Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 981 Rewarding Treasures, The Future of the Human Realm!
The Western Desert Front, the Human Race Camp.

The entire camp was immersed in an atmosphere of ecstatic joy at surviving a disaster and achieving a great victory.

The monks gathered in twos and threes, their faces beaming with relaxed and bright smiles, discussing the future peace and the upcoming rewards.

At the camp gate, several Foundation Establishment cultivators on duty could not hide their excitement.

"Hey, Old Wang, have you heard? Several Heavenly Lords have ordered that the three armies be richly rewarded according to their merits in battle!" A younger guard rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining.

The older guard, known as Old Wang, grinned:
"Of course I've heard! That's great, at least we don't have to live with our heads on the line anymore!"

"With this reward, I might be able to break through my bottleneck!"

A wiry-looking cultivator nearby interjected:
"More than that! I heard the bounty is extremely high this time, after all, it's an unprecedented victory for our human realm!"

"Maybe... they might even bestow upon us a Crystal Condensation Pill!" he said, clicking his tongue in disbelief.

"A Crystal Condensation Pill? Really?" The young guard's breathing quickened.
"If we could truly be rewarded with a Crystallization Pill, wouldn't our path to enlightenment be...?"

"Haha, let's see what the Heavenly Emperors do! In short, even greater good things are yet to come!"

Old Wang patted his companion on the shoulder, and everyone's faces were filled with beautiful hopes for the future.

Just then, several powerful beams of light rushed from the sky and landed steadily in front of the main tent in the center of the camp.

The light faded, revealing the figures of Liu Bai, Yun Ku, Yan Mo, Ji Wanren, and other Nascent Soul Heavenly Lords.

Standing among them, subtly protected, was a young man in a green robe.

He was exceptionally handsome, too young for his age, yet possessed an otherworldly and refined air, as if enveloped in a faint, ethereal glow, like a banished immortal descending to earth.

Old Wang at the camp gate suddenly widened his eyes, staring intently at the figure, his lips trembling, so excited he could barely speak.

He shoved his companion hard, his voice trembling with extreme agitation:
"Zhou... Zhou Tianjun! It's Wangchuan Tianjun! The Heavenly Lord has returned!!!"

This shout was like cold water thrown into a pot of boiling oil, instantly causing an uproar throughout the entire camp!

"What? Zhou Tianjun is back?"

"Where is he? Is he really the Heavenly Lord of the River of Oblivion?"

"Quick, look! The Heavenly Emperor has returned!"

In an instant, countless cultivators surged out from inside the tents, on the training ground, and in the rest area, rushing towards the main tent like a tidal wave!

Everyone's face was filled with boundless fervor, worship, and reverence!

"The Heavenly Emperor! It's the Zhou Heavenly Emperor!"

"Greetings, Lord of the River of Oblivion!"

"Thank you, Heavenly Lord, for saving my human realm!"

The crowd instantly surrounded Zhou Xun and his group, their excited shouts deafening.

The monks pushed and shoved forward, eager to catch a glimpse of the hero who had saved the human world; their eyes were filled with such fervor that it was almost tangible.

Upon seeing this, the Six Paths Demon Lord frowned, stepped forward, and his demonic energy surged slightly as he was about to reprimand the crowd for maintaining order.

Zhou Xun gently raised his hand to stop him.

With a gentle smile on his face, he glanced at the excited yet simple faces around him and said loudly:

"It's alright. Today is a day of great celebration for our human realm. It's the perfect time to celebrate this victory and share this joy with all of you!"

His voice was calm, yet clear enough to drown out all the noise and reach everyone's ears, calming the excited scene slightly and making it even warmer.

Zhou Xun then turned to Ji Wanren beside him and asked, "Fellow Daoist Ji, have the rewards for this great battle been decided yet?"

Ji Wanren quickly cupped his hands in reply:
"Reporting to the Heavenly Emperor, the battle merits have been basically tallied, and the list is here. We await the Heavenly Emperor's return for review and approval before the rewards are distributed according to precedent." He then handed over a jade slip.

Zhou Xun took the jade slip, scanned it with his divine sense, and his brows furrowed slightly:
"A late-stage Qi Refining warrior will be rewarded with 500 spirit stones? A Foundation Establishment cultivator will be rewarded with 3,000 spirit stones and a high-grade magic weapon? A Core Formation cultivator will be rewarded with 50,000 spirit stones and a bottle of fourth-grade pills?"

He shook his head, handed the jade slip back, and said amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, "It's too little. In this battle, all of you risked your lives to protect our human realm, so the reward should be several times more generous."

Before anyone could react, he immediately set a new bounty:
"Order: All Qi Refining cultivators who participated in the battle, regardless of the size of their merits, will be rewarded with one Foundation Establishment Pill!"

"All Foundation Establishment cultivators will be rewarded with one Crystal Condensation Pill!"

"All Core Formation cultivators will be rewarded with one Nascent Soul Pill!"

