Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 404 Zhou Chun's Grand Plan [Please Subscribe]

The three-tier mid-grade demonic beasts occupying the Fragrant Pavilion Forest are two black giant birds that resemble owls, but their faces are more like lions.

This bird, named "Lion-faced Eagle," can control and unleash a strange black wind, making it quite powerful.

Even with Zhou Chun and Zhou Mingde personally taking action, along with the third-tier mid-grade demon beast Fire God Jackal, they could only drive away the two demonic birds.

Then, under the protection of the two, the Wood Spirit began to absorb the wood spirit power contained in the entire Fragrant Pavilion Forest.

In particular, the Fragrant Tree where the Lion-faced Eagle built its nest is over five thousand years old and is a rare third-tier spirit tree.

Since its birth, the Wood Spirit has never enjoyed such a sumptuous feast.

Under the protection of Zhou Chun and Zhou Mingde, it took only seven days to absorb all the wood spirit power contained in the many spirit trees, and then it went into Zhou Chun's spirit beast bag to sleep and digest.

Based on the message it conveyed before falling into slumber, there will be no further problems with its advancement to the third tier.

This is the power of spirits like Wood Spirits and Stone Spirits; as long as they have enough resources to sustain them, they will hardly encounter any bottlenecks before reaching the fifth rank.

Only when they advance from the fourth to the fifth rank will they encounter the Heavenly Tribulation like demonic beasts, at which point there is a possibility of failure and death.

During the few days that the Wood Spirit absorbed the power of the Wood Spirit, Zhou Chun and Zhou Mingde also found many medicinal herbs that were hundreds of years old in the Fragrant Pavilion Wood Forest, so their efforts were not in vain.

Having achieved their goal, the two did not linger and quickly left the place. Zhou Chun then returned the several "Frostbees" from the spirit beast bag to their nest and went back to the family's mountain gate.

After returning to the Nine Peaks Ridge Mountain Gate, Zhou Chun and Zhou Mingde put all the hundreds-of-years-old Dragon Transformation Grass into the family treasury for the core cultivators of the family to exchange, giving priority to the elders who had cultivated dragon-born demon beasts.

So far, apart from a few newly promoted Foundation Establishment cultivators, the rest of the Zhou family's veteran Foundation Establishment elders have accumulated a considerable amount of family merit.

When they saw something useful to them, they didn't hesitate to exchange it for the Dragon Transformation Grass.

Soon, all the four- or five-hundred-year-old Dragon Transformation Grasses were snapped up, and the only six-hundred-year-old Dragon Transformation Grass was exchanged by Zhou Jiarui.

Zhou Jiarui was one of the earliest cultivators in the Zhou family to tame dragon-born demon beasts.

Unfortunately, he was unlucky; the Crimson Flame Dragon Python he tamed back then could never advance to the second tier.

This time, he spent 3,000 points of family merit to exchange for the 600-year-old Dragon Transformation Grass, preparing to help his old friend one last time.

Others, such as Zhou Zhengyong and Zhou Xinlan, who had also tamed dragon-born monsters, also exchanged for Dragon Transformation Grass to help their beloved pets advance to the second tier.

Less than half a year later, the Zhou family had five more second-tier dragon-blooded demon beasts.

Zhou Jiarui's Crimson Flame Dragon Python, Zhou Zhengyong's Crimson-Eyed Dragon Vulture, Zhou Xinlan's Wind Shadow Dragon Snake, Zhou Xintie's Blazing Dragon Lizard, and Zhou Zhengqing's Dragon Scale Horse have all been promoted to intermediate-level demon beasts.

The breakthrough of these demonic beast bloodlines not only means that their own strength has reached the second tier, but also that they have the opportunity to breed with demonic beasts of the same race and directly produce intermediate-level demonic beast offspring.

This is a joyous occasion for the entire Zhou family.

However, under Zhou Chun's special instructions, these people all chose to keep a low profile and did not announce the good news of their spirit pets' successful advancement together, preparing to release the news slowly in the future.

That way, it won't attract so much attention.

After all, everyone knows that the Zhou family now has a third-tier dragon, and a few years ago there was even a case of a dragon-scaled horse advancing to a mid-level demon beast on its own.

If a second-tier demonic beast is cultivated after a period of time, it wouldn't be too strange.

Meanwhile, Zhou Chun was writing a plan for the future development of the Zhou family and planning two major events that had long been prepared for implementation.

On this day, Zhou Chun was discussing some matters with several Zhou family stewards when he suddenly received a report that a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator had come to pay his respects, claiming that he had once received a favor from him.

"That's strange. I don't recall ever doing any favors for any Foundation Establishment cultivator!"

