Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 742 - 726: [Sun God Stone], Visiting an Old Friend (Happy New Year)

Yin Hanguang only gave Zhouyang three years.

As the Palace Master of the Great Brightness Immortal Palace, he cannot stay outside for too long; otherwise, if the Anti-Light Alliance learns of this, it might incite another war.

Moreover, he promised Zhouyang that only after Zhouyang invites all the powerful figures he mentioned, and their strength has been verified by him, will he decide whether to join this action.

In Zhouyang's plan, Yin Hanguang was undoubtedly an unexpected delight and also the hardest person to persuade.

Now, even the most difficult to persuade Yin Hanguang had basically agreed to help, boosting Zhouyang's confidence in convincing others.

Therefore, after leaving Yin Hanguang's residence, Zhouyang prepared to leave Liuyun Immortal City to seek out others.

However, unexpectedly, just as he returned to his temporary residence outside the cave, someone intercepted him.

"I apologize for the sudden visit, Fellow Daoist Lu. Please forgive me for the abruptness."

Outside the cave, Zhouyang looked at Huang Jian, who appeared right after he returned, and a gleam appeared in his eyes as if he understood something.

He nodded lightly and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Huang, you are too polite. Judging by your appearance, you must have been waiting for some time, haven't you?"

Without waiting for Huang Jian's answer, he gestured with his hand, indicating "please," and said, "This is not a place for conversation. Since Fellow Daoist Huang has come to visit, please follow Lu into the residence for a talk."

"Fellow Daoist Lu is straightforward, so I shall take the liberty."

Huang Jian's sallow face broke into a smile, and he immediately followed Zhouyang into the cave.

Inside the cave, the two of them sat down, taking on the roles of host and guest. Zhouyang casually brewed two cups of Spirit Tea and placed them beside each of them, then proactively looked at Huang Jian and said, "There's no such thing as an empty visit. If I am not mistaken, Fellow Daoist Huang, you are here for the news about the Earth Element Magnetic Light?"

"Fellow Daoist Lu sees clearly; indeed, I am here for this matter."

Huang Jian nodded, looking seriously at Zhouyang as he asked, "What kind of terms would Fellow Daoist Lu require to share the location where the Earth Element Magnetic Light is produced?"

Zhouyang did not hesitate at all upon hearing this and said, "Fellow Daoist Lu's terms have been mentioned at the exchange meeting. If Fellow Daoist Huang can produce Spirit Pills equivalent to two Purple-Blue Profound Spirit Pills or Spiritual Objects of equivalent refined cultivation, I will immediately disclose that location to Fellow Daoist Huang."

"Fellow Daoist Huang, I still have one Purple-Blue Profound Spirit Pill, and I will also add a Sun God Stone for Fellow Daoist Lu. What do you think?"

As he spoke, Huang Jian waved his hand, producing the two items he had mentioned.

Aside from the Purple-Blue Profound Spirit Pill Zhouyang had previously seen at the exchange meeting, the Sun God Stone was a rather mystical Spiritual Object.

This item is only palm-sized, entirely black, and looks much like ordinary obsidian.

The only difference from obsidian is a slight increase of faint golden spirit patterns on its surface, which are so faint that without careful examination, most people would find them hard to see.

However, Zhouyang knew that as soon as it was placed under the sun, this black stone would immediately absorb a large amount of Solar Essence Qi and become a shining golden Divine Stone.

Solar Essence Qi is a very peculiar type of Primordial Qi. For Fire Element Cultivators, it can help practice some powerful Fire Element Divine Techniques and purify and improve one's magical cultivation if absorbed sufficiently, making it incredibly useful.

However, Huang Jian's Sun God Stone is so small that even if it could absorb Solar Essence Qi, the amount would be like a drop in the ocean for a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, making it not much more valuable than a Purple-Blue Profound Spirit Pill.

When Zhouyang saw this Sun God Stone, he was indeed a bit tempted.

With the Qianyang Treasure Pearl in hand, he wasn't concerned with the effect of purifying magical cultivation through Solar Essence Qi but valued the boost Solar Essence Qi could provide to his practiced Divine Technique, the Golden Sun Demon Suppression Spell.

His Golden Sun Demon Suppression Spell had achieved a Minor Achievement for quite some time, but progressing from Minor Achievement to Great Success requires long-term accumulation. Since successfully forming a Nascent Soul, he had been very busy, spending very little time practicing this Divine Technique.

Another Divine Technique he had similarly set aside was the Stinging Dragon Avoiding Tribulation Technique, which had previously helped him many times.

