Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 762 - 745: The Younger Generation of the Zhou Family
Back in the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent, Zhouyang sought the guarantee of Nie Yushuang to borrow a special Magical Artifact called the [Void Profound Pearl] from a major sect in the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent in order to evade the pursuit of the Dragon-Taming Star Feather, agreeing to return it after three hundred years.
Now, with the Dragon-Taming Star Feather already deceased and most of the three hundred-year agreement elapsed, Zhouyang saw no need to keep the item any longer.
Simply returning one item would waste years of travel time, which seemed somewhat inefficient.
Therefore, upon hearing his Dao Companion Xiao Ying mention that his disciple Lu Xuewei was preparing for Nascent Soul Formation, he had the idea to let Lu Xuewei return the [Void Profound Pearl] on his behalf, and then attempt to breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage in the environment most suitable for her in the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent.
Of course, considering the long journey and the dangerous crossing of the Endless Snowfield, he would not let Lu Xuewei travel alone and arranged for the [Water-Resistant Golden-Eyed Beast], which had once traversed this path, to escort her.
Lu Xuewei's cultivation technique was extremely suitable for traveling and surviving in places like the Endless Snowfield, and with Bi'Er, a Tier Six Demon King, accompanying and escorting her, she stood a great chance of escaping even when encountering a Tier Six Demon King.
This was also considered a trial for Zhouyang's disciple.
What gratified Zhouyang was that Lu Xuewei showed no dissatisfaction or resistance to his arrangement for the trial and decisively accepted the task on the spot.
"Very well, since you have made your decision, go back and prepare well. When you are ready, come to Fire Birch Mountain to find Bi'Er and let her take you on your journey."
Zhouyang waved his hand with satisfaction, allowing his disciple to go back and prepare.
Upon seeing this, Lu Xuewei immediately saluted and responded, "Yes, Master, I take my leave."
After she departed, Zhouyang transmitted a message, summoning Bi'Er, who was cultivating in sleep at the mountaintop, to meet him in the cave mansion.
"Bi'Er greets Master. May I know what orders Master has for Bi'Er?"
The heroic girl, dressed in blue battle armor, entered the cave mansion, seeing Zhouyang sitting cross-legged on the cloud bed, she bowed and saluted respectfully.
With Zhouyang's cultivation growing higher and never having been mistreated following him, instead having consumed many Spirit Pills and Elixirs, the Demon King Maiden, initially rebellious after her transformation, had now completely adapted to her role as a maid, never mentioning the return of her [Lifebound Soul Token].
"I wish for you to escort Xuewei to the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent to return the Magical Artifact [Void Profound Pearl] that I borrowed, and act as her Guardian during her travels there. What say you?"
Zhouyang nodded in satisfaction at the respectful demon servant before him, explaining his arrangement straightforwardly.
Upon hearing this, the Demon King Maiden showed a hint of difficulty and said, "With Master's order, Bi'Er certainly would not dare decline. But the journey to the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent is long, not to mention the perilous Endless Snowfield. As a Demon King, I may not find crossing it too difficult, but for Miss Xuewei, a Golden Core Cultivator of the Human Race, traversing smoothly may not be so easy."
"I'm well aware of that; you just need to do your best in your duties. I do not require you to pledge to protect her at all costs. If you encounter an enemy you both cannot contend with, then it will depend on her own fortune!"
Zhouyang's eyes slightly narrowed, speaking lightly with implications, dispelling the worries in her heart.
"If that's the case, this servant has no issue."
The Demon King Maiden was silent for a while, then nodded in agreement.
"Then it's decided."
Zhouyang spoke, waving his sleeve, tossing a few items to the Demon King Maiden.
"These items are entrusted to you for safekeeping. Besides the [Void Profound Pearl], keep the two Jade Boxes until Xuewei is ready for Nascent Soul Formation before giving them to her. As for the other bottles of Elixirs, consider them your reward for completing this task for me."
The combination of stick and carrot has always been Zhouyang's tried and true method of managing subordinates.
With her [Lifebound Soul Token] under his control, the Demon King Maiden Bi'Er certainly could not disobey his orders.
However, if he were only to forcibly order her, it would undoubtedly provoke a strong resistance within her, leading to shoddy work.
So, he often rewards them a bit after tasks are completed, showing the distinction between doing work well and half-heartedly.
For example, the elixirs given now are not particularly precious, merely [Essence Pills] refined from the blood and flesh essence of Tier Six Demon Kings, many of which he had refined during his time in the [Kunxu Realm].
