Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 682 - 666: So Overbearing

After Guo Congyun's passing, the current person in charge of the Guo Family is named Guo Xianlong. This man is now at the Sixth-Layer Golden Core cultivation, with a lifespan of less than seven hundred years, potentially becoming a Ninth-Layer Golden Core cultivator in the future.

Although Zhouyang planned to formally discuss the giant Spirit Stone mine with the person in charge of the Guo Family, he did not openly reveal his identity and visit directly. Instead, he concealed his identity and cultivation, secretly infiltrating the Guo Family's Spirit Mountain, disguising as a Purple Mansion Cultivator of the Guo Family under the pretense of seeking cultivation advice, and was granted permission to enter Guo Xianlong's cave abode.

Perhaps the Guo Family cultivator Zhouyang impersonated held significant esteem from Guo Xianlong, which ultimately allowed Zhouyang to enter his cultivation place.

When Zhouyang saw him, he had just completed his cultivation, still enveloped in an undissipated layer of cyan Spiritual Light.

"Little Seventeen, what is it that you need Grandfather to clarify once again?"

Seeing the Guo Family junior cultivator disguised by Zhouyang enter, Guo Xianlong on the Cold Jade Bed immediately smiled gently, amicably inquiring about the purpose of the visit.

He did not realize at all that the junior before him had already changed to someone else.

And Zhouyang, looking at the middle-aged man in cyan robe smiling amiably on the Jade Bed, also briefly smiled and said, "Indeed, there is a major matter needing Fellow Daoist Guo to clarify for me!"

Guo Xianlong's expression instantly changed greatly, furiously ejecting a cyan Treasure Umbrella to protect himself, then shouted angrily, "Who are you, and where is my nephew now?"

His voice was loud, evidently wanting other Guo Family cultivators on the mountain to hear.

But he quickly found that his voice couldn't leave the room, rendering his efforts in vain.

"No need to be agitated, Fellow Daoist Guo. Should I wish you harm, calling more people has no effect."

Zhouyang calmly smiled, no longer concealing his identity, directly revealing his true form.

"Ah! So it's... Elder Zhou!"

Guo Xianlong's face turned pale, his eyes filled with horror as he looked at Zhouyang, his expression panicked.

He naturally recognized Zhouyang, as a decade ago, the entire Guo Family almost faced annihilation due to the name "Zhouyang." As the leader of the Guo Family, how could he not have a deep impression of Zhouyang's appearance?

But precisely because he recognized him, he was terrified.

The Guo Family had enmity with Zhouyang, even though the Family had offered top-grade spirit stones last time, and Zhouyang stated he wouldn't pursue past matters further.

But now, Zhouyang suddenly hides his identity and infiltrates the Guo Family, entering his cave, forcing him to consider negative possibilities.

Having anticipated this reaction, Zhouyang was unsurprised by Guo Xianlong's response, merely nodding gently, "Since you recognize me, you should understand that if I wish to harm you, resistance is futile. So, put that thing away."

Guo Xianlong's face stiffened, but knowing Zhouyang spoke the truth, he hesitated before obediently retracting the Magical Artifact.

After retracting the Magical Artifact, he took a deep breath, suppressing the panic within, respectfully bowing to Zhouyang, "I didn't know Master Qianyang was paying a visit. Forgive the impoliteness, and I beg for your forgiveness!"

Seeing this, Zhouyang smiled broadly, waving repeatedly, "Please sit, sit down and talk. I'm not here to accuse you but to seek clarification."

His demeanor seemed as though he owned the place.

Yet Guo Xianlong dared not express any objection, meekly sitting back with a heart full of doubt.

The moment he sat down, Zhouyang's next words startled him to jump from the bed.

"I'm here to ask, Fellow Daoist Guo, where exactly has your Guo Family discovered that giant Spirit Stone ore vein, mining it for millennia unnoticed by outsiders!"

Zhouyang gazed deeply at Guo Xianlong, directly cutting to the chase without any waste of words.

