Chapter 549: Chapter 549

As the grand welcoming ceremony concluded, the news of Zhou Yuan Yang, the Supreme Elder of the Zhou Family, forming a Golden Core and returning, spread rapidly throughout the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, even faster than the wind.

A Golden Core stage cultivator!

Ever since Cao Wenjin of the Yellow Sand Sect passed away, the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm hadn’t seen a Golden Core stage cultivator in over a hundred years.

A vast cultivation realm without a single Golden Core stage cultivator — the thought itself is quite saddening.

Now, with Zhouyang forming a Golden Core and returning, he finally fills this void.

This is undoubtedly a great boon for the entire cultivation realm.

For the Zhou Family, it’s an even greater blessing.

With a Golden Core stage cultivator to guard the Zhou Family, holding the position of the sole Golden Core stage cultivator in the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, the throne of the number one power in the realm becomes as stable as Mount Tai; no one, not even the Yellow Sand Sect, can challenge it!

With a Golden Core stage ancestor’s guidance and care, the cultivation paths of the younger Zhou family cultivators will undoubtedly be smoother than those of other sect families.

A Golden Core stage cultivator has a lifespan of a thousand years, Zhouyang is only three hundred years old now; even if his cultivation ceases to progress beyond the Golden Core stage, he can still care for the Zhou Family for seven hundred years!

Every Zhou Family cultivator understands what this means.

So, even though Ancestor Zhouyang only showed himself briefly after returning and has not appeared since, the discussions among Zhou clan members about this family ancestor have not diminished in the slightest.

With his current status and cultivation, Zhouyang naturally disregards the opinions of these low-tier clan members.

In the first few days after he returned to the family, besides Zhou Guangxiang, Lu Xuewei, and a few others close to him, even Foundation Establishment cultivators had no opportunity to meet him unless summoned.

During these days, Zhouyang spent his time with his Dao companion Xiao Ying, recounting his experiences of being plotted against by Guo Jinhong, being detained by the Celestial Killer Corpse King, and how he escaped into the Kunxu Realm.

Regarding what happened between him and Jiang Fengxian, he also did not conceal it from Xiao Ying, telling her everything truthfully.

This matter couldn’t be hidden after all, especially since he had lost his Primordial Yang. If Xiao Ying later advanced to the Golden Core stage and dual cultivated with him, she would easily discover this matter.

By then, no matter how perfectly he explained, it would certainly hurt Xiao Ying deeply and could potentially leave a lifelong emotional scar.

Therefore, he never thought of hiding it from the beginning.

The result was as he expected; upon discovering that her Dao companion’s first dual cultivation wasn’t with herself, Xiao Ying indeed shed tears sadly.

After all, they both preserved their Primordial Yang and Primordial Yin bodies for so many years due to Zhouyang’s initial promise to her.

Now that Zhouyang was the first to break the promise, even if it wasn’t his intention, it was still a significant emotional blow for her.

Thus, it wasn’t surprising for her to cry sadly for a moment.

However, despite her tears and grief, Xiao Ying did not resent Zhouyang or Jiang Fengxian for it.

This is the main reason Zhouyang chose to confess to her immediately upon his return.

The two had been together for over two hundred years and understood each other’s personalities very well.

Zhouyang knew Xiao Ying would never blame him for losing his innocence, and Xiao Ying knew Zhouyang wouldn’t hide anything from her in this regard.

For a pair of cultivator Dao companions who intend to live together for hundreds or even thousands of years, trust is the most important thing.

If even Dao companions can’t be trusted, what else is worth trusting in the cultivation realm?

"Then, dear husband, how do you plan to arrange for Sister Feng Xian?"

After crying for a while, she didn’t forget the "important matter" at hand. She looked at Zhouyang with tears in her eyes and asked about it.

No matter how kind-hearted and gentle she was, it was impossible not to care about such matters.

Hearing her words, Zhouyang did not rush to answer. Instead, he looked at her gently and asked, "If I brought Feng Xian over to live with us, would you oppose it, Ying’er?"

Xiao Ying shook her head gently, making her decision without a hint of hesitation.

"I knew Ying’er wouldn’t oppose it!"

