Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 674 - 658: Dragon Transformation Technique, Slaying the Dragon! [12,000-Word - ]

FD,误订阅的话,三点半后再看!）

"Who is it? Who did it? Who exactly did this?"

In the sky above the scorched Golden Dawn Mountain, the gigantic tower ship that had left for over twenty days appeared once more.

Just as Zhouyang had thought when he first saw the devastation of Golden Dawn Mountain, the instant Elder Chen of the Chen Family saw their marketplace turned into a wasteland, he furiously flew off the tower ship and descended onto the peak of Golden Dawn Mountain, his hair and beard bristling as he let out a thunderous roar.

This roar, empowered by his strong magical power at the Eighth Layer of the Purple Mansion, could be heard for a hundred miles around, truly shaking the land for miles.

Zhouyang and others, who had been temporarily settling on a barren mountain not far from Golden Dawn Mountain, shuddered at the roar, their eyes instantly filled with ecstatic joy.

"They're back, the elder clan leader and the others are back!"

The youngest, Zhou Xiong, couldn't help but shout out, tears of joy already streaming from his eyes.

In these days, they had been under too much pressure, unable to sleep soundly, like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow, ready to summon their magical artifacts into a fighting stance at the slightest disturbance, their nerves stretched to the breaking point.

Zhouyang, with his mental fortitude and higher cultivation, fared better, managing to hold on, but those like Zhou Xiong, younger and with lower cultivation, were on the brink of collapse.

Now finally seeing the long-awaited return of the elder clan leader, the pressure accumulated in his heart over days completely released, and loss of control over his emotions was quite natural.

Even Zhouyang, though not showing it on his face, sighed deeply with relief in his heart, his eyes also revealed a flicker of excited joy.

"Let's go, let's meet the elder clan leader; he must be very worried right now."

He reached out and patted his emotionally overwhelmed clan brother on the shoulder, nodded to the two clan sisters whose faces were likewise streaked with tears of joy, and led them out of the cave toward Golden Dawn Mountain.

Zhouyang guessed correctly; upon seeing Golden Dawn Mountain turned into a wasteland, the returning Zhou Minghan and the other Zhou Family elders felt just as angry and anxious as did Elder Chen.

Especially elder clan leader Zhou Minghan, whose granddaughter, grandson-in-law, great-granddaughter, and Zhouyang, seen as the family's successor and inheritor of artifact refining skills, were all in the marketplace.

If anything had happened to any of these people, it would have been a massive blow to him, and if all were harmed...

"Look quickly, elder clan leader, look, Xiao Jiu, it's Xiao Jiu, Xiao Jiu and the others are safe, they're safe!"

On the gigantic tower ship, as Zhouyang led the group swiftly toward them, Sixth Elder Zhou Xuanbin, who was anxiously watching from the railing, immediately jumped up and shouted excitedly.

Hearing his shout, several members of the Zhou Family trembled, quickly following his gaze. When they saw Zhouyang rushing over, they collectively sighed with relief.

"Xiao Jiu, what exactly happened here? Why has Golden Dawn Mountain become like this? Why are only the four of you here? Where are your foster mother and the others?"

As soon as Zhouyang arrived beneath the gigantic tower ship, elder clan leader Zhou Minghan descended from the sky to his side, his face filled with confusion and concern as he asked a myriad of questions.

Not daring to delay, he immediately recounted everything that happened after the elder clan leader and others left, except the unverified suspicions, as this was not the place to speak of such speculations.

"Heartless! Absolutely heartless!"

As he expected, upon hearing his account, each individual, including elder clan leader Zhou Minghan, was livid, their anger erupting vigorously.

In truth, it wasn't just the Zhou Family; since Zhouyang didn't use a sound insulation technique while speaking, other Foundation Establishment cultivators on the gigantic tower ship heard him too, as did Elder Chen, who had roared earlier in the sky.

At this moment, upon hearing his story, Elder Chen's body shook, his eyes flashed with brilliance, and he stared at him with a stern voice: "Junior from the Zhou Family, you say there were Purple Mansion stage cultivators among the sand bandits, is this true?"

Even though the late-stage Purple Mansion cultivator did not use any magic, Zhouyang felt as though he was carrying a heavy burden under his gaze.

"In response to Elder Chen's inquiry, this junior has never personally witnessed a Purple Mansion stage cultivator among the sand bandits. Like most others, I've only heard of such matters from the sand bandit leader. At that time, the three Chen family elders in the marketplace seemed to believe this statement as well, and until the marketplace's grand array was breached, no one came to support!"

Under immense pressure, Zhouyang didn't even dare to lift his head to look at Elder Chen's face. He merely lowered his head and respectfully conveyed everything he knew, without any embellishments or concealment.

Lying and showing off intelligence in front of a Purple Mansion stage cultivator was not something he would foolishly attempt, especially since this particular cultivator was currently in a state of extreme anger.

Elder Chen also believed he wouldn't dare deceive him. Therefore, upon hearing his answer, this Purple Mansion cultivator, who had lived for over four hundred years, suddenly focused his gaze, a terrifying murderous intent erupting from his eyes that made Zhouyang's heart skip a beat.