"As for Nascent Soul cultivators—" Zhou Xun paused, his words startling everyone present.
"Those in the early Nascent Soul stage will be rewarded with one Tribulation-Crossing Pill; those in the middle Nascent Soul stage will be rewarded with one Nine-Turn Tribulation-Crossing Pill; and those in the late Nascent Soul stage will be rewarded with one Divine Transformation Spiritual Object!"

"The remaining rewards can be redeemed according to the merits earned in battle!"

Upon hearing this, not only did Ji Wanren's eyes widen instantly and he gasp, but even Liu Bai, Yun Ku, Yan Mo, and all the other Nascent Soul Heavenly Lords beside him showed expressions of disbelief!

Ji Wanren almost thought he had misheard; his voice trembled slightly.

“Zhou… Heavenly Lord Zhou! This reward… this reward is far too generous! To be honest, Heavenly Lord, let alone my Great Jin…”

"Even if we were to gather all the reserves of all the major forces of our human race, I'm afraid... I'm afraid it would still be difficult to satisfy even one-third of the demand!"

"Especially the pills and magic weapons for the Nascent Soul stage, and the spiritual medicines for the Deity Transformation stage..."

The other Nascent Soul cultivators also looked troubled, saying that although the reward was good, it far exceeded the limits that the human world could bear.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun smiled slightly, waved his hand, and spoke as casually as if he were talking about a trivial matter:

"Fellow Daoists, there is no need to worry. I, Zhou, will personally cover all the shortfalls in the bounties."

Over the years, he has traveled in the celestial realm and acquired many spiritual items.

During their attack on the powerful immortal clan 'Lu Clan', they seized several treasure troves, acquiring countless low- to mid-level resources.

Even after paying off the previous reward, there would still be more than half left.

These things are just taking up space in his storage ring.
If we were to sell them slowly, it would take countless years.

Instead of wasting resources, we should take this opportunity to support our community and reward those who have made contributions. This would be a good use of resources and contribute to the development of humanity.

When the cultivators in the camp heard Zhou Xun announce the astonishing bounty, they were initially stunned into silence, as if they had been hit by a pie falling from the sky.

Immediately, a deafening cheer erupted like a tsunami, instantly sweeping across the entire Western Desert camp!
"Victory! Victory for the Heavenly Emperor!"

"Lord of the River of Oblivion! Long live the Lord of Oblivion!"

A feeling of ecstasy spread through the hearts of every cultivator.

Those low-level cultivators were so excited that their faces turned red, and they clenched their fists tightly, as if they could already see the hope of Foundation Establishment and Core Formation right in front of them.

Those cultivators who had been stuck at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, or the Great Perfection of Core Formation for many years were especially moved to tears. This pill was nothing short of a life-saving grace to them!
Even the usually calm and composed Nascent Soul elders could not hide their excitement at this moment.

They originally thought that exchanging some resources for their battle merits would be good enough, but they never expected that the basic reward would be a breakthrough pill that each of them had been dreaming of!

That's a really big deal!

"As expected of the Heavenly Lord of the River of Oblivion! Such magnanimity, such spirit! I... am impressed!"

A white-haired, mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator muttered to himself, bowing deeply towards the main tent. According to Zhou Xun's rules, he would receive a level-nine Tribulation-Crossing Pill.

This is a spiritual pill that can help him break through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Perhaps he can even attain the position of a Great Cultivator!
Zhou Xun smiled and nodded in all directions.

He then returned to his temporary cave to rest, surrounded by the various Nascent Soul Heavenly Lords.

……

The following day, the entire Western Desert camp was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and the sound of gongs and drums filled the air.

The celebration meeting was officially held.

Zhou Xun's bounty had already spread to every corner of the camp, causing the victory celebration to descend into complete revelry from the very beginning.

Shouts of "Long live the Heavenly Emperor!" rose and fell, never ceasing.

At noon, the victory celebration officially began.

Hundreds of thousands of cultivators gathered on the huge central training ground, the atmosphere was extremely lively with the sound of voices and the fluttering of banners.

The first thing to do at the victory celebration was to distribute the rewards.

Last night, Zhou Xun handed over a storage ring filled with countless pills to Ji Wanren, who was in charge of distributing them.

At this moment, Zhou Xun slowly walked to the front of the stage, his gaze sweeping over the dark, endless crowd below.

He didn't deliberately use his internal energy, but his calm voice clearly reached the ears of every cultivator present:

"Fellow Daoists, comrades."

The audience fell silent instantly, and countless fervent, admiring gazes focused on him.

"This great victory in the human realm is all thanks to your selfless dedication and courageous fighting against the enemy."

"These pills are a small reward for your courage and merits. I hope you will all cultivate diligently in the future, temper your hearts, and ascend to the Great Dao as soon as possible!"

"Now, begin distributing."

At his command, squads of law enforcement cultivators, already prepared, entered their respective formations with solemn expressions, dressed in uniform.

They were carrying a large number of jade bottles, according to a list that had already been verified.
Each pill was precisely distributed to the hands of every participating cultivator.

The entire process was well-organized, efficient, and rapid.