Zhouyang reached out to wipe the tears from his Dao companion’s face, then shook his head with a wry smile, saying, "Unfortunately, Feng Xian is proud and stubborn by nature. She is accustomed to a life of freedom and isn’t willing to be tied to my side and act as a virtuous wife and loving mother like you."

After speaking, his expression turned serious, and he said solemnly, "You don’t need to worry about this matter. I won’t let you down, nor will I let her down. This is my promise to you both!"

To be able to openly say such things to his Dao companion, Zhouyang was indeed quite impressive.

Fortunately, this was a polygamous Xianxia world. If it were the world he lived in during his previous life, daring to say such things in front of his wife would likely result in him facing a kitchen knife and being chopped up and tossed into the sewer!

Now, however, after Xiao Ying heard his words, she didn’t find them strange at all nor did she blame him. Instead, she nodded submissively and said, "I trust my husband!"

And indeed, she didn’t bring up the matter again.

Having reassured his Dao companion and stabilized the affairs at the back court, Zhouyang finally had the mind to deal with family matters.

At this time, the Zhou Family Patriarch, Zhou Guangxiang, who was stationed at the Red Tiger Mountain Oasis, was still on his way to the Rhino Horn Continent Oasis. Zhouyang could only learn about the Zhou Family’s situation from his niece, Zhou Guangxiang.

Zhou Guangxiang and Xiao Ying had returned a decade earlier than him, and both were very clear about the current state of the Zhou Family.

"Excluding the family branches in the Land of the Far West and counting only the main and collateral branches of our Zhou Family in the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, we currently have one Golden Core Stage Cultivator, three Purple Mansion Stage Cultivators, seventeen Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and one thousand three hundred forty-nine Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators!"

"At the same time, the vassal Foundation Establishment Clans under our Zhou Family have reached eight, with thirty-four Qi Cultivation Small Clans, collectively having ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators and over eight hundred seventy Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators."

"In terms of finances, the family now possesses over a hundred Spirit Mountains, ten thousand acres of Spirit Fields, and dozens of ore veins. The various annual incomes provided to the family, after expenses, are equivalent to about seventy thousand Spirit Stones when converted."

"Currently, the family has accumulated a total of sixty-seven thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones in its reserves! Additionally, there is a stockpile of resources valued at over forty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones, with Spirit Grain and ore being the most plentiful among them!"

In the cave mansion, Zhouyang sat cross-legged on the Jade Bed, his expression calm as he listened to Zhou Guangxiang report on the various fundamentals of the Zhou Family’s current situation.

Back then, when he took Zhou Guangxiang and others to teleport to the Westernmost Cultivation Realm, he had already determined the future development direction of the Zhou Family.

Over the past sixty years, the Zhou Family’s development direction generally followed the plan he had set, progressing systematically, with only minor adjustments in some areas.

Therefore, he needed only to know the results, without concerning himself with the process.

He was generally satisfied with the outcome.

A gleam flashed in his eyes as he glanced at Zhou Guangxiang, saying, "Let’s talk about the difficulties. What difficulties is the family currently facing?"

There were certainly difficulties.

Although the Zhou Family had become the undisputed hegemon in the entire Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, this didn’t mean the family had no difficulties.

"The difficulties mainly lie in two aspects: firstly, the lack of spiritual objects to assist in opening the Purple Mansion. The family currently has over a dozen Foundation Establishment Cultivators, but not a single spiritual object to assist in opening the Purple Mansion, resulting in even Upper-Grade Spiritual Root Cultivators like Xue Wei being stuck at the Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment for years, unable to successfully open the Purple Mansion!"

"Secondly, there is a shortage of Foundation Establishment Pills. When we departed from the Land of the Far West, we followed Ninth Uncle’s instructions to leave most of our Foundation Establishment Pills with Tong Yue and the others to fulfill your promise to those Qi Cultivation Stage clan members who volunteered to go to the Land of the Far West."

"As for the Foundation Establishment Pills you left with the family, there are now only three left, and they will be depleted in no time."

"Moreover, although the family’s Yuan Condensing Fruit tree has already blossomed and borne fruit, it will take at least another fifty to sixty years to mature and bear fruit!"