"Since Ping'an and the others haven't come to aid, it seems there's no doubt about it. Very well, very well!"

Witnessing Elder Chen teetering on the edge of losing control, not only did Zhouyang refrain from sneakily observing, but even Zhou Minghan and other Foundation Establishment cultivators trembled in spirit, collectively became silent, acting as if they were wooden puppets.

Fortunately, Elder Chen was ultimately a high-tier master at the late-stage of the Purple Mansion, with a cultivation far above ordinary people. Even though his anger reached its peak, he wouldn't vent it on these allies who had fought alongside him.

Boom—

Zhouyang only saw Elder Chen's hand flash with fire, and the front of the Golden Dawn Mountain, previously scorched white, suffered once more as it became the target for the Purple Mansion stage cultivator to vent his fury. Half a mountain peak was pulverized into ashes with this strike.

Such is the terror of a Purple Mansion cultivator!

"Let's go back to White Camel Ridge first; this matter won't be settled just like that!"

With one strike, half a mountain peak collapsed. Elder Chen's anger slightly receded, then he waved his large sleeve. Zhouyang, Zhou Yuanchun, and several Zhou clan members were involuntarily drawn onto the gigantic tower ship and, together with the elder clan leader and others, flew towards the Chen Family's ancestral ground at White Camel Ridge.

The distance from Golden Dawn Mountain to the Chen Family's ancestral ground at White Camel Ridge spans several hundred miles, which would take Zhouyang alone at least half a day to traverse.

But riding on Elder Chen's gigantic tower ship magical artifact, it was less than half an hour before he saw the towering and majestic White Camel Ridge's main peak, White Camel Peak.

White Camel Peak, as the main peak of White Camel Ridge, rises over a thousand meters and is one of the tallest mountains in the Desert Sea.

It's said that White Camel Peak originally had a spirit vein rank as high as Tier Four Lower Grade. It was initially the nest of a Tier Four demon beast. Later, a cultivator slew the demon beast and claimed this peak, which marked Baisha River Oasis as a crucial gathering place for cultivators within the Desert Sea.

Once the Chen Family seized White Camel Peak from a certain cultivation clan, and after hundreds of years of nurturing, the spirit vein level of White Camel Peak rose to Tier Four Top Grade, second only to the Tier Five spirit vein at the Yellow Sand Sect headquarters.

Today, atop White Camel Peak, following hundreds of years of construction by Chen Family cultivators, the mountain boasts various splendid palace buildings and pavilions, and over half of the family's thousand cultivators continuously cultivate on the mountain.

Standing at the railing of the gigantic tower ship, Zhouyang employed the "Celestial Eye Technique" to gaze upon White Camel Peak. Everywhere he looked was an expanse of dazzling spiritual light, mostly emitted by high-tier spirit grass and spirit wood planted on the peak, and some manifested from the magical powers of cultivators on the mountain.

The Tier Two high-grade spirit wood [Dragon Scale Tree], cherished by the Zhou Family, was one of many similar-tier spirit woods Zhouyang spotted on White Camel Peak. He even saw three or four kinds of Tier Three spirit wood, including some Tier Three spirit fruit trees, that the Zhou Family lacked.

This was only what he saw; similar to the Spirit Medicine Garden managed at Jade Spring Peak, several Spirit Medicine Gardens had been established at White Camel Peak, all concealed by array power, making it impossible for outsiders to view within.

Considering the Chen family's legacy spans seven to eight hundred years, Zhouyang wouldn't be surprised if those Spirit Medicine Gardens housed invaluable thousand-year-old spirit elixirs.

"This is the true essence of a prominent clan!"

Caught in contemplation, his eyes reflected a deep envy.

A clan like the Chen Family, which for generations harbors multiple Foundation Establishment cultivators and has produced Purple Mansion cultivators several times, is truly a distinguished clan within the cultivation realm.

Compared to such well-established clans, Zhou Family, a smaller clan, differs immensely in terms of high-tier cultivators and in countless other aspects.

"I have matters to discuss with the clan elders; fellow Daoists, please stay temporarily at Jingming Peak nearby. Once the Foundation Establishment Pills are successfully refined, I will send notification for you to participate in the auction at White Camel Peak."

Just as Zhouyang thought he might ascend White Camel Peak to glimpse the grandeur of the Purple Mansion clan's foundation, the gigantic tower ship suddenly landed at the mountain, and Elder Chen's indifferent voice echoed in everyone's ears on the ship.

He hadn't figured out what happened yet when a tremendous force pushed him off the tower ship and onto the ground, bewildered alongside his clan brothers and sisters.

Only the old clan leader, Zhou Minghan, and several elder Zhou family members, including Zhou Xuanbin, seemed unsurprised, clearly having prepared for this.

"Let's go. Since Elder Chen has already made arrangements, we shall temporarily reside at Jingming Peak. Let me lead the way," Zhou Minghan nodded lightly, spoke a few words, and then took the lead, flying towards a slightly smaller peak near White Camel Peak with his sword light.

