CHAPTER 136: CHAPTER 134: A SON SHOULD BE LIKE ZHOU YUAN YANG

The war between the Immortals and Demons had no victors.

The Yellow Sand Sect seemed victorious in eradicating the demonic cultivators sowing chaos in the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, but in reality, they knew their own plight.

Due to this demonic invasion, the Yellow Sand Sect directly suffered the loss of four Golden Core and Purple Mansion Stage Cultivators, nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and even more Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators.

Not to mention the fallen independent Golden Core Cultivator "Golden Light Ascendant" and those low-tier loose cultivators killed by the demon cultivators.

Furthermore, due to this demonic invasion, several spirit mountains belonging to the Yellow Sand Sect and its vassal clans were damaged and polluted by the demonic cultivators, making the loss of resources and wealth incalculable.

Despite losing so much manpower and resources, the Yellow Sand Sect gained very little.

The items from the demon cultivators, except for spirit stones, are mostly harmful to cultivators, only to be destroyed on the spot.

Originally, on the ninth-layer Golden Core Cultivator Blood Nether, there should have been considerable gains, unfortunately, the ultimate beneficiary of these gains would not be the Yellow Sand Sect.

In summary, although the Yellow Sand Sect won the battle between immortals and demons, none of the sect’s high-ranking officials privy to the inside story showed any joy on their faces.

And as the biggest winner in this chaos, Zhouyang’s face displayed no joy either.

His displeasure had a simple cause—Zhou Xuanhao’s injuries were far worse than anticipated.

Although Blood Mo Luo’s strike did not claim Zhou Xuanhao’s life, his pure demonic qi infiltrated Zhou Xuanhao’s meridians, causing irreparable damage.

The Chen Family Ancestor personally intervened to expel the residual demonic qi from Zhou Xuanhao, but the damage caused by the demonic qi was irreparable.

As long as this meridian damage remains untreated, Zhou Xuanhao will be unable to engage in magical combat, and his cultivation will stagnate.

"The Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm likely lacks any spirit elixirs to heal your father’s injuries. If you truly wish to heal him, you can only look to the Yellow Sand Sect, hoping they send someone to procure relevant spirit elixirs from the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm next time."

Though the Chen Family Ancestor couldn’t cure Zhou Xuanhao’s injuries, he offered Zhouyang a feasible treatment plan.

Given Cao Wenjin’s evident importance placed on Zhouyang, combined with the Zhou Family’s contributions during this chaos, Zhouyang seeking the Yellow Sand Sect’s assistance for this small favor remains promising.

"Thank you for informing me, Ancestor. I understand what to do now."

Zhouyang expressed his gratitude, bidding farewell to the Chen Family Ancestor, and immediately took his parents back to the Yuquan Lake Oasis.

Zhou Xuanhao sustained his injuries while protecting Ping’an Marketplace, and now that demon chaos has completely subsided and Chen Ping’an successfully established the Purple Mansion, the Chen Family Ancestor exempted the Zhou Family from their duty of having Foundation Establishment Cultivators guard the marketplace.

After returning to Jade Spring Peak where his clan resides, Zhouyang’s first act was to fully activate the "Array of Ten Thousand Trees Holding Up the Heavens," enveloping most of Jade Spring Peak in a verdant spiritual light.

This action perplexed the old clan leader Zhou Minghan who had just come to greet them. It’s known that once the "Array of Ten Thousand Trees Holding Up the Heavens" is fully activated, it requires the daily consumption of dozens of lower-grade spirit stones for maintenance; otherwise, the array will excessively draw spiritual qi from the spirit vein, causing the spirit herbs and elixirs planted on Jade Spring Peak to wither and die.

Yet, due to his trust in Zhouyang, though puzzled, Zhou Minghan did not hinder his actions.

It didn’t matter if Zhou Minghan couldn’t understand; as long as someone did.

Outside Jade Spring Peak, sent to follow Zhouyang, Jiang Yuyan realized she was exposed upon seeing Zhouyang activate the array to seal the mountain.

"But how did this kid ever discover my presence?"

Her beautiful eyes widened, staring in bewilderment at Jade Spring Peak.

