Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 442 Harvest and Crisis [Please Subscribe]

Jiufengling.

When Zhou Chun opened Jiang Zhong's storage bag, the amount of things that came out completely exceeded his expectations!

He had originally thought that the storage bag would contain many materials commonly used by demonic cultivators.

But that's not actually the case. There are very few items inside specifically for demonic cultivators; most of them are items used by immortal cultivators.

For example, there were thousand-year-old and several-hundred-year-old medicinal herbs in the jade box, various magical artifacts, pills, talismans, some rare mineral materials, and piles of spirit coins.

At the beginning, Jiang Zhong slaughtered five cultivation families overnight, including a powerful Purple Mansion clan.

In the time that followed, he participated in countless massacres and annihilation operations, killing countless cultivators.

The possessions of these dead monks and destroyed families all became Jiang Zhong's spoils of war.

In addition, Jiang Zhong's previous gains from killing Tianling Legion cultivators on the Feng Kingdom battlefield made his storage bag even more numerous and varied.

Moreover, Jiang Zhong lied!

He had not just 300,000 spirit coins, but more than 400,000!

Zhou Chun found over 100,000 spirit coins in his storage bag.

That's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that Zhou Chun actually found a Core Formation spiritual item in his storage bag!

Yes, a Core Formation Spiritual Object!

He didn't carry the Core Formation artifact with him at all, as he had said; he simply kept it on his person!

This surprised Zhou Chun quite a bit.

He didn't know if Jiang Zhong was overconfident, distrustful of others, or if he felt that if he died, it wouldn't matter who got the Core Formation artifact.

In any case, this is undoubtedly a great joy for Zhou Chun himself!

As a leading figure among the younger generation of a major sect like the Corpse Demon Cult, Jiang Zhong naturally wouldn't be lacking in the spiritual items he prepared for himself to help him reach the Core Formation stage.

He had two kinds of spiritual items in his storage bag: [Extreme Yang Fire Spirit Liquid] and [Extreme Cold Ice Marrow Liquid]. These two kinds of spiritual items are what most Golden Core cultivators prepare before forming their core.

Any cultivator who can gather these two spiritual items before forming their core and follow the "Water and Fire Refining the Golden Core" method can increase their success rate of core formation by about 10%.

In this way, if the cultivator cultivates a top-tier technique, has a decent spiritual root aptitude, and has not suffered any major injuries that would affect their core formation, then the overall success rate of core formation can reach over 20%.

That's already very good.

After all, a Core Formation treasure like the Five Elements Spirit Fruit, which can directly increase the success rate of Core Formation by 30%, is unique in the cultivation world. It is something that ordinary Purple Mansion stage cultivators dare not even dream of obtaining.

Therefore, once most cultivators have gathered these two spiritual items, they will dare to make the decision to go into seclusion and give it their all!

However, Jiang Zhong was clearly not satisfied with this. With his cultivation level, he could have gone into seclusion to form his core after acquiring these two spiritual items.

But he still didn't do that.

Clearly, he didn't want to gamble on the 20-30% chance of success; instead, he wanted to acquire more spiritual items that could increase the success rate of Core Formation.

But now Zhou Chun has benefited from this for nothing!

At this moment, after carefully examining the two Core Formation spiritual items, Zhou Chun suddenly sighed regretfully, "It's a pity that the effects of these two Core Formation spiritual items overlap with the [Five Elements Spiritual Fruit], otherwise I would be even more confident in successfully forming my core in the future!"

The effects of the Five Elements Spiritual Fruit can be combined with many other Core Formation spiritual items, but it happens to overlap with the Extreme Yang Fire Spiritual Liquid and the Extreme Cold Ice Marrow Liquid, two other Core Formation spiritual items.

Therefore, Zhou Chun had no use for these two items at all.

This is undeniably a pity.

However, this does not mean that the value of the two spiritual items will be diminished.

After all, even if Zhou Chun doesn't need these two items, he can exchange them for other Core Formation spiritual items. At the very least, he can leave them for Zhou Mingde or Zhou Daoyi, so that these two elders can also have a chance to break through to the Golden Core stage.

Besides the two extremely precious Core Formation spiritual items, Jiang Zhong's storage bag also contained as many as eight thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, two magical treasure materials, and fifty-nine other spiritual herbs over five hundred years old, as well as eight third-tier magical artifacts and dozens of second-tier magical artifacts.

With all these things added up, including the more than 400,000 spirit coins, Zhou Chun could conservatively estimate that he would gain 700,000 to 800,000 spirit coins.

