Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 536 Both Advance to the Next Level [Please Subscribe]

How about we make a deal?

Zhou Chun looked at Zeng Tai with an unchanged expression and said calmly, "Oh, I wonder what it is about me that you, Fellow Daoist Zeng, would value?"

"When Fellow Daoist Zhang healed me last time, I discovered that the supernatural power of your natal magic weapon seemed to have the effect of restraining and neutralizing metal-type spiritual power. This has made me very curious about it. Could Fellow Daoist Zhang please explain this supernatural power?"

Zeng Tai stared intently at Zhou Chun as he spoke, seemingly unaware of how excessive his request was.

Zhou Chun's face immediately darkened, and he met Zhou Chun's gaze with a gloomy expression, replying, "Fellow Daoist Zeng, don't you think this request is a bit unreasonable? If I want to know about the fusion of metal and fire elemental spiritual power that you cultivate, would you be willing to tell me?"

Upon hearing this, Zeng Tai gave him a deep look, then smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhang may have misunderstood. I have no ill intentions; I just wanted to satisfy my curiosity."

After saying that, he continued, "How about this, I know that Fellow Daoist Zhang has been collecting some spiritual herbs recently. I happen to have a few spiritual herbs that Fellow Daoist Zhang needs. If Fellow Daoist Zhang is willing to satisfy my curiosity, I am willing to exchange them for this."

He was clearly prepared.

But Zhou Chun remained unmoved, coldly stating, "I'm sorry, but this concerns Zhang's personal privacy, and there's absolutely no room for negotiation!"

After saying that, he stood up and said, "If Fellow Daoist Zeng has nothing else to say, I will take my leave now."

This resolute attitude seemed to have taken Zeng Tai somewhat by surprise, and his expression turned slightly unpleasant.

As a Golden Core elder of a major sect like Yuan Yang Sect, Zeng Tai had rarely encountered someone who showed him such disrespect in the Golden Core cultivator circle of the Great Zhou Kingdom.

Now, even a mere early-stage Golden Core cultivator from a foreign cultivation family dares to show him such disrespect, which has truly put him in an awkward position.

But he seemed to have forgotten that precisely because Zhou Chun was not a Golden Core cultivator from the Great Zhou Kingdom, he didn't need to give him any face.

No matter how powerful Yuanyang Sect is, its influence can only be effective in the Great Zhou Kingdom and a few surrounding countries. As long as Zhou Chun doesn't need anything from him, what does it matter how noble his status is?

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, please wait."

Seeing that Zhou Chun was about to leave, Zeng Tai finally spoke up to persuade her to stay.

After his expression changed several times, he bowed to Zhou Chun and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, please calm down. I was careless and offended you. I apologize to you."

His apology was somewhat unexpected for Zhou Chun.

After a moment of stunned silence, he said with a slightly softened expression, "Fellow Daoist Zeng, you flatter me. It's not that I'm heartless, but the supernatural abilities and secret techniques we cultivators practice are extremely private matters. If we carelessly reveal them to others, it could potentially leave us with fatal hidden dangers in the future. I'm sure you're aware of this, Fellow Daoist Zeng!"

"Yes, yes, of course I know that."

Zeng Tai nodded repeatedly, then looked at Zhou Chun and said, "But Fellow Daoist Zhang and I have already shared some of our secrets. If Fellow Daoist Zhang can't trust others, surely he can trust me? I just want to know the limits of Fellow Daoist Zhang's supernatural abilities, and whether he can truly neutralize all metal-attribute spiritual energy at will!"

He still hadn't given up on getting to the bottom of things!

This immediately made Zhou Chun's impression of him extremely bad, and she knew that he was an arrogant and stubborn guy.

However, although he had begun to feel disgusted with this person, Zhou Chun could no longer refuse him outright as he had done before.

Because he knew in his heart that, given Zeng Tai's arrogance, if he still failed to achieve his goal after lowering his stance, Zeng Tai might really get angry and retaliate against him.

That will definitely cause him a lot of trouble!

Therefore, after hesitating and pondering for a long time, Zhou Chun slowly spoke, "Since Fellow Daoist Zeng is so eager to know about this matter, I, Zhang, will make an exception and tell you!"