The younger generation members of the family, including Zhouyang, felt filled with disappointment, but they had no choice but to use the Light Body Technique to follow.

Jingming Peak is a small peak, a few hundred meters tall, on White Camel Ridge, located less than fifty miles from the main peak of White Camel Ridge. Originally, there was a Tier Two Middle Grade Natural Spiritual Vein on the mountain, nurtured by the Chen family to Tier Three Lower Grade, accommodating two or three Foundation Establishment Cultivators and over a hundred Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators.

However, the number of cultivators thrown off the tower ship by Elder Chen to this spiritual peak far exceeded its capacity limit. Approximately ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators and dozens of Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators crowded this small mountain peak, rendering the spiritual vein's spiritual qi insufficient for distribution.

Since Jingming Peak is ultimately the Chen family's spirit peak, none of them in these minor family cultivators dared to shoulder the accusation of damaging it and risk angering the Chen family.

Therefore, Zhou Minghan and ten or so Foundation Establishment Cultivators discussed and decided that for now, none should cultivate, instead directing the mountain's spiritual vein qi to supply their respective family Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators. If anyone needed to cultivate, they would refine spirit stones for their practice.

Zhouyang, with a Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation of cultivation, couldn't advance further, thus requiring little spiritual qi, and now lacked the mood for cultivation anyway.

After the Zhou family settled on Jingming Peak, the old clan leader called Zhouyang into a secluded chamber to speak.

"Let's not talk about what happened at Golden Dawn Mountain; rather, focus on my trip with Elder Chen to hunt demons,"

In the secluded chamber, upon Zhouyang's entry and seating, the old clan leader initiated his divine sense to erect a sound insulation barrier in the room, preventing eavesdropping.

The divine sense setup for a sound insulation barrier is achievable only by powerful divine senses from Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Once the barrier is erected, outsiders, even if their divine sense surpasses the setter's tenfold, find it nearly impossible to eavesdrop without alerting the setter.

"As you've seen, the demon hunting venture was relatively successful; not only did we slay a Tier Four Demon Beast, but also eight Tier Three Demon Beasts and over a hundred Tier Two Demon Beasts, rewarding all participating cultivators significantly."

"Yet, as you have witnessed, your Grandpa Qi, Grandpa Jiu, and Sixth Uncle did not return, falling in battle against demon beasts, and even Xuantai lost an arm!"

"Fortuitously, their sacrifices proved worthwhile, for with their contributions, and my significant efforts dealing with the Tier Four Demon Beast, Elder Chen promised on our return journey that if we offer twenty thousand lower-grade spirit stones, he'd ensure we obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill!"

Zhouyang listened silently, showing no joy even upon hearing the assurance of securing a Foundation Establishment Pill.

What was there for him to rejoice?

For this Foundation Establishment Pill, not only did three Zhou family elders Zhou Yun, Zhou Dan, and Zhou Xuanjing sacrifice their lives, but even his foster mother Zhou Xuan Yu ended in an uncertain, life-and-death-disappeared status.

The Zhou family was already weak in high-level combat power beyond the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation, and losing four elders at once meant nearly half of the Zhou family's high-end combat strength vanished. How could Zhouyang smile at such a loss?

The old clan leader Zhou Minghan, seemingly oblivious to Zhouyang's grim expression, continued, "Don't worry about the spirit stones; the family's finances have gradually improved over the years. You also enabled the family to earn a significant fortune recently, and with your parents' personal savings of five to six thousand spirit stones, plus my own reserves, we can procure twenty thousand spirit stones!"

"Moreover, despite the Chen family claiming the largest share of the bounty, our families managed to grasp some from the hunting venture, acquiring numerous demon beast materials and spiritual objects enough to offset part of the cost in purchasing a Foundation Establishment Pill and strengthen the family's foundation."

Having said these, Zhou Minghan gazed deeply into Zhouyang's eyes, suddenly asking, "Do you know why I'm sharing these with you? Do you understand the purpose behind me telling you these things?"

"Grandson understands!"

Zhouyang somberly nodded, his tone subdued, mumbling, "Grandson has always known; the old clan leader, you all hope for me to establish the foundation, and upon its establishment, I lead the family to prosperity, ensuring the blood of family predecessors was not shed in vain, and providing future-generation cultivators with better environments and more cultivation resources!"

"Exactly! Why do our family cultivators live better than loose cultivators? It's because we rely on our family, because there are family elders willing to sacrifice themselves for the descendants. We bear the same bloodline, all wishing our descendants not to be shackled lifelong at the Qi Cultivation Stage and Foundation Establishment. We are a group with objectives, dreams, ambitions!"

"Previously was me, now it's you; both are chosen by family elders as their goal, dream, ambition fulfillers. To fulfill these goals, dreams, ambitions, they willingly pave our paths with their cultivation roads and lives, supporting us to journey further and ascend higher in cultivation realms, using their corpses and bones to pave roads!"

"I am telling you all this because I am not trying to use righteousness and family ties to pressure you into a heavy responsibility. I just want to tell you that if you fail in Foundation Establishment, not only will your path of cultivation see no hope, but you will also, like those family ancestors who sacrificed for you, become the paving bones for future generations of the family. The choice of whether to become the family leader or paving bones is entirely up to you!"

