Beast Taming Immortal Clan

The conversation with Gongsun Xuanlu did not go very smoothly.

Although the Gongsun family can help people set up protective mountain formations, they usually need a trustworthy person to vouch for them.

Furthermore, the Jing Kingdom, where the Zhou family resides, is far too distant, and the Gongsun family is also worried that something might happen to the array masters from the past.

After all, just as Zhou Chun worried that the array master who set up the array might deliberately leave some loopholes to target the Zhou family in the future.

The array masters who were invited to help set up the array were also worried that the host family would kill them after the mission was accomplished in order to keep the secret!

Just like those ordinary emperors who, after building their tombs, would often kill the craftsmen who knew about the mechanisms inside to prevent others from discovering them!

The Gongsun family is, after all, only a Golden Core family. If such a thing really happens, they probably won't have the ability to travel across multiple countries to avenge their murdered clansmen.

This kind of thing has happened before.

So even if this deal could make them a fortune, they don't want people to die for money!

No matter what Zhou Chun said, even if he swore an oath, Gongsun Xuanlu refused to agree.

After exhausting all his efforts to persuade the other party without success, Zhou Chun grew somewhat angry and said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist Gongsun, I sincerely wish to ask your family's array masters for help and am willing to pay a generous reward, yet you are so unapproachable; it is truly disappointing!"

Faced with his explanation, Gongsun Xuanlu simply shook his head slightly without changing his expression and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou misunderstands. It's not that I'm heartless, but rather that it's my duty to be responsible for the safety of my clan. Since you are also a cultivator of the clan, you should understand my concerns."

"Very well, since Fellow Daoist Gongsun is so unyielding, I have nothing more to say. I'll have to find someone more capable!"

Zhou Chun gave the other person a deep look, then got up and left without wasting any more time.

But just as Zhou Chun was about to leave the Gongsun family's mountain gate, a loud shout suddenly came from behind him.

"Please wait, senior! This junior, Gongsun Yuanji, is willing to help you set up the formation!"

Ok?

Zhou Chun's expression shifted, and he immediately stopped and turned to look behind him.

A gaunt middle-aged man with mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivation was walking briskly toward him.

Just as he was about to listen to what the gaunt middle-aged man had to say, Gongsun Xuanlu's angry shout rang out: "Gongsun Yuanji, get back to your residence!"

Before the shout had even finished, a green ray of light swept towards Gongsun Yuanji, as if to sweep him away.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Chun's eyes flashed with a strange light, and he immediately raised his hand and unleashed a golden light that shattered the green glow.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, what is the meaning of this? Do you perhaps intend to make an enemy of the Gongsun family here?"

Gongsun Xuanlu appeared outside quickly, looking at Zhou Chun with a shocked and angry expression and questioning him sharply.

At the same time, the Gongsun family's protective mountain formation seemed to awaken like a sleeping giant, emitting an aura that made Zhou Chun's heart tremble.

As a family of array masters who once produced array masters, the Gongsun family's protective array is naturally top-notch.

Even though it's not as powerful as the protective formations of major sects due to the level of its spiritual veins, it can still withstand attacks from one or two Nascent Soul stage cultivators without much trouble.

This is also the source of Gongsun Xuanlu's confidence in letting Zhou Chun enter his own mountain gate and not being afraid of offending Zhou Chun at all.

But now that Zhou Chun has made his move, he can no longer back down.

Besides, he didn't believe that Gongsun Xuanlu would actually dare to mobilize the power of the mountain gate's grand formation to kill him.

Even if Gongsun Xuanlu did do that, given his abilities, if he were to go all out in a battle, he wouldn't be without the capacity to cause mutual destruction.

So at this moment, he smiled calmly without any fear and said, "Fellow Daoist Gongsun, you flatter me. I have no grudge against the Gongsun family and naturally do not want to be their enemy. However, since this young friend is willing to help me solve my difficulties, I cannot allow Fellow Daoist Gongsun to harm him!"

