood sacrifice technique."
"Casting the spell using an array altar is inherently an auxiliary method used by high-tier cultivators when performing high-tier magic. It is said that high-tier spells above Tier Five often take half an hour or a quarter of an hour to cast. Without the support of an array altar, this level of magic is simply unusable in actual combat!"
Zhou Minghan slowly revealed the information he knew while looking at Zhouyang and his son's curious expressions.
This type of information is hard to come by for Foundation Establishment cultivators, and many independent Foundation Establishment cultivators may never encounter these messages in their lifetimes.
The circle of high-tier cultivators with Purple Mansion Cultivation and above is relatively closed. Especially in isolated places like the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm, where interactions are inconvenient, high-tier cultivators may not see each other for decades, let alone engage in magical combat.
This results in many low-tier cultivators, who have never witnessed these high-tier cultivators in magical combat, having no intuitive understanding of the combat situation among high-tier cultivators.
Most people still assume that battles between high-tier cultivators, like those of Qi Cultivation Stage or Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, rely on magic artifacts and spells, only with more advanced magic artifacts and spells!
In reality, this is a huge misconception. Magical combat among high-tier cultivators involves many more techniques than low-tier cultivators and is far more exciting.
After giving Zhouyang and his son a talk about the situation of high-tier cultivators, Zhou Minghan finally sighed with emotion, saying to the two of them:
"The Desert Sea Cultivation Realm is relatively closed, and it's even rarer to see high-tier cultivators fighting in the Baisha River Oasis Cultivation Realm. It's normal that you haven't seen much of it. In the future, as you progress in your cultivation, go to other large oases and exchange more with Foundation Establishment cultivators from major sects like the Yellow Sand Sect. Then you'll know that battles between high-tier cultivators involve far more than just magic artifacts and spells!"
Zhouyang and Zhou Xuanhao exchanged a glance upon hearing his words, seeing a hint of longing in each other's eyes.
Even though they were only listening to Zhou Minghan's narration of high-tier cultivators in magical combat, their minds had already automatically imagined many scenarios. If what Zhou Minghan said was true, then the battle scenes between high-tier cultivators were indeed awe-inspiring!
Seeing the daydreaming father and son, Zhou Minghan knew exactly what they were thinking. He waved his hand irritably to interrupt their thoughts and said, "Don't think too much now. You have plenty of opportunities to learn in the future. Xiao Jiu, go immediately and refine the spirit pill given by Elder Chen. Losing essence blood is not a joke. Don't take it lightly."
Although Zhouyang was young, he was well aware of the importance of essence blood. Since Zhou Minghan had spoken, he quickly went into seclusion in a quiet room.
The "Jade Essence Pill" given by the Chen Family Ancestor was a Tier Three Lower Grade Pill with miraculous effects in restoring the essence blood lost by Foundation Establishment cultivators. After spending seven days and nights fully refining the pill's medicinal power, he finally replenished the essence blood lost from using the "Blood Escape Technique."
With the lost essence blood replenished, the ghastly pale complexion of Zhouyang finally returned to normal.
However, after recovering, he did not immediately exit seclusion but began organizing the gains from his recent expedition.
The harvest mainly consisted of two parts: one from the "Thousand Machines Grotto Heaven" adventure, and the other from the sand bandit at the Foundation Establishment Stage that he killed with the "Qianyang Celestial Sword."
In the "Thousand Machines Grotto Heaven," Zhouyang obtained a Tier Three Lower Grade Artifact Refining Cauldron, the "Phoenix Pattern Purple Gold Cauldron," and several cultivation technique secret technique inheritances. At that time, because Chen Pingzhi was in a hurry to return, neither he nor his companion had the chance to refine the spiritual artifacts just obtained, let alone comprehend those secret techniques.
At this moment, Zhouyang took out the "Phoenix Pattern Purple Gold Cauldron" from his storage bag. Looking at this shining Tier Three Spiritual Artifact, he couldn't help but shake his head.
This expedition to the "Thousand Machines Grotto Heaven" also taught him a lesson: in the future, if he obtains treasure like a magical artifact that can directly increase combat power, it's best to refine it as soon as possible.
If Chen Pingzhi had not been in a hurry to return and had first refined the magical artifacts and puppet beasts obtained in the cave dwelling, the final result would have been entirely different.
The "Phoenix Pattern Purple Gold Cauldron," as a Tier Three Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact, is not only used for artifact refining but also has the function of absorbing the opponent's true flames.
Some Foundation Establishment cultivators who practice advanced fire element techniques often have true flame divine techniques such as "Samadhi True Flame" and "Profound Yang True Flame."
After Zhouyang refined the "Phoenix Pattern Purple Gold Cauldron," when encountering such cultivators using true flame divine techniques, he could absorb their true flames with the artifact, temporarily neutralizing their divine techniques.