Upon hearing this, Guo Xianlong jumped up from the Cold Jade Bed, looking at him in shock and cried out, "You must be mistaken, Elder. The Guo Family couldn't possibly have a giant Spirit Stone ore vein. Such a thing cannot be owned by our humble Family!"

Seeing his reaction, Zhouyang's expression remained unchanged, calmly saying, "Whether the Guo Family has control of a giant Spirit Stone ore vein, you know, and I know. If I didn't have sufficient evidence, why would I hide my identity to meet you in secret?"

Guo Xianlong's face changed repeatedly, a clear look of panic flashed in his eyes.

Despite his internal panic, he stubbornly retorted, "I don't understand why you say so, Elder. I dare wager my life that the Guo Family doesn't control any giant Spirit Stone ore vein!"

Guo Xianlong's stubbornness amused Zhouyang.

He looked at Guo Xianlong with a playful eye, calmly saying, "Really? Then where did the thirty-nine chests of Middle-grade Spirit Stones in the Guo Family's Vault come from? The two chests of Top-grade Spirit Stones and Spirit Marrow Stones, where are they from? Don't tell me these aren't Guo Family's possessions!"

After speaking, he waved his hand, throwing two treasure chests taken from the Guo Family's Vault before Guo Xianlong, filled with Top-grade Spirit Stones and Spirit Marrow Stones, instantly appearing before Guo Xianlong's eyes as the lids opened.

Seeing these two treasure chests, Guo Xianlong's face turned white, looking at Zhouyang in horror, his throat rolling, unable to utter any denial.

In light of this undeniable evidence, to deny further would be tantamount to disgracing Zhouyang, a Nascent Soul cultivator.

As for accusing Zhouyang of infiltrating the Guo Family's Vault to steal, Guo Xianlong dared not speak of this before Zhouyang, even if he had ten times the courage.

Even if Zhouyang left now, Guo Xianlong wouldn't dare mention this to the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Liuyun Commerce Alliance.

Because if those Nascent Soul cultivators knew the Guo Family controlled a giant Spirit Stone ore vein for over a millennium, the Family, if not annihilated, would certainly be raided.

"The principle of 'innocence yet harboring guilt' surely your Family understands, otherwise you wouldn't have concealed this news for over a thousand years."

"But now that I know, I cannot let you secretly make such profits!"

Facing the speechless, pale-faced Guo Xianlong, Zhouyang directly expressed his intent to take a share without any ambiguity.

This attitude slightly reassured Guo Xianlong.

Being the head of a grand clan, even amidst panic over the greatest Family secret's exposure, Guo Xianlong tried to suppress his inner chaos, nervously glancing at Zhouyang, and quietly asked, "Elder's meaning is to jointly develop that giant Spirit Stone mine with our Guo Family?"

Upon hearing this, Zhouyang waved his hand, "Let's not rush into negotiation. First, answer my initial question: where is the giant Spirit Stone mine located? How did your Guo Family find it? How did you keep it hidden for a millennium without being discovered?"

"This..."

Guo Xianlong looked at Zhouyang with a difficult expression, clearly unwilling to divulge the Guo Family's greatest secret so easily.

"What? Are you unwilling?"

Zhouyang squinted his eyes, a trace of dangerous aura emanating silently from his body.

Guo Xianlong was taken aback at once, like a startled rabbit, and quickly exclaimed, "This junior dares not, this junior will explain to the elder immediately!"

Then, without waiting for Zhouyang to ask further, he promptly divulged all the information Zhouyang wanted to know.

It turned out that the reason the Guo Family managed to keep the giant Spirit Stone Vein hidden for thousands of years without outsiders discovering it was because it was not within the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm, but located in the Wilderness Jungle.

More than a thousand years ago, a Golden Core Ancestor from the Guo Family ventured into the Wilderness Jungle seeking opportunities for Core Formation. While being chased by a Tier Five Barbaric Beast, he inadvertently stumbled into the Barbaric Forbidden Land, and unexpectedly discovered the giant Spirit Stone Vein by chance.

