Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 424 First Hearing of the Yuanmo Realm [Please Subscribe]

Actually, if Lin Hongyu hadn't come to Tianyuan Immortal City, Zhou Chun had also planned to find some time to go back to his family and return the Foundation Establishment Pills he had.

But now that Lin Hongyu has come to Tianyuan Immortal City, Zhou Chun naturally doesn't need to waste time making the trip again.

After handing the Foundation Establishment Pill to Lin Hongyu, he wrote several letters on the spot, entrusting them to take back to his elders and relatives, before taking his leave.

Once back in the cave, Zhou Chun took out the family letters that Lin Hongyu had brought and began to examine them one by one.

There are three family letters in total, written by Zhou Mingde, Zhou Daoyi, and Su Yuzhen respectively.

In Zhou Mingde's family letter, he mainly inquired about Zhou Chun's cultivation progress, and also mentioned some important events that had occurred in the cultivation world of Jingguo and Fengguo in the past ten years or so.

Zhou Daoyi's family letters were written by him, mainly detailing the subtle changes in the Zhou family's development over the years, including various data, etc., and contain the most content, totaling tens of thousands of words.

Su Yuzhen's family letters are the only true family letters. In them, she expressed her longing for her Daoist partner and some changes in the Su family.

Zhou Chun first looked at Su Yuzhen's family letter.

Leaving aside the words of longing, concern, and admonition in this family letter, the most valuable information consists of two pieces of information. One is that Su Yuzhen's aunt, Su Yunniang, has successfully formed her Golden Core and become a Golden Core elder of the Moon Wheel Sect.

Because of this incident, the Su family of Jiangzhou suddenly gained a higher status and was vaguely known as the number one immortal cultivation family in Jingguo.

After all, no other Golden Core families have two Golden Core cultivators.

One was that the Su family held a celebration ceremony to celebrate Su Yunniang's successful formation of her core, and invited cultivators from related families such as the Zhou family to participate. They also had the younger generation of each family compete in martial arts battles and won a lot of prizes.

Among the Qi Refining stage juniors of the Zhou family, a junior named Zhou Sizhen actually won first place in the Qi Refining stage and took away the "Foundation Building Pill" prize prepared by the Su family.

The Su family patriarch felt somewhat humiliated by this, and severely reprimanded the younger generation of the Su family. In private, he also scolded Zhou Chun a few times in front of Su Yuzhen.

Su Yuzhen wrote this down as an interesting anecdote, saying that the Su family patriarch did not actually blame the Zhou family, but only resented their lack of ambition.

"I never expected that my aunt Su Yunniang would actually succeed in forming her core! This is truly a joyous occasion!"

"And then there's Sizhen, that kid. If I remember correctly, he seems to have the same wind-attribute spiritual root as Xu Fu, only his spiritual root grade is a bit lower, just a mid-grade spiritual root. I didn't expect him to shine so brightly this time!"

Zhou Chun put down the letter and, recalling its contents, couldn't help but smile faintly.

After all, he and Su Yuzhen were Daoist partners. With Su Yunniang, Su Yuzhen's aunt, successfully forming her Golden Core, it was as if he had gained another Golden Core elder, which was naturally a good thing.

Zhou Sizhen, a junior, won first place in the martial arts competition held by the Su family. This not only greatly enhanced the Zhou family's reputation but also brought her a significant benefit. As the clan leader, Zhou Chun was equally pleased for her.

Next, Zhou Chun reviewed the family letters from Zhou Mingde and Zhou Daoyi.

After watching for an unknown amount of time, Zhou Chun finally withdrew his consciousness, leaned back in his chair with a slightly solemn expression, and closed his eyes to ponder.

A lot can happen in a family over a decade or so, both good and bad.

Over the past ten years or so, the Zhou family has generally maintained an upward trend.

Especially with the full rollout of the express delivery business, the Zhou family has seen significant growth in both income and reputation.

However, some forces may have become unhappy because they saw that the Zhou family was developing too quickly.

In recent years, there have been more attacks on Zhou family's delivery personnel and transportation teams, causing the Zhou family to lose a lot of manpower and money.

However, none of this matters. The "Zhou Tong Tian Xia" trading company has already won the hearts of the people. Even if letters and goods are lost due to certain attacks, as long as the compensation is in place, many cultivators will choose to understand.

Even if someone wanted to cause trouble and damage the Zhou family's reputation, it would be difficult to achieve the desired effect.

