Cultivation Begins From The Desert

Chapter 618 - 603: Late Stage of Golden Core [Extra Update 1/2 for Alliance Leader sponsored by Book Friend Qian Duoduo]

Land of the Far West, Cangyuan Immortal City.

After more than a hundred years, stepping foot once again in this city where he had fought before, Zhouyang’s mindset had become completely different from the many times he came here in the past.

He never expected that in just over a hundred years, the Zhou Family branch here would already become half a master of this place.

Li Hong was a talent, Zhouyang had known this for a long time, but he found that he still underestimated this guy’s means of maneuvering.

In just over a hundred years, this guy had developed the Zhou Family in the Land of the Far West, which barely squeezed into the ranks of prominent families at the time, into the second largest family in Cangyuan Immortal City, second only to the family of the City Lord.

This ability truly shocked him.

And when he learned how the other party achieved this, he was even more amazed in his heart.

"The great flag of the Celestial Cauldron Sect has advantages and disadvantages. Relying on their support has made the forces of Yu Country wary of you, but it has also made the Zhou Family a common thorn in their side. To drive you out of Yu Country, they will definitely go all out."

"Now they’re not taking action only because they are unsure of what the Celestial Cauldron Sect’s attitude is. Once they figure it out and realize the Celestial Cauldron Sect has no intention of intervening, after the hundred-year period, Cangyuan Immortal City will surely have no place for you here!"

In a street-facing private room of a teahouse, Zhouyang gazed at the low-tier cultivator figures passing by on the street outside, gently took a sip of the spirit tea unique to the Land of the Far West from the table, and somberly expressed his views on the predicament faced by the Zhou Family in the Land of the Far West.

It turned out that the Zhou Family in the Land of the Far West could develop so quickly all because Li Hong had accidentally saved someone over sixty years ago.

At that time, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator he saved actually turned out to be the great-grandson of a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator from the Celestial Cauldron Sect of the Great Yun Country, and was also a rather favored great-grandson.

That cultivator had sneaked out to travel the cultivation realm, flaunted wealth near Cangyuan Immortal City, and was ambushed by a group of loose cultivators. Having exhausted all his life-saving items, he was fortunately rescued by Li Hong.

After being saved by Li Hong, that person, grateful for Li Hong’s kindness, promised to ensure the prosperity of the Zhou Family in Cangyuan Immortal City for a hundred years.

Over the years, the Zhou Family in Cangyuan Immortal City could rapidly develop because after returning to the Celestial Cauldron Sect, that person invited a Golden Core Stage cultivator to sit in the Zhou Family of Cangyuan Immortal City for twenty years.

Li Hong, being a capable person, leveraged the Golden Core Stage cultivator’s deterrence. He raised the flag under the guise of a tiger’s skin, and, with the might of the tiger, actually managed to carve out nearly a third of the cake of Cangyuan Immortal City for the Zhou Family.

Now the Zhou Family in Cangyuan Immortal City already had two Purple Mansion Stage cultivators and twenty-five Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators. Additionally, the vassal Foundation Establishment Cultivators under their control numbered between twenty and thirty.

"Ancestor, your insight is as sharp as a torch; you saw the crux in a glance. I also discovered this point and have already utilized that person’s connections to prepare a haven in the Great Yun Country over these years. Even if we are driven out of Cangyuan Immortal City, with the resources and wealth we’ve accumulated over the years and that person’s connections, we can also maintain the family inheritance without loss!"

Li Hong looked at Zhouyang, a flash of admiration in his eyes, and then respectfully revealed his own plans.

This is typical of grabbing a handful and leaving, a common practice among loose cultivators. It seems that although he had become accustomed to being a leader of a force, some habits formed during his time as a loose cultivator still lingered.

Zhouyang, pondering these thoughts, couldn’t help but say, "This is a last resort. The Zhou Family today is no small affair. Moving into Great Yun Country rashly will surely face exclusion from the pre-existing forces of the local cultivation realm. Even if you have a favor from that person in the Celestial Cauldron Sect, this exclusion won’t disappear and may even make them more vigilant and united."

"Which family, that has been able to sustain its lineage in Great Yun Country for a thousand years, doesn’t have deep ties with the sects there? Even if the person you rely on comes from a noble background, their cultivation might still be low, and they may not be able to help you when real problems arise."