Back then, Lin Hongyu only spent a little over 800,000 spirit coins to buy the three types of Core Formation spiritual items!

This shows just how incredibly profitable war is!

In addition, Zhou Chun also collected over 100,000 spirit coins, five third-tier magic artifacts, six thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, and many other miscellaneous items from the storage bags on the three men in blood-red robes.

All of these things added up to a harvest of three to four hundred thousand spirit coins!

And this doesn't even include the bounty for the heads of those demonic cultivators!

"Thanks to your timely arrival, Great-Grandmother, I was able to survive by sheer luck. Half of these spoils should rightfully belong to you, Great-Grandmother. What do you say?"

After taking stock of the spoils, Zhou Chun did not take it upon himself to keep all of them. Instead, he quickly went to Lin Hongyu's place, truthfully reported the spoils, and offered his suggestions.

He was a man of the world, and while a fortune of over a million spirit coins was certainly a huge gain, it was by no means worth causing Lin Hongyu, a Golden Core cultivator, to harbor resentment towards him and the Zhou family.

Even if he succeeds in forming his core in the future, Lin Hongyu will still be very important to the Zhou family!

Faced with Zhou Chun's suggestion, Lin Hongyu shook her head slightly and said, "Zhengchun, you don't need to be modest. With your strength and methods, even if I didn't come, I could have saved my own life. Besides, you killed Jiang Zhong all by yourself. According to the merit, you should take the lion's share!"

He then slowly began to speak, "I no longer have any need for spirit coins or such things, and I don't expect to be able to form a Nascent Soul in the future. I don't need these things. I only hope that Zheng Chun can help Wan'er find one or two more spiritual items to assist in opening her Purple Mansion, so that she can also successfully open her Purple Mansion!"

She was telling the truth.

Even among the Golden Core stage cultivators of major sects, very few dare to hope of forming a Nascent Soul.

Therefore, unless it's a magical artifact, a fourth-tier magic talisman, or a thousand-year-old precious medicine, they don't really care about ordinary spiritual items or spiritual coins.

Lin Hongyu also knew that the Zhou family had contributed greatly to her core formation and the creation of her natal magic weapon, and that the Zhou family's income was currently decreasing significantly due to the impact of the war.

As the Supreme Elder of the Zhou family, she naturally didn't want to take more of these things that weren't very useful to her since she didn't have any obvious needs of her own.

It could be said that if she weren't worried about the path of her adopted daughter, Lin Wan'er, she would be almost completely without desires.

After hearing her words, Zhou Chun understood her thoughts.

He immediately replied with a serious expression, "This junior understands. Leave this matter to me. I will do my utmost to help Elder Lin Wan'er open her Purple Mansion!"

As Zhou Chun said this, he was also somewhat moved.

With so many Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Zhou family, no one dares to say that they will be able to successfully open the Purple Mansion in the future. At most, Zhou Xinyan, a cultivator with superior spiritual root aptitude, has a much greater chance.

Lin Wan'er, who had already failed once, was now going to take the lead in this area.

But what can we do?

Who can blame Lin Wan'er for having such a wonderful godmother!

When Lin Hongyu was going through the most difficult time, Lin Wan'er disregarded her own safety and worked tirelessly for her. Later, in order to support her in achieving the Golden Core stage, she also took the initiative to go north to Yang Kingdom to manage the Hongyu Peak stronghold for her. She made great contributions.

Now that Lin Hongyu has successfully formed her core, it is natural to reward this goddaughter and help her advance further in her cultivation.

After the two of them discussed how to handle the spoils of war, Qinglian Temple also learned that "Corpse Fiend General" Jiang Zhong had been killed by Zhou Chun.

Just as Zhou Chun had predicted, Qinglian Temple quickly dispatched people to investigate the situation around Jiufeng Ridge and question some people who had witnessed the battle.

After obtaining preliminary investigation results, the Golden Core stage cultivators from Qinglian Temple arrived at Jiufeng Ridge.

It was quite a coincidence that the Golden Core cultivator from Qinglian Temple who came to Jiufeng Ridge this time was someone Zhou Chun was quite familiar with.

The person in question was Qing Lingzi, who had come to Jiufeng Ridge to provide support during the fight against the beast tide.

"Junior Zhou Zhengchun greets Senior Qing Lingzi and welcomes you to the Zhou family."

Outside Jiufeng Ridge, Zhou Chun bowed respectfully to Qing Lingzi, his manners impeccable.

In the past, Qing Lingzi wouldn't have thought much of it, and he was perfectly qualified to do so.

But now, looking at the respectful Zhou Chun, his feelings were quite complicated and hard to describe.