"Therefore, in order to avoid causing disturbances within the family and among the vassal clans during these fifty to sixty years, the family must find at least ten Foundation Establishment Pills through other means to stabilize people’s hearts!"

After Zhou Guangxiang finished speaking, she silently cupped her hands to Zhouyang without saying more.

The two difficulties she mentioned were not unique to the Zhou Family but were challenges faced by all powers in the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm.

Even the Yellow Sand Sect, once seated by two Golden Core Stage Cultivators, faced these difficulties, albeit less severely than the Zhou Family does now.

"I don’t have any spiritual objects to assist in opening the Purple Mansion for now, but I do have plenty of Tier Four Demon Pills needed for refining Foundation Establishment Pills. When we return, we can have Ying’Er set up a furnace to refine pills and fill in the family’s shortage of Foundation Establishment Pills."

Zhou Guangxiang’s eyes lit up immediately.

She noticed that Zhouyang used the word "plenty."

Knowing her Ninth Uncle’s character, she understood that he never boasted or exaggerated in family affairs.

Given that he used the word "plenty," it indicated that he truly had a lot of Tier Four Demon Pills!

Indeed, that was the case.

In the Kunxu Realm, Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian had jointly slain twenty or thirty Tier Four Demon Beasts and found many Demon Pills within the storage rings of the Golden Core Stage Cultivators they defeated. He now had six Tier Five Demon Pills, and the number of Tier Four Demon Pills amounted to as many as thirty-eight!

With so many Tier Four Demon Pills, if they were all refined into Foundation Establishment Pills, given Xiao Ying’s current alchemy skills, she could produce over two hundred Foundation Establishment Pills!

Of course, that was impossible.

Not only would the Zhou Family never use so many Foundation Establishment Pills, but even if they could, it would be nearly impossible to find enough auxiliary alchemy materials throughout the entire Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm to refine so many Foundation Establishment Pills at once.

Moreover, the Zhou Family now has more than one or two cultivators in the Purple Mansion Stage. While caring for those lower-tier cultivators, considerations must also be made for these Purple Mansion Stage cultivators.

Tier Four Demon Pills are the main ingredient for refining many types of Tier Four Spirit Pills. The Zhou Family should allocate some demon pills to refine those Spirit Pills that can enhance cultivation, for the improvement of these clan cultivators in the Purple Mansion Stage.

"Alright, I will resolve these difficulties. Your task is to manage those descendants well, so they do not tarnish the good reputation that our Zhou Family has painstakingly accumulated. Do you understand my meaning?"

Zhouyang waved his hand, taking on the responsibility to solve the issues, then looked intently at Zhou Guangxiang, giving her some hints.

"Rest assured, Ninth Uncle, your niece understands what needs to be done. Soon, I will coordinate with the elder brother to control this matter, ensuring we do not disappoint you!"

Zhou Guangxiang felt a chill in her heart and quickly responded respectfully.

She naturally understood Zhouyang’s intentions.

With Zhouyang returning after forming his Golden Core, the Zhou Family will completely replace the former Desert Sea Cultivation Realm overlord, Yellow Sand Sect, becoming the new hegemony of the Desert Sea Cultivation Realm. Latest content publıshed on Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

At this time, among the more than one thousand clan cultivators, it is hard to say that some fools won’t seize the opportunity to do things that damage the family’s reputation.

In the past, if these people did such things, the Zhou Family’s subsequent fair handling was enough to appease the people’s hearts.

But now, once such things happen, it will make people feel that the Zhou Family has become entirely arrogant, causing great harm to the family’s reputation.

If the Desert Sea Cultivation Realm is compared to a country, the Zhou Family is just like a new ruler who has ended the wars to become this country’s new master, and those clan members are like the country’s ministers.

At this juncture, if the ministers under the new ruler indulge in corruption extensively, causing serious effects, the people of the country will surely reminisce about the previous ruler and develop aversion towards the new ruler.

Although the country will not change rulers just because of the people’s aversion, such feelings will surely affect the country’s subsequent development.