Hearing his words, Li Hong’s expression suddenly became solemn.

Zhouyang’s words struck a chord, this was precisely where his concerns lay.

With a serious look, he gazed at Zhouyang, suddenly fell to his knees and bowed, "I beg of you, Ancestor, to teach me the superior strategy!"

He was a smart person, realizing that since Zhouyang said his strategy was a last resort, there must be a superior one; otherwise, he would merely point out the flaws of his strategy.

"It’s very simple. I disguise myself to give a warning to the current City Lord of Cangyuan Immortal City, so they won’t be able to discern how many forces stand behind you. Then, if you appropriately give up a little, you could protect yourself for another hundred years without harm!"

Zhouyang gave a calm smile and softly revealed his strategy.

"But Ancestor you..."

Li Hong hesitated, looking at him, unsure whether to voice his worries.

"You want to ask about me still being wanted by the Anti-Light Alliance, right? Don’t worry, since I proposed it, I’m confident that no one would discern my origins."

Zhouyang glanced at him and, with full confidence, offered reassurance.

Li Hong heard this, and his expression instantly relaxed, his face filled with joy as he replied, "With the ancestor saying so, this junior can be at ease."

"However, this matter need not be rushed. It can be done before I leave. For now, let’s talk about acknowledging our ancestors and returning to the clan."

Zhouyang nodded slightly, then shifted the topic to the main purpose of his trip to the Land of the Far West.

After returning to the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm from the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm, he gathered Zhou Guangxiang and other clan leaders to explain his impending journey and shared his arrangements.

During the meeting, Zhou Guangxiang suggested that he make another trip to the Land of the Far West to arrange matters for the family branch there.

After some thought, Zhouyang accepted Zhou Guangxiang’s suggestion, leading to his current journey to the Land of the Far West.

At this moment, he gazed deeply at Li Hong and said in a deep voice, "This time, besides providing your family branch with support, I intend to take some outstanding clan members from here back to the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm to acknowledge their ancestors and even take them to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm for further cultivation. What are your thoughts on this matter?"

Acknowledging one’s ancestors and returning to the clan was merely an appealing phrase. In reality, taking people back from the family branch in the Land of the Far West was the main family drawing strength from the branches to ensure that the main family remained stronger than the branches.

This was also Zhouyang’s intention in splitting the Zhou family into various branches originally.

Splitting the family could reduce the main family’s resource allocation burden while igniting competitive spirit between the branch and main family cultivators, enhancing the clan’s self-reliance.

As for the hidden risks posed by splitting the family, with Zhouyang, the clan’s elder ancestor, overseeing these matters, the benefits far outweighed the risks.

Even if Zhouyang were no longer present in the future, as long as the main family remained strong, each branch, eager for treasures like Foundation Establishment Pills and Purple Heart Jade Marrow from the main family, would maintain their loyalty to the Zhou family.

Of course, these were merely Zhouyang’s subjective conjectures. Now he needed to turn those plans into reality.

Would Li Hong agree?

Under Zhouyang’s gaze, Li Hong’s expression shifted slightly, then he nodded with a smile and said, "This junior definitely supports the ancestor’s proposal. Acknowledging our ancestors and returning to the clan is an honor for us branch family cultivators!"

"I’m glad to hear you think this way. Then it’s settled."

Zhouyang also smiled broadly and decided on this matter on the spot.

Thus, in the next half year, Zhouyang collaborated with Li Hong to fabricate multiple incidents of missing Zhou family cultivators.

Since the Zhou family’s current situation was already somewhat delicate, the disappearance of Zhou family cultivators attracted attention from various forces in the Yu Country. Nevertheless, none of these forces exerted much effort to investigate the matter.

Why would they investigate it?

If the missing Zhou family cultivators were the work of any of these forces, zealously uncovering the truth would only embarrass that party.

If the missing Zhou family cultivators were a scheme orchestrated by the Zhou family to themselves, it indicated that the Zhou family was sensibly preparing to withdraw from Yu Country. All they needed to do was patiently wait for the Zhou family to retreat and then take over the territory they left behind.

However, when another Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator of the Zhou family, Zhou Wannian, besides Li Hong, also encountered an accident, the factions within Cangyuan Immortal City instantly realized the severity of the situation.