He then explained, "While Zhang's supernatural power can neutralize and dissolve metal-elemental spiritual energy, it only works if, like when he healed Fellow Daoist Zeng, it is injected into your body without your resistance. Alternatively, it may be effective against uncontrolled metal-elemental spiritual energy. This supernatural power is actually an auxiliary technique, not an offensive one!"

Is that really the case?

Zeng Tai's eyes flashed, as if he didn't quite believe it.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Chun immediately said, "If Fellow Daoist Zeng does not believe it, you can personally experience this kind of supernatural power again."

Upon hearing this, Zeng Tai immediately smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Zhang."

The two then left the teahouse and went directly to the Tianbao Pavilion, where there was a special place to test the power of magical artifacts. Only there could they freely use their supernatural abilities without alerting the Immortal City Guards.

Sun Yuanjing of Tianbao Pavilion was a mutual friend of the two, so he naturally wouldn't refuse such a small favor.

Then, under Sun Yuanjing's witness, Zhou Chun summoned the [Myriad Transformations Golden Cauldron] and unleashed the "Myriad Transformations Golden Light" to attack Zeng Tai.

Just as Zhou Chun himself said, "Myriad Transformations Golden Light" did not have much offensive capability. Zeng Tai easily blocked this divine power attack with a defensive magic treasure he casually summoned.

Zhou Chun then had him try out his own defensive divine power, which was also able to defend against the attack of "Myriad Transformations Golden Light".

This put his mind at ease, but also left him with a slight sense of disappointment.

"Well? Now, Fellow Daoist Zeng, do you believe what I said?"

Zhou Chun put away the magic weapon and looked at Zeng Tai calmly.

Upon hearing this, Zeng Tai's face showed a flash of embarrassment, then he chuckled dryly and replied, "Haha, Fellow Daoist Zhang is joking. Of course, I believe you."

As he spoke, he patted the storage bag at his waist, took out four jade boxes, and handed them to Zhou Chun.

"I am very grateful for your help, Fellow Daoist Zhang. Please accept these few spiritual herbs as my apology. I hope you will not refuse."

He wasn't completely heartless; he knew that what had happened before had upset Zhou Chun, and now he wanted to make amends.

Unfortunately, Zhou Chun already harbored deep prejudice against him. Although she accepted the elixir he gave her, she had already categorized him as someone she could not befriend.

Next, the two men, on the surface amicable, sat down and discussed philosophy with Sun Yuanjing for a while before Zeng Tai left first.

After seeing Zeng Tai off, Sun Yuanjing turned to Zhou Chun and said with a wry smile, "This time, I miscalculated. I didn't expect Zeng Tai to be so arrogant and stubborn. Relying on his background from the Yuanyang Sect, he doesn't respect other fellow Daoists and dares to make any demands. He's truly inhuman!"

From the previous test between the two, he roughly understood Zeng Tai's intention in seeking out Zhou Chun, and he was very annoyed by it.

He did want to befriend a powerful elder like Zeng Tai, but he wouldn't betray his other clients just to do so.

After all, given Zeng Tai's status, it's not enough for him to do something that would damage his own reputation.

However, just like Zhou Chun, he didn't want to associate with such people anymore, but he didn't dare to offend them easily, so he could only apologize to Zhou Chun at this time.

Faced with his apology, Zhou Chun simply shook his head and said, "Forget it, let's just let this matter pass!"

I don't want to talk about Zeng Tai anymore.

However, this incident also served as a wake-up call for Zhou Chun.

Those cultivators from top-tier sects like Zeng Tai must be extremely cautious when making friends in the future, otherwise they will truly suffer the consequences of their own actions if they encounter another case of repaying kindness with enmity.

After exchanging words with Sun Yuanjing, Zhou Chun returned to his cave to cultivate.

On the other side, after leaving Tianbao Pavilion and returning to his temporary residence, Zeng Tai recalled his trial with Zhou Chun and couldn't help but sigh.

"As expected, I shouldn't have had any expectations of cultivators from such minor sects. It seems that if we want to restrain and weaken that guy from the Nine Yuan Sword Sect, we'll have to start from other angles!"

He originally had high expectations for Zhou Chun's "Myriad Transformations Golden Light" supernatural power, hoping to use it to deal with one of his opponents.

Unfortunately, the result of his personal test was truly disappointing, and he completely lost interest in Zhou Chun.

