Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 535 Two Fleeting Years [Please Subscribe]

Having obtained a master-level alchemy inheritance and a fourth-tier pill formula such as the Jade Dew Golden Glow Pill, Luo Qingni naturally granted Zhou Chun's every request.

She readily gave Zhou Chun the green light, and at his request, helped him use his connections to gather the materials for refining the [Ancient Dust Pill].

At the same time, the two quickly reached an agreement to jointly collect materials to refine the [Jade Dew Golden Glow Pill].

After everything was settled, Luo Qingni went to refine the Dragon Transformation Pill for Zhou Chun.

Zhou Chun took the opportunity to rent a cave dwelling in the city as a place to live in the future.

Not long after, Luo Qingni emerged from seclusion and handed the successfully refined [Dragon Transformation Pill] to Zhou Chun.

After obtaining the elixir, Zhou Chun did not delay and immediately returned to Jing Kingdom in secret to deliver the elixir back to the Zhou family and hand it over to Zhou Daoquan.

As for whether Zhou Daoquan's spirit pet, the Bloodflame Dragon Python, can successfully evolve into a third-tier Flood Dragon through this [Dragon Transformation Pill], that depends entirely on its own fate and destiny.

After returning to the Great Zhou Kingdom, Zhou Chun took the letter of introduction given to him by Luo Qingni and went to the mountain gate of the Yuan Kui Sect.

Previously, he felt that his own strength was insufficient and dared not easily go to the sect where the "Master of a Thousand Machines" was located, lest the other party harbor malicious intentions to harm him.

Now that his own strength is no less than that of a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, Zhou Chun dared to go and purchase a fourth-tier puppet.

Yuan Kui Sect was once a major sect with Nascent Soul stage cultivators, but now there is a shortage of Nascent Soul stage cultivators in the sect, so the sect has shrunk its power and become much more low-key.

However, as one of the few sects capable of crafting fourth-order puppets, even though the Yuan Puppet Sect has declined, ordinary people and forces dare not covet them.

After all, no one knows how many fourth-order puppets are hidden inside the Yuan Kui Sect's mountain gate, let alone whether there are fifth-order puppets equivalent to Nascent Soul stage cultivators hidden inside!

As a force that originated from puppetry, the Yuan Kui Sect does not recruit disciples indiscriminately like other sects. Instead, it prefers to have fewer but better disciples, only recruiting cultivators who have talent in controlling or creating puppets.

Of course, if it's a high-grade spiritual root aptitude, then the Yuan Kui Sect will also consider it.

In short, this sect has very few disciples; the total number of people in the entire sect, from top to bottom, is less than a thousand!

Fewer people mean less overall demand for cultivation resources, so the Yuan Kui Sect now only guards its own mountain gate and keeps only a market under its control outside, which specializes in selling some low- to mid-level puppet artifacts.

It is worth mentioning that puppet artifacts below the fourth rank do not require spirit crystals as an energy source; they can be powered by a special "spirit source bead" crafted by the Yuan Puppet Sect.

This "Spirit Source Pearl" is an energy storage artifact. Depending on its grade, it can store one-third of a cultivator's mana at the corresponding level.

For example, a high-grade third-tier "Spirit Source Pearl" can store one-third of the mana of a late-stage Purple Mansion cultivator.

Once the magical power within the "Spirit Source Pearl" is exhausted, the cultivator needs to recharge it before it can be used again. Furthermore, the magical power within the "Spirit Source Pearl" cannot be preserved for long and will gradually dissipate over time.

If that's all there is to it, then the "Spirit Source Pearl" is still a great invention.

However, the biggest drawback of this kind of energy storage artifact is that it can only store the magical power of the artifact's owner.

Furthermore, because cultivators' magical power is heavily biased, a "Spirit Source Pearl" filled with metal-attribute magical power would not only be inefficient if used to drive a puppet that is skilled in fire-attribute techniques, but would also cause significant damage to the puppet itself.

These restrictions make it rare to see cultivators using puppet artifacts below the fourth rank in the cultivation world; only disciples of the Yuan Kui Sect would use them as a means of combat.

After Zhou Chun concealed his cultivation level and arrived at the market controlled by the Yuan Kui Sect, he bought several second-tier puppet magic artifacts and matching "Spirit Source Pearls" out of curiosity to study them.