But with the help of the Sun God Stone, Zhouyang estimated that with dedicated practice for ten to twenty years, he might bring the Golden Sun Demon Suppression Spell to Great Success or even the Perfection Realm!

A Purple-Blue Profound Spirit Pill can save him decades of cultivation time, and with that time, cultivate a Divine Technique to Great Success or even Perfection for the price of one piece of information.

Thinking of this, Zhouyang's gaze shifted, and he looked at Huang Jian, who was staring at him nervously, finally nodding and saying, "Very well, since Fellow Daoist Huang is so sincere, Lu will help you out and agree to this deal."

"Phew, thank you, Fellow Daoist Lu, for fulfilling this. Huang sincerely appreciates it!"

Huang Jian visibly relaxed, heaved a sigh of relief, and cupped his hands in gratitude toward Zhouyang repeatedly.

"Fellow Daoist Huang, no need to be so polite. Please wait a moment, and I will draw up the map of that location for you."

Zhouyang waved his hand and immediately took out a Blank Jade Scroll, focusing on it to inscribe a detailed wilderness map, with the end of the route leading to where the Earth Element Magnetic Light is nurtured.

Such a wilderness map isn't low in value, and if Huang Jian weren't from the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm, its value would be considerably higher.

Once the map was ready, he handed the jade scroll to Huang Jian and said, "Lu has already drawn the map to that place, with all the dangerous areas along the route marked. Follow the map, and you can safely reach that location."

He paused and then reminded, "There is also a group of Iron-Feathered Grey Eagles roosting there. These creatures, possibly due to the influence of the Earth Element Magnetic Light, have mutated slightly and can use some of its power against enemies. If Fellow Daoist Huang plans to practice there, it would be best to exercise caution."

"Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Lu. I will be careful. Please keep these two items safe."

Huang Jian said this while handing over the jade bottle with the Purple-Blue Profound Spirit Pill and the Sun God Stone to Zhouyang.

After that, he took his leave, appearing eager to seek out the Earth Element Magnetic Light for Divine Technique cultivation.

After seeing off Huang Jian, Zhouyang immediately contacted Master Cyan Yang and conveyed a rough outline of his plan, asking for assistance in mobilizing the resources of the Profound Purity Dao Alliance to collect auxiliary spiritual items for refining the True Origin Pill.

He also utilized Xu Tianlin's network and the Liuyun Commerce Alliance's channels to acquire these items massively.

After this busy period, he used the Liuyun Commerce Alliance's internal teleportation array to quietly leave Liuyun Immortal City, shaking off some who harbored malicious intentions due to his display of wealth at the exchange meeting.

This wasn't because he feared those fellows, but because he didn't want to expose his return to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm at this crucial moment, lest it provokes the Dragon-Taming Star Feather, hidden somewhere unknown, and negatively impacts his big plan ahead.

After leaving Liuyun Immortal City, Zhouyang headed west toward the Broken Cloud Mountain Range.

Back when he parted with Lei Yu and Cai Xia Demon King in the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, after introducing them to the current situation in the "Spirit Realm," the two Demon Kings initially decided that their future cultivation and dwelling places would be the Broken Cloud Mountain Range and the Wilderness Jungle.

Before departing, Zhouyang had inquired about the situation separately from Xu Tianlin and Master Cyan Yang, learning that there were indeed several Tier Six Demon Kings in the Broken Cloud Mountain Range. He guessed that these two Demon Kings eventually chose the Broken Cloud Mountain Range as their habitat.

After traveling westward for several months, Zhouyang quickly arrived at the outer periphery of the Broken Cloud Mountain Range.

He then found a deserted place to establish a cave dwelling as a temporary abode and sent his external incarnation toward the main peak of the Broken Cloud Mountain Range, Heaven Pillar Peak.

The reason for sending only the external incarnation was, of course, a consideration for his own safety.

Zhouyang's possession of a Tier Seven Immortal Artifact had already spread across most of the "Spirit Realm," and the Demon Kings in the Broken Cloud Mountain Range had spies within the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm, so they certainly knew about it.

If he recklessly went there in person, it was uncertain whether those Demon Kings might attempt to kill him to seize the treasure.

After all, he was not a "half-step true immortal" cultivator at the Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul Realm like Lu Xuanji, so he had to be cautious.

But as just an external incarnation, Zhouyang believed no Demon King would risk becoming mortal enemies with him by killing his incarnation.