This is the advantage of having a preconceived notion.

However, two things mentioned in Zhou Mingde's letter made Zhou Chun feel uneasy.

One thing was the actions of the Qinglian Temple.

Five years ago, Qinglian Temple suddenly announced that it would form a joint patrol team to crack down on bandits and cultivators within its territory.

The leaders of this joint patrol team are all cultivators from the Purple Mansion of the Azure Lotus Temple, but the patrol members are all drawn from various major cultivation clans and families.

The Zhou family was also assigned two patrol team members.

Furthermore, according to Qinglian Temple, the patrol team has the right to mobilize cultivators from its affiliated immortal cultivation families to assist in law enforcement operations.

This approach is tantamount to using people from various cultivation families to build a standing army for Qinglian Temple, with command completely in the hands of Qinglian Temple.

The key point is that Qinglian Temple doesn't spend a single penny; each family needs to provide extra subsidies to the cultivators who go to the patrol team.

In Zhou Chun's view, Qinglian Temple's move was a double-edged sword.

They acquired a mid-level combat force that could be mobilized anywhere at any time without spending a penny, while weakening the development potential of major cultivation clans and families.

After all, with a limited number of Foundation Establishment cultivators, if a few are assigned to patrol teams at once, the remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators have to share the tasks with these few people, thus reducing their own cultivation time and the time they can spend going out to seek opportunities.

That's fine, the Zhou family has many usable second-tier demonic beasts in addition to Foundation Establishment cultivators, so they won't be greatly affected.

However, Qinglian Temple would not do such a thing without a reason.

Since they have done this, it means there is another purpose behind it.

Considering that Master Qingxiao's lifespan was already limited, Zhou Chun felt that Qinglian Temple's actions might be a preparation for the potential turmoil that might occur after Master Qingxiao's passing.

The second thing that made Zhou Chun uneasy came from Feng Kingdom.

The Corpse Demon Sect of Feng Kingdom was originally at a significant disadvantage under the combined attack of Zhengyang Palace and Jingyang Sect, and it seemed that its position as the number one power in Feng Kingdom was about to be lost.

But who would have thought that now another force has suddenly intervened, entering Feng Kingdom to help the Corpse Demon Cult.

The force that helped the Corpse Demon Cult was not a righteous force, but a large force called "Blood Bone Sect".

It is said that the disciples of the "Blood Bone Sect" like to refine magical artifacts such as the Blood Transformation Blade, Blood Transformation Sword, Blood Transformation Banner, and White Bone Battle Puppet. These magical artifacts are refined by the special secret method of the "Blood Bone Sect" and have the potential to grow. They can grow by absorbing the essence and vitality of cultivators and can even grow into magic treasures!

With this assistance, the Corpse Demon Sect not only withstood the offensive of the Zhengyang Palace and the Jingyang Sect, but even showed signs of launching a counterattack.

According to information revealed by Zhengyang Palace, the "Blood Bone Sect" is a force from the Yuanmo Realm west of Feng Kingdom. The Corpse Demon Sect's lineage also originated from the Yuanmo Realm, and they believe this is an invasion of the Tianling Realm by the Yuanmo Realm.

It is said that they have begun to convene Nascent Soul stage cultivators from various Tianling countries to discuss and request a joint military operation to eradicate the two great scourges, the "Blood Bone Sect" and the Corpse Demon Sect, and to completely sever the claws and teeth of the Yuan Demon Realm that have extended into the Tianling Realm.

This was also the first time Zhou Chun had ever heard of the Yuanmo Realm, a cultivation world!

According to Zhou Mingde's statement in the jade slip, the Yuanmo Realm and the Tianling Realm are not actually directly adjacent. They were originally separated by a vast, desolate desert stretching for tens of thousands of miles, which could only be crossed by cultivators at the Golden Core stage.

It is precisely because of this desolate desert that even many cultivators from the Feng Kingdom, which borders the desolate desert, are unaware of the existence of the Yuanmo Realm.

But no one expected that the Yuanmo Realm, which had kept to itself and the Tianling Realm for many years, would suddenly invade the Tianling Realm.

Moreover, the Corpse Demon Cult's lineage actually originated from the Yuan Demon Realm, so it can be said that they have become the Yuan Demon Realm's guide!

"This is truly a tangled mess, impossible to unravel; the waters of Feng Kingdom are getting muddier and muddier!"