Seeing his confident and fearless demeanor, Gongsun Xuanlu's anger subsided, and he said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, you've probably been deceived by him. Gongsun Yuanji's skill in array formations is mediocre at best. Let alone a forbidden array, he can't even set up a slightly advanced ordinary array!"

"Is that so? What do you think, young friend?"

As Zhou Chun spoke, his gaze involuntarily turned to the middle-aged man named Gongsun Yuanji.

Facing his gaze, the middle-aged man ignored Gongsun Xuanlu's gloomy face and replied respectfully with a solemn expression, "Senior, rest assured, although my own array formation skills are mediocre, I can recommend a fellow Daoist whose array formation skills are profound and no less than those of our clan's Supreme Elder!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun, though knowing there must be more to the story, still nodded with a smile and said, "That's good! I only ask that a master of array formations with profound knowledge lends me a hand. I will reward you handsomely once it's done!"

After saying that, he looked at Gongsun Xuanlu with a half-smile and said, "Since Fellow Daoist Gongsun is unwilling to help, I will not force him. However, please do not ruin my opportunity, or don't blame me for being unethical!"

They actually turned around and threatened the other party!

Seeing his appearance, Gongsun Xuanlu was both shocked and angry. He looked at him with a mixture of shock and anger, his expression constantly changing.

Gongsun Xuanlu was unsure whether Zhou Chun was truly fearless or just bluffing.

However, he was well aware that if he actually took action but failed to defeat Zhou Chun, it would bring a very formidable enemy to the Gongsun family.

Therefore, he remained silent for a long time in response to Zhou Chun's words.

At this moment, Gongsun Yuanji looked at Gongsun Xuanlu and said, "Elder, have you forgotten the ancestral precepts of the Gongsun family?"

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Xuanlu's expression changed drastically. He immediately glared at him and roared, "You wretched child, how dare you mention the family's ancestral precepts! How could my Gongsun family produce such an unfilial person as you!"

Before the shout had even finished, he waved his sleeve and said, "Since that's the case, then get out of the Gongsun family. From now on, the Gongsun family will have no one like you!"

After saying that, he opened an exit on the mountain-protecting formation.

Seeing this, Zhou Chun knew that this man had used the situation as an excuse to back down, so after a light laugh, he said to Gongsun Yuanji, whose face had turned deathly pale, "Young friend Gongsun, let's go outside and talk!"

"Yes, senior."

Gongsun Yuanji opened his mouth, then looked longingly at the place where he had lived most of his life. He gritted his teeth and immediately left through the exit.

Zhou Chun followed closely behind him to protect him, and they left the Gongsun family's mountain gate together.

After the two left the Gongsun family's mountain gate, Zhou Chun led Gongsun Yuanji to a desolate mountain more than a hundred miles away from the Gongsun family's mountain gate.

"Young friend Gongsun, now you can tell me the inside story!"

On the desolate mountain, Zhou Chun looked at Gongsun Yuanji, whose expression was still somewhat pale, and calmly inquired about the details.

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Yuanji immediately bowed and said, "Senior, you are wise. The array master I wish to recommend to you is my younger sister, Gongsun Yuanzhi. She displayed extraordinary talent in array formations from a young age, and became an array master before she was even a hundred years old. In terms of array formation talent, she can be considered the best in the Gongsun family of this generation!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun immediately replied, "If your younger sister truly possesses the exceptional talent for formations you describe, she should be someone the Gongsun family is wholeheartedly nurturing. Why is it that, according to you, she doesn't seem to be part of the Gongsun family?"

"Ah! This is why I went to seek you out despite everything!"

Gongsun Yuanji let out a long sigh and immediately began to explain the whole story.

It turns out that her younger sister was indeed exceptionally talented. The entire Gongsun family had high hopes for her, expecting her to reach the Grandmaster level of Array Dao while still in the Golden Core stage, just like their ancestor.

However, several decades ago, his sister was secretly invited to explore a cave dwelling of an ancient person. Unfortunately, she was ambushed and suffered a severe injury that was difficult to heal, almost losing the possibility of forming a golden core!