Become the family leader or paving bones!

Zhouyang felt a shock in his heart as familiar faces flashed through his mind: Elder Zhou Quan, Elder Zhou Dan, Elder Zhou Yun, his foster mother Zhou Xuan Yu, and Sixth Uncle Zhou Xuanjing, finally lingering on a very unfamiliar face.

That unfamiliar face was clearly Elder Zhou Qian, once the Grand Elder of the Zhou family.

Elder Zhou Qian, like him, was also once the lucky one in the Zhou family, receiving the precious opportunity to consume the Foundation Establishment Pill, but he failed in Foundation Establishment.

And the life of Elder Zhou Qian after the Foundation Establishment failure, he had seen and understood.

Would he like such a life? Would he be willing to live such a life in the future?

"No, absolutely not, I will never fail!"

He looked at the old clan leader Zhou Minghan with bright eyes, full of determination and decisiveness.

The old clan leader, seeing this, finally showed a look of relief and praised, "Good, maintain this mental state, do not worry about anything next, just prepare here for Foundation Establishment. As for your foster mother and those missing clan members, I will ask the Chen family to help search for them. You just wait for the Foundation Establishment Pill to arrive!"

"Rest assured, great-grandfather, grandson understands everything. Additionally, there is something grandson needs to give you, and some words that were inconvenient to say before that I need to tell you."

While talking, Zhouyang handed over the jade scroll he obtained from the sand bandits, which recorded the Blood Demon Secret Technique, to the old clan leader, while also sharing his suspicions regarding the sand bandits' attack on the oasis.

When the old clan leader heard that the jade scroll recorded a Demonic Secret Technique, his face instantly changed dramatically, almost about to scold him.

However, after hearing him explain the details of the Demonic Secret Technique within the jade scroll, his drastically changed expression gradually eased, and he directly released his divine sense into it for research.

About half an hour later, the old clan leader withdrew his divine sense from the jade scroll, and his expression had completely returned to normal.

"You did well in this matter, although these three secret techniques are Demonic Dao methods, Immortal Dao cultivators can also use them. They can be passed down as a family heritage, but since they are Demonic Secret Techniques, to avoid attracting criticism, it's better not to use them lightly in front of others."

After finishing, the old clan leader flipped his hand, storing the jade scroll in his storage bag.

Then he solemnly looked at Zhouyang and said, "But remember, Xiao Jiu, Demonic Dao cultivators are selfish, cruel, and devoid of humanity. They are the mortal enemies of us cultivators. In the future, if you obtain Demonic Dao's cultivation techniques, magical artifacts, or elixirs, no matter how good the items are, remember not to cultivate or use them. Once obtained, it's best to destroy them immediately. If you can't destroy it yourself, let the family give it to a high-tier cultivator who can destroy it."

"Grandson understands." Zhouyang nodded seriously.

After studying the Blood Demon Secret Technique, he was already aware of the dangers posed by Demonic Dao cultivators. Even if the old clan leader didn't mention it, he would not practice demon techniques or use demon artifacts.

"Alright, let's talk about your suspicions now. In this matter, according to my viewpoint..."

Zhou Minghan and Zhouyang, this pair of grandfather and grandson, had a secret discussion in the quiet room for more than half a day before it ended. Then Zhouyang settled down in the residence arranged by the Chen family.

Every day, he either read books and travel logs written by past cultivators or guided and shared his cultivation experiences with Zhou Yuanchun and other peers, leading a carefree life.

Meanwhile, Zhou Minghan and Zhou Xuanbin, Zhou Xuantai, three Zhou family high-level members, were much busier. Zhou Minghan had to visit various clans with good relations to exchange the list of missing clan members, mutually watching out for and helping each other search.

Zhou Xuanbin and Zhou Xuantai, as the actual enforcers of this agreement, had to run all over the Baisha River Oasis with other family demon-hunting Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators to search for those missing cultivators.

At the same time, after Elders from the Chen family returned, understanding the situation clearly, they spread the news, offering a Foundation Establishment Pill and generous rewards for information on the sand bandits' origins and hideouts, while also dispatching someone to the Yellow Sand Sect headquarters to request their help in using their intelligence network to trace the origins of the Foundation Establishment and Purple Mansion cultivators among the sand bandits.

As for the Chen family patriarch, he adjusted his state and entered the Earth Fire Chamber on White Camel Peak to prepare for the refinement of the Foundation Establishment Pill.

The news that the Chen family patriarch was opening the furnace to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill quickly spread across Jingming Peak through the Chen family's deliberate publicity. Zhouyang, upon hearing this news, could not deny feeling excited.

However, when he heard that all three Foundation Establishment cultivators stationed at Golden Dawn Mountain by the Chen Family had perished, his excitement instantly cooled down.

Losing three Foundation Establishment cultivators at once, even for a Purple Mansion Clan like the Chen Family, which boasts over a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators, can be considered a serious setback.

