Cultivation Begins From The Desert

Chapter 628 - 613: East Sea Merfolk, War Breaks Out

The problems that can be solved with spirit stones are not problems at all!

Zhouyang was indeed so extravagant now.

Ling Chao had clearly severely underestimated his wealth and was unaware that he now carried a fortune of five to six million spirit stones.

So after listening to Ling Chao’s words, he agreed without even thinking.

Then he took the opportunity to voice his concerns.

"With Young Palace Master Ling’s assistance in the rescue mission, there should be no major issue, but I, Zhou, still have a concern. That is the retreat after the rescue and preventing the enemy’s tracking. I wonder if Young Palace Master Ling has any way to help in these aspects?"

Upon hearing this, before Ling Chao could reply, Zhu Zizhen spoke first: "Your concern is a bit unnecessary. Since your wife and child both possess the ’Phoenix True Blood,’ they should be capable of the Phoenix Divine Bird’s ’Nirvana’ divine technique. As long as they safely escape, they can voluntarily undergo ’Nirvana’ once to change their magical power’s aura, rendering most tracking divine techniques ineffective."

"What Elder Zhu said makes sense, but as far as I know," Ling Chao said, "Fairy Yufeng and Elder Jiang both left behind lifebound soul lamps upon joining the Divine Lady Palace. The enemy might still be able to track them through these!"

Ling Chao first nodded, agreeing with Zhu Zizhen’s words, but then frowned, expressing additional worries.

While the magical power’s aura can change, the divine soul’s aura cannot be altered. Tracking someone through a lifebound soul token or a soul lamp is not difficult for a cultivator.

Back when Zhouyang was in the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm, it was Ghost Servant Xu Song who found Zhou Xuan Yu and Zhou Yuanyao, trapped in an underground ruin, by using the soul token left by his foster mother Zhou Xuan Yu at the clan.

With the power of Dragon Taming Clan and Divine Lady Palace, their methods in this regard are likely far superior to Xu Song’s.

At this point, even Zhu Zizhen said nothing.

Finally, Ling Chao said, "Let’s do it this way. Leave it to me. I will find a way to get two ’Soul Splitting Talismans’ as a precaution. Then, during the rescue of Elder Jiang, I’ll see if I can access the Ancestor Hall of Divine Lady Palace to destroy those two soul lamps!"

He then looked at Zhouyang, giving a faint smile, and said, "As for Fellow Daoist Zhou’s concern about the retreat, I heard that you were inquiring about the Overseas Cultivation Realm three years ago, suggesting you intend to seek refuge there. I can also help a little by preparing a ’Fish Dragon Shuttle’ magical artifact that can become invisible and stealthy under the sea for you."

"Young Palace Master Ling has thought of everything. What more can I say? Great kindness and virtue need not be said. As long as I, Zhou, do not perish, I will repay this debt double in the future!"

Zhouyang solemnly cupped his hands towards Ling Chao, his tone earnest, making a solemn promise.

Time was pressing. Next, Zhouyang and Ling Chao consulted the map, determined the location for ambushing the welcoming team of the Dragon Taming Clan, and then followed him to visit the Nascent Soul Stage cultivator from the Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm.

This Nascent Soul Stage cultivator from the Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm was named "Master Cangming," a very well-known Nascent Soul Stage loose cultivator from the Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm, possessing third-layer Nascent Soul stage cultivation. He had originally come to the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm to explore and seek an opportunity to break through to the mid-stage Nascent Soul.

After traveling in the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm for over a hundred years and finally finding a spiritual object that could help him break through, it was intercepted by a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator from the Dragon Taming Clan, resulting in a vendetta between them.

Later, Master Cangming stayed in Donghua Immortal City, ostensibly looking for an opportunity to break through but actually unable to swallow the insult and seeking revenge against the Dragon Taming Clan.

Because of this, Ling Chao dared to be confident in persuading him to join this mission.

Indeed, things went as smoothly as he predicted. Upon hearing that they were accompanying Zhouyang to take back the Dragon Taming Clan’s bride, and with Zhu Zizhen, a Tier Six High-grade Demon King accompanying, Master Cangming agreed without hesitation, even accepting a token reward of just a million lower-grade spirit stones from Zhouyang.

