CHAPTER 266: CHAPTER 253: READY!

Yellow Sand Sect.

Unlike the previous time when he had to sneak around to get someone to take him up the mountain, this time Zhouyang’s arrival at the Yellow Sand Sect was open and without any intention to hide his presence.

Now, he no longer fears exposing his relationship with the Yellow Sand Sect, because regardless of whether this relationship is revealed, he and Luo Yunqing are archenemies who won’t rest until the other is dead.

Given this situation, he certainly won’t do anything that might make people laugh at him later.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, you arrived quickly!"

Unlike the last time when he met Zhouyang in a side hall, Zhang Yunpeng this time welcomed Zhouyang directly at the main hall, where the Sect Leader regularly practiced cultivation.

This level of reception is normally reserved for Purple Mansion Stage Cultivators and not every Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator enjoys such treatment.

Moreover, since Zhouyang had already asked Chen Ping’an of the Chen Family to inform Zhang Yunpeng beforehand, Zhang Yunpeng made such remarks upon seeing him.

"There’s no choice but to be quick, the time left for the younger generation is running out!"

Zhouyang gazed pensively towards the outside of the hall, as if his sight could pierce through thousands of miles to see the enemy residing on Luofeng Mountain.

This was, of course, an illusion, but as the agreed deadline of the Dao Heart Oath approached, he started to feel a sense of urgency during his daily cultivation.

He knew this was his Divine Soul warning him, reminding him not to forget the matter of the Dao Heart Oath.

"It seems Fellow Daoist Zhou is truly prepared."

Zhang Yunpeng scrutinized him for a while, then nodded slightly and said, "Since you’ve decided, I naturally won’t defy the agreement between my master and you. This jade scroll contains the insights and thoughts of over ten Purple Mansion Cultivators from the Yellow Sand Sect on opening the Purple Mansion. You may study it first, while the portion of the [Purple Heart Jade Marrow] will be sent to you in a few days."

After speaking, Zhang Yunpeng handed the jade scroll to Zhouyang and then presented him a token, saying, "This token is specially prepared by our Yellow Sand Sect for Purple Mansion Cultivators to access their abodes. Fellow Daoist Zhou shall reside temporarily within."

"Thank you, Elder Zhang."

Zhouyang accepted the jade scroll and token, bowing slightly to express his gratitude.

Closing himself in the sect’s mountain gate to open the Purple Mansion was indeed a precaution taken by Cao Wenjin, fearing that Zhouyang might escape after using the "Purple Heart Jade Marrow" for opening the Purple Mansion.

On the other hand, since this place possessed a Tier Five High-Grade Spiritual Vein, opening the Purple Mansion here would save him at least a year or two of cultivation effort post-advancement.

However, Zhouyang didn’t rush to the abode for seclusion to study the insights contained within the jade scroll. Instead, he first visited his clan brother Zhou Yuanchen to express the family’s gratitude for his assistance in making spirit talismans.

"Ninth brother, your cultivation talent truly makes me envious beyond comparison!"

"Honestly, when Grandfather chose you to consume the Foundation Establishment Pill initially, I was quite dissatisfied, thinking he was biased towards you because of our uncle!"

"But now I realize just how ridiculous my thoughts were back then! Grandfather truly had foresight, as he must have seen your potential early on, therefore decided to use all the clan’s resources to carefully nurture you."

"And you indeed haven’t disappointed Grandfather. Under your leadership, the Zhou Family has prospered year by year, almost becoming a Purple Mansion Clan now!"

"I can’t compare to you! Not even close!"

In Zhou Yuanchen’s abode, facing Zhouyang’s visit, this elder brother from the Zhou Family’s "Yuan" generation warmly took out good food and wine to entertain him.

Yet after a period of eating and drinking, Zhou Yuanchen, as if opening a floodgate of conversation, gazed at Zhouyang with a face full of emotion, letting out a string of sighs.

Just like he mentioned, when he was in the Yellow Sand Sect and heard the old clan leader Zhou Minghan designate Zhouyang as the Zhou Family’s "Foundation Establishment Seed," he was indeed very dissatisfied at heart.

Being an elder brother in the "Yuan" generation with Thunder Attribute Middle-grade Spirit Root talent, he didn’t receive such treatment back then, thus had to join the Yellow Sand Sect at twenty to make an attempt.

It’s hard to say if his decision to tackle the Foundation Establishment Stage despite not having a Foundation Establishment Pill also carried a bit of defiance, wanting to prove to Zhou Minghan and the senior members of the clan that he was no worse than Zhouyang.

But later events, particularly the achievements made by Zhouyang after succeeding the patriarch role, gradually made him realize that he indeed couldn’t compare to Zhouyang, in any aspect.

Now, with Zhouyang reaching the Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment at the age of one hundred and three, and about to open the Purple Mansion.

While Zhou Yuanchen, being more than twenty years older than Zhouyang, is still stuck at the Fourth-Layer Foundation Establishment Cultivation, which already tells a lot.

Though he may say this, Zhouyang evidently couldn’t affirm himself similarly. Hence he humbly bowed and said, "Brother Yuanchen overpraised. I’m only slightly talented in cultivation. Reaching today’s level is thanks to the nurturing and support from Grandfather and all the Elders."