He discovered that although the "Spirit Source Pearl" was also a magic weapon, it actually did not consume much of a cultivator's spiritual consciousness, let alone magic power, when controlling the puppet in battle.

The amount of spiritual energy a cultivator expends to control a second-tier high-grade puppet is roughly equivalent to controlling a second-tier high-grade magic weapon and a second-tier low-grade magic weapon.

The combat power of a second-tier high-grade puppet is enough to steadily suppress a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, without consuming its own mana.

In this way, even an ordinary late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator can simultaneously activate a second-tier high-grade defensive magic weapon to protect himself while controlling two second-tier high-grade puppets in battle.

Once the mana of the "Spirit Source Pearls" inside the two second-tier high-grade puppets is exhausted, you can directly abandon the two puppets and then deal with the enemy at full strength.

"It's a pity the price is too high. A second-tier high-grade puppet equipped with a 'Spirit Source Pearl' costs almost as much as a third-tier low-grade magic weapon!"

"Aside from the disciples of the Yuan Kui Sect themselves, or those wealthy young masters who don't lack money, how many cultivators can afford to equip themselves with two puppets of the same rank!"

Zhou Chun shook his head and put the puppets into his storage bag, intending to give them to some of his family's younger generations as protective items later, depending on the circumstances.

He then personally visited Yuankui Mountain, which was not far away, and handed over Luo Qingni's letter, specifically requesting to visit the "Master Qianji".

Because Zhou Chun revealed his Golden Core stage cultivation, the Yuan Kui Sect's guest disciple was very efficient. Before long, a man with a Purple Mansion stage cultivation who claimed to be a disciple of "Master Qianji" came to greet Zhou Chun.

Following this person to a refined courtyard deep within the Yuan Kui Sect, Zhou Chun finally saw the "Master Qianji" he was to visit.

This puppet master looked very old, with gray hair and a face full of wrinkles, as if his lifespan was running out and his cultivation level was stuck at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Zhou Chun, he looked directly at Zhou Chun and said, "The puppet remains that Fellow Daoist Luo sent over back then truly inspired me and gave me some insights. Now, in her letter, she mentions that you possess even more complete puppet remains. Would you be so kind as to allow me to take a look?"

"sure."

Zhou Chun nodded, and then took out the basically intact archer warrior puppet from his storage bag.

"They really are puppets from the same source!"

Upon seeing the archer warrior puppet's design, Master Qianji's eyes lit up, and he immediately beckoned the puppet to his side for a closer inspection.

Once he started his inspection, he became so engrossed that he seemed oblivious to the passage of time and forgot about the existence of Zhou Chun, an outsider.

However, Zhou Chun didn't want to disturb him rashly, lest he displease him and ruin his plan to exchange for a fourth-tier puppet.

So, Zhou Chun waited for most of the day before Master Qianji finally snapped out of his reverie and realized that there was an outsider like him there.

"I'm getting old, and I always forget things so easily. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Fellow Daoist Zhou."

He patted his head, apologized to Zhou Chun with a look of remorse, and then looked at Zhou Chun and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, this puppet is indeed very well preserved and still has the potential for repair. I wonder what you wish to exchange it for?"

"Zhou wants to exchange a fourth-tier puppet with the master!"

Zhou Chun stated his purpose without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Master Qianji immediately nodded and said, "Hmm, this request isn't unreasonable. I happen to have a few puppets available for exchange. Fellow Daoist Zhou, please choose one yourself!"

After saying that, he took out three puppets from his storage bag and placed them in front of Zhou Chun for him to choose from.

These three puppets, namely the ape puppet, the wolf puppet, and the turtle puppet, represent different focuses.

Wolf puppets are better at offense, turtle puppets are better at defense, and ape puppets are more balanced.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Chun chose the ape puppet.

He came to exchange for the fourth-tier puppet, not for himself, but to strengthen the Zhou family's foundation.

Compared to the other two types of puppets that are severely unbalanced, the ape puppet is undoubtedly more in line with his requirements.

"Since Fellow Daoist Zhou has made his choice, then this puppet belongs to you. If the puppet is damaged and needs repair in the future, you can contact our sect. Our sect will charge a fee based on the difficulty of the repair."

As Master Qianji spoke, he put away the other two puppets.

"I understand, thank you for your help, Master."

Zhou Chun's face lit up with joy. He immediately bowed and thanked him, then put away the ape puppet.

He never expected things to go so smoothly.