To be honest, if he didn't know that Zhou Chun would never lie about such a thing, he would never have believed that someone like "Corpse Fiend General" Jiang Zhong could be killed by Zhou Chun, a mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivator.

Perhaps Zhou Chun, who had never been to the front lines, did not understand the true status of the "Seven Fiends of the Primordial Demons".

But Qing Lingzi knew perfectly well what was going on.

The figures in groups like the "Seven Fiends of the Primordial Demon" and the "Seven Heroes of the Heavenly Spirit" are among the most outstanding cultivators of their respective realms within major powers, and are specifically chosen to represent them.

In terms of sheer strength, these people are even stronger than many Golden Core cultivators before they formed their core.

Once they reach the Core Formation stage, they will likely catch up with their predecessors who have less potential in terms of strength very quickly.

In particular, now that the two great cultivation worlds are at war, as long as these people can maintain their rankings, they will naturally be able to obtain various benefits that ordinary Purple Mansion stage cultivators cannot reach. Their path after successfully forming their core will be much smoother than that of ordinary Golden Core stage cultivators.

Such a promising and talented young man died at the hands of the "unknown" Zhou Chun.

How could Qing Lingzi not be shocked!

He looked at Zhou Chun with mixed feelings and remained silent for a while before putting on a smiling face and raising his hand to help him up, saying, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, please rise quickly. You have made a great contribution this time, and I have come here specifically to reward you."

With a broad smile, he followed Zhou Chun back to Jiufeng Ridge.

When he followed Zhou Chun into Pagoda Peak, a quick scan with his divine sense revealed another Golden Core cultivator's aura hidden on the peak.

Upon realizing this, he glanced at Zhou Chun discreetly, but said nothing, pretending not to know anything, and followed Zhou Chun into the guest hall.

Originally, since Qing Lingzi was a Golden Core cultivator, he should have been sitting in the main seat in the guest hall.

However, Qing Lingzi no longer dared to look down on the Zhou family, and knowing that the Zhou family had a Golden Core cultivator in charge, he naturally wouldn't offend the Zhou family over such a trivial matter.

Therefore, he insisted on not accepting the offer and finally sat down with Zhou Chun in the guest seats, leaving the main seat empty.

After taking their seats, Qing Lingzi didn't waste any words and directly looked at Zhou Chun, saying, "Although I know Fellow Daoist Zhou would never lie, I have been entrusted by the sect leader to come to the Zhou family to verify things. I would like to ask Fellow Daoist Zhou to first retrieve the corpses of those demonic cultivators so that I can confirm their identities!"

"Of course, I will do as you say."

Zhou Chun responded and immediately raised his hand to pat the storage bag, taking out Jiang Zhong's head and three other mummified corpses that had been packed in a wooden box.

Although the four have been dead for several days, Qing Lingzi, as a Golden Core cultivator, can naturally discern their cultivation level and general techniques from the residual aura and characteristics of their corpses.

Furthermore, when Zhou Chun was identifying the corpses, he also took out the magical artifacts that the deceased had used as evidence.

These demonic artifacts, though they could earn a considerable amount of spirit coins if sold to demonic cultivators.

However, Zhou Chun did not want to do something that would aid the enemy. Given the current size of the Zhou family, there was no need for them to do something that would leave them vulnerable and subject to criticism.

Handing them over generously and letting Qinglian Temple destroy them would actually improve the Zhou family's image.

Sure enough, upon seeing the "Mysterious Yin Corpse Gourd," the blood-red flying sword, the Yin Soul Banner, and other symbolic magical artifacts representing the deceased's identity, Qing Lingzi immediately had no more doubts.

He immediately nodded slightly to Zhou Chun and said, "That's right. The identities and cultivation levels of these demonic cultivators are exactly the same as what Fellow Daoist Zhou said in the victory report. I will personally testify for Fellow Daoist Zhou at the Alliance's Rewards and Merits Division!"

Then he turned his gaze to the demonic artifacts and said, "However, I will take these demonic artifacts back with me as evidence and hand them over to the Alliance for unified destruction. I hope you understand, Fellow Daoist Zhou."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun immediately replied with a righteous expression, "Of course I understand. The elders of my Zhou family died at the hands of demonic cultivators. Back then, the Zhou family was forced to abandon our ancestral land and relocate because of the Corpse Demon Sect. We have long since formed an irreconcilable enmity with these demonic villains. My family and I hate those demonic villains to the bone and would never do anything to aid the enemy!"

These words indeed pleased Qing Lingzi greatly.