What the Gongsun family found most unacceptable was that his sister had also lost a treasured artifact related to array formations left by the Gongsun family's ancestors!

That array treasure was the culmination of the Gongsun family's ancestor's life's work. To protect it, the Gongsun family had previously strictly forbidden its members from taking it out of the family's mountain gate.

However, Gongsun Yuanzhi violated this clan rule by secretly taking the item away from the clan's mountain gate and then losing it!

Such behavior is tantamount to betraying the family!

Therefore, after confirming that Gongsun Yuanzhi had virtually no chance of successfully forming her core, Gongsun Xuanlu was utterly disappointed in this once beloved junior. He expelled her from the Gongsun family and forbade any member of the Gongsun family from having any further dealings with her.

While others might not care about Gongsun Yuanzhi's life or death, Gongsun Yuanji, as her biological brother, could not.

Therefore, over the years, Gongsun Yuanji has been trying every means to seek medical treatment and medicine for his sister, hoping to cure her internal injuries.

Over the years, Gongsun Yuanji had exhausted all his savings and owed a lot of debts to fellow cultivators.

However, there was still no chance of Gongsun Yuanzhi's injuries being healed!

This time, Zhou Chun visited the Gongsun family to ask for their help in setting up the formation, but Gongsun Xuanlu refused.

Gongsun Yuanji saw a glimmer of opportunity and, with a do-or-die determination, stopped him.

After listening to Gongsun Yuanji's explanation, Zhou Chun narrowed his eyes and stared intently at him, saying, "According to what you've said, young friend Gongsun, your sister is severely injured and unable to use her magic power. Her array formation skills are basically useless. So how can you expect her to help me set up an array?"

"Or are you trying to get something for nothing, wanting Zhou to pay for your sister's medical treatment upfront?"

In the end, his words carried a hint of sarcasm.

"I had absolutely no such intention!"

Gongsun Yuanji quickly denied it, then bowed to Zhou Chun and said, "Senior, you are wise. Although my sister is currently suffering from a serious illness and unable to use her magic, her skill in array formations is still intact. Moreover, she and I share the same origin. With her one-on-one guidance, I can assist you as her assistant in setting up arrays!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun looked at him with deep skepticism and said, "But according to Fellow Daoist Gongsun Xuanlu, your skill in array formations doesn't seem very good, young friend Gongsun. Even with your sister's guidance, can you guarantee that you can set up a forbidden array?"

"Please rest assured, senior. If I weren't so confident, I wouldn't dare mention this matter in front of you!"

Gongsun Yuanji immediately made a guarantee with a confident look on his face.

Considering that he was just a minor cultivator in the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm, Zhou Chun figured he wouldn't dare to lie to him, so he temporarily believed him.

Then he nodded and said, "That's good. As long as you and your sister can truly complete what I've entrusted to you, I will absolutely not deduct any amount from your reward!"

"Thank you for your trust, senior. I will certainly live up to your expectations!"

Gongsun Yuanji's face lit up with joy, and he immediately bowed deeply to express his gratitude.

Then, looking at Zhou Chun, he said, "There is something I need your forgiveness for, senior. For the safety of my younger sister and me, I ask that before you take us away from the Great Zhou Kingdom, you swear an oath not to kill us after the deed is done!"

"No problem, I, Zhou, can agree to this."

Zhou Chun readily agreed without hesitation.

Only after receiving his answer was Gongsun Yuanji completely relieved, and then he took him to the place where his younger sister, Gongsun Yuanzhi, was recuperating.

After being expelled from the Gongsun family, Gongsun Yuanzhi was placed in a nearby market by Gongsun Yuanji to recuperate. As long as she did not leave the market, nothing would happen to her.

Led by Gongsun Yuanji, Zhou Chun soon met the array master in a small courtyard in the market.

The woman was not particularly beautiful; she was only of average appearance. However, her eyes were very bright and intelligent, sparkling with wisdom.

However, her body was extremely weak, even weaker than that of an ordinary woman; she would feel fatigued after walking just a few steps.

Even without using his divine sense to probe, Zhou Chun could sense that the woman's internal energy was chaotic and her life force was weak, as if she wouldn't live much longer.