This Master Qianji didn't seem to care where he got the archer warrior puppet, or rather, he strictly adhered to the rules of the cultivation world and didn't inquire about the origin of such items.

Having achieved his goal, Zhou Chun did not linger at the Yuan Kui Sect and soon took his leave.

On his way back to Tianyuan Immortal City, Zhou Chun was extremely cautious, worried that Master Qianji might be deliberately trying to lull him into a false sense of security and then secretly attempt to kill him.

But it turned out he was overthinking things; his return journey was very smooth, without encountering any trouble.

This made him sigh, "There are still normal people in the cultivation world!"

After returning to Tianyuan Immortal City, Zhou Chun devoted himself to collecting the spiritual herbs needed to refine the [Ancient Dust Pill].

Zhang Liang had been operating under this identity in Tianyuan Immortal City for decades, even centuries, and had made the acquaintance of quite a few cultivators.

Zhou Chun then spread the word far and wide, even going to the "Tianyuan Palace" to place orders to collect spiritual herbs. Soon, many Purple Mansion cultivators and Golden Core cultivators in the city knew about his high-priced collection of certain spiritual herbs.

Doing this will certainly allow those who possess the relevant medicinal herbs to take the opportunity to raise prices, but it will indeed allow Zhou Chun to collect the relevant medicinal herbs more quickly.

Anyway, he's not short of spirit coins now, and he's stockpiled a lot of ordinary thousand-year-old spirit herbs, so he can accept even a premium transaction.

Zhou Chun now has only one thought: to upgrade one of his spirit pets to the fourth tier as soon as possible!

As it turns out, as long as Golden Core cultivators are willing to invest, they can obtain most thousand-year-old medicinal herbs, except for rare and precious magical treasures and spiritual materials that are difficult to acquire in a short period of time.

Zhou Chun paid a premium of 30% to 50% above the normal price to acquire the materials for two batches of [Ancient Dust Pills], and with the spiritual herbs he already had, he managed to gather enough materials in just two years.

At this time, Luo Qingni was still cultivating and studying the alchemy inheritance that Zhou Chun had given her, and she would only open the furnace to refine pills a few times every now and then.

After Zhou Chun had collected all the materials, she immediately began refining the [Ancient Dust Pill] for him without saying a word.

Perhaps because she had practiced twice more, or perhaps because her alchemy skills had improved, Luo Qingni produced a total of fourteen pills from two batches of Ancient Dust Pills this time.

After obtaining the fourteen Ancient Dust Pills, Zhou Chun immediately made a distribution plan.

Lei Jiao got six spirit pills for free, Jin Jia Fu Shan Gui Shi Tou got six spirit pills, and the remaining two were given to Jin Chi Hu.

According to his arrangement, once the three spirit pets have consumed all the spirit pills, Lei Jiao Bai Bai will definitely be able to break through to the third-tier high-grade demon beast, and Jin Jia Fu Shan Gui Shi Tou will also definitely be able to break through to the third-tier high-grade because he had previously consumed a silver-horned rhinoceros demon pill.

The reason Zhou Chun didn't concentrate all the [Ancient Dust Pills] on one monster was twofold: firstly, he didn't want to be too biased, and secondly, he knew that if too many of these pills were taken in succession, resistance would develop.

Furthermore, he will continue to collect the spiritual herbs needed to refine the Ancient Dust Pill. If he is willing to spend the money, it should not be a problem to gather enough materials for one batch of pills in five or six years.

Just as Zhou Chun was looking forward to his spirit pets breaking through, Zhou Daoyi arrived at Tianyuan Immortal City with Lin Hongyu.

It turns out that Lin Hongyu had already obtained a spiritual item that could help with the formation of the Golden Core, and this time she brought Zhou Daoyi here to undergo seclusion and form his Golden Core.

At the same time, the two also brought Zhou Chun some news that was neither good nor bad.

Zhou Daoquan's spirit pet, the Bloodflame Dragon Python, failed to evolve into a Bloodflame Flood Dragon after consuming the [Dragon Transformation Pill].

However, thanks to the medicinal power of the [Dragon Transformation Pill], his bloodline was purified, thus breaking through the shackles of his bloodline and transforming him into a third-tier demonic beast, the Bloodflame Dragon Python.

In terms of strength and potential, the third-tier demonic beast Bloodflame Dragon Python is naturally much weaker than the third-tier Bloodflame Flood Dragon, but it is definitely no worse than Zhou Mingde's Fire God Jackal.