Zhou Chun was unaware that he had actually escaped death this time because his supernatural powers were too weak.

Time flies, and two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Just as Zhou Chun had predicted, after consuming the Ancient Dust Pills he had bestowed upon them, both Lei Jiao Bai Bai and Jin Jia Fu Shan Gui Shi Tou advanced to the third-tier high-grade demon beasts, and their strength increased significantly.

The third-tier superior-grade Thunder Flood Dragon Bai Bai's Thunder Escape Technique is even more powerful. Now, unless a Golden Core cultivator lays an ambush beforehand, they have no chance of catching up with it.

If Zhou Chun and it were to use the "Beast Spirit Fusion Technique," their speed would be comparable to that of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Once it breaks through to the fourth rank, Zhou Chun will merge with it, and then he will be completely unafraid of being hunted down by late-stage Golden Core cultivators.

The third-grade high-quality Golden Armor Mountain Tortoise Stone has such strong defense that it can withstand the attack of an ordinary early-stage Golden Core cultivator. If it were placed on the ground, an early-stage Golden Core cultivator would have no way to deal with it!

At the same time, its earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique that allows one to escape into the earth) technique has become even more powerful. If given enough time to activate it, it can also take Zhou Chun to the depths of a thousand feet underground, leaving even a late-stage Golden Core cultivator helpless!

It can be said that Zhou Chun was very satisfied with the performance of both spirit pets, so he couldn't help but find it difficult to decide which one to prioritize in advancing to the fourth rank.

In practical terms, whichever of them advances to the fourth rank will provide him with immediate and significant benefits.

If Lei Jiao were to advance to the fourth rank for nothing, he would be able to maximize the effects of the "Beast Spirit Fusion Technique" and truly master the fourth level of the "Dragon Transformation Secret Technique," which he had been stagnating for a long time. Not to mention his own formidable combat power.

If the Golden Armor Mountain-Bearing Turtle Stone advances to the fourth rank, one thing is certain: cultivators below the late Golden Core stage will have little ability to harm it. Furthermore, its earth-escape technique will receive a qualitative improvement, and it will be able to truly unleash the power of the "Mountain-Bearing Turtle" bloodline, carrying the mountain on its body!

"Why don't we let them discuss it themselves?"

After hesitating for a long time, Zhou Chun suddenly had an idea.

He summoned both spirit pets to his side and told them about his current difficulties, explaining that only by concentrating resources could he help one of them advance to the fourth rank.

Perhaps due to their noble bloodline, or perhaps due to Zhou Chun's more than two hundred years of teaching, these two spirit pets, apart from not being able to speak, are no less intelligent than ordinary human teenagers.

What Zhou Chun said was not difficult for them to understand.

Not long after, the Golden-Armored Mountain-Carrying Turtle Stone gave Zhou Chun feedback, meaning that it was not in a hurry to break through to the fourth rank, and that if it did break through to the fourth rank, it would need to hide in the mountain for decades in order to carry the mountain on its body, and could not immediately provide Zhou Chun with combat power.

Zhou Chun was also pleased with Lei Jiao Bai Bai's feedback. It meant that the Golden Armor Mountain-Carrying Turtle Stone had advanced to the fourth rank, which would allow it to better protect its master. Moreover, its cultivation speed was already faster than Stone's, so even without resources to nurture it, it would have a chance to break through to the fourth rank after a hundred years of seclusion.

This scene of brotherly affection and respect filled Zhou Chun with great comfort, making him feel that all his efforts over the years had been worthwhile.

Compared to humans, these monsters are often more pure.

Because of the bond of their contract, they can understand each other's thoughts to some extent, and at the same time, they are not affected by external opinions or environmental pollution, and always maintain their loyalty and respect for their owners.

In the cultivation world, there are some demonic beasts who, because of their deep bond with their masters, will not choose to leave their masters even after cultivating to the fifth level, passing through the Heavenly Tribulation, and gaining the ability to regain their freedom.

Even more remarkably, some will continue to protect the master's descendants after the master passes away.

The only example Zhou Chun knew of was the Huangfu family, the royal family of the Great Zhou Kingdom.

This clan's power was able to rank among the top five in the Great Zhou Kingdom, not only because of its two Nascent Soul stage cultivators, but also because of its ancestral demon king ancestor.