Of course, if the opponent's true flame divine techniques are too strong, like his "Qianyang True Flame," it would be difficult for the "Phoenix Pattern Purple Gold Cauldron" to suppress them due to its grade.
Refining the "Phoenix Pattern Purple Gold Cauldron" took Zhouyang about three days. After refining this spiritual artifact, he finally had time to search through the storage bags picked up from the sand bandits.
This was the first time he obtained a Foundation Establishment cultivator's storage bag. The capacity of this storage bag alone was three zhang in size, which was the capacity Zhouyang's primary storage bag had before he reached Foundation Establishment.
Of course, after establishing his foundation, he replaced it with a storage bag with a five zhang capacity from the clan's treasure vault. So now, with this storage bag, he had three storage bags with capacities exceeding one zhang.
The contents of the sand bandit's storage bag were quite abundant, containing over two thousand spirit stones and many Tier Two spirit pills, magical artifacts, talismans, as well as spirit herbs, spirit elixirs, and jade scrolls. Eighty to ninety percent of these were looted during the last raid on Baisha River Oasis.
However, it was evident that this sand bandit did not hold a high position within the bandit group. During their last plunder of Baisha River Oasis, they seized at least ten or eight Tier Three Spiritual Artifacts, but when he fought Zhouyang, he only had a Tier Three Lower Grade flying sword available.
That Tier Three Lower Grade flying sword was a fire attribute flying sword, which Zhouyang could use, but he already possessed the "Red Profound Golden Light Sword" and the "Poisonous Fire Flying Fork," so he did not plan to refine another overlapping artifact.
Coincidentally, the Zhou Family's newly opened "Jade Spring Tower" still lacked a centerpiece treasure, and Zhouyang planned to hang this Tier Three Lower Grade Flying Sword in the tower as a treasure to attract attention.
He slightly organized the contents of the sand bandit's storage bag, separating the raw materials for artifact refining, alchemy, and talisman making into one storage bag, while placing the finished treasures like magical artifacts, spirit talismans, and spirit pills into another storage bag and separately categorizing the jade scrolls and books into a third category.
As the patriarch of a cultivation clan, Zhouyang knew deeply that the most important thing for a clan was not a powerful artifact, nor a type of spirit pill or talisman, but the transmission of knowledge.
No matter how powerful an artifact is, it requires sufficient strength to use it. No matter how useful a spirit pill or talisman is, they are consumables that only a few people can use, and once used up, they're gone.
However, knowledge can be passed down for generations, benefiting all members of the clan.
Therefore, Zhouyang always paid more attention to jade scrolls that contained knowledge than to artifacts and elixirs.
He released his divine sense to examine each jade scroll, preparing to further choose them to categorize cultivation techniques and secret techniques separately from odd stories and records for collection.
To his shock, he discovered something that changed his expression drastically.
He held a white jade scroll with a drastic change in his expression, his eyes filled with intense horror.
The jade scroll recorded a demonic secret technique called "Bloodthirsty Demon Saber," which allows the practitioner to refine and nurture a "Bloodthirsty Demon Saber" similar to the "Qianyang Celestial Sword" within their body.
However, to refine the "Bloodthirsty Demon Saber," the cultivator must first possess an adequately intense "Blood Evil Qi."
What is "Blood Evil Qi"?
The so-called "Blood Evil Qi" is essentially the resentful qi a cultivator acquires after slaughtering humans or demon beasts.
The "Blood Evil Qi" on a typical cultivator is very faint, and as long as they refrain from killing for a while, this "Blood Evil Qi" will dissipate.
Only those cultivators who regularly kill humans and hunt demons possess a more intense "Blood Evil Qi." Such individuals usually have a unique aura, making them easy to recognize.
According to the secret technique recorded in the jade scroll Zhouyang held, a cultivator must kill ten thousand mortals or hundreds of Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators within a year to form the "Bloodthirsty Demon Saber"!
Killing to cultivate is a typical characteristic of demon dao techniques!
The sand bandit who died at Zhouyang's hands certainly hadn't cultivated the "Bloodthirsty Demon Saber," otherwise, he wouldn't have died so easily.
But why did this "Bloodthirsty Demon Saber" secret technique appear on him?
Just thinking about this sent chills down Zhouyang's spine.
He couldn't help but recall the Blood Demon Secret Technique he initially obtained from a Qi Cultivation Stage sand bandit. Was this really just a coincidence?
Coincidental things of course aren't impossible, such as Zhouyang's acquisition of the "Qianyang Treasure Pearl," which was an extremely fortuitous event.
But a series of coincidences certainly isn't coincidental.
The sand bandits who attacked the Baisha River Oasis, though none had ever exposed traces of Demon Dao Techniques and Divine Techniques, Zhouyang repeatedly obtained Demonic Secret Techniques from their storage bags, which was enough to associate them with the legendary demonic cultivators.