Zhou Daoquan himself was not disappointed and specifically asked Zhou Daoyi to help him thank Zhou Chun.

Another thing that reassured Zhou Chun was that the Zhou family had been relatively stable in the past two years and had not been disturbed.

This proves that his approach was effective. The Ice Prison Gate is probably wary of the powerful figure behind the Zhou family, and has temporarily held back from taking any further action.

This is actually normal. Although the Ice Prison Sect, this assassin sect, has a high mission completion rate in the past, it is not without its failures.

The fact that their assassins are killed or captured usually means that a powerful figure is behind the target.

In such situations, the Ice Prison Gate usually investigates the situation first to see if the target is easy to deal with.

If the target's situation is thoroughly investigated and they are easily controlled, the Ice Prison Sect will naturally gather assassins to eradicate them completely.

However, if the target is indeed backed by someone with a powerful background and protected by a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, the Ice Prison Sect usually has no choice but to accept defeat.

After all, they are not powerful enough to allow themselves to assassinate others but not to allow others to kill them in return!

It's incredibly unwise to offend a Nascent Soul cultivator for the sake of a Golden Core stage assassin!

Although Zhou Chun didn't fully understand the Ice Prison Sect's methods, he could roughly guess that if they couldn't find the missing assassin and fully understand the details, they would definitely have some reservations and wouldn't easily take action against the Zhou family again.

As for Qinglian Temple, after learning of the disappearance of the Ice Prison Gate assassins, they would likely be hesitant and dare not easily attack the Zhou family.

Zhou Chun only needs to stall for time, for several decades, and he will have the strength to be unafraid of the Ice Prison Gate assassins and the Green Lotus Temple.

The rest was easy. Lin Hongyu and her husband rented a cave to form their core, while Zhou Chunming remained a stranger to them, only actively collecting spiritual herbs in Tianyuan Immortal City.

That day, Zhou Chun was cultivating in his cave when he suddenly received a message from Sun Yuanjing, the manager of Tianbao Pavilion, inviting him to a meeting at Tianbao Pavilion.

Because of the initial purchase of the [Taiyi Xuanjin Qi], and the subsequent purchase of the [Guchen Dan] elixir over the past few years, Zhou Chun and Sun Yuanjing's friendship has steadily improved.

At this time, the other party sent a message inviting him. Although the reason was not explained, he did not delay and went to Tianbao Pavilion after finishing his practice.

"Fellow Daoist Sun, you suddenly invited me here today. Could it be that you've found the elixir that I need again?"

Inside the private room of Tianbao Pavilion, as soon as Zhou Chun saw Sun Yuanjing, he jokingly asked him why he had been invited.

Sun Yuanjing shook his head and said, "No, it's not that. I invited Fellow Daoist Zhang here today on someone's behalf."

He then lowered his voice and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, do you still remember Fellow Daoist Zeng who asked you to help cure his incurable ailment? It was Fellow Daoist Zeng who asked me to invite you here, wanting to meet with you privately!"

"Is that so..."

Zhou Chun glanced at Sun Yuanjing, then lowered his head and pondered, thinking about the intentions of the cultivator surnamed Zeng.

His initial transaction with that cultivator surnamed Zeng was merely a transaction; he didn't even know the other party's real name.

Now that the other party has suddenly asked to meet with him privately, they must have something to ask of him.

From the bottom of his heart, Zhou Chun certainly didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

However, he also knew that since the other party had entrusted Sun Yuanjing's connections, it meant they wouldn't give up easily.

If we refuse now, it would be a matter of offending Sun Yuanjing, but more importantly, it might not be enough to truly dispel the idea of ​​that Zeng-surnamed cultivator.

Therefore, after some consideration, he nodded slightly to Sun Yuanjing and said, "Since Fellow Daoist Sun has spoken, I, Zhang, will naturally give you face. Please arrange a place!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Yuanjing chuckled and said, "Hehehe, in that case, I thank Fellow Daoist Zhang in advance."

Then he instructed, "Fellow Daoist Zeng had already stated that if Fellow Daoist Zhang agrees to meet, they can do so in the top-tier private room of the Green Sprout Teahouse in the city!"

"Green Sprout Teahouse? Zhang understands."

Zhou Chun nodded slightly, then bid farewell to Sun Yuanjing and went to the Green Sprout Tea House.