After persuading Master Cangming, Ling Chao quickly used the internal teleportation array of Donghua Immortal Palace and headed alone to the "Ten Thousand Poison Sect" in Black Wood Forest to visit the "Green Robe Ancestor" and invite him to join the attack on the Divine Lady Palace.

Before becoming a Daoist, the "Green Robe Ancestor" had a romance with the junior apprentice-sister of Shen Luoyan, a mid-stage Nascent Soul female cultivator of the Divine Lady Palace. However, Shen Luoyan’s master disapproved of Green Robe Ancestor’s origins and forcibly separated the couple, causing the Divine Lady Palace female cultivator to suffer from a heart demon and die in a cultivation mishap later.

The person who executed the task of taking away his beloved from Green Robe Ancestor was none other than his senior apprentice-sister, Shen Luoyan.

Although Shen Luoyan’s master had long sat in oblivion over a thousand years ago, the enmity between Green Robe Ancestor and Shen Luoyan was still unresolved.

It was said that Shen Luoyan faced several assassination attempts by the Green Robe Ancestor whenever she left the Divine Lady Palace, which led to her not daring to easily leave the influence range of the Divine Lady Palace for hundreds of years.

With such a deep grudge and the personal invitation from Ling Chao, the Young Palace Master of Donghua Immortal Palace, how could Green Robe Ancestor refuse?

He only went to the Divine Lady Palace to seek revenge on old enemies. The Dragon Taming Clan, no matter how domineering, had no reason to hold a grudge against him. Moreover, with Ling Chao, the Young Palace Master of Donghua Immortal Palace, accompanying him, it was as if he had a protective charm.

If the Dragon Taming Clan dared to bear a grudge against him afterward, that would be forcing him to join Donghua Immortal Palace, a move the Dragon Taming Clan certainly wouldn’t make if they had any sense.

Having convinced the Green Robe Ancestor of this, Ling Chao then together with him hurried to ambush outside the Divine Lady Palace and waited.

Meanwhile, Zhouyang had already informed his daughter Jiang Yufeng of the entire plan through the Echoing Conch, instructing her to remain calm and act according to the plan, joining the Dragon Taming Clan’s wedding procession.

The day of the Dragon Taming Clan’s wedding procession soon arrived.

On this day, a giant wedding carriage pulled by five Tier Five Flood Dragons flew in from the East Sea, arriving outside the Divine Lady Palace.

This giant wedding carriage, rather than being a carriage, was more like an aerial pavilion.

It resembled a palace, shining with a noble golden spiritual light, sitting atop a circular base over fifty feet wide. The circular base was refined from high-grade spiritual gold, with five thick metal chains extending out from one side of the base, hanging around the necks of the five Flood Dragons pulling the carriage as it flew through the air.

What was truly astonishing was that despite the immense size of this aerial palace, its flying speed was no slower than any Ninth-Layer Golden Core Cultivator soaring through the clouds.

Apart from this majestic and imposing giant wedding carriage, the Dragon Taming Clan also dispatched separate male and female teams of wedding attendants.

The nine male attendants were all of the Purple Mansion Stage, each wearing golden battle armor and holding long halberds, standing as guards on the Flood Dragons’ backs.

The five female attendants, however, were all composed of females from an exotic race "Merfolk" that only lived in the East Sea.

The "Merfolk" are an exotic race in the sea that resembles humans, similar to the "Bingyi People" of the Endless Snowfield, having a poor relationship with the Human Race Cultivators, and are extremely hostile towards them.

Regardless of gender, "Merfolk" have a human torso and fish tail and can comfortably breathe and live in seawater, with the ability to temporarily transform legs to walk on land, using marine flora and fauna as food sources.

The difference is, male "Merfolk" usually appear tall and mighty, with fierce faces and fangs, their skin covered in a layer of blue-black fish scales serving as natural armor, even including their faces.

In contrast, female "Merfolk" are mostly beautiful, hardly any ugly ones, with skin white as snow, supple and smooth like water.

Even if their faces occasionally bear fish scales representing "Merfolk" identity, these are mostly located on the forehead, taking on colors like white, silver, pink, and blue. Not only do they not detract from their beauty, they even add an exotic charm.

Most notably, the tears of female "Merfolk" would condense into high-grade pearls when they cry.

