Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 851 - 834: Four Hundred Fleeting Years
Zhou Guangcheng is now the Guardian of the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, and naturally cannot stay outside for long, especially since his Dao Companion and children are all in the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm and the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm.
So after staying on Donglai Immortal Island for half a year, he returned alone to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm.
After that, the vast island was left with only Zhouyang and Qin Yue'Er living in seclusion there.
After achieving Immortal Ascension, Zhouyang no longer hopes to make any more progress in cultivation, so while living in seclusion on Donglai Immortal Island, he devotes almost all his energy to the cultivation of Immortal Techniques.
After his Immortal Ascension, the Qianyang Treasure Pearl transmitted all the legacy left by Master Qianyang to him, including not only the cultivation techniques suitable for after the Tribulation Crossing Stage but also three Immortal Techniques appropriate for his cultivation.
These three Immortal Techniques are Heaven-Burning Melting Furnace, Refining God Chain, and Indestructible Golden Bell.
The names of these three Immortal Techniques sound less like techniques and more like magical artifacts.
In fact, they do indeed manifest in the form of artifacts.
Just like the final round of the celestial tribulation, where the tribulation thunder transforms into Thunder Tribulation Divine Soldiers, these Immortal Techniques, which are a high condensation of laws, are similar.
Aside from the three inherited Immortal Techniques, Zhouyang himself also obtained some divine techniques from ancient times from the Three Immortals of the Human Race—Du Chongyang and Master Withered Wood. Among them, two are worth cultivating: Void Shift and Void Shattering Spear.
Other Immortal Techniques aside, Void Shift is a technique Zhouyang must learn.
As the name suggests, this technique is used for making swift journeys in the Chaos Void.
The Chaos Void is boundless, with no sky above and no ground below, no distinction between north, south, east, or west.
Although a True Immortal at the Tribulation Crossing Stage can survive there, without an Immortal Technique like Void Shift to travel, relying solely on flying by oneself might take a million years to find a world to reside in.
If Zhouyang wishes to ascend to the Upper Realm, mastering this technique is essential.
As for the other Immortal Techniques, he will prioritize cultivating Indestructible Golden Bell and Heaven-Burning Melting Furnace.
In the Chaos Void, dangers abound; not only are there natural hazards, but chaos monsters also exist. Immortal Techniques that enhance survival and combat capabilities are naturally prioritized.
Cultivating Immortal Techniques differs from ordinary techniques; the key is the utilization of laws.
Immortal Techniques are essentially the power formed by the high condensation of laws, testing the cultivator's understanding and control of these laws.
Having reached the Tribulation Crossing Stage, Zhouyang finds it easy to perceive the existence of Heaven and Earth Laws, whether they align with his own attributes, such as Fire Attribute and Gold Attribute Laws, or do not align, such as Water Attribute and Wood Attribute Laws, or others like Wind Attribute and Ice Attribute Laws.
The difference is that Fire Attribute Laws do not resist his perception and touch much, while Ice Attribute Laws resist his touch and are unwilling to be utilized by him.
Yet, a True Immortal at the Tribulation Crossing Stage possesses a strong ability to forcibly manipulate and borrow a portion of the power of any Heaven and Earth Law for personal use.
If Zhouyang wishes, he can forcibly mobilize a portion of Ice Attribute Laws, transforming it into frost power comparable to a Tier Six Ice Attribute Spell to attack enemies.
Since he can perceive all Heaven and Earth Laws, should he wish to spend time researching them, he may have the opportunity to deeply comprehend and master Ice Attribute Laws, thus cultivating some Ice Attribute Immortal Techniques!
In such circumstances, the longer a True Immortal at the Tribulation Crossing Stage lives, the stronger they typically become.
However, this situation only applies to the Human Race True Immortals at the Tribulation Crossing Stage; the demon race's Tier Seven True Spirits cannot match the human counterparts in perceiving and controlling non-compatible attribute Heaven and Earth Laws.
This difference is fundamental to both races and their cultivation systems.
Among newly ascended True Immortals, Zhouyang's degree of understanding and control over Heaven and Earth Laws is absolutely top-tier, given that before his tribulation crossing, he spent significant time in a place rich in Power of Origin.
At this time, his cultivation of the Immortal Technique Void Shift progresses remarkably; within a hundred years, he has reached the level of initial application.