His tone softened slightly: "I greatly admire Fellow Daoist Zhou's righteous heart. If every cultivator in my Heavenly Spirit Sect could be as righteous as Fellow Daoist Zhou, and every family could sacrifice their own for their country like the Zhou family, how could we not drive these invading demonic thieves back to the Yuan Demon Realm!"

His words sounded somewhat pretentious and empty, but his attitude was evident.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun naturally made another righteous and awe-inspiring statement.

After the two had expressed their attitudes and had a pleasant conversation, Qing Lingzi waved his sleeve and put away the corpses and demonic artifacts.

After a moment's thought, he looked at Zhou Chun and said, "Where does that fellow Daoist from the Zhou family come from? May I ask if I may meet him?"

Zhou Chun knew perfectly well who he was referring to.

At this moment, she said with a calm expression, "That is Elder Lin Hongyu, the Supreme Elder of my Zhou family. She was originally the Crimson Dragon Protector of the Hualong Sect. After learning about the sinister intentions of the Hualong Sect in training them, she resolutely refused to be used by them and took the initiative to leave the Hualong Sect after it was defeated."

"When I infiltrated the Dragon Transformation Sect, I met Elder Lin, so we had a brief encounter. She knew that her identity would be difficult for most forces to accept, and she wanted to make further progress on her path, so she took the initiative to contact me, wanting to serve the Zhou family."

"Because the Zhou family had always had Yu Jinghua, a traitor, as a thorn in their side, the younger generation and the two elders were worried that they would be harmed by him one day. In addition, the Red Dragon Hall of the Transformation Dragon Sect had been destroyed, and Elder Lin's 'Dragon Soul Seed' had become ineffective on its own. So we dared to take her in and help her form her core."

"Now it seems that Elder Lin has not let down the trust of the younger generation and the Zhou family. Not only did she stay in the Zhou family after successfully forming her core, but she was also willing to fight against the demonic cultivators for the Zhou family, jointly protecting the safety of the Heavenly Spirit Immortal Realm and the Jing Kingdom!"

At this point, Zhou Chun immediately stood up, bowed to Qing Lingzi, and said, "This junior knows that taking in the former Crimson Dragon Protector of the Dragon Transformation Sect without authorization violates the rules of the Azure Lotus Temple. I only implore Senior Qing Lingzi to consider that Elder Lin has already reformed and ask him to intercede with Abbot Qing Weizi, requesting that he show leniency. The Zhou family and Elder Lin will be eternally grateful!"

Qing Lingzi was already stunned by his words.

Although Qing Lingzi knew before coming that the Zhou family had a Golden Core cultivator, but kept it a secret, it must be because that person's background was questionable and it was inconvenient to make it public.

But he never expected that the Zhou family would be so bold as to take in the remnants of the Hualong Sect!

If it weren't for Zhou Chun's great contribution this time, and the fact that the Zhou family dared to expose this matter, they must have been certain that Lin Hongyu had no further connection with the Hualong Sect, he probably would have taken action to capture Zhou Chun by now!

Therefore, upon hearing Zhou Chun's request, he immediately waved his hand with a grim expression and said, "I cannot make this decision. If Fellow Daoist Zhou truly wishes to ask the Abbot to show leniency, he should personally go to our sect's gate and explain the matter to him!"

It is obvious that Qing Lingzi harbors a deep-seated prejudice against the cultivators of the Dragon Transformation Sect, a kind of hatred that runs deep in her heart.

Even though Zhou Chun had previously impressed him, his expression instantly soured upon learning that Lin Hongyu was a remnant of the Dragon Transformation Sect.

However, Zhou Chun was prepared for this. Seeing that he was unwilling to help, he didn't say anything more, but simply nodded and said, "Of course, this junior was originally prepared to go to Qinglian Temple in person to apologize to Senior Qingweizi!"

Originally, Qing Lingzi wanted to meet the Golden Core cultivator from the Zhou family, and even inquire about the details of the battle between Zhou Chun and "Corpse Fiend General" Jiang Zhong, but at this moment he had no such intention at all.

Seeing that Zhou Chun seemed to be prepared, he didn't say anything more and simply told Zhou Chun to pack up and make arrangements before following him to the Qinglian Temple gate to pay respects to Qingweizi.

Zhou Chun didn't really have much to pack; he simply handed over his storage bag, which was full of things, and his spirit beast bag to Lin Hongyu for safekeeping.

Then he went to Qinglian Temple alone with another storage bag containing his personal magical artifact and Qing Lingzi.