In the sea, the fiery and aggressive male "Merfolk" are the enemy Human Race Cultivators least want to encounter, avoiding them when possible.

But the gentle and beautiful female "Merfolk" are the "prey" most desired by Human Race Cultivators.

A virgin female "Merfolk," even one without much cultivation like an ordinary Tier One "Merfolk," could fetch a high price of tens of thousands of lower-grade spirit stones at the underground auctions in the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm.

And the female Tier Four "Merfolk" currently used by the Dragon Taming Clan as wedding handmaidens could be sold for up to a million lower-grade spirit stones, yet are priceless!

Now, these five "worth a million each" Tier Four female "Merfolk" had indeed become obedient handmaidens, swaying their blue and white fish tails on the palace platform, serving as the drivers for the Flood Dragons pulling the carriage.

When this incredibly grand wedding carriage arrived outside the mountain gate of the Divine Lady Palace and stopped in mid-air, the palace doors on the carriage suddenly opened, and out walked two exotic individuals, one old and one young.

Why call them "exotic"?

Because although they appeared no different from normal humans, the tops of their heads from the forehead up sported two long dragon horns of about a foot in length, and their eyes, with dragon-like vertical pupils, were amber-gold in color.

In the entire Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, and even the entire Spirit Realm, only members of one family would have such traits, and that was the direct lineage of the Dragon Taming Clan, whose blood carried the True Dragon Bloodline.

As bearers of the Human-Dragon Bloodline, members of the direct lineage of the Dragon Taming Clan would grow dragon horns as these distinctive traits, and their eyes would transform into dragon-like vertical pupils.

Such direct lineage members of the Dragon Taming Clan, unless they encounter untimely death, could eventually form their core and become exalted Golden Core Cultivators.

Moreover, because they possess the Human-Dragon Bloodline, their lifespan is half again longer than that of normal human Golden Core Cultivators, reaching up to fifteen hundred years!

In other words, each direct-line member of the Dragon Taming Clan is comparable to a Spirit Body Cultivator!

With such a powerful bloodline talent, it is not surprising at all that the Dragon Taming Clan, as a Cultivation Clan, has become the second most powerful force in the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm.

Many cultivators even believe in another saying, that the true strength of the Dragon Taming Clan surpasses that of the Donghua Immortal Palace, which is the nominal number one force in the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, but they are not interested in being in the spotlight, therefore allowing Donghua Immortal Palace to be first.

Of course, although the Human-Dragon Bloodline has many advantages, it is not without its disadvantages. The disadvantage is that each generation of direct-line members of the Dragon Taming Clan is never more than ten individuals, and the age difference between each generation is more than five hundred years.

So, in total, the number of direct-line members of the Dragon Taming Clan will generally remain below fifty.

For a massive entity like the Dragon Taming Clan, having fewer than fifty direct-line members is an extremely small number.

Now, seeing two direct-line members of the Dragon Taming Clan appear here is certainly worth boasting about.

As for the two direct-line members of the Dragon Taming Clan that appeared, the elder was wearing a golden dragon robe, with a dignified face and a majestic aura; he was a Great Divine Power Cultivator with a Nascent Soul sixth-layer cultivation.

This person was named Dragon Star River, a cousin of the current Clan Leader of the Dragon Taming Clan and a Supreme Elder of the clan.

The young man behind the elder was the main character of today’s wedding, the second son of the current Clan Leader of the Dragon Taming Clan, Dragon Taming Golden Radiance.

Dragon Taming Golden Radiance has a Ninth-Layer Golden Core cultivation, with a handsome appearance and sharp, long eyebrows, quite a talented young man.

At this time, after the two of them walked out of the palace flying vehicle, Jiang Yufeng, dressed as a bride in a phoenix crown and wedding veil, rode a Seven-Colored Peacock and flew over from the Divine Lady Palace, accompanied personally by the current Palace Master, Lou Feifeng.

Originally expressionless with a cold face, Dragon Taming Golden Radiance couldn’t help but reveal a trace of delighted satisfaction upon seeing Jiang Yufeng, who looked like a celestial maiden descending from the heavens.

Given his status, it was exceedingly rare to find a lady in the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm whose status could match his. While many direct-line members of the Dragon Taming Clan take concubines, it’s rare for them to formally marry a Dao Companion.