Of course, all this was just his speculation for now. The Demonic Secret Techniques he obtained could only serve as proof for this speculation and couldn't prove that those sand bandits were disguised demonic cultivators.
Because it's merely speculation, he couldn't treat his guess as fact and report it directly to the Chen Family Ancestor and Zhang Yunpeng.
After all, the appearance of demonic cultivators is a significant matter. If it turns out true, the entire Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm could be shaken.
If he reports the matter without being 100% sure of its authenticity and something happens in the future, he would be held responsible!
"Anyway, the Chen Family Ancestor is about to use a spell to track the whereabouts of those sand bandits. Once they are found and eliminated, the truth will naturally become clear. Why should I wade into these muddy waters?"
Zhouyang's expression fluctuated briefly before ultimately deciding not to report his speculation yet, aiming for no achievement but also no mistakes.
He flipped his hand and stored the Jade Scroll recording the "Bloodthirsty Demon Saber" deep within his most frequently used storage bag.
This Demonic Secret Technique was one he definitely wouldn't practice, nor allow anyone else in the Zhou Family to practice. Yet, he didn't need to rush to destroy it now; keeping it handy might prove useful later.
Next, Zhouyang quickly browsed through the other Jade Scrolls found on the sand bandits and categorically organized all these scrolls.
Then, he took out the Jade Scroll for puppet beast refinement obtained from the "Thousand Machines Grotto Heaven" and another scroll recording the Spiritual Sense Secret Technique.
Puppet Beasts are a special type of magical artifact, and their crafting methods differ greatly from normal artifacts. They don't require a cultivator to use magical power to control them but can use spirit stones to replace magical power as a power source.
It's said that high-tier puppet beasts, above Tier Five, possess spiritual intelligence and can automatically assist their master in battle like pets. Consequently, those famous for refining puppet beasts prefer to call themselves "Puppet Masters."
The Jade Scroll Zhouyang obtained contained twelve methods for refining puppet beasts, including three for Tier One, seven for Tier Two, and two for Tier Three.
Earlier in the "Thousand Machines Grotto Heaven," he didn't have time to thoroughly study these puppet beast refining methods. Now with some free time, as an outstanding Artifact Refiner, he certainly wouldn't pass up the chance to research them.
However, after carefully reviewing several Tier One and Tier Two puppet beast refining methods, he immediately ceased further research and shook his head, putting away the Jade Scroll.
It's not that he didn't want to continue studying; he had just discovered that even the simplest Tier One High-Grade Puppet Beast was more complex than an ordinary Tier Two High-Grade Spiritual Artifact in construction.
Under such circumstances, wanting to completely grasp all twelve puppet beast refining methods was impossible without ten to eight years. Currently, he didn't have that much time to invest in such undertakings.
Setting aside the puppet beast refining methods, Zhouyang picked up the Jade Scroll detailing the Spiritual Sense Secret Technique to study.
This time, a smile finally appeared on his face.
The Spiritual Sense Secret Technique mentioned in the Jade Scroll was called the "Godslaying Needle," a technique for attacking the enemy's divine sense soul through divine sense, known as a Spiritual Sense Killing Secret Technique. Once the technique is mastered, it allows the practitioner to condense a portion of their divine sense into a needle to pierce the enemy's brain.
If pierced by the "Godslaying Needle," anyone with divine sense strength weaker than Zhouyang would experience unbearable intense pain in the head. If much weaker, their Sea of Consciousness might even be punctured directly, leaving them a "Living Dead" without consciousness.
However, though the "Godslaying Needle" is formidable, it is not without flaws: it's most inadvisable to use against anyone with a higher divine sense intensity than oneself.
If the opponent's divine sense strength exceeds one's own, using the "Godslaying Needle" not only fails to harm the enemy but permanently damages that portion of one's divine sense, leading to a state of unconsciousness.
And a cultivator's divine sense is even harder to recover than essence blood. Spiritual objects that enhance divine sense are exceedingly rare treasures of unparalleled value, impossible to measure simply by spirit stones.
Zhouyang's divine sense has always far surpassed his peers. Though the "Godslaying Needle" has a fatal flaw, its advantages for him are enough to entirely overshadow that flaw.
The benefits of a divine sense attack are tremendous, not only in its unpredictable attack method but also in the fact that it can't typically be defended against with ordinary magical artifacts or magic spells. Those specifically guarding against divine sense attacks aren't something Foundation Establishment cultivators can possess.
As long as Zhouyang masters the Secret Technique "Godslaying Needle" and combines it with his inherent "Qianyang True Flame," even a Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator could unwittingly fall to him in an instant.
However, just as he was about to seclude himself to ponder over the Secret Technique "Godslaying Needle," he suddenly received a Sound Transmission Talisman from the old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan. It turned out that after many days of preparation, the Chen Family Ancestor was finally ready to perform the "Ten Thousand Miles Soul-Chasing Technique."