Being an Immortal Technique specially meant for travel in the Chaos Void, Void Shift is quite limited in application in the Spirit Realm and its effectiveness reduces by dozens or hundreds of times.
Zhouyang's ability to initially perform this Immortal Technique in the Spirit Realm means it will be even easier to use in the Chaos Void.
Therefore, next, he focuses his main energy on cultivating the Indestructible Golden Bell Immortal Technique.
Indestructible Golden Bell, being a defensive Immortal Technique, is immensely effective in every circumstance. Its cultivation difficulty is far greater than the Void Shift technique.
For the first hundred years, Zhouyang only grasped a superficial understanding of it, not suitable for practical use.
After another hundred years of cultivation, he finally glimpsed hope of mastering it.
When he eventually managed to practice this Immortal Technique, two hundred and seventy years had passed.
By then, Qin Yue'Er, who had accompanied him in seclusion on Donglai Immortal Island for nearly four hundred years, had reached Nascent Soul Stage Eighth Layer Perfection, facing the bottleneck to the Ninth-Layer, unable to break through.
The same bottleneck stalled Zhou Guangcheng.
And predictably, Zhou Guangzheng surpassed his mother and brother in cultivation progress, entering the Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul "Half-Step True Immortal" realm before them.
Seeing this, Zhouyang simply picked the newly matured Dragon Blood Holy Jade Fruit and Jade Peach from Donglai Immortal Island, then took Qin Yue'Er to Kurong Valley to awaken his Dao Companion Xiao Ying.
Hundreds of years ago, Xiao Ying entered the dormant state of the Life and Death Qi of Withering and Flourishing divine technique, leaving a message for Zhouyang to awaken him in three hundred years.
During this time, Zhouyang was occupied with cultivating Immortal Techniques, and he himself didn't want to awaken her prematurely to avoid excessive lifespan loss, thus delaying their reunion.
Now that he has succeeded in cultivating two Immortal Techniques, and since his Dao Companion Qin Yue'Er only has a lifespan of five to six hundred years, he plans to awaken Xiao Ying and spend a hundred years in family reunion.
With Lan Daoist overseeing Kurong Valley, everything remains stable, so Zhouyang arrives under the towering giant tree and, similar to last time, awakens Xiao Ying inside the tree in her dormant state.
After a brief moment, Xiao Ying emerges from within, full of vitality.
"Have three hundred years passed already? Sister Yue'Er's cultivation has advanced again, truly worthy of congratulations!"
Xiao Ying appeared under the tree, her beautiful eyes glanced over Zhouyang and Qin Yue'Er, then she gently smiled and congratulated Qin Yue'Er on her progress in cultivation.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yue'Er forced a bitter smile and said, "Sister Ying'Er, you have been asleep for almost four hundred years. If my cultivation hadn't advanced, it would have been a waste of these four hundred years of life!"
"Has four hundred years passed already?"
Xiao Ying glanced at Zhouyang, but did not say much and did not ask why Zhouyang did not wake her up according to their agreement.
The two of them had been together for over two thousand years, there was no need to ask, she understood Zhouyang's intentions.
She blinked her beautiful eyes, looked at Zhouyang, and said, "Over four hundred years have passed, and I wonder how Cheng'Er and Zheng'Er are doing. Husband, should we go back to see them?"
"We should indeed go see them."
Zhouyang nodded slightly, then greeted Lan Daoist, and returned to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm with his two Dao companions.
Compared to the previous two millennia, in the time after Zhouyang turned two thousand years old, the cultivation realm had developed peacefully, without any significant events, at least none that would alarm a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal.
The Profound Sun Immortal Sect indeed prospered again, Zhou Guangcheng had come to Donglai Immortal Island a hundred years ago to seek Zhouyang's advice on cultivation issues, specifically requesting two Holy Infant Fruits from him.
Now, the number of Nascent Soul Stage cultivators in the Profound Sun Immortal Sect reached six, including Zhou Guangcheng, who was an Eighth-Layer Nascent Soul guardian.
In contrast, the Yuqing Daoist Sect faced a time of shortage, with only three Nascent Soul Stage cultivators within the sect, the highest being merely at the Fifth-Layer Nascent Soul.
The rise and fall of each sect in the cultivation realm is stark reality; no force can avoid it.
Of course, this does not include the Zhou Family or, rather, the Zhou Family still guarded by Zhouyang.