The divine senses of more than ten Nascent Soul Heavenly Lords enveloped the entire area, and no one dared to act out of favoritism or falsify information on such an important matter.

The atmosphere in the training ground reached its peak when the last cultivator received his pill.

I don't know who shouted it first:
"Thank you for your grace, Heavenly Emperor! Long live the Heavenly Emperor!"

The next moment, a wave of gratitude, as loud as a mountain, surged into the sky:

"Thank you for your grace, Heavenly Emperor!"

"Long live the Heavenly Emperor!"

"I am willing to die for the Heavenly Emperor!"

Everyone learned that these precious elixirs, which were enough to change their fate, were all made by the Heavenly Lord of the River of Oblivion!
Zhou Xun raised his hand in a gesture of pressing down, and after the sound subsided slightly, he spoke again, dropping another bombshell:
"The second matter is that, after discussions with the Heavenly Lords, we have decided to establish the 'Human Realm Cultivation Alliance' starting today, in order to lead and coordinate all cultivation forces in the human realm and work together for development."

He reached an agreement on this matter yesterday with all the Nascent Soul Heavenly Lords, including Liu Bai, Yun Ku, and Ji Wanren.

"Previously, the various cultivation communities in our human realm were mostly independent, making communication inconvenient. Some were prosperous, some were declining, and some even fought each other, engaging in endless internal strife,"

“The massacre of sects and factions occurs frequently, which is very detrimental to overall development.”

"The purpose of establishing the alliance is twofold: first, to mediate disputes, establish order, and avoid unnecessary internal friction; second, to integrate resources, exchange goods and services, and promote the common prosperity of the human cultivation civilization."

"In this response to the invasion of the Ghost Realm, all forces in our human realm have united as never before, and an effective unified command has been formed."

"We should take this opportunity to transform the wartime command into a permanent institution, namely the 'Human Realm Immortal Cultivation Alliance'."

His gaze swept over the army of cultivators below, who had been ravaged by war:
"As for the soldiers present, they will be directly transferred to the standing army of cultivators under the alliance, responsible for guarding various parts of the human realm and maintaining order and peace in the cultivation world!"

This news also caused a huge reaction.

After a brief discussion, the cultivators below expressed their agreement and support.

"Forming an alliance? That's great! We won't have to worry about being bullied by the major sects anymore!"

"We're willing to follow Zhou Tianjun and the alliance!"

"Exactly! With the Heavenly Emperor leading the way, the human realm will surely get better and better!"

Having survived the baptism of war and just received a tremendous reward, Zhou Xun's prestige in the human realm has now reached its peak.

Almost no one objected to his proposals; on the contrary, they were all filled with anticipation for the future.

As for the alliance headquarters, it was set up in Zhou Xun's Wangchuan Immortal City, a decision made jointly by the ten Nascent Soul Heavenly Lords.

Three days later, the Western Desert camp had become much emptier. Apart from the 20,000 elite cultivators stationed at the entrance to the passage and the Six Paths Demon Lords residing there,
The cultivators from other major forces have successively set off for various parts of the human realm to begin preparations for establishing branches of the "Human Realm Immortal Cultivation Alliance".

……

The Lake of Oblivion is vast and misty, its spiritual energy several times stronger than before.

Zhou Xun, dressed in a green robe, hovered high above the center of the lake, looking down at the dojo that belonged to him.

After hundreds of years of recuperation, and with the continuous nourishment from the spirit-gathering array he had set up in the past,

The spiritual veins here have recovered to the fourth-order superior level, and the spiritual energy in the spiritual eye at the bottom of the lake has almost materialized, gushing out incessantly.

However, Zhou Xun has returned this time intending to do something astonishing and extraordinary, something that will be recorded in the annals of human history.

Upon returning from the Immortal Realm, he obtained an incomparably precious fifth-tier Spirit Eye.

He intended to use this item as the core, supplemented by extraordinary means, along with thousands of spirit crystals.

This spiritual vein of the Forgotten River Lake has been raised to the fifth level!
To create the only fifth-order spiritual vein in the entire history of the human realm!
Liu Bai, Yun Ku Tianjun, Yan Mo Tianjun, Tianci Zhenjun, and other very close friends were invited to attend the ceremony.

"Zhou Xun... do you really have a way to create a fifth-order spiritual vein here?"

Yun Kutianjun Dawei was astonished. Even with his profound knowledge of Buddhism, he could not remain completely calm at this moment.

Liu Bai's eyes gleamed, and he clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Turning decay into magic, igniting spiritual veins at the pinnacle! If Fellow Daoist Zhou accomplishes this feat, his achievement will last for generations!"

"In the future, when cultivators of the human realm attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, with the assistance of this fifth-tier spiritual vein, the bottleneck and resistance will be reduced by at least several times! It is truly a foundation that will benefit generations to come!"

The crowd's words were filled with admiration for Zhou Xun and anticipation for the future.

The significance of a fifth-order spiritual vein is far too great for a world.

While everyone was discussing and eagerly anticipating,
Zhou Xun, high in the sky, moved.

(End of this chapter)