At White Camel Peak.
When Zhouyang and the three Zhou Family Foundation Establishment Cultivators arrived outside the Chen Family's newly set up Array Altar, more than thirty Foundation Establishment Cultivators had already gathered.
Among these more than thirty Foundation Establishment Cultivators, besides the ten wearing yellow Magic Robes from the Yellow Sand Sect, the rest were all senior members from the Chen Family and Cultivation Clans near the Baisha River Oasis, with no Loose Cultivator among them.
Among them, Zhouyang saw Liu Qingsong and Yang Xingyan, whom he had visited at Jingming Peak. They had each brought a Clan Foundation Establishment Cultivator and came as summoned to join the battle.
Upon the arrival of the three Zhou Family Foundation Establishment Cultivators, the ten Yellow Sand Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivators merely glanced at them and shifted their attention elsewhere, while the Foundation Establishment Cultivators from other families near the Baisha River Oasis nodded and greeted Zhou Minghan and Zhou Xuanhao with smiles.
Zhouyang, as a newly advanced Foundation Establishment Cultivator, was perhaps known by many here, though not many had actually met him. Seeing that the Chen Family Ancestor had not yet begun the ritual, Zhou Minghan naturally took the opportunity to introduce him to other Foundation Establishment Cultivators from different families, helping him to integrate into the Foundation Establishment Cultivators' circle in the Baisha River Oasis Cultivation Realm.
This is the benefit of being a Clan Cultivator. As long as one's cultivation is sufficient, one can effortlessly enter the circle of peer Cultivators through the connections of clan elders.
If it were an ordinary Loose Cultivator, even if they were lucky enough to establish their Foundation, their network among peer Foundation Establishment Cultivators would be a blank slate. Attempting to establish friendships with peer Cultivators and enter the circle of surrounding Foundation Establishment Cultivators would require considerable time and effort in the future.
While connections do not directly enhance one's cultivation, everyone recognizes their importance.
A simple example: in the Baisha River Oasis Cultivation Realm, Tier Three and above elixirs and artifacts can only be crafted by a few families, and they rarely directly sell them in family shops. If they do, it's often with a high price to attract attention.
Without connections and relationships with Tier Three Refiners and Alchemists, one would have to endure being fleeced with high prices to acquire such items.
However, if you know those Tier Three Refiners and Alchemists and have some rapport, you can directly negotiate purchasing with them, and the price will certainly be much lower than those in the shop.
Yang Xingyan, the Patriarch of the Yang Family in Golden Spring Valley, gave Zhouyang the evaluation "Purple Mansion is Expected," showing his optimism about Zhouyang's future path.
And any other family that can nurture a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, who among them isn't wise?
In the absence of any significant enmity with the Zhou Family, who would refuse to establish connections with Zhouyang?
Not to mention Zhouyang is now the Clan Leader of the Zhou Family, a Tier Two High-grade Refiner who is destined to become a Tier Three Refiner.
Thus, after Zhou Minghan briefly introduced Zhouyang's situation, other families' Foundation Establishment Cultivators respectfully accepted him into their circle with smiles and nods.
As Zhouyang conversed with these Foundation Establishment Cultivators, he also discreetly observed the altar prepared for the "Ten Thousand Miles Soul-Chasing Technique."
The altar appeared in a bagua shape with eight faces, nine feet high, and about three zhang in diameter, entirely cast from Refined Iron.
Each face of the bagua-shaped altar had a black Dharma Banner planted, with characters written on the banner using Cinnabar Blood Ink to draw Spirit Talismans that Zhouyang could not comprehend.
The Chen Family Ancestor was sitting cross-legged on the altar, resting with his eyes closed, but Zhang Yunpeng was nowhere to be seen.
There wasn't much to see about the altar, so after glancing at it for a while, Zhouyang shifted his focus to another person, a slim middle-aged man wearing a silvery-white Daoist Robe with a long sword sheathed on his back.
This person was none other than the first Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Chen Family, Chen Ping'an, and the elder brother of the already deceased Chen Pingzhi.
Previously, when the Chen Family Ancestor investigated the cause of Chen Pingzhi's death, Chen Ping'an was unaware that his younger brother had perished, but now he certainly knew.
Since appearing, Zhouyang felt a scrutinizing gaze on him, understanding it was from Chen Ping'an.
After all, with the death of a younger brother, even with the Chen Family Ancestor's use of the Heart Inquiry Skill to question him, Chen Ping'an was clearly holding some views towards Zhouyang who had accompanied Chen Pingzhi out.
Feeling uneasy under his gaze, Zhouyang ultimately decided to brace himself, step forward, and greeted, "Junior pays respect to Elder Chen, regarding Elder Chen Pingzhi's matters, junior is truly sorry…"