Zhou Chun couldn't help but sigh, sensing the predicament.

Although only Feng Kingdom is currently in chaos, everyone knows that if the Yuanmo Realm really intends to invade the Tianling Realm, then Jing Kingdom, which is adjacent to Feng Kingdom, will definitely not be able to escape.

Not to mention Jingguo, every single one of the other countries belonging to the Heavenly Spirit Realm, such as Chengguo and Shenguo, will be caught in the crossfire.

After all, the war capabilities of a cultivation world far surpass those of a sect like the Dragon Transformation Sect.

"I hope war doesn't come too soon, and that I can have a few more decades to prepare!"

Zhou Chun said quietly, but dared not have too much hope.

However, in this case, he should speed up the process of completing the tasks he came to the Great Zhou Kingdom to accomplish.

If he has enough pills, even if a war breaks out, he can find an opportunity to take pills to improve his cultivation.

There are also magical materials like "Yellow Dragon Stones." If enough of these are collected, the forbidden array "Nine Palaces Yellow Dragon Array" can be completed, giving the Zhou family a truly impregnable mountain gate, freeing them from fear of enemy raids behind enemy lines during wartime.

In view of this, Zhou Chun pondered for a moment and then went to visit Luo Qingni's cave.

"You want my help in exchanging for the [Yellow Dragon Stone], a magical material?"

Inside Qingni Residence, Luo Qingni was slightly taken aback when she learned of Zhou Chun's purpose in coming, quite surprised by his request.

After all, she was only a master alchemist, not a master weapon refiner. Shouldn't it be more appropriate to ask a master weapon refiner for something like finding magical treasures and spiritual materials?

Seeing the change in her expression, Zhou Chun knew this was a difficult matter, but he still said, "I know this is a bit much, but I'm really in a hurry to get this item. If Fellow Daoist Luo can help, I will definitely reward you handsomely!"

"Alright, since Fellow Daoist Zhang has put it that way, then Qingni will give it a try. However, the [Yellow Dragon Stone] is a magical treasure and spiritual material with many uses, and those who possess it may not be willing to easily exchange it. Fellow Daoist Zhang will need to offer something truly compelling!"

Luo Qingni looked at Zhou Chun, hesitated for a moment, and then agreed.

"Thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Luo!"

Zhou Chun bowed slightly and gave a deep bow to express his gratitude.

Then he immediately took out a prepared exchange list and handed it to Luo Qingni.

On this list, he listed all the things he possessed that he could exchange, including many spiritual herbs produced from ancient ruins.

If he were to take these things out and exchange them with others, it might easily arouse suspicion.

However, if it were taken out and exchanged by Luo Qingni, a master alchemist at the Golden Core stage, then there would be no doubt about it.

Luo Qingni should have already realized from the spirit wood core that he had obtained the opportunity within the ancient ruins. Therefore, after looking at the items on the list, she simply gave him a deep look and nodded to accept the list.

However, Zhou Chun did not place all his hopes on Luo Qingni. Therefore, after leaving "Qingni Residence", he went to "Tianzhi Tower" to purchase information on the high-level auctions and exchange fairs to be held in major markets within the Great Zhou Kingdom, in preparation for trying his luck at the auctions and exchange fairs if things didn't work out with Luo Qingni.

He could have made reservations for the Yellow Dragon Stone at the well-known merchant guilds in Tianyuan Immortal City, since these magical treasures and spiritual materials do sometimes appear on the market.

However, considering his mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivation level and the dedication of the weapon-refining masters in the city to crafting magical treasures, he abandoned the idea.

If he were to compete in the merchant guild's shops, he definitely wouldn't be able to beat those weapon-refining masters and Golden Core cultivators.

At this point, the benefits of Zhou Chun's choice to befriend Luo Qingni, a master alchemist at the Golden Core stage, became apparent.

With Luo Qingni helping him mobilize his network of contacts to collect [Yellow Dragon Stone], he received responses from three places in just three months.

"Please keep these two pieces of Yellow Dragon Stone, Fellow Daoist. As for the Xiahou family's demands, whether you agree to them is up to you!"

Inside the "Qingni Residence", Luo Qingni waved her hand and handed the two [Yellow Dragon Stones] she had exchanged to Zhou Chun, explaining the exchange process.

It turned out that two of the three responses she received accepted the exchange of the treasures on the list provided by Zhou Chun.

