Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 601 Reunion with the Demon King Chongxuan [Please Subscribe]

Tuyun Ridge, inside Zhou Chun's cave.

A strange thing recently happened in Zhou Chun's cave.

After returning to his family, he placed the stump of the "Pure Spirit Immortal Osmanthus" next to the Spirit Eye Spring in the cultivation chamber.

Now, several months later, he discovered that the tree stump was slowly absorbing the spiritual energy contained in the Spirit Eye Spring!

This is truly a strange thing!

Zhou Chunke had already confirmed that the tree stump had no life left.

This was a judgment made by Mu Mei Mu Sang himself, and he had no reason not to believe it.

But why would a lifeless tree stump still draw spiritual energy from the Spirit Eye Spring?

Furthermore, judging from its absorption rate, it is almost comparable to the amount consumed by a Golden Core cultivator during meditation!

The key point is that this absorption continues uninterrupted for a whole day or even a whole year!

Fortunately, this Spirit Eye Spring is connected to the spiritual veins below Tu Yun Ridge, allowing it to continuously draw spiritual energy from the veins to sustain itself. Otherwise, Zhou Chun would have worried that the tree stump's absorption might have drained it dry.

However, this made Zhou Chun's cultivation somewhat difficult.

If he continues to cultivate here, the pressure on the Spirit Eye Spring will be enormous, potentially damaging it.

However, if he doesn't cultivate and instead uses the Spirit Eye Spring on this tree stump, it would be putting the cart before the horse.

Who knows what use this thing has for drawing spiritual energy?

Who knows when this thing will complete its transformation?

But if the tree stump is moved at this time, will it interrupt its transformation process and cause one to miss a great opportunity? No one knows!

This put Zhou Chun in a dilemma for a moment.

Fortunately, after learning about Zhou Chun's predicament, Zhou Mingde voluntarily gave up his cave dwelling for Zhou Chun to cultivate in, while he himself temporarily suspended his cultivation to focus on studying the weapon-refining inheritance that Zhou Chun had brought back.

This was probably the best solution. Although Zhou Chun felt a little guilty, he still accepted his kindness.

For more than a year afterward, Zhou Chun cultivated his skills while also observing the changes in the tree stump.

After more than a year of observation, he discovered something that he found unbelievable.

The tree stump seems to be transforming into something that can be perceived by the spirit!

Yes, things with spiritual eyes, things with spiritual eyes like a spring of spiritual eyes!

There are many kinds of spiritual objects in the world. Some are in the form of spring water, some are in the form of stones, some are in the form of jade, and some are in the form of plants.

But regardless of the form of the spiritual eye, their essence and the reasons for their formation are actually quite similar.

That is formed by the convergence and concentration of the essence of an entire spiritual vein.

Moreover, the formation of such spiritual objects is entirely due to the natural creation of heaven and earth, and cannot be interfered with by external forces at all, at least that's what Zhou Chun knows.

But the changes happening to the tree stump were something he couldn't quite understand.

"Could it be because the tree stump absorbed a large amount of spiritual energy from that spring under the pressure of the malevolent energy at the time?"

Zhou Chun tried to deduce the reason and came up with this somewhat far-fetched conjecture.

As for whether this is true or not, no one can give him a correct answer.

But if Zhou Chun's guess is true, then the time it takes for the tree stump to completely transform into the Spirit Eye Tree will certainly not be short.

After all, any object with spiritual vision is conceived and born over a long period of time.

Even if the tree stump undergoes an unusual transformation, it certainly cannot be accomplished overnight.

Unfortunately, the quality of the spiritual veins in Tu Yunling was ultimately a hindrance. Otherwise, if Zhou Chun had meditated and cultivated directly on this transformed Spirit Eye Tree, the effect would have been excellent!

This intensified his desire to find a better mountain gate for his family, and also a better cultivation cave for himself.

After staying in the family for a year or two, and feeling that the situation in Jingguo would not change much in the short term, Zhou Chun also had the idea of ​​going to Liangguo to bring back the Golden Armor Mountain-Carrying Turtle Stone. He also wanted to go to Dazhouguo to deal with some of the treasures he had.

Judging by the time, the Golden-Armored Mountain-Carrying Turtle Stone has been staying in the Misty Immortal Ridge for fifty or sixty years. If things go smoothly, it should be about time for it to leave the pass.

Having made this decision, Zhou Chun immediately bid farewell to Zhou Mingde, took several spirit pets, and headed straight for Liang Kingdom.

Without stopping, Zhou Chun arrived at the outside of the Mixian Ridge in Liang Kingdom in less than a month.