"Sister, this is Senior Zhou from the Heavenly Spirit Realm. I have already reached an agreement with him, and my brother and I will be accompanying him to the Heavenly Spirit Realm to help his family set up a protective mountain formation!"

After Gongsun Yuanji brought his sister out of the bedroom, he whispered to her Zhou Chun's identity and purpose.

Upon hearing his words, Gongsun Yuanzhi straightened herself up and gave Zhou Chun a slight bow, saying, "Junior Gongsun Yuanzhi greets Senior Zhou!"

"Master Gongsun, you are too kind. Since you are unwell, there is no need for such formalities."

Zhou Chun smiled slightly and spoke softly in a kind tone.

Even if a master of formations is only a cultivator in the Purple Mansion stage and has difficulty using his magic power, he will still maintain a certain level of respect for a master of formations who can set up a superior forbidden formation.

Knowledge is power. Even if a formation master loses her magic power, the knowledge she possesses is enough to command respect.

Unexpectedly, after bowing to him, Gongsun Yuanzhi looked at Gongsun Yuanji with a reproachful expression and said, "Brother, how could you deceive Senior Zhou? I'm clearly a cripple now, how could I possibly help Senior Zhou set up a protective mountain formation? Besides, when I left the family, I promised that I would not reveal my knowledge of formations to outsiders without the family's permission, and I would not divulge the family's formation inheritance!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun's smile faltered slightly, and he couldn't help but look at Gongsun Yuanji.

Seeing this, Gongsun Yuanji quickly gave him an embarrassed smile and said, "Senior Zhou, please rest assured, the assurance I made to you before was absolutely true. Please allow me to discuss this matter with my sister first!"

"Then I, Zhou, will wait here for your good news, fellow Daoist."

Zhou Chun glanced at the man deeply, nodded slightly, and sat down to the side.

Gongsun Yuanji then quickly pulled Gongsun Yuanzhi into the inner room, where they set up a soundproof barrier and began to talk privately.

It's unclear what exactly Gongsun Yuanji said to Gongsun Yuanzhi, but after a rather long conversation, when they came out, Gongsun Yuanzhi, though still looking unwell, immediately apologized to Zhou Chun and promised to do her best to help the Zhou family set up the protective mountain formation.

With her guarantee, Zhou Chun didn't want to pursue the matter further and immediately nodded, saying, "Very well, since that's the case, let's leave it at that for now. When do you two young friends plan to depart with me?"

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Yuanji immediately replied, "We two have nothing else to prepare and are ready to depart with you at any time, senior!"

"That would be best. Then I, Zhou, will take you two to Tianyuan Immortal City for a short stay to purchase some materials."

Zhou Chun nodded in satisfaction and quickly made a decision.

Afterwards, he took the two siblings back to Tianyuan Immortal City and had them stay at an inn in the city.

Since Gongsun Yuanzhi needs to personally visit and investigate the Qinglian Mountains to determine the specific type of protective formation to be set up, she cannot provide Zhou Chun with a detailed list of materials for the time being.

However, some basic array materials can already be collected.

Considering the extremely high quality of the protective array set up this time, Zhou Chun naturally could not skimp on the materials used, so he personally went to several large shops in the Immortal City to place orders.

Setting up a superior mountain-protecting formation requires an enormous amount of resources.

Zhou Chunguang spent a million spirit coins in one go just to purchase various basic materials, even though the Zhou family treasury already contained a considerable amount of related materials.

But in reality, these are just scraps of supplies.

The truly superior mountain-protecting formation requires special magical treasures and spiritual materials to craft and refine its base, array plate, and other components; those are the real major expenses!

Just like Zhou Chun, who went to great lengths to collect enough Yellow Dragon Stones!

He will need to collect the relevant magical treasures and spiritual materials, which will likely cost him a fortune and take an unknown amount of time.

It is said that if you want to set up a forbidden array that can withstand a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, the materials needed to set up the array alone would cost an astronomical sum, worth at least tens of millions of spirit coins!