The reason for this is that they believe no woman can match their noble lineage and powerful bloodline.

But Jiang Yufeng is different. Jiang Yufeng, not only famed for her beauty in Donghua but also possessing the purest "True Phoenix Blood," is not inferior in bloodline to the direct-line members of the Dragon Taming Clan.

Such a lady is indeed qualified to become a Dao Companion of a direct-line member of the Dragon Taming Clan.

Dragon Taming Golden Radiance knew that if it weren’t for his elder brother already marrying the daughter of the "Merfolk" royal family, he wouldn’t have been the one sent by the Dragon Taming Clan to marry Jiang Yufeng this time.

Deep down, he felt happy for getting such a great advantage.

Moreover, after this alliance, if all goes well, the Dragon Taming Clan might be able to add a True Phoenix Bloodline alongside their True Dragon Bloodline.

At that time, not only would the overall strength of the Dragon Taming Clan reach a new level, but he, Dragon Taming Golden Radiance, would become a great meritorious figure of the clan and gain the opportunity to cultivate in the clan’s inheritance ground, the "Dragon Transformation Pool."

"Young Master Jin Huang, I entrust my Feng’er to you from now on. I hope you will treat her well and not disappoint her!"

The Seven-Colored Peacock stopped beside the palace flying vehicle, and Lou Feifeng, the Palace Master of the Divine Lady Palace, smiling broadly, took Jiang Yufeng’s hand and led her up onto the palace flying vehicle, placing her hand forcibly into the hand of Dragon Taming Golden Radiance.

Jiang Yufeng’s face remained expressionless as she tried to resist, but how could her strength compare to that of a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator? She ultimately had to give up her futile resistance.

"Hahaha, Elder Fei Feng, please rest assured, I and the Dragon Taming Clan will absolutely treat Fairy Yufeng well and won’t let her suffer any grievances."

Dragon Taming Golden Radiance laughed heartily, taking the beauty’s hand with a face full of satisfaction, nodded to Lou Feifeng, and led Jiang Yufeng into the palace flying vehicle.

Lou Feifeng, and the elder of the Dragon Taming Clan who remained silent from start to end, exchanged nods and followed them into the flying vehicle.

After which, the five flood dragons pulling the vehicle roared in unison and turned direction to fly back to the Dragon Taming Clan’s base at "Five Dragon Island."

This ceremonial escort was merely a formality, almost like child’s play.

As for the Divine Lady Palace, apart from Palace Master Lou Feifeng, no other cultivator came out to send off the bride from their mountain gate as part of the bride’s family.

The bizarre scene left many cultivators who had specially come to watch disappointed.

With disappointment, they quickly dispersed and returned home, missing the exciting show that followed.

Ling Chao and the Green Robe Ancestor hid thousands of miles away from Divine Lady Palace. About three days after the palace’s flying vehicle left the mountain gate, they suddenly emerged with over a dozen Golden Core Stage cultivators, swiftly launching an assault on the protective array of the mountain gate of Divine Lady Palace.

Sensing the sudden presence of numerous high-tier cultivator auras outside the mountain gate and the familiar enemy of the Green Robe Ancestor, Shen Luoyan, stationed at the gate of Divine Lady Palace, immediately had a drastic change of expression. She rang the sect’s warning bell and prepared to fully activate the mountain protection array to guard the gate.

But before she could do this, an elderly female cultivator within Divine Lady Palace, possessing Purple Mansion cultivation, suddenly let out a sinister smile and retrieved a yellow spiritual talisman, emitting a shimmering yellow light, which she then embedded into the ground of Divine Maiden Peak below.

Instantly, the towering Divine Maiden Peak, thousands of feet high, shook violently as if the sky was collapsing and the earth was sinking. Massive amounts of buildings and flora on the mountain collapsed and broke during this intense shaking.

And the spirit vein of Divine Maiden Peak was also severely disturbed during this shaking, temporarily losing the ability to provide energy for the mountain protection array. Moreover, several array bases of the mountain protection array were also considerably damaged.

Seizing this opportunity, the Green Robe Ancestor and Ling Chao exerted all their strength, and with just one round of attack, completely broke through the mountain protection array of Divine Lady Palace, directly invading the mountain gate of Divine Lady Palace.