However, the Xiahou family, a cultivation clan, did not want to exchange treasures. Instead, they asked Zhou Chun to kill a rogue cultivator in the Purple Mansion stage as payment for the Yellow Dragon Stone.

Luo Qingni couldn't make this decision on her own; she had to let Zhou Chun decide for herself.

"I understand, and thank you again for your help, Fellow Daoist Luo!"

Zhou Chun bowed again to express his gratitude, then took the things and returned to his cave.

After returning to his cave, Zhou Chun took out three pieces of Yellow Dragon Stone and compared them. He found that he was still one-fifth short of the required number for the Nine Palaces Yellow Dragon Formation.

The feeling of being so close to success is truly agonizing.

After examining the three pieces of Yellow Dragon Stone repeatedly, Zhou Chun finally had to put them down, sighing helplessly, "Why is it always just a little bit short? Looks like I really have to become someone else's henchman!"

He wasn't a collector, but collecting the Yellow Dragon Stone was indeed very important to the Zhou family.

Especially under the current circumstances, this matter is even more crucial to avoid failure.

Even if it meant becoming someone else's thug, he had no choice but to accept it!

Immediately after making up his mind, Zhou Chun went to "Tianzhilou" again and purchased a first-class intelligence report about the Xiahou family.

That's why the Great Zhou Kingdom is the Great Zhou Kingdom!

Prior to this, Zhou Chun had never heard of the Xiahou family.

But after reading the information about "Tianzhilou", he discovered that it was a Golden Core family with a history of more than two thousand years, and that the family once had three Golden Core cultivators at the same time.

However, the Xiahou family has now fallen into decline, with only one Golden Core cultivator barely maintaining the facade of a Golden Core family.

According to the information provided by Luo Qingni, the bandit cultivator whom the Xiahou family wanted to hire to hunt down was a late-stage Purple Mansion cultivator.

That guy was incredibly audacious; he actually used the method of absorbing yin to replenish yang to kill a female cultivator from the Xiahou family with a high-grade spiritual root and aptitude for the Golden Core stage, and made it known to everyone.

The Xiahou family is a Golden Core clan with a history of over two thousand years and a prominent force in the area. How could they possibly tolerate such humiliation!

Therefore, the Xiahou family spared no effort in using their resources, offering a bounty for the capture of that bandit cultivator with many treasured family heirlooms.

But that person was truly capable, managing to escape the pursuit several times, and now he has even escaped into the Black Mist Swamp, causing the Xiahou family to lose track of him.

"Kurogiri Swamp, what a coincidence!"

Zhou Chun narrowed his eyes slightly, and an idea gradually formed in his mind.

He quickly went to Luo Qingni, obtained a letter of introduction from her, and handed her the two dragon-blooded demon beast cores he had, telling her to handle it herself.

He then took the letter of introduction and headed straight for the Xiahou family's mountain gate.

Before leaving, to prevent himself from being held back by this matter for too long, Zhou Chun specially renewed the rent for the cave for a few more years and left a message for the evolving stone to go out if necessary, in case it woke up and couldn't find him and ran around in a panic.

About half a month after leaving Tianyuan Immortal City, Zhou Chun arrived at the Xiahou family's mountain gate.

As a Golden Core clan with a history of over two thousand years, the Xiahou family's mountain gate is quite impressive, not only covering a large area but also boasting a high concentration of spiritual energy.

After Zhou Chun arrived with Luo Qingni's letter of introduction, he was quickly received by Xiahou Bao, a Golden Core cultivator from the Xiahou family.

The pillar of the Xiahou family is a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. Judging from his age, he must be quite old, as he already has white hair.

After reading Luo Qingni's letter of introduction, Xiahou Bao looked at Zhou Chun with a puzzled expression and asked, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, are you planning to go and hunt down that villain Murong Luo yourself? Do you know that he is at the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun calmly replied, "Senior Xiahou, I understand your concerns. However, since I dared to accept this mission, I naturally have my reasons."

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Bao gave Zhou Chun a deep look, then nodded and said, "Very well, since Fellow Daoist Zhang is so confident, I will naturally not refuse."

Seeing that he agreed, Zhou Chun immediately clasped his hands in a salute and said, "Thank you for your understanding, Senior Xiahou. However, I would like to presume to first examine the size of the Yellow Dragon Stone belonging to the Xiahou family. I wonder if Senior Xiahou would be so kind as to grant me this request?"