In the Zhou family’s public announcement, Zhou Wannian had fallen while investigating the missing Zhou family cultivators. His Soul Token within the family shattered on the spot, as did the Soul Tokens of the previously missing Foundation Establishment Cultivators, immediately following Zhou Wannian’s Soul Token’s explosion.

This clearly suggested a deliberate conspiracy targeting the Zhou family, intending to weaken them.

As the actual power holder of the Zhou family, Li Hong roared at the City Lord’s Mansion, demanding that the Cangyuan Immortal City Lord thoroughly investigate the culprit’s identity and give the Zhou family an explanation while simultaneously announcing that he would personally invite someone to uphold justice for the Zhou family.

Less than half a month later, while various forces were still recovering from this change, another piece of news shocked them.

The current City Lord of Cangyuan Immortal City, Zhao Jingming, a Fifth-Layer Golden Core Cultivator, was visited and warned by a mysterious Golden Core Stage Cultivator at the City Lord’s Mansion. The message implied that the cultivator had come to avenge the Zhou family.

Despite Zhao Jingming’s cultivation level, he was unable to capture the figure of the visitor, unsure even whether they were male or female.

Recalling Li Hong’s bold words earlier, those who had planned to take advantage of the Zhou family fell silent.

They still had not figured out how deep the Zhou family’s relationship with the Celestial Cauldron Sect was, and now the Zhou family had invited a stealth-savvy Golden Core Stage Cultivator to stand up for them.

If they contemplated taking action against the Zhou family again, they truly had to consider whether they could withstand an assassination by that mysterious Golden Core Stage Cultivator.

Thus, after various overt and covert confrontations, Li Hong finally represented the Zhou Family in reaching a reconciliation with those factions. The Zhou Family relinquished some of the territory and benefits they had previously held, and from now on, no faction would overtly ostracize the Zhou Family.

At this time, in the upper echelons of the Zhou Family, only Li Hong and a dozen Foundation Establishment Cultivators remained, their strength having waned by several folds compared to before. To the other factions, they no longer posed any threat.

Therefore, upon hearing from Li Hong that the Celestial Cauldron Sect would not intervene in Yu Country’s affairs, the factions begrudgingly accepted the situation.

Meanwhile, Zhouyang left Li Hong with three pieces of Purple Heart Jade Marrow and fifteen Foundation Establishment Pills, then departed with eight Foundation Establishment Cultivators and one Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator, who had been declared "fallen," returning to the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm.

Returning to the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm, Zhouyang personally presided over the ancestral rites for the branch clan cultivators like Zhou Wannian, and then prepared to lead Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator Zhou Wannian, Foundation Establishment Cultivators Zhou Shimin and Zhou Shijie, three cultivators from the Land of the Far West Zhou Family, along with several other Zhou Family Cultivators from the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm, to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm together.

"Jinpeng, I leave the Zhou Family in your care, remember my instructions well, do not go near the Broken Cloud Mountain Range!"

Atop Lingxi Peak, Zhouyang gently stroked his beloved Golden-winged Thunder Eagle’s head, his face serious as he gave final instructions.

The Tier Five Lower Grade Demon Beast, Golden-winged Thunder Eagle, was the trump card he left for the Zhou Family. With this Clan Guardian Spirit Bird present, no one in the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm could threaten the Zhou Family’s position.

"Rest assured, Master, Jinpeng will surely remember your instructions, watching over the Zhou Family diligently without letting you down!"

Zhou Jinpeng squinted his eagle eyes in enjoyment of his master’s petting, speaking human words in response to his master’s commands.

The ability to speak human words was the key reason Zhouyang entrusted the Golden-winged Thunder Eagle to guard the Zhou Family.

A Tier Five Demon Beast’s intelligence is no less than that of humans. Zhou Jinpeng’s ability to speak human words enables him to communicate easily with the Zhou Family members, exchanging information and intelligence. Should any situation arise, he could order the Purple Mansion Stage Cultivators of the Zhou Family to cooperate with him in battle and provide support.

Zhouyang’s main concern was that the Golden-winged Thunder Eagle might be discovered by the Demon Kings in the Broken Cloud Mountain Range, which would spell disaster for the Zhou Family.

Therefore, he repeatedly exhorted Zhou Jinpeng to stay away from the Broken Cloud Mountain Range.