Upon arriving here, in close proximity, Zhou Chun's mental connection with the Golden Armor Mountain-Carrying Turtle Stone was immediately restored.

Through telepathic communication, Zhou Chun knew that the Golden-Armored Mountain-Carrying Turtle Stone had indeed completed the mountain-carrying process and was ready to leave with him at any time.

And just as he firmly believed, even after breaking through to the fourth rank and obtaining the inheritance of the predecessor demon king of the Mountain-Bearing Turtle clan, the Golden-Armored Mountain-Bearing Turtle Stone's feelings for him remained unchanged, and it always stood firmly on his side.

Since that was the case, Zhou Chun had no reason to hesitate and immediately plunged into the Misty Immortal Ridge.

As Zhou Chun had predicted, things turned out exactly as he had expected.

When he entered the Misty Immortal Ridge without concealing his aura, he soon encountered the Mud Giant, an avatar of the Demon King Chongxuan. Just like last time, he was taken back to the underground palace by the giant without any power to resist.

This also confirmed to him that the Chongxuan Demon King was definitely not a low-grade fifth-order demon king, but at least a mid-grade fifth-order demon king!

Zhou Chun even suspected that in a place like Mixianling, even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator might not be able to defeat the opponent.

He hadn't been idle all these years. By consulting various ancient texts and exchanging experiences with other Golden Core cultivators during his travels, he had roughly guessed what the true form of this Chongxuan Demon King was.

If he's not mistaken, the other party is likely the legendary mountain spirit or stone monster!

Stone monsters are easy to explain; their formation is similar to that of wood spirits.

But the mountain spirit is very special!

In a broad sense, the true form of a mountain spirit is a mountain peak, or even a mountain range!

But of course, that's not actually the case!

A true mountain spirit is something born from the essence of a mountain peak or even a mountain range.

This creature is far rarer than wood spirits and stone monsters; in fact, many cultivators simply do not believe that such a being exists!

The main problem is that the rumors about this kind of existence are too exaggerated and bizarre.

Legend has it that once a mountain spirit is born, it is a fifth-order being, and its lifespan is incredibly long!

According to legend, mountain spirits possess various incredible supernatural powers within the mountain range of their own physical form, including the ability to move themselves or others at will using the power of the earth's veins, and to transform into countless forms.

With such abilities, it is almost impossible for a mountain spirit to be killed by a cultivator or demon beast of the same level!

The only thing that restricts these beings is their growth rate and their ability to break through to higher realms.

Compared to the growth rate of spirits like wood spirits and stone monsters before the fifth rank, the growth rate of mountain spirits is extremely slow, and it may take thousands of years to break through a small realm!

Furthermore, without an extraordinary stroke of luck, the mountain spirit will find it very difficult to break through to the sixth rank!

Zhou Chun suspected that the Chongxuan Demon King was the legendary mountain spirit, which would explain why he could turn Mixian Ridge into a paradise for monsters.

Because as long as one does not provoke a Nascent Soul Venerable, even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator entering the Misty Immortal Ridge would find it difficult to deal with, and would not be afraid of being besieged by numerous Nascent Soul cultivators!

This also seems to explain why it had dealings with the demon king of the Mountain-Bearing Turtle clan.

However, these are all just Zhou Chun's guesses. If the Demon King Chongxuan hadn't said anything, he wouldn't have been able to confirm them.

When Zhou Chun was suddenly taken to the underground palace, he immediately saw the rock giant that Chongxuan Demon King had transformed into.

As for whether this rock giant was the opponent's true form, he had no idea.

After calming himself down slightly, he bowed to the other party and said, "This junior greets Senior Chongxuan Demon King."

"You've got some nerve, young man! You actually dared to come back! And your cultivation has even broken through!"

The Demon King Chongxuan's gaze fell on Zhou Chun, and his tone carried a hint of surprise.

It's not surprising that Zhou Chun dared to come back, after all, he had made a vow of Dao heart back then.

However, Zhou Chun's cultivation had broken through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm in just a few decades, which indeed surprised it.

Although human cultivators do indeed cultivate much faster than demons, and are far superior to long-lived beings like humans, this is still far too fast.

It should be noted that when it separated from Zhou Chun last time, Zhou Chun's cultivation level was not particularly outstanding among early-stage Golden Core cultivators.

"Since I promised you I would return, senior, I will certainly not break my promise!"

"Moreover, I was able to break through my cultivation so quickly thanks to your gift back then, which allowed me to successfully obtain the materials for refining spirit pills. I will always remember your kindness and gratitude."

Zhou Chun answered respectfully in a low voice, as if he regarded the other party as a senior in the cultivation world.