"This is a trivial matter. I will have someone fetch the item for Fellow Daoist Zhang to examine."

As Xiahou Bao spoke, he instructed one of the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Xiahou family who was serving him to have someone bring the Yellow Dragon Stone to his cave.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, a cultivator from the Xiahou family's Purple Mansion realm retrieved the Yellow Dragon Stone from the treasure vault and brought it to his cave dwelling.

Xiahou Bao readily agreed, raising his hand and presenting the [Yellow Dragon Stone] to Zhou Chun: "Fellow Daoist Zhang, please take a look. This is the [Yellow Dragon Stone] that my Xiahou family has in its collection."

Zhou Chun stared intently at it and realized that this [Yellow Dragon Stone] was probably the largest piece he had ever seen, even larger than the one he had obtained at the exchange meeting with Tianzhi Sanren.

Xiahou Bao then opportunely introduced, "This [Yellow Dragon Stone] is quite substantial. It's enough to refine three smaller magic treasures, and even more than enough to refine heavy magic treasures like the Mountain and River Seal or the Qiankun Brick. It could fetch at least two or three hundred thousand spirit coins at an auction!"

Zhou Chun knew that he wasn't exaggerating when he said that.

Although the Yellow Dragon Stone is not considered a top-tier spiritual material, it is highly sought after by Golden Core cultivators who practice earth-attribute techniques due to its versatility.

In addition, many forbidden arrays also require this item to carve array plates and suppress earth veins.

Therefore, it is really not easy to collect enough of this item.

After examining it for a moment, Zhou Chun nodded in approval and said, "It is indeed a fine treasure!"

Then he said in a deep voice, "Then let's establish a spiritual contract. I will set off for the Black Mist Marsh shortly to find Murong Luo!"

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Bao immediately said, "Establishing a spiritual contract is no problem, but I must remind you, Fellow Daoist Zhang, that although Murong Luo's cultivation is only at the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm, his actual methods are extraordinary. There may also be his accomplices hiding in the Black Mist Swamp. If something happens to you, it will have nothing to do with our Xiahou family!"

"Of course, if anything happens to me, I can only blame myself for being less skilled!"

Zhou Chun answered immediately, his tone very firm.

Xiahou Bao immediately took out a talisman and wrote a spiritual contract, imprinting it with his own magical power.

This kind of bounty contract does not require two copies, nor does it require Zhou Chun to leave his own magical imprint.

He didn't even need to come to the Xiahou family after completing the mission. He only needed to give a notification, and the Xiahou family would send someone with the agreed-upon treasure to exchange for Murong Luo's corpse.

This approach also protects those who complete the task.

Therefore, after obtaining the spirit contract, Zhou Chun left the Xiahou family and went straight to the Black Mist Marsh.

On the way, Zhou Chun also took the time to look at the jade slip that Xiahou Bao had given him, which contained some intelligence information about the bandit cultivator Murong Luo.

As for his appearance and magical aura, Xiahou Bao had already shown it to him through a recording artifact after he obtained the spirit contract, and he remembered that aura.

The Xiahou family's mountain gate was not very far from the Black Mist Marsh, and Zhou Chun arrived at the Black Mist Marsh in just three days.

According to the Xiahou family's records, it is highly likely that the bandit cultivator Murong Luo joined a bandit organization in the Black Mist Swamp.

It is said that the bandit organization has a secret base in the Black Mist Swamp, which contains an array that can purify spiritual energy and poisonous energy.

However, this was just a rumor, and no one has ever been able to actually find that secret base.

But what is certain is that the leader of that bandit organization was a Golden Core cultivator!

This made it much more difficult for Zhou Chun to kill Murong Luo, which is why Xiahou Bao didn't think highly of him.

However, anything is possible with human effort. Zhou Chun believed that as long as he found Murong Luo, he would definitely have a chance to kill him.

They were also prepared for a protracted battle in the Black Mist Swamp.

In order to lure out Murong Luo and his accomplices, Zhou Chun did not release the Thunder Dragon to lead the way after entering the Black Mist Swamp. Instead, he simply flew and roamed around inside, pretending to be an adventurous treasure hunter.

Those bandit cultivators are incredibly audacious; they dare to attack cultivators at the Purple Mansion stage even outside, let alone inside the Black Mist Swamp.

(End of this chapter)