Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 364 Time is Ruthless [Please Subscribe]

First, Zhou Chun successfully opened his Purple Mansion, and then Lin Hongyu successfully formed her Golden Core.

This double blessing was probably the happiest moment for Zhou Mingde and Zhou Daoyi in their century-long lives.

What they had been striving for, what they had been fighting for, all saw hope—real hope—because of these two joyous events.

After their initial excitement, the three gathered in Zhou Mingde's cave to discuss how to arrange things for Lin Hongyu.

"After all, Fellow Daoist Lin comes from the Dragon Transformation Sect. She fought against cultivators from the three major sects many times during the Southern Expedition, and quite a few of them died at her hands."

"If we were to publicly announce her existence, the three major sects might not listen to our explanations, and the cultivators, relatives, and friends who died at her hands would certainly regard the Zhou family as enemies."

"More importantly, if the Dragon Transformation Sect finds out that Fellow Daoist Lin has betrayed them, they will definitely take action; they won't just sit idly by!"

"Given all these factors, I believe it would be best for Fellow Daoist Lin to refrain from making public appearances."

Inside the cave, after listening to Zhou Daoyi's words, Zhou Mingde pondered for a moment and then expressed his own opinion.

Although it was he who strongly urged Lin Hongyu to join the Zhou family.

But he only coveted Lin Hongyu's skills and did not want her to represent the Zhou family in public.

Moreover, setting aside his personal thoughts, the points he raised at that moment were indeed matters that needed to be taken seriously.

"But if we don't let Senior Lin show her face in public, let's not even talk about whether she, as a dignified Golden Core cultivator, would be willing to continue living in anonymity. We also have a difficult task in arranging her cultivation place!"

"Our Nine Peaks Ridge can barely accommodate one Golden Core cultivator. If we don't let Senior Lin stay in the family to oversee things, where should we put her?"

As Zhou Chun spoke, his brows furrowed.

Zhou Mingde, like him, frowned instantly at the matter.

It should be understood that the amount of spiritual energy required for a Golden Core cultivator to inhale and exhale daily is enormous. A small settlement like the Red Jade Peak stronghold simply cannot support a Golden Core cultivator to meditate and cultivate normally.

Even a spiritual land like Zhou Family Nine Peaks Ridge can only barely supply enough. It's possible that Zhou Chun and the other Purple Mansion stage cultivators will have to send out a few more to avoid competing for spiritual energy.

If the Zhou family doesn't allow Lin Hongyu to appear openly, then they certainly can't allow her to stay permanently inside the Zhou family's mountain gate.

Because that way, if other Golden Core cultivators suddenly descend upon the Zhou family, or if some sensitive Purple Mansion cultivators come to the Zhou family.

It would be easy to discover that there is a Golden Core cultivator hidden within the Zhou family's mountain gate, based on Lin Hongyu's enormous daily cultivation needs for spiritual energy.

However, apart from the Jiufengling Mountain Gate, the Zhou family currently has no other spiritual land outside that can provide a place for Golden Core stage cultivators to cultivate.

If they can't even provide a place for cultivation, what face does the Zhou family have to ask a Golden Core cultivator to work for them incognito?

Just as Zhou Chun and Zhou Mingde were frowning and deep in thought about this matter, Zhou Daoyi suddenly said, "What about the wilderness? Can the family choose a spiritual site in the wilderness to establish a large base so that Hongyu can cultivate there?"

"Anyway, she grew up cultivating in the wilderness since she was a child. If we let her go back there to cultivate, I doubt she would refuse."

"Furthermore, the family is only sending her there to cultivate; they are not restricting her freedom. If she wants to travel to cultivation worlds in various countries, she can still do so under an alias!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun immediately frowned and said, "Of course there is no shortage of spiritual lands in the wilderness for Senior Lin to cultivate in, but to establish a large stronghold and maintain its normal operation, it would take at least a hundred Qi Refining stage cultivators. The family simply cannot spare that many clansmen to go there at present."

"Besides, even if the family can send people over there, we won't be able to keep Senior Lin's existence a secret. We can't just let those family members never return to the family in the name of secrecy!"

Zhou Chun only mentioned the number of people.

In reality, to establish a large gathering place that can accommodate Golden Core stage cultivators for normal cultivation, not only a large number of people are needed, but also supporting formations.

But after hearing Zhou Chun's words, Zhou Mingde's expression changed quickly, and he suddenly said, "If the family can't spare that many people, how about kidnapping people from the outside world? Just like what we did before, we can capture some heinous bandits and send them to the wilderness to help with land reclamation, so that they can repent and reform."

Zhou Chun was taken aback by Zhou Mingde's words.