Though Cao Wenjin had entrusted her with following Zhouyang, besides his trust in her, the more important reason was that among the remaining Purple Mansion Stage cultivators in the Yellow Sand Sect, only she had mastered the specialized concealment magic "Void Divine Movement Technique."

Using her seventh-layer Purple Mansion Stage cultivation to perform "Void Divine Movement Technique" in tracking, not even Zhouyang at Foundation Establishment Stage, nor Chen Ping’an, who had just established his Purple Mansion, should have been able to detect her presence.

This was precisely the source of her puzzlement.

But puzzled as she was, she couldn’t just go up and ask Zhouyang about it now, as that would be equivalent to admitting to invading his privacy.

Helpless, she could only leave with her confusion and frustration, ending her trail and returning to the Yellow Sand Sect to report to Cao Wenjin.

Considering Zhouyang actually detected her tracking and subtly indicated through activating the Mountain Protection Array, continuing to follow would not only yield ineffective results but also greatly anger Zhouyang and the entire Zhou Family, which neither she nor Cao Wenjin wished to see.

To confirm her departure, Jiang Yuyan lifted the invisibility of the "Void Divine Movement Technique" before she left, allowing Zhouyang and others on Jade Spring Peak to clearly see the sword light she transformed into upon flying away by sword.

"What’s going on? Why was there a Purple Mansion Stage cultivator following you? Xiao Jiu, how did you discover her?"

On Jade Spring Peak, Zhou Minghan’s expression changed drastically upon witnessing the sudden emergence and departure of the sword light in the distance, looking toward Zhouyang with deep concern on his face.

Zhouyang, seeing this, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "This matter is a long story. Grandson will slowly and carefully tell you, Great-grandfather, about it later. However, since that senior deliberately showed signs of leaving before departing, it seems unlikely that they will continue doing such things."

He naturally wouldn’t say that he hadn’t noticed anyone following him and that the whole act earlier was just to verify a hunch.

On the way back, he learned from his father, Zhou Xuanhao, that in the battle at Ping’an Marketplace, Jiang Yuyan only joined the fray after Chen Ping’an had arrived.

At that time, he had a question: why was Jiang Yuyan at the Baisha River Oasis? And why did she join the battle only after it had been going on for some time?

Now, after this small test just now, all his questions have been resolved.

At this moment, he felt extremely fortunate that he hadn’t decided to immediately seize the Blood Nether treasure.

If he hadn’t controlled the temptation and had turned back to the ruins of the Yin Puppet Sect to dig up the Blood Nether treasures, not only would he have lost those treasures, but he could also have invited disaster upon himself.

Additionally, if he had gone to seize the Blood Nether treasures at that time, Ping’an Marketplace would likely have been devastated by Blood Mo Luo and Blood Mo Ke, resulting in a completely different outcome from now.

Following that, Zhouyang recounted all his experiences after leaving the clan for the Red Tiger Mountain Oasis, including the ordeal and fortuitous encounter after being possessed by Blood Nether, to the old clan leader, Zhou Minghan, without omitting anything except the matter of the Blood Nether treasure.

Even though Zhou Minghan has lived for nearly two hundred years and has a wealth of adventurous experiences, he was still bewildered and shocked upon hearing the words from Zhouyang’s mouth, as if listening to a heavenly script.

One can’t blame him for such a reaction; Zhouyang’s experiences in this period were truly astonishing.

He emerged unscathed after an attack by a Tier Four High-Grade Demon Beast, the Golden-winged Thunder Eagle, was swallowed by the Earth Dragon Worm yet turned adversity into advantage, and escaped possession by a Ninth-Layer Golden Core Demon Cultivator, benefiting instead with great progress in his Divine Sense, opening the path to the Purple Mansion Stage, and earning the favor of another Ninth-Layer Golden Core Cultivator, Cyan Yang Daoist, on the verge of condensing a Nascent Soul...

Each of these incidents alone would be enough for a regular Foundation Establishment Cultivator to boast about for a long time, yet they all happened to a Foundation Establishment Layer Two cultivator who had just established his foundation within ten years. How could this not be astonishing!