But with these rewards, the Demon King Maiden could at least comfort herself internally, reassuring herself that serving him was a transaction, not subjugation without choice.
It's a simple truth everyone understands, but in situations where the status quo cannot be changed, even the weak comprehend and benefit from this tactic.
Under the sun, nothing is new; life's cycles repeat endlessly.
After arranging Lu Xuewei's Nascent Soul Formation matters, Zhouyang set off for the Zhou Family within the territory of the Daoxuan Country to give a discourse.
This time, he only traveled with Lan Daoist together, leaving his Dao Companion Xiao Ying and Qin Yue'Er in the Fire Birch Mountain Cave Mansion, one immersing herself in tomes to supplement Cultivation Realm knowledge, the other busy preparing to refine Tier Six Spirit Pills.
It's been several hundred years since the Zhou Family migrated en masse to the Cultivation Realm of the Liuyun Continent. With Zhouyang, a Nascent Soul Stage patriarch as their backbone and an abundance of Spirit Stones below, they truly have entered the ranks of a Major Cultivation Clans.
Aside from a few Spirit Mountains delineated by the Profound Sun Immortal Sect in the Daoxuan Country, the Zhou Family has acquired a dozen or so large and small Spirit Mountains through various means over the years, their descendants spread across most of the Cultivation Realm of the Liuyun Continent.
In terms of influence, even disregarding Zhouyang's supreme power and the territory in the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, the Zhou Family's presence in the Cultivation Realm of the Liuyun Continent rivals medium sects thousands of years in heritage.
From Zhouyang's view, the only obstacle limiting the Zhou Family's growth is the lack of a Tier Six Spirit Mountain and a sufficiently large, independent territory.
However, he had long planned for this; once his cultivation breaks through to the Late-Stage Nascent Soul, he could pursue this endeavor boldly.
When succeeded, the Zhou Family would become a renowned major force in the "Spirit Realm," a dominant clan.
"Junior Zhou Lie Feng, pays respect to the Patriarch, wishes the Patriarch eternal blessedness and swift ascension to the Immortal Realm!"
"Junior Zhou Liangyu, pays respect to the Patriarch, wishes the Patriarch eternal blessedness and swift ascension to the Immortal Realm!"
"Junior Zhou Chunyi, pays respect to the Patriarch, wishes the Patriarch eternal blessedness and swift ascension to the Immortal Realm!"
...
In the Zhou Family's most important Council Hall, Zhouyang was sitting at the top seat, accepting the bows of many high-ranking Zhou Family cultivators.
He had not revealed himself before the Zhou Family cultivators for a long time. Even when the Dragon-Taming Star Feather threatened and coerced the Zhou Family, he only took away a few high-level members at that time.
And now, it had been nearly two hundred years since he last appeared. Those high-level cultivators from the Zhou Family who had seen him back then had mostly perished if they had not reached the Golden Core Stage.
Therefore, the Zhou Family cultivators meeting him today had almost never seen him in person, including Zhou Lie Feng and Zhou Liangyu, the two Golden Core Stage cultivators who came out first.
Since Zhouyang returned from his Nascent Soul formation and obtained a large amount of Jade Liquid Golden Pills through various means, the Zhou Family had started investing heavily in nurturing Golden Core Stage cultivators.
However, nurturing a Golden Core Stage cultivator requires more than just the Jade Liquid Golden Pills; it also depends on the cultivator's own aptitude and luck.
In the past, even if Zhou Family's cultivators could achieve the Purple Mansion, they found it challenging to reach the Ninth Layer of the Purple Mansion before their lifespan ended. Hence, the older generation of Zhou Family Purple Mansion Stage cultivators failed to produce a single Golden Core Stage cultivator.
On the contrary, junior cultivators like Zhou Lie Feng and Zhou Liangyu were born at a time when the Zhou Family lacked no cultivation resources, allowing them to receive the best nurturing as soon as they were found to have superior aptitude.
Take Zhou Liangyu as an example: with an earth attribute top-grade Spiritual Root, and under the full cultivation of the Zhou Family, he took only twenty-eight years to establish a Foundation, opened his Purple Mansion at the age of one hundred and one, and formed his Golden Core at the age of three hundred and twenty-seven.
Such a cultivation speed is something only core disciples in top-tier major sects such as the Profound Sun Immortal Sect can accomplish.
In addition to these two new Golden Core Stage cultivators, the Zhou Family now boasts as many as twenty-seven Purple Mansion Stage cultivators, half of whom each have at least one future chance to reach the Golden Core Stage, with a few individuals even having two chances.