But he quickly shook his head and said, "That probably won't work. People who can become bandits aren't the type to be content with the status quo, and they're usually not afraid of death. Why would they be willing to spend their whole lives presiding over the purification array in the frontier stronghold until they die of old age?"

After saying this, Zhou Mingde opened his mouth, unsure how to refute it.

Indeed, most cultivators who become bandits are those who are dissatisfied with the status quo and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

It's already difficult enough to control such people, let alone get them to do things that sacrifice themselves to benefit others.

"If they're not content with the status quo, then give them an opportunity and something to look forward to!"

After a long silence, Zhou Daoyi suddenly spoke up: "The family can use the pretext of secretly reclaiming wasteland on the orders of the three major sects to cover up their true purpose. Let Hongyu, as a Golden Core cultivator, be stationed at the stronghold to give them a sense of security and deterrence. Then, we can buy the spiritual items they find in the wilderness at low prices."

"We could even have a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the family, like Wan'er, who rarely shows herself, pretend to be someone who has been captured, to mislead them."

"Afterwards, the family can pretend to give them the opportunity to purchase spiritual items to aid in Foundation Establishment, but in reality, after they obtain the items and enter the secret chamber for seclusion, they can secretly send someone to infiltrate and assassinate them, creating a scene of failure in Foundation Establishment and death."

"Even when some of them had accumulated enough spirit coins to buy something, they were killed by monsters in the wild."

"In that case, I dare not say for too long, but within seventy or eighty years, they should at most have some suspicions, but they certainly won't be able to find out the family's true intentions!"

"By then, whether the family cultivates more trustworthy family assassins or sends family members over, it should be enough to maintain the operation of the stronghold."

As expected of the previous Zhou family patriarch, his words immediately caught Zhou Mingde's eye.

He immediately clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Brilliant! Dao Yi's plan is brilliant! I think we should do it this way; this plan is definitely worth a try!"

After hearing Zhou Daoyi's words, Zhou Chun could only sigh that he was still too kind.

Zhou Daoyi's plan was undoubtedly a vicious scheme that exploited human nature to the extreme.

Once this plan is implemented, most of the captured bandits and cultivators will be discarded after all their remaining value has been extracted.

It's highly unlikely that Zhou Chun could come up with such a vicious plan.

"We're fighting evil with evil. Those bandit cultivators have committed countless atrocities; they certainly never imagined their retribution would be like this!"

Seeing that Zhou Chun hadn't spoken, Zhou Mingde seemed to understand what he was thinking and offered him words of comfort.

Zhou Chun could only smile wryly and nod slightly, saying, "If it's just about capturing those bandit cultivators to do this, then of course I have no objection."

"Let's settle on these preliminary terms for now. Dao Yi, when you go to see Fellow Daoist Lin later, tell her about this and see what she thinks."

Zhou Mingde nodded and immediately made the decision.

He then added, "If Fellow Daoist Lin has no objections, Dao Yi, you can also tell her that the family will provide her with 5,000 spirit coins as a welfare offering every year. If she needs any help from the family's cultivators to collect anything, the family will do its best to help her find it."

"I understand, and I will definitely convey these words to her."

Zhou Daoyi nodded slightly and noted these down.

After delivering the good news, Zhou Daoyi quickly returned to the Great Zhou Kingdom.

As for Zhou Chun, after receiving the three Foundation Establishment Pills he had originally reserved from Zhou Daoyi, plus the one he had exchanged with the Snow Soul Palace of Yang Kingdom, he now had four Foundation Establishment Pills in his possession.

So he shared the good news with the family, putting the minds of ordinary family members who had been concerned about the matter at hand at ease.

After doing all this, Zhou Chun personally went to the wilderness.

This was Zhou Chun's first trip to the wilderness since he opened his Purple Mansion.

He wanted to tell Elder Zhou Daoquan the good news that he had opened his Purple Mansion and that Lin Hongyu had successfully formed her Golden Core, and also to discuss the matter of establishing a large settlement in the wilderness.

Since the Zhou family's main base in the wilderness has now been moved to the Caiyu Mountain stronghold, Zhou Chun did not go to Longxing Valley after arriving in the wilderness via the underground waterway, but went directly to the Caiyu Mountain stronghold.

"As expected, I knew from the beginning that with your talent, Thirteenth Brother, the Purple Mansion stage was no limit for you. I never expected you to succeed so quickly!"

Inside the Caiyu Mountain stronghold, Zhou Zhengyong was overjoyed to see Zhou Chun, who had reached the Purple Mansion stage, and was genuinely happy for him.