Then, once Elder Chen has refined the Foundation Establishment Pills, would he truly, as before, distribute half of them to other families?

Although the Foundation Establishment Pill is a Tier Three Lower Grade Spirit Pill, it is exceedingly difficult to refine. Elder Chen's Tier Four Middle Grade alchemy skill requires cautious effort and nine days to complete such a Spirit Pill.

After nine days passed, when the Spirit Pills were finally completed, the Foundation Establishment cultivators like Zhou Minghan, who had been waiting outside White Camel Peak, immediately received Elder Chen's invitation to enter his abode on the peak.

"Greetings, fellow Daoists. This time upon opening the furnace, I am glad to say I did not disappoint; I successfully refined six pills!"

In the reception room of the abode, once Elder Chen saw Zhou Minghan and the others had arrived, he wasted no time with unnecessary words and directly addressed the main concern of the attendees.

As could be seen, upon hearing Elder Chen mention "six pills refined," extreme joy was apparent on the faces of the dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators attending the meeting.

Everyone knows how hard it is to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill. In the past, Elder Chen would produce four to five pills upon opening the furnace. This time refining six pills is indeed a momentous occasion worth celebrating.

"Congratulations to Elder for the great advancement in alchemy! Refining six pills at once is a feat only achievable by a Tier Four Upper Grade Alchemist, and even within the Yellow Sand Sect, such an alchemist exists only as one. Elder Chen is truly a genius, a figure of divine virtue!"

A flash of delight crossed Zhou Minghan's face as he was the first to react. He promptly gave his congratulatory salute to Elder Chen for the advancement in alchemy.

Upon hearing his words, the rest came to their senses from their joy, silently cursing Zhou Minghan's slyness while quickly joining in to offer their salutes and congratulations.

"Haha, Minghan's praise is excessive. Although I am somewhat confident in my alchemy skills, I don't dare to deserve Minghan's compliment. Moreover, if it weren't for Minghan using an exotic treasure to succeed in ambushing the Tier Four Demon Beast, weakening its power, some of us might have perished in its dying counterattack!"

Elder Chen chuckled, speaking words of humble appreciation, yet his face showed enjoyment, clearly indicating that Zhou Minghan's flattering words hit the right spot.

Just as Zhou Minghan said, a Tier Four Upper Grade Alchemist is unique to the Yellow Sand Sect, possessing a status that isn't inferior to that of an ordinary Golden Core Stage cultivator within the Boundless Desert Sea.

In his happiness, Elder Chen reciprocated such kindness by deliberately highlighting Zhou Minghan's contribution, subtly implying his remembrance of prior promised agreements.

Indeed, hearing Elder Chen's words, Zhou Minghan's face revealed a relaxed smile, while other Foundation Establishment cultivators frowned, quietly cursing Zhou Minghan's luck, feeling both envious and jealous.

"Alright, let's keep idle talk to a minimum. According to previous agreements, the Chen Family will retain half of the six Foundation Establishment Pills. The Zhou Family needs only to pay twenty thousand spirit stones for one pill. If the rest of you want the final two pills, you must send silent bids to me, and as always, the highest bid wins."

Elder Chen glanced over the various expressions on the Foundation Establishment cultivators and blandly stated the distribution plan.

He could keep half of the six pills, totaling three, which fits perfectly to replace the positions of the three fallen Foundation Establishment cultivators at Golden Dawn Mountain. Thus, after much contemplation, he decided to honor the agreement and distribute accordingly.

"Elder's great kindness, the Zhou Family is immensely grateful. Here are twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones; please accept them."

Zhou Minghan was waiting for this moment. As soon as Elder Chen finished speaking, he excitedly presented a storage bag filled with spirit stones that he had long prepared, holding the twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Under normal circumstances, the price of a Foundation Establishment Pill is around ten thousand spirit stones. However, the situation in the Boundless Desert Sea is unusual, and only a few can concoct Foundation Establishment Pills, so prices doubling or even tripling is common.

The Zhou Family only needed to pay twenty thousand spirit stones for one Foundation Establishment Pill, which was absolutely a huge gain!

"Very well, since you were well prepared, this Foundation Establishment Pill is yours."

Elder Chen scanned the storage bag Zhou Minghan handed over with his Divine Sense and confirmed the correct number of spirit stones. With a wave of his sleeve, a jade bottle containing the Foundation Establishment Pill flew into Zhou Minghan's hand.

"Many thanks to Elder. This fulfills my long-standing wish; I shall take my leave now."

Zhou Minghan received the jade bottle with both hands, quickly tucked it into his storage bag without any inspection, then bid farewell. He hurriedly left, under the gaze of other Foundation Establishment cultivators filled with envy and jealousy.

After leaving the Elder Chen's cave dwelling, he immediately sent a Sound Transmission Talisman to summon Zhouyang to White Camel Peak. He then went to seek out a friendly Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivator to arrange for Zhouyang to undergo closed-door training for Foundation Establishment in that cultivator's cave.

Zhouyang knew the significance of today, so as soon as he received the Sound Transmission Talisman from the old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan, he set out for White Camel Peak without delay.