Hence, any founding ruler would sternly rectify various improper practices after the founding to stabilize the people’s hearts.

What Zhouyang wants Zhou Guangxiang to do is essentially the same.

After sending Zhou Guangxiang away, he summoned his highly valued disciple, Lu Xuewei, into his cave dwelling.

"You’ve been through tough times these years. Since your master has returned, the matter of opening your Purple Mansion is entrusted to me. Within at most ten years, your master will surely assist you in opening the Purple Mansion!"

In the cave dwelling, Zhouyang looked at his still beautiful, youthful disciple below him, with a flash of guilt in his eyes.

Lu Xuewei had consumed the "Appearance Stabilizing Pill" refined by Xiao Ying back then, thus her appearance remained like that of a girl in her twenties.

However, in reality, she was already one hundred fifty-three years "old" this year!

As early as forty years ago, her cultivation had already reached the Ninth Layer of Foundation Establishment, but without the aid of "Purple Heart Jade Marrow," her attempts to open the Purple Mansion twice ended in failure.

The consecutive failures evidently dealt quite a blow to this genius girl, causing her to frequently doubt whether she was suitable for cultivation.

Now, hearing her most respected master mention this matter, her emotions overflowed, and she couldn’t help but burst into tears.

"Don’t cry, don’t cry, Xuewei don’t cry, your master is on your side, leave everything to your master."

Zhouyang stepped forward to help his crying disciple up from the ground, his face full of tender affection as he gently soothed her.

He had often told Lu Xuewei that he highly regarded her future path, claiming she had the potential for a Golden Core.

These words gave young Lu Xuewei immense motivation, becoming one of her sources of strength in her diligent cultivation.

In fact, Lu Xuewei did not disappoint his praise. With the aptitude of an Ice Spirit Root, in the Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, a place completely unsuitable for Ice Element technique cultivators, she took just over a century to cultivate to the Ninth Layer of Foundation Establishment.

This speed of cultivation cannot be considered slow.

Hence, Lu Xuewei was always seen as a role model by all the younger cultivators of the Zhou Family, enjoying endless glory and praise.

But as she continually failed to open the Purple Mansion, with forty years of no progress in cultivation, it inevitably led to some rumors behind her back.

Her rapid enhancement of cultivation through hard exertion was disparaged as entirely relying on elixirs and spiritual objects.

All her efforts were viewed as being solely due to the support and promotion provided by her master, Zhouyang.

Ironically, these slanders were left unchallenged by her!

Would she claim that the accomplishments she achieved were all due to her own painstaking efforts, and not because she had a good master?

If she indeed said so, not to mention whether she could ease her conscience, even Zhou Guangxiang and other Zhou Family senior members would likely resent and exclude her because of that.

So, these years have indeed been very pressuring for her.

When Zhouyang previously exchanged words with his Dao companion Xiao Ying, he had already heard some news from her, which led to today’s private conversation between master and disciple.

He knew that for Lu Xuewei, no amount of consolation was as significant as aiding her in successfully opening her Purple Mansion.

Once the Purple Mansion is successfully opened, all criticisms against her would naturally become baseless.

Moreover, with the numerous spiritual objects he acquired from the Kunxu Realm and his decision to utilize "Qianyang Immortal Light" to aid the advanced cultivators of his clan, the forty years that Lu Xuewei delayed could completely be compensated with the help of elixirs and spiritual objects!

He would let everyone know that when he said Lu Xuewei had the potential for a Golden Core, it wasn’t just idle talk.

Naturally, Lu Xuewei trusted her master Zhouyang, and even though she had borne much criticism because of him over the years, she never held any resentment towards him.

So, at this moment, hearing Zhouyang’s comfort and promise, she merely nodded emphatically, eyes filled with joy.

After soothing his disciple in this way, Zhouyang began to meet with the Zhou Clan’s Foundation Establishment cultivators, who had been cultivating on the Rhino Horn Continent or nearby oases and had already arrived at Lingxi Peak.

Over sixty years had passed, and the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Zhou Clan had increased significantly, with many new faces Zhouyang had not seen or was unfamiliar with.