This demon king ancestor is now a fifth-tier high-grade demon beast, with strength comparable to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!

It was precisely because of the protection of this powerful and long-lived demon king ancestor that the Huangfu family was able to produce a continuous stream of Nascent Soul stage cultivators and firmly maintain its position as the number one cultivation family in the Great Zhou Kingdom.

However, very little information about the demon king ancestor of the Huangfu family was available to the outside world. Zhou Chun only learned about this by chance from a Golden Core cultivator, and he was quite shocked and excited at the time.

For him and for the Zhou family, this is undoubtedly a very good example.

If the Zhou family can cultivate such a powerful demon king in the future and make it willing to stay as a guardian, then the family will truly have the foundation to last for thousands or even tens of thousands of years.

Therefore, when Zhou Chun was at the Zhou family, he doted on his several spirit pets, and the other Zhou family cultivators also treated them with great respect and flattery.

Sometimes, when they encountered Lei Jiao Bai Bai and Jin Chi Hu wandering around inside and outside the mountain gate, some Zhou family cultivators would generously feed them.

If they are happy with their meal, they may sometimes leave behind a scale or a shed hair as a gift.

Zhou Chun also strongly encouraged and supported this.

He also hoped that his spirit pets could gradually get used to and like this lifestyle over the years, and get used to being fed and having their fur brushed. That way, even if they eventually became fifth-tier demon kings, they would most likely not want to go to those wilderness areas to rule the mountains and continue to live in caves and sleep on the floor!

"Very well, since that's what you think, then let's prioritize helping Bai Bai advance to the fourth rank!"

Zhou Chun reached out and stroked the heads of the two spirit pets with satisfaction, and made a decision on the spot.

The Golden-Armored Mountain-Carrying Turtle Stone had something to say that convinced Zhou Chun: after reaching the fourth level, it would need to carry the mountain on its body and spend decades or even centuries hiding in the mountain to slowly immerse and refine itself in the mountain peak.

During that period, it cannot move or fight for Zhou Chun, otherwise all its previous efforts will be wasted and it will have to start all over again.

Therefore, it is not suitable as the first spirit pet to advance to the fourth tier.

Having made this decision, Zhou Chun continued to leverage his connections, traveling to markets throughout the Great Zhou Kingdom and even neighboring countries, to purchase the necessary medicinal herbs for refining the Ancient Dust Pill at high prices.

……

In the wilderness, somewhere in the mountains.

Zhou Xinyan and five Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from the Zhou family were hiding on a mountain peak, carefully watching a grassy slope on the mountain.

Large patches of "wind-blooming grass" grew on the grassy slope, a low-level spiritual herb with short stems and long leaves that was not afraid of strong winds.

At that moment, a group of strangely shaped monsters were munching on these spiritual herbs on the grassy slope.

This strange beast resembles a zebra, with blue and white stripes and a blue mane on its neck. Even more strangely, it has a single horn on its forehead, like a rhinoceros.

The unicorn horn is not long, usually no more than three feet, and is mostly white with rings of blue spiral patterns.

At this moment, the six Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Zhou family were hiding in the shadows, secretly observing the group of demonic beasts. They then heard Zhou Xinyan transmit his voice to the others, saying, "Brothers, nephews, I finally found this group of [Unicorn Wind Chasing Steeds]. Whether we can achieve great merit and obtain the [Mysterious Heart Purple Rejuvenation Pill] depends entirely on whether I can capture them all and return them to the family!"

"As long as you help me accomplish this, whether you need help competing for Purple Mansion Spiritual Objects or for any other matter, I, Zhou Xinyan, will absolutely not hesitate to lend a hand!"

It turns out that ever since Zhou Chun set the standard for competing for the [Mysterious Heart Purple Rejuvenation Pill], Zhou Xinyan and other Zhou family cultivators who were expected to open their Purple Mansions had been eagerly vying for it.

Zhou Xinyan had previously traveled outside and made many acquaintances with cultivators from other families and Foundation Establishment cultivators.

At this time, in order to compete for the [Mysterious Heart Purple Rejuvenation Pill], he used his connections to ask them to help him find a group of demonic beasts worth capturing and taming.

According to the Zhou family's rules, if a member of the family can offer a group of demonic beasts with extremely high breeding value to the family, they can obtain a large amount of family merit.

