CHAPTER 617: CHAPTER 602: SWORD POINTS AT DONGHUA

Regarding the recent premonition, after careful consideration, Zhouyang decided to be honest with his Dao companion, Xiao Ying.

Since he had decided to seek Jiang Fengxian before Nascent Soul Formation, it was inevitable to tell his Dao companion, Xiao Ying, about it. Being honest now would certainly be better than hiding it and telling her later, showing his sincerity.

"For you to have such a strong premonition, it seems Sister Jiang really has deep feelings for you!"

Xiao Ying’s beautiful eyes lingered on Zhouyang, her words seemingly carrying a deeper meaning.

Hearing this, Zhouyang faced her with a guiltless expression and directly replied, "Ying’er, if you have something to say, just say it. Since I told you about this, it means I trust you. Why go about it this way?"

"If you want me to say it, then I will."

Xiao Ying focused her beautiful eyes, looking at him seriously, and said, "I won’t oppose your decision to find Sister Jiang, but I want to go with you."

"How can this be!"

Zhouyang shook his head repeatedly and firmly refused, "Not to mention the uncertain dangers of this journey, you are not adept at fighting, so you wouldn’t be of much help if you went. Besides, if both of us leave, what about Cheng’er? Would you be willing for him not to see his mother for decades or even hundreds of years?"

Unexpectedly, Xiao Ying was resolute as she said, "Precisely because your journey is fraught with such uncertainty, I must go with you. I’m not like Sister Jiang, who can go hundreds of years without seeing you. Over the years, wherever you go, I go. I cannot be without you!"

After she finished speaking, a pained expression crossed her face. She steeled herself and said through gritted teeth, "As for Cheng’er, he has Elder Cyan Yang to look after him, and we won’t need to worry about his path in the future. There’s nothing for me to be unwilling about."

Though she said this, Zhouyang could tell from her reluctant gaze that her words were far from the truth.

"Sigh! Think it over more carefully, I don’t want you to regret it in the future!"

He let out a long sigh, raising his hand to stop her from speaking further, and shook his head, "Don’t be in a hurry to make a decision. I’m not setting out immediately. At the very least, we need to set up arrangements for the clan and take care of certain matters before I can proceed to the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm."

The Zhou Family currently only had him as a Golden Core Stage Cultivator. If he were to leave on a long journey, he needed to make some arrangements for the clan, at least leaving means to deal with Golden Core-level enemies, and plan for the advancement and cultivation of the Zhou Family’s future cultivators.

Moreover, traveling to the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm might take a long time, thus pending matters need to be resolved before he could leave.

This time, Xiao Ying indeed didn’t rush to express her stance, evidently listening to him.

Subsequently, Zhouyang continued to meet with the Zhou Family cultivators as usual, as if nothing happened.

It was only after staying with the Zhou Family for nearly half a month that Zhouyang and his Dao companion returned to Chongxuan Mountain.

"Master, you’re finally back! The letter entrusted by Senior Sister was just delivered to the mountain a few days ago. I was contemplating whether to send you a message!"

Upon arriving at Chongxuan Mountain, Wang Yanzhang, who was guarding the place, promptly approached as soon as he saw the couple return, and handed over a jade scroll.

"Hmph, that girl left for decades and finally deemed it worthwhile to send a letter!"

Zhouyang snorted coldly and took the letter, beginning to read the contents.

In the letter, Lu Xuewei explained her current situation, saying that her cultivation had reached the Eighth Layer of the Purple Mansion, and she was currently accompanying her sworn sister, who had successfully formed a Golden Core, on a journey through the cultivation realm to find materials for refining her Lifebound Magical Artifact.

This letter was mainly a simple peace-of-mind message, without any special intention.

But after reading it, Zhouyang suddenly had an idea.

He had been worried about insufficient defense at Chongxuan Mountain if he went to the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, contemplating whether to ask the Profound Sun Immortal Sect for help. But doing so would incur a significant favor.