The number of high-tier cultivators in the Zhou Family is still rapidly increasing. Over four hundred years, two more Nascent Soul Stage cultivators emerged, named Zhou Jiale and Zhou Shanxi, both of whom were not well-known to Zhouyang.
"What's going on with Yu Zhen and Yu Huan? How are they over a thousand years old and yet have not attempted the Nascent Soul Stage?"
On Profound Sun Peak, after meeting with his son and daughters-in-law, Zhouyang merely conversed briefly before frowning at the two daughters-in-law, asking about their cultivation.
These two daughters-in-law had reached the Ninth-Layer Golden Core but had not yet formed a Nascent Soul.
At their Golden Core Stage, if not for the life-extending spiritual object such as the Jade Peach, they would have perished by now.
The last time Zhou Guangcheng sought the Holy Infant Fruit from Zhouyang, it was for the two of them; otherwise, Zhouyang wouldn't have been so generous.
Hearing about this, Shen Yu Zhen and Shen Yu Huan immediately bowed and explained, "Father, don't be angry; it's not that we don't wish to attempt the Nascent Soul Stage, but we are unable to let go of our attachment to our husband and each other. We plan to make a final push in the last fifty years!"
"Foolish!"
Zhouyang looked at the two with displeasure, his tone slightly angry, and reprimanded, "With such a mindset, you're more likely to fail!"
In the anger of a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal, how could two Ninth-Layer Golden Core mortal cultivators withstand it? They were so frightened that they dared not breathe, trembling and unable to respond.
Seeing this, Xiao Ying felt sorry for her daughters-in-law and couldn't help but speak up: "Husband, calm yourself; don't frighten them. The formation of a Nascent Soul concerns life and death; their thoughts aren't entirely wrong."
She herself had the same thought back then and only formed her Nascent Soul over nine hundred years old, so she could empathize with daughters-in-law whose spirit root talent was similar to hers.
"My anger isn't directed at them; I'm upset for those determined to pursue the Dao without resources or support!"
Zhouyang turned his head away in displeasure, not wanting to see their faces anymore.
Were it not for the fact that they were his daughters-in-law, he would not even bother with what he deemed cowardly cultivators.
He was also displeased with his son Zhou Guangcheng's handling of this matter.
He couldn't help but angrily reprimand his son beside him: "Cheng'Er, you should understand; your two Dao companions don't know, but how could you not? If a cultivator dares not fight against fate, how can they achieve great things? As their husband, you should have long found a way to guide and educate them!"
Zhou Guangcheng felt aggrieved because he had indeed tried to talk to his Dao companions, but his efforts hadn't worked.
But knowing well his father's character and the unquestionable might of a true immortal, he could only suppress his grievance, repeatedly agreeing: "Father, you're right. The fault lies with me. I've been preoccupied with cultivation and sect affairs and neglected this matter. It's entirely my fault."
"Enough; these are matters for you as a couple to handle. As a father, I shouldn't interfere much. Do as you please, but don't regret it later!"
Zhouyang waved his hand with an unhappy expression, ending the discussion.
Subsequently, he stayed at Profound Sun Peak for less than half a month before returning to the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm with Xiao Ying and Qin Yue'Er, leaving Zhou Guangcheng to encourage his Dao companions to attempt the Nascent Soul Stage.
Back at the Boundless Desert Sea, Zhouyang did not go to the Zhou Family Mountain Gate on Lingxi Peak but returned to Yuquan Lake Oasis, the ancestral land of the Zhou Family.
This ancestral land had long been designated off-limits by the Zhou Family, with only a few Zhou Family cultivators permitted entry.
After returning, Zhouyang sent a message to the Zhou Family, requesting them to summon his youngest son, Zhou Guangzheng, the Palace Master of the Great Brightness Immortal Palace, to meet him.
But since he had returned, he couldn't just meet his son; he also met with others such as his grandson Zhou Tonghui, the Zhou Family Patriarch, his granddaughter Zhou Tongyue, their descendants, the family's Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, the demon servants, Golden Roc and Bi'Er. It was essential to meet these people.
For some of them, meeting him even once was an enormous honor; perhaps for the rest of their lives, they might only meet him a few more times.
"As the current patriarch of the Zhou Family, I finally live up to the name a bit."
At Yuquan Lake Oasis, after reviewing the audience list from his grandson Zhou Tonghui, Zhouyang couldn't help but laugh lightly and speak with a hint of self-mockery.