With the help of a Golden Core cultivator, Zhou Chun arrived at the Azure Lotus Temple in less than two hours, and was taken directly to the sect leader's hall without any prior notice.

"Oh, Junior Brother Qing Lingzi is back so soon?"

Inside the main hall, Qing Weizi glanced at Qing Lingzi with some surprise, then turned her gaze to Zhou Chun.

He smiled slightly and said, "Young friend Zhou, we meet again! You've truly given me a wonderful surprise this time!"

But before he could finish speaking, Qing Lingzi coldly said, "Sect Leader, don't be so happy yet. Let's hear what Fellow Daoist Zhou has been hiding from you!"

Upon hearing Qing Lingzi's words, Qing Weizi was slightly taken aback, then frowned slightly as she looked at Zhou Chun, and said indifferently, "Then I'll have to listen carefully!"

Upon seeing this, Zhou Chun immediately stepped forward, knelt down, and respectfully kowtowed, pleading for forgiveness: "Senior Abbot, please forgive me. I know I was in the wrong and have no intention of making excuses. I beg you, Senior Abbot, to forgive me and the Zhou family for our deception, considering that Elder Lin has already reformed!"

Upon seeing this, Qing Weizi's gaze sharpened, and she said in a low, deep voice, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, what is the meaning of this? What exactly have you and the Zhou family been doing behind my back and our sect's back?"

"What else could it be? Senior Brother Sect Leader, you would never guess that the Golden Core cultivator from the Zhou family is actually a remnant of the Dragon Transformation Sect!"

Qing Lingzi angrily stated the result directly for Zhou Chun.

"What?! Is that true?!"

Qingweizi's expression changed instantly, and her gaze towards Zhou Chun shifted, her face turning grim.

Upon sensing this, Zhou Chun hurriedly said, "Senior Abbot, you are wise. This matter is complex; please allow me to explain it to you slowly!"

He then repeated what he had said to Qing Lingzi earlier, only this time in more detail and with greater certainty.

And at the end, he earnestly and solemnly guaranteed, "I am willing to guarantee with my own life and the lives of hundreds of people in the Zhou family that Elder Lin has absolutely no connection with the Dragon Transformation Sect anymore. If I am lying, may I and everyone in the Zhou family die a horrible death!"

Hearing his words, Qingweizi and Qinglingzi were both slightly moved.

Although both of them loathed the cultivators of the Dragon Transformation Sect because of their positions, they were both Golden Core cultivators and would not be so easily controlled by hatred.

Since Zhou Chun made such a confident promise, the two of them were already seventy or eighty percent convinced.

After all, the Hualong Sect is now reduced to only a handful of members, and the Zhou family is located in the heart of Jingguo.

If Zhou Chun dares to lie, and they manage to find even a single clue or piece of evidence, the Zhou family, which is currently enjoying great power, will be wiped out in an instant!

Zhou Chun, the patriarch who single-handedly led the Zhou family to revival and prosperity, could not possibly be unaware of such consequences.

But despite believing it, the fact remains that the Zhou family deceived the upper sect.

As the head of the Qinglian Temple, how could Qingweizi tolerate what was happening here?

He immediately looked at Zhou Chun coldly and said, "Even if what you say is true, that Lin Hongyu has no further connection with the Hualong Sect, she is still an unwelcome person to our three sects and is not allowed to cultivate in Jing Kingdom!"

After saying that, he added in a chilling voice, his killing intent palpable, "Furthermore, your Zhou family dared to harbor remnants of the Dragon Transformation Sect. Do you know that this constitutes a crime punishable by the extermination of your entire clan!"

The killing intent of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator was something Zhou Chun could not easily withstand.

In an instant, he felt his heart clench, and his mind screamed for help.

Not daring to delay, he hurriedly reached into his robe with trembling hands and pulled out an exquisitely crafted jade token. One side of the token was carved with a twelve-petaled blue lotus, and the other side was inscribed with the words "Blue Lotus".

Upon seeing the jade token, Qing Weizi's killing intent vanished instantly, and Qing Lingzi's face also showed surprise.

"This Azure Lotus Jade Token was bestowed upon the Zhou family by you, Abbot. If I remember correctly, this item could absolve the Zhou family of a serious crime. I wonder if you, Abbot, still remember this?"

Zhou Chun held up the jade token and spoke respectfully.

Qingweizi remained silent after hearing his words.

Six thousand four hundred words! Also, I have some good news to share: this book has reached three thousand average subscriptions today, and I should be able to collect the badge tomorrow night. Thank you so much for your continued support and love, my utmost gratitude!!!

(End of this chapter)