Now having learned that Lu Xuewei’s sworn sister, Lan Cailian, had successfully formed her Golden Core, he suddenly considered asking her to come help instead.

Lan Cailian was a loose cultivator. Even though she succeeded in forming her Golden Core, she would no doubt be troubled about finding a suitable place for cultivation, let alone finding materials to refine her Lifebound Magical Artifact.

If at this time, he offered Lifebound Magical Artifact refining materials as a reward for her to use Chongxuan Mountain as her place of cultivation and help guard it, it was unlikely that she would refuse.

According to Lu Xuewei, Lan Cailian was no ordinary female cultivator. Her magical combat skills were formidable, and she was an experienced, decisive and ruthless cultivator akin to Liu Yunxiang. Having her stationed at Chongxuan Mountain should deter most cultivators’ prying eyes.

Moreover, as Lu Xuewei’s cultivation had already reached the Eighth Layer of the Purple Mansion, she should be able to form her Golden Core in a century. By then, with the sisters overseeing Chongxuan Mountain, along with the support of over a hundred disciples currently on the mountain, Zhouyang wouldn’t need to worry about its security.

Thinking of this, Zhouyang immediately instructed Wang Yanzhang, "Yanzhang, go to Qingshui Country at once, find your senior martial sister, and have her bring her sworn sister to Chongxuan Mountain, saying that I have what they want!"

A master with matters, a disciple follows instructions, which is the very intention behind taking in disciples.

Now that Wang Yanzhang had successfully established his Purple Mansion, it made no sense for Zhouyang to do the errand himself.

Having sent Wang Yanzhang to find Lu Xuewei, Zhouyang entered the Artifact Refining Chamber on the mountain, preparing for a crucial refining session.

He could almost foresee that after traveling to the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, it would not be peaceful.

Therefore, before going there, he needed to prepare as many means as possible.

This time, he was preparing to refine a set of Tier Five Flying Swords to complement his "Great Derivation Sword Technique."

Since acquiring the full version of the Great Derivation Sword Technique, Zhouyang had not been able to focus on comprehending it.

It wasn’t that he forgot about it, but due to the lack of suitable accompanying flying swords, even if he practiced the sword technique, he couldn’t unleash its full power.

Now, having officially advanced to a Tier Five Refiner, he finally possessed the ability to refine Tier Five Flying Swords. It was also time to let this top-notch sword technique shine again.

The materials for refining the flying swords had long been collected and prepared by Zhouyang. If he was to do it, he intended to do it to the best of his ability.

Hence, the materials he gathered were rare ones sufficient for refining Tier Five Top Grade Flying Swords.

Using these materials for refining, even if limited by his current Artifact Refining Skill level, preventing him from producing Tier Five Top Grade Flying Swords, he could still ensure the quality far surpassed ordinary Tier Five Lower Grade Flying Swords.

Moreover, if his Artifact Refining Skill improved to the upper grade in the future, he could re-refine these personally crafted flying swords, upgrading them to Tier Five Top Grade Flying Swords.

In the Artifact Refining Chamber, Zhouyang focused intently, using the "Qianyang True Flame" to temper various materials. Over the years, he painstakingly gathered all sorts of rare materials to refine the kind of flying sword he desired.

For instance, he possessed two to three catties of Geng Metal, significantly enhancing the sharpness attribute of the flying sword!

Another example was the special spiritual object "Thunder Crystal," which he obtained from the belly of the Tier Five Demon Beast "Tusked Thunderstorm Beast" he killed in the Kunxu Realm. Integrating it into the flying sword would imbue the weapon with the power of thunder and lightning.

Additionally, when Xiao Ying formed her core, the Qiantian Sect’s Golden Core Stage Cultivator Mo Tiexin gifted a Tier Five Spiritual Object, "Profound Iron Essence Gold," which can only be extracted by Golden Core Stage Cultivators practicing a specific high-tier Cultivation Technique of the Qiantian Sect. Adding it to the flying sword greatly enhanced the sword’s hardness and sharpness.