Fortunately, Zhou Jinpeng, raised by him since childhood and bound by the Demonic Soul Contract, had no sense of kinship with the Demon Race in the Broken Cloud Mountain Range. Otherwise, he would never dare leave him to guard the Zhou Family on his own.

After reassuring and instructing his beloved pet, Zhouyang took Zhou Wannian and other seven youth Zhou Family Cultivators to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm.

The journey was uneventful. Upon returning to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm, Zhouyang left the seven youth Zhou Family Cultivators at the Zhou Family in Daoxuan Country to familiarize themselves with the new environment alongside the Zhou Family Cultivators there, while he returned to Chongxuan Mountain to seclude himself and seek another breakthrough to the late stage of Golden Core.

Originally, after his previous failed attempt to advance to the late stage of Golden Core, Zhouyang planned to toil away slowly over decades to elevate himself.

But plans often can’t keep up with changes. Soon, he would head to the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm and was certain to encounter many dangerous battles. His current cultivation at the Sixth-Layer Golden Core felt insufficiently secure.

If he could break through to the Seventh-Layer Golden Core and enter the late stage of Golden Core, he wouldn’t need to worry about anyone defeating him within the Golden Core Stage.

Moreover, as long as he entered the late stage of Golden Core, he could barely use the Heaven-Suppressing Azure Dragon Cauldron to assist him in continuing the Azure Dragon Body Refining Technique to the fourth layer, significantly enhancing his combat abilities once again.

The benefits were evident, and Zhouyang was determined to try once more for these advantages.

Fortunately, he succeeded.

After consuming three Spirit Pills that refined his cultivation, using the rampant drug power of the Spirit Pills, he finally forced a breakthrough and advanced to the late stage of Golden Core.

However, this forced breakthrough had severe aftermath, severely injuring his meridians and dantian with rampant Spirit Pill power. Typically, recovery would take at least thirty to fifty years of rest.

But this typical situation didn’t apply to Zhouyang.

After ingesting a drop of Rejuvenating Immortal Dew and receiving assistance from his Dao Companion who used the already mastered Marvelous Method Cyan Radiance Creation Profound Light, he quickly healed eighty percent of his injuries, only the injury to his dantian remained partly untreated.

Yet, this level of injury no longer hindered his practice of the Azure Dragon Body Refining Technique, a body refining divine technique.

Time did not permit Zhouyang any delay, and he quickly summoned the Heaven-Suppressing Azure Dragon Cauldron, pouring in Tier Six Flood Dragon Spirit Blood, with the assistance of this Tier Six Middle-grade Spiritual Artifact to practice the fourth layer of the Azure Dragon Body Refining Technique.

This was the first time in over a hundred years that he practiced this body refining divine technique, and with the correct method, his progress was rapid, unlike before.

However, this practice consumed Flood Dragon Spirit Blood at an extremely fast rate, and in less than five years, Zhouyang’s stock of Tier Six Flood Dragon Spirit Blood was entirely depleted.

Yet, he still hadn’t quite reached the level needed to complete the fourth layer of the Azure Dragon Body Refining Technique.

This cannot be denied as a regret.

Zhouyang could only sigh, "It is what it is, fate!"

If he hadn’t forcibly practiced the "Azure Dragon Body Refining Technique" fourth layer before acquiring the correct cultivation method and wasted a large amount of Flood Dragon Spirit Blood, he could have used the abundance of Sixth Tier Flood Dragon Spirit Blood he had to cultivate this body refining divine technique up to the fourth layer.

But in reality, although his physical strength was greatly enhanced again, he was still a step away from mastering the fourth layer of the "Azure Dragon Body Refining Technique."

Without mastering the fourth layer of the "Azure Dragon Body Refining Technique," he couldn’t grasp the combat divine technique [Cyan Dragon Transformation], and his strength couldn’t achieve a qualitative leap.

"But that doesn’t matter, the Donghua Continent Immortal Cultivation World borders the East Sea, which is the stronghold of the Jiao Dragon Race in this realm. Once I get there, I can naturally purchase Fifth Tier Flood Dragon Spirit Blood at a high price, or even the Fifth Tier Flood Dragon Life Essence Blood to help me cultivate this divine technique to the fourth layer!"