Due to the unique origin of Zhouyang's incarnation, it had talents in Wood Escape Techniques comparable to Plant Spirit Demons. Upon entering the forest-rich Broken Cloud Mountain Range, he was like a fish in water, quickly reaching the outskirts of Heaven Pillar Peak without alerting any demon beasts.

On Heaven Pillar Peak, where numerous powerful Demon Kings cultivated, Zhouyang's incarnation dared not act recklessly despite his mastery in Wood Escape Techniques.

Upon reaching the peak, he revealed himself and followed the proper procedure to announce his visit.

"An old friend from Donglai comes to visit; I kindly ask Fellow Daoist Lei Yu to come out!"

Outside Heaven Pillar Peak, Zhouyang's incarnation revealed itself, unleashing the aura of a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, his voice exploding like thunder across the sky.

Bang!

On the towering Heaven Pillar Peak, many demon beasts residing there were startled by Zhouyang's thunderous voice, glaring fiercely at the human figure in the sky.

The demon beasts that cultivated on Heaven Pillar Peak were either esteemed younger generations of Demon Kings or Tier Five demon beasts with outstanding talent and potential to advance to Tier Six, all of which were fierce and untamed.

Though Zhouyang's incarnation exuded an aura of a Nascent Soul Stage being, it did not frighten them.

"Where did this human come from, daring to act presumptuously outside my Heaven Pillar Peak? Let's see him take a punch from me first!"

With a roar echoing from Heaven Pillar Peak, a giant golden fist phantom came crashing toward Zhouyang's incarnation.

The aura emanating from the owner of this golden fist phantom was astonishingly at the Tier Six High-grade Demon King level!

Zhouyang's external incarnation, with only Second-Layer Nascent Soul cultivation and without any powerful defensive spiritual artifacts, dared not face this strike head-on.

He clasped his hands into a seal, uttered a command, and his body quickly transformed into countless azure spiritual lights dispersing into the forest below.

This was an exquisitely profound Wood Element Escape Technique of divine skill, named [Spirit Void Shadow Transformation Escape], recorded in the cultivation technique "Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Longevity Creation Immortal Scripture" cultivated by Zhouyang's incarnation, mastered to the state of Great Success.

The incarnation quickly vanished into the forest, even the Tier Six High-grade Demon King who attacked couldn't locate his incarnation's whereabouts immediately, only knowing he hadn't left the forest.

"Hmph, do you think I can't deal with you because you borrow wood to escape? I don't believe it. I'll destroy this forest and force you to come out!"

That Demon King coldly snorted, about to strike again to level the forest and force Zhouyang's incarnation out.

But at that moment, another clear and cold voice halted him.

"Ape King, hold your hand; this person is an old friend of mine. Let me entertain him!"

With a flash of lightning on Heaven Pillar Peak, a feathered young man with silver wings on his back suddenly appeared and stopped the attacking Demon King.

This silver-winged, feather-robed handsome young man was none other than the Tier Six High-grade Demon King, Lei Yu the Thunder Feather Demon King, whom Zhouyang had saved from [Donglai Immortal Island] back in the day.

Upon hearing Lei Yu's words, the attacking Demon King's aura froze slightly, immediately dispersing his magical power and said, "Since Peng King has spoken, Old Yuan will of course give face, and this matter will be dropped."

This clearly showed the immense influence Lei Yu Demon King had among the demons in the Broken Cloud Mountain Range.

If Zhouyang guessed correctly, the Demon King who attacked should be the Strong Ape King, ranked third in strength among the demons in the Broken Cloud Mountain Range.

This Strong Ape King was known for his violent temper, even daring to provoke Lu Xuanji during his visit to Heaven Pillar Peak.

But such a hot-tempered Demon King immediately withdrew due to one word from Lei Yu, showing Lei Yu's current status must be significantly higher than before.

Zhouyang's incarnation was secretly surprised to witness this scene.

Although he had long witnessed Lei Yu's strength, knowing he was a powerful Demon King comparable to a Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul "half-step true immortal" cultivator.

However, Lei Yu's quick establishment in the Broken Cloud Mountain Range as an outsider and causing the originally steady third-ranked Strong Ape King to dread him still surprised him greatly.

Apparently, Lei Yu was thriving in the Broken Cloud Mountain Range much better than Zhouyang had previously anticipated.

While pondering these thoughts, he quickly came out of hiding, saluted the feathered young man in the sky, and said, "Zhou is coming uninvited, disturbing Fellow Daoist's cultivation, and asks for forgiveness."

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, you are being too polite. If it weren't for your guidance, I couldn't have settled here so quickly. Now that you're visiting, I'm more than happy to welcome you, how could I possibly mind?"