Aside from the piece given by Mo Tiexin, Zhouyang later exchanged for another piece at a swap meet in Jade Capital Immortal City with a Qiantian Sect Cultivator.

Now, all these exceedingly rare materials were used by him in the crafting of new flying swords.

After enduring a long three-month refining process, twelve flying swords finally took shape, entering the final "Pregnancy Artifact" phase.

This time, Zhouyang intended to extend this "Pregnancy Artifact" phase as long as possible until he was ready to set out for the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, when he would retrieve the swords.

Once the magical artifact was refined, Zhouyang rested for a while before heading to the Profound Sun Immortal Sect.

Regarding matters of the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, Zhouyang knew nothing, but he was aware that the Profound Sun Immortal Sect certainly had detailed records. Given his current relationship with the sect, accessing these records wouldn’t be difficult.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, why are you suddenly interested in learning about the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm? Are you planning a journey there?"

In the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, Xu Zhengyang, whom Zhouyang approached, was curious as he looked at Zhouyang after listening to his request.

Last time Zhouyang assisted Xu Zhengyang in obtaining the "Crystal Ice Orchid," a life-extending spiritual object, which, once used, extended his lifespan. Now he appeared to have over a hundred more years to live, and his Cultivation had advanced to the Ninth-Layer Golden Core, ready to attempt Refining Pill and Forming Infant at any time.

Zhouyang’s visit this time was just to check information, so there was no need to disturb Master Cyan Yang, so he went to Xu Zhengyang, who was currently the overseeing elder of the Scripture Pavilion at Profound Sun Immortal Sect.

"An old acquaintance of mine may be in danger over there, and I must go to ensure their safety to ease my worries!"

Zhouyang vaguely explained, not revealing much.

Hearing this, Xu Zhengyang nodded knowingly, wisely not pursuing the matter further, instead advising him, "Since it’s a rescue mission, Fellow Daoist Zhou likely doesn’t have much time to waste on the journey. Therefore, I suggest Fellow Daoist head directly to Liuyun Immortal City and take the teleportation array. Although expensive, it will save you a lot of time and unnecessary trouble."

Zhouyang’s eyes lit up, nodding repeatedly, "I was thinking the same, but I heard that cross-cultivation realm teleportation array only activates once every few hundred years and isn’t guaranteed to open every time. Does Elder Xu know how long until it might reopen?"

Spending spirit stones and whatnot is trivial compared to ensuring Jiang Fengxian’s safety.

What Zhouyang is most worried about is the time of activation for that cross-cultivation realm teleportation array. If he has to wait decades, he simply can’t wait.

"I just happened to hear from a junior brother not long ago that the array will be activated again in twelve years. The Liuyun Commerce Alliance has already announced that they will hold a grand auction a month before the opening, auctioning various treasures and tickets to the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm!"

Xu Zhengyang stroked his chin and smiled as he delivered the news that made Zhouyang happy.

"Twelve years, huh? That’s a wait I can handle!"

Muttering to himself, Zhouyang showed a hint of gratitude, cupping his hands and bowing to Xu Zhengyang, "Thank you, Elder Xu, for informing me of this matter."

"It’s just a small thing. Alright, the information on the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm is on this row of bookshelves. Fellow Daoist Zhou, you can look at it yourself here. If you have any other needs, feel free to call on me."

Xu Zhengyang waved his hand with a smile, pointed out where the information was stored, and returned to his post, leaving Zhouyang alone to peruse the numerous documents.

As a top major sect with a legacy spanning tens of thousands of years, the Nascent Soul Stage cultivators of the Profound Sun Immortal Sect have traversed every significant cultivation realm in the Spirit Realm. The Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm is the preferred destination for top cultivators from the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm to roam other cultivation realms, due to their frequent exchanges.