A look of surprise flashed across Zhou Chun's face. After pondering for a moment, he had someone take the visitors to the guest hall to entertain them, and then continued to attend to clan affairs.

About half an hour later, Zhou Chun finished his business and went to the guest hall to meet the rogue cultivator who had come to pay his respects.

He entered the guest hall and saw a refined-looking young man sitting alone in a chair, resting with his eyes closed.

At this moment, as if sensing someone entering, the person suddenly opened their eyes and looked towards the doorway.

Upon seeing Zhou Chun, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he hurriedly stood up, bowed to Zhou Chun, and said, "Zhang Liang, a rogue cultivator from Shen Kingdom, pays his respects to Senior Zhou!"

Zhou Chun was still thinking about where he had met this person before, but when he heard the person introduce himself, his past memories flooded back, and he understood the whole story.

It turned out that this person was none other than the Qi Refining stage junior cultivator who had told him about the Wood Spirit.

Upon recalling all this, his expression softened immediately, and he nodded with a smile, saying, "So it's you, junior! I was wondering who would come to pay their respects under the guise of repaying a debt of gratitude. I didn't expect you to be so lucky, actually succeeding in Foundation Establishment!"

After saying that, he gestured for them not to be so polite, and then sat down beside them.

Although Zhang Liang was a rogue cultivator, he had a remarkable demeanor. When Zhou Chun asked him to sit down, he thanked him and actually sat down halfway, without the slick manners typical of rogue cultivators.

As soon as he sat down, he immediately continued Zhou Chun's words with flattery: "It's all thanks to you, senior. Ever since I received the treasure you bestowed upon me and parted ways with you, my luck has been on the rise. A few years ago, I was even more fortunate to obtain a spiritual artifact that aided in Foundation Establishment, and I successfully established my foundation on my first try!"

"I traveled to Jingguo this time and heard about Senior Zhou's reputation. I learned that the benefactor who saved me back then has already successfully opened his Purple Mansion. So I came here specifically to thank you, Senior."

Zhou Chun and his Silver Lightning Python spirit pet are indeed quite famous in the cultivation world of Jing Kingdom. If you ask around based on this clue, it is not difficult to find out his true identity.

Therefore, Zhou Chun was not surprised to hear Zhang Liang say this.

However, the other party's act of repaying kindness was indeed quite to his liking.

He did not reveal his name or background at the time, and he only met the other party once.

However, after the other party successfully established his foundation, he was willing to travel abroad to find him and express his gratitude for the life-saving grace he had received years ago. This sentiment is indeed very rare.

Having witnessed the ugliness of human nature in the cultivation world, such a grateful person is indeed worthy of cherishing.

Zhou Chun immediately smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Your success in establishing your foundation is due to your own good fortune and luck. I dare not take credit for it."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liang solemnly replied, "What happened back then may be insignificant to you, senior, merely a casual act, but to me, it was a life-saving grace that I cannot fail to repay!"

After speaking, he raised his hand and patted the storage bag at his waist, taking out a long, rectangular wooden box and handing it to Zhou Chun: "This junior knows that with your cultivation and status, ordinary spiritual items are unlikely to catch your eye, but this 'Dragon-Snake Root,' which is six hundred years old, is a token of my gratitude. Please accept it, senior!"

Given Zhou Chun's cultivation level, a mere 600-year-old "Dragon Snake Root" spiritual herb is indeed not a rare item. He could easily find similar spiritual herbs by taking the Wood Spirit to the wilderness in a day.

However, given Zhang Liang's cultivation level and status, this level of spiritual medicine was practically the most precious spiritual medicine he could obtain.

Therefore, Zhou Chun did not dislike the value of his gift; on the contrary, she greatly appreciated and valued his gratitude.

He first reached out and accepted the wooden box, then solemnly replied, "Alright, I, Zhou, will accept this gift."

"Thank you so much, senior!"

Zhang Liang seemed to have let go of some burden, and with a sigh of relief, he once again expressed his gratitude to Zhou Chun.

The two then chatted casually, with Zhou Chun mainly asking about Zhang Liang's experiences and inquiring about the Huang family's situation after he took the Wood Spirit.

Zhang Liang didn't think Zhou Chun would covet anything from him, so he answered all of Zhou Chun's questions, and the two had a very pleasant conversation.

By questioning Zhang Liang, Zhou Chun learned that after he took the Wood Spirit halfway through the journey, the Huang family Purple Mansion cultivator was so angry that he spread the news that he had taken the Wood Spirit.

However, he had already fled to Yang Kingdom, and the other party did not know his name, nor even saw his spirit pet. They could only spread the news based on the characteristics of his cultivation technique.