When he arrived at the base of White Camel Peak, he saw the old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan waiting there with a Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Chen Family whom he did not recognize.

"Brother Pingzhi, let me introduce you. This is my Zhou Family's descendant Zhouyang, who will be using the Foundation Establishment Pill this time. Although he has middle-grade spiritual root talent, he is quite gifted in cultivation, having reached the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation at just over thirty years old. Moreover, he is a Tier Two High-grade Refiner. In the future, I will rely on him to carry on my artifact refining skill," said the smiling Zhou Minghan.

Upon seeing Zhouyang arrive, the old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan introduced his family member to his friend in the green Daoist robe and called out to Zhouyang, "Xiao Jiu, come over and pay your respects to Brother Pingzhi. Brother Pingzhi and I have been friends for over seventy years. You must treat him as respectfully as you would treat me."

"Junior Zhouyang greets Elder Chen. I look forward to your guidance in the future," Zhouyang respectfully bowed and saluted the middle-aged Daoist named Chen Pingzhi, doing all the proper courtesies.

Seeing this, Chen Pingzhi waved his sleeve, and a gentle force lifted Zhouyang up. Then, he laughed and said, "Hehehe, I've known Brother Minghan for nearly seventy years, and it's rare to hear him praise a junior so highly. It shows how much he appreciates you!"

Then, with a hint of surprise, he continued, "But for you, my young friend, to reach Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation and improve your refining skill to Tier Two High-grade level at just over thirty years old, that's an achievement unmatched even among peers in my Chen Family. No wonder Brother Minghan went to the trouble of asking me to personally ensure your ascent to the mountain for Foundation Establishment."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Minghan couldn't help but add, "Brother Pingzhi, I must trouble you with this matter."

"Rest assured, Brother Minghan, our friendship of over seventy years makes it right for me to help. Let's go. We'll head to my cave on the mountain right away," Chen Pingzhi replied enthusiastically, remembering the reward Zhou Minghan promised him.

Friendship needs to be cultivated. Even though he and Zhou Minghan had been friends for seventy years and fought alongside each other many times, as the saying goes, even close brothers must settle accounts clearly!

Had Zhou Minghan not promised him a reward, he might not have been willing to lend his cave for a Zhou Family junior's secluded cultivation. After all, from a certain perspective, the Zhou Family gaining another Foundation Establishment Cultivator could potentially pose a threat to the Chen Family in the future.

As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Chen Family, Chen Pingzhi naturally had a well-situated cave dwelling on White Camel Peak, where the spiritual energy was rich enough to form a slight mist of spiritual qi.

Such an abundant spiritual energy location is no longer suitable for cultivators at the Qi Cultivation Stage, as the spiritual energy is so dense that sitting and meditating there could easily damage one's meridians due to excessive spiritual energy absorption.

However, for a cultivator like Zhouyang, stuck at the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation with no progress, the abundant spiritual energy here wouldn't need refinement, so there's no worry of harming himself.

"The Four-Tier Spirit Vein is indeed extraordinary. Xiao Jiu, securing your Foundation Establishment here is quite a fortunate opportunity. Once you succeed and receive the Spiritual Energy Infusion, aided by the ample spiritual energy here, you can save at least a year of hard work!"

Although not visiting Chen Pingzhi's cave for the first time, Zhou Minghan couldn't help but marvel at the cultivation environment. If he could also cultivate long-term on such a rich Four-Tier Spirit Vein, he would have long since broken through to the Eighth or even Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment. That way, given his age, he would still have a chance to strike at the Purple Mansion Stage.

However, Four-Tier Spirit Veins are rare, and without the cultivation level of the Purple Mansion Stage, one can't hold such spiritual land even if they occupy it; all he could do is envy.

Chen Pingzhi, hearing these words from an old friend, could not help but feel smug. After all, not to mention Foundation Establishment Cultivators from small clans like the Zhou Family, even those strong Sect cultivators from Yellow Sand Sect may not all open cave dwellings at spiritual energy nodes of the Four-Tier Spirit Vein.

Even though Yellow Sand Sect has numerous spirit veins, every Four-Tier Spirit Vein is occupied by Purple Mansion Cultivators. To these cultivators who own a spirit vein, unless it's their disciple or friend, they won't allow other Foundation Establishment Cultivators to open a cave residence at the spirit vein node, not even within the same sect.

Only Cultivation Clans like the Chen Family, with all members sharing the same bloodline, would Purple Mansion Cultivators willingly share the Four-Tier Spirit Vein unconditionally with Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the whole clan, aiding these juniors freely.

However pleased as he was, he still had to say what needed to be said.

With his smug look vanishing, Chen Pingzhi suddenly wore a serious expression as he addressed the Zhou family grandfather and grandson, "Brother Minghan, Young Friend Zhouyang, let me make it clear that the secluded training chamber in this cave can temporarily be lent for Young Friend Zhouyang's Foundation Establishment use, but other areas of the cave have been arranged with Array Restrictions. I kindly ask young friend not to trespass, or else you cannot blame me for not having warned you in advance."