In the bookshelves of the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, there are as many as forty-seven travel journals left by Nascent Soul Stage cultivators who traveled to the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm over a span of nearly twenty thousand years!

Additionally, there are also dozens of travel journals by Golden Core Stage cultivators and a large amount of material brought back from the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, including maps, distribution maps of powers, detailed backgrounds of major forces, and various other comprehensive data.

These things once again allowed Zhouyang to witness just the tip of the iceberg of the profound heritage possessed by top-tier major sects like the Profound Sun Immortal Sect.

He then spent three months in this Scripture Pavilion, voraciously absorbing the information from the jade scrolls on the shelves.

Within three months, Zhouyang read all the travel journals written by every Profound Sun Immortal Sect cultivator who traveled to the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm over the past ten thousand years and finished reading the cultural and social information brought back from the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm.

After reading this information, his understanding of the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm was no less than that of some local Golden Core Stage cultivators, and in certain ancient secret aspects, he even knew more than cultivators who weren’t from major sects there.

In his past life words, he had become an "expert on Donghua."

From the travel journal left by the most recent Nascent Soul Stage cultivator from the Profound Sun Immortal Sect to travel to the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, Lu Xuanji, who has already passed away, Zhouyang learned that there are three forces in the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm that must not be provoked.

The first unprovokable force is the Donghua Immortal Palace, a once powerful sect that produced Tribulation Crossing True Immortals. Even though it’s no longer at its zenith, it still holds the position of the number one sect in the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, with more than a dozen Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, and even a pair of dual cultivation companions with ninth-layer Nascent Soul cultivation.

This pair of ninth-layer Nascent Soul companions, when joining forces, are peerlessly invincible in the absence of Tribulation Crossing True Immortals—no one dares provoke them!

The second unprovokable force is a cultivation clan, the Dragon Taming Clan.

The cultivators of the Dragon Taming Clan bear the human-dragon bloodline, a genuine true dragon bloodline, not just any flood dragon bloodline.

Although the clan’s direct descendants are very few, each direct descendant is an unprovokable existence, because if you offend them, someday your sect or abode might be surrounded by dozens or even hundreds of Tier Five or Six flood dragons.

Fortunately, due to their small numbers, it’s hard to encounter the direct descendants of the Dragon Taming Clan, and even if you do, their prominent true dragon characteristics are enough to let people easily recognize their origin and avoid them to prevent conflict.

The third unprovokable force is the top-tier major sect Longevity Hall, renowned in one realm for its alchemy.

The elixirs of Longevity Hall are not only the number one in the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm but also unmatched throughout the entire Spirit Realm in terms of alchemy.

It is said that they have the complete inheritance of the "Golden Seal Jade Record - Alchemy Chapter" written during a transmission from immortals, producing dozens of Tier Six Alchemists over its two-thousand-year legacy and crafting many powerful spirit pills with miraculous effects.

For example, the Longevity Treasure Pill and the Blood Lotus Rebirth Pill, both exclusive secret elixirs of the Longevity Hall.

Due to their strong alchemy skills, the number of Nascent Soul Stage cultivators in the Longevity Hall has consistently remained above five, sometimes reaching double digits.

They now connect with many major sects in the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm that have Nascent Soul stage cultivators stationed through elixirs, forming a group similar to the Liuyun Commerce Alliance, called the Longevity Immortal Alliance, which is very influential.

Aside from the three absolutely unprovokable powerful forces mentioned above, any other force in the Donghua Continent, even if backed by Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, is not considered an unprovokable entity in Zhouyang’s eyes.

After all, if he goes to the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, he’ll be a complete outsider with no ties. Even if he kills someone from a sect, as long as he isn’t caught on the spot, he doesn’t have to worry too much about how they might retaliate against him.

Zhouyang now only hopes that the danger Jiang Fengxian encountered is unrelated to those three powerful forces; otherwise, his venture to the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm would be no less dangerous than when he was later captured by the Celestial Killer Corpse King.