The light in Zhouyang’s eyes flashed, and he soon put away his regret, exited the cave dwelling.

At this time, there were still four or five years until Xu Zhengyang’s auction of the cross-cultivation realm teleportation array usage quota. Zhouyang had no intention of continuing to cultivate divine techniques, but instead planned to handle another major task.

He wanted to make another trip to the Endless Snowfield to seek the precious spiritual object [Ice Tear Flower] that the "Bingyi People" mentioned to him.

[Ice Tear Flower] can help cultivators pass the "Heart Demon Tribulation," and this item is essential for Zhouyang before forming his core and birthing the infant.

Now he was already at the Seventh-Layer Golden Core, not far from the Ninth-Layer Golden Core, so he wanted to acquire this spiritual object before heading to the Donghua Continent Immortal Cultivation World.

He had a premonition that his trip to the Donghua Continent Immortal Cultivation World would not end easily; he might even stay there for a century or even several centuries.

If that were the case, he would certainly look for an opportunity to form his core and birth the infant directly over there, rather than wait until returning to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm to do it.

And according to the "Bingyi People’s" earlier words, the guardian demon beast of the [Ice Tear Flower] was a Fifth Tier High-Grade Demon Beast [Three-headed Ice Roc], which was very formidable and just a step away from advancing to Tier Six.

Zhouyang did not believe that the "Bingyi People" would deliberately exaggerate the strength of the [Three-headed Ice Roc]. On the contrary, in that situation, he might have intentionally downplayed it instead.

Therefore, to be on the safe side, he went to Lu Ming Valley before heading to the Endless Snowfield.

Years ago, he used a loan of five million Low-grade Spirit Stones to obtain a favor from the Nascent Soul Stage cultivator Master Bai Lu of Lu Ming Valley, who promised to assist him once within his power.

This time, Zhouyang went to Lu Ming Valley to ask for his secret escort to the Endless Snowfield as a precaution.

"I didn’t expect you to have this opportunity to even find a spiritual object like [Ice Tear Flower]!"

In Lu Ming Valley, after hearing Zhouyang’s intentions, Master Bai Lu was also visibly moved in surprise.

Only a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator like him could understand how terrifying the "Heart Demon Tribulation" was; it was a nightmare that no Nascent Soul Stage cultivator wanted to recall.

Master Bai Lu now no longer needed the [Ice Tear Flower]. Otherwise, if he learned of its existence, he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t have thoughts of eliminating Zhouyang to seize it for himself.

After marveling for a moment, he nodded to Zhouyang and said, "I can accompany you to the Endless Snowfield, but I must make it clear to you that if we encounter obstruction from a Sixth Tier Demon King in the snowfield, I may not be able to ensure your safe departure. You must understand this!"

Zhouyang replied solemnly upon hearing this, "If that really happens, it would be my fate, and I wouldn’t dare to blame you in the slightest!"

Having agreed on this, Zhouyang immediately set off with Master Bai Lu to the Endless Snowfield.

The speed of a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator’s escape is incredibly fast; the journey that took Zhouyang and Xu Zhengyang several months was completed by Master Bai Lu in less than half the time.

However, even Master Bai Lu, after reaching the Endless Snowfield, dared not proceed recklessly at full speed as he did in the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm. Instead, he cautiously restrained his aura and slowed down significantly.

But after all, a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator is a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, and their divine sense range is incomparable to that of a Golden Core Stage cultivator.

On the journey, Zhouyang only needed to direct Master Bai Lu, and he could perfectly avoid Fifth Tier demon beasts along the way and easily sneak into the depths of the snowfield, much more easily than when he and Xu Zhengyang had to tread carefully as if on thin ice.

Of course, this only applied to the outskirts of the Endless Snowfield, where there were no Sixth Tier Demon Kings seated, allowing Nascent Soul Stage cultivators to come and go freely.

In areas deeper within the snowfield, where Sixth Tier Demon Kings reigned, a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator like Master Bai Lu would easily be sensed by the demon kings unless he practiced techniques like the "Stinging Dragon Avoiding Tribulation Technique" to conceal his aura.

Fortunately, the place where the [Ice Tear Flower] grew was located right at the boundary between the outer and central areas of the Endless Snowfield. Otherwise, Master Bai Lu might not have agreed to accompany Zhouyang on this venture.