At that time, the Golden Core Ancestor of the Guo Family mined a substantial amount of top-grade Spirit Stones from the vein and brought them back to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm. With these top-grade Spirit Stones, he exchanged for Supporting Core Formation Spiritual Objects and successfully became the first Golden Core Cultivator of the Guo Family.

Subsequently, events unfolded simply. By continuously mining Spirit Stones from that giant Spirit Stone vein, the Guo Family used vast resources to cultivate several Golden Core Cultivators, firmly establishing the status of a Golden Core Clan.

However, just as Zhouyang pointed out, every generation of Guo Family cultivators evidently understood the vast implications of the giant Spirit Stone Ore. Thus, they did not dare to mine the vein extravagantly, often disguising their high-tier cultivators' visits as travels, secretly infiltrating the area for mining.

The Guo Family high-tier cultivators traveling for mining had all sworn a blood oath using the Nether Blood Contract not to disclose information about the giant Spirit Stone Ore, and practiced a Divine Soul Secret Technique painstakingly collected by the Guo Family, rendering them fearless of having the vein's location revealed through soul searches.

Because of such cautious discretion, the Guo Family managed to secretly mine the giant Spirit Stone vein for over a thousand years without any leaks.

This time, if it weren't for being forced by Zhouyang, the Guo Family wouldn't have offered the top-grade Spirit Stones mined from the vein to resolve enmity, nor would Zhouyang have traced them to their doorstep, discovering the large amount of middle-grade and top-grade Spirit Stones hidden in the Clan Treasure Vault.

At this moment, after understanding the situation of the giant Spirit Stone Ore, Zhouyang shifted the conversation, suddenly looking at Guo Xianlong and asking, "A giant Spirit Stone vein should yield at least a dozen top-grade Spirit Stones. You, the Guo Family, have mined it for over a thousand years. Could it be you only extracted one top-grade Spirit Stone?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Xianlong's expression shifted with panic, quickly explaining, "Elder, please discern correctly. Although the Guo Family mined for over a thousand years, due to not daring to send a large number of people for extraction, we've only mined less than one-fifth of the entire vein to this day. The top-grade Spirit Stone offered to you was only discovered over two hundred years ago!"

"Moreover, since the giant Spirit Stone vein is situated within the Wilderness Jungle, although my Guo Family has mastered a method to enter and exit the Forbidden Land, family cultivators traversing the Wilderness Jungle cannot always return safely. In the past thousand years, more than thirty Purple Mansion Stage cultivators from the Guo Family have been lost to the Wilderness Jungle while mining Spirit Stones, including two Golden Core cultivators!"

His words were earnest, but Zhouyang wasn't easily convinced.

He immediately glared at him sharply, shouting fiercely, "Still dare to lie! Top-grade Spirit Stones would only be located in the core area of the vein. Since you claimed to have mined there over three hundred years ago, how could it be possible you only extracted one top-grade Spirit Stone? Do you really think I'm soft-hearted and dare not shed blood?"

As he spoke, a mighty wave of Divine Sense pressure suddenly descended upon Guo Xianlong, forcing him to his knees, rendering him unable to move.

This sudden change frightened Guo Xianlong terribly. He didn't dare resist the Divine Sense pressure, only shivering and loudly proclaiming his innocence, "I'm wronged, elder, please see reason. Every word from this junior is true, without a hint of falsehood. If the elder doesn't believe, I can open the Guo Family Treasure Vault for you to search. If my Guo Family truly hid even half a piece of top-grade Spirit Stone, let every member of my Guo Family suffer a miserable fate!"

If he swore just on his own life, Zhouyang might not believe him.

But seeing him swear on the lives of his entire clan, Zhouyang, though still somewhat doubtful, refrained from pressing him further.

Though Zhouyang wasn't a great altruist, neither was he an utterly villainous person. He had his own principles and bottom lines.