As for the old familiar faces, like his sworn sister Zhou Yuanyao, she had passed away over a decade ago because her lifespan had been exhausted.

The maximum lifespan for a Foundation Establishment cultivator is two hundred and forty years. The only remaining Foundation Establishment cultivator of the "Guang" generation, Zhou Guangqing, is already two hundred and twenty years old. In a few more years, apart from Zhouyang and other high-tier cultivators, the middle and lower-tier cultivators of the "Guang" generation will all have passed away.

And today, the newly born spiritual root infants of the Zhou Clan have already taken the "Rong" generation, and in another twenty to thirty years, the "Sheng" generation cultivators will also emerge.

Jade Radiance, Profound Origin Communication, Blessed and Flourishing, Evergreen—these sixteen generational characters set when the Zhou Clan was founded by the first ancestral patriarch Zhou Yuquan have now been mostly used up. In another one or two hundred years, the Zhou Clan will need to add new generational names at the back.

Probably, the Jade Spring Ancestor who founded the Zhou Clan never dreamed that one day the Zhou Clan could become the ruler of the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm.

Because of Zhouyang’s initial division of the main and branch lines, six of the seventeen Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Zhou Clan have established family branches outside and rarely return to the main branch at Lingxi Peak.

So now, only five Zhou Clan Foundation Establishment cultivators are gathered at Lingxi Peak, and most of them are young juniors.

Among these five, besides Lu Xuewei, Zhou Fuxi, and Zhou Futong, there are also two other Foundation Establishment cultivators: Zhou Zerui and Zhou Ze Xin.

At this time, except for Lu Xuewei who was absent, the four Foundation Establishment cultivators, upon seeing Zhouyang sitting on the Cold Jade Bed, hurriedly knelt to pay their respects, saying, "Grandson Zhou Fuxi... pays respects to the Ancestor."

To these "Fu" generation and "Ze" generation cultivators, Zhouyang of the "Yuan" generation is truly the patriarch of their family.

"Rise, all of you. The reason I called you here today was merely to get closer to you, so there’s no need to be formal."

With a wave of his hand, an invisible force helped the four stand up, and with a smiling face, Zhouyang comforted the four gently.

He could completely understand their nervousness; when he first met a Golden Core Stage cultivator, he was just as nervous.

Sure enough, after hearing his words, the tension in the hearts of the four instantly eased significantly.

After all, this was their own Ancestor, not an outsider. As long as they maintained respect, even if they spoke or acted out of turn, there would certainly be no disaster.

Understanding this, the four relaxed considerably in their subsequent conversation with Zhouyang.

Zhouyang conversed with the four for about half an hour, bestowing upon them a few treasures suitable for their use, and providing guidance on some cultivation doubts before ending the meeting.

Given his cultivation and status, for these young juniors to receive a summons from him was already an immense honor. There was no longer a need for him to spend effort to win them over as before by giving lectures.

After convening with a few Foundation Establishment cultivators, Zhouyang peacefully awaited the arrival of the Zhou Family Patriarch Zhou Guangxiang.

During this time, he visited the Zhou Family Secret Vault on Lingxi Peak, storing some treasures he had obtained from the Kunxu Realm to bless the later generations of the family.

Through his journey in the Kunxu Realm, Zhouyang’s wealth had significantly increased, and now, in terms of wealth alone, few Golden Core Stage cultivators could compare to him.

Just to mention, he has as many as eighty-nine pieces of top-grade Spirit Stones in his possession!

Other treasures he obtained such as tier five artifacts, spirit talismans, talisman treasures, materials from demon beasts he slew, spirit herbs, spirit elixirs, spiritual gold, and spirit ores, when tallied, total at least over five million low-grade Spirit Stones in value!

With such a large fortune, if it were all liquidated, he need not worry about expenses during the Golden Core Stage.

However, he is not alone; he has a family behind him.

Items he cannot use but are useful to the family could not naturally be sold off.

Besides, if he really needed Spirit Stones, did he not have an unexploited Spirit Stone mine?

Now that he has formed his Golden Core and returned, whether it be a medium-sized Spirit Stone mine or even a large one, in the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm, he need not worry about anyone daring to seize or destroy it!