"Hahaha, Shen Luoyan, did you ever think there would be a day when you took Qian’Er away? Today, I shall bathe Divine Lady Palace in blood, slaughter all you vile people who force good into prostitution and degrade the world!"

Having stepped into the mountain gate of Divine Lady Palace once again after a thousand years, the Green Robe Ancestor happened to encounter the approaching Shen Luoyan. Seeing the exasperated look on the face of this middle-aged beauty, he immediately let out a maniacal laugh with extreme delight.

The elderly female cultivator who just used the spiritual talisman to disrupt the activation of Divine Lady Palace’s mountain protection array was an agent he had placed in Divine Lady Palace hundreds of years ago, and that Tier Six Heaven-Shaking Earth-Trembling Talisman in her hand was provided by Ling Chao.

Now that the mountain protection array of Divine Lady Palace had temporarily lost its effectiveness and the Palace Master Lou Feifeng was not present, the entire Divine Lady Palace to him was like a little lady stripped of clothes, allowing him to manipulate as he pleased.

"Green Robe Monster, the feud between you and me is a personal grudge, why involve those innocent juniors?"

Shen Luoyan, with an ashen face, looked at the Green Robe Ancestor, speaking in a deep, low voice: "Now you have a family and a business. Although your cultivation is profound, and you fear no revenge afterward, your disciples of the Ten Thousand Poison Sect and your Ten Thousand Poison Sect mountain gate foundation cannot run away!"

"Hehehe, so what? The original intention of me founding the Ten Thousand Poison Sect was to let these disciples inherit my will, with the utmost goal of destroying your Divine Lady Palace!"

The Green Robe Ancestor let out a weird laugh, speaking with a chilling tone: "Since I can now accomplish this goal myself, the founding mission of the Ten Thousand Poison Sect is already complete, so what if it gets destroyed?"

After finishing his words, he quietly glanced at Ling Chao, who was disguised as a Golden Core Stage cultivator of the Ten Thousand Poison Sect, and with a cold expression, waved his large hand: "Kill for me, all disciples of Divine Lady Palace are at your disposal, and all treasures of Divine Lady Palace are yours to seize!"

Upon hearing this, those Golden Core Stage cultivators belonging to the Ten Thousand Poison Sect, as well as several loose cultivators invited to assist, immediately burst out in wild, gleeful laughter and scattered in all directions, making their way to critical areas within Divine Lady Palace.

The female disciples of Divine Lady Palace and the wealth of Divine Lady Palace were the rewards promised to them by the Green Robe Ancestor!

Seeing this scene, Shen Luoyan’s expression drastically changed, and she quickly shouted in a loud voice: "Disciples of Divine Lady Palace, follow my order to gather formation and slay the bandits, vowing to defend Divine Lady Palace to the death!"

"Old woman, you better take care of yourself, die for me!"

The Green Robe Ancestor shouted angrily, waving his large hand, and a huge green banner embroidered with spiders, centipedes, scorpions, and venomous snakes was summoned. As he shook the banner, large swathes of green poisonous mist began to pour out from the banner and press towards Shen Luoyan and the entire Divine Maiden Peak.

Shen Luoyan had fought many times with him and was naturally very familiar with his methods, clearly understanding the potency of the poisonous mist.

For a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator like her, the poisonous mist was only somewhat troublesome, but other cultivators below the Nascent Soul Stage would quickly die from the poison, their bodies turning into a puddle of toxic liquid.

How could she dare let this poisonous mist rampage within the mountain gate of Divine Lady Palace?

Fortunately, she had been prepared for his poison techniques for many years.

Seeing the poisonous mist spreading, she immediately spat out a blue gourd spiritual artifact, then quickly performed a spell, channeling magical power into it. A powerful suction force emanated from the gourd, instantly absorbing over ninety percent of the poisonous mist into the gourd.

Meanwhile, as Shen Luoyan was being blocked by the Green Robe Ancestor, Ling Chao, who had been in disguise, quietly rushed towards the secluded Zhang Fengxian.

At the same time, as the battle erupted within Divine Lady Palace, a wedding convoy from the Dragon Taming Clan, located millions of miles away near the sea in a wilderness, was also ambushed by Zhouyang and others who had been lying in wait.