Retracting the Divine Sense pressure, he looked at Guo Xianlong with a cold expression and spoke sternly, "I will believe you this once. If one day I discover your deceit, even if your Guo Family cultivates a Nascent Soul cultivator, I'll ensure you understand the cost of deceiving me!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Xianlong recalled the rumors of Zhouyang easily defeating Taiyi Immortal Sword Sect's Nascent Soul cultivator Li Shuhua at the Nascent Soul Ceremony. His heart turned cold, not daring to doubt the truth of Zhouyang's words.

He nodded repeatedly, saying, "This junior dares not, this junior dares not!"

"It's good that you don't dare!"

Zhouyang gave him a deep look, then waved his hand, saying, "Alright, let's now discuss the distribution of the giant Spirit Stone Ore!"

Hearing this, Guo Xianlong immediately became animated, looking at him with anticipation, waiting for him to begin.

"I, Zhou, am not one to covet everything for myself. Since the giant Spirit Stone Ore was discovered by your Guo Family, I won't forcibly take it away, preventing your Guo Family from mining."

"However, considering your Guo Family has already mined for over a thousand years, from now on when both families collaborate in mining the giant Spirit Stone vein, the Zhou Family will take sixty percent of the share!"

"Finally, all top-grade Spirit Stones and Spirit Marrow Stones mined must be handed over to me!"

Zhouyang looked directly at Guo Xianlong, solemnly stating his distribution proposal.

It was clear that when hearing Zhouyang's initial words, a trace of joy appeared on Guo Xianlong's face.

Considering the massive reserves of a giant Spirit Stone vein, even getting just forty percent would not render any less profit for the Guo Family, as they originally lacked the strength to fully mine the giant vein.

However, upon hearing that all mined top-grade Spirit Stones and Spirit Marrow Stones must be handed over to Zhouyang, Guo Xianlong could no longer remain jubilant.

The greatest value of the giant Spirit Stone vein undeniably lies in the top-grade Spirit Stones and associated Spirit Marrow Stones. Now, Zhouyang intends to claim all of these treasures. How could Guo Xianlong accept this?

Ignoring his fear of Zhouyang, Guo Xianlong hastily argued, "Elder, you taking the majority is something neither I nor the Guo Family would contest, but claiming all top-grade Spirit Stones and Spirit Marrow Stones for yourself—isn't that too..."

Although he didn't dare finish his sentence, his meaning was evident.

"Hmph, do you think my distribution method is too excessive?"

Zhouyang coldly snorted, ignoring Guo Xianlong's unpleasant expression, and continued, "But you must understand that top-grade Spirit Stones are not possessions for small clans like your Guo Family. If news of such treasures in your possession got out, others could deduce the same as I."

After speaking, he glanced at Guo Xianlong's extremely reluctant face and continued, "You can have a top-grade Spirit Stone once your Guo Family produces a Nascent Soul cultivator. Then you can come to me, and I will grant your Guo Family a piece of top-grade Spirit Stone to cultivate a Tier Six Spirit Vein!"

Guo Xianlong naturally felt discontented with Zhouyang's distribution, but observing Zhouyang's unyielding stance, he found himself at a loss for words to argue.

In truth, in the face of the profits from a giant Spirit Stone vein, Zhouyang, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, offering the Guo Family forty percent is rather generous.

Yet his demand to take all top-grade Spirit Stones and Spirit Marrow Stones appeared excessively domineering.

After all, it was the Guo Family who discovered that giant Spirit Stone vein. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Zhouyang noticed Guo Xianlong's reluctant expression but remained silent, a cold smile forming in his heart before he dismissively waved his hand, stating in an indisputable manner, "This matter is settled then. Want to negotiate terms with me? Wait until your Guo Family has a Nascent Soul cultivator to speak!"

Only Nascent Soul cultivators can converse equally with Nascent Soul cultivators; the Cultivation Realm never adhered to notions of fairness; strength speaks for itself.

Zhouyang and Guo Xianlong were both well aware of this, and Zhouyang was merely practicing this truth this time.

Realizing that Guo Xianlong was subdued and had no rebuttal, Zhouyang directly commanded, "Now, lead me personally to the giant Spirit Stone vein!"