Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 242 Another Expedition, Honing the Next Generation [Please Subscribe]

After investigating and learning the details of the beast tide, True Person Silver Moon and other Nascent Soul cultivators quickly returned to Jing Kingdom and issued various orders.

Nascent Soul stage cultivators only focus on the big picture, such as whether to fight or make peace, whether to attack or retreat, and so on.

They wouldn't concern themselves with the specifics of how to fight; at most, they'd glance at the battle plan that was handed to them when they had a spare moment.

Their main role is to try to deal with the enemy's fifth-tier beings first, or at the very least, to hold them back so that they cannot intervene in dealing with their own mid-to-high-tier cultivators.

So after Yin Yue Zhenren and the others revealed some details of the war to the Golden Core cultivators below, they began to call for reinforcements!

Lu Ran once said that the Dragon Transformation Sect had helped the Flood Dragon Clan cultivate at least five fifth-tier Flood Dragons.

Although they only saw three fifth-tier dragons at the time, Master Yinyue and the others dared not assume that the other side only had this many people.

Therefore, calling in reinforcements is a must!

Nascent Soul stage cultivators have wide social circles. Even in places hundreds of thousands of miles away, they have acquaintances among their peers, not to mention Nascent Soul stage cultivators from neighboring countries.

Of course, due to the agreement with the Golden Horned Dragon King, True Man Silver Moon and his group could only recruit people from Cheng and Shen, which are adjacent to Jing Kingdom.

Although the three countries of Jing, Cheng, and Shen have had some minor conflicts and contradictions in the past, they have generally maintained a relatively harmonious relationship.

Both Shen and Cheng knew that Jing, as a nation directly facing the demon race of Longyuanze, absolutely could not be defeated by the demon race, otherwise they would have to confront the demon race directly.

Therefore, on matters of principle, they have always stood on the same side as Yasukuni.

After learning the inside story from the two Nascent Soul stage cultivators who had previously supported Jingguo, both countries sent two more Nascent Soul stage cultivators to Jingguo to help.

Meanwhile, in Feng Kingdom, the Corpse Demon Sect also sent Yin Xuan Zhenren a fifth-tier Corpse King.

As a result, the number of fifth-tier combatants on the Jingguo side suddenly increased to sixteen, which was more than double the number of fifth-tier combatants on the surface.

It should be noted that after reaching the fifth rank, the racial advantage of the Flood Dragon race is no longer as significant for human Nascent Soul stage cultivators as it was before.

After all, the cultivators on the human side who can form a Nascent Soul are basically those who cultivate top-tier techniques and are themselves outstanding individuals.

Many Nascent Soul stage cultivators, even when they reach the Golden Core stage, are able to fight a fourth-tier dragon one-on-one.

Therefore, after reaching the fifth rank, although the dragon still has a slight advantage over most human cultivators of the same rank, it is already quite good if it can fight two against one. It is no longer possible to fight several at once and still gain the upper hand as it did before the fifth rank.

Based on the number of fifth-tier combatants on the Jingguo side, even if there were five or six fifth-tier dragons, they could at least guarantee an undefeated record.

After all, both the Silver Moon True Person of the Moon Wheel Sect and the Azure Sky True Person of the Azure Lotus Temple were mid-Nascent Soul cultivators.

The location of the battle between these fifth-tier beings is a secret; even Golden Core cultivators don't know.

After learning only a rough outline of the details of the invading beast tide, the Golden Core cultivators began assigning tasks.

The order to transfer the Zhou family was thus quickly relayed to Jiufeng Ridge.

"Order the Zhou family troops to march southeast to the Biyan Marsh line to resist the beast tide. The number of personnel must not be less than thirty, with at least three at the third tier of combat power and at least six at the second tier of combat power!"

"This order requires you to depart within six hours of receiving it and arrive at your destination within twelve hours!"

On Pagoda Peak, after the Qinglian Temple cultivator who came to deliver the message finished reading the transfer order to the Zhou family, he handed the transfer order bearing the secret seal of the Qinglian Temple to Zhou Daoyi, the clan leader, and then hurriedly rushed to the next family.

Upon seeing this, the expressions of the Zhou family's senior members who were there to greet the envoy immediately turned solemn.

"Come on, let's go inside and talk."

Zhou Mingde waved his hand and walked into Zhongping Hall first.

After everyone had entered the hall and sat down, Zhou Mingde glanced at the transfer order in Zhou Daoyi's hand and said, "Time is of the essence, and there's no time to go into details. Just tell me how to carry out the personnel requirements in this transfer order!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Chun frowned and said, "The thirty Qi Refining stage cultivators who were transferred from the family last time are still in Yunzhou and haven't returned. If we were to send another twenty or so family cultivators to Biyan Marsh, the family would have a hard time even maintaining normal operations!"

After years of recuperation, the number of cultivators in the Zhou family has increased significantly compared to ten or twenty years ago.