As a result, it is naturally difficult for people to believe the truth of the matter.

Even if someone believes it, there are no useful clues to find him.

So after a few years, no one brought it up again.

Zhang Liang's experiences are quite remarkable for a rogue cultivator.

Almost every independent cultivator who successfully establishes their foundation possesses a significant stroke of luck.

After listening to his story, Zhou Chun suddenly looked at him and asked, "So what are your plans next? Are you going to find a place to establish a base for independent cultivators with others, or take wives and concubines and establish your own cultivation family? Or perhaps you'll choose to become a supreme elder of a small family and receive offerings?"

Upon hearing Zhou Chun's words, Zhang Liang was taken aback, a look of confusion appearing in his eyes, clearly indicating that he had not considered this question before.

However, this is indeed an issue he must consider in the future.

The points Zhou Chun is making now are the choices that most independent cultivators make after successfully establishing their foundation.

After a moment of stunned silence, he seemed to realize something and immediately bowed to Zhou Chun, saying, "This junior hasn't considered these things yet. Senior Zhou, could you perhaps offer me some guidance?"

Seeing this, Zhou Chun said without any politeness, "If you don't have any ideas yet, you can come to my Zhou family and take a job. At least you'll have a safe and stable place to cultivate, and a decent salary!"

"Does Senior mean for me to join the Zhou family?"

A hint of hesitation flashed in Zhang Liang's eyes, and his tone softened, as if he wasn't entirely willing.

"It's not what you think. It's just like we're hiring you long-term to work for the Zhou family. If you don't want to continue, you just need to let us know in advance!"

Zhou Chun shook his head slightly and offered a brief explanation.

After hearing his explanation, Zhang Liang immediately realized that Zhou Chun was intentionally taking care of him. He quickly stood up, bowed to Zhou Chun, and said, "Senior is kind-hearted. I misunderstood you. Please forgive me."

"There's no need for that. Does that mean you agree?"

Zhou Chun waved his hand, indicating that he didn't mind his slight questioning earlier.

If Zhang Liang still doesn't know how to respond after all this, then he's lived in vain for so many years.

He immediately replied, "Thank you for your kindness, senior. I certainly have no reason to refuse!"

"Very well, then you can stay here at Jiufeng Ridge for now. I will tell you what you need to do later."

As Zhou Chun spoke, he had someone take Zhang Liang away and arrange for him to live in a separate courtyard.

In fact, although taking in Zhang Liang was a spur-of-the-moment decision based on his appreciation of Zhang Liang's character, it was also related to two things he was about to do.

Given that the cultivation world in Jingguo has begun to stabilize, and that the Zhou family has reached its desired standard in terms of both personnel and the number of tamed spirit beasts, Zhou Chun is preparing to launch two new money-making businesses.

These two services are a messaging service and a delivery service; to put it simply, they are mail and express delivery services.

Currently in the cultivation world, the methods of communication between various families and sects are relatively simple. Ordinary Qi Refining stage cultivators either need to contact their friends personally or ask familiar relatives and friends to deliver the message on their behalf.

Foundation Establishment cultivators or Purple Mansion cultivators would entrust the letters to their juniors as a task, allowing them to complete the task on their behalf.

However, because the reward for delivering messages is very low, many times no one is willing to take the job, so it can only be forcibly assigned to some cultivators with low cultivation levels.

As for independent cultivators, they basically have to deliver messages themselves, and occasionally they can get help from some caravans.

This clearly contains enormous business opportunities.

Zhou Chun had actually seen this business opportunity long ago, but he hadn't dared to get involved due to previous limitations.

Now that the conditions are right, he naturally has no intention of wasting any more business opportunities.

He intends to utilize the Zhou family's numerous mounts and a sufficient number of clansmen to launch a courier service for the Jing Kingdom.

The goal is to establish transit and distribution centers in major markets of Jing Kingdom, and then deliver messages and goods to various cultivation families and the vast number of independent cultivators in need!

Given the Zhou family's current reputation and strength, there is now much that can be done in this matter.

Moreover, Zhou Chun also planned to bring in the Su family of Jiangzhou to expand the business of the Moon Wheel Sect in several states.

Zhang Liang, a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, is the kind of regional "general manager" he plans to recruit, responsible for recruiting and managing couriers around each market town.

We will also recruit some well-behaved low-level cultivators as couriers to handle delivery services.

This matter is not limited to independent cultivators; the Zhou family can even appoint Foundation Establishment cultivators from some cultivation families as regional "general managers."

In this way, the express delivery business can not only bring a new source of income to the Zhou family, but also allow the Zhou family to obtain a lot of intelligence information about cultivators, which can sometimes be extremely valuable!

Second update!

(End of this chapter)