He clicked his tongue in amazement and exclaimed, "Tsk tsk tsk, a cultivator at the Purple Mansion stage who's over a hundred years old! My Zhou family hasn't seen such a young Purple Mansion stage cultivator in hundreds of years. Thirteenth Brother, you've completely surpassed the other Supreme Elders!"

"Brother Yong, you flatter me. My rapid opening of the Purple Mansion is all thanks to the dedicated guidance of our elders. I dare not say such a thing!"

Zhou Chun waved his hands repeatedly, indicating that Zhou Zhengyong should not compare himself with the elders in this way, lest people overhear him and say that he is arrogant and disrespectful to his elders.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengyong realized his slip of the tongue and immediately raised his hand to lightly slap his mouth, laughing, "Look at me, I just can't control my mouth, I always say whatever comes to mind. I must be more careful in the future!"

His statement, "Say whatever comes to mind," fully demonstrated his emotional intelligence, which made Zhou Chun laugh as well.

The two chatted and laughed as they headed toward Zhou Daoquan's residence.

But halfway there, Zhou Chun suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at Zhou Zhengyong, saying, "By the way, where is Tenth Sister-in-law?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengyong's smile froze, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

Just as Zhou Chun's heart skipped a beat, thinking something had happened to Sun Yujiao, Zhou Zhengyong sighed softly and said, "She's getting old, she misses home, and she complains that I don't have time to spend with her. She says she plans to spend her last few years at the Sun family home!"

This sigh, filled with helplessness and guilt, quickly wiped the smile off Zhou Chun's face.

Zhou Chun couldn't help but recall the gentle and beautiful Sun Jiamei from back then.

Back then, Sun Yujiao's parents specially arranged a test for Zhou Zhengyong, who came to propose marriage, by having him capture and kill a first-tier high-grade demon beast, the Purple Flame Sable.

In order to marry the woman he loved, Zhou Zhengyong made a special trip to Zhou Chun's house to ask for his help in doing so.

Ultimately, with their combined efforts, they successfully killed the Purple Flame Sable, allowing Zhou Zhengyong to win the heart of his beloved.

Later, Sun Yujiao gave birth to a son for Zhou Zhengyong. Zhou Zhengyong even invited Zhou Chun to check his spiritual root aptitude and even wanted Zhou Chun to name his son.

These past events, as they replayed in Zhou Chun's mind, filled him with a deep sense of melancholy.

Then he remembered the last time he saw Sun Yujiao. It was before he went into seclusion to open his Purple Mansion. He had specially come to that ice cave in the wilderness to release the Snow Crystal Insects.

At that time, Sun Yujiao was already over 100 years old and had become an old woman with white hair.

Actually, Sun Yujiao's aptitude is no less than Zhou Zhengyong's. If she had the same opportunities as Zhou Zhengyong, she might very well have succeeded in building her foundation.

Unfortunately, neither the Zhou family nor the Sun family, to whom she was born, could provide her with the precious spiritual item, the Foundation Establishment Pill, when she reached the age where she could establish her foundation.

So much so that she is now very old and her days are numbered, while her Daoist partner and son have both successfully established their foundations, having lived less than half their lives.

This was a form of torture for her as well.

No wonder she no longer wants to live with Zhou Zhengyong and only wants to return to her birthplace to live out the rest of her life.

"Time flies! So many familiar faces from back then, but now only a few remain. Time is truly the most ruthless thing!"

Zhou Chunqing couldn't help but sigh, her heart filled with emotion.

Previously, his pursuit of higher cultivation levels was more about gaining greater power so that he could better establish himself in this dangerous world and see the world from a higher vantage point.

He didn't feel a significant increase in lifespan after his cultivation breakthrough.

But now, seeing all the relatives and elders he made when he first came into this world have passed away or are about to pass away due to the exhaustion of their lifespan, he deeply felt the ruthlessness of time.

Without a doubt, he was lucky compared to his peers like Sun Yujiao.

Since coming into this world, through his own efforts and the care of his elders, although he has experienced many hardships, the rewards he has gained are also great, so he has never had to worry about not having enough lifespan.

But the vast majority of cultivators in this world are undoubtedly like Sun Yujiao, or even worse, able to live to the end of their lifespan.

The Great Dao is merciless; the path to immortality is littered with corpses.

Until the day one truly possesses immortality and endless lifespan, no one can be lazy or negligent, otherwise one day they will end up like mortals, helplessly watching their lifespan run out!

After Zhou Chun realized this, the slight smugness he felt because he had successfully opened his Purple Mansion at the age of over a hundred years instantly vanished.

He still has a long road ahead of him!

First update delivered!

(End of this chapter)