This Green Sprout Teahouse is a high-end teahouse in Tianyuan Immortal City, catering only to high-level cultivators. Only cultivators at the Purple Mansion stage can book private rooms there, and the prices are quite high.

Zhou Chun had visited this place several times before and was quite impressed by the unique spiritual teas offered in the teahouse.

Upon arriving at the teahouse, after giving the name of the owner of the private room, a beautiful woman soon came to greet him.

Zhou Chun still had some impression of this beautiful woman. She was the one who welcomed him and Sun Yuanjing into the cave of the Zeng family cultivator. If he remembered correctly, her surname should be Wei.

Upon seeing Zhou Chun, the woman immediately bowed respectfully and said, "This humble servant greets Senior Zhang. My master has prepared tea and water in the private room to await your arrival."

"Fellow Daoist Wei, you're too kind. Please lead the way."

As Zhou Chun spoke, he followed the woman to the top-tier private room in the teahouse.

Upon entering the private room, Zhou Chun saw the true face of the cultivator surnamed Zeng.

At this moment, the cultivator surnamed Zeng was not wearing a mask. His true appearance was that of a rather handsome man, probably between thirty and forty years old.

Judging from the aura emanating from him, it was clear that he had completely rid himself of the chronic illness and returned to normal.

Seeing this, he immediately bowed to the other party and said, "I, Zhang, greet Fellow Daoist Zeng. Congratulations on curing your old illness and regaining your health."

Upon hearing this, the cultivator surnamed Zeng laughed heartily and said, "Haha, I owe my recovery to Fellow Daoist Zhang. Please, Fellow Daoist, take a seat."

As she spoke, she raised her hand to invite Zhou Chun to sit down, and then had the beautiful woman who was a concubine serve Zhou Chun tea and water.

Then, the man picked up a cup of tea and bowed to Zhou Chun, saying, "I apologize for inviting Fellow Daoist Zhang here. I apologize for my rudeness and offer this tea instead of wine."

"Fellow Daoist Zeng, you're too kind."

Zhou Chun responded and returned the toast with a cup of tea.

After exchanging pleasantries, the cultivator surnamed Zeng said apologetically to Zhou Chun, "Back then, I was suffering from a serious illness and had no choice but to conceal my identity. I hope Fellow Daoist Zhang will not take offense."

After saying that, he introduced himself: "Actually, my name is Zeng Tai, and I am an elder of the Yuanyang Sect of the Great Zhou Kingdom!"

"So Fellow Daoist Zeng is an elder of the Yuan Yang Sect! My apologies for not recognizing you!"

Zhou Chun's expression froze, and he quickly bowed politely in greeting.

He had long heard of the Yuan Yang Sect. It was one of the most powerful sects in the Great Zhou Kingdom, and its strength and foundation were comparable to the Nine Yuan Sword Sect.

The current Supreme Elder of the Yuanyang Sect, "Master Yuanyang," is a renowned late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator in the Great Zhou Dynasty, whose strength is unfathomable.

In addition to this Supreme Elder, the Yuan Yang Sect also has another mid-Nascent Soul cultivator and two early-Nascent Soul cultivators.

Zeng Tai is actually an elder of the Yuanyang Sect. No wonder Sun Yuanjing has been subtly trying to curry favor with him!

But Zeng Tai suddenly looked at him intently and said, "Now that Fellow Daoist Zhang knows my background, may Fellow Daoist Zhang tell me about your own origins?"

He had previously sent people to investigate Zhang Liang, but they found that they could not find out Zhang Liang's specific background, only that he was a cultivator from outside the Great Zhou Kingdom.

Even if Zeng Tai were an elder of the Yuan Yang Sect, it would be impossible for him to investigate the origins of a fake Golden Core cultivator in so many countries, given the involvement of forces outside the Great Zhou Kingdom.

That's why he made a special trip to meet Zhou Chun after learning that Zhou Chun was active in Tianyuan Immortal City again.

Upon hearing him ask about his background, Zhou Chun immediately became wary and shook his head, saying, "I come from a small family in a remote place, so there's nothing to say about me."

"So Fellow Daoist Zhang is a cultivator from a family?"

Zeng Tai nodded thoughtfully, then stopped pressing the issue and smiled slightly, saying, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, please don't take offense. I have no ill intentions towards you. I invited you here today simply to make a deal with you!"

(End of this chapter)