It is foreseeable that within the next hundred years, the Zhou Family will certainly add two to three more Golden Core Stage cultivators.
As for Foundation Establishment cultivators, they are even more numerous.
After Xiao Ying successfully completed her Nascent Soul formation, she soon divided the original Yuan Condensing Fruit tree of the Zhou Family, successfully cultivating three new ones.
During these centuries, Zhou Clan members and disciples also found two additional Yuan Condensing Fruit trees for the clan through various means, though they were only subsidiary fruit trees unable to be divided further.
As a result, just with the Foundation Establishment Pills refinanced with Tier Four Demon Pills as the main ingredient, the Zhou Family now produces over one hundred and fifty pills every hundred years!
According to the report Li Hong gave Zhouyang, the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Zhou Family, including those foreign relative cultivators, now total four hundred and twenty-three!
"Not bad, not bad, you juniors are doing quite well. Seeing so many accomplished high-tier cultivators in the Zhou Family and seeing the clan achieve today's success, this old ancestor is very pleased, very pleased,"
Zhouyang smiled warmly at the younger generation of family cultivators, sounding pleased and gratified.
With a wave of his hand, luminous Tier Five Spirit Talismans fell into the hands of each of the high-tier Zhou Family cultivators who were bowing to him.
"It's our first meeting, and I don't have many suitable gifts to reward you with. These talismans, which you can all use, are for your protection."
Talismans and elixirs are universal resources for cultivators. Zhouyang gave each cultivator a Tier Five Spirit Talisman indiscriminately, which neither showed bias nor diminished his identity as a Nascent Soul Stage ancestor.
His preparation for today's meeting was evident from this gesture.
All the Zhou Family cultivators present were at least a hundred years old, and it was easy for them to see this, making them even happier.
For them, the greatest joy was not receiving Zhouyang's gifts but his willingness to invest thought into them, the descendants, and his willingness to care about the family affairs.
Full of joy, everyone respectfully bowed and thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Ancestor, for your gifts."
Seeing this, Zhouyang nodded with satisfaction and then lightly waved his sleeve, saying, "Tomorrow, the Old Ancestor will give a lecture for ten days in the clan. You may return first, cleanse and prepare yourselves. If you perform well during the lecture, I will have additional rewards."
As he said this, his Divine Sense was multitasking, transmitting messages to the Golden Core Stage cultivators present, asking them to come back later.
Half an hour later, the three Golden Core Stage cultivators from the Zhou Family, who had received Zhouyang's covert voice instructions, all returned to the Council Hall and paid their respects to the meditating Zhouyang.
"Sit down first. I asked you three to come here to explain some things,"
Zhouyang waved his hand, speaking in a calm tone as he asked the few to sit down.
Once the three complied, he looked at them and said, "You three, as Golden Core Stage cultivators, will be the mainstay of the Zhou Family for the next few hundred years. Some matters are not suitable for too many to know, but you must be aware."
With such solemnity, the three Zhou Family Golden Core cultivators, including Li Hong, became somewhat nervous, each looking grave and tensed as they awaited his next words.
Zhouyang, seeing this, did not say anything to ease them but continued nonchalantly:
"This old ancestor's cultivation has now encountered a bottleneck, and in the next hundred or several hundred years, it is possible to be stuck in this state. To seek breakthrough opportunities, I must either go into a prolonged seclusion or travel afar to seek fortune."
"Also, let me speak plainly to you. Even if one day I find a chance to break through and advance to the late stage of the Nascent Soul, I must focus on preparing for the future Immortal Ascension. Unless the Zhou Family faces a threat you cannot handle on your own, I have no mind or time for family matters."
"Of course, as the Zhou Family is my birthplace and the fruit of my labor, even if I unable to oversee family matters, I will arrange for Nascent Soul Stage cultivators to guard the clan, ensuring no one dares to bully the Zhou Family."
"Now, with this opportunity, you may speak freely about matters you think need my help or decision. I will help and advise based on the circumstances."
After speaking, Zhouyang looked calmly at the three Zhou Family Golden Core cultivators, waiting for them to digest his words and respond.
As he expected, after listening to his words, the three Zhou Family Golden Core cultivators were somewhat panicked, with varying degrees of heaviness.
However, their cultivation at the Golden Core Stage gave them the poise and restraint to avoid crying out, which pleased Zhouyang.
After waiting a while and seeing that none of the three seemed eager to speak first, he named one directly, "Li Hong, as the helmsman of the Zhou Family, you start."