"The family’s prosperity results from everyone’s collective effort, as well as Brother Yuanchen’s contribution. It’s not just my doing!"

Zhou Yuanchen saw this and reached out to grab his wrist, shaking his head repeatedly, "Ninth Brother, you don’t need to be so modest. Between us brothers, there’s no need to be so formal. I know very well in my heart how things truly are. You indeed are the pride of our Zhou family, and I am also proud to have a cousin like you!"

Zhouyang suddenly fell silent.

He could feel Zhou Yuanchen’s complicated mood at the moment. Perhaps after hearing that he would be secluding himself to open the Purple Mansion in the Yellow Sand Sect, the pursuit that this elder brother had held onto for so long had finally collapsed, causing him to pour out his heart under the influence of alcohol.

"Elder Brother, you’ve had too much to drink."

In the end, he merely grasped Zhou Yuanchen’s wrist in return, uttering this dry statement.

Zhou Yuanchen let him hold on without denying it, just looking at him intently and saying, "You must succeed! You must succeed!"

After speaking, without waiting for Zhouyang to respond, he murmured to himself, "Once you succeed, I can rest assured, marry, and have children within the sect, leaving behind a legacy!"

Getting married and having children, and then having offspring with spiritual roots return to the Zhou family to recognize their ancestors, was something he had promised when the Zhou family funded his Foundation Establishment.

But all these years, he was firstly busy improving his cultivation and talisman-making techniques, with no time to consider this matter.

Secondly, he was holding onto a spirit of not admitting defeat, wanting to compete with Zhouyang again to see who was more talented and who contributed more to the Zhou family.

But now, he no longer had these thoughts.

As long as Zhouyang successfully opens the Purple Mansion, and the Zhou family is promoted to a Purple Mansion Clan, Zhou Yuanchen will have no reason to do so.

Moreover, his age is indeed not young anymore, and now is the best time if he plans to leave descendants.

"Rest assured, Elder Brother, I will definitely succeed, definitely!"

Zhouyang was finally no longer modest, just tightly grasping Zhou Yuanchen’s wrist, allowing his elder cousin to feel his firm determination and will.

Then, after bidding farewell to Zhou Yuanchen, Zhouyang returned directly to the cave mansion arranged by Zhang Yunpeng for seclusion, focusing on comprehending the insights left by the predecessors.

The insights on opening the Purple Mansion were naturally of immeasurable help to a cultivator about to open the Purple Mansion.

If not for making such a deal with Cao Wenjin, Zhouyang wanted to open the Purple Mansion would have truly been forced to explore on his own.

While he was in seclusion, Jiang Yuyan over at Luofeng Mountain also had Cao Wenjin’s "Purple Heart Jade Marrow" brought back and handed over to him, along with two other spiritual objects that had slight benefits for opening the Purple Mansion.

These two spiritual objects were "Divine-Inviting Incense" and "Soul Calming Grass."

The "Divine-Inviting Incense" is ignited when opening the Purple Mansion, and its aroma helps to draw out the deeply hidden Divine Soul in the sea of consciousness, thus aiding the cultivator in finding the correct position.

And by holding a piece of "Soul Calming Grass" in one’s mouth, it produces a calming effect on the Divine Soul.

These two spiritual objects are the most beneficial items that Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm can buy with spirit stones when opening the Purple Mansion.

However, for Zhouyang, it was only the "Soul Calming Grass" that might be useful.

His sea of consciousness had already been expanded significantly due to the Blood Nether possession incident, so there was no need for the help of "Divine-Inviting Incense" to clearly sense and find his Divine Soul.

As for the "Soul Calming Grass," it is prepared for those with a less firm will, while his Dao Heart is incredibly firm.

Therefore, including the "Purple Heart Jade Marrow," these things were all stored in his storage bag, ready to be used later by his Dao Companion Xiao Ying to open the Purple Mansion.

Indeed, Zhouyang never planned to use the "Purple Heart Jade Marrow" to aid in opening the Purple Mansion.

That was why he initially bargained with Cao Wenjin over exchanging "Purple Heart Jade Marrow" for "Jade Liquid Golden Pill."

In fact, in his mind, accepting this "Purple Heart Jade Marrow" was already doing Cao Wenjin a favor.

If he really wanted this item, he could just head to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm after opening the Purple Mansion and spend no more than three hundred thousand spirit stones to buy a share. Why bother to agree to half-sell and half-gift the Yellow Sand Sect a "Jade Liquid Golden Pill" in the future!

"Just right, those Purple Cloud Fruits in the Purple Cloud Cave will mature in another or three or four decades, by then refining some Purple Cloud Pills, let Ying’Er use these spiritual objects in combination. With her top-grade spiritual root talent, the probability for her to open the Purple Mansion could reach at least sixty percent!"

Zhouyang thought of this and smiled slightly, continuing to immerse himself in studying the insights left by the senior cultivators.

After six months of seclusion and study of these insights in the cave mansion, he finally gained a clear understanding of the various precautions and processes for opening the Purple Mansion.

Only at this time did he send a Communication Flying Sword to Zhang Yunpeng, informing him that he was preparing to formally attempt to open the Purple Mansion.