Regardless, he still needs the help of the Demon King Chongxuan, and his life is in the hands of the Demon King. It would be right to be respectful.

But the Demon King Chongxuan didn't seem to buy it. Upon hearing this, he simply said indifferently, "There's no need for me to fawn over you like this. I do everything as I please, without needing anyone's thanks or fearing anyone's resentment!"

After saying that, he looked sharply at Zhou Chun and said, "Young man, since you dared to come here, you must have already communicated with that mountain-carrying tortoise, and you should know about the little tortoise's choice!"

Hearing this, Zhou Chun knew that he couldn't hide this from the other party, so he simply nodded honestly and replied, "Senior, you are wise. I have indeed contacted the stone, and it has expressed its willingness to leave with me. I beg you to keep your promise and let it leave with me!"

"I always keep my word. Since I promised this, I will not go back on my word now."

The Demon King Chongxuan glanced at him and immediately agreed.

Before Zhou Chun could even express his delight, it said in a deep voice, "But that little tortoise has stayed with me for decades, consuming many of my rare and precious spiritual items. As its master, shouldn't you also pay for its expenses?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun's heart sank, knowing that what he had feared had come to pass.

As expected, the Demon King Chongxuan wouldn't let the turtle leave so easily!

Unfortunately, even so, he had no leverage to bargain with the other party at this moment, and could only go along with what the other party said, "But may I ask what rare spiritual items you mentioned, senior? And how would you like me to pay for them?"

"That's quite a lot. It ate five pieces of my treasured [Earth Elemental Elixir], half a dose of [Earth Essence], and three [Earth Dragon Fruits] that are over four thousand years old..."

The Demon King Chongxuan casually recited a series of names of spiritual creatures that Zhou Chun had either heard of or had never heard of before.

The mere mention of the spiritual items Zhou Chun had heard of already chilled his heart.

Putting aside everything else, the [Earth Element Spirit Ointment] is a spiritual object formed by the highly condensed and concentrated spiritual substance [Earth Element Spirit Milk]. A palm-sized piece is worth five or six hundred thousand spirit coins, and it is very difficult to buy.

The Earth Dragon Fruit is an underground spiritual root that grows in places rich in earth elemental energy. The Earth Dragon Fruit, which is over four thousand years old, is of immeasurable value.

These things, such as the golden-armored mountain tortoise and the stone, are all very beneficial to eat.

The question is, did the Golden-Armored Mountain-Carrying Turtle really eat that many spiritual creatures of this level?

Zhou Chun couldn't help but secretly communicate with her beloved pet.

The result left him speechless.

According to the Golden-Armored Mountain-Carrying Turtle Stone, while it was asleep, the Demon King Chongxuan did feed it some spiritual creatures, but it didn't know what those creatures were.

However, the fact that it was able to complete the "carrying the mountain" step in just a few decades, and that its cultivation level had also improved to the point of being close to that of a mid-grade fourth-order demon beast, suggests that the Chongxuan Demon King may indeed not have lied.

Even if the Demon King Chongxuan was lying, Zhou Chun couldn't expose him, nor did he dare to.

So he could only look at the Demon King Chongxuan with a wry smile and say, "These spiritual items you mentioned, senior, are indeed beyond my means to compensate for. I can only make up for it in other ways!"

This was exactly what the Demon King Chongxuan had been waiting for.

He then said calmly, "This is easy to discuss. As long as you agree to one condition, I will not pursue this matter any further."

"The conditions you mentioned, senior, are they the conditions stipulated in the bet you made with me last time?"

Zhou Chun replied thoughtfully, his tone slightly heavy.

"Exactly!"

The Demon King Chongxuan nodded, confirming his guess.

Seeing this, Zhou Chun thought for a moment, then nodded firmly and replied, "Alright, I can agree to this, but my cultivation is too shallow right now, and I am simply unable to complete the mission of delivering the message for you, senior. Could you please grant me some time until I reach the Nascent Soul stage?"

Upon hearing this, the Demon King Chongxuan shook his head slightly and said, "I can be lenient for a while, but not after you form your Nascent Soul. I don't know if you will die during the Nascent Soul formation process. If you die, wouldn't I have made a losing deal?"

This clearly shows that they don't think Zhou Chun will be able to successfully form his Nascent Soul!

However, Zhou Chun couldn't easily refute his point of view.

If you were to say to someone at this moment that you are sure you will successfully form a Nascent Soul, let alone whether they believe you or not, even if they do believe you, they will ask you where your confidence comes from!

He could only helplessly reply, "Then surely it will be alright if I wait until my cultivation breaks through to the late Golden Core stage before doing this?"

Sure enough, I still have a fever today!

(End of this chapter)