Even for the major sects, setting up such a formation would require a tremendous amount of effort.

Therefore, Zhou Chun couldn't help but suspect that the Moon Wheel Sect and the Flame Sun Sect's agreement to let the Zhou family take over the Azure Lotus Mountain Range was also a deliberate attempt to weaken the Zhou family through such an open scheme!

Unfortunately, even if that were the case, he wouldn't skimp on anything that needed to be spent.

After Zhou Chun had traveled around the Immortal City and purchased all the basic array-setting materials, good news came from Luo Qingni's side.

She had successfully reached an agreement with that alchemy master, giving him the [Azure-Eyed Golden Ape] demon core and the [Jade Dew Golden Glow Pill] formula given to her by Zhou Chun. He would then collect the remaining spiritual herbs to refine the pills, and she could even watch him refine them.

At the same time, she also switched the [Qionghua Yulu] to her own hands as Zhou Chun had instructed.

The low-grade defensive magic treasure "Octagonal Mystic Water Plate" that Zhou Chun exchanged for this spiritual medicine was the relic of the bandit cultivator Lin Canghai that Zhou Chun obtained along with the "Two Dragons Overturning the Sea Bottle".

In exchange for the magic treasure, Zhou Chun also received 550,000 spirit coins as compensation.

After gathering all the medicinal herbs, Luo Qingni quickly went into seclusion to refine pills.

Zhou Chun didn't have time to wait for her to finish refining the pills. He took the hundreds of bottles of spiritual pills that Zhou Daoyi had purchased in the past few days and returned to the family with the Gongsun siblings.

As for his disciple Zhou Zhiying, Zhou Chun did not want her to return to the family for the time being, fearing that the Heavenly Mirror Master in the Qinglian Mountains would discover her true nature.

With Zhou Chun's strength, nothing unexpected happened along the way, and after traveling for more than a month, he returned safely to Jing Kingdom.

If you count the time, it's only been a few months since he left, and everything is normal in Jingguo.

While various factions were busy rebuilding their mountain gates, they were also clearing out the monsters left behind by the beast tide in the vicinity of the mountain gates and helping mortals rebuild their settlements.

This reconstruction process may take more than a decade, or even longer.

Compared to many weaker families, the Zhou family, with Zhang Liang, a master of formations, was able to rebuild relatively quickly.

Both Tuyun Ridge and Jiufeng Ridge have rearranged their formations. Although they are not particularly powerful formations for the time being due to limited materials and manpower, they have at least provided a basic guarantee.

A detailed geomantic map of the Qinglian Mountains was successfully drawn thanks to the efforts of the family's Purple Mansion stage elders.

After returning to his family, Zhou Chun handed the geomantic map to the Gongsun siblings and had the Fire God Jackal accompany them for close protection. He also arranged for Zhang Liang to take them to the Qinglian Mountains for an on-site survey to see what kind of formation should be set up.

"Recently, Fellow Daoist Su sent word that Qingweizi, the former abbot of Qinglian Temple, visited the Moon Wheel Sect's mountain gate to pay respects to True Person Baiyue. She stayed for about half a day before leaving, and her whereabouts are unknown!"

"Furthermore, according to information gathered by the family, someone witnessed a fight between someone resembling a disciple of the Azure Lotus Sect within the territory of the Kingdom of Yue, where the disciple displayed the Azure Lotus Sect's unique Spirit Lotus Secret Technique!"

On Tuyun Ridge, after Zhou Chun finished telling him about his experience traveling to the Great Zhou Kingdom, Zhou Mingde also whispered some important intelligence information that the Zhou family had collected during Zhou Chun's absence.

Upon hearing this news, Zhou Chun's gaze sharpened slightly, and he said coldly, "That old fellow Qingweizi is incredibly lucky. So many elders of Qinglian Temple died at the hands of the Demon King, yet he escaped with his life!"

After saying that, he shook his head and said, "Forget it, now is not the time to settle scores with Qinglian Temple. We just need to secretly gather intelligence on them and settle accounts with them after the two hundred years have passed!"