However, the cultivators born in the last twenty years are now only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, and most of them are only at the first or second level of Qi Refining. They are simply not capable of performing the task of guarding the "Purifying Spirit Pavilion".

Now the Zhou family needs more people than before. If they were to withdraw another twenty or so cultivators at the mid-stage of Qi Refining who could go to the battlefield, the Zhou family's mountain gate would be truly empty.

"Then let's hire more independent cultivators to tide us over for a while. Our Zhou family is quite wealthy now, so we might as well raise the wages. We're sure to find independent cultivators willing to earn this money."

After a moment's thought, Zhou Mingde revealed his solution.

"I'm afraid even independent cultivators won't have many options left at this point!"

"With the arrival of the beast tide, the three major sects will definitely summon rogue cultivators from all over the country to resist it. In order to get these rogue cultivators to go, they will definitely offer treasures such as Foundation Establishment Pills to lure them in, and they will also offer good prices to buy the corpses of the monsters killed by the rogue cultivators. As a result, any rogue cultivator with even a little strength and ambition will probably rush to the front line to resist the beast tide!"

Zhou Daoyi also shook his head slightly, not very optimistic about the method Zhou Mingde had suggested.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Mingde immediately said, "It's not easy for us to recruit independent cultivators with strength and ambition, but as long as we offer more money, we should be able to recruit some independent cultivators who can guard the Pure Spirit Pavilion. Anyway, this war can't last for several years, so it shouldn't be a problem to hold out for a short time."

"The Supreme Elder is right. As long as we are willing to spend money, we can definitely recruit people."

"But how should we arrange the manpower for this expedition? The junior and the Third Elder together make six second-tier combatants, but who should go, the Supreme Elder or the Clan Chief, to send three third-tier combatants?"

Zhou Chun looked at the two elders and asked the more important question.

The contents of Qinglian Temple's transfer order this time are very interesting. It only states that the number of personnel must not be less than thirty, followed by the number of third-tier and second-tier combat power.

This means that as long as the Zhou family sends out 30 people, the number of people with third-tier combat power and the number of people with second-tier combat power meet the requirements.

Therefore, the most suitable solution is to count Zhou Chun and Zhou Daoquan, along with their pets, as six second-tier combatants, and then send out a Purple Mansion stage cultivator to bring the two third-tier demonic beasts of the Zhou family to make up for the requirement of third-tier combatants.

Finally, twenty-seven Qi Refining stage cultivators can be used to fill the remaining vacancies.

Clearly, this transfer order took into full consideration the fact that the Zhou family had two seriously injured members, giving them some breathing room.

I believe that the transfer orders for other families will also be adjusted according to their actual circumstances, and people will not be truly driven to the brink of despair.

Upon hearing Zhou Chun's words, Zhou Daoyi immediately said, "I'll go. Qingqing is more useful than the Fire God Jackal in dealing with the beast tide. Besides, I didn't contribute much in the previous southern expedition."

"Very well, since you have this intention, Dao Yi, then I will not argue with you. This time, I will stay and oversee the mountain gate!"

Zhou Mingde sighed softly and quickly agreed.

After reaching this agreement, the Zhou family members went their separate ways to carry out their tasks.

Because they had made preparations and publicity a few days earlier, the Zhou family cultivators who were selected to go on the expedition had nothing to complain about. They immediately packed their things, bid farewell to their relatives and friends, and rode the Azure Dragon to Biyan Marsh.

When Zhou Chun and the others arrived near Biyan Marsh, they saw that the cultivators of Qinglian Temple had already requisitioned a nearby stronghold of rogue cultivators and set up a powerful mountain-guarding formation.

The person sent by Qinglian Temple to oversee this place is a Golden Core cultivator with the Daoist name Qing Lingzi. He looks quite young. Zhou Chun vaguely remembers that he seems to be the youngest Golden Core cultivator in Qinglian Temple, and it is said that his lifespan is not yet five hundred years.

The fact that Qinglian Temple sent its youngest Golden Core cultivator here to oversee the area clearly indicates that they intended to train him, but it also suggests that the danger in Biyan Marsh shouldn't be too great.

This made the Zhou family members secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

After discovering the Zhou family members arriving on a dragon, Qing Lingzi personally appeared to greet them.

"Fellow Daoists of the Zhou family, your arrival is perfectly timed. The vanguard of the beast tide has already reached Biyan Marsh, and many amphibious monsters have begun to advance inland along rivers and mountain streams to wreak havoc on mortals. We now urgently need manpower to go and wipe out these monsters and maintain the foundation of our cultivation world!"

Inside the stronghold, after the Zhou family members greeted him, Qing Lingzi didn't stand on ceremony at all and immediately began assigning tasks.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Daoyi immediately asked, "May I ask, senior, is this task of clearing out the demonic beasts to be done by our own clansmen, or by a cultivator from the upper sect leading the team?"

"The personnel recruited from various regions haven't all arrived yet, so we won't be merging and reorganizing you all for the time being. For now, you'll need to arrange your own personnel for this task!"