If Zhou Minghan didn’t know that Zhouyang wasn’t one to boast or lie, he would have been a hundred percent certain that Zhouyang had had too much Spirit Wine and was bragging here.

"Indeed, Xiao Jiu, you truly are a blessing bestowed upon our Zhou family by the heavens; a person favored by Heaven with great fortune!"

Zhou Minghan couldn’t find words to describe Zhouyang’s experiences other than calling him a "person favored by Heaven."

Looking throughout the history of the Cultivation Realm, every era had its share of "people favored by Heaven" born with great fortune.

Often, ordinary cultivators who entered perilous lands where survival was nearly impossible would find fortune amidst danger if they were among the "people favored by Heaven," gaining substantial rewards.

Among the high-tier Loose Cultivators, most could be categorized as such. These individuals could open the Purple Mansion and condense a Golden Core as Loose Cultivators. Without great fortune and opportunity, it would be impossible.

Hence, the status of high-tier Loose Cultivators in the Cultivation Realm was completely the opposite of low-tier Loose Cultivators.

Those high-tier cultivators from major powers who were truly aware of these implications would not look down upon fellow cultivators when dealing with high-tier Loose Cultivators and would instead take the initiative to show goodwill and form friendships.

Zhouyang’s experiences might seem mystical, but when considering them from the perspective of a "person favored by Heaven," they appear ordinary.

There have been predecessors in the Cultivation Realm with experiences even more mystical than his, and the most mystical and talked-about case known by cultivators is that over ten thousand years ago, a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal, moments before ascending to the Upper Realm, suddenly decided to take a starving little beggar as a disciple.

A little beggar who was about to starve to death suddenly became a disciple of a high-status Tribulation Crossing True Immortal. Such an experience leaves no room for jealousy.

However, Zhouyang was somewhat embarrassed to accept Zhou Minghan’s label of a "person favored by Heaven." He acknowledged that he had a degree of luck in surviving dangerous environments, but he could not ignore his own efforts.

For instance, when attacked by the Golden-winged Thunder Eagle and swallowed by the Earth Dragon Worm, he relied solely on his judgment and strength to forcefully resolve the situation. Another example was when he intervened in the battle between the Chen Family ancestor and the Blood Corpse at Ping’an Marketplace; he took the initiative only after observation and calculation.

So, after Zhou Minghan’s exclamation, he earnestly said, "Great-grandfather overpraises. Grandson merely had some fortunate luck. Besides, even if one is a ’person favored by Heaven,’ there will be a day when luck runs out. Otherwise, someone as distinguished as the Golden Light Ascendant, a Golden Core Stage high expert, wouldn’t have fallen at the hands of a Demon Cultivator!"

Golden Light Ascendant, a Golden Core master who achieved the Golden Core as a Loose Cultivator, was the only Loose Cultivator Golden Core expert in the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm in six hundred years. Could this not be considered a ’person favored by Heaven’?

Yet he still died!

With such a living example, Zhouyang was not about to believe in the myth that ’persons favored by Heaven’ are immortal.

Zhou Minghan, upon hearing this, found himself momentarily speechless.

After a while, he spoke with a sense of resignation, "I am comforted to see you have such understanding, Zhouyang. It seems there is truly nothing more I can teach you!"

Reluctant though he was to admit it, Zhou Minghan knew that although Zhouyang’s cultivation level was still considerably lower than his, in his understanding of the path of cultivation, Zhouyang, having gained part of Blood Nether’s memories, had surpassed him.

At the very least, if it were him facing Zhang Yunpeng and the other three Purple Mansion Stage cultivators at that time, he wouldn’t have been able to respond with such composure and cleverly turn the tables on Zhang Yunpeng as Zhouyang did.

Still, however excellent Zhouyang was, he was his great-grandson. After lamenting, Zhou Minghan quickly smiled with gratification.

Looking at Zhouyang, who seemed a bit at a loss by his earlier words, he smiled and brought up the main topic, "Now that you’ve returned as Clan Leader, Xiao Jiu, it’s time to convene a new clan meeting. With the chaos of the Demon Dao having settled, we’re entering a period of restoration and prosperity. We also need to discuss with the clansmen how to make the most of the many benefits our Zhou family gained during the chaos."