Zhou Xinyan was quite lucky. A group of rogue cultivators under the command of one of his friends, who were in the Qi Refining stage, happened to discover traces of the [Unicorn Wind Chaser Steed] here and informed him of the news.

It's important to know that this group of [Unicorn Wind Chasers] is no ordinary beast. Although there are only twenty-six of them, three of them are second-tier demonic beasts, and their leader is a mid-grade second-tier demonic beast.

This situation indicates that these [Unicorn Wind Chasers] all have the potential to advance to the second-tier demon beast level, and their bloodline level can reach the intermediate level.

The only demon beast species that the Zhou family can currently possess at this level is the offspring of the Cloud-Stepping Dragon Steed, which evolved from the Dragon-Scale Horse.

The key point is that even if the [Unicorn Wind Chaser Steed] only grows to the first-tier superior grade, it can still fly on the wind for a period of time, which is a talent that even the first-tier dragon scale horse cannot match!

If Zhou Xinyan can capture these [Unicorn Wind Chaser Steeds] alive and send them back to the Zhou family for taming, then the achievement will be immense.

"Uncle Nineteen, don't worry. With the six of us Foundation Establishment cultivators and you, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, capturing these beasts will be a piece of cake!"

Beside Zhou Xinyan, a man in a green robe confidently offered words of comfort.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Xinyan looked at him with a serious expression and said, "Nephew Siming, you mustn't be careless. Although the second-tier [Unicorn Wind Chaser] is not as strong as us, its flying speed is extraordinary, even surpassing my Blue Feather Fire Kite. If it gets ahead of us, my credit will be reduced by more than half!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Siming, the man in the green robe, froze, gave an awkward smile, and remained silent.

Zhou Xinyan is now pinning all his hopes of obtaining the [Mysterious Heart Purple Rejuvenation Pill] on this group of [Unicorn Wind Chasing Steeds]. They all know how much psychological pressure he is under, so they have to be careful with their words.

But someone, of all people, seemed determined to rub salt in the wound, suddenly sighed and said, "Ah, if only we could borrow Elder Zheng Yong's second-tier superior-grade Golden Feathered Eagle. With its strength and flying speed, no matter how these [Unicorn Wind Chaser Steeds] try to escape, they have no chance!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhou Xinyan's expression changed, and a look of displeasure flashed in his eyes.

He turned to look at Zhou Xinchen, who was speaking, forced himself to take a deep breath to suppress his displeasure, and frowned as he said, "Brother Chen, what nonsense are you spouting? That golden-feathered eagle was a spirit beast bestowed upon Elder Zhengyong by the clan leader. How can we be allowed to use it? Besides, wouldn't that make me, Zhou Xinyan, seem incompetent, needing my elders' help even for something as simple as this!"

After saying that, he said in a deep voice, "Alright, now proceed according to plan. Everyone, be on your guard and don't let your guard down!"

With his command, the six Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Zhou family charged out simultaneously, heading straight for the group of [Unicorn Wind Chaser Steeds] that were grazing.

Although there were only six of them, Zhou Xinyi alone possessed two second-tier spirit pets, and the others had also tamed one or two first-tier high-grade spirit pets.

With the addition of some pre-prepared talismans and magical artifacts, they quickly captured and trapped all twenty-three Tier 1 [Unicorn Wind Chaser Steeds] in the battle.

However, what Zhou Xinyan was worried about did not happen.

These [Unicorn Wind Chaser Steeds] clearly belong to the same family, and those first-tier [Unicorn Wind Chaser Steeds] are all offspring of second-tier [Unicorn Wind Chaser Steeds].

Seeing that their offspring had been captured, the several Tier 2 [Unicorn Wind Chaser Steeds] did not abandon them and flee, but fought desperately to rescue them.

In the end, they were all captured alive by Zhou Xinyan and his group, who were numerous, powerful, and well-prepared!

Having personally captured the strongest tier-two mid-grade [Unicorn Wind Chaser], Zhou Xinyan could no longer contain his joy and burst into laughter, saying to everyone, "Hahaha, thank you all for your help this time, brothers and nephews! Next, I'll need your help to transport these beasts back to the family's mountain gate. Once this matter is settled, I will certainly prepare a grand feast to entertain you all!"

(End of this chapter)