Qing Lingzi pondered for a moment, then quickly gave his answer.

After saying that, he spread out a map, casually pointed to a few places that needed to be cleaned, and gave some instructions on what to pay attention to.

After the Zhou family members acknowledged and accepted the order, he left.

"Clan leader, please rest here. Leave this small matter to your juniors and the Third Elder."

Zhou Chun held the copied map in his hand and gave his suggestion after Qing Lingzi left.

Sweeping away some roaming demonic beasts is not worth the effort of a Purple Mansion stage cultivator like Zhou Daoyi. Zhou Chun's suggestion was also an initiative to share the burden of those in power.

Zhou Daoyi naturally wouldn't let his good intentions go to waste, and immediately nodded and said, "That's fine then. You should take those juniors out for some training, and be careful."

So Zhou Chun and Zhou Daoquan each led twelve Qi Refining stage cultivators from their families and set off for the places that needed cleaning.

Since that place was less than two hundred miles from the stronghold, Zhou Chun simply let the Silver Lightning Python waste its magic power to carry the twelve juniors of the family flying.

They flew for less than an hour and arrived at the confluence of a river and the Biyan Marsh.

Although there are usually many demonic beasts in Biyan Marsh, they rarely come to places as close to the shore as this.

But before Zhou Chun and his group even landed, they saw more than a dozen dark figures swimming upstream on the river.

"It's a first-tier demonic beast, the Blackwater Crocodile. Perfect opportunity for you to practice your skills!"

Zhou Chun scanned the shadowy figures with his divine sense and instantly knew their true identities, and then he made a plan.

Blackwater Crocodile is a common monster in Biyan Marsh. It only knows water-based spells such as "Water Arrow Technique", "Water Blade Technique", and "Impact Water Column". Its strength in water is not weak, but it is not very strong either.

Having made a plan, Zhou Chun placed the twelve Qi Refining stage cultivators from his family on the shore, and then had Bai Bai fly directly into the water, driving the group of black water crocodiles toward the Zhou family cultivators on the shore.

"This is a trial and test for you. Although I will come to your rescue when you are in danger, if I have to intervene, it means you have failed the test. Therefore, I hope you can deal with these monsters yourselves!"

In the sky, Zhou Chun's deep voice rang in the ears of the twelve Qi Refining stage cultivators from the Zhou family, making them all tense.

Of the twelve Zhou family cultivators, none belong to the "family" generation. The one with the highest cultivation level is Zhou Zhenglan, the fifteenth of the "Zheng" generation, who is at the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage. Her husband, Pang Chong, has the same cultivation level.

The one with the lowest cultivation level is Zhou Zhengyong's son, Zhou Xinlan, who is only at the fourth level of the Qi Refining stage and is only fourteen years old this year.

There was no other way; most of the late-stage Qi Refining cultivators in the Zhou family had been taken to Yunzhou, and the family still needed some late-stage Qi Refining cultivators to oversee the "Pure Spirit Pavilion" and supervise the recruited rogue cultivators.

This meant that the Qi Refining stage cultivators that Zhou Chun and his group brought out this time were basically all at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Fortunately, although the cultivation levels of these Zhou family cultivators were not outstanding, the spirit pets they had contracted were all quite good. Moreover, Zhou Chun also released the Golden-Winged Tiger, which was about to grow into a first-tier high-grade demon beast, to assist in the battle.

Roar!

At this moment, facing the fourteen black water crocodiles that had been driven ashore by Bai Bai, the Golden-Winged Tiger roared with fighting spirit and spat out a golden arrow, firing the first shot.

This roar from the king of beasts seemed to boost the confidence of the other Zhou family cultivators and their pets, who quickly unleashed their magical artifacts and spells to attack the black water crocodiles.

Due to a lack of coordination and experience, several Zhou family cultivators chose to attack the same demon beast, or failed to calculate the distance properly, resulting in their spells and magical artifacts missing their mark.

As a result, after the first wave of attacks, apart from the golden arrow that the Golden-Winged Tiger spat out from its high position pierced the head of a black water crocodile and severely injured it, the attacks of the other Zhou family cultivators only caused some ordinary flesh wounds to a few black water crocodiles.

These attacks, however, provoked the panicked blackwater crocodiles that had fled ashore, and they quickly changed direction and charged towards the group of Zhou family cultivators.

Whoosh whoosh!

Before they even got close, a barrage of blue water arrows shot through the air toward the twelve Zhou family cultivators.

At this point, many of them made mistakes again.

Several people saw the water arrow shooting towards them and hurriedly turned to run away, forgetting that they had cast defensive spells on themselves before the battle and didn't need to worry about the water arrow attack at all.

This disrupted the formation, conveyed a sense of panic, and missed the opportunity for a second attack.

"They really lack experience!"

Looking up from the sky, Zhou Chun also shook his head in disbelief.

This is the first update today. I can't guarantee I'll be able to post a second one. It's cold, so I suggest you go to bed early!

(End of this chapter)