After reviewing the information, Zhouyang went to see his son, Zhou Guangcheng.

"The matter we discussed last time may need some changes. I need to go on a long journey in a few years, and I might not be able to return for a while. Do you want to go with me to the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm to pay respects to your grandparents, or would you rather wait until I return?"

Zhouyang looked at his son, whose face bore a mixture of doubt and surprise at his arrival. After a moment of hesitation, he directly stated his purpose.

Sure enough, upon hearing these words, the surprise in Zhou Guangcheng’s eyes quickly faded away.

Being as smart as he was, he naturally understood that when Zhouyang, who had traveled across multiple cultivation realms, mentioned "a long journey," it most likely meant he would be leaving the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm.

After all, with Zhouyang’s cultivation, even traveling from the westernmost part of the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm to the easternmost part and back wouldn’t take ten years.

"Dad, can you tell me where you’re going? I want to know the reason for your departure."

He widened his eyes, looking at Zhouyang, filled with a pleading expression.

"I have to go to the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, and maybe I might visit the overseas cultivation realm as well."

Zhouyang hesitated briefly but still revealed his destination.

But as for the reason behind it, he shook his head and said, "As for the reason, if you want to know, wait until after I leave, and then ask your mother. If she’s willing to tell you, she will!"

Hearing this, Zhou Guangcheng asked in surprise, "Aren’t you taking mother with you, Dad?"

As his son, he knew very well how deep his mother Xiao Ying’s feelings were for his father Zhouyang. Zhouyang would always bring his Dao companion along whenever he went traveling, and this time he was making an exception, which greatly surprised him.

Yet Zhouyang was not keen on explaining further, just stating, "This trip may be somewhat unsafe, and your mother isn’t skilled in combat. I don’t want her to come along, so you need to persuade her more on this point."

But this alone was enough for Zhou Guangcheng to realize that the matter wasn’t simple.

Hence, his expression immediately turned serious, and he solemnly nodded, "I understand, I will do my best to persuade her, but I don’t dare guarantee success."

Then, not waiting for Zhouyang to commend him, he shook his head and said, "As for visiting the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm to pay respects to grandparents, let’s wait until you return from the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, Dad. If only for this matter, you must return safely!"

"You child..."

Zhouyang furrowed his brows, opened his mouth, but eventually held back the words of rebuke.

Perhaps it’s because he himself had a similar temperament!

He looked at his son, who resembled him greatly, and thought as much in his heart.

"Forget it, go and ask Elder Qingyang for leave; I’ll take you to stay at Chongxuan Mountain for a few years."

He waved his hand, finally speaking words that brought joy to Zhou Guangcheng.

Master Qingyang, upon understanding the situation, did not obstruct Zhouyang from taking his son to Chongxuan Mountain and readily approved it.

Upon returning to Chongxuan Mountain with his son, Zhouyang entrusted him with the task of persuading his Dao companion, Xiao Ying.

As expected, a son is the heart of his mother. Under the repeated emotional play and plea of Zhou Guangcheng, Xiao Ying eventually gave up the idea of following Zhouyang to the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm.

Thus, Zhouyang finally settled one of his concerns.

Within two years, Wang Yanzhang, who went to find Lu Xuewei, successfully returned to Chongxuan Mountain with Lu Xuewei and her sister Lan Cailian.

Just as Zhouyang expected, after he expressed his willingness to provide materials for refining a lifebound artifact, and with Lu Xuewei’s emotional play at hand, Lan Cailian, without much hesitation, agreed to his terms of overseeing Chongxuan Mountain.

With Lan Cailian, a Golden Core Stage cultivator adept in combat, along with his Dao companion Xiao Ying who chose to stay, Zhouyang could now rest entirely easy.

Thus, after making some arrangements, he returned alone to the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm to settle the final arrangements for his clan’s safety after his departure.