"Rest assured, Elder Chen, I will only cultivate in the secluded training chamber and go nowhere else," Zhouyang seriously responded, mindful of the weight of his promise.

Zhou Minghan also nodded and said, "Brother Pingzhi, rest assured, I can vouch for Xiao Jiu in this matter."

"Since both of you understand, I will now open the seclusion chamber," Chen Pingzhi said, forming a spell with his hand. After a loud rumbling, the stone door of the seclusion chamber deep within the cave opened.

Seeing this, Zhou Minghan flipped his hand and took out the jade bottle containing the Foundation Establishment Pill, handing it to Zhouyang. "The Foundation Establishment Pill is in the jade bottle. Xiao Jiu, you may go in now. We will wait for your good news outside the cave with Brother Pingzhi." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Please rest assured, Great-grandfather. I will not disappoint you!"

Zhouyang tightly grasped the jade bottle, nodded vigorously, and walked steadily into the seclusion chamber.

"Alright, Brother Minghan, let's leave as well. With your grandson being so outstanding, he will surely succeed in Foundation Establishment," Chen Pingzhi smiled slightly, then performed a spell to close the stone door of the seclusion chamber and led Zhou Minghan, who had a worried expression, out of the cave.

In the cave abode of Chen Pingzhi, a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Chen Family, at White Camel Peak.

Upon entering this seclusion chamber within the cave abode of a Chen Family Foundation Establishment cultivator, Zhouyang did not immediately take the Foundation Establishment Pill to attempt a breakthrough. Instead, he sat on the cold jade bed within the chamber, closing his eyes and focusing, recalling the wisdom and experiences shared by his predecessors regarding the Foundation Establishment process.

According to the insights of predecessors in the cultivation realm, Foundation Establishment involves overcoming three major barriers: the Divine Sense Barrier, the Magic Power Barrier, and the Physical Body Barrier.

The Divine Sense Barrier requires Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation cultivators, once determined to attempt Foundation Establishment, to experience multiple illusions in their minds that confuse their consciousness. If the cultivator cannot discern these illusions and transcend them, they risk depleting their spirit and perishing in endless illusions.

It is worth noting that the Divine Sense Barrier tests how steadfast a cultivator's heart is towards the Dao and their willpower. Very few external aides can assist in overcoming this barrier, and the Foundation Establishment Pill does not help here.

However, based on previous experiences, as long as one is not naturally weak-willed or immature in mind, a normal Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation cultivator can pass the Divine Sense Barrier without much difficulty. This is the easiest barrier among the three Foundation Establishment barriers.

After overcoming the Divine Sense Barrier, the cultivator's divine sense undergoes a transformation, doubling in strength. At this point, they can use their evolved strong divine sense to compress and refine their magic power to break through the Magic Power Barrier.

Everyone knows that Foundation Establishment cultivators possess several times the magical power of Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation cultivators. But why is this so?

The reason lies in the difference in the forms of their magical power.

While Qi Cultivation cultivators can also absorb and refine external spiritual energy to produce magical power, theirs is in the form of an elusive mist, quite insubstantial.

In contrast, Foundation Establishment cultivators' magical power is continuous and substantial like water.

The weight comparison between a bucket of mist and a bucket of water clearly demonstrates the strength difference.

Thus, for Qi Cultivation cultivators to successfully reach Foundation Establishment, they must compress and refine their magical power from a gaseous mist into a liquid magical true essence. This is the second barrier of the three Foundation Establishment barriers, known as the Magic Power Barrier.

It is particularly noteworthy that while the Magic Power Barrier is the second barrier, it is, in fact, the most difficult and perilous of the three.

To overcome the Magic Power Barrier, one's divine sense must be sufficiently strong to compress and refine the gaseous magical power. Additionally, one's meridians must be robust enough to withstand the pressure from the highly compressed magical power. This is crucial, as most failures in Foundation Establishment result from meridians unable to bear the compressed magical power's pressure, causing them to burst and the cultivator to die.

The utility of the Foundation Establishment Pill becomes evident at this phase.

If a cultivator ingests the Foundation Establishment Pill during this stage, the pill's medicinal power permanently enhances the toughness of their meridians and temporarily forms a protective membrane within the meridians, safeguarding them from harm.

Therefore, cultivators who have taken the Foundation Establishment Pill, unless recklessly acting against advice, can dissipate their refined magical power before their meridians burst, preserving their lives.

Conversely, those who have not taken the pill do not have enough time to take such measures.

Once the liquid magical power circulates through the main meridians of the body and tempers them before returning to the dantian qi sea, the Magic Power Barrier is considered to be overcome.

At this stage, the cultivator faces the final barrier of the three Foundation Establishment barriers: the Physical Body Barrier.

The Physical Body Barrier tests the vitality of a cultivator's physical body. Once the cultivator passes the "Magic Power Barrier," the anomaly of "Spiritual Energy Infusion" will trigger. At that time, the spiritual energy from the outside world will rush into the cultivator's body, and the quantity and speed at which it enters are many times stronger than what the cultivator absorbs while practicing techniques.

Most of this surging spiritual energy will be refined into magical true essence to fill the void in the dantian Qi sea, but a small portion will quench and strengthen the cultivator's physical body.

At this point, if the cultivator is over sixty years old, the body begins to age rapidly, or has disabilities or any previous hidden injuries affecting the body's foundation, there is a considerable chance that the rushing spiritual energy will burst the body.

Even if someone manages to survive by paying the price of severe injury, they will not be able to sufficiently quench and strengthen the body, affecting post-Foundation Establishment lifespan and power performance.

Moreover, since this barrier tests the completeness and vitality of the cultivator's physical body, the Foundation Establishment Pill is not particularly effective, although the ingredients used to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill include the Tier Three Spiritual Object "Earth Element Spirit Milk," which restores the physical body vitality.

Once a Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation cultivator successfully passes the Three Foundation Establishment Gates, their divine sense, magical power, and lifespan will all reach the standards of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, meaning they have successfully established their foundation.

"My divine sense is naturally much stronger than others, and having lived two lives, my insight and resistance to temptation far exceed that of my peers and same-tier cultivators. There is no reason why I would fail the 'Divine Sense Barrier' that most others manage to pass!"

"Despite being difficult and perilous, I have a middle-grade spiritual root talent, and the Foundation Establishment Pill protects my meridians, so the probability of passing the 'Magic Power Barrier' is also very high!"

"The 'Physical Body Barrier' might be challenging for older cultivators, but I am only thirty-four this year, which is considered prime physique even for ordinary mortals. Besides, I have never suffered any severe injuries, so the chance of failure is almost nonexistent!"

"Furthermore, I have studied the Foundation Establishment insights of four cultivators from the clan, including the experiences documented by my granduncle Zhou Qian after his Foundation Establishment failure, making me well aware of all sorts of situations during Foundation Establishment, and prepared for them."

"With so many advantages and preparations, how could I fail Foundation Establishment? What reason could there be for failure?"

In the seclusion chamber, Zhouyang's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, his gaze gleaming with unwavering conviction.

Then he closed his eyes again and, following the methods summarized by predecessors in the cultivation realm, formally began to challenge the first gate of the Foundation Establishment barrier, the "Divine Sense Barrier."

As soon as he started challenging the "Divine Sense Barrier," Zhouyang's mind began conjuring numerous illusions, initially with low-level demon sound confusion—various seductive or frightening whispers emerged directly in his mind, impossible to block out, requiring him to steadfastly hold his inner truth to endure them.

After several days of such seductive whispers, numerous character and environment illusions emerged in Zhouyang's mind, featuring both encounters from this life with clan elders like the deceased Elder Zhou Quan and Elder Zhou Yun, as well as people from his past life, such as his leaders, colleagues, parents, and girlfriend.

When the illusion was at its most convincing, Zhouyang seemed to have returned to the office of his past life, faced with a department manager scolding him for playing on his phone during work, surrounded by colleagues gloating at his predicament, even the sound of car horns outside the office building could be distinctly heard.

At that moment, he felt as though his decades-long cultivation journey was nothing but a ridiculous dream induced by novel obsession, as mentioned by the department manager—there was no Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm, no Zhou Family; all was just a fantastical daydream he had conceived!

Yet, illusions are illusions after all. Although illusions are born from the heart and can simulate experienced scenes, they cannot replicate everything identically, nor are the illusions faced during the "Divine Sense Barrier" challenge that formidable.

After the initial panic, Zhouyang swiftly identified the flaws within the illusion and escaped it promptly.

Thus, he repeatedly broke through the illusions attempting to confound his mind, with his divine sense being tempered and transformed throughout the illusionary trials.

When he ultimately broke through the final layer of illusion, completely passing the "Divine Sense Barrier," his divine sense strength increased nearly tenfold compared to before, with the range of his divine sense reaching a terrifying three kilometers!

This divine sense strength—even for newly established Foundation Establishment cultivators—is extraordinary; even the late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator Elder Zhou Minghan at the seventh-layer barely had divine sense strength at this level.

After overcoming the "Divine Sense Barrier," Zhouyang calculated the time and noted he had been in the seclusion chamber for ten days, a timeline faster by at least one-third compared to the records of those elder cultivators he had read about.

This discovery greatly boosted Zhouyang's confidence, so after a brief rest to recover his spirits, he immediately took the Foundation Establishment Pill to begin challenging the "Magic Power Barrier."

It was not that he wanted to rest a few more days, but because the surge in divine sense also increased the pressure on his body, creating a top-heavy condition.

If he did not promptly challenge the "Magic Power Barrier" and "Physical Body Barrier" to enhance his magical power and physical strength, his body would deteriorate under the weight of his powerful divine sense, leading to eventual demise.

The "Magic Power Barrier" truly deserved to be the most difficult among the Three Foundation Establishment Gates. Despite Zhouyang's divine sense being several times stronger than ordinary newly established Foundation Establishment cultivators, he faced little difficulty compressing and refining magical power—manners others required spending numerous days and enduring countless failures to accomplish, he succeeded in nine days with merely hundreds of failures.